[one drawing #13] cells

July 1, 2018July 2, 2018Leave a comment

I am not really into modern art yet, but when I visited Met Museum in NY I was shocked by Chuck Close’s huge painting ‘Lucas.’ He divided the face of ‘Lucas’ into hundreds (perhaps thousands) of cells and drew it cell by cell. It came up to be fabulous mixture of abstraction+realism.

So, after getting back to sizzling Cambridge (MA), I tried to practice Close’s technique today. I picked a photo from old Time magazine, put a transparent grid (that I made) and started to draw one cell at a time. I started to draw while watching the World Cup game (Croatia vs Sweden. Congrats, Croatians!) and was pretty sure I could finish the drawing by the end of the game. However, it took much longer than I expected… about four hours. I didn’t learn how to use colors yet, so obviously I got some colors wrong. Plus there are other problems I am still discovering with my drawing 😞 , but I am just happy that I didn’t give up this ‘harder-than-I-thought’ project.

Salute to Mr. Close!

Cells: Salute to Mr. Close

The original photo from the Time magazine

In the midst of drawing (in the brink of quitting!)… with colored pencils

This is the painting of Chuck Close. The size is 100 x 84 in. (254 x 213.4 cm)!

Lucas I, Chuck Close (American, born Monroe, Washington, 1940), Oil and graphite on canvas

Chuck Close Metropolitan Museum of Art, ©Chuck Close

[one drawing #12] Matisse

June 30, 2018July 3, 2018Leave a comment

Also from Met Museum NY.
Couldn’t help to sit in front of Henri Matisse <Nasturtiums with the Painting “Dance” I>, not only because it was such an innovative painting but more so because I studied negative space with my teacher Anne McGhee!

Original painting of Henri Matisse’s Nasturtiums with the Painting “Dance” I

Nasturtiums with the Painting "Dance" I, Henri Matisse (French, Le Cateau-CambrÃ©sis 1869â1954 Nice), Oil on canvas

Henri Matisse Nasturtiums with the Painting “Dance” credit: I Bequest of Scofield Thayer, 1982

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[one drawing #11] Met Museum

June 30, 2018July 2, 2018Leave a comment

Museum visit feels so much different after starting to learn drawing.
Have visited Met Museum in NY many times, but the paintings never felt this much intimate. Tried to sketch a few figures from the masters’ paintings, with little success haha.

Clockwise from the upper left:
1) Edouard Manet: The Spanish Singer

The Spanish Singer, Ãdouard Manet (French, Paris 1832â1883 Paris), Oil on canvas

Manet <Spanish Singer> Metropolitan Museum of Art, Credit: Gift of William Church Osborn, 1949

2) Gustave Courbet: Young Ladies of the Village

Courbet <Young Ladies of the Village>, Metropolitan Museum of Art

3) Paul Cezanne: Seated Peasant

Cezanne <Seated Peasant> Metropolitan Museum of Art

4) Edgar Degas: Dancer

Dancer, Edgar Degas (French, Paris 1834â1917 Paris), Pastel and charcoal on blue-gray wove paper

Degas <Dancer> Metropolitan Museum of Art

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[one drawing #10] New York jazz bars

June 30, 2018July 2, 2018Leave a comment

Visited two NY jazz bars last week.
A man with trumpet is Joe Magnarelli playing at Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola on June 27th.
The stage with a piano is Highline Ballroom (part of Blue Note Jazz Festival http://bluenotejazzfestival.com/). I was waiting in excitement for Pablo Ziegler trio, 2017 Grammy winner for Latin Jazz! The Grammy winning album, Jazz Tango, is truly the best full of tango energy.
PS: Mr. Ziegler was so happy to see Argentina advance to 2018 World Cup Round 16 that day. I am sorry that Argentina lost to France today, although the great Messi put up hell of a good fight. Thank you both Argentina+France for such a vigorous match!