Last week’s Things I’m Loving post was very fun for me to write specifically because of the art portion. Throughout the month of February I was constantly adding to it with so many different artists, works, and time periods I wanted to talk about. But it too long for a monthly recap post, and I cut out a significant portion of art-related things I wanted to write about in order to talk about other stuff.
However, I have a lot of nerdy art babble left in me. AND I have a whole Pinterest board of Art I Love (that’s what it’s called) that I’ve been dying to yap to someone about it. So what better way to yap than through a Substack post?
The premise for the Art I Love board was literally to have a space to collect art I stumbled across on Pinterest. I had a separate board for art I was actually trying to learn from, but Art I Love is purely for appreciation. I’ve been working on Art I Love for quite some time now; and since becoming an art history major, it’s experienced a lot of traffic. If you read last weeks Things I’m Loving post, you’ll know that I’ve developed a good understanding of my personal taste in art and I think the Art I Love board reflects this.
So, in the spirit of sharing things I love, here is a small digital collection of art I developed. Not everything on my board is here (curators never show their whole collection at once), but I think these pieces are pretty representative of my taste right now. Hope you love them all as much as I do.
This first work is one I discovered on Pinterest; and thanks to the rare comments on the post, I found out that the artist is an Uzbek painter who goes by the name Alisher Kushakov. But other than the information from this website and his instagram, I don’t know much else. The painting was posted to instagram in December 2023 and as of today does not have a caption to describe it. But it’s a beautiful painting nonetheless, and I wish I had been the one who purchased it (it was already sold according to instagram). When I first saw this picture I immediately imagined it hanging in the living or dining room of a fancy penthouse I don’t have. But it would be the center-piece, I’d build the whole room around this single artwork. Kushakov’s ladies all look like dancers so it’s no wonder that his work is so chic and dynamic at the same time.
In the same vein of pieces I’d like to own, La Coiffeur by Mary Cassatt (1890-91). Impressionist prints are highly underrated, but maybe it’s because they live in the shadows of grand, colorful paintings done by the same artists. But prints, especially by an artist like Cassatt who was highly skilled in the medium, reveal their true ability to create images without relying on the use of color, as they show how Impressionist artists understand line and form. Coiffeur scenes are always a favorite because they just feel so intimate and feminine, the color palette of this particular Cassatt print reflects this. I just like it, there’s something comforting about this image to me, and it would go wonderfully in a room next to Kushakov’s painting.
Now with this painting, you’ll really get a sense of my taste. This is Jubilee Procession in a Cornish Village by George Sherwood Hunter. I LOVE Hunter’s style. I don’t know why! It just feels so dreamy and ethereal, it makes me feel like I’m having the most delightful hallucinations. I first discovered Sherwood Hunter in one of my lower division art history classes when he was briefly mentioned. And when I realized his works were from the late-nineteenth century, I was absolutely floored. His works just feel so modern, it’s hard to imagine that they were painted at the same time as the Impressionists. But maybe I have a thing for this time period (I do). Nevertheless, Sherwood Hunter should be a more popular artist, his works are incredible.
Jubilee Procession reminds me a lot of a scene from a Studio Ghibli Movie (ahem ahem, The Cat Returns) which is why in my imaginary gallery, next to Sherwood Hunter, I’d like to have a small collection of Miyazaki sketches and water color paintings that compliment the previous work. I have a sentimental attachment to Studio Ghibli movies, as I watched them growing up in the mid 00s. Some of my earliest memories are going to the library with my mom and borrowing these movies on DVD and occasionally VHS. But this part of the gallery is not purely for nostalgia, it is an ode to what got me into art and creating. Hayao Miyazaki is a true master of his craft and creates animation in a way that only a mad genius like him can. His work shows a clear love for the world, and his unique themes of childhood, environmentalism, and war are ones which will continue be relevant for generations to come.
This next work, Suzanne Valadon’s Blue Room is one I discovered in my Women In Art class last semester. From its bright blues to its curvy lines, it almost feels reminiscent of Van Gogh but it clearly isn’t. This is the work of female Post-Impressionist artist Suzanne Valadon. Valadon was in the same circles as the Impressionists but never showcased with them. Her status as a woman and a model for other artists (scandalous) likely affected her credibility. But it doesn’t matter anymore because I loveeee her work. Her ability to show women in vulnerable settings without being voyeuristic is refreshing, and her honest depiction of women’s bodies will touch the hearts of feminine people everywhere. This is exemplified by The Blue Room, which shows a curvy woman in a reclining posture on a bed of flowers, a scene which was only reserved for peak ideals of untouched beauty. Valadon is a true visionary.
