It's Summer Time!!!

Detail of The Seasons: Summer (1900) by Alphonse Mucha

If there is an image from Mucha on the page, then we must be celebrating the changing of the season. ;-)

Indeed, we're celebrating the start of Summer, my favorite season. The bright flowers, the birdsongs, the lovely ladies in their summer clothes, these are some of my favorite things. Yeah, it might get hot, but it's worth some sweat and discomfort, if the beauty of the season can still be experienced.

During the gloomy months, I haunt the museums and galleries, but now it's time to stroll the gardens. The artworks of nature are drawn from a transcendent palette.

Detail from Ceres: Summer (1712) by Antoine Watteau

Here's hoping that the upcoming season is vibrant and filled with joy!!!

Winter

Winter (1755) by Jean-Honore Fragonard


A new season begins, Winter, my least favorite time of the year.

The holidays are rarely "happy" for me. I'm not prone to depression, but late December and early January do bring on some spiritual doldrums. Maybe it's the light. Maybe it's the cold. All I know is that it takes a whole lot of eggnog to bring me some seasonal cheer. ;-)

And the flowers are so few. The bounty of color that I wish to see in the gardens is muted, with only a handful of hardy floral gems on view. But, at least, I still have art and music.

Detail of Winter (1896) by Alphonse Mucha

One way in which I deal with the Winter Gloom is by staying busy. I often overpack my schedule, visiting museums, gardens, galleries, performances, lectures, and any activity that will keep my mind from straying into the shadows. Yeah, it's a form of escapism, but it does the job. By early February, I can feel my spirit lifting up, anticipating the beauties of Spring, just about fifty days away.

New Beautiful Things Come

An Italian Autumn (1844) by Thomas Cole


Summer passes without giving the South Bay much of a visit this year. Our marine layer has started each morning with a gray ceiling that lasts deep into the day. From early May to this September morning, the Gloom blots out the sky. Oh well, let's hope that Autumn clears away the mists.

Folks foreign to the Californian climate will scoff at the notion of a "seasonal" change in Los Angeles. They claim that it is always summer here. Always green and without color. Well, it's true that we don't get the intense reds, oranges, and browns that characterize much of the rest of the States. However, the Fall subtly creeps into the trees and gardens. The bird songs and animal activities gradually alter. It's a slow walk into the darkness of Winter.

This isn't my favorite season. But I'll keep my complaints to a minimum. ;-)

Autumn (1896) by Alphonse Mucha


And we can't pass up the opportunity to post another Mucha beauty.

Stile Floreal

Detail of Poetry (1898) by Alphonse Mucha

On this day in 1860, the Art Nouveau master, Alphonse Mucha, was born. If you've been a frequent reader of this blog, then you know that I admire his works. I'll take any excuse to post one of his images on my blog. And his birth date is the perfect excuse!

So, here are my top three Mucha images. (Caveat: they are my top three right now. I might have another top three tomorrow. LOL!)

Number One, is the image above, Poetry. It's the first Mucha that I remember noticing and appreciating. In college, I would often walk by a reproduction of the image on the hallway wall of my dorm. So, she feels like an old friend.

Number Two is:



Reverie (1897) by Alphonse Mucha


Reverie embodies that daydream quality. The composition is gentle and captivating, like a sweet thoughtful pause on a hectic afternoon. I love her.

Psychological Impulses Personified

Treading Through an Untrimmed Memory (2011) by Tran Nguyen

Thinkspace Gallery is currently exhibiting "The Synapse Between Here and There", a solo show of new works by Tran Nguyen. These works have a look that blends early 20th century fantasy illustration and Art Nouveau. Yet, there is a compassionate quality that allows the viewer to empathize and identify with the imagery. These are not aesthetic icons, to be kept separate and above the viewer. They are like beautifully designed Rorschach patterns, into which the viewer may engage their own creativity to impart a personal significance to the work.

Perhaps a better analogy than a projective test is to consider these images as "dreamscapes" to which the viewer brings their own distinct interpretation. The art has no "correct" meaning, but instead holds a multiplicity of meanings as determined by the current psychological disposition of the interpreter. That's how I understand the title of this show. It is not about the Object or the Subject but about the Communicative Impulse between them.



Just Another Oscillant Deposition (2011) by Tran Nguyen


Certainly, there is a guiding parameter which is expressed by the title and by the use of colors, shapes, and compositional arrangements. These are not infinitely open abstractions. Nevertheless, these works possess a fertile ambiguity similar to that found in classic Symbolist aesthetics, such as in the works of Gustav Klimt.

Summer Has Arrived

Summer (1909) by Frank W. Benson

Woo hoo!!! My favorite season is upon us! Summer, a time of warmth and long days. . .

Of course, here, in the Los Angeles South Bay area, the sky is dark and grey. The standard "June Gloom" casts a shadow upon the land. It's chilly at the beach and the clouds obscure the sun setting into the Pacific.

But soon the marine layer will lift. The sky will be bright and blue. The birdsongs will fill the morning air. The bright flowers will in full bloom. You all know how much I enjoy visiting the various local botanical gardens and nature preserves to look at the birds and flora. Well, this is the best time of year for such activities!

And there's the beach! Woo hoo!!!



Summer (1896) by Alphonse Mucha


It is often said that there are no seasons in Los Angeles. That is false.