Most artists have drawn influence and inspiration for their art from someone whose work has captivated them.I am certainly no exception to this phenomenon.
Hanging, front and centre, on my living room wall, for almost 40 years, is a reproduction that I painted of Elizabeth Vigée-LeBrun and her daughter. It is a fairly famous picture, but it has more significance to me than that. This accomplished female portrait painter would be a great inspiration and influence to my re-acquaintance with oil painting.
I was given my first oil paints on my thirteenth birthday as a gift from my mother. I had already been drawing portraits for a number of years and this just seemed like a natural progression into the arts.
The oil paints came from a shop run by a local artist that my mother knew, who was very accomplished at painting landscapes. He offered to give me some free lessons. There was a problem with this though, as his speciality was landscape and my interests were portraits.
Needless to say the landscape painting waned, my fascination with portraits took front and centre and I left the oil paints behind to take up charcoal and pastels.
I worked with charcoal and pastels exclusively for a number of years, doing (and selling) pictures of portraits and flowers, until I happened to make the acquaintance of another rather well known artist who liked my work but thought that oil paints were much easier to use than pastels, and convinced me that I should give it another “go”.
And so I gave it another go, but I felt that if I was going to use oils, then I would use them in the style of the old “masters”, with their deep rich palette of colors, and it would be people, not landscapes, that I would paint. So I researched art books at the UBC library, and this is where I came across Elizabeth Vigée-Lebrun, best known for the paintings she did for the Royal Family of France (In particular her portraits of Marie Antoinette). Her works and her accomplished portraiture were my biggest inspiration. This was my return to oil painting and I’ve never looked back!
I think if there is a moral to this story it would be to – ALWAYS go where your heart takes you. If a certain kind of art captivates you then that’s what you should be doing and don’t get caught up in someone else’s vision of what you should be doing.
… And Elizabeth Vigée-Lebrun will continue to hang on my wall as a reminder and inspiration to me, of a great and accomplished female portrait artist, who did what she loved to do, at a time when being an artist was a male dominated profession …
…more on Paris and Versailles in “My Travels” blog….
A Masterpiece in Creativity…
I want to live here! … or clear out all the people and leave me alone to peruse every nook and cranny, hidden hallway, winding staircase…
…Ogle every painted ceiling …
… paintings on the walls … sculptures
… marble wall columns, (are they real or are some faux?)…
… I need time and space to figure this all out … Relax by the spectacular fountains …
… Marvel at the sculptures therein contained …
… I love Versailles!!!! … but, realistically, for those that love art realism …
… beautiful architecture … and beautiful gardens … you could go into overload without a doubt! If it’s minimalism that you prefer … don’t waste your time here … This is a place of opulence and detailed art … and is it any wonder?…
…Much of Versailles has the stamp of Charles LeBrun on it … A master at his game in the world of art and design …
…and Versailles is a testament to his genius! …
This is also the place where I can hunt out more paintings by my favorite portrait painter – Elizabeth Vigée-LeBrun who did numerous paintings of Marie Antoinette as well as the rest of the Royal Family … she was said to be the queen’s ‘favorite painter’…
… Versailles is only a short train trip away from Paris and a must see for the serious art lover! (sounds like a travel advertisement!!)… and a few more snaps for your view … adieu Versailles, till we meet again…
A city meant for artists!…
… Anyone who knows me knows I love Paris! I can totally understand why it has always attracted artists. It is simply such a visual delight! … I love the “old” part of the city …it’s architecture, uniformity, romanticism … and yes … it’s galleries! …For me, the city is really just one big gallery!
From the street layout ….
…. To the National Opera House …
…To the Place Vendome…
…To the Ritz…
… And then there is the Louvre…
…The Louvre and its main entrance through the Glass Pyramid…
Aw yes…The Louvre!… This gallery has so much to see it will put you in overload! … The gallery of galleries … This is really a must see for every serious artist. I spent a full day in the gallery and was exhausted by the end of it. I’m sure I could go through it all again and see things that I’d swear I hadn’t seen the first time. I would recommend that it be taken in over several days, if you can afford it! Pictures were not allowed throughout most of the gallery, but were, going through Napoleons Apartments, these are just a few, starting with the entrance to the Louvre…
…Carousel entrance to the Louvre…
… Chandeliers in the “conversation” room…
…conversation sofas…
… Mural on one of the apartment walls…
The one picture that I was “scoping out” in the Louvre was, of course, by Elizabeth Vigée-LeBrun. The one that was my inspiration for re-acquaintance with oilpaints! At last I could see it “up close and personal”! And I wasn’t disappointed! I would later see more of her work in Versailles.
Most people when they think of the Louvre would probably think of the da Vinci’s that hang there like the Mona Lisa or Madonna on the Rocks….and while I have great respect for this artists work…these were not the ones that impressed me the most from a technical (artistic) point of view.
One of the paintings I remember the most and really stand in awe of is “The Coronation of Napoleon” by Jacques-Louis David. The sheer size of the work (20 ft. 4 in. X 32 ft. 1 in.) and intricate details just captivated me. I could have stood there for hours admiring the artistry of this painting!
I really came out of the Louvre “experience” having a whole new appreciation and respect for many artists either unknown to me or those that were not “high on my radar screen”. And, in particular, was very impressed with many of the French paintings that hang in this “grand” Gallery.
