Years, no decades ago, lol! I used to read lots of bio stuff ‘bout the impressionists. One detail I remember about artists working (painting) during times of political stress was of Renoir. I don’t remember the book, but with sieges by both the Prussians and French Army at differing times upon Paris, there apparently were numerous instances. In this one I read decades ago, Renoir, who lived in the tenement houses where the Tuileries are now, would sneak out of Paris through the barricades to paint in the surrounding forest. Being a friendly man, a good man, he’d made many friends, and both the defenders and the attackers recognized him as a friend and allowed him passage!

Now evidently this wasn’t always the case. In searching for where I read the above account, I came across this one – https://www.thevintagenews.com/2019/02/24/renoir/ – where, painting in the forest, Renoir was accused of being a spy of troop movements in the forest, and taken to a nearby town to be shot. There, he was recognized by someone who himself had been saved once by Renoir. I’d never heard or read that story, but it’s pretty fascinating! 😊

So what’s this to do with my to-me-overworked watercolor above?

Painted during the stress of our recent crisis.

Politics gone bad 😏

Like the expressionists in Nazi Germany. Or Renoir during the siege of Paris. Only thankfully not nearly as dire as those events. And as long as we stay vigilant for our democracy, should never ever be.

I did get to re-work a few bits yesterday, and I like this a lot better ☺️

I added some violet top of the green top of the bridge, refocused parts of the top of that bridge, softened a few edges, and added a few highlight.

My use of white is via gouache. I felt kinda guilt ’bout it til I read that John Singer Sargent used white extensively on his watercolors! Thank goodness 😊

The above Google search has lots of good info, and I especially found this review of Sargent’s exhibit at the MFA Boston (from a few years back) by Marc Taro Holmes particularly helpful and detailed, with lots of sample images —
https://citizensketcher.com/top-posts/jss-watercolor/

My detail shot of my re-worked watercolor immediate above seems to bring across what I often try to do, or end up doing, in almost all my work, from oil to acrylic to watercolor – include a mix of wash like spreads of color and texture.

Finding that right mix of the two, washes (or semblance of) and texture, are what I enjoy doing most when I paint, regardless of medium.

This then tends to create an abstraction into the work.

It is then, when I can then keep ‘ mix my abstract compulsions with something identifiable, that I feel my most satisfied.

Seems easy enough, but I almost nearly always find it a struggle, lol!

I’m either really not very good at this (distinct possibility many days 😏), or don’t know when to quit soon enough 😯, or just plain get lost in exploring 😊

I’m guessing it’s itself a mix of all three in varying degrees on varying days in varying works.

That should cover me ❤️

Take care everyone, stay healthy and happy and free!

Adan

Twitter / Instagram / FB @FelipeAdanLerma
Amazon Author Page – https://amzn.to/2YpgyUf
Fine Art America (FAA, Pixels) – https://felipeadan-lerma.pixels.com/

Direct link to the image in above tweet at Fine Art America –
https://felipeadan-lerma.pixels.com/featured/monets-garden-april-rain-in-giverny-digital-felipe-adan-lerma.html

*
My general Google search for Renoir and the siege of Paris –
https://www.google.com/search?q=renoir+during+the+seige+of+Paris&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari

— Direct link to blog post in tweet above 😊
https://felipeadanlerma.com/2019/11/03/adans-movie-reviews-renoir-via-prime-video/

Serial Painting, my Google search

My Related Amazon Affiliate Search Products
https://www.amazon.com/shop/felipeadanlerma

My Amazon search for Renoir (books, videos, wall art) –
https://amzn.to/38mELTm

My Amazon search for Impressionsim –
https://amzn.to/3nitGHg

*

My Related Posts Here On My Blog

My Latest Posts On My Website!

• October 02, 2022 – My Most Viewed Image this Past Week @FineArtAmerica, “Walking With the Stars Poster” : circa 2022October 2, 2022
  Especially nice for to see my poster version of “Walking with the Stars” appear as my most viewed image of the week at Fine Art America 😊
• October 01, 2022 – Opinion: Careening Screaming Laughing Round the Curve and Guardrails America ( and the world ) is Entering Adulthood, Part 1October 1, 2022
  …it’s my opinion humanity will soon decide to survive or not. And that we can only decide to survive by also deciding that means all of us.
• September 28, 2022 – Working Texture and Figures into Compositions I Like, Part 6 : Adding a 5th ( scumbled ) Layer to Danseur en Bleu ( formerly Dancing Turquoise )September 28, 2022
  I don’t want to forget, souls and spirits that we may be, we are also of and from the Earth we stand upon ❤️
• September 27, 2022 – Now This Sounds Right : “Fed can avoid ‘deep pain’ in inflation fight, Bostic says”September 27, 2022
  One of the fun things of being a lay-person in re to an esoteric topic, like the effect of Federal Reserve actions and statements about folks in my fiscal strata is – long as I’m upfront it’s my opinion – I can say how things appear from my socio-economic perspective.
• September 26, 2022 – Changes to My Blog – No Externally Generated Ads / Blogging As AbleSeptember 26, 2022
  I needed to regroup.
• September 25, 2022 – My Most Viewed Image this Past Week @FineArtAmerica, “Walk Among the Wildflowers” : circa 2020September 25, 2022
  I’m hoping to catch the deadline to submit it to a new-to-me Austin venue, Bee Caves Arts Foundation. Do wish me luck. It’d be a great add-on to its being my most viewed on Fine Art America this past week 😊🙏
• September 22, 2022 – Clean Energy, Part 5 – The Practical Problem, and, How #Solar Kept the Lights on After Fiona Left #PuertoRico in the DarkSeptember 22, 2022
  The bulk of the info is a very fairly laid out presentation that a 90% of renewable energy is mostly doable and feasible. The only really debatable portion, and Dan presents pluses and minuses for each possible choice, is how to supply that last needed 10%.

*
Thanks again, everyone! 😊

Adan

Twitter / Instagram / FB @FelipeAdanLerma
Amazon Author Page – https://amzn.to/2YpgyUf
Fine Art America (FAA, Pixels) – https://felipeadan-lerma.pixels.com/