Ok, you can pick 10 paintings past or contemporary -which???

Ooh! Have to think. Will be back.

Me too, great topic, Vivien! Wonderful...something nice in the back of my mind during the work day..

This is only paintings, right? I'm going to limit myself to western art.

1. the sistiene chapel cieling (michelangelo)michelangelo

2. lady with an Ermine (Da Vinci)Da Vinci

3. View of toledo (El Greco)El Greco

4. "suprise" (Rosseau)Rosseau

5. A Kandinsky Kandinsky

6. A Julie Heffernan, probably Self-portrait as Radiant Host. (images look so much better at high quality...) Heffernan

7. Somthing by Dali.' Maybe Hallucinogenic Toreador Dali

8. Supper at Emmaus/Amor Victorious
(Caravaggio) Caravaggio

9. Christina's World (Andrew Wyeth) Andrew Wyeth

10. Sanctum or Venus (Claudio Bravo) Bravo 1 Bravo 2

11. ANYTHING by (Vincent Van Gogh) preferably one of his later works. He's wonderful. Van Gogh

12. Relativity [yes, I know this is not a painting] (MC Escher) MC Escher

13. Garden of earthly delights (Bosch) Bosch


There's so many more I would like to pick...

My head will explode with ten choices. I choose to pick just one. F E Church's NIAGARA. This is my all time favorite painting

I am going to start slowly here, and build a present favorite ten. By the time I get to number ten, the thread may be into several pages, and then I'll repost the lot...if I can decide. I expect to have lots of trouble deciding.

Ownership is not a problem. Well, first of all, the way I approach a museum space, or gallery space, or art in situ...is that it is my space.
Occasionally this is difficult, if a museum guide is monitoring groups on through, but mostly I can do this.

Right now, I am thinking of two works, that relate as one. I won't try to move them, I'll just leave them where they are, where they should never leave.

(1) (2) Allegories of Good and Bad Government, Ambrogio Lorenzetti
http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/html/l/lorenzet/ambrogio/governme/

None of the links I have looked at have gotten near what I care about in these paintings. Siena in these years had a blossoming of interest in
government, with the group of governors thinking of the good of the
people, or so it seems to me, for a time...and then came the black plague. Lorenzetti depicts views of government, depicts people in urban space, in a wider frame. There is spatial depth, and political depth. He is probably one of the first to have evocative landscape background, and may have done painting with only landscape.. Outstanding, I cry when I see these.

Ten choices? Wow, my head would definitely explode. But for number one, I'll start with Renoir. One of my favorites is "The Umbrellas" hanging in the National Gallery in London. When I visit London, I always go back to see it, but unfortunately on my recent trip to London last March, it was not there. I'll think about number two, but I think it will be a van Gogh. c.i.

Links, CI, links!!!!!!!! (that is, if you have time, get a chance...)

I thought I'd share this painting by Renoir "The Girl With a Fan" that's displayed at the Hermitage in St Petersburg, because not many get the opportunity to travel there. I'm using a photo share web site that's not too dependable, so don't be surprised if this photo disappears. c.i.

This is all I could find on Renoir's "Umbrellas," but I'll try to find something better later on. http://www.imageexchange.com/accessories/totebags/6097.shtml
c.i.

Interesting, ci, all the associations of the utilitarian object, the fan...

I never liked Renoir until I saw one.

Here's the stair case at the Hermitage. There are plenty of pictures of the facade, but rarely does one see any of the inside, so I thought I'd share this one too. c.i.

Portal there is a definite preference for a certain type of painting going through your choices until Van Gogh - who is totally the odd one out! interesting!

osso - a beautiful choice - I've never seen that work before.

ci - Renoir was never a favourite, though i do like some of his work - but i did a research piece on him on my degree and he was a thoroughly nasty piece of work as a man!

He was violently anti-Semitic, anti women - thought they should be pretty, stay in the kitchen or in bed and defiinitely NOT paint! His women are rather vacous and vapid and once you have read his opinions on women you can't quite see the paintings in the same way ever again.

Like ci and Portal, I nearly chose a Van Gogh

Vivien, I wish you hadn't told me about Renoir's bigotry. I detest all forms of bigotry, and I will certainly look at his art works differently from now on. I've seen Renoir's special collections at both the Art Institute in Chicago, and the Ontario National Gallery which I enjoyed tremendously and admired. You've tainted those memories. c.i.

Here's a paiting by van Gogh "Memory of the Garden at Etten" I love that I took a picture of at the Hermitage. I hope you enjoy. c.i.

oh dear, Im sorry ci! it tainted his works for me too and I've never been able to feel the same about them since.

Did you ever go to the Rodin museum in Paris? It is WONDERFUL - his drawings are amazing and the sculpture so flowing and fluid and free.


Thanks for the Van Gogh!

Great topic V.

In the end I would want paintings I have seen.
I would want 1stly "the crows over the corn field" Van Gogh
Degas "Ballerina's"
Picasso "Gurnica"
Halsmans portrait of Dali with flying cats and water.
The Gleanors by ?

Algis - fight you for the crows over the wheatfield!!!

The Gleaners - yes i know it and can't remember the artist - the era just before the impressionists and my mind is a total blank on the name.

I'd like one of Dega's bathers

[quote="

Here's a paiting by van Gogh "Memory of the Garden at Etten" [/quote]


was this at a time when he was working closely with Gauguin i wonder? there is a very Gaugin feel about it.

For Degas fans. c.i.
This was taken at the Musee d'Orsay.