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Monday, October 28, 2013

Now Here's A Landscape

   

Vincent Van Gogh's "Landscape With House and Ploughman," 1889. I finished the puzzle this morning.

Over the weekend, I found a new iPad app to amuse myself and sharpen my eye. It's called Puzzles. I, of course, chose the art series. I had my choice of numbers of pieces. Being new to the app, I chose to work Vincent's marvelous landscape in 42 pieces. With each painting, they give you a little history. Vincent painted this among others a year before he shot himself in the chest and died two days later. He was despondent that his paintings didn't sell and he was living off of Theo.  His despair or shame is not evident in his work. I see rather strength and determination.

I figure this will be a fun app on the beach in between observing the crowds and photographing or painting unaware sunbathers for future painting references. In Mexico, hotel Internet, free and otherwise, goes down in the afternoons roughly between one and four. Only apps like these work.

Halfway There, oil, 11" x 9", March 2013
The trip is weeks away, but I am really anticipating it. I fully expect to be myself by the time we arrive at the airport.  The trick to a full recovery is to keep pushing that limb to move . As my PT sessions wind down, I initiated LWR's  personal physical therapy program to take up the slack and made great strides Sunday, pun intended. I walked twice around the cul-de-sac and up to the second fire hydrant. I have no idea how far that is, just that it is ten steps away from the left turn down a grassy knoll to the pathway that leads to our boat dock--a point about halfway there. By Spring, I should be all the way to the dock and back if I can keep my resolve through chilling winds and icy snow? This little landscape isn't as colorful or imaginative as Vincent's, but its painter has the same determination and drive--she just needs a more off the wall viewpoint. Vincent was off the wall enough to really push the colors splendidly.  






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20 comments:

  1. Jean SpitzerOctober 28, 2013 at 4:52 PM

    Hooray for you!

    You are indeed making great strides.

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    1. Linda RothOctober 28, 2013 at 5:39 PM

      It's a longer walk than I expected. Today, I noticed at PT I could jump and mentioned it to the therapist. She asked if I was talking about an exercise. I said I was talking about being able to jump in the pool. Tile pool steps are treacherous. The only way to get into a pool is to jump off the side.

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  2. JJOctober 28, 2013 at 5:57 PM

    Keep working and keep healing. Don't overdo it, of course.

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    1. Linda RothOctober 28, 2013 at 7:42 PM

      Every other day is my plan. One day stretches, resistance, a little cardio. The next day take a walk further than I did the last time. Both days ice, ice, ice. What amazes me is that age and a year of coddling the bum knee has not affected my flexibility or ability to balance. Stamina needs work. Who knew I was and still am athletic?

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  3. Gary L. EverestOctober 28, 2013 at 8:34 PM

    Hi Again, Linda,
    Great news to hear how well you're healing! And I must say, the landscape is a stunner. I guess I must've missed this one and I don't recall ever seeing you do anything quite like it. The photography is excellent, too. On my computer screen, those colors are ALIVE and very pleasing.
    Well Done!
    Sincerely,
    Gary.

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    1. Linda RothOctober 28, 2013 at 9:04 PM

      Thanks Gary. It was a spontaneous little painting done on the first mildest day to come our way after a long winter. I liked the long shadows of the buildings cast on the brown grass and the pink cast of the shrubbery. It was an impulsive and fast celebration of what was to come.

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  4. martinealisonOctober 29, 2013 at 2:08 AM

    Bonjour ma chère,

    Je vous sens extrêmement courageuse et je vous félicite pour cette aptitude d'adaptation... je vous souhaite un prompt rétablissement.
    Les oeuvres de Van Gogh me font toujours vibrer. Il y a une telle vérité, une sincérité et un bon sens... Une interprétation qui lui est propre. Une belle écriture.
    La vôtre n'est pas non plus négligeable... J'aime votre palette de couleurs et votre touche, différentes de ce que je suis capable de faire, mais c'est notre écriture...
    Gros bisous à vous.

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    1. Linda RothOctober 29, 2013 at 8:01 AM

      Non négligeable, mais je pourrais apprendre beaucoup de l'examen Vincent. Sa peinture brillante, j'ai découvert accidentellement, m'a rappelé ce petit paysage terne que j'ai fait, et m'a aussi montré ce que je pouvais faire pour respirer plus de vie dans les futures tentatives. Étreintes dos.

