Blog – Page 4 – The Christina Gallery

An Art Nouveau Calendar

Art Nouveau, although short-lived, defined the social landscape of turn of the century Europe. The movement sought to socialize all art forms, viewing crafts and decorative arts as equally valuable to what has historically been known as ‘high art,’ painting and sculpture. Artists working within the style created modern motifs blending organic curvilinear shapes with angular designs. Art Nouveau can be seen as a rejection of the ornate art celebrated in the Victorian-era and the patronizing academic attitude often credited for the decline in the prestige of decorative art.

In 1894 the French department store La Belle Jardinière commissioned Grasset to complete a series of twelve original artworks for a calendar the fashionable retailer would then publish. In twelve iterations corresponding to each calendar month, Grasset depicts beautiful young women in seasonal costumes and gardens that incorporate his signature Art Nouveau style into whimsical color wood engravings. In “Octobre” a woman is shown raking leaves in an autumn garden full of green, yellow and brown foliage. Despite partaking in yard work the woman is elegantly dressed, advertising La Belle Jardinière. She wears a long-sleeved yellow dress and a wide brimmed hat protecting her from the elements; her skirt is blowing in the breeze.

Eugène Grasset’s diverse body of work exemplifies the attempt to eliminate the hierarchy of the arts. Best known for his poster art, his career spanned a multitude of different media including drawing, sculpture, architecture, tapestry, ceramics and jewelry-making. Grasset approached each endeavor with the same enthusiasm and did not discriminate against lesser-appreciated craft-art. The 19^th century had been a time of great industrial achievement yet the quality and workmanship of decorative arts was not yet up to par. Grasset, and other Art Nouveau artists, returned the skill to craft-making.

All twelve images can be seen here and at The Christina Gallery. Read more of Eugène Grasset’s biography here.

A Look Back in Time: Historic Marine Scenes

William R. Davis has made his name as a painter of historic sea and landscapes. Known as one of the best marine painters of our time, Davis is a self-taught artist who learned to paint by studying the works of 19^th century masters. Francis Silva’s works showed Davis that warm tones are pleasing to the eye, while astute observation of William Bradford’s paintings led to Davis’ technique of priming his canvas in salmon hues. The salmon under-painting results in the warm glow that marks each of Davis’ oil paintings.

"Gay Head Light c. 1890" by William R. Davis — “Gay Head Light c. 1890” by William R. Davis

Davis was born in 1952 in Somerville, MA and grew up near the water in Hyannis where he developed a love of sailing that would last a lifetime. He has amassed a library of over one thousand texts on marine artists, historic vessels, maritime charts, and other boating related books. He thoroughly researches each landscape in order to recreate its 19^th century appearance. Davis uses a gentle hand and a soft sable brush to create his carefully rendered oil paintings. His works are defined by their warm color palette, impeccably detailed subject matter, smooth surface, and atmospheric lighting. Renowned for his ability to accurately portray the billowing sheets and taught lines of a schooner, he is also unmatched in his ability to emulate the quality of light in a dewy sunrise or a pink-tinged sunset. His perceptive appreciation of light allows him to capture the power of nature in every painting. Collectors of Davis’ art praise the elegant way his brushstrokes melt into the surface of the canvas and the accuracy with which he captures the turn-of-the-century seascapes.

William R. Davis’ work is reminiscent of the American Luminism of the late eighteen hundreds. The style is defined by the use of natural light, often sunrise or sunset, in the paintings of American landscapes. Davis’ work can be found in collections and exhibitions around the world, including at The Christina Gallery in Edgartown, Martha’s Vineyard.

Lillia Frantin: A Contemporary Modernist

Walking past the windows of The Christina Gallery, one can’t help but notice the bright colors and bold brushstrokes of Lillia Frantin’s “Still Life on a Summer Day.” The large canvas radiates energy while Frantin’s palette of pastel and neon shades illuminates space far beyond the painting’s frame. A bouquet of pink flowers blooms in a glass vase. Green stems create contrast with the orange and yellow backdrop of the painting, and the plate of oranges at the foot of the floral arrangement.

