Post-Impressionism Class Reaction

'A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of Grand Jatte'

I want this to be an appreciation post to Georges Seurat's great painting 'A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of Grand Jatte'. Hats off to this painting, it's brilliant!

Gustav Mahler

I heard Mahler's 'Symphony No. 4' while writing the other posts of this blog, and I all I have to say is that despite the notorious heterogeneity of the melody, it is quite enjoyable and relaxing. I think the part I enjoyed the most was the last 7 minutes, not only because of the thrilling and attractive rhythm of the music, but because of the soprano's voice that suddenly joins the instruments. I think I could have enjoyed more this symphony if the soprano had appeared before, she gives a perfect balance to the music when she's singing!

Les Nabis

First of all, I want to point out Denis's quote about painting: "Remember that a picture, before being a battle horse, a nude, an anecdote or whatnot, is essentially a flat surface covered with colours assembled in a certain order" This quote is SO TRUE. Even though I've painted several paintings by now, I'm still amazed when I finish painting; I always think that it is magical how we can start with a white canvas, add some patches of paint, and end up creating a new world.

Now, talking about the paintings of this group of French fellas, I have to say that I didn't really like most of their paintings. I think most of them lack of real passion, they do not transmit me anything at all, or maybe I just didn't understand them.

The paintings that actually caught my attention were Vuillard's and Bonnard's ones. Their interiors -as well as Vuillard's exterior 'Place Vintimille'- are some works I would pay to see in real life. Even though we can really see clearly people's faces on their paintings, they transmit or express more to me than any of the other painting in this group of visionary French painters.

'Place Vintimille'

Early Modern Sculpture: Auguste Rodin, Camille Claudel and Aristide Maillol

I always enjoy a good sculpture. So, why wouldn't I enjoy Rodin's, Claudel's and Maillol's works?

Rodin is obviously the most important sculpture the world produced in the early modern era. His works are memorable not only because of their incomprehensible perfectiveness, but because of their challenging nature. His works seem really realistic even when they are rather rough, sketchy or even 'unfinished' human bodies. His famous 'The Thinker' is one of the most important pieces of art the humankind can treasure, but I admit that I feel more moved by 'Walking Man'.

Rodin's 'Walking Man'

Claudel's detailed, delicate, and perfect work is definitely my single favourite; everything she made is just sublime, I have no words for it; her sculptures are indescribably perfect: everything is in the right place, her creations talk to me, they seem alive, they ARE alive for me. *Hats off*

Claudel's 'La Valse' -my favourite-

Maillol's work, on the other hand, was quite disturbing for me. It's not that I didn't like his sculptures, but the poses of those women are striking, creepy, and pretty much alarming. I mean, what is this woman doing?

Maillol's 'The River'

'The Sunflowers' by Douglas Stewart

Van Gogh's sunflowers

Reading Stewart's 'The Sunflowers' was a unique experience. It definitely expresses a whole new vision of sunflowers (at least for me); it was quite shocking because I grew in a kinder garden that was full of sunflowers (in fact his name is 'Los Girasoles' <The Sunflowers>), and I had never imagined that someone could actually find evil or madness on those beautiful flowers... yeah, they move, but that's what makes them special, no dangerous, right? My yellow fellas couldn't be bad, right?

I have to affirm that this short poem is not only really interesting and different, but a sublime piece of art. I read it over and over again, and each time I loved it more and more.