Last Saturday I scoured antique stores
and galleries in Stamford Connecticut for
artwork with my best buddy "T". She's
got an eye that truly is incomparable.
Somehow she can see beauty in things
that quite frankly appear awful to me.
"T" is considering leveraging that talent
by reselling her discoveries in a local shop.
Whoever takes one of her newly discovered
masterpieces home will be quite lucky.
All of that shopping got me thinking.
If I could build the ultimate art collection,
what would my gallery be filled with?
My first purchase would be
The Lake
by Jean Baptiste Camille Corot.
For as long as I remember, I've "visited" my favorite at the Frick Collection. This pastoral beauty portrays trees, water, peasants, and cattle. It calms my soul.
"T's" father was an accomplished
painter. "Wind Tunnel" moves
me in ways I can't describe. I'm
blessed to now own this work
that echoes Corot's tones. My
next purchase would be at least
one other Robert Baranet ASAP!
When in the American galleries
at the Metropolitan Museum of
Art, I always stop and stare at
Arques-la-Bataille by
John Henry Twatchman.
It's so modern and yet it was
created one hundred and twenty
eight years ago. I want it NOW!
Stockton
Bill Stockton was an artist and sheep rancher based in Grass Range Montana. His body of work celebrates the beauty of central Montana. In my opinion, one can't get enough Stockton!
At the turn of the century, Edward Steichen took photography to the level of fine art. His "Heavy Roses" still intoxicate me with their beauty almost one hundred years later. If it was mine, I would treasure it. Can I have it pretty please?!
While the above seem peaceful and passive, I adore the brutal brush strokes of Franz, not Patsy Kline. His work moves and empowers me. The ultimate wake up call would be waking up to his Mahoning masterpiece every morning?!
Sargent
I adore this portrayal of the
Wyndham Sisters
by John Singer Sargent.
This massive painting captures
three well bred siblings in all of
their patrician glory. Proof that
three are better than one, the
elegance of Mr. Sargent's brush
strokes always captivates. If only
I could paint like that. Given I
can't, nothing would make me
happier than to have a Sargent
of my own at home. SALUTE!
Rothko
Finally my last purchase would have to be any work created by Mark Rothko. His abstract art has amazed and enthralled me from the moment I first saw it. Looking at all of my choices, it's clear that being an art connoisseur requires passion, knowledge, and CASH. My only hesitation is that if I owned such a collection, I would have to spend years figuring out how to frame it.
