Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Visiting the Cemetery of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

Recently Jean Marie and I drove to the small village where French artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec is buried. Toulouse-Lautrec is one of the best known and most popular Post-Impressionist painters. Born into the aristocracy, a life-time of health problems were visible in his short stature and stilted walk, and because of his physical limitations he immersed himself into his art. Eventually Toulouse-Lautrec came to the Montmarte section of Paris where he found creative inspiration in the avant-garde bohemian lifestyle. A well-know and highly visible artist and alcoholic, he captured the Montmarte decadence with his colorful and innovative paintings of working girls: prostitutes, dancers and singers. His art posters were extremely popular during his lifetime, and are highly collectible today.

Verdelais, France, is an afternoon drive from our home, and is the small village where Toulouse-Lautrec was buried after dying from alcoholism (he's well-known for his love of absinthe) and syphilis at 36.

Notice the etching in the lower-right hand corner of the grave: here's a close-up:
Here Lies Henri de Toulouse Lautrec 1864-1901

I found this etching of the artist at work very unusual but a good way to commemorate an artist. Toulouse-Lautrec's paintings are highly sought-after and one recently sold for over $22 million. Some of my favorites include:



JANE AVRIL

JARDIN de PARIS

TROUPE OF MME EGLANTINE 

  
THE DANCE

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Color Inspires Me

"I have always been inspired by vibrant, bold colors. I cannot imagine a colorless world." ~Shirley Monestier

 ~The Psychology of Color in Logo Design

I have always been inspired by color; I chose the colors for my website and blog because they are vibrant and bold and grab the eye. In this image, you see the colors I chose:

                              Yellow:          optimism, clarity, warmth   
                              Orange:         friendly, cheerful, confidence
                              Red:              excitement, youthful, bold

Color Psychology is the science of determining which colors evoke specific emotions or behaviors. Are there colors that make you happy, or sad, or calm, or hungry? That's color psychology! 

Some artists known for their bold use of color:

Piet Mondrian: Composition with Red, Yellow, Blue and Black

Georgia O'Keeffe: From the Plains II     

Ken O'Neill: Mondrian Signal 

Diego Rivera: Portrait of Sra. Dona Elena Flores 

Roy Lichtenstein: In The Car

Willem de Kooning: Untitled

Color Inspires Me!