"The 50 Paintings" Project

Painting # 3

"The Last Supper " by Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo was 43 years old when he was given the assignment to paint an end wall of the dining hall at the monastery of Santa Maria in Milan, Italy.

 521 years ago   Leonardo stood in front of a 15' x 30' huge blank wall of this convent and wondered what to paint. (Something that will intrigue art lovers for  years to come ..?)

He decided to paint a scene to  portray the reaction given by each apostle when Jesus said one of them would betray him.  

All twelve apostles have different reactions to the news, with various degrees of anger and shock.

Judas, the betrayer ( wearing green and blue ) is  taken aback by the sudden revelation of his plan. 

He is clutching a small bag, maybe the silver given to him as payment to betray Jesus...
 or perhaps signifying  a reference to his role within the 12 disciples as treasurer.

Copy made 22 years later by Giovanni who had worked closely with Leonardo. 

 He is also tipping over the salt cellar --- A symbolism of betrayal ----related to the Eastern expression to "betray the salt" meaning to betray one's Master.

He is the only person to have his elbow on the table and his head is also horizontally the lowest of anyone in the painting.

 Jesus is predicting that his betrayer will take the bread at the same time he does.

As  Jesus points with his left hand to a piece of bread before them, Judas reaches for a different piece of bread not noticing Jesus too stretching out with his right hand towards the same piece .

P.S Giovanni Maria Pala, an Italian musician, has indicated that the positions of hands and loaves of bread can be interpreted as notes on a musical staff and, if read from right to left, as was characteristic of Leonardo's writing, form a musical composition.

  

 

Coming up next Painting # 4 :) ......

"The 50 Paintings" Project 

Painting # 2

Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer  by Gustav Klimt

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109 years back  Gustav Klimt painted the above portrait  showing Adele Bloch Bauer in a golden gown.

 Egyptian symbols and various sizes of rectangles and other shapes adorned the gown. 

He painted this portrait in oil paints and used Gold Leaf. 

Adele Bloch Bauer

Gustav Klimt

Who was Adele ?

Adele and her husband Ferdinand Bloch Bauer were among Vienna's most prominent and wealthy art patrons.

Adele died at the age of 43 and after 13 years her husband Ferdinand, had to flee to Zurich when the Nazis invaded Austria . Most of his properties in Austria, including this Klimt painting, were looted.

The Gestapo raided their home  taking all her valuables.         The diamond necklace that the lady wears in the painting were given to Hitler's deputy, Commander Hermann Göring, as a gift for his wife, Emmy. There was evidence she wore it to Nazi parties. :(

Ferdinand was never to go back to his home in Vienna for he died in Zurich. :( :(

But his  niece Maria Altmann fought a hard battle with the Government of Austria and succeeded in getting the paintings back to New York in 2006. :):)

Maria Altmann with her Aunt's Portrait

P.S (You can check out  the movie "Woman in Gold" for the entire story :)

Look out for Painting # 3.... Lots of  Love.

Journaling.....A good way to keep painting during those busy days when we don't have enough time to start big paintings.

Everyday we have to find the time to do what we like, what brings us peace and happiness......  Routine and necessary chores will  happen because they are generally unavoidable. 

      (Let me list some reasons (of varied colors) that I give myself ..)

       Let me finish cooking then I''ll start my painting...

    I'll just tidy up this room and then I'll start the sketch....

   Let me put away the groceries then I'll sit down in front of the easel...

  I am definitely starting this painting after Lunch...      


                              
Finally...lying in bed (with a still blank canvas on the easel staring (blankly) at me......)..."Tomorrow ..I 'll get up early and .... zzzzzz    


Its for our hobbies and interests and passions we need to find the time. Rest of the things take care of themselves .

So I stopped waiting for a lot of free, undisturbed time to start painting...and started with something simple as maintaining a journal .
Journaling helps us on those very busy days when its  difficult to "find the time".

For those days which threaten you with no painting being done -   Set up this corner somewhere in your house.

 Just a...

1.  Watercolor box
2.  Two brushes 
3. A pallete
4. Some water in a bowl
5. A pencil
6. An Eraser
7.  A fine tip black marker.
8. A blank drawing book (journal) I use one made with handmade paper. 
9.   And a Cup of steaming Lemon Grass Tea if you please :)

Click on any
 picture to see it larger

When the things are all laid out they will invite you to sketch and paint.

 Drew the sketch on the left in about five minutes. Even 25 to 30 minutes will be good enough to paint this little window. 

Its okay if you are not a water color person .  Even I am not! But I just dabbled with water color..  put some color here and some there ... 

And then the magic happened when  I used the black marker to outline here and there.   It started looking so pretty! 

Try it .

xoxo 

Cafe Terrace at Night

'The 50 paintings' project


Painting # 1 

Van Gogh's Café Terrace at Night

 Café Terrace at Night on the Place du Forum... 

Van Gogh a Dutch Painter  painted this in Arles, France in 1888 when he was 35 years old.
He came to Arles from Paris in search of some peace and quiet.

 This was the first painting where he used the starry night scene...

STARRY NIGHT

 ..and then went on to paint "The Starry Night" in the coming year which also inspired Don Mclean to sing a song "Starry Starry Nights..." :)

 






Here's what Place du Forum and the cafe would look like if you were to visit it...

...128 years ago one night Van Gogh stood here with his easel and oil paints  and painted this scene ...And made this Cafe famous. 
The writing's  on the (Yellow) Wall ....
  "CAFE VAN GOGH" :)

I quite liked this drawing showing the perspective lines....

P.S Yellow light in the Cafe is reflected from the cobble stone road. The sky is blue. 


Yellow and Blue are complementary colours and VanGogh placed the two complementary colours side by side to achieve the contrast and brightness...

Great things are done by a series of small things brought together. Vincent Van Gogh
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/v/vincent_van_gogh.html

 Van Gogh says....Great Things are done by a series of small things brought together.

 

 Lots of Love. Coming next ..Painting # 2   :)

Great things are done by a series of small things brought together. Vincent Van Gogh
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/v/vincent_van_gogh.html

Great things are done by a series of small things brought together. Vincent Van Gogh
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/v/vincent_van_gogh.html

Winter is officially here ...

Cold Nights, Large Sweaters Warm Sweaters, , Pretty Socks Hot Chocolate , Early Sunsets hence more time for good books...Christmas Lights...Thick Socks...Snowflakes ( will have to make do with fake ones....but they too are beautiful ...

May you Enjoy a winter of cool breeze and warm hearts :)

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2017 !!!!

 

 And in this year just like the last one and the one before that...and the one....and the one.. all right..you know what I mean......I have not made any Resolutions . Starting tomorrow I have decided to take up exploring one famous painting weekly . So I will be posting my findings every week and you are cordially invited to add on. Lots of Love :) 

 xoxo