If You Could Hang 3 Famous Paintings on Your Wall, What Would They Be?
If You Could Hang 3 Famous Paintings on Your Wall, What Would They Be?
You are forbidden to sell them, so your choice will not be based on dollar value, but ones you would never tire of viewing.
If images of your choices have not yet been posted by anyone, please do so, and if you can, please explain the reasons for your choices.
My choices, ranked from top choice are as follows:
1. The Fighting Temeraire by J. M. W. Turner. I consider it to be more than just a painting because it also tells a story. The Temeraire was a famous battleship that fought in wars, such as The Battle of Trafalger, but the day of sailing battleships had come to an end, as indicated by the steam driven tugboat pulling it to where it will be broken up. The blazing sunset behind it echos that glorious end to its life. However, as there is such a thing as poetic licence, so there is also artistic licence, and there are a few inconsistencies from reality that were taken by Turner in order for the painting to say what Turner wanted it to say. You can read about that if you open this LINK -> The Fighting Temeraire: the true story behind William Turner’s most beloved painting – HERO (hero-magazine.com)
The Fighting Temeraire tugged to her last berth to be broken up, 1838, Joseph Mallord William Turner, The National Gallery, London ©
The BBC once ran a poll and the people of England chose this one to be their all-time favourite painting, just as it is also mine. When I was in London more than half a century ago, I spent at least a half hour staring at the original painting in the National Gallery.
2. Cafe Terrace at Night by Vincent Van Gogh. For my 13th birthday my uncle gave me 3 books, a book about The Kon Tiki voyage, which is a book that tells one to follow their dreams, Scott of the Antarctic, which I guess indicates that those dreams and adventures don't always end up well, and a coffee-table big picture and story book of Vincent Van Gogh, so I was very familiar with the man and his work when I was at an early age. His most famous work may be Starry Night, but I consider it a little too extreme in its depiction of the stars, so my choice is this one:
3. Nighthawks by Edward Hopper An American realist painter for a change. At our lakeside home we had a big print of this painting hanging over one of our living room couches. Painted in 1942, for me it invokes the feeling of movies of that era, film noir perhaps. Humphrey Bogart could be sitting there. It seems to invoke a kind of mix of feelings of nostalgia, loneliness and depression, but that doesn't make it any less attractive.
Now, what would YOU like to post?
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It has been said that these types of articles that I've been posting were a distraction from the avalanche of political articles being posted these days. I believe that not only is that true but it is also a relief.
We all get it Buzz, you dont care about the American presidential election.
Notwithstanding the American election, a lot of American NT members were active on my previous 2 similar articles. Although I'm not directly affected by it, I do still have concerns about it - it directly affects my son and his family, It does have and will have some indirect effects on me. Nevertheless, I'm happy to give those who ARE swimming in it the opportunity for a short respite. So what paintings do you prefer?
Now, now JR don't be a Buzz kill.
There have been some elections in European countries recently.
Since Buzz didn't comment on any of them, shall we assume he doesn't care about any of them?
(And what about elections in Asia..?)
Success in that is not in the books around here.
And what about your choices of paintings?
No favourite paintings, JR?
I would need a far larger residence for my choice of 3 Robert Motherwell's; heck turn your head 30 degrees and you are still looking at them.
I see what you mean, but let's pretend your home is Netherfield or Pemberley, so let's see your choices.
But actually, I might have chosen Picasso's Guernica had it not been so huge. That painting has a very significant meaning.
I went on a trip to New York in 1980. The entire Museum of Modern Art was devoted to a major Picasso exhibit. Guernica was there along with several studies for Guernica. They had several of Picasso's earliest works painted when he was still a teenager. What an incredible artist. He was even a very accomplished artist before he was a teenager, but I don't remember now if any of those works were in the exhibit.
I've been to NYC many times from the time I was 16 onwards, and although I have been to the Guggenheim Museum designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and other smaller art galleries there including the Hologram Museum, I have to admit that I have never been to MoMA. Had I known Guernica was there when I was in NYC I would definitely have gone to see it.
Guernica was loaned to MOMA for safekeeping during World War 2 and was not returned to Spain until 1981 after democracy was restored there.
Aside from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which I assume you visited as it is one of the world's greatest museums, my favorite museum in NYC is the Frick, which is in a mansion at 5th Ave and 70th St. Amazing collection.
Back then I also lived in NY & visited MOMA from time to time. One of those visits must have been at the same time— I remember also seeing Guernica!
No, I had never heard of the Frick mansion.
I'm sorry I missed it. I was in Madrid in the early 1960s, and toured the Prado, but of course Guernica was in New York at the time. The Prado has a room dedicated to The Naked Maja, a famous Goya painting everyone knows about. How many people know he also painted The Maja Clothed which was on the opposite wall facing the other one?
The Maja Clothed, by Francisco Jose de Goya y Lucientes
Buzz: the Frick is amazing— a little gem! When you get a chance use your search engine to see what it is! (It’s a mansion on “Millionaire’s Row”— on 5th Ave across from Central Park.)
I'll search it on Microsoft Bing for it's story and images.
