Author: juliemlmitchell_lchs7g

Renoir and Rembrandt

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The other day I told my husband I wanted to learn more about art.

“Uh-huh,” he replied, “You say that a lot.”

Did you also hear the challenge in his tone?! I can’t wait to wow him with all the new art stuff I’m about to learn! As I mentioned in my welcome post, if you are a serious artist or collector or gallery owner or art connoisseur of any kind, I’m sure you will find my blog deplorable. However, if you simply love art or are curious about art, I invite you to stick around!

Like Maria from the Sound of Music said, “Let’s start at the beginning, a very good place to start.” As I mentioned in the previous post, I truly didn’t know the difference between a Renoir and a Rembrandt, so getting to the bottom of that mystery seems a logical first step. It turns out I should be embarrassed of not knowing the difference between the two, because the R in their names is pretty much all they have in common.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir: A French Impressionist (1841-1919). Upon Googling, I recognized much of his work, but none more than Dance in the Country (and not just because it was on that episode of Gilmore Girls when Stars Hollow hosted The Festival of Living Art).
Lorelai posed as the lady in the red hat!
 Rembrandt: A Dutch painter (1606-1669). Apparently Rembrandt was mostly known for his portraits, but actually, in the handful of pieces I looked at online, this one (his only seascape) was my favorite:
The Storm on the Sea of Galilee

Which do you prefer? I love the color in the Renoir, but I have to pick Storm on the Sea of Galilee. Religious art is my favorite, and I love lots of intricacies in paintings. I think we can safely assume the Devil is not in the details in this one! More on it tomorrow!

  

Nice to Meet You!

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Welcome to Nice and Easel! In some ways this blog is brand spanking new, but in my head it has been a long time coming. I actually set up this site over a year ago and then life, busy-busy, procrastination, cold feet, and all the worry came into play. Right now though, I’m low on excuses and high on a love of art, so here we are.

Nice and Easel is a nod to the nice and easy, super chill way I’m approaching my art self-education. If you’re looking for a knowledgeable, pretentious art connoisseur you’re barking up the wrong fresco. But if you might need to Google “fresco,” or you don’t know a Rembrandt from a Renoir, or if you enjoy the occasional cheesy pun, and overuse of exclamation points, then this is going to be your jam. (!!!!!)

Let’s learn some stuff about art together. The classics, the moderns, paintings, sculptures, photography, the famous and the obscure, even the weird stuff we swear any average never-picked-up-a-paintbrush-before Joe could do blindfolded and bungee-jumping off the Bridge to Nowhere. Let’s not pretend to be sophisticated and know what we’re talking about, but just say what we like and what isn’t exactly our pot of paint. Let’s just talk about interesting art-related things we learn and have some fun doing it! These are my humble hopes and dreams for Nice and Easel. I hope you’ll read along!