The terms 'Classical' and 'Romantic' tend to conjure images of orchestral music and Valentine's Day. Historically these terms are applied to a wide variety of topics, ranging from fashion to movies to logic. For this discussion, these terms will be used to define the appeal of works of art. One of the early discussions of 'romantic' vs. 'classical' was Madame de Staël, a well-to-do exile from Napoleon's France. She travelled to the area that would become Germany and noted a n

#Art #watercolor

One of my favorite pieces of music is Clair de Lune (Moonlight), by Claude Debussy. Below is a link to an audio file. Until recently, I didn't know that Debussy’s Clair de Lune was inspired by a Paul Verlaine poem. Here's the text in the original French and an English translation: Clair de Lune by Paul Verlaine Votre âme est un paysage choisi Que vont charmants masques et bergamasques Jouant de luth et dansant et quasi Triste sous leurs déguisements fantasques. tout en chant

Exercise 1: Find a friend and a piano. Using the photographs below, play two chords. Depress the right foot pedal for a sustained tone to connect the two. Discuss. Did those chords spark an emotion? Is that emotion shared? Can you describe it in words? It's possible that the emotion elicited is the same one that Eric Satie wanted you to feel when he inserted them into his piece, Gymnopédie No. 1. (at 1:37) Describing the emotion to another is next to meaningless, it's more t

#art #watercolor #ambiguity #architecture #washingtondc

A few years back, I visited the Wyeth Museum in Chadds Ford, PA. The Wyeths are a tremendously talented family with a museum devoted to 3 generations of painters: N.C., Andrew and Jamie, with a portion of the museum devoted to each. N.C. Wyeth, father of Andrew and grandfather of Jamie, is best known for his illustrations that appeared in such adventure books as Treasure Island and Kidnapped, among others. He also pursued fine art, but felt frustrated and condemned himself as

A view from the parking lot of a seafood store in Carolina Beach North Carolina. Oil on canvas, 20" x 30" #art #oil #painting #oilpainting #NorthCarolina #saltlife

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#watercolor #snowstorm #art

I was early for a meeting just outside of Leesburg. I had been to the downtown once before and knew there were many opportunities for a quick watercolor sketch. So, with a hot cup of coffee I settled down next to the courthouse. #art #watercolor #loudouncounty #leesburg #virginia