Kunstmuseum Basel

1.9.19

Kunstmuseum, Basel

Art Gallery, Basel

Having enjoyed the Cubist exhibition I returned to visit the rest of the art gallery.

Favourite artwork I saw there included the following:

This is a sensitive, realistic, talented, gentle piece of artwork which isn’t seeking to make a dramatic statement. Despite being called the Harlequin, the colours are subtle. So often Picasso is known for more ‘challenging’, ground breaking artwork, but this one is probably one of my favourites of his .

This painting by Marc is striking. The viewer almost does not immediately recognise that the cats are not realistic colours or that we can’t really see either of their faces. I think the rounded, stylized forms bear essences of cubism, and the composition is really interesting, with the muted colours of the smaller cat creating a sense of depth in the painting.

Leaving the sketch lines in place creates an ‘animated’ static portrait. There is life in the figure and she moves. It feels loose and not overworked. The tones on the face are very effective at creating form, and you feel he was continually trying to ‘find’ her likeness as he drew her… perhaps over and over again. The lack of colour in the background and on the face contrasts with the gentle hint of colour in the blouse.

I was delighted to see this beautiful painting after doing some research about this artist in the ‘History of Still Life’ research. It was instantly recognisable. It was amazing that a painting which is 370 years old is so bright and vibrant and so wonderfully painted. I think it was more beautiful in real life than any photo of it can capture.

This painting struck me as I walked past. We visited this very town outside Amsterdam in April. What startled me was that again, this painting is about 330 years old, and a photograph of this same space today, devoid of market stalls and people, would look remarkably the same as it does then. It is a very detailed, accurate and beautifully painted image which must be so informative for historical purposes.

This painting caught my attention as the rendition of the female was so striking. She looked like a Greek goddess carrying an ern. She shone with luminescence. The child was also well captured, although the relative size of the child is too big, or the lady, too small.

However, although I really liked each of the figures, I did not feel they worked together well in this painting. The setting does not match the mother figure. Why would she be carrying what I took to be a fresh water jug, at the sea, and carrying it in that way when her child is paddling naked at her feet.

Wouldn’t she have been crouched down with her, or more involved interacting with her child. It feels like the woman is superimposed on a painting of a child at the beach. I still like the painting, but was struck by the anomalies of it.

This is almost a life size painting of a Breton woman in watercolour. The colours, composition and posture create an image of a young woman who you  might feel a little sorry for. She seems a little stooped and resigned.

The translucent colours, minimal brush strokes and gentleness of the art made me smile. It is a charming painting.

What I learned

Looking at the images I selected here from a great range of different art, I find I am drawn to portraiture, but not of Classical ‘posed’ paintings of the 19^th Century, but ones that capture the essence of everyday people. I am particularly attracted to ‘mother and children’ art, and have been for many years, even through sculptures too. The apparent ease, gentleness and apparent calmness of these paintings attract me. I was not previously conscious of this, but am interested in this realisation.

The other ones I selected relate to previous experiences, ie. Researching a particular artist, or recognising somewhere I have been. I do recognise that having visited a place does draw me to artwork that reminds me of that time and place. A rekindling of a positive experience. I know I have a particular fondness for some of the colourist style landscapes of Scotland.