      Not negligible, but I could learn a lot from reviewing Vincent. His brilliant painting, I discovered accidently, reminded me of this dull little landscape I did, and also showed me what I could do to breath more life into future attempts. Hugs back.

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  5. JaneOctober 29, 2013 at 3:09 AM

    Your landscape is really beautiful , such rich layers of paint and wonderful colors and depth .

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    1. Linda RothOctober 29, 2013 at 7:35 AM

      It had been a fun walk. The winter weather had finally let up. The sun was out and the snow had melted. The pink of Spring was in the air. It was still too cold to walk all the way down to the dock, but warmer weather was ahead. This little painting, painted before lunch, commemorates an uplifting morning.

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  6. JudyOctober 29, 2013 at 4:28 AM

    I was attracted by this red little thumbnail image in my sidebar, wow, I didn't know this Van Gogh. Your landscape, totally different, has wonderful depth and I love the use of paint and the colours!

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    1. Linda RothOctober 29, 2013 at 7:29 AM

      I wasn't familiar with it either Judy. That's why I chose to work it as a puzzle. Next to Crows and My Little Room and the portraits and all the others I know, I was surprised I had missed this brilliant beauty. What I like about all his work is it's flatness. There's not a lot of modeling going on. There's texture and direction in his brushstrokes. And colors left pure and not grayed down. In life colors are grayed down, e.g. my little landscape, which truly is meager next to Vincent's.

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  7. Dan KentOctober 29, 2013 at 11:39 AM

    I love the colors and textures in your landscape! Comparing Van Gogh to yours - it's apples and oranges. Sure you could have used bright colors, but the whole spirit of this piece would have been lost.

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    1. Linda RothOctober 29, 2013 at 2:01 PM

      Well you are very kind Dan. Stumbling across this Van Gogh, opened my eyes to how dull my landscapes are and maybe I should push them a bit and stop referring to the reference photos? It's going to be fun to try. I have two big ones down there waiting to be brought to life. They might be just right for getting back to work? Acrylics are so immediate, perfect for jumping back into the paint.

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  8. hmuxoOctober 29, 2013 at 7:58 PM

    This landscape is amazing.. I really love the texture, and beautiful colors!!! Your landscapes are as good as your portraits, Linda!!!
    SO glad you're feeling better...

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    1. Linda RothOctober 30, 2013 at 7:21 AM

      Thanks Hilda. It was a fun Spring Equinox celebration. Hopefully I have another coming up. This time dressed warm enough to get closer to the dock. It's pretty down there. I missed going last summer.

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  9. Celeste BerginOctober 29, 2013 at 11:54 PM

    I can never hear the words "grassy knoll" without thinking of......well. you know. I like the looks of that app! what fun....and your landscape is bold! There is some talk that maybe van Gogh was murdered (more conspiracy theories)...but it jibes with what you wrote about how he never seemed like he had low self esteem...quite the opposite! He painted with such verve!

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  10. Celeste BerginOctober 29, 2013 at 11:55 PM

    p.s. glad your knee is getting so much better! You're bionic!

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    1. Linda RothOctober 30, 2013 at 7:17 AM

      Not exactly bionic. I wish. Van Gogh could have been a quarrelsome character easy to provoke given his passion, circumstances and red hair. When I read he shot himself in the chest, I thought a suicidal person wouldn't have chosen the chest,; he would have chosen the head for immediate death. So perhaps there's something to the murder story? --And who would be the first person of interest? Theo. Theo had been putting up with Vincent's craziness and laziness for years. He had a family of his own to support and looking after Vincent was an economic strain as well as a mental one. Enough of his crazy pictures! Bang! He's dead. I've been watching a lot of TV lately. :-)). But his many paintings, his lively palette and vigorous brushstrokes, his ambition to make a mark in the art world do suggest his passion for life--was that the name of the movie with Kurt Douglas and Anthony Quinn?

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  11. juliefordoliver.blogspot.comOctober 31, 2013 at 10:27 AM

    So colorful. His strokes are active and colors a riot of joy.
    How he arrived at this style from his previous work is the real joy and interest for me. The later pieces from his Brown period started to show the lyrical movements of the brush which would develop into his mature style.
    I thank you once again for another recommendation for an app.
    I was raised in a house with a huge jigsaw puzzle going at all times - still love them.
    Finally - congrats on using your self proclaimed stubborn streak to push towards the goal of total recovery. Admirable!

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