Art that you like

[Opus106]

South African rock designs. Brazilian street graffiti. Australian aboriginal art. Today we're announcing a major expansion of the Google Art Project. From now on, with a few simple clicks of a finger, art lovers around the world will be able to discover not just paintings, but also sculpture, street art and photographs from 151 museums in 40 countries.

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[Bogey]

The Ten Cent Breakfast



1887 by Lowell, Massachusetts painter, Willard Leroy Metcalf.  This one is on display here in Denver.

[Karl Henning]

Kerouac was born in Lowell, as well.

[Parsifal]

Francesco Hayez came up in one of the threads.



I guess these days that would be classified as a wardrobe malfunction...

[Bogey]

Robert Motherwell

American, 1915-91, born in Aberdeen, Washington

Elegy to the Spanish Republic No. 172 (With Blood)

1989-90

Acrylic paint on canvas

Looks almost like someone's avatar I have seen.

[Octave]

Robert Motherwell
American, 1915-91, born in Aberdeen, Washington

Oh hell, now I see a lovely huge catalogue raisonné, three hardback volumes in a slipcase, was published by Yale just last November.  Another big expenditure beckoning.   

[Bogey]

Oh hell, now I see a lovely huge catalogue raisonné, three hardback volumes in a slipcase, was published by Yale just last November.  Another big expenditure beckoning.   

Be cheaper just to fly into Denver and see a real one.

[Geo Dude]

I'd be lying if I claim to know anything about visual art, but once in a while a sculpture or painting from an album cover does strike my fancy, for example, this one:



Rinaldo and Armida by Anthony van Dyck

(Originally spotted on the cover of Bowman's "Handel: Heroic Arias" album.)

[Cosi bel do]

One in a while I go to art exhibitions and the best I've seen lately in Paris was on Perugino. If you are coming to Paris I really recommend it, it's at the lovely (and not widely known) Jacquemart-André Museum, and I don't think it will be presented in any other gallery after that.

They have a minisite here about the exhibition.

Several of the works presented are wonderful, for instance the fascinating Maddalena



But the most fascinating picture I saw there is a small annunciation (and not the better known of those he painted), it is part of a private collection and I could have stayed a much longer time in front of it (which was easy because, weirdly, nobody seemed to notice it) :



This reproduction gives a good idea of the warm (yellowish) light that seems to reflect the most glorious early morning sun in Italian summer. The composition is most delicate, but the main thing here is obviously this absurd concept of a wall with empty windows, opened on a pure sky. The scene is at the same time completely "framed" by these wall and the very strict and monumental perspective, and at the same time it is open on this deep, almost infinite landscape (landscape backgrounds were a novelty in Perugino's and Leonardo's paintings, portraits mainly), and this pure blue sky. Closed and open at the same time.

Of course the windows are also a symbolic reminder of the fenestra coeli (windows of the sky, or of heaven), frequent in Annunciation scenes, that represented, since the Middle Ages, the purity of the Virgin, and her own role of window between mankind and heaven... The windows, the whole opened space, let the light pass, the light being god and his "message".

Then, just above the Virgin is this shutter, almost closed, that only shows a complete black room. This is the porta clausa, an image coming from the book of Ezekiel, and sometimes associated with the fenestra coeli. This is the door that no man can pass, and that leads to the Mary's purity (her virtue and her womb at the same time, and the fact is that even our eye can't penetrate that room). Only god's light comes in, but it won't come out. Only the Incarnation will result from this holy and pure encounter.
Gabriel and the Virgin are face to face, and reflected by this double symbolic of the fenestra coeli and the porta clausa, just above them. And in her surprise, the Virgin let her book fall on the ground. The book is closed but the page is kept by a bookmark, then it is closed and open at the same time. Again. And this book is, of course, the only "Book" the Virgin could have read, and as it is open even while closed, it evokes Flemish annunciations where the Virgin is reading, as an act of intimate devotion, and it symbolizes Mary's submission to god, as in earlier paintings from Siennese artists. Note, also, that the book, another incarnation of god, is placed just between the messenger and the Virgin...

This is one of the most pure, free and complex, multidimensional paintings I've had the chance to see. One of my favourite paintings for sure.

[ZauberdrachenNr.7]

Death and the Grave Digger by Carlos Schwabe (at the Louvre)

[torut]

One in a while I go to art exhibitions and the best I've seen lately in Paris was on Perugino. If you are coming to Paris I really recommend it, it's at the lovely (and not widely known) Jacquemart-André Museum, and I don't think it will be presented in any other gallery after that.

They have a minisite here about the exhibition.

Several of the works presented are wonderful, for instance the fascinating Maddalena

[...]

But the most fascinating picture I saw there is a small annunciation (and not the better known of those he painted), it is part of a private collection and I could have stayed a much longer time in front of it (which was easy because, weirdly, nobody seemed to notice it) :



This reproduction gives a good idea of the warm (yellowish) light that seems to reflect the most glorious early morning sun in Italian summer. The composition is most delicate, but the main thing here is obviously this absurd concept of a wall with empty windows, opened on a pure sky. The scene is at the same time completely "framed" by these wall and the very strict and monumental perspective, and at the same time it is open on this deep, almost infinite landscape (landscape backgrounds were a novelty in Perugino's and Leonardo's paintings, portraits mainly), and this pure blue sky. Closed and open at the same time.

Of course the windows are also a symbolic reminder of the fenestra coeli (windows of the sky, or of heaven), frequent in Annunciation scenes, that represented, since the Middle Ages, the purity of the Virgin, and her own role of window between mankind and heaven... The windows, the whole opened space, let the light pass, the light being god and his "message".

