Paris and the impressionists
I just came back from a mouth-watering, eye-catching, beauty-soaked trip to France. I went to five museums in four days. Of course and of course, the top favorite museums were the ones full to the tilt with the Impressionists ( although the Picasso Museum was a close second.)
I have been reflecting extensively on what it was all about, why those are the rooms always so full, why Monet’s painting “The Roses” brought me to tears (I’m getting misty eyes remembering it) and why the Mona Lisa left me stale. Ok ok, it isn’t to discredit the worthiness of the Mona Lisa, it’s just to say, Monet’s Roses made me cry, Mona Lisa didn’t.
It was absolutely fabulous. The impression left on me was one of massive creativity and deep love. These impressionist artists just just loved into their work and allowed all sorts of everything beautiful to flow through them. I want to access more and more of that in my own process. I loved looking at the layers of thick paint. The works at first glance mislead you in their execution. You might see edges of raw canvas and the power of rapid brushstroke and be under the illusion of a quick “impression”, that the painting was a swiftly executed piece, something in the style of “alla prima.” This is not that. The size alone prohibits such approach. Studying the layers you can see the amount of wet over dry work, and texture resulting from layers and layers of paint, and changes that were made as the piece evolved. I wonder about all the beautiful marks underneath that got covered up as Monet stepped away and always forward into his vision of love. See in the images below of detail shots of “The Roses” and you can see the story that is built with layers of paint.
I have been pondering on this same idea for a while now, how to allow such creativity to flow easily though you, and how to release whatever it is blocking it, which I call, resistance. It doesn’t mean my work will look anything like an impressionist, but it does mean whatever my full authentic expression is, will come out unhindered and evolve with me as I evolve in loving beauty. I think the final note I’m left with, is to allow the work to breath and change, to be in love with it every step of the way, and then be surprised by the final version. You could say the same for your own life, too. That, also, is a work of art. For more inspiration on creativity and the art-making process, check out my in person painting workshops here.