Wednesday, August 04, 2010

erase the ugly

"My eyes were made to erase all this is ugly."
quote from Raoul Dufy
I am a bit obsessed with the artist's studio along with the art of Raoul Dufy. He adored the color blue. I love that he used his eyes to erase all the ugly.
We should all try this each day, to just create beauty.
As you can see, his fondness for blue is evident in many paintings.
The above "Regates A Cowes" just says Summer to me, all that blue amongst those pretty sailboats. How gloriously happy they sail on a background wash of brilliant blue!
Look closely to see the gesture of the "world is round."
I admire his work not only for color but for the looseness, the lines give me just enough to make up the composition. They are playful, yet sophisticated.
His work has a sort of calligraphic quality in the flourishes.
Unfortunately, he did suffer terribly from arthritis, but kept on painting. I love his polka dot tie and chapeau! The white wicker and the white linen jacket seem as though they were made for one another.
Look closely and see that he is drawing with his left hand. Sporting a white shirt ready to get down to the business of erasing the ugly and creating brilliantly happy art.

images from LIFE

24 comments:

P.Gaye Tapp at Little Augury said...

How wonderful-I think we have to do it-ugly seen differently through every I. I can see echos of your work here from this master. Your own work is to be treasured and thank you for bringing it and all the other inspiration your blog unfolds. pgt

Emily said...

Bless him; I love it when people rise above certain pains or difficulties to conquer and find peace through a different medium. And what better way than through the expression of art. Thank you for this pve - it's inspiring, as usual!

Kwana said...

Wow. Beautiful work. I see a lot of you in his work.

Susan McClaskey said...

I feel as though I've had an astute little art lesson this morning! Thank you. Much of what you said about his work, made me think of yours.

Formerly known as Frau said...

Gorgeous...I love all the blues!

Stitchfork said...

Happy art! And his style and dedication to create thru the arthritic pain is inspiring.

The Buzz Blog said...

I love the fact that Dufy painted in a white shirt - makes me think that every line he made was precise and clean.

Purple Flowers said...

I love Dufy's works of art.

Melissa @ Veranda Interiors said...

That last image of him is inspirational!

BonjourRomance said...

A true artist, and so courageous. The painting of the church is marvelous. Thank you for sharing this;
Thank you for your kind vist, it is very much appreciated!
Bon journée,
Mimi

Loui♥ said...

beautiful!!
I am a fan of BLUE..
and this artist truly knew it's value.. Love his works!
thanks ever for making my morning!!
warmest sandy hugs..
Loui♥

Gretchen O. said...

GORGEOUS AS ALWAYS!

Gramercy Home said...

So glad to know about this artist. I love my art history lessons via pve blog! His work is soulful - you can feel his passion in the work. Love the regatta pic - in that kind of mood right now.

Sensible Footwear said...

Thanks for sharing this. Amazing to see the artist at work producing those wonderful images with such a lightness of touch and such joyous colours. He's clearly an inspiration.

Barima said...

I, too, can see his influence on you - not a bad choice for an inspiration. "Flourishes" is certainly an apt descriptive

In non-essential information, I could probably replicate his entire outdoor outfit

All best,

B

designerman said...

what lovely work to see on a steamy hot august day. refreshing! thanks for posting it.

annechovie said...

I love Dufy's work and have one of his paintings on my inspiration board. Hope you're having a good week, PVE!

Carrie Waller Watercolors said...

I think erasing the ugly is a terrific way to live. Taking the positive from every experience is a great life lesson. Thanks for sharing your terrific post:)

Visual Vamp said...

I love his work!
How wonderful to read about him.
And honey, I erase the ugly every day of my life LOL.
xo xo

pranapt said...

We live in the D.C. area and are members of The Phillips Collection (one of the best kept secrets in D.C. as far as non-touristy places to enjoy art!) This painting is part of the collection, and hangs in one of the huge open stairwells. I sometimes just stop on the stairs and look at it! It makes me feel happy!

pranapt said...

P.S. referring to the painting titled The Artist's Studio ;)

Jeanne Henriques said...

Inspiring! Beautiful blue, wonderful paintings, love the drawings and I imagine he was quite a character!

Lovely post...

Jeanne :)

Harrison Howard said...

Dufy, like a number of other great artistic talents that have chosen to focus on the lighter side of life, has generally seemed under appreciated. He has wrongly been dismissed sometimes as an artist with less substance than some of his more serious peers, and it is very satisfying to see your post Patricia. The art world in general could benefit greatly from a more positive outlook like Dufy's on the world we live in, and your own work also demonstrates the value of art as a pleasurable experience.

Harrison Howard said...

Dufy, like a number of other great artistic talents that have chosen to focus on the lighter side of life, has been generally under appreciated. Dufy has often been wrongly seen as an atist with less substance than many of his more serious peers, and it is very satisfying Patricia to see your post on him. The art world in general could benefit from Dufy's example of taking a more positive look at the world we live in, and your own work Patricia is also a demonstration of that point.