Artful Thursday 11 - Louis de Brocquy

When the announcement that one of Ireland's most renowned artists Louis de Brocquy has died on a Thursday, aged 95, there is only one way to honour him with an Artful Thursday. His age means that the Dublin born painter was in the womb when the Easter Uprising happened in Phoenix Park in the year of his birth.

Over his career he has used a variety of styles in series of paintings.

Here is his work The Inner Human Reality (1979)  it is a style of portraiture he was to use often from 1975 to 2005. This one is based on the face of Samuel Beckett.

One of his first paintings from 1939 is Girl in Grey

and Children in a Wood (1988) from his Procession series

In 2000 he joined the elite band of artists who have sold a word of art for over £1m when Tinker Woman with Newspaper (1947-8) sold for £1.2m at Sotherby's. It comes from the post war Tinker Period.

Artful Thursday 10: Titanic

There is something in the air in Belfast at the moment two new sculptures have been unveiled this week. You'd think we were in the build up to some titanic anniversary or something.

Well the first was unveiled on Tuesday with a religious blessing, even if her nakedness did cause the Rev. Chris Bennett one of the Chaplins for the Titanic Quarter a bit of an embarrassing moment on BBC Newsline. He did however, eventually find the right words to describe her as in "all her glory".

The second was unveiled yesterday by First Minister Peter Robinson, who is one of the MLAs for the area. This one was at Pitt Park and the backdrop is as much a part of the scene as anything. Called The Yardmen it depicts three ship yard workers heading home from Harland and Wolff with Belfast's iconic cranes in the back ground.

Even the new sign at Titanic Belfast and the building itself are works of art.

And that opens this Saturday. I'm intending to get there as soon as possible after to let you know what it is like.

Artful Thursday 9 - Vuelta a España

So I did it for the Tour de France with pictures symbolising the greatest of the Grand Tours. Yesterday British cyclist Bradley Wiggins assumed the lead of the 2011 Vuelta, as good a reason as any for some more cycling inspired art.

The famous orange colours of the Basque team Euskaltel Euskadi appear to be the subject of this pastel by  Miki de Goodaboom.

There is this 1960's Spanish Stamp celebrating Cycling

And this sculpture

Artful Thursday 8 - Christof Plümacher

As I went past the Waterfront Hall in Belfast today the following picture along with a couple of others got my attention. Can't think why. Maybe if you do you can tell me in the comments.

So British....#6

The pictures on display were by Christof Plümacher a German photography that is part of the Belfast Photo Festival. Here are some more of his pictures.

So French....#1

So Spanish...#2

Enjoy! Do a google image search to find some more examples of this work if you do.

Artful Thursday 7- Pride

This week is Belfast Pride week. Therefore I'm going for some of the artful contributions out there that display the Rainbow flag colours. The colours chosen for the well now known 6 since 1979 instead of the original 8 in 1978 were to show the diversity of the LGBT community. The colours are red (life), orange (healing), yellow (sunlight), green (nature), blue (harmony), and purple/violet (spirit).

Rio

This image by Jeff Ball

Finally something so quintessentially Northern Irish. There are so many image of the Free Derry Corner but last August for Foyle Pride it was painted pink here it is as a work in progress. Wonder when we will have a Belfast wall mural to celebrate Belfast Pride

Artful Thursday 6 -Tour de France

6There are many ways that the Tour de France which starts on Saturday has been captured in art. By far the most common way is through photography there are a great many images going back over the previous 97 races that can sum up the competition, the pagentry, the scale of the Tour. I have decided to just chose one of two of the leader in a close, physical battle on a mountain stage. In this picture Raymond Poulidor (who came up against the eras of both Jacques Anquetil and Eddie Merckx and never wore yellow in Paris) is taking on Anquetil.

Of course there are many monuments and statues dedicated to the Tour. This rather spectacular one is at a service station near Pau, often the gateway to the Pyrénées; indeed you can see the mountains in the distance. It illustrates the strugles, the twists and turns and the joy of triumph all in one.

Le Tour de France dans les Pyrénées (1995) by Jean-Bertrand Métais, l’Aire des Pyrénées nr. Pau

This David Gerstein Armstrong sculpture works just as well in 2D as a picture as a 3D Sculpture.

