Beauty, Love and Zen
 

It has long been held that lovely art is made by loving artists. People say, find someone with mean kids or a mean dog and the owner will be hateful too. The opposite is true too.

Indeed I've known some very sweet painters through my years in the business. It's the norm. That's what makes workshops so fun...the folks are so great to be with. Zen studients talk about being right with nature and the world and the wonderful warm feelings that end up in your work. I like that.

W. Bouguereau

Tim--

Thanks for these thoughts, and for posting this. Even though I know that technically Mr.B. was without parallel, some of his subjects put me off. But THIS, even though I've seen it reproduced many times, never fails to stop me dead in my tracks.

According to some, the art world is not a friendly place. I've never found it not to be. I've made some truly great friends here.

Best--TE

What a gorgeous portrait!

I love that one too. I've had a print of it up in my studio for about a year. It reminds me of the summit of our profession.

Here's another image of it.

Pure perfection
 

Interestingly enough, this was a portrait that Bouguereau did of the wife of his former student Cot, one of his most successful students. I would imagine that whenever Cot viewed it he was confronted with the realization that he himself could never reach that level of perfection in his own work. Was this the intention of old Bougie? Who knows

It now hangs in the bedroom of Fred Ross, the founder of the Art Renewal Center. Talking about opening one's eyes to sheer beauty.

Great topic, Tim.

Today I was lucky enough to visit both Paul de Lorenzo's and Jason Arkles' studios here in Southern Pines--chaperoned by my studio buddy, David Hewson. While many on this forum are probably familiar with de Lorenzo's work, Arkles is a sculptor who works sight-size. I'm going to hit him up for a weekly or bi-weekly morning session, out of his studio. You would drool over the chunk of marble laying in his back yard, ripe with potential.

The artists I've met here are fascinating, great humanists. I can't believe the pocket of artistic passion I've tapped into here in this remote piece of North Carolina. It's an inspiration.

Nicely put Tim.

If beautiful art is made by loving kind and happy people (us), then who makes the ugly stuff?

The Bouguereau should be on display for the public to see, not in someones bedroom. Did bouguereau get his inspiration from Vermeer's girl with the pearl earring?

Peter, I just bought the complete works of Vermeer. The book is much thinner than the collected works of say Charles Dickens. I'm impressed that one has to produce just a few real gems to gain the world's attention.

I don't know how WB felt about Vermeer, I assume he was a fan.

Vermeer did not paint much... Leonardo even less...

Tim, I thought the semi-nude painting on your site (gypsy) was inspired in the use of colour by Vermeer. The clothing of the milk-maid is also red, yellow and blue.

Peter

Peter, any associations implied, accidental, inspirations etc with Vermeer I would never deny. I am, along with millions of others, a fan. If we are all honest many paintings find a place in our hearts and hold an influence upon us, sometimes for a lifetime. I'm delighted with that, personally.

Vermeer has always been my favourite painter. Every time I visit Amsterdam, I step out of the train in Delft on the way back and walk past where he lived and worked. Delft still has the atmosphere one sees in his paintings.

... and they have some great shoarma there too!

Peter

Peter, can you tell us what "shoarma" is?

Shoarma
 

Shoarma is an Egyptian recipe that we eat here in the Netherlands. When you order it someone cut's it from a big piece of meat, and prepares it. In Delft there is this
little restaurant 'Pyramids of Gold' (five minutes walking from where Vermeer used to live). (If one goes there there is a painting on the wall with the restaurant
painted on it, and for some reason the composition reminds me of the little street by Vermeer, very strange). We used to eat this often in the middle of the night,
coming back from where we used to go out. These places are often open till 3 or 4 o'clock in the night. I heard a lot of things from my friends above a plate of
'Shoarma'. ;) - If Vermeer had lived today he would definately have eaten this... And he would have gone to the McDonalds, which is also in Delft (like everywhere). :sunnysmil