Passionate Purple Painters
by Miriam Schulman, @schulmanArt
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| Mary Cassatt, Lilacs in a Window |
February is a time to fall in love– with people but also with painters. For those with a lifelong love affair with art, don’t walk but run to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to check out the newly renovated American Wing. Many paintings pulled from its permanent collections are now arranged both chronologically as well as thematically. One gallery is better than the next with the stately space, well lit rooms and reframed masterpieces. You will fall in love all over again with many of your favorite painters. One room that made my heart leap included the American Impressionists. Along with some of the finest examples of mother child paintings by Mary Cassatt, is an unusual example of a still life. A dark aubergine vase containing purple and white lilacs is presented with an angular fluency and dash characteristic of Cassatt’s best work,. Cassatt, who concentrated on portraying the human figure, rarely painted pure still life.
In the same gallery, you will find two more large paintings that also have dominant colors of purples and lilacs. A striking Nude on display is a painting called Summer. The nude figure is depicted with lavender skin tones. in a glorious high key color palette next to a clothed woman. The artist,
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Summer, Frederick Carl Frieseke |
Frederick Carl Frieseke, was among a group of American Impressionist artists who settled in the French village of Giverny, forty miles northwest of Paris. This group, which lived in Giverny in the early 1900s, is sometimes referred to as the Giverny Luminists, was attracted to the village by the presence of the great French Impressionist Claude Monet, who had settled there in 1883.
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Fleur de Lis, Robert Reid |
Another striking painting in this gallery is by Robert Lewis Reid, an American Impressionist painter and muralist. Robert Reid was born in Stockbridge, Massachusetts and attended the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and at the Art Students League, and in 1885 he went to Paris to study at the Académie Julian. His early pictures were figures of French peasants.
Looking for purple art at peasant prices? Check out all my purple fine art decor for sale on etsy.
Purple is Perfect this time of year for present as the amethyst is February’s birthstone…
So glad you featured this treasury- so I could find out about your beautiful blog!
thanks! I can't wait to read more!
I am so glad you featured these artists. People are generally familiar with Mary Cassatt, the others, not so much. I am off to read about the Luminists.
I want to thank you for featuring Tali's beautiful treasury and my vintage amethyst German rough-cut rondels. I have been collecting beads since I was a very young girl, and I feel my little roughcuts are outstanding because of their depth of color.
Amethyst is the February birth stone and is also considered the stone of sobriety. It is supposed to be calming and soothing, leading to clear insight.
Nice article on the MMOA. It is nice to see impressionists of America. My purple neck scarf included in the treasury would be a lovely addition to a person's wardrobe for these cold winter days. Deep purple leaves run the length of the scarf and is very striking.
Purple for centuries has been the color most associated to royalty. This is due to the fact that when using natural dyes,in Europe before the discovery of the New World, purple was one of the colors which was difficult to produce as a fiber and fabric dye. The main source was from a type of marine mollusk, which made the dye very expensive, thus the color of royalty.
The appropriateness of the color purple for February comes from the tradition that Amethyst is the birth stone for this month.
The inclusion of our Purple Multicolor Colonial Wool Roving, that is used to spin yarn and ultimately produce a fabric, as one of the representations of the color purple for February , is perfect.
It relates both to the historical use as a color in fibers, fabric, and clothing plus it represents the color itself, the last color in the Rainbow.
Thank you for including the Treasury that featured our product in an article that points out the artistic use of the color.
Beautiful paintings, great blog article and wonderful treasury. Thanks for including me 🙂
Thank you for featuring the treasury that I created which features a wonderful selection of items that represent the color of the February birthstone. My amethyst nugget cluster bracelet is featured in the treasury.
I love all the birthstone colors, but amethyst is one of my favorites because purple is such a beautiful color. Because amethyst is the birthstone that represents February, my bracelet would make a wonderful birthday gift for any female birthday baby.
Thanks again for featuring my treasury.
Tali
Absolutely wonderful article and the paintings you have shown are just stunning. A beautiful array of colors and such beautiful artist's workmanship.
I am very honored to have my Plumeria tart melts included in your Purple for all of the February babies. Purple is such a romantic, soft and warm color as well as bold and daring.It has such depth and layers and beauty such as the paintings. Plumeria is clean, fresh, layered and a wonderful spring floral scent perfect for the February babies.
Purple is perfect for February because it is a soothing color and we also need some cheering up following the winter season.