No Sketching Allowed!

Yesterday, I was visiting the Art Institute of Chicago to view a special exhibit of Renaissance and Baroque Italian drawings. This was a wonderful chance to see working sketches, studies, and life drawings by artists who dedicated their lives to perfect this skill. This exhibit  "Capturing the Sublime" http://www.artic.edu/aic/exhibitions/exhibition/capturingthesublime is from a private collector who collected these master drawings.
I moved about the galleries feeling overwhelmed, dazzled by the drawings, the insight into the creative process of these masterful draftsmen. So I did what I usually do to capture the process better. I go from my eyes to my hand to absorb the sight more intensely into my brain. I pulled out my little sketchbook and started some quick sketches. This is absolutely the best way to study art, for me at least. I can't just walk from one small work to another without losing track and focus. I like to use my own hand to  aid my eyes in really looking hard at the art, thinking more about the process and decisions that this artists must have made as his pen moved.
To my surprise, a museum guard walks up to me and announces "No pictures allowed".  I had already heard her say that to someone else with a camera and of course assumed that protecting these drawings on paper from flash photography was necessary. I looked at her stunned, "Are you kidding?" "But I am sketching, that isn't the same as a photograph" How could a little sketch harm the artwork?  I couldn't be possibly even making a copy, my sketch isn't that good. I showed it to her. She insisted that no sketching was allowed in this exhibit. Although she added helpfully that I could sketch in other galleries in the museum, just not this one. Later she brought her manager over to explain to me that, really, truly, No Sketching Allowed. It was also offered to me, helpfully that a large catalogue of the exhibit was for sale at the museum shop for $65.
So here is as far as I got, before I was told to stop. The left sketch is from a Tiepolo pen and ink, (one of my heros from back in art school days). And the right sketch is from a workshop of Fra Paolino, a small photo of the oil painting that became an altarpiece using this sketch was shown, fascinating.

a summer rose

Another watercolor pencil sketch from my traveling notebook. I picked this rose from the garden of our friends and drew while they were preparing us a lovely dinner. I was so incredibly blessed (and really a bit spoiled). Good friends, good food, interesting conversation in two languages, some nice wine, and ...roses.

summer in the southwest corner of France

We had the great pleasure of a visit to the home of some French family friends. I will post more about our adventures and discoveries in the next days.
I would have sketched more, except that, (oh excuses, excuses) I had a new camera and just absolutely had to snap some 1,000 or more photos. Also, I would have sketched more if we were not moving so fast all day visiting so many exciting places. My camera had to end up being my "sketchbook".

One of my moments to sit and draw came on this day while in the garden of our friends. My husband was helpfully mowing their lawn, but I sat under the willow tree on a little bench and drew the bridge and lily pond.
I had  brought just a few watercolor pencils along in my bag, limited colors and only a q-tip and paper towel to "paint".

And here, out of my thousand of travel photos is the actual garden at the home of our good friends. This photo is taken from the other side of the little pond, the bench that I sat on is tucked away under the willow tree.

The studio of Paul Cezanne, Aix-en-Provence

I am back from the thrilling trip to France. And what a privilege it was.
A highlight of the journey was our visit to Aix-en-Provence in the south of France.

We visited the studio of Paul Cezanne, and then attended a workshop and lecture about the artist and his working methods. I was very interested in the lecture and then how the students would be instructed about painting in the style of Cezanne. We were all given a small canvas, some oil pastels, and a paper plate with acrylic blobs of red, yellow, blue, and white. I had tried to prepare our students beforehand about the importance of mixing secondary colors from the primaries and adding a touch of the color wheel opposites to those colors to make muted shades. Nevertheless, they were all worried about failure too soon. At the end, it seemed that all had enjoyed the experience, even those that had said they did not like art.
Above is my copy of a Cezanne landscape on the canvas provided at the workshop, produced with primary colors and in an hour's time!
After the tour we drove past the real mountain scene that Cezanne had painted many times in his life.

Below is the real Cezanne painting, and a quote that I found by him.
"May I repeat what I told you here: treat nature by means of the cylinder, the sphere, the cone, everything brought into proper perspective so that each side of an object or a plane is directed towards a central point. Lines parallel to the horizon give breadth... lines perpendicular to this horizon give depth. But nature for us men is more depth than surface, whence the need to introduce into our light vibrations, represented by the reds and yellows, a sufficient amount of blueness to give the feel of air." 

Paul Cézanne to Emile Bernard, 15 april 1904 

Road Before the Mountains, Montagne Sainte-Victoire 

Paul Cezanne 1900

The Louvre all to myself

A friend has asked me "what artwork moved you the most in the Louvre?" How to summarize  centuries and miles of art?

If I could pick anything for now, my theme  would be the Madonna and Child.

