Tags
Dutch Golden Age, Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica Online, Henri Matisse, intimisme, Matisse, Paul Cézanne, Philip Scott Johnson, Still life, Wikipedia
Photo credit: Cézanne, the Complete Works
Dear Readers,
I had to undergo surgery this week. Everything went very well, but I have not been able to write since the operation. I hope to return to my normal activities as soon as possible.
Curtains Farm at MontgeroultHere are a few paintings by Paul Cézanne (1839–1906). I tend to associate Cézanne with apples or other fruit. Cézanne painted lovely still lifes. In fact, some of his still lifes feature skulls. Your may remember that during the 17th century, the Dutch Golden Age, still lifes were called Vanitas and often showed a skull, an element depicting the brevity of life (See Pieter Claesz, Wikipedia.)
By and large, an artist’s main frame of reference is art itself, but whether or not Cézanne featured skulls intending to underline the brevity of life would be difficult to ascertain. As a post-impressionist, however, he did attempt to catch the brief moment when the light touches an object, suddenly transforming it. That evanescent moment also points to the brevity of life.
Cézanne also painted landscapes, interesting displays of houses, portraits, people playing cards, nudes, groups of nudes, and works, such as “Curtains,” that constitute a lovely example of intimisme,[i] a private space. Intimisme is often associated with impressionism as an impression is by definition a personal and fleeting view.
Cézanne was not very popular in his days, yet both Picasso and Matisse looked upon him “the father of us all.” (See Cézanne, Wikipedia)
Sugarbowl, Pears and Tablecloth Ginger Jar and Fruit on a Table The House with Cracked Walls (foot of post) _________________________[i] “Intimism”. Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2013. Web. 11 Apr. 2013
<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/291874/Intimism>.
Video by Philip Scott Johnson
Micheline Walker© April 12, 2013 WordPress
Are you capable of manual me in your webmaster or the guy that manages your blog, I have to know if it will be possible to certainly be a invitee poster.
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Simply go to WordPress.com if you wish to have a site. Yes, inviting a reader is just fine. I will think of you. MW
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Believe it you aren’t, some Word – Press installations block the search engine spiders by default. Every web page owner wants to have their site listed for the first page from the major search engines like yahoo. Step 4: Wait for Search Engines to Index Test Pages Over the next 3 days, some of the pages started appearing in engines like google.
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I hope you’re feeling recovered! And thank your ofr this beautiful round-up of Cézannes…
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Thank you Kate,
I thought I would by now feel better, but it took a long time. I still have to be patient with myself. The problem is managing the pain. The doctors prescribe vast quantities of powerful painkillers, but you have to work out what is the best for you.
I now feel comfortable without medication.
It may take me a while to catch up with reading posts and answering email, but I’m better.
Aren’t the Cézannes beautiful. Artists have brought us so much beauty.
Take care,
Micheline
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Wonderful post, thank you! also, I hope you continue to get better 🙂
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Thank you tk,
I don’t quite know how I managed to write that post. Thank you for your kind wishes. Getting better has proven a longer path than I had anticipated.
Best,
Micheline
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If you are like me, you probably thought you could easily fight through everything, and then the pain comes at your door, and that’s when you realize some things are just out of our hands and control, eh? I suggest taking the time you need to recover. It won’t do you any good to push past what you can take … sorry, I don’t mean to be preachy; it’s just that I learned those hard lessons when I went through cancer surgery. Letting go, even for a little while, can be difficult. I’m sending you calm thoughts … 🙂
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Dear tk,
I thank you for being so understanding. Managing pain is difficult and letting go, nearly impossible. But I have to. It’s “one day at a time.”
I hope you are well and wish you the best,
Micheline
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Your posts are a daily treat, but don’t overdo it!
Un prompt rétablissement, chère Micheline, reposez-vous bien .
Bise,
Lou
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Bonjour Lou,
Il a fallu que je me repose. Ce sont les médicaments qui rendent les choses difficiles. On ne souffre pas, mais il est difficile d’écrire de façon lisible.
I’m wishing the best, dear Lou. You are a great person.
Love,
Micheline
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Dear Micheline, I’m so sorry that you have suffered again, surgery. I hope with all my heart that you feel better now.
Be blessed with good health!
Have a wonderful day and I hope to get back to us as soon as possible. Take care of yourself.
Big hugs with much love, your friend Stefania! 🙂
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Dear Stefania,
I am getting better, but fighting the pain is the difficulty. The doctors provided me with morphine and codeine, but I have stopped taking even a fraction of what was prescribed. I could not think!
Fortunately, it was the last operation. They removed the second bunyon, but waited too long.
I have been staying with friends as I would otherwise not be able to look after myself. But today, I feel better. The foot aches but not enough to justify medication. I feel sufficiently comfortable.
I will now go and read the posts that have been sent to me. I’m sure I will find treasures.
Needless to say, I have to catch up.
Big hugs and love,
Your friend,
Micheline
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Wishing you a full and speedy recovery!
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Thank you James,
It is a slightly longer recovery than I expected, but I now feel better. I couldn’t sit at a computer.
Best,
Micheline
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I hope you will be back to normal soon. You have had more than your share of operations lately. Hopefully all of them are leading you to a great quality of life.
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Thank you for writing Gallivanta,
Four operations within six months or so! However, this is the end, at least for the time being. They removed my cataracts which means I can now see without wearing glasses. This I did not expect. They also removed bunyons, but waited a little too long.
I am lucky to have a community of friends.
Take care of yourself dear Gallivanta.
My best regards,
Micheline
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I’m glad that you are in the recovery stage. Take good care of yourself!!! We missed you…
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I thought I was in the recovery stage, but it ended up being a longer process.
I thank you for writing Clanmother.
Take good care of yourself,
Micheline
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One day at a time….you continue to be in my thoughts!
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Thank you Clanmother. You are very kind.
My best regards,
Micheline
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