1) FARM AT WATENDLATH (1921) - Dora Carrington
I bought this at Tate Britain which have Carrington's lovely painting in it's collection. It is now 23 years since the last major exhibition by the most elusive of Bloomsbury-related painters so Tate Britain really needs to pull it's collective finger out.
I love how Carrington has the Cumbrian landscape, rearing up like a whale, echoed by the brick walls which surround the farm house which is dwarfed by the countryside. The woman and child, who form a loose visual triangle with the house and the washing hanging on the line, seem frozen in awe of their surroundings.
2) ROSES SUR FOND NOIR (1932) - André Derain
This was bought at the Musée de l'Orangerie in Paris where Derain's striking still life is in the permanent collection.
I am not the biggest fan of still life paintings but I was struck by the lovely use of light in Derain's painting; he was one of the painters who embraced the 'Fauvist' style in the early years of the 20th Century and his use of colour here is still vibrant, particularly against the black background.
3) LE VERROU (1777) - Jean-Honoré Fragonard
We went to a Fragonard exhibition at the Musée du Luxembourg in Paris but I found it all a bit underwhelming to be honest. By far the best painting there was one of his most famous, "Le Verrou" or "The Lock" which usually is seen in The Louvre.
It was certainly the image of the exhibition as it featured on the poster and all the merchandise so I simply had to buy a postcard to get out! It is certainly a striking painting, full of intrigue and passion: is the man locking the door to stop others getting in or the woman getting out? Is it violent or romantic? You decide... It would make a perfect poster design for LES LIAISONS DANGEREUSES which was published only five years after Fragonard finished his painting.
4) RAMON CASAS I PERE ROMEU EN UN TÁNDEM (1897) - Ramon Casas
One of the jewels of the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, Casas' large painting was originally created for the Barcelona cafe Els Quatre Gats, which was a focal point for the artists of the Catalan 'modernisme', a copy now hangs there. The original in the museum however has been cut down by a third in the intervening years
Casas is seen at the front of the tandem pedalling into the future while the restaurateur Romeu looks out at the viewer grinning widely with the Barcelona skyline behind them. Romeu was financially backed by Casas and two other leading Catalan artists Santiago Rusinol and Miguel Utrillo. I love Casas' spare design, almost as if he knew it would one day adorn merchandise!
5) The PARAKEET AND THE MERMAID (1952) - Henri Matisse
I bought this at the wonderful Tate Modern exhibition of Matisse's glorious cut-outs in 2014. The large work, measuring over 11' x 25', drew you into it's waving, magical world; a world of waving fronds surrounding the parakeet and the floating mermaid. Suffering from failing health, Matisse still wanted to express his artistic vision so he turned to cut-outs.
Matisse painted paper with coloured gouache then cut out his individual shapes which would then be arranged by assistants until he was happy with the harmony of colours then glued them onto the white backing paper, so simple yet so vividly effective. It's wonderful that only two years before his death, Matisse was still creating art and continuing his love affair with colour. Another work of art I want to dive into!
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