A Little Bit of Culture :)

[WeeWillie]

I'm not really into Mythology & Trolls Yorksman, but as works of art to admire, your illistrations are excellent. :thumbup:

 

[WeeWillie]

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Belgian Artist George Croegaert. 1848-1923

He was born in Antwerp, Belgium in 1848, and at the age of twenty eight he moved to Paris,
where he spent the rest of his life, and is best known as a painter of domestic genre scenes.

He exhibited regularly at the Paris Salon from 1914 and his titles included “Le Repos du Modele”
and “Avant le Bal”.

Georges' subjects were taken from the French middle classes. He almost certainly created a
special type of soubriquet, with roguish, ogling brown eyes, tiny fingers and dainty, neatly
rounded figures.

He began at a time when collectors would put their paintings on the table before them
in order to examine them at their ease, discuss the qualities and the expression, and
magnifying glass in hand, smack their lips over the piquancy of the anecdote represented

His genre pictures were much sought after during his lifetime, especially in England and America.
His work is represented in several collections, including the Sydney Muse.

Apart from admiring these paintings, I find Georges' two chosen subjects look sooo interesting
that I'd loved to have spent an hour or so with each one listening to their experience of life.


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .George Croegaert.

. .

 

[WeeWillie]

"The Letter"
By Jean Béraud
1849 – 1935

Brief Bio
Jean was a French impressionist painter and commercial artist who was well known for his
paintings of Parisian life during the Belle Époque.
He became a student of Leon Bonnat, and exhibited his paintings at the Salon for the first
time in 1872.
However he only gained recognition in 1876, with his * "On the Way Back from the Funeral".
*(see below)
He exhibited with the Society of French Watercolourists at the 1889 World's Fair in Paris,
was a prolific and active painter who painted many scenes of Parisian daily life during the
Belle Époque, in a style that stands somewhere between the academic art of the Salon and
that of the Impressionists.
At the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris, he was given a gold medal. He also received the
Légion d'honneur in 1894.
Sadly, towards the end of his life he was plagued by ill health. Prone to depression and physical
exhaustion, his commissions became more and more rare after the outbreak of World War I.
He began to paint less and his images lacked the vibrancy of his earlier period.

I feel both paintings really capture the imagination.


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ."The Letter"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "On the Way Back from the Funeral"

 

[WeeWillie]

John Bentham-Dinsdale 1927-2008.
(short bio)

John was an exacting scholar of great and famous ships of the past. His passion focused
mainly on oil paintings of the great clippers and sailing warships of the 19th century.
He studied architecture and design at Leeds University, and went on to serve as the head
of design for a British television company in Tyne.

He was also a commissioned officer and pilot in the royal air force during World War II.
He'd painted for many years before making art his sole occupation from 1965.
He was a founding member of the British Sea Painters Group and he exhibited his first
one-man show in London in 1974.
His work has been exhibited on nearly every continent of the world, including salons and
galleries in London, Paris, New York, San Francisco, Vancouver, Tokyo and Sydney.

Working from preliminary sketches and extensive research of his subjects, he brought to
the fore, on canvas, the emotional strength of his sailing ships in their full glory, with
dynamic atmospheres and seas full of colour. Many of his canvases are quite large,
yet the sharp details and precise scale of his architectural draughtsmanship are clearly present
in his naval and commercial subjects.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .John Bentham-Dinsdale

 

[WeeWillie]

As I mentioned earlier I've a few sculpture images without any
information.
No matter, I hugely admire sculpture craftsmanship.

The only info I have with this one is a date, which fascinates me.
(I must be inflicted with the nostalgia bug. lol)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1334-1336

 

[Yorksman]

Local artists sometimes are very good at capturing that elusive something, often very simply, that people who live in the locality understand. One Pennine artist, Peter Brook, painted lots of snow scenes featuring isolated farm buildings:

I don't think I have met anyone from my area who, on seeing his work, doesn't think something along the lines of ,'that takes me back [to my childhood]'. Below is a photo, not a Peter Brook painting:

 

[Yorksman]

As I mentioned earlier I've a few sculpture images without any
information.
No matter, I hugely admire sculpture craftsmanship.

