Jacques-Louis David's "Comtesse Daru"

Seven works of art I would like to see at the Frick

I recently visited New York and seeing the Frick was part of my plans, but due to time constraints I couldn't do it.  Anyway, in an effort to turn lemons into lemonade, I'm going to post seven works of art from the Frick that I wish I could have seen.  

Nationality: French

Born-Died: 1748-1825

Size: 32.1 × 25.6 in. (81.6 × 65.1 cm)

Creation Date: 1810

Media: Oil on canvas 

Location: The Frick Collection, New York City, New York, USA

I have been a David fan for many years and whenever I get the chance to see one of his works I take it.  They generally reproduce well so I wouldn't expect it to be too different from the reproductions, but still I always enjoy seeing his work.

Georges de la Tour's "The Education of the Virgin"*

Seven works of art I would like to see at the Frick

I recently visited New York and seeing the Frick was part of my plans, but due to time constraints I couldn't do it.  Anyway, in an effort to turn lemons into lemonade, I'm going to post seven works of art from the Frick that I wish I could have seen.  

Nationality: French

Born-Died: 1593-1652

Creation Date: c. 1600 to 1652

Size: 33 x 39 1/2  in (83.8 x 100.3 cm)

Media: Oil on canvas 

Location: The Frick Collection, New York City, New York, USA

I don't know for sure but it's possible that the image here is actually from a copy in France, but it is extremely similar to the painting in the Frick nonetheless.  The anatomical rendering here is slightly awkward--it reminds me of George Tooker--but the light is great (as I would expect.)  In any case I'd like to see this painting.

* the authorship of this painting has been questioned.

Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres' "Louise de Broglie, Countesse d'Haussonville"

Seven works of art I would like to see at the Frick

I recently visited New York and seeing the Frick was part of my plans, but due to time constraints I couldn't do it.  Anyway, in an effort to turn lemons into lemonade, I'm going to post seven works of art from the Frick that I wish I could have seen.  

Nationality: French

Born-Died: 1780-1867

Creation Date: 1845

Size: 51.875 x 36.25  in (131.8 x 92.1 cm)

Media: Oil on canvas 

Location: The Frick Collection, New York City, New York, USA

Ingres is one of my favorite painters and I always jump at the opportunity to see any of his works in real life.  On my next visit I'll take so many detail photographs of this painting it will be dizzying.

Jean-Léon Gérôme's "Woman with a Veil"

Nationality: French

Born-Died: 1824-1904

Creation Date: c. 1891

Size: 23.8 x 12.8 in (60.5 x 32.7 cm)

Media: Bronze 

Location: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Unknown Print (of an Unknown Sculpture) by Unknown Artist

Nationality: French?


Another myserious work that I've had in my files for a long time.  I just like the fact that her chariot is pulled by squirrels!

Antione Watteau's "Fêtes Vénitiennes"

Nationality: French
Born-Died: 1684-1721
Creation Date: 1718-1719
Size: 93.9 x 47.7 in (55.9 x 45.7 cm)
Media: Oil on canvas 
Location: The National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh, UK


This wonderful painting is another example of a work that was given a title after the death of the artist.  Apparently the lutist is a depiction of Watteau himself.  It appears as if the primary figures in this painting are about to engage in a very serious dance.  As is typical of Watteau, it also appears as if some sexual advances are being made by other characters.

Jean-Marc Nattier's "Thalia, Muse of Comedy" and "Terpsichore, Muse of Music and Dance"

Nationality: French
Born-Died: 1869-1895


Creation Date: 1739
Size: 53.5 x 49 in (135.9 x 124.5 cm)
Media: Oil on canvas 
Location: The California Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, California, USA

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

Antonio de La Gandara's "Madame Pierre Gautreau"

Nationality: French

Born-Died: 1861-1917
Creation Date: 1898

Size: 29 x 24.5 in (74.9 x 62.2 cm)

Media: Oil on canvas

Fans of John Singer Sargent's "Madame X" might enjoy this portrait of the same woman.

