On Monday we looked at the work of Paul Cezanne. I have attached a painting that formed the basis of our discussions over the sessions. The picture is both about painting a traditional still life set up and reinventing the language of painting. ‘This is one of Cézanne’s most complex late still lifes. Beyond the foreground e on which stands a plaster Cupid, the space and the arrangement of figures become highly ambiguous. The green apple on the floor in the far corner seems t

Yesterday we again discussed the work of Manet. I have added two paintings by him that were originally one. It is interesting to question why Manet separated and split the original canvas. Are both paintings successful? Or does the original idea for the painting work better? The main clue that they were originally the same painting is the table that runs towards the middle of the picture. The pictures were shown together in 2005 at the Oskar Reinhart collection in the town o

This week all WKAG groups participated in a collage workshop. The studies produced were fabulous. The purpose of the session was to learn how to use collage to understand how shape, pattern, and composition aid our understanding of painting. We used the work of Braque to inspire us and I think that it would be beneficial for us to look in detail at his work and to try and unravel their meaning and the intention of the artist. The ‘Studio’ series of his works are informed by c

The term collage derives from the French term papiers collés (or découpage), used to describe techniques of pasting paper cut-outs onto various surfaces. It was first used as an artists’ technique in the early twentieth century.Collage can also include other media such as painting and drawing, and contain three-dimensional elements. ’ (Tate Gallery). We will be working from a still life set up. I’ve added one of the first collages by Picasso and a work by Braque to inspire us

The Courtauld Institute has just reopened after a £60m refit. It was a lovely gallery to walk through and by all accounts the new layout makes that experience even better. The gallery has many fabulous paintings one of my favourites is Cezanne’s Card Players. It is from a series of five paintings by him about the same theme. Each painting in Cezanne's series shows two or more Provencal peasants quietly smoking their pipes and playing cards. They were mostly modelled on worker

I have included the stolen picture with poppy flowers by Van Gogh. I’ve contrasted this picture with a similar painting by Adolphe Monticelli who was a great influence on Van Gogh’s work. ‘Monticelli, who had died the year before this painting was completed, had a major influence on Van Gogh's style. The Dutch painter had seen a display of his works in Paris in 1886, and was subsequently inspired to complete his own series of still life paintings. Van Gogh was open about t

Robert Antoine Pinchon is another of the lesser known Fauvist painters from the early part of the last century. His work follows a fairly consistent path throughout his career and he produced some fabulous paintings. ‘Robert Antoine Pinchon was a French Post-Impressionist painter known for his depictions of ports, bridges, and rolling countryside. Born on July 1, 1886 in Rouen, France, his father was a playwright and close friend of the famed writer Guy de Mauspassant, who en

This week is our final week for our ‘Spring’ project, and the paintings that I have seen to date have been wonderful. I include a painting by the American artist Daniel Garber that I’ve just discovered - it was painted in 1917 and its titled ‘American Springtime in the Village.’ ‘Daniel Garber (April 11, 1880 – July 5, 1958) was an American Impressionist landscape painter and member of the art colony at New Hope, Pennsylvania. He is best known today for his large impressionis

Our next project is titled ‘light and space.’ Over the last few weeks I’ve been looking at the work of Albert Marquet and I’ve included two wonderful paintings about this theme by him. The first is of Venice painted in 1935 and the second painting is a ‘view of St Jean - de - Luz.’ The paintings still seem so modern in terms of execution, though they are about traditional themes. I have learnt a lot from closely examining how colour, light, and composition in both paintings a

As the weather has been so lovely I thought that we could have a generic title for our next project ‘ Spring.’ I’ve included a wonderful painting ‘The Small Meadows in Spring’ by Alfred Sisley for inspiration. This week is our final week for our ‘Spring’ project, and the paintings that I have seen to date have been wonderful. I include a painting by the American artist Daniel Garber that I’ve just discovered - it was painted in 1917 and its titled ‘American Springtime in the