Vincent Van Gogh – mimisawhney.com

Everything but The Scream!!

Norwegian artist Edvard Munch (1863 -1944) was active for more than 60 years – from the 1880s until his death. He was a prolific artist whose range, and volume, of work is staggering. On his death, he bequeathed to the city of Oslo, 1008 painting, 4,443 drawings, and 15,391 prints in addition to etchings, lithographs, woodcuts etc. All of which makes it even more ironic that today he is known the world over for one single image – the iconic Scream.

Munch experimented in different movements – from Pointillism to Expressionism. Yet, it is in his sorrowful paintings that he reveals his soul and shares the enduring sadness he felt after the death of his mother and then his sister.

Munch being Caillebotte

Edvard Munch, Music on the Karl Johan Street (1889)

Munch being Seurat

Edvard Munch, The Seine at Saint-Cloud (1890)

Munch being Manet

Munch being Sisley

Munch being Cezanne

Munch being Gauguin

Edvard Munch, Girl Under Apple Tree (1904)

Munch being Matisse

Munch being Van Gogh

Edvard Munch, Train Smoke (1900), Train Smoke (1900), Elm Forest in Spring (1923)

And finally, Munch being Munch

Edvard Munch, Sanatorium (1902-03), Separation (1896), By The Death Bed (1896)

Little Peach Swords

When I think of flowers at home in vases, the first ones that come to mind are long peach gladioli. These beautiful flowers -which come in many more colors and share a name origin with Roman gladiators – are named after the Latin word “gladius” or little sword due to their shape. The flowers were named by Roman naturalist and author of Naturalis Historia, Gaius Plinius Secundus aka Pliny the Elder (23 – 79 AD).

Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Gladioli in a Vase (1875)

The Dutch have a saying – there’s always a Dutch saying I’m coming to realize – “de dood of de gladiolen,’” meaning “death or the gladiolus,” which basically means “all or nothing” – where the “all” is the gladiolus. The saying alludes to the Roman custom of throwing gladioli at victorious gladiators in the amphitheaters. It’s interesting that they were throwing gladiolus at the gladiators because I have also read that these flowers (from Asia and Africa) were not grown in Europe until the 18^th Century – I can’t imagine how the Roman public had that many imported – and expensive- gladiolus to throw into the amphitheater.

Vincent van Gogh, Vase with Red Gladioli (1886), Piet Mondrian, Red Gladioli (1906), Vincent van Gogh, Vase with Gladioli and Asters (1886)

They are my mom’s favorite flowers and since Mother’s Day was last weekend, I decided to write about them. The flowers symbolize honor, remembrance, strength of character, never giving up, and infatuation. The Victorians used these flowers to express their feelings when they themselves could not speak of them – again that’s a lot of imported flowers especially considering how shy the Victorians were about expressing any kind of feeling. Interestingly, “gladiolus” was the 1925 Spelling Bee word that the champion spelled correctly to win the tournament.

Henri Matisse, Gladiolas (1924), Chaim Soutine, Gladioli (1919)

Oranges and Lemons

Oranges and lemons,” say the bells of St. Clement’s,

“You owe me five farthings,” say the bells of St. Martin

“When will you pay me?” say the bells of Old Bailey,

“When I grow rich,” say the bells of Shoreditch.

“When will that be? say the bells of Stephney,

“I do not know,” say the great bells of Bow,

“Here comes a candle to light you to bed,

Here comes a chopper to chop off you head.

Chip chop chip chop- the last man’s dead.”

Hmmm..that didn’t end too well !!

(Images Courtesy: Google Arts and Culture, National Gallery of Art (UK), NGA DC Met Museum, Museo Prado)

Blue & Yellow Beauties

I first noticed the beauty of blue and yellow paintings in Dutch artist Willian van Aelst’s Still Life with Flowers (1664) with striking yellow lemons against the intense and deep blues of the tablecloth. I was so intrigued by the gorgeousness of these two colors together that I thought I would find some more – and as it turns out there are many striking blue and yellow paintings.

Willem Van Aelst (1627-1683), Still Life with Flower 1664

Apparently other people too like the blue and yellow combination – the untitled blue and yellow modern art by Mark Rothko sold for $46.5 million in 2015 (left). Mark Rothko is one of the most prominent American artists of the 20th Century who created “a new and impssioned form of abstract painting” (nga.gov). Two other 20th century artists with blue and yellow paintings are Dutch artist Piet Mondrian (center) and Russian artist and pioneer of abstract art Wassily Kandinski.

And coincindentally here are a blue and yellow cow and milkmaid by Warhol and Vermeer!!

Andy Warhol, Cow (1971) and Johannes Vermeer, The Milkmaid (1657-58)

Another stunning blue and yellow work is this painting by Henri Matisse.

Henri Matisse, Girl in Blue and Yellow with Guitar (1939).

And of course, no discussion on blue and yellow can be complete without Vincent Van Gogh – Wheatfield with Crows (1890), Irises in a Vase (1890), and Cafe Terrace at Night (1888).

(Images courtesy Van Gogh Museuem, Met, MOMA, NGA, Toledo Museum, and Google Arts and Culture).