Charles-Francois Daubigny ~ Field of Poppies and Georgia O'Keeffe's Red Poppy

An image of a poppy can be small because it is small. Many poppies can be smudges on a canvas and become a poppy field – remember that only about twenty percent of the connections to the visual cortex come from the retina. We saw that happen in Daubigny's Field of Poppies and Monet's Poppies, Near Argenteuil. Or we can do what Georgia O'Keeffe did and create a large poppy. This large poppy was to make us stop and look at it, sink into the flower and become part if its redness. Georgia O'Keeffe had a way with images and a way with words. Here is what she said about Red Poppy that she painted in 1927.

Nobody sees a flower, really, it is so small. We haven't time - and to see takes time like to have a friend takes time.

If I could paint the flower exactly as I see it no one would see what I see because I would paint it small like the flower is small. So I said to myself - I'll paint what I see - what the flower is to me but I'll paint it big and they will be surprised into taking time to look at it - I will make even busy New Yorkers take time to see what I see of flowers.

...Well, I made you take time to look at what I saw and when you took time to really notice my flower you hung all your own associations with flowers on my flower and you write about my flower as if I think and see what you think and see of the flower - and I don't.

Years ago in 1996 I bought many sheets of the commemorative stamp that the USPS had issued in honor of Georgia O'Keeffe. I used them for everything, hoping to spread the joy of this painting to anyone who who would come in contact with those envelopes, my bills, my letters, my cards, even my postcards. Here then is a field of red poppies thanks to the USPS and Georgia O'Keeffe.

Charles-Francois Daubigny ~ Field of Poppies along with Monet Poppies

Impressions of Poppies could easily have been the title of this post. Charles-Francois Daubigny had a way of painting that looked very sketchy. In the mid-19th centurty, the public was used to artists who painted in such a fashion that brushstrokes could not be seen. Imagine then an artist who comes along and begins to paint with small visible strokes of paint that leave the impression of a flower. In this case the dabs of red in Field of Poppies create the image of a red poppy. There were fields and fields of poppies in France at the time so these splotches would have been easily identified – remember that the visual cortex in the brain only receives about 20% of its input from the retina. Take a look at that white smudge in the upper left hand corner of Field of Poppies – it's no wonder that Daubigny's works were known as impressions - that is clearly a moon. The light from that moon draws you across the room, compels you to look at this painting. It is only a brushstroke of white. Your brain has created poppies and a moon. Daubigny was definitely twenty years before his time.

1874 was the year Claude Monet first exhibited his painting Impression, Sunrise that rocked the art world. Dancing and shimmering light. A painting that didn't look quite finished. Louis Leroy dubbed Monet's work and that of his friends Impressionism and the art world was never the same. These artists painted outside, not in the studio. Daubigny had been doing his painting outside for years. The Impressionists work looked not quite complete. Daubigny had been criticized for this for years. Daubigny it turns out became one of the champions of the new art. So much so that he resigned his position from the Salon in 1870 when it refused to accept one of Monet's paintings. Monet credits Daubigny as being an influence on his work. The two artists spent a great deal of time together including days on Daubigny's barge that he had outfitted as a studio to make painting out of doors easier. So it's not surprising that later Monet followed suit and had his own studio boat. In it he hung a portrait of Daubigny to honor his mentor.

Poppies, Near Argenteuil is one of Claude Monet's famous impressionist paintings. Take a moment to compare it with Field of Poppies. Little dabs of red become poppies. Daubigny lead the way for the Impressionists to turn the art world upside down. Monet was always grateful for the support of his friend and mentor Charles-Francois Daubigny.

Charles-Francois Daubigny ~ Field of Poppies

It's Thursday and it's time to change out the image of the week here at Fifty Two Pieces. We decided not to move far from last week's piece by Gustave Courbet. His The Violoncellist is situated in the northern end of the European galleries and can be seen from a distance as you walk towards it and is almost larger than life. Field of Poppies by Charles-Francois Daubigny hangs on the same wall but to the far right. You'll find it hanging beneath Camille Corot's The Ponds of Ville d'Avray. Both Daubigny's and Corot's paintings take up less gallery space than Courbet's. What all three have in common though is each of the painters being considered part of a group now labelled pre-impressionists. For more on what that means come back tomorrow and each day between now and September 2. Seven days of Daubigny and what we are inspired by after viewing Field of Poppies.

