Friday, March 16, 2012

#ArtIHeart 4 - The Reason I'm Single?


Art I Heart
Share the art you love from your walls, a birthday card, what your child drew at school, that you saw in The National Gallery in London...

1. Choose one piece of art that has a short personal story behind it. It could be something on your wall, something you've seen in a gallery and love, homedrawn, on a postcard, on a birthday card, something by Degas or something by your DS.

2. Take a photograph, scan or download a picture of your picture and post it along with the short story about why you are drawn to it, have it on your wall, bought it, or hate it. Don't forget to link back to the linky so your readers can see the other entries.

3. Link up (it's open till next Thursday, 4pm GMT), leave a comment, et voila!

Here's mine:

Girl With Lemons; W. Bouguereau, 1899
This was the picture that all the fuss was about. This was the picture that got me a lecture from my Feng Shui/Chinese Medicine friend about ruining my chances of ever getting married. This picture was the reason I bought this picture of perfect coupledom in order to strike a balance. However, my friend was adamant that the Girl With Lemons had to go if I were to make room for a man in my home. Quite frankly, I think I made the better choice ;)

Girl With Lemons is part of the Israel Museum Collection and what I have framed is a poster from the museum shop. I fell in love with this painting because of the colours, the setting and the girl herself. Maybe for the same reason that Mummy Plum chose this picture. Or I may be flattering myself. I knew that this was going to hang in my kitchen when I moved apartments and I even chose the colours of the kitchen around it. See...


Well you can't design a kitchen around someone and then chuck them out, can you?

I saw Girl With Lemons once in The Broadwalk Shopping Centre in Edgware while I was visiting family. She didn't have her lemons and in fact she was about nine years old as opposed to the older teenager on my wall. But it was the same girl by the same artist. I wanted to buy the print (small poster?) of her younger self but the stall holder had it framed in a fancy gilt surround and wanted 40 pounds for it. So I left her in Edgware.

I did some research (google) and found that W. Bouguereau (1825 - 1905, French) spent his life painting my girl - you can see loads of her here. He was married twice and had five children. As he painted this girl from when she was a child, I was hoping she was one of his daughters. But it seems she was a model he hired to pose for him.

P.S. did you notice the small picture tucked into the frame at the bottom R-H corner? I was so freaked out by my friend's lecture at the time that I cut up a catalogue from the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art, NYC, and placed little copies of paintings depicting couples and families wherever I could find places. When I was going through IVF I placed mothers and daughters everywhere. There is one other one left tucked into the sockets in my bedroom. And I'm so not superstitious - I don't know what came over me.



30 comments:

  1. as the quote goes "if life gives you lemons, make lemonade" - life is about what you make it. you love this piece, it perhaps makes you think of yourself, but it's in no way going to determine how you live your life or who will come into your life... feng shui or not... i hope that it's staying right where it is?
    x

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    1. It certainly is (staying right where it is). It's hard to know what the right thing to do is these days - NLP and lifecoaching tell you that you rule your own destiny, feng shui says it's all about your stuff and where you place it, and the orthodox Rabbis say that God's had you planned from before you were born so no use fighting it. Me.... I dunno.

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    2. i hear what you are saying - how is a girl to know what to do? listen to her heart or entrust herself to others... i dunno either

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  2. What a another lovely post. Yes! you made the right decision - lovely picture and it looks great in your kitchen. It is in your kitchen? Going to do my best to hook up again this week.

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  3. Thanks, LOL - and she never complains, second guesses me or anything. Yes it is my kitchen. Love to have your entry this week - looking forward to it.

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  4. Beautiful picture, I think it looks great where it is, and how can it be bad anything, when you love it so much! Emma :)

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    1. Hmmm if I love it it must be good? I can live with that :). I'm glad you like it and where it is. Thank you!

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  5. ahh I'm pleased you posted this follow up post to your couple one! it is a lovely painting I am not really superstitious at all good job really seems as we live in house number 13! I too dont really have a clue with what makes life turn out the way it does, is it us making our own destiny or fate or indeed our choices about objects and positioning them.. whichever i guess doesn't really matter as long as we enjoy the ride :)

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    1. I agree, if you enjoy the ride it doesn't really matter which ride it is.

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  6. Beautiful picture and I have been to Edgware many times x

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    1. I grew up in Stannmore and my sister still lives in Edgware. It's home in an 'nothing is the same' sort of way.

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  7. I have no artwork on my walls except my ketuba. Wonder what that says about me.

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    1. Seriously? Why don't you put up some of your photography? Anyway I guess it says you're pretty much dedicated to your marriage if you only have your Ketuba (Jewish marital contract) up - but we knew that about you anyway :).

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  8. You don't know the half of it.

    I'm not really a photographer. I draw and paint but have never really made anything for myself. Usually I make wedding presents.
    I do have photos of my kids up on a shelf, if that counts.

    You should come over sometime.

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    1. Sorry I don't visit homes with no art on the wall. Just kidding, I'd love to.

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  9. I take it back! There's a birkat habayit (housewarming gift) thing and a tehillim thing (my mom was buying one and I liked it so she bought me one too).
    There's also a modeh ani thing in Eliana's room and a shema thing in Ami's. Not my style but they used to be in Gil's room when he was a little boy so we inherited them.
    I'm so frum. Apparently.
    How do I not even notice these things?

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    1. I've heard of walk-in closets but your house is a walk-in prayer book.

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  10. It's a lovely picture and a fascinating story behind it. You were right to hang on to it and it looks well in your kitchen!

    xx Jazzy

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  11. Lovely picture, I can see why you were drawn to it. I'm going to do my own art post when I get a minute, I'll link back to yours.

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    1. Looking forward to seein gyour art. Thanks for your comment.

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    2. And done beautifully I might add. Good luck with everything to do with your painting.

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  12. A beautiful painting. It's funny how the things people say stick with us isn't it. I'm pretty sure I too would have put the 'back-up' images around too :)

    Sorry I haven't got around to linking up this week - all a bit behind myself for some reason. Will definitely be looking to link up from tomorrow!

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    1. I look forward to reading about your chosen art next week. Thanks for commenting xx.

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  13. Than you for commenting. You are welcome to join in with this linky - there's a new one up every Friday and it's open all week.

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  14. Hi mates, fastidious article and pleasant arguments commented here, I am really enjoying by these.

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