Seven Paintings by Suzanne Eisendieck

Nationality: German

Born-Died: 1908-1998

Eisendieck is an artist that most people have never heard of and a great many people will not like.  I like some of them.  I just discovered her name and work very recently despite the fact that I had the first painting here in my “Unknown Artist” file for many years.   I kept it until I could properly identify it because I thought it had something interesting to it.  I was shocked to discover that she died in the 1990's, and not in the 1920's.

For the most part I appreciate her unique approach to impressionism—it seems to me like she used the impressionist method for expressive ends, not merely for the sake of “capturing the transient nature of light” or something like that, which is artistically pointless.  However, her approach seems like merely a good start.  I think a superior artist could have taken her style and developed it into something that was much more compelling.

Despite all this, her work seems to have elements that many young artists would want to adapt and I am surprised that more contemporary art students don’t admire her work.

The first two paintings here are the ones I like best.

Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres' "Edmond Cavé"

Nationality: French

Born-Died: 1780 - 1867

Creation Date: 1844

Size: 16 x 12.875 inch (40.6 x 32.7 cm)

Media: Oil on canvas

Location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, New York, USA

This unfinished painting has always been fascinating to me because it reveals Ingres' methods.  All photos by me.

Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres' "Jacques-Louis Leblanc"

Nationality: French
Born-Died: 1780 - 1867
Creation Date: 1823
Size: 47.625 x 36.625 inch (121 x 95.6 cm)
Media: Oil on canvas
Location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, New York, USA

Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres' "Madame Jacques-Louis Leblanc (née Françoise Poncelle, 1788–1839)"

Nationality: French
Born-Died: 1780 - 1867
Creation Date: 1823
Size: 47 x 36.5 inch (119.4 x 92.7 cm)
Media: Oil on canvas
Location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, New York, USA

Art I Hate and Why: Paul Cézanne's "Bathers"

Nationality: French
Born-Died: 1839-1906

Media: Oils on canvas

Amidst all the discussion in the arts industry about how great these paintings are, no one ever seems to express the opinion that Cézanne's “Bather” paintings are incredibly bad—so that is what I am doing here.  They are very bad.  Their color is terrible, the brushwork is sloppy at best—it’s very often pointlessly brushy--and in many cases the figures are as awkwardly rendered as the drawings of a high school student (independent of attempts at perceptual effects--see below.)

Unknown Printmaker's "The Planet of Herschel"

Nationality: FrenchCreation Date: c. 1781-1850
Size: 1.25 x 2.25 inch (3.2 x 5.7 cm)Media: Engraving (?) on paper
Location: My collection

This is an old print that I am proud to own.  It is a depiction of William Herscehl looking through a telescope, presumably discovering the planet which later became known as Uranus.  I think the star with the beams coming out of it is supposed to be the planet.  It's not a great work of art by any stretch of the imagination, but I still like it.  

 

Illustration by Edmond Dulac for "The Little Mermaid"

Nationality: French
Born-Died: 1882-1953

Creation Date: 1911
Media: Watercolor?

Illustration by Edmond Dulac for "The Little Mermaid"

Nationality: French
Born-Died: 1882-1953

Creation Date: 1911
Media: Watercolor?

Jean-François Millet's "Autumn Landscape with a Flock of Turkeys"

Nationality: French
Born-Died: 1814-1875

Creation Date: c. 1872-1873

Size: 31.875 x 39 in. (81 x 99.1 cm)

Media: Oil on canvas

Location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, New York, USA

Detail photos by me.

Ingres' Tomb by Jean-Marie Bonnassieux

Nationality: French
Born/Died: 1810-1892

Creation Date: After 1867
Media: Stone (?)
Location: Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris, France

Special thanks to Atul Kapur for identifying the artist for me.  Photo by me.