Courbet Finale

And here is one final self portrait of Courbet:

He has inspired me to think about my own self portrait. It takes courage to really look at yourself.
The video from yesterday was so fabulous, I hope everyone watched it- there's not a muppet out there who doesn't have the courage of Courbet.
Speaking of courage, just two weeks ago here on Fifty Two Pieces we talked about C.S. Price, another artist who used the palette knife to create his paintings. Courbet's paintings don't appear as rough as Price's. But all I've seen are web images, so it's hard to tell. If I want to see Courbet's self portrait above and others in the area I'll have to drive south the San Francsico's Fine Art Museum and check out this portrait he did of his sister:

They also have this Landscape:

Courbet ~ Palette Knife Wielding Artist

Gustave Courbet was not only handsome – he was also rebellious. And not just in politics as Amy mentioned yesterday. He was always looking for some way to set himself apart from others. And that included how he applied paint to the canvas. Everyone else used a brush. But Courbet at some point took the paint directly from his palette to the canvas with his knife. Others just used that knife for mixing the paints. This was a radical move on his part but led to many others to do the same – all of the moderns, including Picasso, Pollack and Richter. For an understanding of how Courbet used his palette knife and the amazing effects he could create, watch the video at the Getty website that I have linked here.

Today's image is of The Wave. You'll find that the video, A Mockumentary about Gustave Courbet, is not only educational but also an "intriguing story of the man brave enough to use a pallette knife and stand against the wave of current trends". Have fun and a banner day.

Courbet, Handsome and Political

"Inasmuch as the Vendôme column is a monument devoid of all artistic value, tending to perpetuate by its expression the ideas of war and conquest of the past imperial dynasty, which are reproved by a republican nation's sentiment, citizen Courbet expresses the wish that the National Defense government will authorise him to disassemble this column."
It seemed for a moment that all that interested Courbet was Courbet, which might explain why he would take issue with a monument that celebrated Napolean. Napolean erected the column modeled after Trajans Column to celebrate the victory of Austerlitz in 1805. It is made of bronze plates taken from the cannons of the combined armies of Europe. On top sat a laurel crowned Napolean.
Courbet got involved with the Paris Commune in 1871. The commune was brought on by worker's discontent with conditions following the Franco Prussian War. A more socialist society was desired, and the Vendome Column was under attack. Courbet didn't want to destroy the column, but move it to Les Invalides, the area of Paris set aside for military history- Napolean's tomb is there.
The column was taken down, and then reassembled. Courbet was asked to pay for part of that task, and not being able to, he put himself into exile in Switzerland. This might explain why, for a man behind bars, he seems very self satisfied and content.

Gustave Courbet ~ Self-Portraits of a Handsome Man

Much has been written about Gustave Courbet. More than a dozen books with Courbet as the main title are on the first two pages of an Amazon search with his name. Many more articles can be found by doing a Google search. Some of the most recent articles have dealt with the 2008 retrospective at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The Met had chosen to display Courbet's work thematically as opposed to chronologically. As a result the very first gallery was filled with self-portraits Courbet had painted after his arrival in Paris. Courbet was a young man searching for himself. There were so many of these portraits you could almost hear the critics of the day complaining “Courbet waving, Courbet walking…Courbet everywhere….”

Courbet painted himself as many different people. He would have us think he was in despair in The Desperate Man (shown above). Desperate is thought to have been painted shortly after he had moved to Paris to become an artist. We are seeing him at his frazzled and handsome best, somewhat like an early Johnny Depp. A similar crazed look shows up a few years later in Mad with Fear (shown below).

During that same period though Courbet portrayed himself as an artist in The Sculptor and as a game player in The Draughts Player.

Courbet with a Black Dog was accepted by the Salon in 1844 and gave Courbet the official recognition and that greatly pleased him.

Also in 1844 he painted Lovers in the Country. Here you can see Courbet with his love at the moment, dancing in the countryside.

Man with a Leather Belt shows Courbet stroking his beard with the back of his hand. His other hand is taking hold of a rather large belt buckle on his waist. Check out those bedroom eyes. Walking around a gallery with this many Courbets, you know you're being seduced into looking for more portraits. And there are more.

For example, in Le Guitarrero, Courbet painted himself as a musician. Since it seems well known that he didn't know how to play the violoncello, it's questionable if he knew how to play the guitar. The Violoncellist painted in 1847 is our piece of the week here at Fifty Two Pieces.

The Man with a Pipe shows Courbet in 1849. Here, he is looking down his nose towards his pipe but also probably at the art critics who were not always too kind.

In 1854, Courbet repainted The Wounded Man. X-rays show that Courbet painted over the image of a woman who he had been embracing.

Also in 1854 Courbet painted Bonjour Monsieur Courbet showing himself meeting with Alfred Bruyas, a wealthy collector. Much can be said about how Courbet painted himself and these other two men and their dog. However, we can say for certainty is that Courbet painted outside because he's carrying a portable easel.

One of the last self-portraits that Courbet painted is Portrait of the Artist at Sainte-Pelagie. Here Courbet is sitting in prison, smoking a pipe, wearing a beret and a red tie around his neck. Courbet had been imprisoned for his responsibility in the destruction of the Vendome column. He has a pensive look, not quite the Johnny Depp good looks and swagger from the early years.