Crepuscular musings
When I looked up and saw this intense spectacle, I was absolutely overwhelmed by it. It was breathtaking. I stood there gaping at the changing colours, my feet anchored to the ground. I wanted to run for the camera but I just stood there staring at the ancient elm. Then I panicked that I would miss it so I bolted for the SLR, but abandoned the idea as it would take too long. The light was changing quickly through yellow, orange and red/gold, and there was no time for fancy photography. I reached for my trusty mobile which is ever-present in the back pocket. I held my finger on the button and shot of a series of photos as the sunset was quickly engulfed by the warm soft twilight. WOW, it was one of “those“ moments!
I began drawing as a very young child and then when I was older I began to paint. I often see scenes around me that remind me of various paintings I have seen or studied. Sometimes it’s a colour, or the light that is reminiscent of a great painting, or maybe the scene itself, but this time it was a feeling. The feeling of being engulfed by something beyond you, of being utterly surrounded by something bigger than yourself, brought one man to mind. Edvard Munch.
The Scream, by Edvard Munch 1893.
The Scream is arguably Munch’s most famous painting. He was said to suffer from agoraphobia; a mental anxiety disorder whereby a person suffers the feeling that their environment is unsafe and they are unable to escape. His diary entries seem to support this theory, stating “I was walking along the road with two friends…then the sun went down…the sky suddenly turned to blood and I felt a great scream in nature” I imagine if Munch had been standing with me under that flaming elm tree we may have had another masterpiece.
I had studied this painting in art school, but on a visit to Norway sometime in the early ‘90’s, I had the privilege of viewing it in the Munch Museum in Toyen. This museum was an underwhelming building reminiscent of a shabby council chambers in a bad part of town. But inside this disappointing facade were the most astounding works of art. I believe they have now built a more fitting home for this important collection overlooking the fjord in Oslo.
Of course, Munch was not the only artist to be affected by the vision of a sunset. This has long been a popular motif for artists, but the artistic movement of Impressionism with its preoccupation on rendering light, along with Expressionism and Post Impressionism produced some of the most beautiful and iconic sunset paintings. Let me share with you some of my favourites.
Landscape with the Chateau of Auvers at Sunset, by Vincent van Gogh 1890.
Vincent van Gogh was without doubt another troubled soul and the story of his difficult life is well known. He struggled to find commercial success in his lifetime, and subsequently suffered depression and fell into poverty. But he left the world some of the most dynamic and luminous paintings which many have tried to emulate. This quiet scene of the Chateau at Auvers juxtaposes serenity with a shimmering vibrancy.
Sunset, by Camille Pissaro 1872.
Camille Pissaro was the oldest of the Impressionists, and studied with the great Courbet and Corot. He acted as a father figure to the group and it was largely his influence that held them together. He also had a strong mentoring influence on the major Post Impressionists, namely Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Paul Cezanne and Georges Seurat.
The photo below depicts the setting sun through the Elm trees on Briar Lane and immediately brought to mind this painting by the great Pissaro, simply entitled, Sunset.
Sunset through the Elms at Briar Lane.
Of course no discussion of French Impressionism would be complete without the inclusion of the great man himself, Claude Monet. His preoccupation with the rendering of light over form resulted in some of the most enduring images in the art world.
