Youth and age - the timeless theme

There's a BC wildflower called Youth-on-Age, so named for its characteristic growth pattern.  The ones  blooming in my garden now derive from a tiny plant judiciously collected from a vast growth at the base of UBC's Point Grey cliffs -- forty years ago this month!  As my enduring and unequalled identification guide explains it:

"...examine the leaves in the late summer and you will see that the reason for the odd name is that small leaves are growing from the base of the old leaf blades.  As the old leaves wither they slowly drop to the ground, giving the new leaves a chance to root."

                  - C. P. Lyons, Trees, Shrubs and Flowers to Know in British Columbia

 A sort of phoenix plant, you might conclude.

In mid-March when it scarcely seemed likely we'd see ANY abundant spring growth this year (so cold! so rainy!), the timeless theme was on my mind as I developed a "Youth and Age" diptych for Degas Week in my on-line course.  (True confessions:  I started a week early and spent two weeks in total).

Degas, one of my all-time favourites, began painting self-portraits at an early age -- always with eyes like deep pools which apparently characterized the Degas clan.  I chose to emulate this one for the simplicity of its tones:

 By happy accident,  my internet image search turned up a "Portrait of the Painter Degas" by Maurice Denis.  He's another early 20^th century artist whose name I knew -- but with whom I had no resonance.  Now I do!  I fell in love with his austerely toned picture of an elderly Degas.

I worked on the two in parallel under the heading "Youth and Age"...

...with a somewhat successful outcome.  (You can view the brief sequence of development here).

Here's my version of Degas' "Self-portrait in a Soft Hat":

My version of Denis' portrait of Degas:

Let's think of the new spring plants that emerged from young leaves growing at the base of the old ones -- 

 

-- how life keeps putting down new growth; how the old nourishes the young; how after decades -- even across centuries, even across cultures -- art students are still inspired by the thrilling vitality conveyed in a masterwork of art.

Brand new gallery wing: The docent’s tour

I'm still lurking around the edges of my on-line art course, doing my own thing to the tune of artist-of-the-week.  Now it's time for a catch-up so I thought I'd line you up with a docent's tour.

You know the drill.   You tend to hear things you already knew, things you might or might not have known, and surprising things you'd never have guessed.  Ready?  Cell phones turned off,  please.

Let's start BIG -- with Rembrandt. 

You knew:  Any gallery worth its salt must have a Rembrandt!

You might or might not know:  Rembrandt was a prolific painter of self-portraits and left a virtual painted autobiography spanning youth to old age.

You might be surprised to learn:  Your docent fell in love with Rembrandt's drawings decades ago, long before she warmed up to his paintings.

For Rembrandt week, I chose to do a simple very-black-and-white copy of his pencilled self-portrait as a young man.

  

 Henry Ossawa Tanner 

You knew:  In any gallery, you're sure to encounter artists you've never heard of.

You might or might not know:  Tanner was the first Afro-American artist to achieve international acclaim -- which he was able to develop after moving to France.

You might be surprised to learn:  His wife was a Swedish soprano, Jessie Ollsson, and I chose his beautiful "Portrait of the Artist's Wife" to  emulate.

Mary Cassatt 

You knew:  There's a female artist who is forever painting mothers and their children.  You're sure to see her work on Mother's Day cards.

You might or might not know:  Mary Cassatt was a great friend of the artist Degas and shared his interest in experimental techniques with pastel.

You might be surprised to learn:   Your docent thought she'd discovered a close family connection to Cassatt and Degas, as described here.  (Okay, so maybe it wasn't so close after all.)

I decided to work in pastel and modify a typical Cassatt theme/pose -- borrowing a friend's husband and granddaughters for "Grandpa and the Girls."  (and obscuring them from being "borrowed" by Facebook!)

 

Berthe Morisot 

You knew:  There was a sole female among the original Impressionists but she's often overlooked.

You might or might not know:  She was married to Eugène Manet, the brother of the famous painter.  Their daughter Julie wrote a charming and insightful book, "Growing Up with the Impressionists."

You might be surprised to learn:  Morisot was greatly esteemed by her Impressionist colleagues, Renoir and Degas in particular, but otherwise had to fight the good fight of 19^th century females for professional recognition.

I chose her "Jeune Fille au Manteau Vert" as my model for a quick, loose sketch of a local felt artist in her shop.

 

Claude Monet 

You knew:  The waterlily guy!

You might or might not know:  The great love of his life, his first wife Camille, died young of tuberculosis before he'd even settled in what became the famous hamlet of Giverny.

You might be surprised to learn:  Stephanie Cowell's "Claude and Camille:  A Novel of Monet" is sooo not worth it.

I emulated Monet's "Portrait of Camille," using my memory of one of my young neighbours for a somewhat updated version.   But why does she look so worried?  It's incredible how subtle the features can be.  I fiddled with eyes and eyebrows for days and finally left her to worry about what people would think.

  

 

Nicolai Fechin

You knew:  His first name is the same as my cat's.

You might or might not know:  He could draw like a dream and paint like a madman.

You might be surprised to learn:  Born and educated in Russia, he came to the States in his early 40s and eventually became part of the Taos Art Colony.

I was enchanted by the energy and splash of his "Portrait of the Artist's Father":

I decided to let loose and re-do an uninspiring portrait I'd attempted months ago of an elegant aging woman I saw in the lobby of a medical building.   She's now taken on a new life as "Wise Woman" -- and it's kind of fun to look at the progression of her facelift here.

This gallery is still under construction.  We'll dip into the paint pots from time to time with a progress report.