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So, what does it mean 'en plein air'? It translates as 'in the open air' and is roughly equivalent to another French expression 'peinture sur le motif' meaning 'painting on the reason'. It is the opposite to painting in the studio either from memory or from a photograph. Monet, Pissaro, and Renoir gave it a go. I toured the sanitorium to which Van Gogh committed himself in St Remy in 1889, and there in the garden, amongst the immaculately trimmed lavender bushes, was a smattering of painters 'en plein air'. A jaw-dropping moment.
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What Jane is doing here is not, strictly speaking, 'en plein air' but is most certainly 'sur le motif'. She is in the thick of it; she is painting real time; she is multi-tasking. She has to wear googles, for heaven's sake cause the guys get a smidge carried away with the sledge-hammers.
Can you see what I mean by multi-tasking? For starters, those two massive canvasses on the large easels, are not quite finished, so there are visions flashing around her head that she will incorporate later. Propped around her work easel and paint table, are a number of smaller canvases, between which she swaps as the session progresses. I envisage her eye-brain as a camera, click-click-clicking away with minute details of the whole. The trained mind registers the image, and she swaps over to the appropriate canvas ... or starts another one.
Guido and Chris are doing their own smithy thing, progressing a work, knowing that Jane is capturing their stance, their bearing, their actions. And knowing that, today, they have an audence (behind a perspex wall).
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17 comments:
both the friday and saturday post images are spectacular, julie.
Your St Remy moment would've certainly been monumental. Wonderful post; right in there amongst it all happening. A wonderful photographic opportunity!
I suspect Louise Hawson (of 52 Suburbs) would have coupled the two big photos from this post - Jane got the vermilion of that hot metal just right.
I love Louise's work, Dalloway. I go through it again every so often to try to absord methodology. Don't show everything! What are you trying to SAY! Make the viewer have to work to tease it out! Make images work as hard as text! Louise seems to achieve this with consummate ease.
I didn't get the shot of Guido and Chris that I wanted as they were too far away, and if I went to the other side of the perspex wall, the angle had closed up too much. Otherwise, I have a thing for hands doing something. That was the aim - I simply executed it pathetically.
A wonderful sharing here.
Can feel it all through your excellent images - the artist totally immersed in her element, the artisans' focused labor, the heat, the grime, the clatter. My wife, the artist, was amazed too by her dedication.
Splendid posts for the Theme Day series, Julie!
Creativity everywhere I look; behind the goggles, on the pallet, in the workshop, on the iron and also Julie within the narrative you have composed.
A very interesting way to work as an artist. Must make for action packed pictures. Are you sure she is wearing 'googles'?
Would you accept a change to 'goggles' instead of 'googles'? Amazing that we read what we think we typed ... quite funny really ...
Regarding my sculpture that reminds you of a hurling stick, or that Irish game whose name escapes you. You're on the right track because that Irish game that you're thinking of would be Hurling.
That reminds me of Sir Garfield Sobers who had toiled all day with the ball, with many appeals for LBW all of which were turned down. He finally got a ball between bat and pad which sent middle stump tumbling. Sobers turned to the ump and said: 'That'd have to be close'.
Thanks so much Julie. I love your series of posts on the ATP. I can take photos of my paintings as works in progress but I can't take photos of myself at work. It was interesting to see my arms compared with those of Chris - not as muscular of course, but the tension revealed in my grip surprised me. And I'm painting with a brush in each hand - which is true multitasking! Some days I think I do wear googles rather than goggles.
I haven't painted at St Remy, but I stayed in Auvers & painted at the sites of Van Gogh's last & greatest paintings such as "The church at Auvers" & "Crows in the Wheatfield". The church was exactly the same & although the wheat had just been harvested, there was a flock of crows!It was an unforgettable experience as I could easily identify the exact spot on which every one of his canvases had been painted.
If you want to see how my large canvas of Chris is progressing see http://janebennettartist.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/fire-within.html
Thanks for dropping in, Jane. I read through your latest post earlier this morning. I will go over there again tomorrow after a field trip down to the Botanic Gardens for their Autumn Festival. I love to read about your work and your thoughts as you progress it.
When we were kids we would sit beside Dad's forge poking bits of metal into the fire then dunking it into the drum of water to make it hiss. Crikey, today that would be seen as gross negligence.
We loved it when he blacksmithed. There is such drama with the red metal, banging of the sledge hammer, tap-tap of the smaller hammers, the hiss of the water and the smell of coke burning. Wonderful memories.
I love the colours of the artist's palette.
What a fantastic time you've had Julie, it shines through in your images and words. I've enjoyed so much sharing, thanks.
Joan: you might enjoy, then, going along to IronFest at Lithgow on 20-21 April. It is medieval jousting and recreation, but also emphasis on making their tools. I went a couple of years ago, and there were quite a few smithies working on the day. I am going again this year.
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