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

Saturday, October 22, 2016

Winter's Chill and Masterpiece #3

Winter's Chill / 14x18 / oil on linen panel / Sold
So happy to have had another sale this week - this one from the Reinert Fine Art Gallery in Charleston, South Carolina. Here is a link if you would like to look through the work of the other tremendous artists in this gallery: Reinert Fine Art Gallery. They have sold quite a few pieces of my work and I am forever grateful to Ann and Rick Reinert.

To continue with the life and works of Michelangelo - after the great success of the David, Pope Julius summoned him back to Rome, this time to paint the vault of the Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo was reluctant as he considered himself a sculptor but Pope Julius was adamant, leaving the artist no choice. The ceiling was 134 feet long and 44 feet wide with a 5800 square foot expanse of blue speckled with gold stars. After initially agreeing to paint the 12 Apostles, the Pope saw the benefit in giving Michelangelo free rein.

Frescoeing and painting began in 1508 and was completed in 4 years with a 6 month hiatus in the middle. A vast scaffold of Michelangelo's design, hanging from holes near the upper windows, was erected allowing the artist to paint in a standing position. Each morning an assistant would trowel on wet plaster and another would transfer the cartoon drawn by Michelangelo onto the wet surface allowing the artist to paint color quickly and in shimmery, transparent veils before the plaster dried. Apparent is his obvious delight in the human figure, his passionate and unconventional vision and his success in creating a somehow miraculous, transcendent masterpiece. More than once, Michelangelo depicts God - not standing  firmly on solid ground, but instead hurtling through space, endowed with titanic energy and supreme confidence.  In the end, this massive project is a link between our world and the celestial realm. Pope Julius was awed, however, 10 days after unveiling this masterpiece to the public, he became ill with fever and died 2 months later.

Personally, upon seeing this masterpiece, I was overwhelmed with joy that that human mind could create something of such wondrous complexity, beauty and almost violent emotional impact. The Creation of Adam is so stunning that I could hardly turn my eyes from it to look at the surrounding figures and scenes. It is a masterpiece within a masterpiece.


16 comments:

  1. Wow, you are so lucky to see this masterpiece in real life! And your winter landscape is beautiful, I love the light!

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    1. It was quite an amazing experience - we were lucky enough to be there on a day when it was not crowded and were able to leisurely view the ceiling from many angels. Definitely unforgettable!

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  2. What a beautiful winter scene filled with light , love how you played with all the cool colors .

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    1. It was fun painting winter again. I used to do many snow scenes and it was nice to get back to it.

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  3. This snow scene is so beautiful Susan, And i agee with you regarding David. Happy for you that you have sold another painting. All the best.
    Vic.

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    1. I always enjoy hearing from you, Vic. Many thanks for your nice comments!

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  4. A very interesting post Susan! And I love your winter painting...the blues and purples in the snow are absolutely beautiful!!!! I love your bio when I clicked on the Reinert gallery....SO impressive!

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    1. How nice of you to visit the Reinert Gallery site, Hilda - thank you. And thank you for your kind words about this painting. I am hoping we have a snowy winter here so I can get more reference photos!

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  5. What a gorgeous winter scene! Congratulations on your recent sales...always a boost. Thanks again for sharing the historic background to the Michelangelo's works. And thank you for you recent encouraging comment!

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    1. Many thanks, Stephanie. It's funny - I never paint to put a work in a gallery or to make a sale - but I am always excited when I do!

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  6. Bonjour ma chère Susan,

    Je suis heureuse d'apprendre cette bonne nouvelle avec la vente de cette belle oeuvre. Mes sincères félicitations.
    Une autre s'est produite pour toi, lors de mon séjour à Portland ! Je m'en étais réjouie...
    Je suis rentrée dernièrement en France après quelques jours passés à Cape Cod.
    Je vais aller faire un petit retour en arrière sur tes derniers billets manqués ainsi qu'une petite visite dans la galerie où tes peintures sont exposées.

    Gros bisous ♡

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    1. It seems you had a wonderful trip to Maine and Cape Cod but I think you may be happy to be back home in France and sleeping in your own bed! Thank you so much for stopping by and for your comments!

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  7. The winter-scape is truly magnificent, you can feel the chill in the air ... it's simply you in full flow!!

    Image painting that ceiling, up close, and visualizing how it will look from ground level ... the vision is amazing in all regards.

    In answer to your question: No, I'm not building a canoe; it's a wooden 16 foot ocean going Main Lobster boat see my other blog about it http://techssimboats.blogspot.co.uk/

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    1. That's Maine ...not main ...sorry about the typo

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    2. Oh! I see by visiting your boat building blog that the Seagull is much bigger than a canoe! What a project, John - it is a work of art!

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Your comments are welcome and brighten my day!