If you read last week’s post, you know I’ve been on my Romanticism kick, so I had to throw in some JMW Turner in the gallery. I specifically wanted to put a maritime scene because it’s one of my favorite kinds of paintings. Turner, coincidentally, but happens to be an aficionado for maritime scenes, particularly exciting ones like The Battle of Trafalgar (1823-24). Nothing much to say about this painting, but read last week’s post about why I love Turner’s work. I just think that in a past life, I was a pirate. I’ve been drawn to stories about people on boats going to far away places. So as a novice traveller, I love a maritime scene (and I love Pirates of the Caribbean).
This feels like a weird pick for my imaginary gallery, because (again) if you read last week’s post, I’m not as fond of styles that were actually approved by the French Academy. But this painting is one I absolutely love. Not necessarily for stylistic reasons, though it is gorgeous, but because you can really feel the emotion through it. It’s also a painting, not just about romantic love, but of love for the arts as well. Many layers to the Pygmalion and Galatea story, every artist should know it.
Similarly, another painting I love for the emotion is Arnold Böcklin’s Island of the Dead. I have no idea why I like this painting, but its one of those ones that just stops you in your tracks when you see it. And every time I’m at the Met, this work, as well as Pygmalion and Galatea, always catches my eye. From a practical standpoint, this gallery definitely needs more landscapes. Additionally, I think this piece would be a good way open up a section about death and mortality, because the next few paintings are related to the subject.
This is a painting which I almost fell to my knees seeing for the first time. I did not expect to find it, but when I was wandering the halls of the Louvre (overstimulated by the Mona Lisa and plenty of Delacroix works) I turned by the gift shop and saw her. I cannot explain to you the absolutely devastating feeling I experienced when looking at this work. It’s just so tragically beautiful, I still get chills thinking about it. Very few paintings have elicited such a visceral reaction from me, which is why I need to have it in my gallery. Also it’s just amazing to look at, the martyre’s body literally glows off the canvas, and I really feel like the work speaks for itself. Ugh how I love Romanticism.
Another painting which feels strangely modern (contemporary) but was actually made over a hundred years ago is this weird little painting. Masks Confronting Death is also a painting I saw first in real life and was not expecting to see. In the MoMA, it was displayed right next to Van Gogh’s Starry Night, which is probably my favorite painting of all time. And, after having sobbed over, I was pleasantly surprised to see this unusual pastel colored painting about death. I’m not sure what drew me in, possibly the cheerful color palette contrasted with the literal concept of death, but I just couldn’t look away! But I think that’s the point really, this painting is weirdly sobering and it makes you really try to understand, what the hell is going on here?? It’s a goofy, surrealist painting, but also seems to act as a delightful reminder of my own existence, my own mortality even. It feels like it shouldn’t make me smile, but it absolutely does, despite how unsettling it is.
And finally, the pinnacle of my gallery would be the Van Gogh. If you know me, you’ll know I absolutely adore Vincent Van Gogh, and my gallery would not be complete without even a simple homage to his life. But in my dream world, I’d love to own a Van Gogh — and I’ve specifically chosen this work for ‘the gallery’ because I feel like it represents me at this time in my life. The Yellow House was where Van Gogh with fellow artist Paul Gauguin (ew) created a sort of artist commune. The two used the space as a studio, but it ultimately was the sight of their dramatic fall out. It was the site for creativity and new ideas, but also one of turmoil and intense emotion. Anything was possible in that unassuming yellow house and Arles, and I don’t know why but for some reason it just speaks to me. It’s almost a bit ’coming of age-y’ in a slightly tragic way. But ultimately, having this painting at my gallery would be not just an ode to my part self — who got into art because of Van Gogh — but also to my current self, and the kind of place I’m in right now.
Thank you so much for reading this post. I always love getting to talk about things that make me happy, specifically art. If you couldn’t tell already, I really like art and history. I actually cut out quite a few pieces from this because I didn’t want this post to be as long as last week’s. But realistically, my dream art gallery would rival The Met’s collection, and I could go on for days yapping about it.
Honorable mentions for this post: John Singer Sargent’s portraits, which I just recently fell in love with, specifically Miss Elsie Palmer and Mrs. Robert Harrison (two gorgeous ladies). Also, James McNeill Whistler’s Nocturne in Black and Gold. This painting is so beautiful but I don’t exactly know what I’m looking at? I just want to exist in this endless night sky, it’s great.
Saturday’s post is definitely gonna be shorter than this (I’m actually not sure because I’m still writing it), but thank you again for being here! And for 22 subscribers — my lucky number, so two posts this week. I’m truly so honored that people want to read my work. I put my heart and soul into it. Thank you, and see you soon.
Sincerely,
Amelia.