PICASSO - 3

In 1927, Picasso met Marie-Therese Walter, a 17-year-old French schoolgirl, who became his mistress.  No other woman is more intricately woven into the fabric of his art.

Reading at a Table - 1934

In this painting of Marie-Therese Walter, the time is night.  She sits reading at a table in a room illuminated by only a small lamp.  Her left hand gently holds open the pages of her book, while the right hand touches her garland-crowned head with fingers that resemble a feather.  Her pale blonde hair and blue-white skin give her a fragile presence within the dark and deeply colored interior.  Take note of the brush strokes Picasso used to paint her face and make her stand out from everything else.

The legs of the table are vertical, representing strength, height, pride and dignity.  In this case, the height of the table legs could be used to show Marie-Therese's height and youth because her arms barely reach the table like a child was sitting at the table.  Horizontal lines can be seen under her arm at the table, and also through her arms, moving the viewer's eye from object to object, representing femininity.  Diagonal lines represent action, forcefulness and strength.  A diagonal line can be seen on the right top corner of the painting, which portrays the action in the room.

The girl's head in Picasso's painting is larger than everything else in the painting.  This grabs the viewer's eye and forces us to focus more on her.  The plant is also modified to be almost as tall as she is.  It is understandable why Picasso was portraying Marie-Therese's youth over and over in this painting, considering she was only 17 years old when they met and he was 45.  At the time of this painting, she was 25.

The depiction of a woman simply reading adds a sense of quiet contemplation, which appeals to many of us.  The theme of a painting is the message or idea that the artist wishes to convey through their work, or the message received by the viewer when observing it. 

Our simple study of art here has shown us that there's a deeper meaning to art.....the feelings, thoughts and ideas that are communicated to us through the work.  Art has many purposes which can make it seem daunting to some, while others enjoy its complexities.  Every person interprets art differently, making it unique for each individual viewer.   The ability to express our ideas, emotions and thoughts is the core function of creativity.  Self-expression is important and sometimes just saying how we feel is difficult.  Art can be a universal language that transcends words and language barriers.   

PICASSO - 2

Le Picador (The Bullfighter)

Pablo Picasso finished his first painting, Le picador, a man riding a horse in a bullfight (right) when he was eight years old.  As a young boy, he disliked being told what to do and was often put into detention.  "For being a bad student, I was banished to the 'calaboose' - a bare cell with whitewashed walls and a bench to sit on.  I liked it there, because I took along a sketch pad and drew incessantly...I could have stayed there forever drawing without stopping." 

Picasso's iconic shirt is a Breton-striped shirt, which in 1858 became the official uniform for French seamen in Brittany.  Picasso was also a leader in fashion.  His Breton striped t-shirt was designed by Coco Chanel.  The 21 horizontal stripes represent each of Napoleon's victories. 

Cubism is considered to be the first true abstract art style.  Initially, Cubism was considered scandalous, because it didn't objectively replicate reality.  Instead, it transformed natural shapes into exaggerated geometric ones.  One of the first critics of this art style said that it looked like it was made up of cubes.  This is what led to the label Cubism.

The cubist painters used very few colors, because they wanted the viewer to concentrate on the shapes.  They often used only shades of black, brown, cream, green, blue and grey.

Girl with Mandolin - 1910

In Girl with Mandolin, Picasso carried fragmentation of form to almost unrecognizable lengths.  Only the mandolin is easy to identify.  Both the outlines of the figure and its internal drawing have been broken down into geometrical elements.  The coloring is dominated by brown tones paling to beige with blue-grey tones.

The model for this picture is a naked female holding a mandolin.  The viewer can only see the top part of her body, from thighs to head.  The head is turned to the left, which is the viewer's right.  We see a profile view of the lady's face as she looks down at her mandolin slightly, which she is holding across the front of her body, apparently playing it.  Note that there isn't a single bright color that stands out. 

Picasso breaks down the picture into numerous rectangles, cubes, squares and other geometric shapes.  He then arranged these different shapes to reveal various parts of her anatomy that would not have been possible to see in a single moment of time and from a single point in space.  In other words, it shows multiple points of view in the same painting simultaneously.  

Three Musicians

Picasso paints three musicians made of flat, brightly colored, abstract shapes in a shallow box-like room.  The figures represent Picasso and two of his poet friends.  Guillaume Apollinaire who died three years earlier, and Max Jacob who had joined a monastery earlier that year. Picasso is the figure wearing the bright diamond patterned suit in the center.  The white figure on the left is Apollinaire, and the dark figure of a monk on the right represents Max Jacob.  The figure on the left plays the clarinet (cone-shaped head), the figure in the middle (dome shaped head) plays the guitar, and the monk on the right (slanted shaped head) holds sheets of music as he sings. 

There's a fourth figure in the painting.  One has to really look hard and long to see the brown dog stretched out onto its stomach with its legs facing the left side of the canvas.  The dog's back leg touches the white pant leg of the clarinetist.  Note the black silhouette of a dog's head with two pointy ears.  This could either be the shadow of the first dog or another dog in the background.  If I hadn't read the analysis of this painting, there's no way I'd ever have noticed the dog(s).  How 'bout you?

Personally, this is not a style of art that appeals to me.  However, this is a learning adventure, so we will continue to find out more about the style of the paintings and their artist, Pablo Picasso.

