I was recently at the Art Institute of Chicago with a plan to visit the Impressionistic paintings.
Impressionism is my favorite painting style and Monet and Renoir are a two of my favorite painters. I'm not alone in my feelings about them which is evident by the many, many of their paintings hanging on the museum walls.
I was able to get within a foot of their paintings, so close that I could see the details of the brush strokes and blending of paint colors that don't translate into a print. For instance here is Renoir's "Seascape":
Blue is my favorite color and here the blue sky mixes beautifully with greens and reds to create the stormy mood. There is wonderful movement in the waves as they come in and crash on shore.
It is even more compelling as you get in closer.
In this one small portion of sky look at the colors! Blue, red, yellow, white, gray. All the colors flow together through the texture of the brush strokes. Unfortunately I couldn't capture the texture very well but it a major player in the sky. The colors look calm but the texture adds violence.
Now look at the water.
The blues and greens of the sky blend into the waves. The colors of the sky are mirrored in the water The paint is becoming very textured in the strokes that make the waves. Again, it's hard to see in the picture but in person makes the waves very evocative.
Another close up of the wave.
His texture is really different and more pronounced from the calm of the sky.
This painting inspires me in so many ways. I want to experiment more with color mixing, challenge myself to work colors in new ways, and use digital textures to add movement and emotion.