I visited the MFA last night with a good friend of mine from Syracuse. We took an art history class together, way back in our freshman year of college, and art is still  something we love to chat about. Lucky for us, we ended up in the same city after we graduated, so we can do this kind of artsy fartsy stuff together! More MFA dates need to happen, SK!! đŸ™‚Â
The main reason we went was to FINALLY see John Singer Sargent’s watercolor exhibit. It has been up since October and this was the last week it would be showing. His watercolor work is so amazing. WATERCOLOR! How does one master than tricky medium?! Far away, his brushstrokes blended together perfectly and looked just like sun reflecting on the water. BUT when you looked closer, they were just … brushstrokes. You could see each, individual one. And it looked so effortless. But I’m sure each one was placed in it’s spot for a reason!
In my little world, a painting is AMAZING if it makes me want to jump right into it. Yeah. Weird, I know. But anyways, this oil (one of the few in the exhibit) stopped me in my tracks. I had to go back a second AND third time just to make sure it would forever be in my head.
Why it’s so amazing, in three reasons:Â A) The lighting is perfect and airy. I can just image floor-to-ceiling, arched windows right outside of the frame, ones that look out onto the ocean. B) It looks like a Sunday, and I love Sundays. Unmade bed, comfy clothes and all. And C) Whoever this man is, I bet he is smart. Someone I’d like to learn from and hang out with, someone who would have a lot of stories to share to anyone who would listen.
Yes, I think about these things when I look at paintings. Mostly, the paintings I really like. The paintings that have a clear story built in.
This has been an inspirational blog post.
~S
