Five Favorite Paintings

Rosalba · April 14, 2022, 03:29:01 AM

1. A Bar at the Folies-Bergère by Édouard Manet:

There's a lot to think about here, but the main reason I love it is that when I was young, people remarked on my likeness to the waitress. For my husband, I'll always be the girl at the bar at the Folies-Bergere.

2. The Enchanted Garden of Messer Ansaldo by Marie Spartali Stillman (1889)

A woman painter and a pre-Raphaelite painter - two pluses for me. I love everything she painted, but this one is so evocative and yet mysterious.

3. Clipper Ship 'Swiftsure' by Thomas Goldsworth Dutton

I had this as a small print on my bedroom wall for years - it still evokes the freedom of the spirit.

Rosalba · April 14, 2022, 03:30:36 AM

4. The Soul of The Rose (1903) by John William Waterhouse:

I love anything by this painter, but this one in particular because it seems to suggest a good approach to being alive - savour the rose that's growing near you.

5. 'May Margaret' by Frederick Sandys, 1867

I like Victorian paintings of red-haired ladies, because I am a redhead and a romantic, I suppose. This one is gorgeous and I even have some similar earrings.

Florestan · April 14, 2022, 03:43:42 AM

Very nice selection, Rosalba, thanks for sharing.

vandermolen · April 14, 2022, 05:26:53 AM

Quote from: Florestan on April 14, 2022, 03:43:42 AM
Very nice selection, Rosalba, thanks for sharing.

+1
and nice explanations as well.

Pizzicato-Polka · April 15, 2022, 03:51:30 AM

Such a hard question! In general, I love impressionism, especially Monet & Renoir. But also many other art movements.

My all-time favorite is probably "Water-Lily Pond, Symphony in Green" (1899):

It's simply so incredibly peaceful and bright, I can't ever think of a better painting to hang in one's dream house. Maybe because all together - that light, nature and calmness - is like a vision of a perfect place to be in.

Alphonse Mucha, "Flirt Biscuits" (also 1899):

Beautiful warm color palette, great composition and stunning details, plus I always love scenes which depict people interacting with each other. Love Alphonse Mucha in general.

Frans Hals, "Banquet of the Officers of the St Hadrian Civic Guard Company" (circa 1627):

Frans Hals had a special talent for capturing people's lifes. I don't mean the scenes, but the fact that every person on his art looks very much alive to me. They're like photos, with the way one can see the blood rushing to the cheeks, the personality in the expressions & body language, and most importantly, the soul in the eyes. This painting above is the one where it really hit me for the first time, I adore the differences in the moods of all the guests. Having said that, Hals' work which fills me the most with this "they're alive" feeling, is the more famous "Wedding portrait of Isaac Abrahamsz Massa and Beatrix van der Laan" (1622):

Just open the file in full size in new tab to see, up close their eyes and smiles are something else (same for the previous painting, actually, I see it's gotten small in the post).

Ivan Kramskoi, "Christ in the desert" (1872):

And for the end, an abrubt change of mood - from Hals' jovial liveliness to Kramskoi's portrait of silent exhaustion. Christ looks calm, concentrated and decided, but at the same time we can see how tiring and painful His long fasting is. Above all, He looks thoughtful. Are those thoughts of what's to come, the suffering that won't end here, but will come back in spades (like it does often for everyone of us)? Or of suffering, but not His own, but that of mankind, always hungry, always fasting unwillingly from something it lacks. Or is the hollow ground a reminder of many people's hearts, unchanging like the rocks? In short, this painting always makes me stop and contemplate. Not to mention the beautifully somber palette & technical beauty.

André · April 15, 2022, 05:47:03 AM

Very nice, Pizz ! I've always preferred Hals to Rembrandt, whose admittedly magnificent paintings have a 'staged' air to them, a touch of solemnity that Hals naturally avoids.

Rosalba · April 15, 2022, 05:56:08 AM

Pizzicato-Polka, these are lovely. I especially like the first two, and the last which is new to me but very powerful. Thank you.

Florestan · April 15, 2022, 05:58:31 AM

Splendid choices indeed.

Iota · April 15, 2022, 07:05:29 AM

Thanks, PP, a nice selection and explanations to accompany. That's an extraordinary painting of 'Christ in the Desert'. And Kramskoi's portraits in general look very enticing, I must explore him more! Thanks for the pointer.

Dry Brett Kavanaugh · April 23, 2022, 07:34:42 AM

Paul Delvaux: Viaduct.

Rosalba · April 23, 2022, 07:37:45 AM

Quote from: Dry Brett Kavanaugh on April 23, 2022, 07:34:42 AM
Paul Delvaux: Viaduct.

I didn't know this one but it's lovely - gorgeous colour scheme.

André · April 23, 2022, 07:42:41 AM

Quote from: Rosalba on April 23, 2022, 07:37:45 AM
I didn't know this one but it's lovely - gorgeous colour scheme.

Same here: didn't know that one and yes, gorgeous colours.

Pizzicato-Polka · May 11, 2022, 07:35:39 AM

Hallo after a while, and thank you so much for the very kind replies! I must say I was a bit surprised Christ in the desert was new to some, as I was under impression it's a rather famous painting. Maybe it's more known in Poland and other Slavic countries than in other places, then. It really is so fascinating to see how an individual's grasp of world of art differs even in the aspect of what's famous and not, depending on the region someone was raised in!

PS. "Viaduct" is so calm and cozy to me, beautiful!