Art Collage JANG: February 2021

Sunday, February 28, 2021

ARTIST OF THE WEEK: 64. Narcisse-Virgilio Diaz, ACJ Art Academy

Born: August 20, 1807; Bordeaux, France

Died: November 18, 1876; Menton, France

Nationality: French

Art Movement: Barbizon school, Realism, Orientalism

Genre: landscape

Field: painting

Influenced by: Theodore Rousseau

Friends/Co-workers: Jean-Francois Millet

Narcisse Virgilio Díaz was a French painter of the Barbizon school.

Narcisse Virgilio Díaz

Born in Bordeaux, France to Spanish parents, Diaz spent an unfortunate childhood, such as he became an orphan at the age of ten, and then while living with her mother's friends in Meudon wood, near Sèvres, he was bitten by a reptile and eventually lost his leg.

At fifteen, he entered the studios at Sèvres, first decorating porcelain, then turning to painting. Fascinated by Turkish and Oriental paintings, he painted Eastern figures dressed in rich colors.

Oriental Woman, Narcisse Virgilio Díaz

He also spent a lot of time in Barbizon, near the Fontainebleau Forest, where some of his most famous paintings were born.

Forest of Fontainebleau

Around 1831, Diaz met Théodore Rousseau, who was younger than himself, but was highly respected. He found out that Rousseau was painting wonderful forest pictures at Fontainebleau, so he determined to paint in the same way if possible. However, Rousseau, who was not in good health at the time and was embittered against the world, was initially difficult to approach, but was moved by Diaz, who showed enthusiasm for understanding his technique, and finally taught Diaz all he knew.

The Charcoal Burner's Hut, Théodore Rousseau (c.1850)

Diaz exhibited many paintings at the Paris Salon, and in 1851, was awarded Chevalier (Knight) of the Légion d’honneur.

Chevalier légion d'honneur

Diaz's most famous works are paintings of forests and storms, and his works are in the collection of world-renowned art galleries such as the Louvre and the Wallace Collection.

Louvre Museum

Wallace Collection

The Metropolitan Museum of Art also houses about two dozen of his works, including drawings and studies, as well as another version of "The Forest of Fontainebleau".

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Diaz did not have well-known pupils, but many famous painters imitated and admired him.

For example, François Visconti, imitated his work to a certain degree, and Léon Richet remarkably followed the way he painted trees.

Landscape With Figure Near Pond and Cottages, Leon Richet

In addition, Jean-François Millet painted pictures in imitation of Diaz's then-popular subjects for a period of time, and Renoir once said, "My hero was Diaz."

The Angelus, Jean-François Millet (1857–1859)

Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette, Pierre-Auguste Renoir
(1876)

In 1876, Diaz, who caught a cold while visiting his son's grave, went to Menton to recover his health, but eventually died on November 18 of that year.

Famous Works (Narcisse-Virgilio Diaz)

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Friday, February 26, 2021

Interesting Art Stories: 46. Nighthawks, Edward Hopper, ACJ Art Academy

How are you?

Currently, I am introducing the stories about various artists and their paintings with the title “Interesting Art Stories”.

The 46th story is “Nighthawks” by Edward Hopper.

Edward Hopper

“Nighthawks” is an oil painting painted in 1942 by Edward Hopper, an American realist painter. It portrays people in a downtown diner late at night as seen through the large glass window of the diner, and the light coming from the diner illuminates the dark and deserted city street.

The painting, which is Hopper's most famous painting as well as one of the most famous paintings in American art, was purchased by the Art Institute of Chicago on May 13, 1942, a few months after the painting was completed.

Art Institute of Chicago

It has been suggested that the painting was inspired by Ernest Hemingway's short story, either "The Killers" or "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place.”

Ernest Hemingway

Some art historians have suggested that the painting may have been inspired by Vincent van Gogh’s “Café Terrace at Night”, which was exhibited in a gallery that Hopper visited frequently at same time he painted this painting.

Café Terrace at Night, Vincent van Gogh
(1888)

Responding to the question for loneliness and emptiness in this painting, Hopper said, "I didn't see it as particularly lonely, but unconsciously, I was painting the loneliness of a large city.”

In this painting, Edward Hopper posed for the two men and his wife Josephine posed for the red-haired woman.

Self-portrait, Josephine Hopper

The scene in this painting was supposedly inspired by a diner in Greenwich Village in Manhattan, which was demolished after the painting. Hopper said “This painting was suggested by a restaurant on Greenwich Avenue where two streets meet.” He also said “I simplified the scene a great deal and made the restaurant bigger.”

This very famous painting has been influenced on many works of culture and arts.

For the paintings, Hopper influenced on the Photorealists of the late 1960s and early 1970s, including Ralph Goings.

Ralph's Diner, Ralph Goings (1981–1982)

Gottfried Helnwein's painting "Boulevard of Broken Dreams (1984)" replaced the four characters in this paintings with American pop culture icons Humphrey Bogart, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, and Elvis Presley.

Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Gottfried Helnwein (1984)

For the films, Hopper was an avid moviegoer and critics mentioned that his paintings resembled film stills.

This painting and his works, such as “Night Shadows (1921),” resemble the look of film noir, in which Hopper may have been influenced.

Night Shadows, Edward Hopper (1921)

Hopper influenced on the musical film "Pennies from Heaven (1981)," for which the film's production designer Ken Adam recreated this painting as a film set.