Tuesday, October 1, 2024
Euro Gardens Women & Gardens - Europe
Mary E Harding. (English artist, 1880-1903)
Norman Prescott Davies (British artist, 1862-1915), Iris
Harold Harvey (British artist, 1874–1941) Picking Flowers
Edward Killingworth Johnson (British artist, 1825 - 1923) Lady picking flowers
Emile Baes (Belgian artist, 1879-1953) In the Garden
Emma Ekwall (Swedish artist, 1838-1930)
Hermann Seeger (German artist, 1857-1945) Picking Wild Flowers 1905
Alfred Émile Stevens (Belgian painter, 1823-1906) Afternoon in the Park
Claude Monet (French artist, 1840-1926) Girl in the Garden at Giverny
Alfred Émile Stevens (Belgian painter, 1823-1906) Reverie
Laura Muntz Lyall (Canadian painter, 1860-1930) Oriental Poppies
Archibald George Barnes (British artist, 1887-1972) The Parasol
Jean Édouard Vuillard (1868-1940) Morning Graden
Thursday, August 15, 2024
19C Women in Gardens - American Frederick Childe Hassam (1859-1935).
Monday, August 5, 2024
19C Women in Gardens - Mary Cassatt 1844-1926
American Mary Cassatt (1844-1926). Lydia Seated in the Garden
Mary Stevenson Cassatt was an American painter and printmaker. She was born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, but lived much of her adult life in France, where she befriended Edgar Degas and exhibited with the Impressionists.
Mary Cassatt (American artist, 1844-1926) In the Garden
Mary Cassatt (American artist, 1844-1926) In the Park
Mary Cassatt (American artist, 1844-1926) Lydia Croceting in the Garden at Marly 1880
Mary Cassatt (American artist, 1844-1926) Woman and Child Seated in a Garden
Mary Cassatt (American artist, 1844-1926) Woman doing Needlework in the Garden Sun
Mary Cassatt (American artist, 1844-1926) Woman Reading in a Garden
Mary Cassatt (American artist, 1844-1926) Girl Holding a Loose Bouquet of Flowers
Mary Cassatt (1845-1926) A Flower from the Park
Mary Cassatt (American artist, 1844-1926). Young Woman Picking Fruit in the Garden 1891
Saturday, November 11, 2023
Red Poppies & Thousands of Years of Remembrance - Veterans Day
From the classic myths of Greece & Rome, to poets Ovid & Martial during Classical Antiquity, to the fields of 19th Century Europe, to World War I at Flanders Fields, to the 21st Century - honoring & remembering those who have died.
Walter Field (British painter) 1837 - 1901
The red poppy has become a symbol of war remembrance throughout much of the world. People in many countries wear the poppy to remember those who died in war or those who still serve in their nation's armed forces. In many countries, the poppy is worn around Veterans Day (or Armistice Day) on November 11th.
In both Greek & Roman myths & classical antiquity, poppies were associated with sleep, death, & remembrance. The symbolic significance of poppies, particularly in the context of honoring the dead, can be traced to various mythological & literary traditions.
In Greek mythology, the poppy was often linked to Demeter, the goddess of agriculture, & her daughter Persephone, who was abducted by Hades & became the queen of the Underworld. According to the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, poppies grew in the meadows where Demeter mourned the loss of her daughter, symbolizing both the cycle of life & death.
In Greek lore, poppies were also associated with Hypnos, the god of sleep. In various myths, Hypnos is depicted wearing a crown of poppies, signifying the sleep-inducing properties of the plant.
In Roman mythology, the festival of Floralia, dedicated to the goddess Flora, involved the wearing of wreaths made of flowers, including poppies. This celebration marked the renewal of life & the coming of spring.
The association of poppies with death & remembrance persisted in Roman culture. Poppies were often used in funerary customs & rituals to honor the deceased.
