My Favorite Things #2: Impressionist Paintings

OK, now it's time for the second installment of My Favorite Things, in which I talk about the things I love the most so my faithful readers can learn more about me and maybe even find a few new passions of their own. Ready? Here we go!

The impressionist movement in art is by far my favorite. Everything is so abstract, but it's still clear what the artist was trying to represent (not like modern art...I mean, come on, colored squares and blobs are not a suitable self-portrait unless you happen to be an alien). Lines are blurred, colors blend into one another, and reality becomes hard to tell from dreams. Some paintings look like you're viewing them through a rain-covered window, which just makes me so very happy, because I like rain when I can be inside listening to it patter on the roof.

Ok, here's one I actually read about in a book by one of my favorite authors, Laura Jensen Walker, about a woman who goes to Paris and sees this painting of a woman with a green umbrella. I was intrigued by the way the author describes the character's enthrallment with this painting, and how it inspired her to start painting again. It made me want to see this painting that obviously had an effect on the author, since she wrote so eloquently about it.

Source: ibiblio.org

And just look at it! How could you not be enraptured with this woman? She stares at me like she can actually see me. The look on her face seems so sad, like she is leaving her best friend behind and will never see her again.

The next one was actually my introduction to impressionism. I saw it in an article about a traveling exhibition from the Art Institute of Chicago that would be in my local art museum for several weeks. It gripped my imagination, so I simply had to go see the whole exhibition. Then I was hooked, and I've been an art lover ever since.

Source: Art Institute of Chicago

She seems so dainty and feminine, with her head turned slightly away from the viewer. It's like we're sneaking up on her to surprise her with flowers or something. 

This is another one I saw at that exhibition. It was definitely one of my favorites from that day. The colors are so incredibly vivid, and the layers were very, very thick. I was impressed with the depth of detail and the incredible skill of the painter.

Source: Art Institute of Chicago

She seems so wistful...I also really love the background of trees, vines, and water. Oh, the outdoors! They call to me with a siren song I wouldn't be able to resist if it weren't so very cold outside.

And on that note, I found this gem while perusing Google images for my green umbrella painting.

Source: News on Art

Red poppies, a field, and trees. What more can a girl ask for? 

Well, I hope you all have enjoyed this little survey of impressionism. And no, I am not going to tell you who the artists are. Anything worth knowing is worth searching out. 

And with that bit of wisdom, I bid you all goodbye. I made some pumpkin spice cupcakes for Thanksgiving, and I must go do some quality control...