I'll close today's post with a bit of Picasso trivia:  While Picasso is best known by his last name, his full name is 25 names long.  At his baptism, he was christened as Pablo Diego Jose Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno Crispin Crispiniano Maria de Los Remedios de la Santisima Trinidad Ruiz Picasso.  His long name is a mixture of relatives' and saints' names.  Ruiz was his father's surname, Picasso his mother's.  

Pablo's family was best known as glovemakers.  It was not the occupation a revolutionary artist wanted to be associated with, so he took matters into his own hands.  He changed his last name to his mother's maiden name, Picasso.  

CUBISM - PICASSO - 1

Pablo Picasso

Now that we're introduced to Impressionism, let's learn about Cubism.  Spanish painter Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) was a founder of the Cubist movement.

Les Demoiselles d'Avignon
(The Young Women of Avignon)

The most famous example of Cubism painting is Picasso's Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (left).  In this painting, he abandoned all known form and representation of traditional art.  Instead, he used distortion of female bodies and geometric forms in a unique way.  It shows how Picasso was influenced by African art.

This painting took him nine months to complete.  It shows the novelty of Picasso's passion.  He created hundreds of sketches to prepare for the final work. 

When it was first  exhibited in 1916, the painting was considered immoral. The title refers to the red-light district of Avignon Street in Barcelona, Spain, where Picasso frequented prostitutes.  The painting depicts five nude or nearly nude prostitutes in a confrontational pose, staring directly at the viewer. 

The painting combines different styles and breaks down traditional forms.  The female bodies are depicted with angular planes and geometric shapes, and their faces are inspired by African masks and Iberian sculpture.  It's an example of how Picasso questioned and transformed accepted art traditions.  He rejected the concept that art should copy nature, or that artists should adopt the traditional techniques of perspective and modeling. 

The painting is brutally honest with the viewer and doesn't attempt to cover up the gruesome realities of life.  Instead of shaping these women into ideal figures of conditioned beauty, Picasso challenges viewers to find the beauty in what is in front of them.  Women do not all look one certain way, and every one is uniquely beautiful in their own way.  Whether we see these women as beautiful or not, the point is that Picasso has brought raw reality to light in this painting.

Adding to the rawness, Picasso chooses a risky topic.  Prostitution is not something that is made to be seen as artistic, and Picasso decided to use prostitutes as his focus here.  Through Cubism, he brought a different approach to depicting the human body in art.  Often in early art, women were portrayed as delicate symbols of beauty or temptation, but these women are shown in a rough, distorted element and their feminine features are made to be more masculine.

This painting measures 96 inches x 92 inches and is valued at 1.2 billion dollars.  It is located at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

RENOIR - 7

Two Sisters (On the Terrace) - 1880-81

In this painting, Renoir depicts the radiance of two lovely females, one in her late teenage years and the other a child, on a warm and beautiful day.  The older girl gazes beyond her younger companion, who seems to have just dashed into the picture.  The sewing basket in the left foreground suggests a palette of bright colors that the artist mixed, diluted and altered to create the painting.  Although the girls were not actually sisters, Renoir's dealer showed the work with this title at an Impressionist exhibition in 1882.

The terrace railing is directly behind them.  The horizontal line of the railing moves the figures further into the foreground, placing emphasis on them as the focal point.  Over the terrace railing we see shrubbery and foliage with the Seine River behind it.   The little girl is holding onto the edge of a basket filled with different colors of woolen balls, which is on a small table.  There is a brilliance of colors in this painting. 

Notice some boats along the river painted between the gaps of the branches. 

There are three points of focus in "Two Sisters."  The first is the sharp red color of the older lady's hat.  The second focus is the hat of the younger girl depicted with colorful flowers.   The third point is the basket of woolen balls of yarn. The painting presents the beauty of spring and youth.  The two sisters were in the springtime of their lives.  The bright colors enable us to appreciate a harmonious environment. 

Did you wonder why Renoir painted the basket of woolen yarn in this picture?  It does seem out of place.  It was suggested that Renoir placed the yarn there in response to a critic who compared his painting to knitting and described one of his artworks as "a weak sketch seemingly executed in wool of different colors."  While this may be true, there may be other reasons why Renoir placed the yarn in this painting.  No one really knows what Renoir was thinking at that time. 

This painting is located in the Art Institute of Chicago.  Two Sisters is a timeless work honoring the beauty of human connection and the simple pleasures of life.  It is a beloved work of art that captivates audiences worldwide.

RENOIR - 6

A Girl With a Watering Can - 1876

This painting, set in a garden, presents a little girl holding a watering can in her right hand and two daisies in her left hand.  She has bright blue eyes and rosy lips, is about four years old, wearing a knee-length royal blue dress with wide, intricate, lacy white trim, and blue ankle boots and white socks.  Her long, curly blonde hair is topped with a bright red ribbon.  In the left foreground are flowering bushes, and Renoir has filled in the middle ground with an indistinct patch of grass, as more flowering bushes rise in the background at the top of the painting.  The colors of the footpath contrast nicely with the green grass surrounding it.  She appears to be happy while watering the flowers.  Note that there are no shadows anywhere in the painting.  