Then, just above the Virgin is this shutter, almost closed, that only shows a complete black room. This is the porta clausa, an image coming from the book of Ezekiel, and sometimes associated with the fenestra coeli. This is the door that no man can pass, and that leads to the Mary's purity (her virtue and her womb at the same time, and the fact is that even our eye can't penetrate that room). Only god's light comes in, but it won't come out. Only the Incarnation will result from this holy and pure encounter.
Gabriel and the Virgin are face to face, and reflected by this double symbolic of the fenestra coeli and the porta clausa, just above them. And in her surprise, the Virgin let her book fall on the ground. The book is closed but the page is kept by a bookmark, then it is closed and open at the same time. Again. And this book is, of course, the only "Book" the Virgin could have read, and as it is open even while closed, it evokes Flemish annunciations where the Virgin is reading, as an act of intimate devotion, and it symbolizes Mary's submission to god, as in earlier paintings from Siennese artists. Note, also, that the book, another incarnation of god, is placed just between the messenger and the Virgin...

This is one of the most pure, free and complex, multidimensional paintings I've had the chance to see. One of my favourite paintings for sure.

This is amazing. First of all, it is a pure pleasure to watch it, and your iconographic depiction is very interesting.

[Ten thumbs]

On the subject of viewpoints and spaces, you may find the following of interest:

http://www.designboom.com/history/friedrich2.html

[Cosi bel do]

This is amazing. First of all, it is a pure pleasure to watch it, and your iconographic depiction is very interesting.

Thanks torut, I guess an amazing picture is easier to comment
I try to make my own comments on pictures that leave me a strong impression, but my method is not really original, as I got strongly influenced in my way to look at paintings by Daniel Arasse. I see a few of his books are translated into English, I recommend them, easy and very instructive readings on art.

[torut]

On the subject of viewpoints and spaces, you may find the following of interest:

http://www.designboom.com/history/friedrich2.html

Interesting, thank you. But as the article states, that analysis cannot be applied to Renaissance painters like Perugino ... ?

Thanks torut, I guess an amazing picture is easier to comment
I try to make my own comments on pictures that leave me a strong impression, but my method is not really original, as I got strongly influenced in my way to look at paintings by Daniel Arasse. I see a few of his books are translated into English, I recommend them, easy and very instructive readings on art.

Thank you for your recommendation. I ordered Take a Closer Look. The book looks accessible and fun to read.

[Linus]

One in a while I go to art exhibitions and the best I've seen lately in Paris was on Perugino. If you are coming to Paris I really recommend it, it's at the lovely (and not widely known) Jacquemart-André Museum, and I don't think it will be presented in any other gallery after that.

They have a minisite here about the exhibition.

Several of the works presented are wonderful, for instance the fascinating Maddalena

That particular image must be a repainting though, it doesn't look the same as the one on their exhibition site:

[Linus]

But the most fascinating picture I saw there is a small annunciation (and not the better known of those he painted), it is part of a private collection and I could have stayed a much longer time in front of it (which was easy because, weirdly, nobody seemed to notice it) :



This reproduction gives a good idea of the warm (yellowish) light that seems to reflect the most glorious early morning sun in Italian summer. The composition is most delicate, but the main thing here is obviously this absurd concept of a wall with empty windows, opened on a pure sky. The scene is at the same time completely "framed" by these wall and the very strict and monumental perspective, and at the same time it is open on this deep, almost infinite landscape (landscape backgrounds were a novelty in Perugino's and Leonardo's paintings, portraits mainly), and this pure blue sky. Closed and open at the same time.

This is so beautiful.

I wonder how much of yellow warmth in old paintings are due to their age though.

[Jaakko Keskinen]

I really like Caspar David Friedrich's paintings.




























































And many others. And don't get me started on Gallen Kallela:





















About previous painting: in case you didn't know, one of those guys is Sibelius.



However, my favorite finnish painting is probably this, from Hugo Simberg:




One of the few paintings to make me go "awwwww". Just look at that skeleton in the middle. It kind of makes me feel good inside.

[Cosi bel do]

That particular image must be a repainting though, it doesn't look the same as the one on their exhibition site:

Mmm... You are right, it is a copy. I wanted to put a picture with the frame as it is the only way the painting seems complete, with the hands in the foreground. But this would have been more correct :

This is so beautiful.

I wonder how much of yellow warmth in old paintings are due to their age though.

I don't think it is the case here. If it was because of the varnish, the sky would have become yellower/greener too. Most ancient paintings can be restored in their original colours, this is generally not done only when the painting costs more than insurances would cover for the procedure...
And actually, photos that "whiten" the walls on this same painting also whiten the sky... Here for instance...

[Cosi bel do]

Thank you for your recommendation. I ordered Take a Closer Look. The book looks accessible and fun to read.

It is. Apart from being one of the most renowned art specialists on Italian Renaissance paintings, Arasse also did radio shows on art that were quite popular in France. A few of his books are actually made from these programmes. Arasse unfortunately died very early, more than 10 years ago, he was not even 60. Charcot's (or Lou Gehrig's) disease
Please share your impressions after reading it

[torut]

This is so beautiful.

I wonder how much of yellow warmth in old paintings are due to their age though.

I don't think it is the case here. If it was because of the varnish, the sky would have become yellower/greener too. Most ancient paintings can be restored in their original colours, this is generally not done only when the painting costs more than insurances would cover for the procedure...
And actually, photos that "whiten" the walls on this same painting also whiten the sky... Here for instance...

The colors of an image I found at wikiart are very different, so I was wondering which is more accurate.
For comparison, this is the image Discobolus posted.


And this is from wikiart.


It's even different from this.


Is it just due to how the photos were taken, depending on the surrounding light, processing method of digital images, etc.? The yellowish image is the closest to the actual painting? Also, I think colors are seen differently on different computers...