Fine Arts | Missile Mill: Painting & Photography

Willem Van Haecht to Kunstkamer to Pannini

I need some help from any art connoisseurs or historians.

Twelve years ago I was in the Louvre and saw a few paintings. Paintings full of paintings.It was one of those moments where you tell yourself, “Okay. I’m going to remember this artists name. I’m going to remember. I’m going to remember.”

Then I forgot it by the time I left the museum. I couldn’t sleep last night and something flipped a switch and I decided I was going to figure this out. That’s what I’ve been doing this morning with a documentary about honey badgers on TV in the background.

After lots of googling, I still don’t think I’ve got it — and I don’t really care if I find the actual artist’s works in question — but I’ve found what I needed to find.

“Gallery of the Louvre” by Morse

After flailing around I stumbled across this. http://www.npr.org/2011/07/03/137472386/the-best-of-the-louvre-on-a-single-canvas

http://www.npr.org/assets/img/2011/06/28/painting_archive.jpg (It’s a big file so might take a while to download.)

And that is guy-who-gave-us-the-telegraph Samuel Morse, in case you were wondering. Actually, the first article I read was an art historian critique. Critics rub me the wrong way but hey. Whatever.

“The Gallery of Cornelis van der Geest”, Willem Van Haecht

Looking through the image search results I saw something similar to what I saw all those years ago. That eventually led to this.

That’s more like it. And that led to a Dutch wikipedia page and the term “kunstkamer”. I don’t know what that means. Art room, I think.

Giovanni Paolo Pannini

I think it was Pannini. Holy crap. It’s like a little part of my brain has been holding its breath for twelve years and can finally breathe in.

Finally. Now. Where can I see these in real life?

Oil Pastels: Rottweiler

There was a point where I almost packed it in. Definitely was about to give up. My drawing is a bit off in facial proportions, but other than that it came out looking like … a portrait of a dog. I’m callin’ it art.

I’m using Colour Shapers to push and pull the pigments around. They’re kind of like brushes except with silicon tips in a variety of shapes instead of bristles.

: Making a mess.

: Blocking in colors. Was not feeling it at this point. Stepped away for a few days.

: Okay. I can kind of see it happening.

: Maybe I should do the eyes earlier. That helps a lot.

: Trying to remember to use loose “strokes”.

: Pushing color around to streak the fur.

Oil Pastels: Bluejay

First. Wine and art are congenial companions. I don’t drink, for the most part. But if I am going to drink it’s going to be like a man is supposed to. Alone and questioning his self worth in a spiral of existentialism. Damn straight. A hint of liquid inhibition works wonders when you’re facing the horrors of a blank canvas. Why didn’t someone tell me this sooner? Hm. It looks much better from a distance.