At the time of this painting, Renoir struggled for money.  To earn money, he decided to paint scenes of women and children, hoping they would sell and possibly attract commissions for portraits.  This type of scene was in high demand in France at the time.  His strategy paid off.  By 1879, he had become a successful painter with money that he used to travel around Europe and North Africa. 

A Girl With a Watering Can is located in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Lucie Berard (Child in White) - 1883

Renoir's patron, Paul-Antoine Berard, commissioned him to paint portraits of his four children.  Here, Renoir portrays the youngest, Lucie, as the picture of innocence at three years old.  Her small hands are positioned by her sides.  Notice the two rows of vertical buttons and the wide lacey yoke of her dress.  The picture lacks accessories, like toys and books, found in other of Renoir's portraits of children.  Her white dress and subtle smile reflect a fleeting moment of youth.

The painting of Lucie is located in the Art Institute of Chicago.    

RENOIR - 5

Today we appreciate Renoir's two other paintings in his dancing series...... 

Dancing in the Country - 1883

The couple is dancing under a chestnut tree.  The man is Renoir's friend, and the woman later becomes Renoir's wife.  The couple is painted life-size and occupies almost the whole painting.  

Notice the table in the background on the right, the hat on the ground and a pair of faces below the level of the dance floor.  See how he incorporates a dish of ice cream and the half-full glass.  The woman holds a fan in her right hand and faces the viewer. Does Renoir paint her holding a fan in one hand as if it were a symbol of her independence?   She doesn't take off her gloves, which portrays a barrier between her and her partner.  Renoir painted her with a full smile, depicting a very happy woman with a mouth curving upward in a pleasing smile.  The couple has just finished dinner, rising from their chairs spontaneously to dance to a familiar song, and their spontaneity is shown by the hat dropped in the foreground.  It appears that both dancers are lost in their own thoughts.  This painting is both romantic and energetic.  Don't you just love how Renoir painted the lady's dress?

The lady in this painting would become his future wife.  She was a seamstress, a working class girl.  Some years later, Renoir revealed to his son that his mother was a wonderful dancer:  "Your mother waltzed divinely.  I'm afraid I stepped all over her feet." 

Let's move on to Dance in the City, the third in Renoir's series of Dancers....

Dancing in the City - 1883

Dancing in the Country and Dancing in the City were designed to contrast with each other. The country depicts the merriment of a country dance, and the city depicts the elegant restraint of city dancers.  The setting of Dancing in the City is a high class Parisian establishment, for this is a "white ball," favored by the upper classes.  The painting is all about the woman, as the man is almost hidden from our view.  

There's a shimmering opulence to this scene.   The cut of the woman's dress reveals her back and shoulders.  Her partner is wearing formal evening wear and the tails of his long coat swish with the movement of the dance.  Both the man and woman wear white gloves, which makes the dance a more formal event, making sure that the man's bare hands do not touch the delicate skin of the lady.  Compare the clasp of hands to the couple in the Dance at Bougival that we studied yesterday.  This latter picture shows the couple with the lightest coupling of hands.  The lady's dress is made of white satin or silk taffeta, with lace, organza or chiffon trim around the neck and shoulders. The classical draping and lack of gaudy ornamentation bring out the lady's youthful glow.  Her styled hair is graced with a flower.

We must remember that outdoor dancing is much wilder than its ballroom counterpart.  In the country, men don't have to put on gloves.  The plants, trees and feelings are real.  The ballroom type, with its white columns, potted plants, controlled steps and orchestrated music, pales in comparison.     

Dance at Bougival (left) is located in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

Dance in in the City (center) is located in the Musee d'Orsay in Paris.

Dance in the Country (right) is located in the Musee d'Orsay in Paris.

RENOIR - 4

Dance at Bougival - 1883

In this painting, Renoir captured the spirit of his friends dancing at an open-air Cafe in the town of Bougival (boo-zjee-val), located a short distance from Paris.  It was a popular spot for city people and a favorite painting location for the Impressionist artists.  Renoir includes touches of reality with discarded cigarettes, burnt matches and flowers on the ground to elevate the atmosphere of the cafe.  Notice their flushed cheeks that signal their passion and excitement.  I can't help but wonder what each of them are thinking.  Let's each take time to practice our skills of observation we've learned so far.  See how Renoir masterfully paints hands and the lady's beautiful face.

The painting has fine color, with the woman wearing a pink dress and red bonnet, the man wearing a deep blue suit, yellow hat, and his shoes are especially eye-catching.  Notice how his shoes match the sash around the lady's waist.  Her dress portrays movement as the man leads the lady in playful dance.  I especially like the flowing layers of the skirt and how the rows of red trim bring the eye upward.  The act of dancing is linked with rhythm and transforming time into motion.  One of the most basic motives of dance is the expression of emotion.  People often dance as a way of releasing powerful human feelings.  A slow dance might stir up heartfelt emotions, while fast and wide movements portray energy and excitement.

To give us some idea of the work that went into this painting, here is a preliminary sketch Renoir made of the couple dancing.....

Sketch of Dance at Bougival - 1883

Dance at Bougival is part of a collection of three paintings that feature a couple who are dancing.  The other two paintings are titled Dance in the Country and Dance in the City.  We'll learn about them tomorrow.

