I hope all the influential people in your life who represent a mother to you had a great day. My birthday was Saturday and it rained all day, however, I am walking on sunshine. I celebrate the whole month and I feel so grateful and thankful.
Don’t you like to see beautiful works of art? I do. I can really get into the meaning and representation of the painting.
For some reason museum professionals enjoy going to museums when they travel on holiday, go figure.
One of the Metropolitan Museum Art current temporary exhibits is “In Praise of Painting: Dutch Masterpieces at The Met.” The museum showcases 67 works exclusively from The Met’s permanent collection.
“The Met’s rich holdings of 17th-century Dutch masterpieces – the most extensive collection outside of Europe — have always been immensely popular with our visitors, said Max Hollein, Director of The Met. “This exhibition is a chance to gain a deeper understanding of how the shifting cultural climate of the time spurred artistic innovation and gave rise to some of the most beloved works of western art in all of history.”
I have to include some of my favorite pieces of artwork that you must see if you are in the New York City area.
Wheat Fields is a painting that takes your mind to a faraway place at another time. It looks like the clouds are about to either clear or light rain may be coming. The detail is impeccable.
Jacob van Ruisdael (Dutch, Haarlem 1628/29–1682 Amsterdam). Wheat Fields, ca. 1670. Oil on canvas, 39 3/8 x 51 1/4 in. (100 x 130.2 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Bequest of Benjamin Altman, 1913 (14.40.623)
The masterpiece below by Johannes Vermeer Young is Woman with a Water Pitcher from circa 1662. When I look at this painting, I always wonder what is she looking at through the stained glass window. And she has some really muscular hands from lifting those pitchers.
Johannes Vermeer (Dutch, Delft 1632–1675 Delft). Young Woman with a Water Pitcher, ca. 1662. Oil on canvas, 18 x 16 in. (45.7 x 40.6 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Marquand Collection, Gift of Henry G. Marquand, 1889 (89.15.21)
I also enjoy looking at beautiful floral decorations and this painting is decadent and engaging. The colors in the Vase of Flowers by Margareta Haverman jump right out at you and intoxicatingly invite you into the view.
Margareta Haverman (Dutch, active by 1716–died 1722 or later). A Vase of Flowers, 1716. Oil on wood, 31 1/4 x 23 3/4 in. (79.4 x 60.3 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, 1871 (71.6)
I don’t want to give the entire exhibit away so I will share one more of my favorites with you. This painting, Woman with a Pink, by Rembrandt makes me wonder why she is holding that pink flower. Did her lover just break up with her and that’s all she has to remember him by? Did she just pluck the flower off of one of the hedges in the garden?
What do you think?
Look at all the detail in of the beadwork and jewelry in her hair, earrings, and gown So precise. Rembrandt is with highlighting the pearl in her earring and spotlighting her hands with the single pink flower.
Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn) (Dutch, Leiden 1606–1669 Amsterdam). Woman with a Pink, the early 1660s. Oil on canvas. 36 1/4 x 29 3/8 in. (92.1 x 74.6 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Bequest of Benjamin Altman, 1913 (14.40.622)
“In Praise of Painting: Dutch Masterpieces at The Met,” is a must-see for any art lover. The exhibition will continue at The Metropolitan Museum of Art until October 1, 2020. If you are the New York City area and get a chance to see the masterpieces in this exhibition, please let me know what you think.
Did you know that scrapbooking is very popular and is an awesome way to share your memories with friends and family.
I received a complimentary copy of the latest version of the My Memories scrapbooking software. I will be hosting a giveaway where one person will receive a free copy of the digital scrapbooking software from MyMemories.
I have used Mymemories to create digital scrapbooks so it was great that they offered to collaborate again. As I have said many times before, I have so many pictures that what better way to use them to create a photobook or single page for myself, family or friends. Even if you do not have a lot of computers experience there are Youtube videos to guide you. I wasn’t able to find the latest video with the most current software; but some of the same instructions apply to the new software.
I created a picture of my hubby and I with our godson Zachary. I had a lot of fun adding in photos and wording. The sky is the limit of what you can do. This template design is called Vintage Rose. I really like the contrast of colors with this design. It really gives the breath of fresh air of spring.
Creating a page is quite easy and the designs of creativity are endless.
Digital Scrapbook Image
How To Instructions
The latest version of MyMemories is 9. I did not see a current video tutorials; but I saw a pdf, click here if you need help.
The software is before to add photos, embellishments, text and layers. I am thinking about creating my own photo album.My God son’s birthday party is Resurrection Week so I have some ideas.
Okay, on to the Giveaway Contest Guidelines 1. Go to www.MyMemories.com and choose your favorite digital design paper pack or design layout. Then come back to this post and leave a comment, letting me know which one you chose and what you like about the design.
2. For extra entries in the giveaway, follow MyMemories on the social media outlets. * Blog * Facebook * Twitter After you follow MyMemories, please add that information into your comment. For each follow, you will receive one additional entry into the giveaway.
3. All comments must be posted by midnight (Central) Monday, May 28th. The winner will be announced on Wednesday, May 30th. The winner will receive his or her own copy of the MyMemories Suite Version 9.
John Singer Sargent, a celebrated American artist and genius of the nineteenth century, spent most of his life living and training in Europe. Art and illustration was a family heritage for him. Sargent, born in Italy to American expatriates, is known for his oil and watercolor paintings, sketches, and charcoal drawings.
