VOICE OF ASIA presents the works of some of the greatest artists in history, men and women who have depicted the life of ordinary people enjoying the blessings of summertime’s warm, bright days and cool, moonlit nights. As seen in the third issue of High Life: Living the Good Life.
Rhyl Sands
by David Cox
Those familiar with 19th century European art will likely be surprised to discover that this beach is in Wales, not France, that the artist is an Englishman, and that the painting predates Impressionism by over a decade. Yet both share the common technique of short, thick strokes that capture the scene’s essence rather than its details, of the blurring of boundaries between subject and background. The bright orange sand effuses the sunny warmth of the beach of the clouds above.
Boating on the Seine
by Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Painted in 1879 at the beginning of the ‘summer’ of the artist’s creative cycle – this Impressionist piece is also known as The Skiff. The painting is a culmination of the first two decades of Renoir’s development as an artist, as he refined his skill of capturing landscapes on canvas. The focal point of this piece is the two ladies, serenely bobbing up and down in a boat, on the river that flows through the French capital of Paris. Renoir actually spent a lot of time on the banks of the Seine sketching scenes. accompanied by his good friend Claude Monet, and it was during these meetings that the pair honed their talent for the techniques and bright colours that would come to be associated with the Impressionist movement. Despite the delicate depiction of hundreds of wonderful hues, it is believed that Renoir only used five colours on his palette at any time, masterfully combining them to create his masterpieces. This is clearly one of his early works – his initial compositions depicted real life scenarios and, just like the summer season itself, their themes were always light-hearted and joyful. As the painter himself said, “Why shouldn’t art be pretty? There are enough unpleasant things in the world.
Summer’s Day
by Berthe Morisot
Two ladies relax in a boat floating serenely on the lake in the Bois de Boulogne, enjoying the view of the summertime greenery in this wooded park just outside Paris. Morisot’s painting is a quintessential Impressionist work, painted with a gentle hand in small strokes and invoking feelings of warmth with its subtle colours, omitting the unnecessary while capturing the essential. Where her male counterparts set up their easels on city streets and in cafe-concerts, she depicts real-life scenes from her own world – Bois de Boulogne was quite close to her home. One imagines Morisot in the same boat as the two women, rendering the ripples on the lake surface with deft strokes while a summer breeze ruffles her canvas.
Summer Landscape (Woman with a Parasol in a Garden)
by Pierre-Auguste Renoir
One of the most prolific artists of his time, Renoir captured this scene not in the countryside but in the garden of his new studio in Montmartre. The surrounding greenery, punctuated by blooming flowers, is masterfully rendered with tiny dabs of paint that interweave to form a deep, lively whole. One can almost inhale the fresh pollen-bearing air, smell the blossoms, feel the sun’s warmth through the canvas. In the distance, a woman stands waiting with a parasol while a man bends down to pick a flower, the suggestion of a romantic relationship further adding to the scene’s warm ambience.
