3 Beautiful paintings

A collection of 3 Beautiful paintings alongside some personal thoughts and introspections about them.

(Stormy Sea at Night, Ivan Aivazovsky, 1849)

I want to start with one of the most beautiful paintings that I have come across. “Stormy Sea at Night” By Ivan Aivazovsky. I briefly mentioned this incredibly prolific painter in the first article about landscape paintings. But I think that I must share with you some more of his stunning works.

The vast majority of Aivazovsky’s works were indeed seascapes and not landscapes. Of course, there are many similarities and overlaps between seascapes and landscapes, but I do think it is essential to separate the two. In the future I might write more about it.

(Woman with Chrysanthemums, Edgar Degas, 1865)

My first post was about one of my, if not my favourite, art schools - the Impressionists. I am currently reading and researching more about this fascinating movement. In that post, I was pretty harsh on Degas, But upon stumbling across this marvellous picture, I started to rethink how should I look at his pictures. I learned that Degas’s interest was in the psychological state his subjects were in.

Now, consider that, and look at this beautiful picture again.

You could tell a whole story about that woman, what is she thinking about, who is she looking at etc. What an exciting work of art! Don’t get me even started talking about these vibrant, colourful flowers, a stunning masterpiece from a revolutionary painter. The more I learn about the Impressionists, the more I admire and appreciate them.

(Sunflowers, Vincent Van Gogh, 1888)

Last but not least, I would like to talk a bit about Van Gogh. I do think I owe him an apology. When I was in London at the start of this month, I went to The National Gallery. Of course, I was very excited to see some works from artists I have always admired, such as Turner, Renoir, Constable, Monet, Rembrandt and others. However, when I came to the section where Van Gough was, I didn’t stop. I underestimated him. I didn’t pay him his deserved respect. After listening to this lecture which I highly recommend, I finally understood what Van Gough was about. I finally came to admire the sunflowers, their vivid solid yellow, and I feel sorry for the unique and troubled personality who created them.

This painting is about a painter’s love and tremendous passion for the art of painting. It’s about a passion for colour and its ability to invoke feelings. Yellow was Van Gough’s favourite colour, and you can see that very clearly. Also, the sunflower was his favourite flower, and you can also see that very clearly. I feel Van Gogh's extreme enthusiasm for painting, and I feel sorry for the terrible life that he had to live through. Like many in his time, it took me quite some time to figure him out and understand what he was all about.

I hope that this collection of beautiful art has helped to make your day prettier and happier, as it did to me.