The Colorist

"THE ARTIST’S LIFE IS NOT ONE OF PLEASURE. HE MUST NOT LIVE IRRESPONSIBLY; HE HAS DIFFICULT WORK TO PERFORM, ONE WHICH OFTEN PROVES A CROWN OF THORNS. HE MUST REALIZE THAT HIS ACTS, FEELINGS, AND THOUGHTS ARE THE UNDEFINABLE BUT FUNDAMENTAL MATERIAL FROM WHICH HIS WORK IS CREATED; HE IS FREE IN ART, BUT NOT IN LIFE."  Kandinsky.

Wassily Kandinsky, 1866 - 1944 - friendsofart.net.
Tumblr blog dedicated to the man. Very nice resource.
Online University - extensive article and links.
Project Gutenberg - Concerning The Spiritual In Art. (I read mine via Kindle, which I do enjoy better than the PC screen.)

Artist Hedda Sterne passed away last week at the age of 100.


She was the one woman in that famous photograph of "The Irascibles," taken in New York in 1950.  Remember her, standing on the table (not a chair) in the back of the room? That was the coming of age year for American artists.


Goodbye, Hedda.  You were one lady who stood tall.


"Nobody tried to influence me, I just worked."  Quote HS.



Notes:


I found out through Debu Barve.
Hedda Sterne: The last of ‘The Irascibles.’

ArtDaily.

The Wikipedia article on HS is a good one.


Blogger input. Nancy Natale.


TNYRB, Sarah Boxer.


Photo: Phtotbucket/themissinggrib.

The American abstractionist, Emily Mason, uses color the way it ought to be used: with gusto! If your coloristic spirits are lagging, go see her work for inspiration.

I read an interview where she says she thrives on spontaneity, and do-overs deaden pictures for her. I relate to that, and it's nice to hear commiseration of this experience.

Emily Mason Paints with an Instinct for Color.

Three Generations of Abstract Painting: Alice Trumbull Mason, Emily Mason, & Cecily Kahn

Artist Julianne Richards has been notably absent from blogging for the past several months. When a consistent artist blogger like Julianne disappears for a short while, the expectation is that their computer has given up the ghost. Longer absences create other fears, and as it turns out our Julianne (The Colorspeaker) was hospitalized with a critical heart infection.

Her trouble is described at her blog as beginning in late January. I received an e-mail from her about 2 weeks ago with the news about her sickness and recent release from the hospital. While this firecracker of an artist and blogger was happily blogging, she presented like a freight train going 100 miles per hour. The crack-up of serious health problems reminds one of hitting the wall at about that speed. I imagine the emotional challenges of this kind of setback, especially for a young person, are daunting.

Julianne has kept her apartment in New York City, and her fiancé and family are her support structure. In a funny, removed way, the blogging community is another support structure. Well wishes go out to "The Firecracker" who is back at blogging.

See the interview of artist Sheila M. Evans at the Pastel Blog today.

The meme where bloggers are tagging each other to produce 7 factoids, and then tag 7 others, has come back around to me. I am opting not to play according to the rules, as I don't want to be a "double-dipper" in the well of tag mammon.

Tina Mammoser, London Artist, has tagged me this time. So, because I really like her blog site and her art, I will do a tag-back. Maybe that will become a new rule for this game: "If tagged a second time, the taggee may tag-back the tagger".

I introduce Tina Mammoser, who is an American ex-pat in London. Check out her wonderful web site as well.
She does contemporary abstracts in acrylic, which remind me of landscapes in the broader sense.

We are probably long lost cousins, I think. Her work involves water because she has always lived by the water. I get up-tight when I get too far from a body of water-something to do with growing on at the Pacific coast. She is exploring horizontals, while my own landscapes find interest in vertical elements. Can you tell I really love her work?

This gal, Crash Octopus, doesn't know that she's my long lost cousin. She posts about art, and every other post is about beer. Stout Beer.

How cool is that?

Left Hand Milk Stout and Pastels
Pastel Addiction

BTW, consume not thy pastels. That is what beer was created for.

Rosalba Carriera (1675 - 1757), a lifelong Venetian, became a sought-after portraitist and was the world's first "pastellist".