"Still Life on a Summer Day" by Lillia Frantin — “Still Life on a Summer Day” by Lillia Frantin

Lillia Frantin’s influence by Expressionists and Fauvists such as Matisse, Cezanne, and Bonnard is clear. Like her precursors, she tests the limits of representation in her signature loosely painted, energetic still lifes. After teaching Modernist Art History at the university level for twenty years Frantin retired to pursue her painting career full-time. Looking at Frantin’s paintings is like seeing the world through her eyes. As she describes “…Art is really what we all search for in life: understanding and respect, harmony and freedom, connection, vitality, truth and beauty.”

The Christina Gallery welcomes Lillia Frantin’s Modernist oil paintings back after a ten-year hiatus. Her work can be found in collections across the United States and abroad. Come visit us at the gallery and ask us for more information or to see her vibrant works yourself.

The First Gallery Stroll and an Interview with Lloyd Kelly

Last night’s reception of Lloyd Kelly’s “Paintings of Provence” coincided with the first Gallery Stroll of Summer 2012. The gallery was filled with visitors from all sides of the island. Guests enjoyed drinks and conversation while looking at paintings by artists such as William Davis, John Traynor, Russell Gordon, Lillia Frantin and four generations of the Pissarro family.

After viewing “Paintings of Provence,” I was able to enjoy a conversation with the artist Lloyd Kelly. He talked candidly about his inspiration for the show, his approach to painting in general, and his interest in the Far East. – Erica Udow, Gallery Associate, The Christina Gallery

An Interview with Lloyd:

The theme of this exhibition is Provence, France. Many artists in history have embraced this subject. What inspired you to continue the tradition?

“Impressionists called themselves Japanesists because they were so influenced by the Japanese. The South of France is inspirational because of the food, the wine…magic light there. It is still a big influence on artists today. There is such diversity of landscape; nature is so present. It energizes the artist and inspires…”

Speaking of inspiration, you have spoken of the influence the eighteenth century Japanese artist Ito Jakuchu has had on your work. How did that develop?

“First of all through textbooks and also through my interest in martial arts and Tai Chi starting as a child. My father was in the military and travelled to Japan. Because of things that my father brought back, I started becoming more and more interested in China and Japan.”

What about Jakuchu’s work appeals to you?

“The specific influence of Ito is that he incorporates asymmetric balance that for the time was very unique. He really is arguably one of the greatest artists of all time.”

Are there other artists whose work you find to be particularly influential?

“Do you know the artist Morandi? Giorgio Morandi was from Bologna. He was very influential on people like Rothko. You name the big artist and they were all looking towards Morandi. He has always been an artist’s artist. He takes very simple objects that are conventional so that [the object], be it landscape or still life, is not about the subject matter at all, it just becomes a way into the subject matter.”

In “Arts & Ideas” you mention that your work is abstract and not only about the obvious subject matter of the painting. Is Morandi’s approach what you are referring to?”

“For example the Chinese and Japanese will paint the same peach blossom for generations. It is not about the peach blossom [itself], but what each artist brings to the peach blossom. Morandi lived with his mother and painted the same objects over and over…dealing with abstract and contemporary issues… moving around space, and color. [He made] the subject matter accessible to the viewer. It is really about something else even though the subject matter is traditional and conventional.”

I read about your use of bourbon as paint thinner in a series of equestrian portraits you painted a few years ago. Have you continued to use this technique in your recent works, or was that an one-off experiment?

“I use lavender oil in the paint. Sometimes, in fact, the UPS people will ask ‘what is this I have in my truck!’ Spike of lavender was used during the Renaissance… It causes the paint to flow. It slows down the drying and one can really draw with the paint. I use it in small passages, often in the lavender blossoms themselves. I sometimes use bourbon or cognac or calvados. I go to the distilleries and they give me the designate, which is completely clear, and does not contain the chemicals and tannins and so forth. It disperses the pigments differently than chemical mediums.”

How did you come up with the idea to use unconventional mediums?

“After school I [completed coursework in] Museum Studies at The Louvre and The Tate. I collected [indigenous materials]. I think it is fun. I think it’s interesting. There’s some sort of an authenticity to it. It is kind of like living off the land. I think that the source is from my museum education at the Louvre.”

Your oil paintings demonstrate an adept ability to manipulate color…

“You can only get about 170 colors [readymade from an art store]. The human eye, untrained, can see up to 700 with no problem. With a little training [it] can see up to a few thousand. The interaction of colors is something that interests me a lot. That is why I do so much under painting. The viewer’s eye mixes the colors. The colors that I mix are [just the first step in creating the final product]. The viewer’s eye brings it together to another place.”