MOMA is actually fairly small but a nice museum. “Modern Art”. I haven’t been there in decades . Some permanent exhibitions but a lot of short term special exhibitions. And IIRC I saw a wonderful exhibition of photographs (don’t remember if it was a permanent exhibit or temporary).
(Just fixed that error 🫢)
Wow! Both you and GG are right. What a trip - and it houses Girl with a Pearl Earring. It makes me think of Pemberley. However, I'll never get to tour it, the state of my health has ended my travelling anywhere far.
When I was still in school I had a summer job in 666 5th Avenue which was right across the street.
Much later IIRC I read that Jared Kushner owned 666 and was having trouble making payments he owned… & some wealthy Arab oil baron bailed him out!
Then I guess it wasn't temporary. LOL
Yes, he seems to have gained a lot from the Arabs.
NYC has an amazing number of Museums. Some relatively unknown. I don’t remember all of them. Museum of the American Indian down near South Ferry. The Jewish Museum. A museum of Puerto Culture. Museums of Numatistics. Philately. Museum of the City of N .Y. Probably 20 or so more. Many smaller ones about very specific interests.
Oh I almost forgot The Museum of Natural History & Hayden Planetarium.
LOL. You're not the only one who does things like that, I'm in that same boat.
The NYC museum that made the most lasting impression on me was the Museum of Holography. I will never forget the experience of walking into and through an image of space, although it did escape me as to whether it was the solar system or the universe.
LINK-> Museum Of Holography, New York NY (museumsdatabase.com)
The Frick has 3 Vermeers, which is astounding when you consider that there are only 34 of his paintings known to still exist. The Frick also has an amazing painting by Tiepolo. Anyone with any interest in art who visits NYC should see the Frick collection.
Can you find an internet copy of the Tiepolo painting you mean, copy it to your picture library and post it here?
Vermeer's Girl With a Pearl Earing
Scarlett Johansson as the Girl with a Pearl Earing in the 2003 movie of that name starring her, Colin Firth and Tom Wilkinson
They could not have found another actress with such an amazing resemblance.
Giambattista Tiepolo (1696–1770)
Perseus and Andromeda , ca. 1730–31
Oil on canvas
20 3/8 x 16 in. (51.8 x 40.6 cm)
The Frick Collection, New York
A star named for galaxies.
I think I'll take a shot at it. I am not someone familiar with art and I don't like modern art.
I know of this painting because it was stolen from an art museum and may be lost forever. It is something I would hang on my wall:
Rembrandt's Storm on the Sea of Galilea
This out of an old history book, from a chapter on American expansion:
And then there are the paintings of the American who painted scenes of the old west:
While I have no issues with the worthiness of Rembrandt nor Remington the central painting by Gast is manifest propaganda.
@ Hallux
It looks like it's sort of a "With God on Our Side" Dylanesque image.
"...and I don't like modern art."
Although I do like realism modern art such as Edward Hopper's Nighthawks or Andrew Wyeth's Christina's World....
...but to me Jackson Pollock's paintings are a dog's breakfast....
....and 'hey Andy, I know Marilyn is beautiful, but isn't once enough?'
It must have taken Warhol a long time to paint a banana, cause it's already turning black.
Am I fantasizing, or do I actually remember reading an article about an artist who actually had a real banana or some other real food item posted on a gallery wall, and someone snatched it and ate it?
Wow— I also remember that story about the banana (but don’t remember the details, it was long ago).
LOL Thank you, now I know it wasn't a dream.
Johannes Vermeer - View of Delft: This painting is in the Mauritshuis Museum in the Hague. It is the most beautiful painting I have ever stood before and I could not tear myself away from it for a very long time.
Claude Monet - San Giorgio Maggiore at Dusk: I could have picked almost any painting by Monet.
Robert Rauschenberg - Buffalo II: This is a silkscreen print, not a painting, but Rauschenberg is one of my favorite artists as well as one of the most influential artists of the second half of the 20th century.
Fabulous choices, GG. Notwithstanding my feelings about most modern art, I DO like that Robert Rauschenberg - Buffalo II painting. However, I assume that only a Democrat would hang it on their wall.
Thanks.
I've seen some great caricatures of Trump but I doubt that Republicans would hang any of the ones I like on their walls either.
I really like van Gogh's .work in general..
If you could only choose one, which Van Gogh would you choose?
Hard to say. I like most of them.
I loved Starry Night when I first saw it (partly because looked so mystical to me-- but now I prefer things that are quieter.
Van Gogh's Starry Night
You can see why I said in my article above that I thought the depiction of the stars was a little too extreme, so both of us now prefer something a little quieter.
I don’t know much about van Gogh’s life, but I wonder if Starry Night was done “under the influence” of hallucinogenic mushrooms? (Or Peyote?)
An adage is the answer - "Your guess is as good as mine."