Artful Thursday 5 - Belfast Street Sculpture

Today I'm going to look at some of the sculpture you would find out and about on the street of Belfast.

First up a tribute to a favourite son Clive Staples Lewis.

The Searcher (1998) by Ross Wilson

 This next piece is now somewhat hidden by a building site but can be found in front of the Waterfront Hall.

Sheep on the Road (1991) by Deborah Brown

Finally today just along the River Bank you will come along another statue with a number of different names to the locals.

Beacon of Hope (2007) by Andy Scott

I'm sure I will be looking at and sharing more in the future.

Artful Thursday 4 - Escher

It must be the mathematician in me (and that is over 50% of my DNA) that draws me to the drawings of the Dutch artist Maurits Cornelis Escher who was actually born 113 years ago tomorrow. Here are some of my favourites.

First up is Relativity which was first produced in 1953 in which the normal rules of gravity are not suspended but operating in triplicate. There are three distinct centres of gravity operation along each of the three dimensional axis. It is why on each of the staircases two people are able to use them in their own gravitational normality.

Drawing Hands from 1948 is a visual paradox based on the wrists lying flat on the surface of the paper with the hand raised above to draw, yet each hand appears to be drawing the other.

And of course to confuddle us all, which way is up in Ascending and Descending from 1960 inspired by the Penrose Stairs concept envisioned by Lionel Penrose in 1958.

Artful Thursday 3 - Dali

I love the art of Salvador Dali, there is always some thing to look at, something to make you think.

One of my exes some time ago told me that this first piece was their favourite painting. Well that was one easy birthday present to purchase a print and a frame. It is one of Dali's surreal images that has rather a lot going on that repeated veiwings show new things. Here is Swans Reflecting Elephants.

 

One of his later works that strikes accord is Fertility  from 1977 which simplistically encapsulates all that fertility means to human life and our planet.

As anyone who knows me will attest I am a stickler for time keeping, at least when I am trying to get somewhere by myself. Therefore the image from Dali's Persistance of Time with the melted clocks would probably be my worst nightmare.

Enjoy there is more coming next Thursday.

Artful Thursday 2 - Stalker

Every year just before Christmas one of the highlights is to see just what card arrives from my late father's sister and her husband.The reason being that my Uncle Geoff is a painter, mainly of portraiture but has expanded into landscape. One year I believe the following picture featured. It seemed a little odd to us at the time, mostly pictures were of family (see below) the layout also appears somewhat odd. However, when explained as he does on his website it all makes sense.

The bearded gentleman who appears four times is Dr Jim Skinner, or rather he was. It was he who commissioned the work. All the other people featured are his children, a son and three daughters, and their families. When he died in 2002 the work which is on four panels could be divided so that each of the families has a picture of them with Jim.

Another Christmas card and this one named after my Aunt and Cousin. My mum and dad both said, "Huh?", until I spotted the shadows on the water, and there they were.

Artful Thursday 1 - Constable

 Somewhat inspired by oneexwidow's virtual gallery on his blog I decided that I might start to do a weekly work of art on my blog. Although I did do a special in advance yesterday with Towel Day.

This morning's picture is one that I stumbled upon as a student while traipsing through the National Gallery. It was a room with many far more famous works of art by the same artist, but they well all somewhat familiar to me having been prints on somebody at home's wall. It was also  the furtive glance of the main object that drew me in. So much so that I wrote the poem that follows. A post card of this picture was on my wall for many years as I've never managed to find a print of it.

On Seeing Constable's 'The Cenotaph to Reynold's Memory, Coleorton'

My friend of fleeting foot where do you dream of
You pass into myglade for just one clock tick
And soon into the darkness you'll be off.
Oh, friend of mine don't leave me so quick.
Yet I know you want to dart off to your shelter
And security from the fast approaching storm.
Don't stare so, for I long to see your face for longer
Don't lets separate and go each to his own home.
But stay a while and give me a happiness
That only your appearance brings to this place.
Rest here a while within the wooded quietness
And stand there full of your majestic grace.

My friend you only add to the perfect memory
Already that's bestowed within this glorious shrine
And this perfect scene seeps into life so perfectly
I only wish the memory could have been mine.

© Stephen Glenn February 1989