RENOIR - 3

The Umbrellas - 1880s

In this picture, about a dozen open umbrellas suggest that it is raining.  Note the lady in the center is lowering or opening her umbrella, indicating that the rain has either stopped or is about to begin.  The lady on the left and the child to the right both look directly at the viewer.  The man stares intently at the lady, perhaps about to offer her the shelter of his umbrella, or maybe he's just admiring her.  The female figure to the left of the frame holds up her skirt against the mud and water on the road as she carries a bandbox.

The angles of the umbrellas are carefully arranged to form geometric shapes, with the bandbox and the girl's hoop adding rounded elements.  The colors are mainly blues and greys.  Umbrellas in art are often interpreted as metaphors for protection and shelter from the struggles and hardships of life.  Take note that the lady carrying the bandbox is not wearing anything on her head and is without gloves.  These are indicators of low status.  The bandbox denotes the sort of low paid job taken by country girls who came to the city.  

In the lower right corner, Renoir presents two doll-like youngsters.  He united them through their color and the lacy embellishments of their clothing.  In this portion of the canvas, Renoir has reserved small delights for the eye and his richest color.

The Umbrellas is at The National Gallery in London.  Its presence allows art enthusiasts from around the world to appreciate Renoir's genius.

RENOIR - 2

Pierre-Auguste Renoir's paintings, as we will see, were of friends, family, landscapes and scenes from the parks and gardens of Paris.  Let's look for the way he used bold combinations of pure complementary colors to capture light, shadow and movement.  Renoir once said, "Why shouldn't art be pretty?  There are enough unpleasant things in the world."

The son of a tailor and a seamstress, Renoir had a talent for decorative effect that brought him to the attention of a number of wealthy patrons for whom he painted picture hangings and decorations for ladies' fans and other luxury objects.  These early successes fed his desire to leave the ceramic factory and pursue fine art painting.

I am not familiar with Renoir's works, so my aim is to showcase a few of his 4,000 paintings.  One of the things about art, as I'm learning, is the way color is used to create the atmosphere of the moment.  Blue is the main character in this painting.

La Balancoire - The Swing - 1876

If we look closely, we see a young man from the back talking to a young lady standing on a swing, watched by a little girl and another man who is leaning against the trunk of the tree.  Renoir gives us the impression of a surprising conversation, he catches the glances toward the man seen from the back.  The lady is looking away as if she's embarrassed.  The group of four in the foreground is balanced by the group of five figures sketchily brushed in the background.

Renoir catches the effect of sunlight dappled by foliage and the patches of pale color on the clothing and the ground.  The lady's dress with blue bows and hat adds charm to the painting.  The bows caught my attention first.  The blue bows on the dress seem to replicate butterflies flying about white puffy clouds.  The little girl waits her turn on the swing, but she might have to wait a while!

From 1860-1870, ladies fashions had become accessible to the public for the first time.  Beautiful dresses were not just for the rich and the royal, but were affordable to the working class, as well.  I'm finding art to be a fascinating teacher of social history.

PIERRE-AUGUSTE RENOIR - 1

Today we're going to tip the canoe and fall into the colorful waters of French painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir (ren-waar).   He was another leader in the development of Impressionism (1841-1919).

 In the summer of 1869, Renoir painted for two months alongside Monet outside Paris.  In the mid-1870s Renoir painted Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette, his most important work shown at the Impressionist exhibition in 1877.  His aim  was to convey the lively atmosphere of this popular outdoor dance garden in Paris.  

Dance at the Moulin de la Galette - 1876

These open-air dances were held every Sunday, starting in the early afternoon and carrying on until midnight.  Working-class Parisians dressed up and spent time dancing, drinking and eating galettes (guh-let) into the evening.  A galette is a French pastry similar to a tart or pie.  The edges of the galette are folded over the center filling, leaving a wide opening from which the filling can be seen.  

The framing of the scene, in which the figures at the sides are cut off, gives the impression that it continues beyond its boundary, thus presenting a slice of reality.  Note how he captured the mottled effects caused by the light filtering through the trees.  We can see this especially on the back of the man in the foreground and of the dress of the woman seated next to him.  Also, the couple dancing on the left marked by spots of light fragmented into areas of pink and blue.

Renoir was known for creating joyful paintings...snapshots of real life.  Dance scenes were among his favorites, as they were filled with people enjoying themselves.  The Moulin de la Galette was one Cafe that Renoir frequently visited, as it was close to his home and it provided an ideal theme for his work.

While Renoir and Monet worked together, they discovered that shadows are not brown or black, but are colored by the objects around them.  The 'local color' of objects is modified by the light and reflections of surrounding objects. 

In this picture, Renoir bathes the figures in both sun and shadow and spots of natural and artificial light.  The sunlight contrasts well with the dark clothing, and the bright brushstrokes add movement to the painting.  

We are learning that Monet and Renoir were both masters of Impressionism, but it's important we learn how their paintings differed.

1.  Monet painted mostly landscapes, while Renoir often painted people in outdoor landscapes.

2.  Renoir adopted a closer viewpoint to emphasize the figures in his paintings.

3.  Monet used broad, disjointed brushstrokes, while Renoir used more refined, clearer brushstrokes.

4.  Renoir experimented with indistinct wiggling strokes called teaches (tash), French for spots, to create subtle coloration.

Renoir was only 13 years of age when he started an apprenticeship at a workshop painting decorations on porcelain cups and plates.  During these years, he learned a lot about colors and drawing. 