John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–-1925 London) Group with Parasols (Siesta), around 1904–5 Oil on canvas 22–3/8 × 28–9/16 in. (56.8 × 72.5 cm) Private Collection
Here is an excerpt from the Metropolitan Museum of Art website:
“Throughout his career, the celebrated American painter John Singer Sargent (1856–1925) created exceptional portraits of artists, writers, actors, dancers, and musicians, many of whom were his close friends. As a group, these portraits—many of which were not commissioned—are often highly charged, intimate, witty, idiosyncratic, and more experimental than his formal portraiture. Brilliant works of art and penetrating character studies, they are also records of relationships, influences, aspirations, and allegiances.
Sargent: Portraits of Artists and Friends brings together ninety-two of the artist’s paintings and drawings of members of his impressive artistic circle. The individuals seen through Sargent’s eyes represent a range of leading figures in the creative arts of the time such as artists Claude Monet and Auguste Rodin, writers Robert Louis Stevenson and Henry James, and the actor Ellen Terry, among others. The exhibition features some of Sargent’s most celebrated full-length portraits (Dr. Pozzi at Home, Hammer Museum), his dazzling subject paintings created in the Italian countryside (Group with Parasols [Siesta], private collection), and brilliant watercolors (In the Generalife, The Metropolitan Museum of Art) alongside lesser-known portrait sketches of his intimate friends (Vernon Lee, 1881, Tate). The exhibition explores the friendships between Sargent and his artistic sitters, as well as the significance of these relationships to his life and art.”
Here are some of my favorites portraits from the Exhibition.
John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London) Dr. Pozzi at Home, 1881 Oil on canvas 79–3/8 × 40–1/4 in. (201.6 × 102.2 cm) The Armand Hammer Collection, Gift of the Armand Hammer Foundation. Hammer Museum, Los Angeles
The red robe in this portrait is striking against red background and his hand on his hip expresses that he really is a man of character. Dr. Pozzi also appears very comfortable in front of the canvas. I wonder what he’s thinking about with those wayward eyes? He looks to be deep in thought.
John Singer SargentAmerican, 1856-1925 The Fountain, Villa Torlonia, Frascati, Italy, 1907 Oil on canvas71.4 x 56.5 cm (28 1/8 x 22 1/4 in.) Friends of American Art Collection 1914.57 The Art Institute of Chicago
This relaxing portrait above has such a beautiful backdrop with the trees and the architectural details.
The artist looks intently at her subject while her companion is offering his critics of the work.
John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) Robert Louis Stevenson and His Wife 1885 Oil on canvas
This interesting portrait of Robert Louis Stevenson and his wife gives the impression that the artist is a voyeur and should not be there.
Stevenson’s wife looks like she has other things on her mind then her husband. Stevenson appears to be walking away with a perplexed look on his face and wondering why wife is so uninterested, or maybe why am I, the viewer of the painting, is looking at him.
If you live in the New York area or are planning a trip to the Big Apple, a trip to the Met to see this exhibition needs to be on your to-do list.
“This summer, the Philadelphia Museum of Art presents a ground-breaking exhibition examining the early struggles and ultimate triumph of the artists who became known as the Impressionists and the role played by the visionary Parisian art dealer Paul Durand-Ruel in their success. Including masterworks by Claude Monet, Édouard Manet, Edgar Degas, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro, and Mary Cassatt, Discovering the Impressionists: Paul Durand-Ruel and the New Paintingspans the period of 1865 through 1905. The exhibition begins when Durand-Ruel inherited his family’s art gallery and invested in the work of innovative painters such as Eugène Delacroix, Gustave Courbet, and Jean-François Millet. It then focuses on the decisive moment when he encountered the new and luminous paintings of the Impressionists that evoked a changing, modern world. It continues through the 1880s, when Durand-Ruel opened markets for the artists’ work in the United States, and the early 20th century, when the artistic genius of the Impressionists finally achieved international renown. It reunites for the first time key paintings from early Impressionist exhibitions, some of which have not been seen in the United States in decades, or ever before. The Philadelphia Museum of Art will be the exhibition’s only U.S. venue.”(Philadelphia Art Museum Press Release)
Paul Durand-Ruel embraced Impressionist artists and supported their work.
“In 1865, Paul Durand-Ruel (1831–1922) inherited a gallery founded by his parents. By the early 1870s, when he discovered the young artists who would become known as the Impressionists, he began to promote their work. His innovative strategies included acquiring the work of the artists he favored in depth; gaining exclusivity in selling their work by offering them monthly stipends; hosting monographic or solo exhibitions; and establishing branches in London, Brussels, and New York that drew him into contact with influential and daring collectors around the world. When he was eighty-eight years old, the dealer declared: “At last the Impressionist masters triumphed. My madness had been wisdom. To think that, had I passed away at sixty, I would have died debt-ridden and bankrupt, surrounded by a wealth of underrated treasures.” (Philadelphia Art Museum Press Release)
Paul Durand-Ruel, 1910 by Pierre August-Renoir
I first started to enjoy Impressionism when I took Art History classes in college. These unique-style paintings tell stories and the romanticism captured me in the moment.
If you live in Philadelphia or traveling there, be sure to visit the Art Museum and see this exhibit, especially if you are fond of the Impressionism style.
Ticket Information
(includes complimentary audio tour)
Adults $25
Seniors $23
Students and Youths 13–18 $20
Children ages 5–12 $12
Children 4 and under Free
Tickets are available by calling 215-235-7469 or online at philamuseum.org (a service charge of $3.50 applies).
Weekday afternoon price
The Museum offers discounted tickets for weekdays beginning at 3:00 p.m. for $20 through July 31.
In my next post I will share my favorite paintings of the exhibit.
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Bubbling with Elegance and Grace started out as an outlet for my passion for fashion but has evolved into a place for me to teach, collaborate, and inspire. My hubby has since joined the team and we have been digital creators for 13 years. We are thankful for those who believed in us from the beginning and those who have just started riding with us on this lovely journey.
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