Sunday, October 26, 2014

Boudin pantings in GeocodedArt

The Seine at Caudebec-en-Caux






painting by Eugene Boudin (1824-1898).  Boudin was a leader of the French movement to paint outdoors, and nearly all his works include a view of water.  This is  is a rare example of Boudin doing a study of still water in contrast to the dozens of works of sea and sky of his native Normandy.
 The tower of Notre Dame still dominates the town; the Seine's surface, glassy in parts and turbulent in parts, catches the reflections of the whitewashed structures in the full sunlight. This is a picture of increasingly stable, civilized world as the Seine is traced from the sea to the cultural heights inland.


Boudin geocoded

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Ten paintings of Avignon in GeocodedArt


The Bridge of Avignon





Painting by Paul Jean Marie Sain (1853-1908). The sky has a magic quality, inspiring deep-seated feelings that defy easy description. A skillful painter can transmit and instill a range of sometimes unfamiliar feelings with just a slight glimmering at the edge of a cloud. With the focus on the sky and the open end of the bridge obscured, this location takes on a particularly eternal appearance, while remaining grounded on the rocky path in front of us.



Monday, October 20, 2014

Many painters' views of Auvers-sur-Oise in GeocodedArt

The Church at Auvers







painting by Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890).  van Gogh did view paintings, along with figures and still life, throughout his career; but the development of his signature style in France raises an interesting question about the interaction of place and image. The time of day is a mystery here: the path seems lit for the passer-by, but the sky could hardly be more dark. Is it an accident that the artist has left the clock face blank? 

Auvers paintings geocoded

Sunday, October 12, 2014

The Rocks at Ouessant






Painting by Henri Moret (1856-1913). As numerous as are the rocky inlets of the Brittany coast, so are the views that Henri Moret painted of them. He favored bright colors and a texture that fit the rugged coast, and only occasionally included inhabitants or structures. More rare than finding many people in his images are paintings that have an ambiguous title: the titles of his works usually identify specifically the location, perhaps as a way to be clear that not all bits of the Brittany coast are interchangeable. In this image it appears that the intensity of interaction between rock and cloud gives off clouds of the same color as a byproduct.


Saturday, October 11, 2014

Guigou paintings added to GeocodedArt

Chinchin Valley at Ile-sur-la-Sourgue, Vacluse






painting by Paul Camille Guigou (1834-1871). Virtually all of Guigou's paintings were of rural settings, though not wilderness; usually there were a few solitary figures and a distant man-made structure that were the reason the painter and the figures were in the area.

This image in particular shows a realism in the foliage that is reminiscent of older styles of painting, but his choice of subject, a rugged, unromantic setting, is typical for this artist and has a very modern sense.

Guigou geocoded


Armand Guillaumin paintings added to Geocodedart

Place Valhubert






Painting by Armand Guillaumin (1841-1927). A prolific artist who produced portraits, still life, and landscapes, where his style was marked by a soft focus, bright colors, and a crowded vista, with very little sky or horizon to be seen. When further south, there tended to be more sky, but the works had even less sharp edges to them, as if when he is in the sun too long he finds it hard to keep his eyes sharply focused. This is an image of more precise lines than the artist would use later in his career when he painted more sites outside Paris than in it. Of all of the sites to paint in Paris, this begs the question of just what the artist saw here that he felt compelled to record and share it (bearing in mind that this is when it took more than an instant to do that).

Guillaumin geocoded


Sunday, October 5, 2014

Maxime Maufra paintings added to GeocodedArt

The descending street at Locronan





Painting by Maxime Maufra (1861-1918). Maufra worked almost exclusively in landscapes, and his paintings show a great variety in terrain, palette, lighting, and mood. One feature is consistent, though, in all 100+ of his landscapes: only very rarely do they include images of people, even though in many cases boats or buildings are shown.  In his varied style, Maufra, more than other artists, lets each place speak for itself. The essence of the place is not hidden behind too much flashy painter technique nor emotional overlay.

Maufra geocoded