During the late 1860s, Renoir and Monet painted lovely scenes from the rural area of Argenteuil, a suburb of Paris.  They'd paint the same scene, but from slightly different angles.  One example of this is the painting of The Frog Pond.  Both artists created paintings that allow us to see the subtle differences in technique.  The two of them spent a lot of time at the frog pond, working side by side on their own canvases.

   

The Frog Pond
Claude Monet 

The Frog Pond
Pierre-Auguste Renoir  

CLAUDE MONET - 7

The Manneporte (Etretat) - 1883

Monet found subjects to paint in his immediate surroundings, the places he knew best.  The Manneport, a huge natural arch jutting out into the sea, commanded Monet's attention during his stay on the English Channel Coast.  Etretat was a small fishing village on the Normandy coast.  Ordinary people were attracted to the rock because of its natural shape.  Monet, however, concentrated on his own changing perception of it at different times of the day.  

From this view, Monet positioned his easel facing west to take advantage of the low illumination of the setting sun.  His thick brush strokes describe for us the motion of the choppy waters.  Monet painted the Manneporte multiple times.

 We learn from Claude Monet that things are not always what they seem.  The human eye can be tricked and deceived.  A busy street in the morning will look like another street altogether when evening comes.  Monet created many paintings of the same subject observed under different weather conditions, different seasons, and different times of the day.  He held a fascination for the transitory effects of natural light.  It was his goal to immortalize fleeting moments.  Nature was his main source of inspiration.

One thing about Nature......it provides us all with a continuous cycle of changing inspiration and perception.  Art is like a universal language that helps us understand and appreciate the world around us in a richer way.

CLAUDE MONET - 6

The Four Trees - 1891

During the summer and fall seasons of 1891, Monet painted a series of poplar trees along the Epte River, at Giverny.  His completing the series was temporarily threatened when the village of Limetz, across the river from Epte, decided to sell the trees at auction.  Monet paid a local lumber merchant to ensure that the trees stayed standing until he finished the series.  He painted some of the pictures from the riverbank, and others (like this one) from a boat specially made with grooves to hold multiple canvases.  Monet painted a total of 24 pictures of the poplar trees from his floating studio.

In this series of paintings, he returned to the same place over the course of a year to capture different times of the day and seasons.  The poplar tree symbolizes the connection between heaven and earth, and the balance between spirituality and practicality.  "The leaves of the poplar trees rustle in the wind, creating a living orchestra of sounds that invites people to immerse themselves in the flow of life."  

It must also be noted that since the time of the French Revolution of 1789, the poplar was considered The Tree of Liberty for the French.  Following the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871), this symbolism was revived.  By painting poplar trees, Monet was celebrating his nation's independence as much as its beautiful ever-changing landscape....

Other paintings in this series

"What I'll do here will at least have the merit of not resembling anyone else,

because it will be the impression of what I've felt,

all by myself."

~Claude Monet~

Monet's paintings teach us about light and color, and his paintings capture a fleeting moment in nature.  Light and color keep changing throughout the day and with the different weather conditions.  He said that he wanted to paint directly from nature and sought to convey his impressions of nature's temporary effects.

CLAUDE MONET - 5

 In 1893, Claude Monet, a horticulture enthusiast, purchased land with a pond near his property in Giverny, about 50 miles northwest of Paris, in the Normandy area.  He wanted to build something that was pleasing to the eye.  The result was his famous water-lily garden.  In the summer of 1899, he started painting a series of eighteen views of the wooden footbridge over the pond, completing twelve works.  

The Japanese Footbridge and the Water Lily Pool - 1899

The color green occupies a great part of this painting.  Trees, grass and lily pads dominate the scene, conveying the message about the strength of natural life.  The Japanese bridge is downplayed by blending into the environment.  Monet prevents the bridge from appearing abrupt to the viewer.  

The garden tells Monet's story and his love for the natural elements in the Asian cultures.  Monet turned his pond into a water garden that contained Asian-influenced objects.  It was in 1895 that he added a Japanese-styled wooden bridge to his water garden.  There were many highly decorative designs in Japanese architecture that he could have chosen, but he picked the most straightforward kind.  Its simplicity embodies the spiritual aspect of Japanese philosophy that stresses the unity between humans and nature.

Technology keeps updating our lives.  The painting shows the exact opposite.  It teaches us that we still need to interact with the outside world despite the astonishing technological achievements.  Taking a walk in nature can bring us some relief from being confined in a concrete box all day.  Monet promotes our co-existence with the environment in this painting.  Notice how the pink and white lilies introduce warm color into the painting.

Monet's positioning of the bridge opens up another interpretation of the human role in the natural world.  The bridge in the middle, representing a connection made by humans, merges the separated trees and lilies visually in the painting, signifying that a noninvasive human creation can sustain the well-being of the environment and become a balancing force that promotes harmony between them.

The bridge spans the pond.  Notice how the four vertical bars create a rhythm that contrasts with the water lilies' horizontal expansion.  Monet said of this painting, "The water flowers are far from being the whole scene; really, they are just the accompaniment.  The essence of the motif is the mirror of water whose appearance alters at every moment."

 
In my research, I found several really neat things that Monet said.  As part of a study of his works, it's only right that we know what he was thinking......

"Water Lilies are an extension of my life.  Without the water, lilies cannot live, as I am without art."

