ChasingART

#FridayPainting: Samuel John Peploe “Pink Roses, Chinese Vase”

The first time I heard the name Samuel John Peploe was when I read Alexander Mccall Smith’s book, “44 Scotland Street: Book One in the 44 Scotland Series. The story revolves around the appearance and disappearance and re-appearance of a painting that may be a “Peploe.” Alexander Mccall Smith kept readers engaged in the chase to recover the painting.

Who was Samuel John Peploe?

Samuel John Peploe was a member of the Scottish Colourists who were active in the early twentieth century. His fellow painters included Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell, George Leslie Hunter and John Duncan Fergusson. They all spent time in France and were influenced by French artists’ bold use of colour and free brushwork.

Samuel John Peploe – Pink Roses, Chinese Vase – Google Art Project Scottish National Gallery, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

About Pink Roses, Chinese Vase

This work was painted during a time when Peploe was experimenting with using areas of bright colour in his still life paintings. Peploe had spent time studying in Paris and was influenced by contemporary French painting. He felt that every plane was to be represented by a change of colour and selected material for his still lifes which could be treated in flat areas of strong colour: lemons, oranges, roses, tulips, blue and white china, bowls and drapes were his main subjects. In this work the outlines are bold – some are blue or dark red – to emphasise the objects and their relation to one another. National Galleries Scotland

For more information on Samuel John Peploe and to view his paintings, head over to the National Galleries Scotland.

#FridayPainting: Vincent Van Gogh “Starry Night over the Rhône”

Vincent van Gogh, in his own words. A letter to his sister Willemien van Gogh in 1888.

At present I absolutely want to paint a starry sky. It often seems to me that night is still more richly coloured than the day; having hues of the most intense violets, blues and greens. If only you pay attention to it you will see that certain stars are lemon-yellow, others pink or a green, blue and forget-me-not brilliance. And without my expatiating on this theme it is obvious that putting little white dots on the blue-black is not enough to paint a starry sky.”
Vincent van Gogh to Willemien van Gogh. Arles, Sunday, 9 and about Friday, 14 September 1888.

Starry Night Over the Rhone by Vincent van Gogh, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

“I don’t know anything with certainty, but seeing the stars makes me dream.”
Vincent Van Gogh

#FridayPainting: Frederick Carl Frieseke “Afternoon – Yellow Room”

“Afternoon – Yellow Room by Frederick Carl Frieseke is held at the Indianapolis Museum of Art in Newfields, IN, USA. The painting is described beautifully by the art gallery:

Frieseke, Frederick Carl – Afternoon – Yellow Room – Google Art ProjectI ndianapolis Museum of Art, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The colorful patterns and glowing sunshine here are signature elements of Frieseke’s work. He painted his wife in this same room under various light effects that he used to heighten the sparkle of the patterning around her.

Look closely at the painting and you will see a ghostly image above the hand on the woman’s lap. This is called a pentimento, meaning “repentance” in Italian. These occur when the paint becomes more transparent with age and reveals changes made by the artist. To find out what was hidden, an infrared reflectogram (IRR) image of the painting was taken (shown below). The IRR shows that the woman was originally holding an open book. The artist painted it out and shifted the position of the woman’s hand.”

Indianapolis Museum of Art

Who was Frederick Carl Frieseke? He is described as “The Decorative Impressionist” who focused on various effects of dappled sunlight. He is especially known for painting female subjects, both indoors and out.

Frederick Carl Frieseke was not the only one to paint in the Decorative Impressionism style. He was an influential member of the famous Giverny Colony of American Impressionists, who left the United States to live and paint near the home of Claude Monet.

They were called the “Giverny Group” – Richard Edward Miller, Guy Rose, Edmund Graecen, Lawton S. Parker and Karl Anderson. They were known to paint either high-key outdoor depictions of women in languid poses, or interior scenes with the figures illuminated by natural light from windows.

Republished from Post August 27, 2021.

#FridayPainting: “Deer in the Forest” by Franz Marc

“Art is nothing but the expression of our dream; the more we surrender to it the closer we get to the inner truth of things, our dream-life, the true life that scorns questions and does not see them.”
Franz Marc (1880 – 1916)

Rehe im Walde (II), Deer in the Forest II (1914) Franz Marc, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

I first came to know Franz Marc in April, 2016, which is when I first viewed his painting “The Large Blue Horses”. I was mesmerized by the colours, for blue and orange, yellow and purple. When I turned over the calendar to October 29, 2020, I knew immediately, when I saw “Blue Horse,” that I was meeting up with Franz Marc

Franz’s life was to be short; his death at 36, came when he was felled by an artillery shell during the Battle of Verdun. His unique style, and creative approach, became a benchmark for artists who followed: Marc Chagall, Piet Mondrian, Jackson Pollock. Perhaps that is the greatest legacy of all – to reside in the hearts and minds of fellow artists.

#FridayPainting: “Surprised” by Henri J.F. Rousseau

“When I go out into the countryside and see the sun and the green and everything flowering, I say to myself, Yes indeed, all that belongs to me!”
Henri J.F. Rousseau

Surprised! By Henri J. F. Rousseau (Le Douanier) 1844-1910 Oil on Canvas, National Gallery, London Oil on canvas, 129.8 x 161.9 cm Bought, with the aid of a substantial donation from the Hon. Walter H. Annenberg, 1972 NG6421 https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG6421

“Rousseau was a self-taught amateur artist who took up painting as a hobby. He viewed his painting very seriously, despite facing ridicule from some quarters. But a number of artist and writers, particularly from the avant-garde, hailed him as an important figure. He is now seen as a pioneer of ‘naïve art’.” The National Gallery

#FridayPainting: Albert Lynch “Woman Walking Down Steps on to a Beach”

The Mystery Surrounding Albert Lynch!

Alberto Fernando Lynch aka Albert Lynch was was born in 1851 in Trujillo, Peru but by the age of 21, he was studying painting in Paris at the famous Ecole des Beaux-Arts. How he came to travel the distance from Peru to Paris was not found in any of my searches. The mystery deepened when I found another source that suggested Albert Lynch was born on 26 September 1860, in Gleisweiler in the Rhineland of Germany.

It seems there is compelling evidence that there are questions surrounding Albert Lynch’s date and place of birth as well as his death. The mystery has yet to be fully solved as demonstrated by a ARTUK discussion board, entitled “Can more be found about Peruvian artist Albert Lynch (b.1851)? What is his date of death?”

We know that Albert Lynch’s teachers included Gabriel Ferrier, Henri Lehmann and Jules Achille Noël.

In 1890 and 1892, he exhibited, with great success, at the Paris Salon. He received the coveted gold medal on the occasion of the 1900 World Exhibition. A year later, he was accepted into the Legion of Honor.

Woman Walking Down Steps on to a Beach (oil on canvas) by Albert Lynch (1851-1912), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Unfortunately we know very little about Albert Lynch’s family life and must rely on his paintings, created with water colours, pastels, gouache and oil, to tell his story and the story of his age, the Belle Époque. He captured the carefreeness, glamour and elegance of the era in the women he brought to life in his paintings. His art was a witness to an unforgettable time in history.

Albert Lynch’s outstanding achievements as a painter drew the attention of famous writers, such as Alexandre Dumas, Henry Becque and Honoré de Balzac, who consulted him for their book illustrations.