"I am my own experiment. I am my own work of art." - Madonna Ciccone

Like Madonna (well, sorta) I am in the midst of "my own experiment" - attempting to create a "work of art" out of the chaos that has invaded my home after a long summer of estate sale madness.

courtesy of Illusions Gallery

"The Artist" (1920) by Alfonse Maria Mucha. 

I've learned over time that when my environment is chaotic and disorganized, I'm not nearly as creative or productive as I am when I've found "a place for everything, and everything is in its place."  I can't remember the last time I felt that sense of peace as I walked through my home.  

So that's my goal for this next month.  Beauty and Order.  I'm going to sort through everything I've purchased during these past several months, write it all down, categorize it, take lots of photos (for YOU, of course), and give them a proper home. 

And after I've made my home a Work of Art - then, with a sense of peace, I can start focusing on my own Inner Beauty too.

                         courtesy of Art Prints on Demand

"La Belle Liseuse" (The Beautiful Reader) by Leon Francoise Comerre (1850-1916)

I've written before about how I like to decorate my home with works of art, especially portraits of women. Well, included above and below are a few more favorites...

                     courtesy of Great Masters Gallery

"An Elegant Beauty" by William Clark Wontner (1857-1930)

                                        courtesy of Canvaz Inc

"Pavonia" (1858-59) by Lord Frederick Leighton.

Each of these paintings is highlighted in this fabulous video compilation by Philip Scott Johnson -
"Women in Art: 500 Years of Female Portraits in Western Art."

Johnson's Women in Art video was nominated as "Most Creative Video" in the second annual YouTube Awards.  The lovely music, Bach's Sarabande from Suite for Solo Cello No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007, is performed by Yo-Yo Ma.

If you haven't seen it yet, you're in for a treat!



If you'd like to see a complete list of the artists and paintings included in this video, I highly recommend that you visit a wonderful guide to Johnson's Women in Art video on Boni's Site for Students (and Friends)

As an aside...
Probably the closest that I've come to being a "work of art" is this caricature drawn at a work convention last year.  The artist was clearly very intuitive when he chose to put a drink in my hand, and thoughts of money and romance (a little heart) floating around my head. 

A work of art, I'm not.  But a work in progress?  I hope that's the case - for years and years to come!

Have a beautiful week,
"Sarsaparilla" Susan

Gustav Klimt: a Pop of Color

I rarely turn on the TV in my home.  It's a habit that I somehow managed to drop years ago.  (You're probably thinking - What in the world does TV have to do with Gustav Klimt? Well, read on...)

Believe me, I'm not intending to sound snooty or holier-than-thou by telling you that I don't watch TV.  I'm actually a little embarrassed about it because it's made me somewhat oblivious to current culture and trends.  Of course, being completely lost in my world of antiques much of the time doesn't help matters much either.

It also probably doesn't help that I've got such an archaic TV.

Just kidding...yes, this is my vintage Motorola television, complete with rabbit ears, taking up way too much space in my front porch.  But I do have another TV in my living room that's a little newer model.  :-)

Anyway, I bring this up because for the first time in ages, I found myself watching TV last week with my sisters Mary and Jenny, after an evening of babysitting for Jenny's little daughters.  Both sisters are somewhat hooked on HGTV, and that night we watched Design Stars, where interior designers compete to win their own online show.  It was the first time I'd seen the show - and I'll admit I was intrigued. 

Jenny confided that despite watching so many home decorating shows, she still feels like a novice. And she said that the only decorating trick she always remembers is that it's important to add "a pop of color" to a room.  "Pop of color, pop of color," she chanted. "That's all they ever talk about!"  And we all laughed.

Well, I can't think of a better way to add a pop of color to a room than with a classic work of art.  As someone who loves vintage fashion, I find that I'm especially drawn to oil paintings that feature women. 

Here's a favorite Picasso that I get to enjoy every day as I type away on my keyboard, because I've placed it on the wall directly above my home computer!

Pablo Picasso. Woman with Book, 1932. Oil on canvas. 51 x 38 inches.

Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena CA

And this Modigliani is in my kitchen.  Perhaps an odd choice for a kitchen, but it adds just the right touch of color against my white walls & cabinets.

Amedeo Modigliani. Gypsy Woman with Child. 1919. Oil on canvas. 115.9 x 73 cm.

The National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, USA

When it comes to "pops of color" one of my favorite artists is Gustav Klimt (1862 - 1918) - an Austrian Symbolist painter and a prominent member of the Vienna Secession movement. His primary subject was the female body, which he painted with elegant gold or colored decoration of spirals, swirls and flowers. Many of his works are marked by a frank eroticism which caused a scandal on more than one occasion. 

 A selection of Klimt's work is included in the wonderful video below, compliments of YouTube's Accabadora.  The lovely and haunting music is from Wojciech Kilar's "Prologue: My Life Before Me."

The title of the Klimt work featured on the video above, is Die Musik (or Music I), 1895. I've got this one hanging in my college office.  In the midst of a chaos of white paper, it adds color and calm.

Here are some other Klimt favorites.  I especially love the first one (below), Garden Path with Chickens, 1916.  Do you have a favorite?

In 2006, the 1907 portrait above, Adele Bloch-Bauer I, was purchased for the Neue Galerie in New York by Ronald Lauder for a reported US $135 million, surpassing Picasso's 1905 Boy With a Pipe (sold May 5, 2004 for $104 million), as the highest reported price ever paid for a painting.

Gustav Klimt. Hygeia. Detail of Medicine. 1900-1907. Oil on canvas. Destroyed by fire in 1945. (Above)

Detail from Water Snakes II (also called Friends II). 1907.  (Below)

Best wishes for a Sunday that brings you bright pops of color throughout the day.  Cheers!