"Paintings have a life of their own that derives from the painter's soul." Vincent Van Gogh

Friday, April 17, 2015

A Visitor from Amsterdam and a Visit to Cantor Art Gallery

My daughter, who is living and working in Amsterdam, flew back to the US for a business trip and was able to spend a few days with us in Reno! She was here and gone in the blink of an eye it seemed but we did have a chance to show her around the Lake Tahoe area, enjoy some home cooked meals and talk about her European life while eating Belgian chocolates until the wee hours of the morning. I have missed her terribly and now that she is gone again, I miss her more than ever.

When it was time for her to leave, my husband and I drove her to the airport in San Francisco for her return trip and then we continued on to Palo Alto. Even though it was still quite cold and breezy with merely a hint of Spring in the air, everything is riotously blooming and the air is filled with perfume from all the flowers. California can be so beautiful. I wanted to tour the Linear Accelerator but unfortunately it has been recently closed to the public. We were able to spend some time at the Cantor Museum which is on the campus of Stanford University. They have a nice selection of paintings, many from artists I was seeing for the first time, and an extensive collection of Rodin sculpture.

Cantor Museum entrance

Deborah Butterfiled's driftwood horse Viktoria. It is larger than life and is actually cast in bronze - quite remarkable!

A portrait of his wife by William Merrit Chase. Her face is so softly and lovingly painted - she is breathtaking.

A little ballerina sculpture by Degas. The upper  little pastel on the wall behind her is also a Degas.

Study for a portrait by Thomas Eakins - about life size.

Portrait of a young boy by Robert Henri

Italian devotional painting from 1518 - I fell in love with the faces!

A young Napoleon - I have forgotten the artist but the portrait is arresting in life.

Rodin The Thinker
I am yearning to get back to my easel!