Thursday, January 30, 2014

My New Favorite Artist

I've had my mind on art the past few days, and I've posted a couple of drawings I did back when I was a lovesick teenaged girl: one, a 1975 red ink sketch of my husband/then boyfriend, back when we were in high school; and the other, a 1976 charcoal sketch I did of a little girl in profile, while dreaming about what our future daughter might look like.  And I told you that people--faces--are, and always have been, my favorite subject when it comes to artwork.

Well, this morning I came across an image that I just love, love, love, while reading another Catholic mom blog.  The faces in it are simply heart-melting.  Have you ever seen this painting before?
Oh my, those faces!!  That sweet chubby baby!!  Isn't this a fabulous work of art?

I had to go on-line immediately, to try to find out the name of the artist responsible for this endearing painting.  What I unearthed was the title, "Young Peasant Woman with Three Children at the Window," by prolific Austrian artist Ferdinand Georg Waldmuller (1793-1865).

From the moment I saw it, this image spoke to me, it really did.  It made me completely happy to look at it--until I let this unwarranted thought niggle its way into my brain: If only I could paint like this...

But God gives us each our own unique talents, and He gives them in whatever degree He knows will be best for our immortal souls.  I do believe this, truly I do; so instead of being all self-deprecating about the amount of artistic talent I have, and comparing myself to artists such as the brilliantly gifted Waldmuller (because I've been reminded recenlty that "Comparison is the thief of joy," and I am taking that saying to heart as best I can), I want to thank God for giving me just enough ability to create some drawings and paintings and crafty things that, however unprofessional in quality they might be, give me a happy heart when I'm working on them. 

But oh the joy I get from looking at the works of certain well-known artists!  I've blogged about some of my favorites before: Besse Pease Gutmann, Jesse Willcox Smith, Norman Rockwell, Mary Cassatt.  Well, now I'm going to add Ferdinand Georg Waldmuller, an artist whose name I'd never heard before today, to that list!  Like Mary Cassatt, many of his paintings contain mothers with their offspring--but also fathers, grandfathers, and grandmothers.  These images of multi-generational families (many of them big families, with lots of pink-cheeked children and babies) doing everyday things together are just so precious, in my eyes.  So joy-inducing in their simple beauty.

I want to share this newfound favorite of mine with you, so here are some of the other works by Waldmuller that speak to me.
 








[Sigh...]  Aren't these Waldmuller paintings wonderful?  What a gift for faces he had.  But this last one just might be my favorite, because it depicts a grandmother and three little girls--so it of course reminds me of my darling trio of granddaughters and me, hanging out together, reading.
Of course, the little girls in this painting are a bit older than my sweetie pies.  (And I hope this grandmother looks a little older than I, too!)  But I still think of us when I look at it.  And I feel joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my heart!

God bless artists such as Waldmuller, who with their God-given talents make the world a much more beautiful place for the rest of us!

11 comments:

  1. Oh, you have such a gift for art appreciation! This makes me wish I had taken a class in college...but I'm thankful I did take the music appreciation class. :) God bless you, and thank you so much for sharing!

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    1. I wish I'd learned to play an instrument--and could sing! You spread beauty and joy through music, which I think is so wonderful.

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  2. Thank you for introducing me to a new artist; these are wonderful!

    And about your posts earlier this week (I'm catching up); I so understand the feeling but agree (and am SO GLAD) with your decision to keep blogging.

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    1. You are so nice, Joy!

      And I couldn't keep Wadmuller to myself. I can't believe how much I love his work. :)

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  3. Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing this with me! I absolutely love art that includes mothers with their children (Cassatt is one of my favorites), and these paintings are absolutely beautiful. Not many artists create expressions of joy in portraits, so seeing the happy expressions in Waldmuller's paintings really makes my heart smile! Lovely!

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    1. My husband commented that these paintings are very pro-life, and he's so right. Look at how happy those big families look, with kids draping their arms about their moms' necks or sitting on her lap, and bigger siblings playing with their younger siblings. And then grandparents who are part of the scene, too. These paintings are a celebration of family life--and of LIFE at all its stages, from birth to old age. I really love them. :)

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  4. Whoa, is that a baby backpack she's carrying that kid in? Now THAT'S vintage. Lovely paintings!

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    1. I know--that thing looks pretty heavy!!! That mom has a strong back. (And who knew they had contraptions like that back then?)

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  5. This is beautiful! I've never seen these paintings before. :)
    ~ Country Girl's Daybook, recently posted: Gimme Shelter movie review → http://bit.ly/1iHASJF

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    1. Me neither. I'm so glad I read Catholic blogs or I never would have stumbled upon this artist.

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  6. I saw your tweet on this, Laura, and clicked over to see these lovely paintings. They are inspiring and give me a serene, peaceful feeling. They are just wonderful. Thank you for sharing!

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