Favorite Places in Art

La Orana Maria (Hail Mary)
Paul Gauguin
1891
oil
88x114 cm
Metropolitan Museum of Art

I'm posting rather late this weekend, but was celebrating my daughter's 10th birthday with seven energetic tween girls here for most of the weekend, so the blog took a big backseat yesterday and today, as I 'm sure you can understand!

Anyway, I thought I'd still get my post in for the weekend, since it is our last one with a focus on the masters, and tomorrow we will be starting with a new topic.

I was looking through many pictures of art of some of the most famous painters, and it struck me that, integrated with their personal style was a unique view of place.

Just think of Gauguin, and what place comes to mind right away? Or Winslow Homer, or Turner (a few places...)

My point is, that how the masters painted their favorite places imprinted upon us forever a beautiful memory of that place- whether we had ever been there or not.

The Grand Canal- Venice
Joseph M.W. Turner
c. 1825-1850
91x122 cm
National Gallery, Washington DC

I have never been to Tahiti or Venice, but Gauguin and Turner transport me there, and make me feel like I am visiting when I look at their work.

What can you get across about some of your favorite places? Could you paint or draw them in a way that would make others feel that they would like to be there? Would you just paint the landscape, or would you add people, animals or objects in the scene? How can you use color or the way you apply your paint or charcoal to create a mood of the place? Look carefully at your scene before you start, and remember what strikes you most about the feeling that you get from the place. Try to make it your goal to evoke the same feeling by the way that you paint or draw it.

Take a look at some of your favorite vacation photos and work from one that you like, or draw or paint a local place that you love that says something special about the place where you live and what you love about it.

Do this in your sketchbook or on a small canvas or watercolor block, and let us know about it! I'd love to see your results!

Do a Self Portrait!

Mary Cassatt
Self-portrait
c. 1880
Watercolor on ivory paper
33 x 24 cm

To continue with a look at how the masters handled different subjects and techniques, and what we can learn from them to apply to our own art, I thought I'd tackle the subject of Self Portraits today.

Doing a self portrait is a bit daunting, if you've never done one, but give it a try in your sketchbook today, and see what happens!

You can use a mirror, or even work from a photograph of yourself, if you wish, but I would encourage you to try the mirror method if you haven't done it before.

Set yourself up to draw or paint in front of a mirror. If possible don't choose a straight-on pose. Be careful to avoid a "deer in the headlights" look with your eyes, since you will have to stare at your image, and you don't want "the stare" to come out in your portrait (unless it is intentional!)

Paul Gauguin
Self Portrait-Les Misérables
1888
oil
45 × 55 cm

I have chosen some different self portraits that show a more bold approach to self-portraiture by Mary Cassatt, Paul Gauguin and a German artist named George Hendrik Breitner. You can work more quickly if you don't labor over every detail, so try to be a little bolder in your approach, to help with the time that you spend on this. Try to capture a likeness, but don't worry if you don't. Perhaps you are saying more about yourself than you realize in doing this exercise and are capturing a mood or attitude instead. That works too!George Hendrik Breitner
Self Portrait with Pince Nez
Unknown date


At the bottom I have uploaded one of my own self portraits. It isn't my very best effort- I sort of have that "deer in the headlights look," but it was done fairly quickly with acrylics on watercolor paper.

Give self portraiture a try. You'll be surprised at how fun it is!