Saturday, March 5, 2011

I Made it to the Paul Gauguin Exhibit...

A beautiful still life

Adam & Eve, good or bad

Love the deep, bold colors

Two Taihitians

Self portrait

This week I spent most of my days soaking up ART. I visited a few museums, went to the sculpture garden, enjoyed the monuments, spent some time in the archives. Basically it was a feast for my eyes and soul.
The National Gallery - East Wing had several exhibits I was interested in. I first went to the Paul Gauguin exhibit. Many of these paintings have never been together nor have some of them ever been to the United States.

My expectations were definitely met. In fact, I walked away realizing how much I had not really thought about. I think of Gauguin as a painter. I love his battle with good and evil, primitive and civilized. I love his use of color and bold color combinations. What I was not ready for was his wonderful pottery, his wood carvings, and his beautiful woodcuts. They were stunning.

I found myself fascinated with the woodcuts he used in his journal. I wanted to see more of his journals. I enjoyed his letters to both his wife and to other artists. He wrote of his various art projects, how they were progressing, his difficulties with them, and what they reprsented to him. Very much what I hear from contemporary artists today. I hope if you have a chance to visit this traveling exhibition that you will take a few hours and lose yourself. Your soul will thank you.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Awesome post, I will be a daily visitor from now on!

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Shopgirl said...

Thank you for sharing these. I love all the colors. I hope to go to a few art shows in the summer. It is amazing to see what comes from creative people. Loved looking back at other posts. i have been so busy, I have missed a lot. Hugs, Mary

Unknown said...

Thanks for sharing your thoughts o your visist to the exhibition Elizabeth. I will certainly look for it somewhere near me.

While not a fan of Gauguin's style, I do love his use of brilliant color, the way he handles values, and his large sense of ego in both self and art.

Timaree said...

That sounds wonderful. So he was creative in many directions. I guess many of the great artists were.