Latest news with #paintings
New York Times
9 hours ago
- General
- New York Times
My Mother, the Artist, Discovered at 90
In the past month, I have been selling and giving away paintings. They are not the work of a famous artist or even my own output. No, they are the 400-painting oeuvre of my 90-year-old mother. A literature scholar by profession, she retired long ago from teaching and had painted nearly every day for 30 years due to a fiendish work ethic. But four months ago, she was diagnosed with cancer. I have been helping her with her chemotherapy appointments, among other only-child caretaker duties. For me, there has been a parallel quest, though: to sell or give away some of her oil paintings, many of which are still stored in her apartment. Finding homes for the paintings while she is still with me has taken on a strange urgency — I want her to know where they will dwell. I ask the new owner of each painting to send me a photograph to show her where it hangs. Yet there is more to it than that. As a result of cataloging and handling her work, I understand better what it is that she was doing, painting away, often alone, with only a few people — her fellow amateur artist retiree friends and the like — ever seeing most of what she made. Paintings can be seen as commemorating time or capturing individual subjectivity. While decades of art criticism have put these truisms in question, for my mother painting did give shape to her way of seeing. Why hadn't I paid more attention to her paintings before? Looking anew, I found out things about her that I had never bothered to think about — children, of course, don't tend to dwell on their parents' ambitions or reveries. My guess is that painting made her feel free, outside of time, age, self-criticism, self-doubt and even social class. My mother painted when she was young, and her abstract oils hung in our living room. I didn't think about them very much when I was a kid, although their very '60s color schemes might explain why my favorite color is orange. Then she took a long break, a career to attend to, a child to raise, teaching, with its small pleasures mixed with blue-book-grading drudgery. But after her early retirement from the City University of New York system — the buyouts of the 1990s — she suddenly had time for art classes. She describes it as 'a whole second life.' Some days, she'd paint all day long, sometimes just in the mornings. She painted in the Berkshires with painting friends and in a studio in an old-time artists' building in Union Square, a relic of an art scene in Manhattan that barely exists. All of this — being able to retire early, obtaining a reasonably priced studio to paint in (with excellent light, praise be), even an accessibly priced summer home — was, admittedly, part of an entire system of affordability that has basically vanished from many of our major cities. My mother was generationally lucky in this way. Over the years, my mom was in group exhibitions but never sought out a gallery show. To this day, she has a mixture of self-effacement and pride about her work. Her paintings may not be 'worth' a gallery show, in her mind, but they certainly shouldn't be cast out on the streets. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
CBC
4 days ago
- General
- CBC
Residents shocked after fire destroys historic church in Saint-Ours, Que.
Only the four stone walls of the 19th-century building were left standing after lightning sparked the fire. The paintings and Casavant organ were also destroyed.
CBC
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Demystifying the mysterious death of great Canadian painter, Tom Thomson
* Originally published on November 9, 2018. Tom Thomson's paintings are among the most famous and beloved artworks in Canada. Thomson himself is one of the most mythologized Canadians of his time — and ours. Now, 100 years after his mysterious death on Canoe Lake in Algonquin Park, when he was at the peak of his powers, IDEAS producer Sean Foley asks one central question: does the mortal and material fascination with Tom Thomson leave us with something enduring — something to carry us through the next century, and beyond? Finding beauty in the void Tom Thomson didn't — couldn't — leave behind the same detailed traces that we do now. He may not have wanted to. He didn't seem like an 'Instagram your supper' kind of guy. But then, that's just projection on my part. When he died suddenly in 1917, he left a few letters, a relatively small number of major paintings, and — the real treasure — hundreds of oil sketches done on boards in one corner or another of Algonquin Park. As for us, we're captured on CCTV cameras everywhere we go. We want to show the whole world where we are and what our ideal selves look like. These days, it's not so hard to distract ourselves from the unknowable. So when we confront the unknowable, how do we react? In this two-part series, I explore what we think we know about Tom Thomson, what distracts us from knowing, and what connects us to the deeper gifts of his life and work. We'll look at the historical record, and how it's been spun out over the past century. We'll also explore the poetry of Robert Kroetsch, Joyce Wieland's film The Far Shore, and, most powerfully, the paintings Tom left us, many of which he simply gave away to acquaintances, friends, and family. Gregory Klages is a historian and author of The Many Deaths of Tom Thomson: Separating Fact from Fiction. He has traced the stories about Thomson's life and death back to as many primary sources as he could find. And it's fascinating to see how little factual evidence underpins many of the most popular Thomson tales. "All sorts of aspects of his life and death and artwork became good hooks or interesting things for us to talk about and speculate on. And sometimes to make an interesting story, to make a provocative story — to insert something a little bit salacious or juicy or to to riff on an idea that made people go 'ooh I never thought of it that way. That's interesting, that's intriguing.' And there's nothing to contradict the idea. So it 'could' be true." Just why, and how, do we speculate? Well, we seem to do it reflexively. And we do it in the form of biography and history just as often as we do in fiction and mythology — especially with an elusive character like Tom Thomson. Sherrill Grace, a professor Emerita at the University of British Columbia, explores biographies and fictions about Tom Thomson in her book Inventing Tom Thomson. She's also an accomplished biographer herself. She says we can't — and perhaps shouldn't — think we can capture the 'real person' we're writing about. The minute we start writing