The only info I have with this one is a date, which fascinates me.
(I must be inflicted with the nostalgia bug. lol)

You'd love Tranjan's Column in Rome:

It commemorates the Emperor Trajan's victory in the Dacian Wars at the very start of the 2nd century AD

 

[BaliRob]

Normally any post that is so far from the subject of Diabetes usually irks me (it's my age I suppose) and especially those waste
of good reading space from kitchen retailers. HOWEVER, today I am so pleased to make an exception for "A little bit of Culture"
it has been a wonderful departure from 'the norm' and I thank the originator for giving me so much pleasure so far away from
home reminding me of the Culture I have left behind. I have never spent so much time reading and re-reading a post herewith.


Again, thankyou

 

[WeeWillie]

Hello BaliRob,

I'm delighted to read your thoughts regarding this thread, and obviously delighted
to discover it's giving you such pleasure.
I've worked with my hands all my life however, I'm totally unable to produce works
of art, and/or, sculpture.
I envy those who have such incredible natural ability which provides them with the skill
to turn out works of any item that comes under the heading of "Art".

I thoroughly enjoy deciding which items I should post that others may enjoy.

I was just thinking today, I must send in a couple of images that do not
particularly appeal to me. I'd find the reactions, or lack of reaction, very
interesting to note.

I thank you for taking time out to reply, especially, in such a positive manner.

Best wishes.
weewillie.

 

[WeeWillie]

Yorksman, "Tranjan's Column" I love it.

I'd like to come back to mention more regarding your latest excellent contributions,
but forgive me, I just wanted to reply to BaliRob's comments first, no offence intended.
It's 1:45am and I sooooo need, Zzzzzzzzz.

weewillie.

 

[Yorksman]

I just wanted to reply to BaliRob's comments first, no offence intended.

None taken at all. I was wondering if the scenes of snow sparked something off in BaliRob. Flemish snow scenes have always been a favourite of mine, these from Breugel, Hunters in the Snow and Census at Bethlehem, looking remarkably Flemish.

 

[WeeWillie]

Hi Yorksman, re=my last post, thank you for understanding.

Tranjan's Column....as I said, I love it.
Can you just imagine how many hours labour (of love)
were involved in that sculpture, and the cost!!
Even back then the cost must surely have been enormous.

(great post)
______________________

Peter Brook's paintings.
I've witnessed actual snow scenes incredibly similar to his paintings.
Interestingly, despite the scenes I remember, being nowhere near the
area of his paintings, they bring back childhood memories for me also.

The do have that extra something.
The freezing cold atmosphere, yet the warm glow feeling inside when
standing looking at the environment all around. The dark grey sky,
and the scenes at dusk, evoke many memories.

Brilliant.

btw, the 4th scene down, there's something about the physical
aspect that doesn't appear quite right.

Did you notice it also, or is it just me being pernickety.

I don't know, Perhaps it's simply a scanned image of the original.

I like your latest offerings, I hope BaliRob pops in and spots them.

weewillie :thumbup:

 

[WeeWillie]

I mentioned I was thinking of posting in a couple of paintings
I didn't particularly like.... in other words, not my cup of tea.
Well, here's the first one below.
No disrespect to the artist or to you, if you find the painting appealing,
but it just does not float my boat, as they say.

I'd loved to have said.....
Well Aaaa dooo declare honeychile', that suuure has to be the purtiest
little paintin' A ever did saw in ma entire cottin pickin' life.
Lordy Lordy.

I've included a short bio to show I'm not prejudiced. :wave:

Wassily Wasilyevich Kandinsky 1896 - 1944
Brief Bio

Wassily was born into a well-to-do family in Moscow, his father was a
well known businessman.
In 1871 the family moved to Odessa where his father ran his tea factory.
There, as well as attending a classical grammar school, Wassily learned to
play the piano and the cello and took to drawing.

His parents wanted him to become a lawyer, so in 1886 he was sent to Moscow
and entered The Law Faculty of Moscow University eventually graduating with
honours.
He became acquainted with a young artist, Gabriela Munter, and the
following five years he, with Gabriela, travelled across Europe, painting
and participating in exhibitions.

Returning to Bavaria, they made their home in the small town of Murnau at
the bottom of the Alps.
The works of those years were basically landscapes. He founded Phalanx, an
art group in 1901 in Munich and started a school, in which he taught himself.

