Raymond Wintz: The Light of Brittany

 Raymond Wintz (1884-1956) was one of those "in-between" painters. His style was described as being between what was known as "realism" in those times with a touch of "impressionism." It could've been because that although he was Parisian-born and trained in art, he chose to live in another part of France.

 

 

 

Wintz decided to settle in Brittany. Perhaps it was for the quality of the light. After all, he was known as the "painter of light." Whatever else, the combination of the light and the closeness to the sea from his windows proved very inspiring.

 

 

 

His most famous painting from his time in Brittany is titled, "The Blue Door."

 

It's still available in prints and there's no wonder. Who wouldn't love to go on vacation to the seashore and open the door of a rented villa to such a scene? Imagine stepping out in the morning with your coffee and croissant to such a view!

 

 

 

 

With all of his paintings of Brittany, not only do you feel the wind and the sea, but the lives of the Bretons and their distinct Celtic culture having more in common with the Welsh, Irish and Scottish, who have all retained their language into modern times.

Here's more of the people and the land that inspired Wintz to produce some of this most well-known works:

Bravo for Art... or Not?

When I was studying art at the university, my painting instructors encouraged non-objective or abstract art. They were often critical or dismissive of those students who were interested in capturing fine details of a still life or model.

Since the advent of photography, there's been an ongoing discussion whether realistic painting's time has passed. Perhaps it's no longer necessary to chronicle life and time in paintings. I was considering this when a "Google" search led me to the art of Claudio Bravo (1936 to present), a very famous and successful realistic painter. (Self-portrait above.)

Brav0 was born in Chile and studied art in Santiago. (He has lived in Morocco since 1972.) His first exhibition was held at age 17. Although Bravo gained international fame as a portraitist, he is also an accomplished still life painter.

His works are found in the prestigious museums and galleries in the world. Several books have been written about his art. Yet, art schools, critics and many curators are moving away from promoting realistic work - leaving that to photography.

Looking at the few examples below of Mr. Bravo's often described "hyperrealistic" painting style, do you think in our digital world this type of painting is passe'? (click on image to enlarge)

It's Spring!

R.Atencio Blue Iris

What a wonderful time of year - the flowers are poking out of the ground and the trees are full of buds and blossoms. I've committed to taking my camera with me this days to take photos for my ever-growing image gallery. I often look there for inspiration and ideas for paintings and sculptures. Recently, I went through my art gallery of floras. Here's a picture of one I did a while back and now offer on my website (http://www.r-atencio.com) as a gift or note card. I'm including this one on my blog because it looks like the flowers I'm seeing on my walks.