Four Generations: Camille Pissarro & Family

Born on the island of St. Thomas in 1830, Camille Pissarro became a master of the Impressionist movement whose influence extended to not only his contemporaries in Paris, where his career blossomed, but also to his own immediate family. Pissarro learned to paint by carefully observing the changing light during different times of day and different seasons, a legacy he passed on to all those who studied under him.

Of Pissarro’s seven children, four of his sons grew to be respected artists in their own right; Lucien, Ludovic-Rodo, Georges Henri and Paulémile. Lucien, the eldest, was skilled in a variety of media, ranging from oils and watercolors to engravings and lithographs. Aside from studying under his father, he also surrounded himself with such figures as Paul Signac and Georges Seurat. The pointillist style practiced by these two masters affected Lucien’s style, as well as his father’s.

Pissarro with his wife and son, Paulemile, and daughter, Jeanne in their garden at Eragny in 1897

Though Lucien eventually moved to London permanently, playing a large role in spreading the Impressionist movement in Britain, the majority of Camille’s other artistic protégés remained closer to home. Georges Henri, who went by the alias “Manzana” in his earlier years, was a prolific painter and decorative artist who regularly exhibited paintings in the avant-garde galleries and exhibitions across Paris, including but not limited to the “Salon d’Automne” and the “Salon de Independents.”

Georges Henri’s next closest brother, Ludovic-Rodo, was a figure in the anti-academic Parisian art world; his first woodcuts were published in the anarchist journal Le Pere Peunard. Rodo and the youngest Pissarro brother, Paulémile, lived in the Montmarte region and frequented the nightlife and cafe scene there, coming into contact with such Fauvists as Maurice Vlaminck, Kees Van Dongen and Raoul Dufy.

Paulémile’s oldest child, Hugues Claude, who was named after his godfather, Claude Monet, was born in 1935 and is still actively painting. Initially taught by his father, Hugues first exhibited his work at the age of fourteen. He subsequently studied art in Paris at prestigious establishments such as Ecole du Musée du Louvre and, in particular, at Ecole Normale Supérieur, a unique French institution dedicated to the pursuit of achievement and excellence to which only the academic elite have access. Hugues youngest child, Lélia was born in 1963. She has been painting since she was four and was educated by her grandfather, Paulémile. Her interest in drawing and painting was nurtured by her grandfather, who taught her the fundamental impressionist and post-impressionist techniques.

February 2012 – Our trip to Paris

Bonjour! As I mentioned in the last blog we would be traveling to Paris in the early part of February to visit with colleagues who handle modern master works on paper. It was a very successful trip and we enjoyed our time there, even though it was unseasonably cold. It seems all of Europe is enduring some very cold weather of late.

We stayed on Ile St. Louis which is very quaint with its wonderful array of cafes, boutiques, patisseries and speciality markets. My parents were surprised with a visit by my brother, Matthew and his friend Stuart. Matthew will be starting a new position as Vice-President of Strategic Planning for Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, so he decided to get away before starting his new job.

The Musée d’Orsay is always a must when we are visiting Paris. On the fifth floor is the museum’s Impressionist Collection which was outstanding. I don’t think I have ever seen this gallery filled with so many paintings, it was if they all came back at once from being out on loan. I could have spent hours in those rooms.

The museum has also made some recent acquisitions, including The Circle of the Rue Royale by James Tissot. This magnificent painting is a group portrait depicting members of a men’s club posh, gathered on a terrace overlooking the Place de la Concorde in Paris, and at the time, gave recognition to Tissot as “one of the most talented painters of his generation.”

"The Circle of the Rue Royale" by James Tissot c. Musee d'Orsay — “The Circle of the Rue Royale” by James Tissot c. Musee d’Orsay

We also visited the Musée Marmottan Monet in the 16 arrondissement to view an exhibition “Henri Edmond Cross and Neo-Impressionism: Seurat to Matisse.” The museum once was a hunting lodge and also has an extensive display of Impressionist works by Monet, Morisot, Pissarro, Degas, Sisley to name just a few, with a wonderful collection of period furniture throughout the museum.

