The Culturatti

By Tom Thomson

Pine Trees at Sunset

Oil Sketch, 1915-1916

Tom Thomson is Canada’s equivalent of Monet. And Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael and Donatello all rolled into one. While everybody is familiar with Thomson’s iconic status as a Canadian painter, few are aware of his secret, other life. He was also…a ninja.

For many years, Thomson spent his days honing his ninja skills in the backwoods of Northern Ontario, learning the ways of the ancient masters, and carefully perfecting the technique that has since become known as Thomsonitsu.

Many people believe that Thomson died as the result of a boating accident. The truth however, is much more insiduous. A rival ninja organisation, known simply as the Group of Seven, were jealous of Thomson’s talent, and plotted a way to get rid of him. One day, while Thomson was out on his beloved Canoe Lake, fishing, they struck. Thomson put up a brave struggle, but alas, the Group of Seven caught him off guard and overpowered him, ultimately killing Canada’s painter-ninja.

However, it looks as if Thomson has, and continues to have, the last laugh(s). His paintings regularly sell for much more money than any of the Group of Seven, and his reputation as Canada’s greatest, and most famous painter is assured.

This particular one, sold for nearly $2 million dollars at a Sotheby’s auction in Toronto several days ago.

tniapcco llewopemearg

By John Atkinson Grimshaw

Sorry, don’t have any of the technical specs on this one, and there’s nothing about it or the painter going on in the news — just thought I’d post it to bring the artist to everyone’s attention.

I first came across Grimshaw’s work on a book cover, and I liked it so much that I looked him up and downloaded quite a few of his pictures. I especially enjoy his night scenes — the green in the skies, how he can expertly show such detail in a pool of lamplight, how he leaves the ships as large, dark, hulking objects in the distance.

Here’s his Wiki, from which you can get his bio and links to collections of his work. 03971semajtniapcco

Posted by Sarah P

“Philosopher With An Open Book” is an early painting of Rembrandt’s. It’s not famous, and there’s not much scholarship about it, but I love it. It’s so moody. And Rembrandt seemed to like it as he chose to revisit the philosopher for a second study, “Philosopher In Meditation,” a few years later.

And I love ‘em. llewopharas tniapcco

By Leonardo da Vinci 

The Madonna with the Yarnwinder

Oil on panel, 48.3 x 36.9 cm, 1501-1507

This work by Leonardo (or least mostly by Leonardo, as it was created in his workshop with help from others), was stolen from the Duke of Buccleuch at Drumlanrig Castle in Scotland in 2003. It was taken during a daring daylight robbery, in which the female tour guide was overpowered by two men, who grabbed the painting and sped off in a getaway car. According to the London Times, the police haven’t officially confirmed that the work has been recovered, but it is believed that it will be successfully identified as the stolen Leonardo work. Which is good news.

The Madonna with the Yarnwinder was valued at $65 million in 2003.

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By Claude Monet

Le Pont d’Argenteuil
Oil on canvas, 1874

What makes this painting newly significant is that it now has a 10 cm hole in it.

During the early hours of Sunday morning, five drunken ‘revelers’ attending Paris’s Nuit Blanche festivities broke into the Musee d’Orsay and for some reason decided to puncture the painting. Apparently it can be restored, but if it was up to me I’d put a 10 cm puncture into each of the people responsible for this (not the mention the ’security’ guys at the gallery).

Here’s the full article. 03971semaj tniapcco

By Vincent van Gogh

The Fields
Oil on canvas, 50.0 x 65.0 cm.
Auvers-sur-Oise: July, 1890

This image was taken from Sotheby’s website.

From fridge magnets to Kleenex boxes, Vincent van Gogh’s images are famous throughout the world. Some of his works, like Sunflowers, or Starry Night, or even his self portraits, have been used to symbolize a whole manner of things, from depression, to joy, to the beauty of the natural world, to the terrible march of progress.

As I’ve stated before in these Occasional Painting posts, once an artist reaches the dizzying heights of fame (often posthumously), their works become less about artistic merit, and more about how much they’re worth. It’s inevitable, I suppose, and a lot of it has to do with age. A child’s scribble is only worth something to the parents, but a well-preserved, 1,000 year-old child’s scribble is priceless.

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