I know the rain is dreary, especially when our moods are pulled by pandemic, isolation, news. But the rain has rinsed the pollen from the air, and for that I am thankful.
In class on Tuesday, Fran O’Neill shared a few of her favorite landscape paintings. She showed the Van Gogh above, one I haven’t seen before. How could I not have seen this?? It’s instantly one of my favorites.
Vincent van Gogh, Rain, 1889
In these, Van Gogh has a way of describing rain in a way that creates mood, movement, and atmosphere, darkening the sky and slicing through the space. The angled lines are direct and descriptive. I relate Van Gogh’s depiction of rain with these straight diagonal lines to the rain in Ukiyo-e and Hiroshige’s prints. You can see Van Gogh’s copy of a Hiroshige below.
Hiroshige/ Vincent van Gogh
For a creative challenge today: depict rain in a scene with a repetition of parallel and crisp diagonal lines. The lines can be all coming in a single angle, or in two or more angles, to suggest wind. Give it a scribble and post to social media with #seattleartistleague #rain.
Viewing things on the internet, sometimes I don’t know which photograph is more accurate for color….
I’ve posted about rain before in V. Notes. Here are three:
Hopper is known for his oil paintings, but he also made etchings… Hopper was not initially successful as an artist, so he made ends meet with freelance illustration work… Frank Rehn gave Hopper his first solo show in 1924. Hopper was 42. The Seattle Art Museum expected to receive Chop Suey after the death of …
[image_with_animation image_url=”7744″ alignment=”center” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] Window Collage by Stuart Shils This creative challenge has 3 parts, but if parts 2 and 3 don’t work with the light and where you are, or if they’re just not working creatively, feel free to just do part 1, and post your work. See below for a link …
One year ago in March, to protect our students and teachers from a new coronavirus, the Seattle Artist League moved our classes online. The virus was declared a national emergency, and we went into quarantine. We have now been in quarantine for thirteen months. Through this year, we have met each other online to draw, …
I love a good heist movie. Here’s a news article that would make a great movie: one where the librarian steals the paintings by replacing them with fakes, and then those paintings get stolen, replaced by worse fakes. Get the popcorn! Chinese Librarian Switched Out $17M in Paintings…With Fakes He Painted Himself But the thief …
Van Gogh’s Rain
I know the rain is dreary, especially when our moods are pulled by pandemic, isolation, news. But the rain has rinsed the pollen from the air, and for that I am thankful.
In class on Tuesday, Fran O’Neill shared a few of her favorite landscape paintings. She showed the Van Gogh above, one I haven’t seen before. How could I not have seen this?? It’s instantly one of my favorites.
In these, Van Gogh has a way of describing rain in a way that creates mood, movement, and atmosphere, darkening the sky and slicing through the space. The angled lines are direct and descriptive. I relate Van Gogh’s depiction of rain with these straight diagonal lines to the rain in Ukiyo-e and Hiroshige’s prints. You can see Van Gogh’s copy of a Hiroshige below.
For a creative challenge today: depict rain in a scene with a repetition of parallel and crisp diagonal lines. The lines can be all coming in a single angle, or in two or more angles, to suggest wind. Give it a scribble and post to social media with #seattleartistleague #rain.
Viewing things on the internet, sometimes I don’t know which photograph is more accurate for color….
I’ve posted about rain before in V. Notes. Here are three:
Hiroshige’s Rain
Hiroshige’s Rainy Moments
Rainy Moments in Art
Related Posts
Did you know this about Edward Hopper?
Hopper is known for his oil paintings, but he also made etchings… Hopper was not initially successful as an artist, so he made ends meet with freelance illustration work… Frank Rehn gave Hopper his first solo show in 1924. Hopper was 42. The Seattle Art Museum expected to receive Chop Suey after the death of …
SAL Challenge Day 22: Window Collages
[image_with_animation image_url=”7744″ alignment=”center” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] Window Collage by Stuart Shils This creative challenge has 3 parts, but if parts 2 and 3 don’t work with the light and where you are, or if they’re just not working creatively, feel free to just do part 1, and post your work. See below for a link …
Online Anniversary Show; Still Life
One year ago in March, to protect our students and teachers from a new coronavirus, the Seattle Artist League moved our classes online. The virus was declared a national emergency, and we went into quarantine. We have now been in quarantine for thirteen months. Through this year, we have met each other online to draw, …
Fakes Stolen, Replaced with Fakes Stolen, Replaced
I love a good heist movie. Here’s a news article that would make a great movie: one where the librarian steals the paintings by replacing them with fakes, and then those paintings get stolen, replaced by worse fakes. Get the popcorn! Chinese Librarian Switched Out $17M in Paintings…With Fakes He Painted Himself But the thief …