Discovering a Moment in Time at an Online Art Gallery

Have you visited an online art gallery recently? It is wonderful that we have the ability now to visit museums in this way, in the comfort of our home during this time when we aren’t able to travel.

For today’s blog, I was going to write about artist Joseph M. W. Turner, a famous oil painter. I was always drawn to the skies in his paintings because of the colors and the light. So I recently headed over to the National Gallery of Art’s website. I searched through a list of artists under the heading “collection highlights” until I came across one of his instantly recognizable works. However, another painting caught my eye too.

The painting, titled “Young Girl Reading,” was by Jean Honoré Fragonard, an artist I was not familiar with. The painting depicts a young girl reading her book. She looks as though she is totally engaged in her book, not even noticing anything else going on around her. Fragonard seemed to capture a moment in time with this oil painting.

The vibrant color of the young girl’s yellow dress was also a surprise. So often in the old master paintings, I often feel like the colors are dark and dreary. This painting seems so different, and I thought it had a very illustrative feel to it, which I am of course also drawn to.

“Young Girl Reading” by Jean Honoré Fragonard (Image courtesy of the National Gallery of Art)

After a little more reading, I discovered that Fragonard was a French oil painter in the middle to late 1700s and was one of the most prominent French painters at that time. He used quick brush strokes and bright, vibrant colors in many portraits in his fantasy figures series.

I like the expression his figures have, especially their eyes. Fragonard seemed to be able to capture expressions — just at the right moment — to portray that perfect look in the scene.

I hope you take a few moments to visit one of the online galleries. You may discover a new artist that you enjoy seeing, just like I did. Not to mention, looking at art can be a nice way to relax and enjoy the moment.

Finding Inspiration in the World of Master Painters

During a visit to the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, I remember seeing Dutch artist Jan van Huysum’s beautiful painting titled, “Vase of Flowers.” The oil painting looks almost like a photograph. The water droplets on the tulip, tiny ants, butterflies, vivid colors, composition, delicate flower petals, and the details are absolutely gorgeous!

“Vase of Flowers,” Jan van Huysum (Image via Creative Commons)

I was so thankful I was able to see his painting in person. If you can’t make it for a visit, the Getty Museum has a great website for viewing these old masters paintings. You can really get a great feel for the painting even though its online. You can even zoom in on your favorite section of the painting as well.

I enjoy looking at the delicate flowing petals of the tulip with the water droplets on it. You would think the water droplet was real. An interesting note, van Huysum was very secretive about his methods of painting, and he wouldn’t allow other people in his studio, including his brothers, who were also artists.

I always think when you can see the size of artists’ original paintings in person it adds another level of interest. Sometimes I imagine a painting to be quite large, but then I am surprised to find out it is very small.

Taking the opportunity to view the work of old master painters helps me find inspiration in my own work. It gets those creative juices flowing and is a great reminder of all the beautiful expression that’s possible through great works of art.