The actual paste formed from dry pigment and water, and then dried is considered pastel (almost always with binder added to some degree or another). The first mention of this medium was by Leonardo da Vinci in 1495. Some artists used the medium thereafter, such as Quentin de La Tour, but Carriera popularized pastel works in the eighteenth century, and established a large corpus of such.

*Not incidentally, the blessed Scots also invented Whiskey in about the same year.

Claude Monet was no stranger to the pastel medium. The link takes you to a report about The Unknown Monet: Pastels and Drawings (short pdf. exhibit catalog here), which opened yesterday in London's Royal Academy of Arts.

Of interest is the factoid that he exhibited seven pastels at the first Impressionist exhibit (Paris) in 1874. There are 20 pastels at the current exhibit, some of which are rather large. I am curious how they are framed. Are they in their original frames? Glass or plexi (if re-framed)? Katherine, any chance you have seen them?

The London duration of exhibit is 17 March - 10 June, 2007. Then the Clark Art Institute in Massachusetts will have the old boys' art from 23 June - 16 September, 2007.

Kitty Wallis of Portland, Oregon does some fabulous water lily pastels that remind me of Monet.

As often happens, I find that the Wikipedia entry for Degas is the best overview I've read.
His art was produced with planning and slow deliberation. He seems quite the opposite of van Gogh, who worked (although with direction and forethought) very quickly.
Degas' freshness of color I attribute to his masterful use of the pastel medium. Many aren't aware that he worked in pastel, given the popularity of oil paint among the Impressionists. As a matter of fact, Degas was very progressive in his use of media. He painted in oil and pastel, was a sculptor, a printmaker, and was an early practitioner of photography.
Pastel, however, is the hallmark media of Degas' legacy. He is considered to be the greatest figure in pastel's pantheon of artists, given his advancement of the medium at an historical turning point in art history.
A born Parisienne, Degas studied art in France, but also made a pilgrimage to Italy for study in classical principles of art. He is also noted for having traveled to New Orleans, in the U.S.
Additionally, the great artist lived 83 years, and never married. It is sad to read of his eyesight degeneration, and to imagine how he was supposed to have wandered, near his death, aimlessly on the streets of Paris.
Degas was part of a movement of artists who spanned the Nineteenth and Twentieth centuries, and whose vision would replace allegory and morality in artistic subject, with modernist realism and what has been described as artistic "looking" at man.
Towards the latter part of his long career, he did loosen up his sense of detail, and began to value the abstract qualities of his paintings a little more. He was a studio artist, preferring to work from studies and memory.
Degas had his fair share of difficulty dealing with his public. "Why do you paint women so ugly, Monsieur Degas?" he was once asked by a hostess. "Parce que la femme en general est laide, madame, " came the reply. "Because, madam, women in general are ugly."
And to print this on International Women's Day! He had his uncouth way of acting, as many life-long bachelors do. In point of fact, his female nudes and figures did not suffer from sympathy or idealization. To his credit, he created new and fresh figurative works that respect the actual forms, presence and gestures of mankind. And he did it in a colorist fashion, as the incredible The Green Singer, demonstrates.
I like the idea that he did not destroy the past, in the so-called avant-garde way, but rather built upon it.
I recommend Expo-Degas for an online collection of his art.
I very much recommend the following article by Robert Hughes, for a highly opinionated criticism of the artist's life and work.
The only book I own about the paragon of pastel is: Degas by Himself, Richard Kendall. Does anyone out there recommend a good monograph of Degas?

Now that I have your attention, though, I am pleased to introduce you to an artist I found linked from Katherine's Mark blog. Her name is Tracy Helgeson, of upstate New York.
We share an affinity for color fields, barns, and landscapes. See her blog here.

