painting

“The only thing I know is that I paint because I need to, and I paint whatever passes through my head without any other consideration.”—Frida Kahlo

In Amsterdam, if you find yourself facing a difficult decision, a should-I-or-shouldn’t-I situation, the answer is always simple and always the same: “Why not!” [Click the photo to view larger in new window.]

This random scene along Canal Saint-Martin, comprised of disparate pieces of street art that together form a kooky-but-compelling composition, possessed a sort of magnetism, as Jimi Hendrix keeps a watchful eye on two foxy, albeit alien, ladies. [Click the photo to view larger in new window.]

There is a good chance that, if you aren’t already, a visit to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam will convert you into an fervent fan of the artist whose troubled nature (i.e., the severed ear lobe, suicide, et cetera) too often eclipses his brilliance in the minds of the general public. You probably won’t leave, however, with a single favorite work. Just when I thought I discovered a favorite, I’d take a few steps and find myself mesmerized by another Van Gogh creation. With such an extensive collection of one artist’s work to explore—from his landscapes and still lifes to self-portraits and peasant life depictions, spanning the various periods of Van Gogh’s life—selecting a lone piece to feature here is a near-impossible task.

Skull of a Skeleton with Burning Cigarette (above) stands out among the paintings in the Van Gogh Museum collection for its lack of vivid color and macabre subject matter. Largely self-taught after deciding to become an artist in 1880 at the age of 27, he produced some 900 paintings (along with another 1,100 drawings and sketches) until his untimely death 10 years later. This undated creation, thought to be produced in 1886, is the result of his brief stint (only a few weeks) at the art academy in Antwerp. Van Gogh enrolled to have the opportunity to draw and paint live models, but his wishes clashed with the school’s traditions. “Students…learned by copying prints and studying plaster casts,” according to the museum’s commentary. “After they had progressed sufficiently, they were permitted to study the live model. Skeletons were often used to help them understand human anatomy.” Van Gogh probably painted the skull with cigarette as a joke, lampooning the academy’s strict methods and staid practices.

If I had to describe the Musée d’Orsay in only one word, it would certainly be a difficult chore. Phenomenal comes to mind, as does magnificent, awe-inspiring and handfuls of other similarly effusive adjectives. First, the museum’s home is itself a work of art. Located on the Left Bank, across the Seine from Jardin des Tuileries, the Musée d’Orsay occupies a building originally constructed as a train station for the Universal Exhibition of 1900. (As an aside, it also served as a set for Orson Welles’ take on Kafka’s The Trial.) Its main hall—a long, glass-ceilinged nave that allows beautiful natural light to illuminate the space—is most impressive.

Even more extraordinary is the collection of art, especially the paintings, that this Beaux-Arts architectural gem houses. The Musée d’Orsay is considered by many the “Temple of Impressionism” with good reason, but the collection—including works created between 1848 and 1914—extends to Post-Impressionist masters as well. Walking through the galleries can be a breathtaking experiences and also a bit of an overwhelming one. The lineup here consists of some of the most popular names in art history: Claude Monet and Édouard Manet, Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Paul Cézanne, Edgar Degas and Georges Seurat, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Gustave Courbet. Piece after piece beckons for a closer inspection, longer contemplation. Surely, several works by these admired and adored artists displayed at the Musée d’Orsay will be featured in this series. Above is a Monet from 1877, titled La gare Saint-Lazare (The Saint-Lazare Station), which led to a series featuring the station from various viewpoints.

We seemed to walk through Trafalgar Square at least once or twice a day during our stay in London. One Friday morning we passed an artist recreating Sandro Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus—using paint and brushes, of all things—on the sidewalk (or some medium laid out on it) outside of the National Gallery. Amidst the constant threat posed by heavy foot traffic, the artist had finished the painstakingly detailed piece when we returned several hours later. The result: a surprisingly accurate and altogether remarkable reproduction of an iconic image. [Click the photo to view larger in new window.]

“Follow the masters! But why should one follow them? The only reason they are masters is that they didn’t follow anybody!”
—Paul Gauguin

A building in Amsterdam goes “Boom” with the help of some Lichtenstein-inspired street art. [Click the photo to view larger in new window.]

“The function of art is to renew our perception. What we are familiar with we cease to see. The writer shakes up the familiar scene, and, as if by magic, we see a new meaning in it.”—Anaïs Nin

I immediately fell in love with this large painting—mural really—covering an entire wall of an approximately two-story building on Quai de Valmy along Canal Saint-Martin in Paris. Fun and colorful, this seductive wallflower isn’t trying to sell anything, but she certainly makes one want to recline near the peaceful canal on a warm, sunny afternoon (like on September 14) with drink in hand. [Click the photo to view larger in new window.]