Painting | Guillermo Coll

04Apr 2024 by kike_K No Comments

William McGregor

Painting

I have always thought that the paintwork achieved from the middle of the 19th to the middle of the 20th centuries is the golden age of modern. One of my favourites is William McGregor Paxton (1869-1941), a much-refined painter which was deeply and undisguisedly inspired by Vermeer, whose works and technical resources he used to furtherly study and this, particularly focussing in the use of dark-room (camera obscura) conditions by the Dutch master. We cannot deny Paxton's admiration of Vermeer, in particular his portraits and indoor sceneries which are so delicate.

Pieter Saenredam

Painting

The indoor and outdoor churches painted by the Dutch Pieter Jansz Saenredam (1597-1665) unveil a certain amount of mystery and a refined special touch and that's the reason they have always been so much captivating over time and for so many painters like Vilhelm Hammershoi or Fernando Zobel. The Saenredam's churches are so different as there is no evident sign of faith, no “grandeur” at all. The characters almost never pray, they just walk along the aisle, visit the chapels, just as they were in a cabinet of curiosities. A touch of austere piety given by the use of colour so measured, so accurate, the rest is just architecture, space and light.

Marie-Denise Villers

Painting

It seems that everything had conspired to erase the name Marie-Denise Villers (1774-1821), so that she would fall into oblivion: obviously she was a woman painter, just a few of her works have been recovered. She had two sisters who were painters too. All those circumstances have contributed to the scholars’ confusion. Furthermore, for a while, her best-known work was awarded to the painter Jacques-Louis David. ‘Young woman painting’ is an iconic picture. Some refer to it as a self-portrait while other people understand it is really a picture of Charlotte du Val. I know nothing about the path of that portrait, a road leading to the New York Metropolitan Museum. I guess a philanthropist experienced both the charm and the mystery of that young girl who is watching us,…

Category: Painting