A violinist continuing to produce beautiful museum despite broken strings, artists creating astonishing work in the face of many forms of adversity - all examples that give us hope an encouragement for these strange times in which we are living in 2020;
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Thoughts about art: Joan Bennassar /
Remarks by a Mallorcan artist, Joan Bennassar, about art, its role in society and the need for artists to be ethical and respectful of themselves got me thinking about our role as artists, particularly in a pandemic-afflicted world.
Read MoreReturning to Old Loves /
Attending a live music concert again in Bellver Castle after our long covid confinement allowed me to experience the deep emotions that i remember when I saw paintings in real life that I only knew from reproductions. A wonderful return to old loves.
Read MoreArtists' Ambitions /
Ramon Casas, an ambitious, innovative artist from Barcelona who straddled the nineteenth and early twentieth century, frequented many notable artists from France and Spain - from Toulouse-Lautrec to Jaoquin Sorolla and Pablo Picasso. Considered a modernist, he excelled in portrait drawings and paintings, as well as graphic art for art nouveau posters. His self-portrait from 1910 is revealing.
Read MorePlein Air Art - Looking Back (Part 4) /
The 19th century saw a flowering of plein air art in Europe and in this part of my blog-series on Plein Air Art - Looking Back, I had fun trying to select images that could celebrate this explosion of energies and talent. We owe a great deal to those artists as they broke with academic tradition and painted as their hearts dictated.
Read MorePlein Air Art - Looking Back (Part 3) /
In Part 3 of Plein Air art - Looking Back, I follow the development of plein air art during the late 18th and early 19th centuries in Europe as so many artists paved the way for present-day interpretations of nature and the outdoors.
Read MorePlein Air Art - Looking Back (Part 2) /
Part 2 of a long look back at the heritage of landscape and plein air art that we artists enjoy today nd from which we can draw encouragement and inspiration, as well as instruction.
Read MorePlein Air Art - Looking Back (Part 1) /
As plein air artists, we are standing on the shoulders of artists who were lovers and orbservers of nature from many centuries ago. This is a celebration of some of these artists in their depictions of the landscape.
Read MorePoussin the Perfectionist /
I have always respected Nicolas Poussin's paintings, but often without really getting excited about them. They come across as resolutely independent, wonderfully composed and prepared, but often a little too intellectual for my taste.
Read MoreArtists' Inventiveness /
I am back with my artist's "hat" on, and almost immediately, I learn yet again how inventive artists are! Yesterday, in Beaune, Burgundy, an elegant exhibition of paintings by Marie José Malargé was opened. Hung on the dove-grey walls of a lovely restaurant, La Grilladine, in the centre of the old city, it was sensuous, quietly insistent yet serene and very beautiful. It will be on view in Beaune until 23rd November and is well worth seeing.
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