about somebody, or performing something about somebody else's life, we are already creating a fiction story about that person which matters to us; and if the person is dead, that person doesn't give a damn, do they? - Sherrill Grace But of course we do. Which is probably why we can't stop reading, writing, or even tweeting our own life stories, and those with whom we are fascinated. Though it has its pitfalls, the mythologizing and the storytelling and the intrigue is part of why I did this series. I had to hear about Tom Thomson to fall in love with his paintings. British art historian Ian Dejardin first heard about Tom Thomson in the library at the Royal Academy in London. Now he's running the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinburg, Ontario — which has nearly 100 Thomson paintings, as well as the actual shack he worked in. For Dejardin, it's Thomson's lightning-fast mastery of paint during the last few years of his life that fascinates: "He suddenly found his language, and he found it in colour and immediacy and also that whole business of being an explorer out there in the 'wilderness' so-called with your canoe. [It] meant that you could only paint on a small scale. You had to paint on a small board that you could then carry in a box. And that fed into his genius as well. Those conversations, that liberation of colour, and the technique that was forced on him by the business of having to carry your stuff into the wilderness in a canoe... resulted in this perfect storm: an absolutely perfect marriage of genius, eyesight, and technique." And, ultimately, that's what fills the void: beauty, energy, and joy, all rendered in paint. Gregory Klages is a historian and the author of The Many Deaths of Tom Thomson: Separating Fact from Fiction (Dundurn Press, 2016). Sherrill Grace is Professor Emerita at the University of British Columbia and the author of Inventing Tom Thomson (McGill-Queen's University Press, 2004). Ian Dejardin is an art historian and the former executive director of the McMichael Canadian Art Collection.
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
50 years ago: IBM workmates combined to create Inverclyde masterpieces (1975)
From our archives... WORKMATES Matt Anderson and Jack Holt have combined their hobbies and come up with a real winner. The result of their getting together are the two large attractive paintings of old Greenock, which are so proudly displaying. Matt and Jack work at IBM in Spango Valley. Matt (left) and Jack (right) in 1975 (Image: Archive) Matt an enthusiastic collector of old Greenock material, was rummaging through his collection when he found two pictures which he thought would look good as large reproductions. He enlisted the artistic talents of Jack, whose hobby is painting, and the result are these paintings which would grace any home. Other Archive News 75 years ago: When a miniature wedding for young ones was held in Greenock (1950) 50 years ago: Port Glasgow minister stands before the altar to marry his bride (1975) 50 years ago: Greenock engineer bags huge international contract (1975) On the left is the Mid Quay from a picture dated 1898. On the right, of course, the Municipal Buildings in 1935. This article was first published in the Greenock Telegraph on July 9, 1975.
UAE Moments
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- UAE Moments
The Six Best Paintings by Vincent van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh is one of the most celebrated and influential artists in history. Known for his expressive use of color, bold brushstrokes, and emotionally charged works, van Gogh created around 900 paintings during his lifetime. Though he faced personal struggles and limited recognition while alive, his artwork is now considered priceless. Here are six of the best paintings by Vincent van Gogh that exemplify his visionary talent and enduring legacy. 1. The Starry Night (1889) Arguably van Gogh's most iconic work, The Starry Night captures a swirling night sky over the village of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. Created while van Gogh was in a mental asylum, the painting expresses both turbulence and serenity with its dynamic sky, cypress trees, and quiet town below. The bold colors and rhythmic brushwork make it one of the most recognized and loved paintings in the world. Location: The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York 2. Irises (1889) Painted during his time at the asylum in Saint-Rémy, Irises showcases van Gogh's fascination with nature and color. The vivid blues, purples, and greens highlight his attention to detail and unique composition style. Each iris is given its personality, making the painting feel alive and full of motion. Location: J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles 3. Sunflowers (1888) Van Gogh's Sunflowers series is among his most celebrated works. The version created in Arles features a vibrant bouquet of sunflowers in a simple vase. The yellows range from golden to ochre, reflecting van Gogh's mastery of color and light. The painting symbolizes friendship and gratitude and was created to decorate the guest room for his friend Paul Gauguin. Location: National Gallery, London 4. The Bedroom in Arles (1888) The Bedroom is a deeply personal painting that represents comfort, solitude, and van Gogh's longing for stability. The use of flat colors and skewed perspective gives the room a dreamlike quality. This painting was one of van Gogh's favorites, and he created three versions of it. Location: Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam 5. Wheatfield with Crows (1890) Believed to be one of van Gogh's final works, Wheatfield with Crows conveys a sense of foreboding and emotional intensity. The dark sky, swirling crows, and divided path reflect the inner turmoil he experienced shortly before his death. The painting is often seen as a haunting yet powerful farewell from the artist. Location: Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam 6. The Avenue of Les Alyscamps (1888) Painted during his time in Arles, The Avenue of Les Alyscamps depicts a tree-lined Roman necropolis path in rich autumn colors. Van Gogh was inspired by the changing seasons and often painted this site with Gauguin. The vibrant oranges and yellows highlight his skill in capturing the mood and atmosphere of a setting. Final Brushstroke Vincent van Gogh's work transcends time, emotion, and artistic convention. These six paintings reflect his unique vision and the intensity with which he saw the world. Whether you're an art lover or a curious admirer, exploring these masterpieces offers a deeper appreciation of one of history's greatest painters.
