One of the most difficult of my pictures to photograph (apart from the problems of photographing pictures behind glass) is this one by Peter Luti: one of his relatively few 'black phase' paintings. It was a present for my 60yh birhday and is one of the most treasured of my pictures.
These two original batiques were favourites of our late son Andrew and hung in his flat. They are so beautifully vibrant and positive that they really lift the room they are in.
I was having a coffee in a coffee bar/gallery in Napier some years ago when I saw this painting which was very representative of both the Art Deco heritage of Napier and the New Zealand Flax which is endemic in the country and also the wind which so often blew and made the heat so pleasant. It now graces my living room.
I was introduced to the art of Wes Martin by Kate a couple of years ago and when I went to his site this canvas entitled Autumn Winds and Winter Ghosts was on his easel. I fell for it instantly and it now sits next to the door netween my living room and the hall so I can see it and be happy every time I walk through the door. The frame was my choice.
Interesting one and all. The wind in the Napier one appears to be at odds with itself.
ReplyDeleteI can imagine seeing them in the "real" brings much life to them...if you know my meaning. There is always something new to see...something we've missed no matter how many times we look at them.
Lee the wind in Napier is usually at odds with itself! You are correct in that we usually look quite superficially at pictures and the maore we truly look the more we appreciate them.
DeleteYour son , Andrew , had great taste. The two pieces have energy.
ReplyDeleteRed I think that's a very apposite adjective.
DeleteThe set that belonged to Andrew are batiques? Wow - I would never have guessed that! All of these are great in their own way, but the last two are the ones I could imagine in my place, too. You chose the frame for the Wes Martin one perfectly.
ReplyDeleteYes Meike I'm assured that they are although how they were done defeats me. The frame is such an important part of the overall appearance and I'm pleased that you think I chose well.
DeleteYou do have some beautiful pictures, Grsham. I especially like the Peter Luti. Very atmospheric.
ReplyDeleteThank you Frances. I admire Peter's style very much. I should add that I may be accused of bias as we have been friends for many years. I would love to have a lot more of his pictures in my house but I'd need a bigger house!
DeleteI loved the Peter Luti painting and also the one with the girl being blown in the wind...reminds me of the "wild winds" that envelop me in my garden sometimes.
ReplyDeleteI've been surprised, Virginia, with the broad appeal that Peter Luti's picture has had amongst friends whom I would have thought had much more conventional tastes. The 'wild winds' are very close to home fo me especially as Storm Gertrude is just about to hit the Island.
DeleteSome common themes in many of the paintings you've been showing us so far strike me... Like open landscapes and seascapes, big and changing skies, and strong winds... I'm not surprised! (They remind me a lot of your own photography from the place/s where you have chosen to live and spend your time.) :) I like them all; but if I was to choose one of these to hang somewhere in my own home, it would be the last. The painting itself has "my colours", and I like the frame as well!
ReplyDeleteMonica I suppose quite a few of my painintings are of open spaces although I'd never thought of that consciously before. Some of the ones to come are less landscapey.
DeleteI really like the vibrancy in the paintings that belonged to Andrew.
ReplyDeleteYes Lynda. The photographs don't really do them justice. I should really set up my proper lights and the light tent and do it properly one day.
DeleteThe Peter Luti picture immediately made me think of your home - small betwixt land, sea and sky. I love the fact that the horizon is a perfectly straight line when the rest of the composition is more fluent and inexact. The red swathe seems elemental - perhaps volcanic, emerging from the earth below.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't rthought of it in relation to my own house YP nut you are quite right in the analogy. I've never asked Peter what was in his mind when he painted it. I shall try and remember to do so next time I'm there.
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