The alchemy of Art

Celebrating my 3rd year on Facebook. Thank you for your continuing support. I could never have made it without you. 🙏🤗🎉

Gillian Carson

Paul Cézanne died in 1906. His work was described by his early biographer, Gustav Coquiot, as being “equal to the most beautiful works of art in the world”.

Cézanne’s paintings of peasant card players have long captured our imagination of Provençal life. He first began painting farm labourers in the autumn of 1890, and over the years, different farm workers came to sit for him, often smoking their clay pipes.

Here, two men sit across from each other, immersed in the ritual of the game. Their figures are elongated and his brushwork is lively and varied. However, the overall feeling in the painting is one of concentration: the labourers are pictured as monumental and dignified, like timeworn statues.

Come and see this painting in real life, at the top floor of our galleries today! Visit us today: https://courtauld.ac.uk/whats-on/permanent-collection-display/

Paul Cézanne (1839-1906), The Card Players, 1892-96, The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust) © The Courtauld

When your artistic dials are turned up all your other senses are extremely sentive too.

Prepared papers and surfaces using only standard paper inks, oil pastels and watercolour.

Favourite art work of all time is?

Old paper cut illustration. Time consuming but good fun.

‘Fine’ art versus ‘design’ Are there overlaps? Is one discipline better than the other ?

Many people don’t understand modern abstract art. They really find it difficult to engage. There is a book entitled ‘Why your five year old could NOT have done that’ ( Thames and Hudson) which attempts to explain fully the concept of modern art. Did you know that ‘modern abstract art’ dates back to early LAST century?
What is your opinion of this early piece of mine? Any thoughts? Thoughts on modern art ?

Simple washes of watercolour create this portrait and the washes are allowed to dry at each stage.The background is added after the painting is completely dry. Using a gold size (glue) which is applied and one waits 10 minutes for the glue to dry and become tacky. The final stage is the leaf is put onto the piece. This must fully dry also (overnight) Superfluous leaf is removed and a dry brush is used over entire piece in order to remove the last small traces of unwanted leaf.

Which is it ?
All 4 or just one of these…… ??
Art is good when it imitates reality.
Art is good when it masters the artistic elements and principles.
Art is good when it evokes an emotion.
Art is good when it communicates a message.