"One instant, one aspect of nature contains it all."

"Eventually, my eyes were opened, and I really understood nature.  I learned to love at the same time."

"Every day I discover more and more beautiful things.  It's enough to drive one mad.  I have such a desire to do everything, my head is bursting with it."

"Everyone discusses my art and pretends to understand, as if it were necessary to understand, when it is simply necessary to love."

"What keeps my heart awake is colorful silence."

"I think we can change everything all the time.  Accidents are the best things in existence.  They force you to leave a route that seemed to be mapped out...It's often when things aren't going well that we are forced into doing them differently and they suddenly become interesting."

CLAUDE MONET - 4

The Bodmer Oak, Fontainebleau Forest 1865

In this painting, Monet used bright yellows, greens and oranges to show the sunlight filtering through the canopy of branches onto a carpet of russet leaves.  This forest, located 37 miles southeast of Paris, was famous for having inspired 19th century artists. 

The Bodmer Oak tree was named after Swiss artist Karl Bodmer, who exhibited a painting of the tree in 1850.  My first thought when I saw this scene...does the dead gray tree standing beside the thriving oak tree symbolize the death that stands beside each of us throughout our life journey?   

Artists often found their inspiration in Nature.  They interacted with Nature through their senses and created their works of art incorporating what they observed.  The environmental conditions are different from place to place, yet Nature has been, and still is, a universal human experience.  We see plants, animals, water and the sky adorning works of art across all cultures.  There's something refreshing about being surrounded by the natural world.  That's why people visit parks and go hiking in the wilderness.  Nature nourishes and nurtures.

Nature provides a sense of harmony and balance.  Its colors, textures and shapes work together and provide a sense of calm that artists can translate into art.  Being outdoors gives the brain space to think higher thoughts.   

Norman Farm Through the Trees - 1886

Here Monet captured the serenity of a Normandy, France farm scene through a frame of trees.  Dominating the picture is a leaning tree with visible bark, a mossy base and branches reaching into an overcast sky.  Monet invites us to contemplate the simplicity and beauty of country life.  Take note of the scattered white wildflowers that lead us closer to the buildings, where a patch of flowers grows.  

Impressionist artists captured a moment in time to pass on to the generations.  This farm scene is exactly what Monet saw.  We also learn to take note of the scenes that Nature provides for us every day.  I now better understand what is meant by the term, "art appreciation."  Paintings do speak to us.  Paintings hold within them unspoken messages.  

Art appreciation is personal.  How we view a work depends on our life experiences, cultural background and knowledge of art.  Different people may respond to a painting in different ways.  Art is like a language, a form of expression.  A painting may send a symbolic message, a historical, religious or political message.  The purpose of art is to draw an emotional response, to "move" us in some way.

CLAUDE MONET - 3

Truth be told, Monet's paintings were not my favorite before this study.  Since learning about the painter and his painting style, it's just like in real life....what we don't know.....we don't understand.  

The Denver Art Museum is home to the most comprehensive United States exhibition of Monet paintings.  The Truth of Nature features over 120 paintings that focus on Monet's enduring relationship with Nature.  We will see how Monet, over time, abandons any human presence in the landscapes he created.  This is a testimony to his commitment to isolate himself in nature.  

The Artist's House at Argenteuil - 1873
(The Art Institute of Chicago)

Claude Monet and his family lived at Argenteuil, outside Paris, from 1871 to 1878.  He painted 259 pictures there, including over 150 for which Argenteuil and its surroundings were the subject matter.  This painting shows Monet's wife, Camille, standing in the doorway of their vine-covered house, while their son (still wearing a uni-sex dress) plays with a hoop in the garden.  The left side of the canvas depicts the garden, with trees, flowers and a tall dark tree in the background.  The right side shows a row of Oriental vases and the house, which casts a shadow over most of the painting.  Japanese art was a major influence on Claude Monet's art.  In this work, note his use of the color blue.

This is the backyard of the large house that Claude Monet was renting in the suburban town of Argeneuil, a 15-minute train ride down the river from Paris.  We can envision Monet setting up his easel behind the house, deliberately excluding the industrial smoke and steam.  Instead, we see a secluded garden, a mid-summer calm.  

Since we've started this art adventure, I've grown more eager to visit art museums.  Thank heaven for the internet, where virtual museum tours are available at no cost.  

CLAUDE MONET - 2

Today we'll look at two of Monet's Impressionist paintings.  Let's take time individually to study his use of colors to cast shadows, reflections and sunshine....notice the tree on the far left and the brushstrokes of gold.  And, the yellow hat with blue ribbon that matches the sky.  The presence of the hat makes this painting relatable to the viewer, plus it adds a touch of casual comfort.  By now, we are better able, as beginning art students, to study paintings. In this first painting, we see Monet has placed people in the painting who are out enjoying the sunny day.

On the Bank of the Seine, Bennecourt - 1868
Now in the Art Institute of Chicago

Here we are looking at Claude Monet's future wife, Camille Doncieux, (holding their baby son, Jeon) looking toward the small village of Gloton, from where she and Monet have presumably rowed their boat.  (Camille and Monet married on June 28, 1870).  The figure of Camille was used to lead the viewer's eye across the water.  By including her in the painting, he adds a personal layer to his artwork.  She also adds a sense of contemplation and connection to the landscape. Camille modeled for him in more than 30 paintings.   Pay close attention to the way he plays with light on the water...with color.  When he paints shapes, they often appear blurry.

