A violinist continuing to produce beautiful museum despite broken strings, artists creating astonishing work in the face of many forms of adversity - all examples that give us hope an encouragement for these strange times in which we are living in 2020;
Read MoreVincent Van Gogh
Recurrent Themes in An Artist's Work /
Olive trees are an integral part of the Mediterranean landscape, and they have been a recurrent theme in many artists' work. Sacred trees since early Greek times, they are astonishing in inspiration, as well as generous in their fruit and oil. No wonder artists love to celebrate these astonishing and often very ancient trees.
Read MoreThe Passion to Create /
Recently, I was listening to an interview Diane Rehm did on public radio with David McCullough, Jr. At one point, he remarked that creative passion cannot be taught. It can only be caught. I thought that was so true.
Everyone needs a passion to create something; it is the fire that burns to get one going, to get one out of the bed in the morning. A dear friend of mine, alas, has lost any passion for anything, let alone anything creative, and she is seriously adrift. Another friend reminded me this week how important a passion for needlepoint was for her. Not surprising, as she creates the most wonderful art with her skillful needle.
Perhaps artists of all descriptions are very fortunate to burn with a passion to create. It gives coherence and meaning to life, even if it does mean that one is driven by a sometimes stern taskmaster. I am not sure that such passion even implies that the artist has clearly defined objectives on all occasions. Sometimes one blindly gropes, only knowing that you have to start work on creating something. With time and experience, the artist knows that that small inner voice will help with the creative process, acting as guide and critic. Nonetheless, it is the energy from passion that motivates and drives the artist to work.
There are so many examples of artists, in all disciplines, who are driven by their passion. Degas, for example, was single-minded in the extreme; he devoted his entire life to drawing and painting, even as his eyesight hindered him more and more. As he remarked, "No art was ever less spontaneous than mine. What I do is the result of reflection and of the study of the great masters; of inspiration, spontaneity, temperament, I know nothing." But he drove himself. His series of studies of dancers was a huge part of his opus, a passion to which he returned again and again.
Dancer adjusting her shoe, 1885, Edgar Degas, pastels
Edgar Degas, A Dancer at the Bar, charcoal and white chalk.
Passionate or obsessive - sometimes it is hard to differentiate for the outsider who is observing the artist. The drive to create can sometimes seem like an extreme - think of Beethoven as he composed magnificent music whilst struggling with his deafness. I am sure that the passion/madness of Vincent van Gogh is one of the most famous of cases of visual artists driven to go on working. The years 1888- 89 were the example of a time when Van Gogh was into the most astonishing mark-making, requiring such energy and application. Clinging to his art, he worked and worked at these drawings, in the sunlit countryside around Arles, mostly using a reed pen and ink. Here he was returning to his belief that drawing was "the root of everything."
Vincent van Gogh, 1888, Garden with Flowers, pen & ink
Vincent van Gogh, The rock of Montmajour with pine trees, 1888. Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam
Vincent van Gogh, Olive Trees in a Mountain Landscape, black chalk, brush, brown ink, Saint-Rémy: June 17 or 18, 1889, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam
As one's own passion to create is sometimes dimmed by the quotidian, with daily life chipping away at time and quiet, it is good to remember that the flame inside can still burn. It may burn less brightly at times, but it is still there. That makes life very special.
Golden Globes - Oranges in Art /
Looking at the glowing oranges hanging in such bounty from the trees in the garden, I find myself marvelling in the play of light on their rough skins and the intensity of the colours. The lustrous dark green leaves are the perfect foil for the fruit, the brilliant Mediterranean blue sky above the ultimate enhancement. The temptation to paint these oranges is constant, but I have learned that watercolours are not the best medium to convey the intensity of these glorious winter fruits.
I began thinking of the paintings I have seen over the years of oranges; I realise that of course, it is mostly artists who have lived in the Mediterranean area - or at least visited - that have used oranges in their paintings. One of the earliest artists that comes to mind who used oranges in a wonderful still life painting was Spanish Francisco de Zurbaran (1598-1664). I was spellbound, like so many others, when I saw this painting at the Norton Simon. It glows - and the oranges could almost be smelled in their tangy citrus perfume.
Still Life with Lemons, Oranges and a Rose, 1633, Zurbaran, (Image courtesy of the Norton Simon Museum)
Still Life with Oranges and Watermelon, c. 1760, Luis Melendez, c. 1760 (Image courtesy of the Prado Museum)
Still Life with Oranges and Walnuts, 1772, Luis Melendez, (Image courtesy of National Gallery, London)
Another Spanish artist that comes to mind celebrates oranges in a different fashion - oranges growing in orchards or being sold: Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida, Valencia-born artist of light and Spanish life, straddled the 19th and 20th century, and recorded history, landscapes, portraits in vivid, lyrical fashion.
The Orange Seller, 1891, Joaquin Sorolla, Private Collection
Orange Trees on the Road to Seville, 1903, Joaquin Sorolla, Private Collection
Another artist who loved the brilliance of oranges in the South of France was, of course, Vincent Van Gogh. He returned to these golden marvels several times, and I am sure their colour not only echoed the golden yellows he loved so much in sunflowers, ripe wheat fields, or his chair, but they must have cheered him up when he was in mental anguish.
Still Life with Basket and Six Oranges, Vincent Van Gogh, Arles, 1888, Private Collection
Still Life with Oranges,, Lemons and Blue Gloves, Vincent Van Gogh, 1889, (Image courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon)
Paul Cezanne used them too in some of his still life paintings. One of the most famous is a complex feat of celebrating fruits, including the oranges.
Apples and Oranges, Paul Cezanne, c. 1899, (Image courtesy of Musee d'Orsay)
Still Life with Milk Jug and Fruit, c. 1900, Paul Cezanne, (Image courtesy of National Gallery of Art, Washington)
At almost the same time, Henri Matisse was also experimenting with still life paintings that included oranges. It was a theme to which he returned...no one can resist these golden orbs!
Still Life with Oranges II, Henri Matisse, c. 1899, (image courtesy of Kemper Art Museum)
Basket with Oranges, 1913, Henri Matisse, (Image courtesy of the Louvre, Paris)
Every time I walk in the garden and see the oranges, I understand why these artists used them in their brilliant still life studies.