Camille Pissarro: A Loving Tribute

I am in love with Camille Pissarro (1830-1903). I have been for a long time. No, not romantic love, more like the adoration of a child sitting at the feet of a wise and experienced father.


You can imagine my joy to find an exhibit in Barcelona of 67 of his paintings. 67! I moved up close to his paintings trying to find him in his colors, impasto and other techniques. (I think I drove the security guards crazy.) Steeped in the environment of his paintings, I thought about his amazing output, political courage and gentle, fatherly personality.

His work ethic was boundless. No matter what was happening in his personal life, he painted. He painted outdoors as much as possible and mostly without consideration to the weather. When he could not paint outside, he stood at the window and painted.

Even in later life, with his vision impaired from a recurring eye infection, he painted. His industriousness was enough to eventually support his large family. (Wife, 8 children and household help)




Art was central to him, yet  Pissarro was a well-read and informed man. He understood the original meaning of anarchy (without a monarch/leader). Although he believed in non-violence, his leftist leanings brought him to the attention of the police. It was very dangerous for Pissarro for he had known artist who were jailed for their leftist beliefs. (Trial of the Thirty, 1894)

Another reason I admire him is the consistent description of him by his contemporaries as "fatherly." Gauguin, who studied with him, referred to M. Pissarro as "...one of my masters and I would not deny him." Cezanne walked miles just to paint with Pissarro. Mary Cassatt referred to him as "a teacher who could have taught the stones to draw correctly." It was his " gentle, kind, and warm-hearted personality" that held the Impressionists together.

The Impressionist Group consisted of 15 artists - each different in personality and temperament from the others. Yet, it was Pissarro who held the group together. Not only would his legacy be his role as "Father of the Impressionists," but also as the creative force of children and grandchildren who followed him in art.

Most notable among his progeny are: His son, Lucien Pissarro, a famous printer, grandchildren Claude Bonin-Pissarro, Henri Bonin-Pissarro, and Orovida Pissarro, all painters, and great grandchilden, Frédéric Bonin-Pissarro, painter and Joachim Pissarro, Head of Curator of Drawing & Painting, MOMA as well as professor of art at Hunter College.

Here's a glimpse of his art - another reason I am in love with him. And what is your take on M. Pissarro?

The Glories of Seville

Heading a little further south via train into Al-Andalus, I arrived at the depot in Seville. The day was warm and sunny. I hailed a taxi to take me to my host family. As the taxi pulled up, Klara, college-age daughter in the family, waved to me from the second story balcony. What a welcome to Seville!

 Klara took me on the tour of where I'd be staying.  The whole place must be at least 3000 sq. ft. I remember there were 4 bedrooms, but it could've been 5 since I lost count - each with a bathroom en suite. My room had a balcony from where I could watch the comings and goings of the Sevillianos. (Her Dad is a highly-educated man, who speaks/reads several languages. I had my choice of any books in his extensive library. Wonderful! )

Klara had maps and brochures all ready for me.

She orientated me to everything I wanted to see and where it was in relation to her home.

As in Cordoba, I took the city tour bus to get familiar as quickly as possible with my surroundings. Seville is quite a bit larger than Cordoba. It is the capital city of Andalusia (al-Andalus) and has a history that can be traced back about 2200 years. There's even evidence of colonization by the Phoenicians, who named the area "Spal."

The tour bus covered all the city highlights including old narrow streets with their wonderful balconies. Some balconies were festooned in flowers and flags. Others showed a great deal of humor - even using cardboard cutouts of people or mannequins. One in particular made me smile. Sadly, it appeared so quickly I didn't have time to shoot a picture of it.

As I looked up at the balcony from the bus, I thought it was a man about to dive off the balcony. At first, it startled me. His hands were in the position to cut through the "water." At second glance, I realized that he had on a horizontally-striped bathing costume ala 1920s along with swim goggles and "he" was a mannequin! What fun!

Again, my home stay was close to all that I wanted to see.  A large, lovely park was a couple of blocks away. It was directly on the path to the Alcazar; which was one of the sites on my list.

All the gardens I saw are reminiscent of the time of the Moors.They all have heavily-packed dirt paths with boxed-in areas of trees and plants, and water features such as fountains or long, rectangular pools. I found myself thinking about the paths as being the arid desert and the assigned areas of green and water as the life-giving oases. It didn't feel austere. Instead, it felt highly organized.Yet, there was also a bit of whimsy in the benches and planters in the park.

Walking through the park and around a few winding lanes was the Alcazar.

Originally a Moorish fort, it was converted by the Moors into a palace; which is now the oldest palace in Europe still being used as a Royal Residence. It was dazzlingly beautiful. Although I think it must have been even more so before an earthquake in the 1700s caused the removal of the sunken gardens that visitors entered before taking the steps up to the palace. (These photos show a very small part of the entire complex and the beautiful gardens. The "orange" photo is the ceiling in one of the rooms.)

 

The only part remaining of the gardens prior to the earthquake are the "Baths of Lady Maria de Padilla." To reach the baths, you go down into what feels like a cave.Before the earthquake, the pool opened to the sky and had orange trees surrounding it.