Next painting......

Woman with a Parasol - 1875
(Madame Monet and Her Son)
Now in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Woman with a Parasol shows his wife Camille and son Jeon out for a summer stroll on a windy summer's day.  Note how Monet painted this picture from a lower point of view.  This has the effect of increasing Camille's importance as she fills the upper parts of the canvas.  Her skirt appears to whip around with the wind, adding the element of movement.  The painting features flowing ribbons and a small figure of his son to balance the composition.  

As for symbolism, the parasol represents shelter, protection and the gentle nurturing presence of a mother.  He used bright colors to represent the beams of sunlight hitting the parasol and their clothes.  The woman's dress and parasol symbolize her status in society.  The grassy slope symbolizes the countryside that Monet preferred to the city and industry.  Monet manages to create for us a casual, carefree family day out.  

The sky and clouds are painted in mostly white and blue, but he also applied grays to depict the interplay of light and shadow.  His use of wider and thicker brush strokes gives the impression of more light.

The parasol was used to protect oneself from sunlight, whereas, the umbrella was used to protect oneself from rain.  The difference being the material used. 

We have to realize at that time the academy art community had set conventional rules to be followed by artists.  Radicals, like Monet, violated those rules.  Their pictures consisted of more freely brushed colors, which was more of a priority than maintaining lines and contours.  Before this movement, landscapes were painted indoors in a studio.  But, the impressionists understood that they could better capture the changing and momentary colors and effects of the sun if they painted outdoors actually experiencing the view.  They were more focused on portraying an overall  visual effect instead of catering to details.

Note:  Have you taken the time to watch a brilliant sunrise?  If you have, then you know that the brilliance in color changes quickly.  I don't know how an artist could accurately paint a sunrise without actually seeing it.  Personal perception is the key.   

CLAUDE MONET - 1

Of the many photographs of Claude Monet available on the internet, I chose this one to introduce us to our study of The King of Impressionism.  

To begin our study, Monet is pronounced   Mo-nay.  His first name was Oscar; Claude his middle name.  When he was age 15, he drew charcoal caricatures and signed them as "O. Monet."  (see one of his caricatures below)

Caricature of a Man With
A Snuff Box, 1858

Claude Monet was born in 1840 in Paris.  When he was five, the family moved to Normandy in northern France.  His father wanted him to continue the family grocery and ship handling business, but Claude (supported by his mother) entered the local art school.  He attended classes in Le Havre (luh + haav) for about four years.   Le Havre translates to "The Harbor."   

It was in Normandy that Monet met Eugene Boudin, a French artist who painted seascapes.  He became a mentor and friend.  It was he who introduced Monet to the concept of painting outdoors, en plein air.

It's important to know that when a groundbreaking group of artists started the Impressionist movement, art critics turned up their noses at it.  It was unheard of for an artist not to draw first and then paint the drawing.  Critics considered that a lack of skill on the artist's part.  However, today we see the movement was an intelligent choice that eventually crowned color as the king of painting.

Claude Monet's painting Impression, Sunrise is considered the first Impressionist painting.  It was exhibited at the first Impressionist exhibition in Paris in 1874.  

Impression, Sunrise - 1872

An astronomer and physics professor at the University of Texas did a topographical, iconographical, meteorological and astrological study that precisely dated the time Monet painted this picture.  It was at 7:35 a.m. on November 13, 1872, thirty minutes before dawn, and he painted it in one setting.  How cool is that!

The above painting shows a quiet morning at the port, with two small rowboats in the foreground, more fishing boats in the middle ground, and clipper ships in the background.  The rising sun is orange and contrasts with the dark vessels.  Monet painted this picture while looking out the window and drawing what he saw.  Notice the short brushstrokes.  Impression, Sunrise is considered a poem to the power and beauty of revitalized France following the Franco-Prussian War.

This painting has an interesting history to tell us.  In 1985, three gunmen entered the Marmottan Museum in Paris and stole it.  The painting disappeared for five years; and then was discovered in 1990 in an apartment on the island of Corsica, part of France. The search had been launched in Japan using contacts in the Yakuza (organized crime network).  It's been said that the thert made this painting a legend, and now the whole world wants to see this pivotal painting.  Impression, Sunrise is considered the Mona Lisa of Impressionism.

So, we have left the shore and are now on our way to learning about Claude Monet's life and his artistic accomplishments.  I hope my followers can enjoy learning about these incredible humans that lived and loved before us.  One can't help but be astounded by their brilliance and passion to create.  If only they could know how their passion is passed down for the generations.  It would be our loss if we didn't take time to introduce ourselves to their world and the way they expressed their feelings and beliefs.  Each one of us has a gift to share, and it's our human duty to make sure we don't squander or simply not use that gift.  Part of the fun in life is discovering what that gift is.  There are times I learn things about myself through the works of others.  

We'll keep going farther out to sea tomorrow, so ta-ta till then.

IMPRESSIONISM and REALISM

Example of Impressionism

The Impressionist art movement began in France in the late 1800s.  It focuses on capturing the impression of a scene as it appears to the artist.  It was the artist's intent to paint their "impression" rather than what they saw in real life.

