The Teatro Farnese in Parma, Italy

When I visited Parma my AirBnB was directly across the street from the National Gallery. I loved Parma and as I look through my photos I see that I still have so much to share. This blog entry is but an introduction to the Teatro Farnese, which is now preserved inside the Palazzo della Pilotta where the National Gallery is located. The theater is one of three grand Renaissance theaters still in existence today. 

The theater was built in 1618. At the time of its construction it was considered one of the most advanced theaters in Europe. The impetus for creating this grand theater came from the Duke of Parma and Piacenza Panucci I Farnese. The Teatro Farnese was used for operas (Parma is famous for its love of opera), plays, and ballets. It was also used for political events, including the wedding of Ranuccio II Farnese and Margherita de' Medici in 1628. The theatre was also used for private events, such as banquets and parties.

The theatre was almost destroyed by an Allied air raid during World War II (1944). Eventually rebuilt, it reopened in 1962 and is still in use today.

One of the nearby restaurants is called the Farnese.
Brenda was my server. And the meal was very good.

All photos on this page are my own except the one at the top of the page by www.bestofcinqueterre.com - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

Almost Wordless Wednesday: Impressions from the National Gallery and a Local Exhibition Worth Checking Out

Gustave Caillebotte's Skiffs. Note the visual techniques that create depth.

What was it about the Impressionist movement that has made it so significant? Part of its power comes from the artists' fascination with light. Another part of its power comes from its influence on modernism, being the soil from which the seeds of modernism sprang.

The National Gallery's wonderful collection includes a strong body of work from the most influential French Impressionists. There was nothing formulaic in their work. They painted what they saw, and for a painter like Monet as his eyesight failed due to cataracts he never ceased from painting his visions of light and shadow, color schemes and dreamy scenes. In preparation for my flight back from out east last month I downloaded Mad Enchantment: Claude Monet and the Painting of the Water Lilies to my Kindle, which I subsequently enjoyed all the more having stood in the presence of some of his paintings only days before.

Palazzo da Mula, Venice. Claude Monet.

The Japanese Footbridge. Monet

Mound of Butter. Antoine Vollon.

The Artist's Garden at Vetheuil. Claude Monet.

Woman with Parasol. Claude Monet

Rouen Cathedral, West Facade. Claude Monet

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EdNote: LATER THIS MONTH The Great Lakes Academy of Fine Art is hosting their first Annual Student/Instructor Exhibition where they will be showcasing their students first year curriculum and also lead you through what an atelier style of classical art training looks like. The Great Lakes Academy is a wonderful addition to our blossoming arts community. In addition to examples of students' work they will also show  pieces by instructors Jeffrey T. and Brock Larson and Brock.

As I drove by the school Monday evening I felt stirred to visit again soon. Then yesterday I found an invitation to their upcoming show in my inbox. Serendipity?

The Larsons are eager to not only showcase the work of their students, but to show the progress that has been made in the renovation of the building, the old St. Peter's Church on West 3rd Street. Here are the hours. Mark your calendar.

May 26th, 5pm - 9pm
May 27th, 1pm - 8pm
May 28th, 1pm - 5pm

Follow Great Lakes Academy on Facebook here.

Meantime, art goes on all around you. Open your eyes. There's always more to see.

Awed by Two Van Gogh Paintings at the National Gallery

Green Wheat Field, Auvers

For midwest artists there is probably nothing more fun and inspiring than to get a chance to visit some of the major galleries out east. Works that most of us only see in books can be found inches from your face. I first saw Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring at the National Gallery in Washington D.C. and upon standing before it I fully understood why Vermeer became Dali's inspiration and standard when it comes to painting.

This past Thursday I had an opportunity to visit, albeit briefly, the National Gallery once more. It was wonderful.

I quickly found my way to the Impressionists, the painters who opened the doors to modern art. There I found famous paintings by Matisse, Gauguin, Monet, Toulous Lautrec, and others of importance. Here I wish to share two pieces by Vincent Van Gogh.

What is it that gives Van Gogh's paintings such power? In part, it's undoubtedly because as you study the work you can feel the energy that was emanating from the man himself as he produced these pieces.

The first piece is here is Green Wheat Fields, Auvers.

Close up of cloud on the horizon.

During Van Gogh's lifetime he painted in the neighborhood of 1100 paintings over a ten year span. According the those who know better than I, this painting was likely painted in spring or early summer in 1890 after the artist had spent time voluntarily checked in at the asylum of Saint-Rémy, which is located near Avignon in Southern France.

The painting itself is 28 3/4 x 36 5/8 inches and was painted in Auvers-sur-Oise, in the countryside north of Paris. Most of Van Gogh's paintings and drawings featured objects from life or working people, peasants, potato farmers, etc. This piece was from a series of "pure landscapes" as well as some of the thatched roof houses and other structures in this town.

The left foreground.

According to his letters Van Gogh's return to northern France was something of a homecoming, "a peaceful restoration in which the vibrant, hot colors of the south were replaced by cool, gentle hues in green and blue. Van Gogh's energetic strokes describe the movement of grassy stalks in the breeze, their patterned undulations creating a woven integral form anchored at the right by a juncture point between field, road, and sky."*

If this were true, that he was more at peace with himself here at this time and feeling good about his recovery, then Steven Naifeh's suggestion that Van Gogh did not shoot himself may have more merit than is generally recognized.

As for the painting itself, several thoughts come to mind simultaneously. Chief of these is the thickness of the medium, the manner in which he applied the paints. Note, too, the movement of the clouds, those swirls of splendor. Another thought I had, however, upon noticing cracks in the aged surface, was how very difficult it must be for a forger to re-create this kind of work. Those guys have to be incredibly talented, or the authorities incredibly flawed.

And then, there's this powerful Van Gogh Self Portrait.

Van Gogh painted as many as 36 self-portraits. This one in the National Gallery is quite stunning. Was it vanity that provoked him into producing so many slef-portraits? No, I do not believe this. I think he was simply interested in studying how to paint faces, capture the panels of light and shadow that form, and perhaps capture the interior of the subject.

That, for what it's worth, is my speculation. Were I to read his letters I might find other reasons. He painted this one while at the asylum in St. Remy. According to the National Gallery he stated that this one captured his true character. Look at those eyes, and the expression, the play of light and the energy. This is a beautiful painting, and in person it's magnetic. Located in a room filled with great paintings it captures and holds.

Vincent Van Gogh was born in 1853, seven years before the American Civil War. He died in 1890, 37 years later.

For additional background, read this NYTimes story, Van Gogh’s ‘Green Wheat Fields, Auvers’ Goes to Washington.

Meantime, art goes on all around you. Get into it.

*National Gallery website.