We did purchase several works on paper during our stay, including Printemps and Prodigal Son (suite of four etchings) both by James Tissot, Gants de Suede by James Whistler, La Belle Jardiniere a calendar of images dated 1896 by Eugene Grasset and several other works which will make their way to our website once they are framed.

It’s always nice to come home after being away for awhile, but I certainly could have spent another week in the City of Lights. It really is a magical city!

Sailors’ Valentines by Sandi Blanda

Sailors’ Valentines are part of an old maritime history dating back to the 19^th century. On Martha’s Vineyard Sailors’ Valentines remind visitors of the island’s whaling heritage.

Mambo by Sandi Blanda — “Mambo” by Sandi Blanda

Often made of Spanish cedar, Sailors’ Valentines are octagonal shaped boxes, lined with fabric and filled with intricate geometric patterns of colored seashells. These works, originally called ‘Fancy Work’ are native to Barbados. Locals used thirty-five types of indigenous shells to form their elaborate designs. Sailors travelling to the area from England and America would purchase the mementos in port to bring home to their loved ones. The colloquial name ‘Sailors’ Valentine’ was inspired by the sentimental messages, such as “Truly Thine,” that were occasionally worked into the shell mosaic.

Sandi Blanda is a folk artist currently living in Plymouth, MA. Blanda uses only naturally colored shells to create her contemporary versions of the Victorian era’s Sailors’ Valentines. She was captivated by the romantic folktale (though untrue) that sailors created these mementos themselves while out at sea. Inspired by the notion that such ornate objects were created for loved ones, and her personal love of flowers, Blanda sought out to produce her own iteration of the Sailors’ Valentine. She remains true to the tradition, working shells within octagonal wooden boxes. Some of these cases are hinged so when closed they take the form of unassuming simple boxes, but when opened they reveal intricate and colorful designs. This was very common amongst the Victorian Sailors’ Valentines because it protected the shell work while the sailors were at sea. Blanda’s sophisticated creations can take up to four months to complete due to their precise and meticulous nature. These precious artworks are treasured by generations as they are passed down within families.

Camille Pissarro and His Family

Camille Pissarro (1830 – 1903) is frequently referred to as the patriarch of the Impressionist movement. Pissarro moved from his birthplace of St. Thomas to Caracas in 1852, and after this taste of independence from his family’s bourgeois life, returned to Paris (where he had studied as a boy) in 1855 to begin his life as an artist. Pissarro’s artistic talents were apparent from an early age, yet he increasingly grew to dislike the aesthetic canon revered by the Salons of Paris. Pissarro embraced the technical act of painting [and printmaking] and enjoyed the freedom and possibility that the paintbrush allowed him. He eliminated historical and sentimental associations from his artwork and instead focused on the quality of light and the modeling of form. Academies and the Salon that presided over the respected artistic world of Europe did not share this viewpoint. Instead they admired the artist whose work captured the likeness of the subject matter while not revealing the artist’s hand or the mark of the brush. A passionate brushstroke was seen as a weakness. Pissarro, along with his like-minded contemporaries including Monet, Renoir, Degas, Sisley and Morisot, organized their own exhibition of Impressionist works separate from the exhibitions hosted by the Salon. This exhibition was held in 1874 and was the first of eight independent Impressionist shows.

Throughout his life, Pissarro remained committed to his artistic ideals which were adopted by his children and future generations of artists. He was the only artist to exhibit works in all eight of the independent exhibitions, demonstrating his support of the younger generations of Impressionist artists. All of Camille Pissarro’s children were encouraged to draw frequently and four of his seven sons became well-established artists in their own right.

"Femme a la Barriere" by Camille Pissarro 1889 — “Femme a la Barriere” by Camille Pissarro 1889

Pissarro produced engravings for his own enjoyment; he did not seek to sell them and as such they are often printed on small or unrefined pieces of paper. Despite this amateur attitude towards the medium of printmaking, Pissarro was to become a master in aquatint later in his career. His Femme a la Barriere (1889) combined both drypoint and aquatint and is a prime example of the varied techniques with which Pissarro experimented. He was known for remaining open minded about methods of artistic expression and embraced many styles within his works. The print is of a woman opening a garden gate. Varied lines capture the texture of the woman’s bustling skirt, the leaves of a bush blowing in the breeze, and the fine detail of the thatched roof cottage in the background. Pissarro’s prints reveal his private thought process and layers of preparation that lie behind each of his oil paintings.