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My Top Ten Prints

Favourite Paintings

This week I've been watching lots of art history documentaries. Why? Who knows, but the best has been The Artful Codgers, a BBC documentary about the Greenhalgh family. Shaun Greenhalgh created some of the most successful forgeries - across a variety of mediums - in the world, in his garden shed. Very impressive!

Lacking the skill to recreate the masters, I'll settle for prints. In no particular order, these are the ten pictures I'd most like to get prints of:

#10. Aviva Brueckner

The most modern artist on this list, Brueckner did a really cool series of works exploring what some of the greats would have looked like if bones were all that mattered. This take on Matisse's 1909 'Dance' speaks to my love of the quirky and random.



#9. Caravaggio
Detail from Caravaggio's Madonna of Loreto (1605). There are many, many Madonna and child paintings out there. Just check out the Ugly Renaissance Babies Tumblr. Caravaggio, unlike so many of his contemporaries, succeeded in not giving his viewers nightmares. Well, at least until they looked at almost any of his other paintings...



#8. Rune Naito

This is my favourite illustration by Rune, King of Kawaii. When he wasn't busy shaping girls' culture, he was illustrating Japan's first magazine for gay men. It's always good to diversify. If you like the style check out Miracle Lovely! All of Rune's World printed in 2002.



#7. Rossetti

Veronica Veronese by Rossetti (1872); she's meant to look dreamlike but I think she looks wonderfully bored, forever stuck in the gilded cage of the Victorian private sphere. Rossetti, of course, was your typical crazy artist - he had his wife's body exhumed so he could publish the poems he had had buried with her - but he was very good with a paintbrush, so everyone overlooked it.



#6. Charles Burton Barber

A Special Pleader (1893) by Charles Burton Barber. Burton Barber specialised in depicting children with their pets, ensuring his position as one of the Victorians' favourite painters. My nan had a print of this when I was a kid and I always loved it, especially the sulky little girl. I could relate.



#5. Monet

Water Lilies by Monet. Who doesn't love Monet?
(For more on Monet, check out Artsy's Monet page.)



#4. Vladimir Tretchikoff

Tretchikoff's Chinese Lady painting (better known as 'The Green Lady') is probably the kitschiest painting ever to have kitsched. In spite of that I prefer Lady from the Orient (1950s).



#3. Waterhouse

John William Waterhouse's 1888 masterpiece, 'The Lady of Shalott'. Another Pre-Raphelite work, another beautiful, beautiful image.



#2. Margaret Tarrant

'The Fairy Way'. Tarrant was a children's illustrator, and her work is well worthy of being on my walls. I'm very picky when it comes to children's fairytale and nursery rhyme books, they have to have pretty illustrations. After much fruitless searching in physical shops I bought Marianna three Margaret Tarrant illustrated books online. 



#1. Mucha

Mucha is my favourite artist and it was really difficult to pick just one image. So I went for the set of four which makes up the 1898 Flowers series. Mucha's work is just so gorgeous, I'd put it everywhere if I could.



As you can tell, I'm not very cultured at all. I don't like Picasso, but I love kitsch and sentimental Victorian schlock. It's just the way I roll! :) How about you, what is your favourite painting?







A Cornish Mum You Baby Me Mummy
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Comments

  1. Stevie - A Cornish Mum9 September 2015 at 18:25

    I really don't know much about art but the Monet Waterlilies one is beautiful! Thanks for linking up to #TenThings lovely
    Stevie x

    ReplyDelete
  2. Unknown15 January 2016 at 20:29

    WOW — that's SUCH a hard question!!! I have so many favourites, it's really hard to pin them down to one. Love your pics though — I love Rossetti too — so beautiful and dreamlike aren't they? #TheList

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jessica Powell23 January 2016 at 01:10

      They really are - I love the colours and the whole atmosphere.

      Delete
  3. Amy Treasure21 January 2016 at 21:34

    Oh crumbs I can't even pick a favourite. I love numer 6, I remember my nan having a copy of that on her wall :-) Thanks for linking up to #thelist x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jessica Powell23 January 2016 at 01:13

      I used to sit and stare at that one for ages, and make up imaginary stories about the little girl! :)

      Delete
  4. Unknown11 February 2022 at 10:00

    I'm not an art expert either, but I love these prints. Very original and unique style in my opinion. I am now practicing creating a web site design for an online luxury furniture store and am constantly looking for original ideas. I already found a lot of the tools I need on the site https://masterbundles.com/add-ons/illustrator/ and maybe I will do something in the style of the painting "Water Lilies by Monet" You inspired me a lot. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete

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