Wassily Kandinsky

Wassily Kandinsky was born in Moskow in 1866. He is credited with being the first abstract painter. He was an intellectual and art theorist as well as obviously being an extraordinary painter. I've always loved his work. I can see Sergi Diaghilev must surely have known about these paintings, or maybe they knew each other, the whole influence they must have had on each other is one of those wondrous synchronicities, which goes on influencing and inspiring others. From dance, costume, poetry, literature, music (Stravinsky)...these people have been giants in the world of art.

'La Maja Vestida' (The Clothed Maya by Goya)

Goya was such an extraordinary painter, and I think: 'expressionist'. This is an unusual subject for him (or maybe not, but I haven't seen many portraits by him like this..) He painted this between 1800-1803. I think he was so ahead of his time, especially with the more descriptive war paintings he did, they were so freely painted, full of emotion, and the spaces to contain them. And then there's nothing like actually seeing his works in 'the flesh', at The Prado in Madrid. I haven't seen them for many years, but I still can clearly recall the impact they had on me. It was hard to look at anything else that day.
This Maya is so luscious and sexy too, and he achieves this between the spaces of paint strokes. He's was a great master, and still a huge inspiration.

Giorgio Morandi and the Stillness

Giorgio Morandi - 'Still Life' (Natura morta), 1956

I can't believe that I've been somehow involved one way and another with the visual arts for most of my adult life, and I hadn't familiarized myself with this incredible still life artist, Giorgio Morandi. With the six days of painting intensive behind me now(see last entry), I can look at this remarkable artist's work online, at least.

I found this image at the Met Museum. I gasped, as I experience the Stillness... 

Degas and the light

I am currently doing Geoffrey Dupree's 'From Drawing to Painting' course. For the last three days we have focused pretty solidly on tone, and how it indicates space. Most of us look at colour and shape all the time. I found that I rarely look at tone. And then I thought about the painting of Degas' that I saw at the French masters recently. It's just a small painting which is probably the first painting you look at when you enter the exhibition. I stood in front of it for a long time, just absorbing the light and the space he created with light, and the absence of light. And then ofcourse there's his flawless draughtsmanship. Need I say more. But with very little colour, he allows you to enter into his illuminated world of light and space. Magic.

black swan threesome

I took this pic in Canberra too, and played with it a little, (using Photoshop ofcourse). I just wanted the eye to take in the relationship between these three beautiful creatures in their domain, the water. Their necks are such a huge part of their expression, and ofcourse their 'signature'. 

inspirations from Canberra

Paul Cezanne - Rochers pres des grottes au-dessus du Chateau-Noir

The soft eloquence of the colours and the paint strokes made me feel like I was being held in the arms of an angel...

Claude Monet - need I say more! This painting, not very well represented here, brought me to tears. I felt deeply that this was painted from his heart, and that my heart was opened by just standing in front of it. I can't explain why...

A beautiful collection of Jude Rae's paintings were at the Canberra Museum and Gallery, the other dimemsions brought forth with her sparse cool style.

 I took this picture when we came out of the National Portrait Gallery. (which I highly recommend!) It was bucketing down in Canberra. The cab driver told us that they hadn't seen rain like this for four months, maybe 'years'...