[Gabriel]

Looking again at Sagantini's wonderful paintings that inspired Divenire, I thought I'd start a thread where we can post our own favourites. I adore colour, and few artists used it as boldly and beautifully as Vincent van Gogh. I love most of his works, but always enjoy seeing this one - The Red Vineyard.

[laFenice]

[gooba]

I love Magrittes work, but this one is by far and away my favourite. I think its because thats how I see myself at work each day, just another suit.

[Gabriel]

I love the paintings/drawings by the italian futurists, particularly Balla, Severini and Umberto Boccioni. Here's a favourite by Boccioni: -

[Denis]

Title: Peasant Woman Against a Background of Wheat( 1890 ).

Note: Three weeks after completing the portrait, the troubled artist returned to this wheat field in which this woman sits and took his own life.

a quote by van Gogh:

"...I should like to paint portraits of people which would appear after a century to the people living then as apparitions. By which I mean that I do not endeavor to achieve this by a photographic resemblence, but by means of our impassioned expression..."

[Gabriel]

That is a great painting, Denis. She looks very well-dressed for a 'peasant woman', but she does have a great dignity. Thanks.

[Gabriel]

Turner's 'Rain, Steam and Speed'.

[QuestaNotte]

My standard grade English teacher had a print of this in her classroom. It's lovely.

[Gabriel]

QuestaNotte, on Jan 16 2009, 05:44 PM, said:

My standard grade English teacher had a print of this in her classroom. It's lovely.

She had good taste . It's just about my favourite of Turner's. I love the swirling mix of elements, that give the picture a slightly mystical aura.

[Gabriel]

Kandinsky



I've realised that there was already a 'favourite paintings' thread from ages ago - Kirsty started it in June 2007. It has some really nice paintings. See here

The Dali ones are great (and interesting comments too) - reminds me of my visit to the Dali museum in Paris .

[Gabriel]

Gerardo Dottori - Explosion of Red on Green 1910
(Esplosione di Rosso sul verde)



Dottori joined the Italian Futurist movement in 1913. This painting predates his contact with the Futurists but was nevertheless a response to their desire to paint the 'sensations which everything in nature and human life arouses in us'. Dottori described how it was directly inspired by his experience one May morning of a cornfield covered in poppies. 'I did not know how to paint this and returned home with a vivid impression, with the sensation of the interaction of these two complementary colours, red and green, when they are found together: red, when it meets its complementary, green, becomes ultra-red and explodes... green, on the other hand, remains calm, silent and immobile.' (Tate Modern Gallery)

I visited Tate Modern last week, on a trip to London. It's very disappointing, I think. True, there are a few wonderful pieces of art (I particularly liked a couple of Picassos, Paul Klee, and a fascinating painting by Braque), but they are few and far between. There were so many people that it was difficult to get near some of the pictures, and when you did, you couldn't relax and take time to enjoy them as there were so many other people desperate for a look. The Dottori painting was one that really caught my eye - I love the story that goes with it . It was quite high up on a wall, which made it difficult to see closely, but at least you could step back and look at leisure. I wish we in the UK could do galleries like they do in Spain, Italy etc. Just thinking of the magnificant Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna, in Rome. I've spent many a wonderful hour there.

[Naomi]

Mine would have to be degas - all the ballet ones! Can't be helped I'm a dancer at heart!

[Stephen]

Gabriel, on Apr 11 2009, 02:58 PM, said:

It was quite high up on a wall, which made it difficult to see closely,

I was fine!

Saw a wonderful painting recently. Unfortunately, I cannot remember where I saw it, what it was called, who it was by or what it was about.

But I liked it.

[Stephen]

Ohhh, it's starting to come back to me. It was featured in The Independent a couple of months ago. It was set in a room. There was a chair with something hanging over it. The window was a glory of light- heavenly almost. It had a warm, spring feel to it. It was an old fashioned room with minimal furniture. It was like a converted attic. The angle of the skirting didn't seem quite right to me, which means it was absolutely spot on no doubt. The painting asked more questions than it answered.... whose clothing is it over the chair? Where have they gone? Why is it there? Why is the window open? I liked it.

[Stephen]

Sorry triple post, but FOUND IT!

If you want to read more about it, please follow the link below.

http://www.independe...hn-1638161.html

[Cathy]

As a non-arty type person, it amazes me how much people can apparently 'draw' from a painting.

Quote

The open window, the book, and the empty dress all denote her vulnerability, her longing and her availability.

I must be shallow... for me an open window suggests it is a warm day; the book, perhaps she liked to read?; the empty dress, the fact that she was too lazy to hang it up.......

I read books, leave windows open and my clothes on the chair all the time. Does that denote my vulnerability, my longing and my availability?
Ok - fair point.

Have to say, I like the painting, but find the story behind it far more fascinating..........

[Stephen]

Sometimes the simplest of ideas are actually the most fascinating.

[QuestaNotte]

Cathy, on Apr 14 2009, 05:24 PM, said:

As a non-arty type person, it amazes me how much people can apparently 'draw' from a painting.

I must be shallow... for me an open window suggests it is a warm day; the book, perhaps she liked to read?; the empty dress, the fact that she was too lazy to hang it up.......

I read books, leave windows open and my clothes on the chair all the time. Does that denote my vulnerability, my longing and my availability?
Ok - fair point.

Too literal, Cathy. Where's your imagination? She took the dress off and climbed out of the window. Or maybe she liked to stare out of the window dreaming of another life. That would cover all those things.

Obviously all those hours of art lessons last year have had an effect!

[Cathy]

QuestaNotte, on Apr 14 2009, 07:44 PM, said:

Too literal, Cathy. Where's your imagination? She took the dress off and climbed out of the window. Or maybe she liked to stare out of the window dreaming of another life. That would cover all those things.

Obviously all those hours of art lessons last year have had an effect!

I know, I know. Believe me, I have no problems using my imagination. It just niggles me that they come out with such tosh at times. An open window 'denotes her vulnerability, longing and availability', for heaven's sake!!!!!!!!!

[QuestaNotte]

True. If she were in the painting then saying those particular things would make sense. I guess it's hard to find things to say sometimes when you have to critique a painting like that. It is a lovely painting though.