 I really loved all that I saw by Raphael ( the sketch above is from "The Virgin and Child with Saint John the Baptist", but I left out the John figure) (also called "La Belle Jardiniere) and of course, the incredible faces of women by Botticelli. 

There were two masterpieces by Leonardo Da Vinci of  the Madonna and Child. 

"The Virgin, the Child Jesus and Saint Anne" was really dark and sort of weird, and I mean that both literally and figuratively. 

Next to it was the even more famous, "The Virgin of the Rocks".

This was so  beautiful, I was moved.  I wanted to stand and sketch it and give it concentrated attention but it was one of the stops on the official tour guide route. You know what that means, every few minutes, like trains pulling into a busy terminal, a huge group of tourists rushed over to crowd themselves about, listen briefly to a tour guide, snap photos, and stand in front of it to document themselves with this work of art.

The missing sketch

People in Paris love artists. I received more smiles, more kind glances, and space was made for me wherever I stood when I was sketching. (Except for the guide in the Sainte-Chapelle, but admittedly I did offend him).

We had a lunch at a place on Rue Mouffetard, old and charming as can possible be. The sign over the doorway read "Ernest Hemingway lived in this building from 1921 to 1925" and if that isn't enough , "in this house died on 8 January 1896 the poet Paul Verlaine".

The restaurant was named La Maison de Verlaine. My great moment came when the owner walked by my table and looked at my sketches. He then brought me a guestbook that he presumably keeps for more famous people to sign.  And he asked me to draw in his book and sign it. So I sketched the scene from where I sat, tables, wine bottles, plant growing in the window, random memorabilia on the wall.  I left that sketch there!  I was so flattered.

The mighty Louvre

Le Grand Louvre is the world's largest museum.  

I read that it might take 9 months just to glance at every piece of art. I visited twice this past month, the first time with a tour group and the second time by myself with the luxury of standing in front of anything I pleased for as long as I wanted.  If I ever get another day like that, there is so much more I could have seen.

 I stopped in the gallery with the Venus de Milo and just couldn't leave. I drew her again and again. 

Life drawing from a perfectly still model! Although the crowds of people continually standing  in front of me snapping photos  blocked my view.

All the other tourists

While sitting in the Musee de l'Orangerie on comfortable benches placed just for optimal viewing.

These are fast gestural sketches of the parade of people who stood in front of me and provided a constant source of amusement and very natural live models. 

If you want to see these pages larger- just click on the art and it will appear in  large pixel glory, and fill up your screen.

Looking at Monet's water lilies

In the Musee de l'Orangerie.

The correct title for this series of eight huge paintings is Les Nympheas.   Monet designed the rooms in this building to display them himself.  These are huge canvases that wrap around oval shaped rooms. Ethereal shades of pink, violet, and cobalt make the water lilies appear as if they are floating on the canvas.

I had a rare quiet day all to myself with plenty of time to really look.

I sketched and took notes, what colors are these? How did he make these transitions?

And why does it come together so completely when I sit at a distance, and yet look so abstract, gestural,  and exciting when I get in really close?

And can you guess which tourist is me?

The Gates of Hell

I  returned to the garden of the Musee Rodin to sketch this immense bronze sculpture again. Last year when  I had my first opportunity to visit I sketched the statue of Eve, and blogged about it here.

This time I gave the figure of Adam my attention.  I have found that drawing a great work of art is the best way to look hard and appreciate. And, as a side benefit, the gardens with the French formal landscaping and many famous sculptures are so peaceful.

Our guide to the Sainte-Chapelle

This gentleman  abruptly told me to stop drawing him!  He was about to give a tour of  the Sainte-Chapelle and I offended him by sketching away as he was speaking. Then of course, I don't speak French!  But I got the message.

If I ever go back to Paris, this is first on my list of must-return. The stained glass windows sing, for this is Gothic architecture in perfection. I wish to go back to sit alone quietly absorbing the beauty.

I was a free ... in Paris

I was a free spirit in Paris!

In the words of Joni Mitchell , 

"I was a free man in Paris


I felt unfettered and alive


There was nobody calling me up for favors


And no one's future to decide


You know I'd go back there tomorrow


But for the work I've taken on

If l had my way


I'd just walk through those doors


And wander
down the Champs Elysees


Going cafe to cabaret..."

A wonderful gift of travel to Paris in March and my sketchbook  is nearly full.

I have lots of sketches to share in the next days.

This drawing I made while sitting in a cafe on Boulevard St-Germain while sipping a teeny cup of strong coffee.

I thought I asked for it "american style" but it did not resemble my usual mug.

Good caffeine jolt, but expensive.  So I got out my sketchbook and tried to make it last.

You can see the entrance to the Metro here and enjoy watching the bustle of street life.

Man in Paris

I don't think this gentleman knew I was sketching him. I tried to be sneaky and look at the street scene most of the time.