"Well, old boy, this Gayford book, The Yellow House, was a cracking good read," says I to the artist's apparition.
"Hharumphh," he offers. Perhaps that nasty gunshot wound to the chest is giving him pains. Perhaps that French waitress hasn't brought his cappuccino quick enough.
And there we have the heart of the problem with these books about the great artist! They attempt to interpret him through various lenses. Who can really guess his intent in a given work of art?
Gayford, whose research and scholarship is second only to those who have compiled and catalogued the complete works of VG, has written much that I like, and much that I argue with.
Do you ever argue with authors as you read their books? I hope so. Critical thought is an essential part of learning.
Gayford proposes that VG's mania, which is thought by some to have been bi-polar disorder (manic depression), is essential to the outcome of his paintings. But, he merely lists a few other artists, authors and composers who have suffered from this disease, without any example or research showing it's effects upon their art.
I think he needs to rule out whether or not any of these afflicted men would have achieved the same levels either without the mania, or with suppression of the mania via treatment. That's a tall order, I know.
Van Gogh's work is unique in history, and quite unrepeatable. No one else will ever jump start the Modernist movement, since that's "in the can", so to speak. But, the level of transformation wrought by the Dutchman's art, such as influencing a score of follow-on movements, opening the way for greater abstraction in art, and for permission to focus more on pure color than ever before, is his mantle alone.
His great influence on art is a ladder of coherence, rather than a byproduct of euphoria.
Of course, his personal story is more dramatic, I think, than any other artist one can think of. It has it's effect on the public's appreciation of him, and it even stereotypes all artists in some rather unattractive ways. But, his posterity is more a matter of the acceptance of his works by the critical art world, his peerage, and the market's raging desire to collect his art. That continues to this day. I dare say that if you found a van Gogh at a garage sale, you would probably not stop at the Antiques Road Show for an appraisal. You'd make a beeline for Christie's or Sotheby's!
I will be plowing through the Complete Works, now, in search of more data on this enigmatic artist. But, I would encourage everyone with a personal interest to look into van Gogh's letters, which are available on the web here. Why not use his own words to tell the story of his art?

All drawings, Vincent van Gogh.

Building in Eindhoven (The “Weigh House”), Neunen, Feb., 1885

Snowy Yard, The Hague, Mar., 1883

Garden in the Snow, Neunen, Feb., 1885

Oxcart in the Snow, Neunen, Aug., 1884

Old Man Drinking Coffee, The Hague, Nov., 1882

Five Men and a Child in the Snow, The Hague, March, 1883

Edge of a Wood, Etten, July, 1881

Dance Hall, Neunen, Dec 1888


I've decided to begin my van Gogh project participation by studying some of his sketches. I post a few of my favorites here.
I chose these for the good figure works, and some for the addition of Conte, or colored chalks, and others for the representation of snow. I'll be doing a few snow scenes as well. I tried to stay with graphite or charcoal works, here. One of them may be reed pen, but my sources don't say.
Before I could commit myself to this van Gogh inspired project, I had to clean up my old studio space , which is in the house. It had been half way moved out to my new 12' x 60' studio, which is a surplused house trailer. It is halfway remodeled, and sans electricity.
So, now that I am re-established in my old studio space, I am ready to go with the new works. I will begin with drawing, as it was the foundation of Vincent's work. He almost always worked from life, rather than memory or reproductions. He did do a little of the latter, especially to copy his own studies, or the etchings of other artists that he admired. He was much influenced by Jean-Francois Millet (French, 1814-1875) and Harmenszoon van Rijn Rembrandt (Dutch, 1606 - 1669), who were both good draftsmen.
I seldom work from life nowadays, although I have done much of it in the past. My Colorist American Landscapes are studio works, from the imagination or removed memory. I noticed that for many of the others in this project, the van Gogh study will be a move away from realism. For, me, it will be a move toward realism.
So, I will be drawing from life, as van Gogh did. He not only didn't have the CRT or Photoshop, he really didn't even have the photograph. Photography was new in his day; it represented a challenge to the ageless pursuit of fine art, and what is more I understand that he disliked the evil photo. I share that opinion.
Anyway, I think that it will be hard for one to gain his perspective without going outside, or at least setting up a still life. I will finish the project with painting, however.
Then, also to get close to the keener's (*) motifs, I want to choose the same subjects. Sunflowers, check. Wheat fields, got 'em.. Orchards, check. Marine climate, check. Maritime subjects, check. Sunlight, check-er-rooni. Self for portraits, check.
Wish me luck!

