Have A Bouguereau Christmas!
December 25, 2009
Today our Joy is complete! The Savior is born!
“Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, ” which means “God is with us.” (Mathew 1:23)
La Vierge aux Anges - The Virgin with Angels
Above is The Virgin with Angels by William Adolphe Bougeureau (1825-1905). Below is a study for this piece.
Study for La Vierge aux Anges
It’s interesting to note the lack of detail in the study. That’s because he was using the study to develop his composition, work out design problems, analyze the flow of light and establish his value structure. He changed the direction of the light from the study to the finished painting. Bouguereau’s genius was stunning and his contribution to the historic advance of art nearly unparalleled. In fact, Bouguereau single- handedly opened the French academies to women.
La Vierge, L'Enfant Jesus et Saint Jean Baptiste
Above is another Bouguereau which, like all of the pics in this post, is courtesy of the Art Renewal Center. They have numerous examples of this artist’s work. Evident in the body of work they display is the artist’s growth over time. When you view his work on their site notice the dates and the overall look of the paintings. He reached full maturity in the 1890’s, when he was in his 60’s.
Before I close with another Bouguereau here is a fun fact about Christmas you may not know. Christ was born in “Bethlehem”. Bethlehem is a Hebrew word which means “city of bread”. Jesus was laid in a manger, which is an eating vessel for livestock. The significance of this symbolism becomes evident in the book of John, chapter 6, during what is called the Bread of Life discourse. Jesus said, “…I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” (John 6:51) This teaching is central to most Christian traditions but none more so than the Catholic Tradition. Catholics believe that when they receive Holy Communion they are truly receiving the body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ, under the appearance of bread and wine.
La Vierge a L'agneau - Virgin with Lambs
What Is Art?
December 15, 2009
A Road Less Traveled by Robert J. Simone oil-linen 14x11
With squinted eyes we study our subject, comparing shadow to shadow, light to light. We use a visual vocabulary and time passes, virtually unnoticed, as we put brush to canvas, expressing emotion through the constructs of thought and reason. We live in the world of shapes, values, colors and edges. We build form with the raw material of it’s constituent parts. Our vision gives birth to a new reality in paint. We call it art!
But what is Art? The painter is required to find good answers to difficult questions. How many of us have a good answer for that one? It’s worth some thought, especially if we plan to continue the journey from painter to artist.
Not long ago I posed the question to a group of students. Their quick, unanimous reply surprised me, “Art is anything we say it is”. “Then a crucifix in a bowl of urine really is art”, I wondered aloud. Can the definition of art be completely relative? If so, the logical conclusion is that snail trails on the sidewalk might be art. Relative thought leads to exhibitions which include garish color, poor drawing and confused perspectives. It’s thick, lavish, expenditures of paint, straight from the tube, no mixing involved. It’s gallery wrap painted on the sides and mixed media with giant over-sized anything with flames. It’s painted collages of blue feet with wings. Refinement? What’s that? Who care’s? It’s all relative. It’s a free country. Many purveyors, collectors and lovers of visual expression think this way. It is their right. What if some of us dare to be different? Well, that’s OUR right!
How about the modernist credo, “Art is what I do”. Does that definition make sense? Only if the adherent is indeed an artist. What if our slimey snail friend could speak and he said, “Art is what I do”? Then snail trails would be art! I can’t live with that. Besides, I have seen art that I did NOT do. If art is also what others do then there must be more to it’s definition.
The Modernist movement, according to Thomas Wolfe, author of The Painted Word, featured paintings and sculptures exhibited alongside placards written to explain what the thing was or what it’s creator intended. Forty years earlier, landscape artist John F. Carlson wrote, “In good art, the results do not have to be explained. As a matter of fact , there is but one kind of art and that is good art. There is no comfortable halfway station; it is either fine, or it is not art.”
