Monday, February 22, 2021

"Portrait Sitting"

 

 
6 x 8"
oil on panel
sold


I saw this painting on Instagram by Diego Velazquez, Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand of Austria in Hunting Dress and fell in love with the dog. Not Cardinal Ferdinand, but his dog. He obediently sat for the portrait. What a good boy.

From the Museo del Prado in Madrid, Spain.
 
~ Stay safe, stay healthy and wear a mask.



Wednesday, February 17, 2021

"Smile"

 

 
8 x 10"
oil on panel
sold


Inspired by a recent article in the New York Times about the Louvre Museum's renovations taking place while the museum is closed due to COVID - I imagined a more accessible viewing of the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci.

In reality, the framed portrait is encased in bulletproof glass with a distanced railing for visitors to view the iconic masterpiece.  Here's the new set-up at the Louvre.
 



Please click here for a larger view.



Thursday, February 11, 2021

"Up Close"

 

 
10 x 8"
oil on panel
sold


Your Moment of Zen today featuring Claude Monet's landscapes.
 
I went to the Philadelphia Museum of Art years ago but I do remember this gentleman.  He stood inches from each and every painting, seemingly captivated by Monet's layered and impressionistic brush strokes in this case.  And for good reason. The gist of impressionism is those layered, tiny, angled brush strokes.  It results in life.  Movement.  Light.  

The painting on the left is Bend in the Epte River Near Giverny and to the right is Morning at Antibes - both by the Impressionist painter Claude Monet.

Please click here for a larger view.



Friday, February 5, 2021

"Sympathy"

 

 
9 x 12"
oil on panel
sold


There is, there should be, a profound personal experience when one sees an original painting by Vincent van Gogh in person. Speaking for myself, my reaction depends on the subject matter.  Landscapes and still-lifes are thick with paint and multitudes of rich, vivid colors swirling and defining edges.  You want to touch it with your fingers.  There's life and movement in outdoor scenes - you can hear the crows and the rustling of wheatfields.  It puts you there, where he was painting that day.

Van Gogh's portraits evoke emotion in me. I feel his trouble or ease or torment or admiration.  The Portrait of Dr. Gachet on the left is one of several versions painted.  Dr. Gachet was a homeopathic doctor and artist himself.  Gachet cared for van Gogh in the few months before the end of his life and understandably was important to van Gogh as a friend and caregiver.  This version was owned by Gachet, bequeathed to France by his heirs and resides in the Musee d'Orsay in Paris.

The Self-Portrait on the right was painted in 1889, the last self-portrait van Gogh completed a year before his death.  Over a 10-year period, the artist painted himself over 30 times - mostly due to lacking the money to hire a model.  He sent the painting to his brother, Theo, with a note reading "you will need to study the picture for a time. I hope you will notice that my facial expressions have become much calmer, although my eyes have the same insecure look as before, or so it appears to me."  The swirls of color in the background would suggest his state of mind as he was declining physically and mentally.  It's one of the most famous paintings van Gogh completed and resides in the Musee d'Orsay as well.

Please click here for a larger view.