Here are some links that I don't think I saw on blogs of other artists doing this VG project:

Unabridged Letters by or to Vincent van Gogh
http://webexhibits.org/vangogh/
Van Gogh at Etten. Interesting and broad based web site.
http://library.thinkquest.org/C001734/index.html

(*) "Keener" is defined in urban slang as a nerd or eager-beaver. But, I am using it in it's old school definition of one who is keen-edged, knowledgeable; also the Irish give the keener tragic substance.

"You are doing vwhut?"
"Achkk! A vfan Gchock prawgekt? Even I don't know vhut my next project vill be. How can you pretend to know ?!"
"Vell, my adfice to you is to remember the colour und ze gesture. Yes, the colour iz ze meanink! Vifout zis, you will not have done a van Gogh! With the drawing, remember the gesture."

Editor's note: The good folks at Fine Line Artists are doing a project for February where each artist will study van Gogh, and produce a work influenced by their discoveries. They will be posting their progress as they go, and have opened the project for others to participate. I will be doing my project along with them, as my conversation with Vincent continues as well.
See this blog soon to see how I will have narrowed my plan down to a digestible chunk. Candidates are to do a plein air (on sight or outdoor artwork) or a portrait.

Who the heck is this?


You know who
Adding to the mystery the old boy gathers around himself, is the apparent lack of a recognized photo of VVG.

The one above is dated circa the 1880s, and originates out of the Netherlands. The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam rejects it's authenticity, as it's provenance is sketchy, at best. And, they get at least one kook a day showing up with a long-lost photo of the keener.

You be the judge.

van Gogh, 1889












If any of us, I think surely myself, were to meet in 1888 poor Vincent van Gogh on the street, I dare say we would cross to the other side to avoid the old boy!

He is described by many as odoriferous, ugly and offensive. I did not know, before, that his manner of speech and his quirky gestures were as odd as described in Martin Gayford's book, The Yellow House… (See a full review of the book in the Independent UK here.)

I did come upon a story in Yellow House that I personally remember reading in a newspaper way back in 1988. It concerns an Arlesienne lady, a centenarian, who was introduced to, and remembered quite vividly, the quirky Dutch painter who used to buy canvas at her husband-to-be's fabric shop. Her name was Jeanne Calment, and she considered van Gogh uncomely, ungracious, impolite, and bad smelling.

Too bad she never sat for a portrait, though. It wouldn't have hurt her posterity at all to have been able to pass on a few million francs to her family.

This story gets me. For the youth among my gentle readers, the year 1988 seems ancient history, I'm sure. But to those of us with a little gray on the noggin, it's just the same as yesterday. And here was someone with a personal memory of the great painter ! No wonder I feel that his art is as fresh today as it ever was.

Postmortem, his profile in the art world grew with time, as exhibits were hung in Paris, Brussels, Antwerp and The Hague. A large retrospective (I think I read @ 30 works) was mounted in Paris in 1901, and then again in 1905. Other shows followed, including New York, in 1913 and Berlin, in 1914.

Today, there is enough on van Gogh in the cyber world to almost make Elvis jealous (VVG: 4.6 million google entries; Elvis Presley: 4.7 million). His art has sold for an excess of 82 million dollars outside of the already out-of-this-world auction market for his art.

You may think that it's too bad that he never saw any of this money. On the other hand, he did see every work as it came off the easel. Who has the last laugh, there?

Vincent's Chair with His Pipe, van Gogh, 1888

There is a hotel in Arles, France, a short distance from the actual yellow house which apparently was bombed in the Second World War. In it, is a full scale recreation of van Gogh's bedroom.

You, too, can sleep in his bed, and "channel" his genius.

Let's hope they've changed the sheets since VVG's time.

There used to be a saying in the USA back in the eighties. It went something like: "It's hard to get happy after (fill in the blanks)".
I read a well put together brief on Vincent van Gogh's life the other day. It's hard to "get happy" after reading the very tragic outline of his last few years, which culminated in his taking of his own life, on July 29th, 1890.
Then, after a while, I look (really look!) at his wonderful colorist art. Then, I am able to see the world-changing legacy that he left us. Intensified color, without losing sight of his subject. Rich, high chroma yellows. Dark, deep blues.
Bravo, Vincent! You changed the art world's use of color more than anyone else in modern times.

"Art is either plagiarism or revolution."
Paul Gauguin