Through the Trees Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic on linen 11 x 16 inches
View toward Auguste Comte Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic on linen 11 x 16 inches
Fountain/Senat 19 March Blair Pessemier Acrylic on linen 13 x 18 inches
Cyclamen Laurie Fox Pessemier Monotype on Paper about 9 x 9 inches
View to Observatoire Blair Pessemier Acrylic on linen 18 x 15 inches
Primroses Laurie Fox Pessemier Monotype on Paper about 9 x 9 inches
Ranunculas Laurie Fox Pessemier Monotype on Paper about 9 x 9 inches
ARTNOTES: NOT Vincent van Gogh
TEFAF, the The European Fine Art Fair takes place every year
in March. It is one of my favorite
events to attend: like rummaging about,
deluxe-style, in a museum basement. In
addition to the regular fare of the world’s best art and objects, this year there
was a show of Van Gogh’s drawings. We
drove the 4 and a half hours to see it all last Sunday.
My favorite piece of art for sale was a painting of Jawlensky’s:
Church in Prerow. It is brilliant
orange and green – just fabulous.
There were some other wonderful Jawlenskys, too. But the artist I most liked for body of work
was Kirchner. Many different works of
his were shown, from trees to flowers to people (extra
good).
The thing I noticed most at TEFAF was the marvelous curation
of things. I often notice that in
museums now, the work seems to be chosen to make a good catalog, and is hung to
accomadate giant crowds in a linear, chronological fashion. Not so at TEFAF: art is arranged to catch
your eye, to draw you in from one piece to another. A furniture dealer in specializing in Hoffman
hangs a hinged flower planter on a leading corner, your eye turns to the most
important piece in the stand: an
armoire; one circulates around some rather odd statues. All is illuminated by the best lighting I’ve
seen. I get an idea for making
lampshades with silk scarves. Right
around the corner from them was a New York dealer, Jason Jaques, who sold
outstanding ceramics. There were vases from the art nouveau period I’d never
seen the likes of. But more than just
the work, he had the BEST display – art nouveau style iron work: wall shelves, console tables. It was so terrific we went in to tell him –
and he said, “you guys present well yourselves”. Which made me take a look around at people,
and for one of the first times in my life, I realized our personal style fit in
nicely with the crowd.
Holland is an intriguing place. One knows instantly when leaving Belgium that
you’ve arrived someplace far more interesting.
The houses – large painted brick mansions, square or rectangle, many
windows, peaked pyramidal roofs with lyrical lanterns. Sand is everywhere, along the many rivers –
and the people are larger than I am.
It’s the only place I can go and feel short. There’s a boldness and
confidence in them which allow them to wear bright colors, daring designs. They are very open – they have to be because
they’ve always been the traders of the world.
Soutine, my favorite artist, had two paintings in the show –
a hunter, with an unusual blue background and a landscape. I loved a bridge painted by Lyonel Feininger.
It’s humbling to return to our own
gallery.
We had our first outdoor lesson on the 19 March. Blair and I painted surprisingly similar
pictures this time – and our brave Australian colleague toughed out the 35
degree day (no more than 2 Celsius). Her
husband, in shirtsleeves and down vest went with their son, in shorts to the
catacombs. Crocodile Dundee had nothing
on him.
I spent the rest of the week in the gallery making
prints. While I was there, a family
stopped by -- the older of the two girls, all of seven, asks how I made the
butterfly prints. I show her the
technique. She’d like to buy one, she says, but this is the
last day of her trip, and she’s spent all her money. Her sister, about four years old, is examining
the stairs to the basement. I tell her
Vincent is working down there. She turns
to her father, and announces in a stage
whisper, “THAT is NOT Vincent Van Gogh!”
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