Luc Travers' Pick: Jules Bastien-LePage's "Sarah Bernhardt"

Nationality: French

Born-Died: 1848-1884

Creation Date: 1879

Size: 43.125 x 32.25 in (109.7 x 82 cm)

Media: Oil on canvas

Location: Private Collection

Today's post is brought to you by a very special guest: art historian, Luc Travers.  If you enjoy this selection and what he has to say, I would encourage you to check out Luc's website which has information about upcoming museum tours, information about his book Touching the Art, videos and more!  It's definitely worth visiting.

"The elegantly dressed woman sits staring at an object in her hand. The object is a statuette, seemingly ancient, of a lyre player raising his head in song. 

The woman tenderly holds the memento, her lowered eyes affectionately gaze upon it, and her mouth is parted--almost a sigh, perhaps singing. Maybe she's just realized something about the object's significance to her, or maybe she is singing in response to the statuette's quiet melodies.

Her name is Sarah Bernhardt, the most famous actress of the 19th century. As for the possible meaning of the statuette to her: theatre was born in Ancient Greece from musician-poets playing the lyre.

In her portrait, Madame Bernhardt communes with a symbol of her craft and passion. What would you tenderly hold and passionately look upon in your portrait?"

- Luc Travers

Sarah Bernhardt by Jules Bastien-LePage

The Cult of Beauty exhibit at the Legion of Honor, San Francisco

For more of my favorites from the "Cult of Beauty" exhibit, please visit: http://www.luctravers.com/cult-of-beauty-exhibit.html

To learn how to make art more personally powerful check out the book, Touching The Art.

Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres' "Oedipus and the Sphinx"

Nationality: French

Born-Died: 1780-1867
Creation Date: 1805

Media: Oil on canvas

Johannes Vermeer's "The Art of Painting" or "The Allegory of Painting"

Nationality: Dutch Born-Died: 1632-1675
Creation Date: c. 1666
Size: 51 × 43 inch (130 × 110 cm)
Media: Oil on canvas
Location: Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna

This is one of the most famous Vermeer paintings and there exists a great deal of writing about it's history and meaning.  Incidentally, between 1942 and 1945 this painting was owned by...Adolph Hitler!

Antoine Étex's Grave for Theodore Gericault

Nationality: French
Born/Died: 1808-1888

Media: Bronze
Location: Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris, France

First photo by me.

Michelangelo's Tomb

As one final bonus for today, here is an image of Michelangelo's own tomb, which, when you click the image to see a larger version of it, has wonderful figures. The drapery on top is painted, oddly enough.

Ernest Meissonier's "A Painter"

This is a painting I have always enjoyed visiting at the Cleveland Museum of Art.  It is very small, but exquisitely painted with great sensitivity and subtlety.  I particularly enjoy the film of dust that covers the polished wood surface of the chair this painter is sitting on.  As a painter myself I find historically imagery of other painters interesting—I can see what tools and materials they used and how they set up their studios.

Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun's "Self Portrait in a Straw Hat"

Justin Wisniewski Week: "For us..."

This week I'm going to present my own work. I'll give some background information as well.



"For us there is no spring, just the wind that smells fresh before the storm."

I like this little drawing, and it was the first piece I sold in the UK (at the Atkinson Gallery in Sommerset.) Just before moving to Scotland, the art gallery I worked for had an exhibition of paintings and sculptures by Julian and Barbara Stanczak. I have a great deal of respect for Julian as a painter and as a person and I was very glad that he agreed to let me draw his portrait.