Dominus Venustas

The French Symbolist Odilon Redon was a painter of nightmares, dreams and often the fantastical. His imagination was his inspiration. In his own words:

I have often, as an exercise and as a sustenance, painted before an object down to the smallest accidents of its visual appearance; but the day left me sad and with an unsatiated thirst. The next day I let the other source run, that of imagination, through the recollection of the forms and I was then reassured and appeased.

Van Gogh’s blossoming almond tree paintings perfectly epitomise spring time in Europe.

It is not the language of painters but the language of nature which one should listen to, the feeling for the things themselves, for reality is more important than the feeling for pictures.

Two delightful paintings by the one and only Edouard Manet spotted today in the National Gallery of Victoria. They took me back to Paris in a flash. Visits to the D’Orsay and the Louvre... such fine times with so many paintings to discover and enjoy.

René Gruau was one of the most well known fashion artists of the haute couture world in the 1940′s and 50′s. His mother was a French aristocrat, his father an Italian count.

Influenced by both Toulouse-Lautrec and classical Japanese drawings, his illustrations were highly sought after by all the major fashion houses.

Expressionist painter Marianne von Werefkin was Russian-German-Swiss. A strong heritage from an artist that painted boldly.

An admirer of Gauguin and Munch, their influence is evident in her work. The boldness of colour and vibrancy is quite stunning, and the expression of a soul is clear.

Artemisia Gentileschi painted many self portraits. Strong ones. Powerful ones. Portraits that spoke to us, speak to us still, centuries down the line.

They reflect what a strong and courageous woman and person she was. To succeed and accomplish so much in a man’s world was no easy feat.

Dod Procter studied art in both England and Paris. I only discovered her work today by chance. Why have I not yet heard of her?

Procter was very prolific, both a member of the Newlyn School and St Ives Society of Artists. She was inspired by the work of Renoir and Cezanne. The critics spoke of the west Cornish ‘silver light’ that is evident in much of her work.

John Russell was an Australian Impressionist painter. He was friends with van Gogh and painted the first portrait of him. They remained in close contact throughout his life.

The David Hockney exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria was hugely surprising. It was so full of colour and light and life. The hall of portraits was perhaps the most impressive with each portrait painted over three days. Here, I saw some old familiar faces. A true British innovator and talent is Hockney.

By the Blooomsbury group painter Vanessa Bell while in Italy.

Botticelli feels like home.

Australian painter Lloyd Rees experimented with the effects of light. Sunlit Tower is a classic example of just how successful he was. An eloquent and emotive work from a philosophical mind. In his words:

From quite an early age I was overwhelmed with the fact of endlessness... Planetary systems can blow up, but the universe is endless, and our little life is set in the midst of this, and everything in it has a beginning and an end... [This] gives to life a sense of mystery that is always with me.

After a recent conversation about the one and only John William Waterhouse, I felt compelled to share some images. He was surely one of the English greats of the nineteenth century.

An active member of the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood, he was a champion of Greek mythology and Arthurian legend. Two very popular and timeless themes.