On my last day, I walked in the Barrio de Santa Cruz area. Again, very near to where I was staying. It was a once the Jewish quarters of Seville. Being a very old section of the city, it has cobblestone streets, interesting alleyways and very narrow streets. (The narrow streets kept in the shade.) The barrio had lots of interesting information about the Sephardic Jews' contributions to the city during the reign of the Moors.

The  next day, I caught a taxi to the train depot for the long journey through the countryside to Granada. I had already secured my ticket for the famous Alhambra and couldn't wait to see it.

Spain, Portugal and Islam

Since first seeing Islamic tiles, I've been drawn to the style.  I was enchanted by the stylized works of nature and the geometric patterns.

During my college years, I took a class in Islamic Art and Architecture, made molds of Islamic tiles in clay class and created a book of Islamic floral designs for a class assignment.  The period that most fascinated was the height of the Islamic age in Spain.

For many years, I've dreamed going to Spain. More specifically my dreams were to visit the Southern region that Muslims named "Al-Andalus." (Now referred to as Andalucia) This year, it is finally happening and I am trying to hold back my excitement.

My airplane reservations are made - fly into Madrid, exit via Barcelona. Now it's time for some serious planning as I'm told that purchasing Eurail and Alhambra tickets in advance are a must. There's a bit of time to plan since I'm not leaving until Autumn.

At this point, the itinerary is a little loose. Here's my tentative plans in order to avoid doubling back: Overnight train from Madrid to Lisbon, bus Lisbon to Seville, bus Seville to Cordoba, bus Cordoba to Granada, train Granada to Madrid, train Madrid to Barcelona.


Now, Dear Reader, this is where you can help me solidify my itinerary: If you have suggestions for transportation, lodging, food, sight-seeing, eateries, and colorful markets, I'd like to have your recommendations.

Michal Trpák and The Human Condition

Recently, I came upon a young Czech artist who is creating very original art. His name is Michal Trpák (1982-). His academic credentials are impeccable. He studied under Master sculptors and graduated from the Academy of Art, Architecture and Design. His internships were in such far flung parts of the world as Korea, Finland and Canada.

Through all his studies, he has distilled an original style of art works mainly depicting the human form and cultural conditions in a surrealistic manner. This is the first of his works that introduced me to his art:

"Escape into Reality" (2008)

Trpák's sculptural commentaries on the human condition were featured in an exhibit at a civic building in the Czech Republic. "Slightly Uncertain" (2012)


"Stage of Fascination" (2009)


"On the Waves of DNA" (2012)

"Thinkers" (2010)


You can see more of his works at: www.michaltrak.com.  Be sure to watch the opening intro. It's fun and worth it!

Barbara Hepworth: A Remarkable Dame

Recently a friend read the bio of an artist and expressed her great admiration. The artist? Barbara Hepworth. (1903-1975). From what my friend told me about Hepworth, I had to know more and wondered how it was I'd never heard of her.

Her story is about great artistry and achievement. English born, Hepworth trained in art at the Royal College of Art. Although she worked in various disciplines, she was best known as a modern sculptor.

She created many public works. Her most famous was the one she created for the United Nations in New York.

She was personal friends with Dag Hammarskjöld, the second United Nations Secretary, who died in a plane crash while on official duty. As part of the memorial to him, Hepworth was asked to design a sculpture.

The sculpture, "Single Form" (1961), was to acknowledge Hammarskjöld as a distinguished and respected peace maker.

Hepworth's sculptures and fame led to Queen Elizabeth II bestowing  the title of "Dame of the British Empire." It stands to reason that Dame Hepworth's sculptures are found in many of the most prestigious museums and galleries.

She accomplished all of this while raising 4 children - 3 being triplets. She dealt with the scarcities of WWII and the difficulties of making ends meet as an artist with a family. Hepworth rose to face all of life's challenges. (Below is a small sampling of her art - one of which is from her own sad loss of her first-born son. The title is: "Madonna and Child" (1954)

Title: "Pelagos" (1946)

Title: "Tide 1" (1946)

Title: "Winged Figure" (1961)

If you've ever in England, be sure to stop off at The Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Gardens, St. Ives, which is run by the Tate Gallery. Would you agree that Hepworth was an exceptional artist and a resilient Dame?

Why Not Just Take a Photo?

Before photography, hyperrealism was important because people wanted records of events, possessions, and ceremonies.There was only one way to accomplish that goal - hire an artist. (17th Century Flemish paintings)

Since photography came into its own in the late 1800s, artists were free to paint in more abstract manners. The movement that comes to mind as exemplifying this freedom was Impressionism.

Yet, today, there are certain artists who paint works that are referred to as "photorealism." They are so technically masterful that often the question arises, "Is that a photo or a painting?"

There have been several recent articles written about visual artists who paint photorealistically (hyperrealism). The thrust of these articles is to ask the question, "What's the point? "

Those who disagree that photography has replaced hyperrealistic painting insist that a photograph cannot capture what the hand of a painter can do - greater depth of field, understanding of nature, combinations of real and imagined.

Below are the works of three well-known photorealistic painters. The question is: Where do you think? Would it be just as well to take a photo? (click on image to enlarge)
Roberto Bernardi: (Oils)

Steve Mills: (Oils)

Eric Christensen: (Watercolor)

(He also has a video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?disv=RNKk9G-Yzjk)