Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Ballet Workers

I'll be going to this exhibit at The Phillips Collection more than once, I know. I remember a reproduction of a Degas painting & some (repro) drawings at my maternal grandmother's house. I never had the reaction that others did of "oooh pretty." I liked them very much but I remember saying/thinking: They're working so hard that it might hurt. And also it might be boring sometimes. I learned not a few years later (through a sister & later on, friends) that this could often be the case. Not that they would trade their training for anything. So there you are.

There's also a Degas exhibit on in
Boston (nudes) & one at the Royal Academy of Arts in London. There are some good articles in the New York Times & a good slideshow on The Guardian. Here's the Degas label on The Guardian, too, so you can see all the article titles at once.


I hope to post more regularly as autumn marches on. But I've said that before. Part of the problem is deciding how to use the space. I've not been writing from prompts as much as I did at the beginning. Maybe I don't have to define what I'm doing but it feels like I should.

(Dancers at the Barre/
Phillips Collection via Wikipedia)

12 comments:

simon said...

Funny you should say that. I recall seeing the impressionists in Melbourne 2004. I was drawn to 2 paintings and not sure why.

One in particular was "Moonlit Sea" by Stevens, and "Melon" by Manet. Most people were say "oh how beutiful." For some reason I thought of the word "suffering", and sat there for quite a while just looking at them.

I went home, and looked the paintings up to discover that, both were painted when the artists were very ill.

Then, to add to it, I was learning a new song, Gounod "Le Soir" (poem by Lamartine), and there was a link between the painting, the composer and the poet..

(might sound a bit odd but it wasn't in view of my circumstances)

Giulia said...

It's not odd at all. All disciplines influence the others. I rec'd the poem & will read & get back to you. Thanks, Simon.

Katharine said...

Oh, I'm going. I must remember. It'll be late December before we know it. The articles are wonderful, thanks.

ceecee said...

You had repro Degas at your grandmother's and I had paint-by-number Gainsbourogh's (sp.) at mine. What's that little devil doing up in the corner of your blog? That nasty little thing. I just love CFB. Read your post on him earlier. Too funny. Thanks, as always, for your kind words.
Catherine xx

Angie Muresan said...

You don't have to define what you're doing.
Everything you write about is interesting, so why should you?

Emily said...

I was lucky enough to see the Degas exhibition in London last month and absolutely loved it. It had a different twist, about how to capture movement and finshed with a few seconds of film footage of him walking on the boulevards as an old man, almost blind and shortly before he died. It really brought tears to my eyes. He was also an amazing photographer too but by that time his eyesight was fading and he felt taking pictures was somewhat limited.

By the way I always love what you do here, on both blogs. As Angie says, everything you find is interesting so please feel free to share it with us!

Melissa Blake said...

Sounds awesome!! Have a great time! xoxo

Giulia said...

Catherine, Emily, Angie - Thanks so much. You're enablers, you know that, right? ;)

Melissa, thanks so much. I will have a great time, I know. Love the Phillips. I always say, "Nothing bad can happen to you at The Phillips. Not allowed."

carina said...

Would love to go to that show!

Once, when I was complaining my blog wasn't exactly what I wanted it to be, a wise woman commented that 'one's blog is never just as one wants...that's a reason to keep going' - I've thought of that ever since.

Remember the comment and the woman:-D?

Giulia said...

I don't know that woman. Would that have been something I might've said but don't listen to myself? And who writes run-on sentences when she is really really tired?

ceecee said...

Nothing to do with ballet, but lots to do with costumes...Happy Halloween to you and my furry friend!
Catherine xx

Giulia said...

Thanks, C. I'm late in getting a post up. Halloween pic coming right up;)