Susan thank you so much for sharing this spontaneous and moving experience with us! It’s quite something isn’t it, to find yourself with tears running down your face and feeling a visceral reaction in your whole body. I love love that painting can do this!!
And…I think you always had the heart of an artist…

Before I truly had the heart of an artist I accompanied a friend to a Van Gogh exhibit out east. It was crowded and a bit uncomfortable, but I forgot everything when we rounded a corner to see Vincent’s bedroom and bright yellow straw chair. The bold impasto and freshness of his brushstrokes was overwhelming. I was unprepared for my powerful visceral reaction- tears running down my face. I had never reacted to any art this way before! It was a bit scary but very remarkable! It looked as though Van Gogh might have just put down his brush and walked away.

Many thanks Kyle! As I said in an earlier comment, I think I got lucky with how dreadful this digital image is! It certainly helped make the point.

And I hear you about submitting a photo that just doesn’t do your painting justice. If at all possible, it’s wise to have a professional do the photographing. For sure, there’s nothing like seeing the real thing AND having online shows has opened up the opportunity to many artists to be considered for a juried show where many couldn’t have/wouldn’t have entered before.

Alison, I smiled at your story about your friends knowing exactly where to find you in the Met!

And ohhhhhh what bad luck about your timing and the strikes in the Paris museums. I do hope you get back one of these days. And…seeing art in galleries big and small wherever you travel, that’s just marvellous and, as you say, so inspiring!

Reba, I was of the same mind about Van Gogh (see my response to Barb above). Thank you so much for sharing your experience, of how you stood back and saw the stars twinkle. And yes to not buying merch – better just to see the work online OR, better yet, once in a while in the real!!

Several years ago we were in Paris, we got there at night. The next morning I was ready to go to the Museum de Orsey and see all of the great art and the employees all went on strike that day. All the museums in Paris were closed. We were only there for the one day so I never got into any of the museums. It is a trip that I wish to make again one day! You are so right that art in person is so different than digitally viewing it. Wherever we travel I always make it a point to go to the local gallery, whether it is in a big city and well known or just a small town and local artists. It’s so inspiring!
Thank you again for sharing.

Thanks Patricia! The Tate reproduction really was a particularly bad one so I kinda lucked out as it helped me make my point! There are numerous galleries with high resolution, extremely clear reproductions online. It’s quite incredible actually. I think we may have COVID to thank for the increase in availability online of museum collections.

Thank you too for bringing in the idea that working from life is more valuable/better than working from a photo. I couldn’t agree more! Working from life gives you knowledge that you can bring to your studio work inside, that’s for sure. Thanks for sharing your process and knowledge with us!

“Wicked good.” I LOVE that Andrea! Sure put a grin on my face!! Thank you! And that’s certainly incentive enough to do more. (And, truth be told, I love looking closely at a painting and sharing what I see.)

And, ohhh I loved your emphasis on “shocked” cos yes, that’s indeed what it feels like. It’s extraordinary, the size of those Monet water lily paintings and as you say, some are barely suggested. And yet we “read” them from a distance. Quite incredible. Dana (above) had a similar experience with these Monet paintings. And those Zorn portraits….It DOES make a difference to see the real thing!!

Good to know you were a writer/editor before painting lol! And, it appears “explicate” is indeed the correct word. Thanks for the intro to that word and meaning 😁