Here I am again in Florida to visit a dear friend and to paint. I am anxious to put paint to canvas. The quality of light is quite unique to Florida and the Caribbean islands: it is crystal clear despite the humidity; it can be so warm in the late afternoon and so very cool and transparent in the morning.
Here is a 6x8” study of the inner coastal way as the sun was setting. It is a little spot in the neighborhood a short walk from my friend’s home.
'Return with a Bear' Julian Fałat 1892
courtesy of the National Museum in Warsaw
The light on the snow is chilling perfection in depicting this day after a heavy snowfall. The viewer is captivated by the sharp and silent quality of a fresh frozen morning. Fałat's painting of hunters triumphantly hoisting a massive bear in their arduous trek homebound is built upon many dimensions of color and shadow in the snow, substance we may perceive as only white.
But look closely, slowly!
Allow your eye to roam the forest surrounding the hunting party; into the laden brush still not touched by sun, to the fallen timber covered with yet unmelted new snowfall.
The artist's use of color in painting the forest snow brings exacting life to the depth and weight of what the men are trudging through, the temperature within and out of shadows, and gives the eye a sense of time.
Consider the idiom, 'Pure as the driven snow'. While we may think of snow as being the ultimate of white, it is highly reflective of all its surroundings, thus casting color as well as shadow. This reflective nature of snow, and light falling on varied planes formed by the sculpted masses of snow are interpreted through the painter's skilled technique of applying paints selected for their sublime value of color to translate, to express what is seen as white. How paints are mixed, how paint is applied are thoughtful and crucial machinations of creation. Blues and greys, the cooler values, are use to express frigidity of temperature, and shadowed depth of the hunters' labored steps. Slight tinges of violet scatter the snowscape in the plundering disruption, as the eye is pulled farther into the image, as bright white recedes.
Fałat the artist captured this stark, powerful scene by employing masterful techniques as exacting as scientific procedures. His meticulous observation and diligent practice enabled the creation of a work of art that moves the soul.
The thrill of undisturbed, wilderness snow is immediate, raw and undeniable.
Julian Fałat, (30 July, 1853-9 July, 1929) was one of Poland's renown and prolific artists of the last two centuries. His work in watercolor, as well as oil, of landscapes, hunting scenes and portraiture are valuable aesthetic records in their depiction of Polish culture and history. It is fitting that his powerful imagery be featured on this inaugural Art Matters ; in-memoriam of his birthdate and the seminal role Fałat's painting has so grandly played in inspiring the vision and artistry of Inka Zamoyska.
Welcome art lovers, aficionados and friends!
Inka Zamoyska's blog is underway, on an artful exploration and discussion of why art matters, and what that means in our world today.
It is the artist's hope to share, educate and learn in an interactive manner about classical and contemporary art topics. Please enjoy the postings, and accept our invitation to engage in the discussions, the discovery.