For four years he had arranged twelve exhibitions of the painters who were
Phalanx's members.
In 1914 at the start of WW1 he went back to Russia where he taught art in
Moscow and visited St. Petersburg.
He became established internationally through several exhibitions, and his
works were acquired in the USA by Solomon Guggenheim.

Wassily expressed his creative achievements in the series of seven large
"Compositions" which are widely acclaimed as the culmination of an abstract
style in art.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wassily Wasilyevich Kandinsky

Well, does it do it for you?
Is it your cup of tea?
Does it float your boat, as they say?

weewillie.

 

[Yorksman]

btw, the 4th scene down, there's something about the physical
aspect that doesn't appear quite right.

Did you notice it also, or is it just me being pernickety.

The topography of the foreground doesn't appear to match the topography of the background, but that's probably why he has painted it. I know of several places like that and they occur on the topmost cattle pastures. It is peculiar to where I live. Above that, the moors are for sheep.

Most roads follow the contours determined by the hills and valleys and there is a certain order to things. Some of these routes are very old, dating back to the neolithic, because they follow the lie of the land. As mills started to proliferate in the valley bottoms, new dairy farms sprang up to supply a rising population. Above a certain height, you can't farm dairy cattle because you can't grow the fodder in summer which is required to over winter them in byres. There is a zone where the last possible farms could be established and they appear on any available bit of land level enough for the farmhouse or byre. Generally they are scattered amongst the many steep cloughs which are typical of the area. Roads or tracks connected these semi isolated farm buildings in a bit of a higglety pigglety way and when you see the roads, you are left with an impression, that they shouldn't be there.

 

[Yorksman]

Wassily Wasilyevich Kandinsky 1896 - 1944

I had a trainee graphics artist working for me nearly 20 years ago who was into Kandinski. You need to spend time studying this sort of work to get into it. Fortunately, one of our local lads who done good, David Hockney, regularly explains on the media what he attempts to achieve.

 

[WeeWillie]

I understand what you're saying Yorksman.

Your photos and further comment/s help me understand a little bit better,
thank you.

When I look at a painting, whether it's a "busy" or quiet and serene subject/view,
I like to look and immediately see it for what it is and what it's all about.

I guess I don't have the intelligence or patience to stand back, study a
painting for some time and eventually say with confidence....
"Ah yes, I understand what the artist is saying.

I do however understand that many many people like to work with the
thoughts portrayed by the artist through his works before coming to
their final understanding, which will be of great satisfaction to the
individual viewing the painting. Does that make sense?

You're fortunate to be in a position to mention a couple of "good"
names in the art world who have a good story behind them.

Again, thank you for your images and comments.

weewillie

 

[WeeWillie]

Here's a couple of images from a Mammalia collection I've had for ages.
I think they're beautiful works of art in their own right.

. . . . . .

 

[Yorksman]

I guess I don't have the intelligence or patience to stand back, study a painting for some time and eventually say with confidence.... "Ah yes, I understand what the artist is saying.

Hockney is one of the few who does take time to explain. Yesterday I went to his galleries at Salt's Mill in Saltaire. He has many styles and I have heard him explain only two types, the California pool scenes and the scenes from the yorkshire wolds. There were lots and lots of books for sale and a few of them had titles such as 'How to Look at Paintings'.

Well, I'm not that into it so I bought a book on makings soups and another on recipe for diabetics.

The road through Sledmere doesn't look like this at all but, for some reason I like this Hockney and all of those painted in this style.

The Road to York through Sledmere

Garrowby Hill:

 

[chris lowe]

Went to the Watts Gallery this week. It's just off the A3 near Guildford in the village of Compton. It has a lovely exhibit at the moment by "the last pre-raphaelite", Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale which is on until 9th June. The pictures by George Frederick Watts are also in a similar style and it is a lovely place to visit and there is also an arts and crafts style chapel which is just stunning. Very nice tea shop too.

There is also a small but good Art Gallery in Southampton which has a nice set of P R paintings (as you can tell I do like my pre raphaelites, just don't mention the one with the goat in the desert!) :lol:

 

[chris lowe]

I'm also partial to a bit of Salvador Dali. Totally bonkers, but a genius.