It can be easy to rush through a still life exhibit (as Wesley wanted to do), but when you take the time to stop and ponder the paintings that catch your eye, you can find a story even in something as seemingly simple as a still-life.
Here is a peek at some of my favorites that we saw in the gallery visiting from Boston:
1. Renoir is one of my favorite Impressionists. He has an amazing skill of personifying beauty with movement and color. This particular piece made me think of all of the charming (ok....eclectic) bouquets that Wesley has put together for me over the years. And how when I am admiring the surprise he put together for me, I wish time would stop and be still for a while. (I confess I will often tote the bouquet around the house with me...it is so great that flowers can be so portable, especially when you want to enjoy them in every room!)
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| Renoir, Mixed Flowers in an Earthenware Pot, 1869 |
2. The Dutch put together some striking still life subjects called the "Vanitas" (Latin for vanity) that will tell you a story of how fleeting and vain human life is. By doing this, they are pointing out how important it is to turn to the eternal: "to lay our treasures in heaven."
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| Gijsbrechts, Vanitas Still Life, 1668 |
3. This piece is of apples that instead of being in the standard bowl on a table, are painted as a bushel on a sheet on the floor. It looked to me like they had been wrapped in the sheet and in a mishap, or perhaps mistake of someone in the house, got knocked to the floor and began spilling out. How many times after making mistakes in our own life do we stop, be still, and think about a lesson or two to learn from what just happened? In the rush and bustle of our lives, perhaps not often enough.
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| Sterne, Green Apples, 1924 |
Happy Friday!
I LOVE the Art Museum! So glad you two went there and were inspired by the pieces...(even though Wesley was trying to speed things up) :-)
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