Humphrey Bogart could be sitting there. It seems to invoke a kind of mix of feelings of nostalgia, loneliness and depression,
That is an amazing picture. It might be described as a few people sitting at a counter early in the morning having coffee. Which sounds like a rather boring subject! However I do agree with this:
It seems to invoke a kind of mix of feelings of nostalgia, loneliness and depression
Which IMO what makes it amazing-- he took a very ordinary subject-- and was able to create it in a way that evokes such strong feelings!
One could determine from the manner in which the characters are posed that it would be more of a late evening than an early morning.
Good point! (Actually I wasn'r sure which it was).
I believe that at most times of the day or evening the diner would have been more crowded, and the people not dressed as formally as the ones that are there, and if I'm at all capable of reading body language the posture of the single man is not one that a person might see at breakfast or lunch, but it would be more like with the mood I suggested in my article, much more likely late at night. By the way I gave a lesson on body language when I taught Business English for 6 years when I first came here.
And, of course, Hopper DID entitle it "Nighthawks".
That reminds me of the movie of the same name with Rutger Hauer and Sylvester Stallone. It was a very good movie.
Morning.. don't know much about European paintings but these are a couple that are famous here..
Not my paintings...I couldn't paint to save myself...
Very nice choices. May I have your permission to expand them for better viewing?
Ahh yep go for it..
Done. Before I couldn't see that there was a man on the horse in the third photo, and now I see him leaning over to the right.
Have no idea how big or small these look etc as I only have my mobile phone...thanks for your help..
Saw a documentary on Chongqing y'day..looks an amazing place but to big and crowded for me I am afraid..
We live in an area about an hour by subway from downtown. It is an upscale area with 3 institutes of higher learning within a short walking distance. Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, Chongqing University and Chongqing Normal University, all with both wilderness and beautifully landscaped campuses. I have posted many photos taken at them over the years. We are also about a 15 minute walk to a reservoir and the mountains. It is an ideal location for us.
I think that there are many factors that may have caused me to think of posting an article about famous art. First of all, my mother was an exceptionally creative person. Before she married my father and for some years after my brother and I were born she ran a haberdashery and woman's hat shop business in which she designed and created women's hats - it was back at a time when hats for both men and women were big business. Here is my mother, in one of her hats:
Secondly, she painted portraits in oils. Unfortunately, I don't have an example, but I particularly remember a portrait of my sister-in-law who was an accomplished opera singer who graduated with a B.A. in Music from Boston College, and also a portrait of a very beautiful girl friend of mine, who I never married.
Thirdly, the Van Gogh book given to me by my uncle had a big effect on me.
Fourthly, I have told the story previously here that when my ex-wife and I went on a vacation to Cape Cod we went to a flea market, and saw one vendor just opening up his wares, and among them were two large beautifully framed Maxfield Parrish prints. All he wanted was $10 each, obviously oblivious of the value of such artworks. We immediately bought them and while carrying them on the way out of the market other vendors saw them and tried to buy them from us. They hung in our dining room for the rest of our marriage, and now they hang on her walls. These are internet images of the two we had.
.
Fifthly, there were First Nation artists among my law clients, one of whom was the famous Norval Morrisseau, and I had many signed prints and one big original painting on canvas of his. His works are shown in Canada's National Gallery. He signed his paintings and prints with his native name, "Copper Thunderbird" in Ojibwe letters. The prints and now very valuable painting are also now in my ex-wife's hands, but they will eventually end up with our kids, which I'm happy about. He named the paining 'Twilight'. It's actually a little wider than this image, cause the photo was taken at an angle as part of a photo of our whole room.
I also had other artist clients, one was an artist who painted and gave me as a fee a painting he did of children playing with weapons, a little in the style of Guernica, which he named after a line from Bob Dylan's song, A Hard Rain, "I Saw Guns and Sharp Swords in the Hands of Young Children". My son took that painting with him to his new home, along with my musical instruments.
And finally, more recently I enjoyed reading a novel, by Nicholas Sparks named "The Longest Ride" in which paintings, albeit modern paintings, played a big part. That novel was adapted as a movie that I have watched more than once, even as recently as a week ago. It is the best depiction of good karma, or poetic justice if you will, that I have ever encountered.
Including my photography, and movies, works of art have played a big part throughout my life.
I’m not sure, but I think artistic talent might be an inherited trait?
Well, I can't draw or paint worth shit, but at least my photos have won an award, been published in a highly circulated newspaper and earned me a designation at my high school for being one of its "notable alumni".
So we agreed on two, Starry Night and Nighthawks, but I have to say that my list is much longer than 3 and I really can't decide. Monet's Water Lillies, Christina's World, Rene Magritte's "The Lovers" or The Dominion of Light, or David Hockney's swimming pool series. Great art is so hard to define because it touches us in some way or at least it should
To whom did you address your comment? I chose Cafe Terrace at Night but not Starry Night. Krishna mentioned Starry Night. But if you meant how I FELT about Starry Night, then I realize you are addressing me.
If you liked Monet's Water Lilies, you can find "The Duel of the Lilies" on the Creative Arts article.
I'll be really sad to see this article wiped away. I consider it to be the best article, inclusive of all the comments on it notwithstanding they're the not the greatest in number, I've ever posted, my "masterpiece" article.