Summer Art...Visual Chicken Soup for the Soul!

Fishing Boats on the Beach at Saintes-Maries
Vincent Van Gogh June 1888

Now and then I like to post about art because I think art, along with music and laughter, are chicken soup for the soul. And who can't use some chicken soup? So before summer turns to fall, some visual chicken soup for your viewing pleasure.

Summer Paintings from Impressionist Artists

Impressionism began in France in the mid-19th century. This art movement emphasized free flowing brushstrokes and use of light and color, as opposed to the traditional approach of using somber tones, and following more exacting lines and contours. I think Impressionist art has a dreamy quality and many of my favorite paintings are from this period.

"Merely think, here is a little square of blue, here an oblong of pink, here a streak of yellow, and paint it just as it looks to you." ~Claude Monet

Garden at Sainte-Adresse
Claude Monet 1867
Monet painted this colorful, lively image of people enjoying a lovely day by the water while spending a summer at the resort town of Sainte-Adresse in France. In the foreground, we see Monet’s father, Adolphe, and his cousin, Sophie, looking out toward the sea. His cousin, Jeanne, and her father, Dr. Adolphe Lecadre are at the fence.

Bathers at La Grenouillère
Claude Monet 1869
In this painting depicting the working class French resort at La Grenouillère on the Seine River, Monet used broader, more flowing brushstrokes than his earlier work at Sainte-Adresse. He was friends with Pierre-Auguste Renoir and they worked side-by-side during this period.



La Grenouillère
Pierre-Auguste Renoir 1869
Monet and Renoir were friends and both painted similar scenes at this French resort in the summer of 1869. Renoir used tighter brushstrokes and a more refined style portraying the figures in the scene, especially in such details as the clothing. Looks like a lovely place to spend the summer.

Garden in Rue Carcel
Paul Gauguin 1881
Paul Gauguin, a friend of Van Gogh, is best known for his colorful paintings of French Polynesia after he left France and moved to Tahiti. But I found this peaceful scene of his family enjoying a summer day at the Garden in Rue Carcel from his Paris collection. 

"Painting as it is now, promises to become more subtle—more like music and less like sculpture—and above all, it promises color." ~Vincent Van Gogh (in a letter to his brother, Theo)

Farmhouse in Provence
Vincent Van Gogh 1888

Painted at the height of Van Gogh’s career, the vivid colors in Farmhouse in Provence portray the bright summer sun and blooming flowers amid the scorching heat in the beautiful countryside of southern France.

Couples in the Voyer d'Argenson Park at Asnières
Vincent Van Gogh 1887

Among the first paintings Van Gogh exhibited in Paris, he applied a technique of small dots and expressive dashes of color, giving the painting an almost woven fabric texture. One can only imagine how Vincent, ever the romantic, wistfully observed the couples as he painted them, perhaps dreaming of walking along with a sweetheart one day. Sad it was not to be but by channeling that passion through art, he created stunning paintings! 

Roses Trémières
Berthe Morisot 1884
Considered the "Grande Dame" of the French Impressionist art movement, Berthe Morisot was one of the leading female Impressionist artists, along with American painter, Mary Cassatt. This painting of roses and hollyhocks in a garden used thick yet delicate brushstrokes giving the flowers the impression of swaying in the summer breeze.

Hanging Laundry Out to Dry on a Summer Day
Berthe Morisot 1875

Using a subtle palette of colors, delicate brushstrokes and creative splashes of light, Berthe Morisot  took the oh, so boring task of hanging out the laundry and made it an interesting subject of art. The painting received high praise in art circles and was considered one of her best early works. I love that she made such a common chore the focus of her canvas. (Who paints laundry?! Really, I think it's great!) And those whites are so crisp and bright! 

Children Playing on the Beach
Mary Cassatt 1864
Acclaimed American Impressionist painter, Mary Cassatt, began studying painting at the Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts when she was 15. At the age of 22, she traveled to Paris to study under such masters as Edgar Degas. In Children Playing on the Beach, she captures the cherubic innocence and intent focus of children playing in the sand unaware of the world around them. I especially love the way she painted the child's hands clumsily holding onto the shovel the way young children often do.

Summertime
Mary Cassatt 1894
Mary Cassatt created this painting in the summer of 1894 while staying at a cottage in the Paris countryside. Her painting was praised for its flowing brushstrokes and deft use of light and color. The young woman and child are gazing into the rippling water and the image easily depicts a carefree summer day. 

Summer of 1909
Frank Weston Benson
Famous for his realistic portraits, American Impressionist artist, Frank Weston Benson, used colorful brushstrokes and luminous light to create his paintings. His favorite models were his family and friends. In Summer of 1909, the artist painted his three daughters and their friend at the family's summer house in Maine. I particularly like the way he painted the willowy white summer dresses, complimenting the fluffy white clouds and contrasting with the bright blue sky. Like the hat in the foreground too. Easy to see why his artwork was so popular.

Hope you enjoyed the art...visual chicken soup for the soup!

©2012 JerseyLil’s 2 Cents

Images are in public domain via WikiPaintings and Wikipedia sources.