The Handsome Michallon

Leon Cogniet (French, 1794-1880)
Portrait of Michallon, about 1818-19
Musée des Beaux-Arts d'Orléans
image: http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/artists/achille-etna-michallon


What a handsome young man! I started out looking for a work by the painter Achille-Etna Michallon (1796-1822), the subject of our painting today and quickly discovered this portrait. This young man was only ever handsome as he sadly, only made it to the age of 26 due to illness.

A quick search for additional work by Cogniet shows that this may be, in my humble opinion of course, one of his better works. I seem to only find his portraits aesthetically pleasing, as he captures a wonderful face. More works... and yes, my source is Google images as I can't find more than a couple of his works in any one place. This may also be due to the fact that Cogniet was an academic painter, never my first love.

Flowers

Odilon Redon (French, 1840-1916)
Vase of Flowers, c.1905
oil on fabric
73cm x 59cm
Cleveland Museum of Art
image: http://www.clemusart.com/explore/work.asp?location=14320&recNo=1&tab=2&display=


Another work that I enjoyed discovering at the Cleveland Museum of Art last week. Odilon Redon is more commonly known for dark drawings and lithographs. Redon was a prominent Symbolist. He was inspired by emotions and imagination, strange subjects infusing his work. Later in his career he began to paint and proved to have a wonderful eye for color. The colors of this painting are what drew me to it, the warmth of the orange red predominate and soak you in while bits of cooler blues and whites pop to add to a brightness in the work.

Garden wicker chair

Jean Dufy (French, 1888-1964)
Le jardin au fauteuil d’osier, 1927
oil on canvas
h: 28.75 x w: 36.25 in
image: artnet.com Jean Dufy Artist Work Catalogue

Sorry about the missed day yesterday as well as the weakness in content of today's work. My excuse? Sleepiness. Anyway, I was perusing artnet.com's wonderful array of artist catalogues and discovered Jean Dufy. I believe I've come across him before but am not sure. I wandered through a number of his works, impressed by both color and composition but kept coming back to this one, most likely of the juxtaposition of the vertical lines of the wall and table in contrast with the organic forms, as well as balance of color.

Promenade

Promenade, 1917-18
Marc Chagall (1887-1985) French, b. Russia
oil on canvas
State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg
Image: royalacademy-Fron Russia

A scan of my art shelves brought me across a new book of mine, a bible illustrated by Chagall. While today's art is not from that work it got me searching for a Chagall. Another artist whose work didn't interest me until recently, Chagall is beginning to grab my eye. His figures float through the canvas. Promenade caught my eye with its color and the figure of the woman who looks as if she may float out of the scene at any point. Take note of what the man holds down as his lady floats up. The man is Chagall and the woman, his wife Bella, who appears in many of his paintings.

Love is a significant theme in much Chagall's work, and is evident here. The painting makes me smile. Chagall is insanely popular (I had much trouble sifting through the oodles of links to sites selling reproductions) and to see his work, this popularity can be understood. The beauty, whimsy and passion for life in his work is a little hard to resit. I went to the Chagall Museum when I was in Nice some years ago and what has stayed with me is his stained glass, the infusion of light in these beautiful compositions is an experience.

This is only tangentially related but Chagall recently came up in my world through the book, The World to Come, by Dara Horn. Developed around a Chagall drawing and some his history but not about Chagall, it is a wonderful story and I highly recommend it.

Camille Claudel

Camille Claudel (1864-1943)
The Waltz, 1892-1905
Neue Pinakothek, Munich

Unfortunately, Claudel's life story often overshadows her accomplishments as a sculptor. Both a student of Rodin and his lover until she was 30 years, their tumultuous relationship and her later incarceration in a mental asylum for the last 30 years of her life seep into the details of her work. While I am never one to think that biography is separate from creativity, talent and genius, it is important to look and see how an artist's work stands on its own.

Due to Claudel's connection with such a revered and well-known artist, it was difficult for her to shine on her own as a sculptor once their relationship ended. Some believe that her work is derivative of Rodin's others see its special beauty and her unique talent. Claudel's sculptures are intimate and flowing as you can see in The Waltz. At the same time it is fascinating to see read about discussions of the affect of Claudel on Rodin's work (she remains a source of inspiration for his work)

The original version of this sculpture was criticized for its too blatant nudity and it was strongly suggested to Claudel to add the drapery which she did. While the drapery may detract from Claudel's original intentions it showcases her sculptural talent.

An exhibition at the Detroit Institute of Art focused on the relationship and work of the two, both influencing the other in their work. Camille Claudel & Rodin: Fateful Encounter

The Ladies

Elizabeth Vigee le Brun
Self-portrait in a straw hat, after 1782
National Gallery, London

In honor of Women's History Month, a week of works by fantastic women. Vigee le Brun was one of the most successful women artists of her time as well more successful than many of the male counterparts of her day. Primarily self-taught due to the exclusion of women from art schools, Vigee Le Brun painted her way into the French Court at the age of 20. She was commissioned to paint portraits of inflential people of the time, including Queen Marie-Antoinette. She was admitted (one of only 4 seats reserved for women) to the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture in Paris.

While marriage and children often ended the artistic careers of women, Vigee Le Brun supported herself and her daughter with painting. Her self-portrait focuses on her status as a professional artist, her palette showing the colors with which this portrait is painted. (NG London/Painting of the Month). She was revered by both critics and fellow painters alike. When coming across this painting in the National Gallery (I wandered its halls often while studying in London) I always stopped to spend some time with Elizabeth.

Oddly, a lover of both bats and Vigee Le Brun dedicates a site to her... I don't exactly understand it but it offers much in the way of text and images. http://www.batguano.com/vigee.html

Drizzle

GREAT BRITAIN. England. London. Hyde Park in the grey drizzle, 1937.
Henri Cartier-Bresson
c. Henri Cartier-Bresson/Magnum Photos

Oh so many beautiful photographs but I simply adore this one.

Cartier-Bresson started out as a painter before discovering photography and interestingly left photography after 45 years and spent the remained of his life pursuing drawing.

"He explained his approach to photography in these terms: 'for me the camera is a sketch book, an instrument of intuition and spontaneity, the master of the instant which, in visual terms, questions and decides simultaneously. ... It is by economy of means that one arrives at simplicity of expression.' " (Magnum Bio)

The Magnum website is great, offering images, biographies, exhibitions, books and more on its member photographers.

See more Cartier-Bresson photos here.

Women

Morro de Providencia
28 millimetres project : Women
Rio de Janiero
JR (French)

I am apologize, this entry is a little haphazard, I spent too much time looking at the images and video and didn't leave enough time to write this entry!

I am not sure when I first came across one of these images of a Rio de Janiero slum. Be sure to click to get the larger image. I was fascinated by the imagery placed on the walls of these buildings. I looked into the photographer who goes by JR. These images are part of an over-all project. JR shoots pictures of local women, blows up the images and puts them back into the community. He has done projects in various parts of Africa, Brasil and other areas. These works are obviously more than the photographs that I am sharing with you. JR refers to them as "Actions" and you can find a few videos of the process of putting the images up as well as photographing women in Africa. He is referred to as a photographer, activist and street artist.

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