What adjectives, then, when applied to visual expression raise it to the category of fine art? How about a list of potentials? Fine Art is:
- tasteful
- beautiful
- dignified
- interesting
- intelligent
- simple
- complex
- expressive
- inviting
- soulful
- decorative
- valuable
Fine Art is also how we respond to it. It is:
- felt
- enjoyed
- contemplated
- understood
- purchased
The lists are by no means exhaustive. No doubt you will want to add to them. I hope you do. The more we expand them, the more we realize, this is a deep well. These adjectives describe a whole. That’s another attribute of art. It is whole. It is not it’s parts. Carlson said, “Art is the expressive putting together of parts into a beautiful whole…” This makes sense considering that a whole is an idea supported by the harmony of it’s subordinate parts.
Still, no definition of Art could be complete without mentioning what art does. What does art do? Again, I defer to the voice of John F. Carlson who said, “A work of art possesses a calm dignity that waits quietly to enthrall the eye and soul. It does not scream out, nor yet hide behind cryptic or esoteric symbols. Its beauty appeals to all, the difference is in degree. It’s strength lies in the felt fountain of reserve and not in breathless exhaustion.”
For those of us aspiring to produce this kind of art the mountain seems steep and tall. Our heroes, whose works inspire us, exist in some rarified air. It was through hard work and perseverance that they made their ascent. It is also through hard work and perseverance that we will make ours. Some of us will approach the summit, many of us will not. We will all reach new heights. We will behold previously unperceived vistas. We will make artful use of our visual vocabulary to convey the beauties beheld to those not called to behold. Art is beauty beheld and communicated to others!
Reworking a Plein Air Painting is No Sacrilege!
December 8, 2009
Cracker Kitchen @ Dudley Farm
The Thanksgiving Holiday and some very welcome house guests kept me pleasantly preoccupied from the task of writing but I am back and ready to skewer a sacred cow. Everybody loves cows. Some worship them, some eat them, others appreciate them as a symbol of Americana. Here’s a sacred cow I’d like to lay to rest. What in the name of Black Angus am I talking about? Well it’s the notion, held by some plein air painters, that all plein air paintings must be completed in the field and preferably in a single session. Okay, maybe it’s not that big a deal, but a fair number of painters can be rigid about it. Maybe it comes from the lofty opinion that plein air is all about capturing the moment. To some it’s as if the moment in question is sprinkled with fairy dust, sacred, fleeting and never to return. Purists see it as their job to capture and preserve it for all time. It’s a romantic notion to be sure, but is it practical? Does it serve the art and the artist well? I don’t think it does. Let’s segue back to Roy Peter Clark and the final stage in his model of the creative process: Revise.
Most of us can easily accept that writers, especially novelists, start with an outline and a rough draft. We understand that the rough draft precedes the finished piece with several revisions in between. We also know, that in the making of motion pictures, whole scenes are sometimes left on the cutting room floor. The dictionary definition of revise is to alter something already written or printed in order to make corrections, improve or update. I see no practical reason why that shouldn’t apply to plein air paintings. In fact, from the standpoint of practicality, it makes more sense to finish your plein air paintings in the studio. Here’s why. Ultimately, the painting is going to viewed in an indoor setting. Sometimes work that reads well outdoors doesn’t read well indoors. So before you put your signature on it, look at it in the natural light of your studio. That’s the truest test of things like value , color and edges. If it doesn’t look as strong indoors as it did outdoors, go ahead and revise! It’s no sacrilege! Artists of all levels do it. Reworking plein air pieces in the studio is one of the best exercises you can do. It will make you a better painter both indoors and out. By so doing you will become increasingly aware that your painting is the reality while reality (nature) is just reference material. Your job is much more than recording a moment in time. It’s about communicating truth and beauty on several levels. You’re an artist not a camera! Which seems to beg the question, “What is Art?” And that sounds like a great title for my next post!
The painting above was started on location inside the kitchen at Dudley Farm during a plein air event in April 2009. It was revised in the studio two weeks later. I thought the dual light sources looked in-cohesive so I reworked it from memory.