The style is called en plein air, French for in the open air.  The impressionist's favorite subject:  the landscape.  The Impressionist painters were especially fond of the play of light on water.  You will notice how water holds a number of symbolic meanings in art, ranging from tranquility to forbidding and impossible to control.  

What are the characteristics of Impressionism?   

• Painting outdoors to capture the changing light and atmosphere as it flickered and faded while the artist worked.
• Short, quick and often messy brushstrokes.  Impressionists believed it was acceptable to see visible brush strokes in a final piece, like the artist's hand itself.
• Bright, vibrant colors to capture light and shadow.
• Impressionist paintings often had an unfinished look.

We have already studied Vincent Van Gogh, and his paintings are referred to as Post-Impressionism.   

Claude Monet (1840-1926) was a French painter and leader of the Impressionist movement, known as the King of Impressionism.

IMPRESSIONISM in a nutshell:  "Taken as a whole, Impressionism argues that we don't really see the natural or real world objectively because everything that we perceive is filtered through our minds, and our minds are filled with unique and personal memories and emotions.....SO, each of our minds perceives the world differently."  All we really have is our IMPRESSION of what we see.

There are different genres of art, and there's no way we're going to study all of them.  Together, we'll learn to identify those from the 19th century to today.  

The Stone Breakers - Gustave Courbet - 1849
Example of Realism

Before Impressionism was the style of Realism.  It was an artistic movement that depicted the world as accurately and authentically as possible.  It's characterized by observing closely outward appearances....with no imaginative idealization.  Simply said, Realism depicted real life.  Realism started in Europe in the mid-1800s and is considered the beginning of modern art.  Realism art represents our world as if we're looking through a window at its harsh realities. 

The Stone Breakers (pictured above) depicts the hard-working class of people at the time.  It's been called "a masterpiece in its genre."  Controversy in art started when painters began addressing social issues in their work, by painting the rural peasants and the working conditions of the poor.  The painting clearly depicts men who are toiling in exhaustion.  It emphasizes the backbreaking monotony of this sector of society and allows us to see for ourselves what life was like for them.  It was reality...Realism.

GEORGES SEURAT - 13

 To wrap up our study of Georges Seurat's contributions to the world of art, it must be said that Seurat was known to be reserved and reclusive.  He never married, but he did have what my research finds to have been a common-law wife, Madeleine Knoblock....the lady he painted powdering her face.

Seurat faced personal challenges throughout his life, just like we all do.  He gave of himself to create the meticulous and time-consuming painting technique we know was Pointillism...painting a picture with small dots or strokes of color.  

What is Pointillism?  "When the viewer approaches the painting, they find that the subjects become an array of dots.  It is an unexpected and delightful surprise that reveals the role of human intelligence in perception.  The science behind pointillism lies in how various colors interact with each other and how our eyes perceive them."  This was Seurat's own "scientific" style.  It's another example of one person following his own, novel path, and in doing so, giving the rest of us new insight into art.  Research tells us that Seurat became frustrated by the strict ways of school and left early, continuing as a self-taught artist.   

Georges Seurat died in Paris at his parents' home on March 29, 1891, at the age of 31.  The cause of his death is uncertain, and has been attributed to a form of meningitis, pneumonia, infectious angina, and diphtheria.  Seurat was buried in the family vault at Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris.  At the time of Seurat's death, Madeleine was pregnant with their second child, who died during or shortly after birth. 

"Great things are done by a series of small things brought together."
"Some say they see poetry in my paintings; I see only science."
~Georges Seurat~

ELEMENTS OF ART COMPOSITION

Gotta tell you how these self-taught art lessons can change the way we see our world.  Yesterday we trolleyed to get my stitches removed.  The weather was unseasonably warm....mid-afternoon 82 degrees for the end of October.  Some of the leaves are still clinging to the branches, and I found myself noticing the color contrasts in nature.  How the yellowish leaves stand out against a brown background.  These are the baby steps to understanding art, but it goes to show that all things we learn about do make a difference to life.  With that said, here are eight elements to look for in art, with a tiny explanation of each.......

Unity:  Do all the parts of the composition feel as if they belong together, or does something feel awkwardly out of place?

Balance:  Balance is the sense that the painting 'feels right' and is not heavier on one side than the other.  Having a balanced arrangement adds a sense of calm, whereas an off-balance arrangement creates a sense of unease.

Movement:  There are ways to give a sense of movement to a painting.  Artists use leading lines to direct the viewer's eye into and around the painting.  Leading lines can be actual lines of a fence or railroad, or implied lines, such as a row of trees or a curve of stones or circles.

Rhythm:  Much like music does, a piece of art can have a rhythm or underlying beat.  Look for the large underlying shapes (squares, triangles, etc.) and repeated color.

Focus (or Emphasis):  The viewer's eyes want to rest on the most important thing, or focal point in the painting.  Otherwise, the eye feels lost, wandering around the page.

Contrast:  Paintings with high contrast--strong differences between light and dark--have a different feel than paintings with minimal contrast in light and dark.  In addition to light and dark, contrast can be differences in shape, color, size, texture, type of line, etc.

Pattern:  A regular repetition of lines, shapes, colors or values in a composition.

Proportion:  How things fit together and relate to each other in terms of size and scale; whether big or small, nearby or distant.