But so far, it's all in my head, because remember, I'm in quiet time/research mode. I went to see the
Birth of Impressionism show at the
Frist Center yesterday, a collection of masterpieces from the Museé d'Orsay. When I first started thinking about flowers about a year or so ago, my friend
Cole pointed me to Manet's flowers. According to Google, it seemed as though many of Manet's flowers were located in the Museé d'Orsay, and I wasn't sure I'd ever see one in person. Not only does the Frist not allow photography of any kind, but they have guards that look like they'll take you down just for
thinking about sneaking a pic. I have been stealth in the past, but this would require an elaborate ruse, such as switching out my cell phone with the audio tour gear, and considering I wanted a close-up of the brushstrokes, I went with Plan B: mentally recording all the brushstrokes in the exhibit. I got about two square inches of a Cézanne and an inch or two of a Pissarro locked in my brain before coming inundated with painterly information. At that point, I had to move along, telling myself I'd come back. Some highlights:
 |
| Bazille, "Bazille's Studio" |
I liked this Bazille primarily because I liked Bazille's studio. He has a wood burning stove. I, too, have a wood burning stove in my studio, but my insurance agent nearly had a conniption when I mentioned I may try and hook it up for heat. Bazille also has much better lighting than I do thanks to the frigging ginormous window. We also have similar furniture. I could do this look on a smaller scale, but so far, I'm still rocking the Pollock rustic barn look.
I added another light in the studio today and installed a work table. I don't know if I want a couch in the studio-seems like it would be a big party house for spiders.
 |
| Manet, "Flowers in a Crystal Vase" |
Even museums Photoshop their paintings. In person, this painting of Manet's flowers is much more faded, less contrasty, and the vase is almost as impressive, if not more so, than the flowers.
 |
| Cézanne, "The Hanged Man's House" |
Totally caked-up, gunky paint. Go Cézanne.
 |
| Pissaro, "Path through the Woods, Summer" |
Again, totally caked-up, gunky paint. Go Pissarro. When I go back, I'm going to scrutinize for dog or cat hairs.
 |
| Cézanne, "Self-Portrait with pink Background" |
I feel a self-portrait coming on.
1 comment:
Oh I'm envious. I too, have been brushstroke stricken. I've hidden all the palette knives that I was relying on. But still, I've got a touch of the Finish Fetish festering. I sometimes find myself knocking down an errant glob. If the texture doesn't go with the flow, I see the cakies as scar tissue.
My entire art history sense is based on ginormous slides projected onto illuminated and flat screens. Imagine my disappointment when I saw my first Impressionist painting irl. There was a time when I bought half a dozen old slide screens off of eBay, thinking that I was going to paint on them. They all have this really cool texture of pellets or beads that almost glow. The problem was that after all these years, the texture is unstable and easily sloughs off.
Oh well.
Love to see a selfy. I wish I had painted some of my studios in the past. Not the one I'm in now. I had a poor paint covered salamander in my garbage can last night.
Happy Sunday.
Post a Comment