What's Your Impression?

Claude Monet (French, 1840-1926). Poppies near Vétheuil, ca. 1880.
(One of the stolen paintings.)

Did you hear about this art theft? I read the article in the LA Times today. What a shame for everyone. I can't say why, but I don't have much hope these paintings are going to be recovered. It makes me sad. I love impressionist art.

I suppose my love comes from the influence of one of my eighth grade teachers. Every morning Miss Halford would put up a poster of a different piece of art and had us journal about it. We could say anything. Talk about the artist, the brush strokes, the subject of the art. I've never forgotten it. I learned about Van Gogh, Cezanne, Goya, Picasso, Michelangelo, Da Vinci among others all for the first time from that teacher.

So when I was in Paris and got to go to the Musee d'Orsay and see the REAL paintings of posters I viewed as an adolescent, well, it was very emotional. Since you already know I'm a weepy kind of a gal you know I teared up. It makes me crazy that wonderful art that is there for everyone to enjoy is stolen. For money. I'm not naive. I know money rocks the world for many people. It's just so disappointing.

While I'm a bit sketchy on some of the details, I do wonder how, in this day and age, three masked guys just walk into a museum with guns on a Sunday afternoon and steal 163 million in paintings?

One does have to wonder...doesn't one? Of course I'm already creating the movie in my head and thinking up all sorts of nefarious plots and "what ifs".

Impressions - Part Deux

Blonde Woman with Bare Breasts
Edouard Manet

Gabrielle with Bare Breasts

Pierre August Renoir

Two more impressionists paintings for your viewing. Any thoughts?

Do you note the trend of bare breasts? My first post about impressionists had a painting of bare breasted women with a plate of mangoes. I think I will challenge myself to periodically see if I can find tasteful and beautiful artwork of bare breasted women.

Why? You might ask. Well, I have been inspired by one of the dearest and funniest guys I know.

Craig, this is for you because you like my blog when there are "boobs" in it and because you make me laugh and that is very dear and precious.

Rather beautiful aren't they?

Impressions

Two Women with Mangoes

by Paul Gauguin

It all started with a google search for pictures of women. One of the first links was to a site of paintings of women. When I saw this one it immediately reminded me of a great teacher I had in junior high school.

I was a military brat, 13 years old, living in Japan and I was attending a DOD (Dept of Defense) school.

Miss Halford would bring in a different print of a painting each week. The prints were mostly of impressionists. The print would hang in the classroom for a week and then on Fridays we were asked to journal about it. There were no limits on what our remarks could be or the length. Who knew at the time it would have an impact on me so many years later?

When I finally got to Paris a few years ago and went to the Musee D'Orsay and saw some of the actual paintings I'd first seen as prints in Miss Halford's class, I cried. Yeah, real tears! It was such an incredible feeling to feel linked to these paintings.

I stood in front of a couple of Van Gogh paintings for 10 minutes looking for those first impressions and thoughts I'd had so many years before.

Gauguin was one of the artists that shared our classroom. As soon as I saw this picture the memories came rushing back. So, here's to you Miss Halford...where ever you are!