During Classical Antiquity the Roman poet Martial wrote about poppies being scattered on tombs, emphasizing their connection to death & remembrance. Marcus Valerius Martialis (born between 38 & 41 AD – died between 102 & 104 AD) was a Roman poet born in Hispania (modern Spain) best known for his 12 books of Epigrams, published in Rome between AD 86 & 103, during the reigns of the emperors Domitian, Nerva & Trajan.
Ovid, another Roman poet, mentioned poppies as symbols of both sleep & death in his works. Publius Ovidius Naso 43 BC – AD 17/18), known in English as Ovid was a Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a younger contemporary of Virgil & Horace, with whom he is often ranked as one of the three canonical poets of Latin literature. Although Ovid enjoyed enormous popularity during his lifetime, the emperor Augustus exiled him to Tomis, the capital of the newly-organised province of Moesia, on the Black Sea, where he remained for the last 9 or 10 years of his life.
The symbolism of poppies honoring the dead was later revived & popularized in the early 20th century during World War I. The famous war poem "In Flanders Fields" by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae (1872-1918) refers to poppies growing amidst the graves of soldiers in Flanders, Belgium. The poem inspired the use of the poppy as a symbol of remembrance for those who served or died in war. Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae was a Canadian poet, physician, & soldier during World War I, & a surgeon during the Second Battle of Ypres, in Belgium. He died before the war ended. He is best known for writing the famous war memorial poem "In Flanders Fields."
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
"In Flanders Fields" was first published in December 1915. Within months, this poem came to symbolize the sacrifices of all who were fighting in the First World War.
Today poppies are often associated with memorial ceremonies honoring military personnel who have lost their lives in conflicts & to those still serving their country.
Friday, May 15, 2015
Interiors - Pierre Bonnard (1867-1947)
Pierre Bonnard (1867-1947) The White Interior
Pierre Bonnard (1867-1947) Basket and Plate of Fruit on a Red-Checkered Tablecloth 1939
Pierre Bonnard (1867-1947) Interior with Flowers 1919
Pierre Bonnard, (1867-1947) Basket of Fruit Oranges and Persimmons, c 1940
Pierre Bonnard (1867-1947) Work Table 1926 reworked 1937
Pierre Bonnard, (1867-1947) Poppies 1914-15
Pierre Bonnard (1867-1947) Table Setting under the lamp (c. 1899)
Pierre Bonnard (1867-1947) The Breakfast Room 1931
Pierre Bonnard (1867-1947) The Bowl of Milk (1919)
Pierre Bonnard, (1867-1947) Mimosa 1915
Pierre Bonnard (1867-1947) The Dressing Room 1892
Pierre Bonnard, (1867-1947). The Provencal Jug 1930
Pierre Bonnard (1867-1947) Open Window
Pierre Bonnard (1867-1947) The Window
Pierre Bonnard, (1867-1947) Bouquet of Mimosas, c 1945
Pierre Bonnard (1867-1947) The Yellow Room 1942
Pierre Bonnard, (1867-1947) Still Life with Earthenware Dish 1918
Pierre Bonnard, (1867-1947) Norman Earthenware 1910
Pierre Bonnard, (1867-1947) Basket of Fruit, 1930
Pierre Bonnard, (1867-1947) Interior 1913
Pierre Bonnard, (1867-1947) Still Life with Lemons 1917-18
Pierre Bonnard, (1867-1947) Dining Room Overlooking the Garden (The Breakfast Room), 1930-31
Pierre Bonnard, (1867-1947) Pot of Flowers 1888
Pierre Bonnard, (1867-1947) Table in Front of the Window, 1934-35
Pierre Bonnard, (1867-1947) The Blue Pot 1920
Pierre Bonnard (French artist, 1867-1947) Corner of the Dining Room
Pierre Bonnard (French artist, 1867-1947) Dining Room on the Garden
Pierre Bonnard (French artist, 1867-1947) The Door Window with Dog
Pierre Bonnard (French artist, 1867-1947) The Workshop with Mimosa 1935
Pierre Bonnard (French artist, 1867-1947) Toilet with a banquet red and yellow 1913
Pierre Bonnard (French artist, 1867-1947) The Red Cupboard