Paintings/Artwork in Galleries and Museums

[John Pickup]

I'm sure many of us here would think walls lined with bookcases are a work of art in their own right.

I could stand all day looking at bookcases, as long as they were full of books, of course.
In our house, we have some of Erika's photographs, enlarged and framed, hanging on the walls in various rooms and we also have three of Erika's late father's oil paintings. He was a keen amateur painter and one of his paintings I particularly like is one of Erika he did and framed for me as a birthday present just after we married.

[Katharine]

I did assume the book cases had books on them. Empty book shelves wouldn't be quite so pleasing on the eye, unless they were particularly ornate.

Your pictures sound interesting John.

When my husband took O level Art he did a space scene on his bedroom wall as part of his coursework. Unfortunately when the family moved, the picture had to stay behind. He did a lovely Winnie The Pooh scene in the children's bedroom in our first house. Mainly because it was easier to do that, than try and chip off all the scruffy artex on that wall. It was a wrench to have to leave it behind. We promised my son we'd so something similar in the new house, including Noddy. We never got around to it, and now he's 17, I somehow think he won't be wanting Noddy on the walls.

[Anita Bensoussane]

A mural (or "muriel" as Hilda Ogden called it!) would be no good for me because if I see an uncluttered wall I have a compulsion to cover it with a bookcase! I agree with others that well-stocked bookshelves are a work of art in themselves.

Another painting I lingered over in the National Gallery was Surprised! by Henri Rousseau (1891).



I love the slightly stylised look of the picture, with the well-defined shapes of the leaves, trunks and branches stretching across from left to right, and the clearly visible teeth and claws of the tiger. The painting is bold and precise, yet there's a feeling of movement because of the way everything is reaching out or being blown or travelling in the same direction.

[Farwa]

The rain is very well depicted!

[Rob Houghton]

I remember we had to produce our own piece of artwork based on Henri Rousseau's 'Surprised!' when i was doing A Level art in the late 80's - its a great vivid painting, with a good sense of movement.

[walter raleigh]

Rousseau is another fabulous painter I agree. We had a conversation a while ago, about how some great artists were unrecognised until well after their death, and thought that Enid might be one of them. Rousseau was definitely another. It took a long time for his brilliance to be recognised. "The Sleeping Gypsy" is another of his paintings I love. Painted in 1897 it's now in the Museum Of Modern Art in New York:

[Anita Bensoussane]

An eye-catching picture in striking colours. It has an attractive bold "flatness" to it, yet at the same time it's soft and flowing and not at all stiff.

[Anita Bensoussane]

Again, I managed to combine two recent hospital appointments in London with some art appreciation. A few weeks ago I visited Charles Dickens' House in Doughty Street and enjoyed looking at Dickens' Dream (1875) by Robert W. Buss. Buss died before he could finish the painting, but I rather like the way the characters immediately above Dickens are in colour while the others are merely sketched in. It conveys a dreamlike sensation of some things seeming very clear and "real" while others hover like spectres in the background:





Yesterday I went to the Tate Britain and wandered through vast rooms and long corridors of paintings. John William Waterhouse's The Lady of Shalott (1888) has long been a favourite - I used to have a postcard of it on my bedroom wall. Literary themes appeal to me, and the colours and composition are beautiful:





Herbert Draper's The Lament for Icarus (1898) also caught my eye. Such wonderful textures, and a strong sense of sorrow. I first encountered the story of Icarus in Enid Blyton's Tales of Long Ago.





Another one I found striking was Alleluia (1896) by Thomas Cooper Gotch. So many innocent faces, earnest yet joyful, and colourful fabrics:





I liked Merry-Go-Round (1916) by Mark Gertler because of the vivid colours and stylised design:





From a previous visit a few years ago, I remembered John Singer Sargent's Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose (1885-6). Unfortunately it's currently out on loan but it's full of atmosphere and captures the feeling of day turning into dusk:

[Katharine]

Interesting selection of paintings Anita. I thought the Lady of Shallot looked almost like a photo rather than a painting. I agree about the Dickens painting - I think it probably looks better unfinished, than it would have done fully painted.

[Rob Houghton]

Some great paintings there, Anita. I totally agree about the Dickens photo. I've seen it before, and didn't actually realise that the painter had died before they could finish it - I thought it was designed the way it is - so that sort of proves it already looks finished without all the extra characters painted. It would have looked less special if it had been finished! Pity there's not an Enid Blyton version...

[Katharine]

Now there's a thought, maybe one of the forums talented painters could do something similar?

I'm hopeless at anything artistic, but my husband loves fiddling around with photos, I wonder if I could ever persuade him to do something like that with Enid Blyton related photos?

[Rob Houghton]

I did attempt it in my Enid Blyton painting, which is on one of the threads here (not sure where!) but not to any great extent like the Dickens painting!

I also doid something similar in watercolour, featuring characters from the Dean versions of the books, which I sent to Tony. Not sure if he still has it and could maybe put it on here, as I haven't seen it for years!

[Katharine]

I think I've seen one of your painting Robert, probably the first one you mentioned. I'd love to see the Deans version, as I grew up reading many of those books.

[Rob Houghton]

Unfortunately Tony has the only copy!

[Courtenay]

What a brilliant and diverse selection of artworks, Anita - thanks for sharing!