I love the fact that most of us are drawn towards things of beauty.
It's what makes us human
When I lived in South Yorkshire I would often go to Chatsworth house in Derbyshire on a weekend.
My favourite object of beauty in that great house was the veiled lady, a sculpture hidden away in a hall filled with objectes collected on the Duke's grand tour
I could stand and look at her all day
In the gallery at Theatre Clwyd I saw an oil painting which I thought was quite, quite beautiful
It was a study of a tree in a Forrest and it reminded me of a watercolour I once had . A watercolour of a blue bell wood.
I have limited funds. I have too many bills to pay but on a whim I bought it, even though it was quite expensive
It's beauty is pleasing
And am so looking forward in bringing it home after the exhibition is over ....
I try not to have regrets in life but I regret talking myself out of a Picasso sketch decades ago because of the cost. If it sings to your soul, you must have it. Good on you, John. xo
ReplyDeleteI'm not really arty in any way but certain things of beauty do please me so much. My Denby dog bookends, my lovely old grandfather clock,
DeleteMan cannot live by scotch eggs alone.
DeleteBuying art which moves us is never, ever a bad idea.
ReplyDeleteI agree, but do tell my bank manager xxx
DeleteSend me his address and I will be glad to do so.
DeleteThe past few days I have had the urge to purchase really expensive ceramic ware to replace already fairly decent ceramic ware currently in the cupboards. -don't need it, but want it.
ReplyDeleteThe Veiled Lady is astounding! See this:
ReplyDeletehttps://collections.artsmia.org/art/12092/veiled-lady-raffaelo-monti
If you just google "veiled lady statue" there are tons of repros and/or imitations. I would love to see your blue bell wood painting - and I totally understand why you were drawn to purchase it. Enjoy it in good health, John!!
To see her in the ' real' is an amazing experience as you can feel her veil as well as see it
DeleteShe almost made me weep when I first saw her
As Ruth wrote above, there is Veiled Lady bust at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, which is fairly near where I live. It is one of my favorite pieces. Certain things speak to your soul. Enjoy your painting John!
Deletexo Emmy
When making a purchase of something a bit beyond your budget, my uncle would always say, "it doesn't eat anything!"
ReplyDeleteThe veiled lady is, indeed, lovely and you're so fortunate to have seen it for yourself.
ReplyDeleteWell done in purchasing the watercolor that called your name. The cost is a short term bother but the joy in seeing it daily for the rest of your life is beyond cost.
Will we get to see you watercolor when the exhibition is over and you bring it home? Hope so!
Hugs!
I saw one of these at The Bonnet House in Ft Lauderdale, Florida It was an old artist’s home in a jungle you could tour. I couldn’t take my eyes off it. I believe it’s alabaster marble. How could such a ephemeral veil come from a rock? True artistry.
ReplyDeleteMany years ago, back when prices were a little more sane, my husband bout something in Paris.
ReplyDeleteHe said he might have had to do without a few things for a while but the pleasure it gave him to look at it every day in his own home was well worth the price.
It hangs on the wall in my bedroom and when I look at it I feel close to my husband.
I am considering leaving it to a museum when the time comes,but for now I feel like a little bit of my husband is still here...
Every time you look at it, you wil remember the joy of falling in love with it, and the thrill of being bold enough to make it yours. Totally worth the price.
ReplyDeleteMy mum bought a lovely little painting of a bluebell wood the last time I took her to England. She bought it in Rye I think. It hangs in my living room now and I still love it.
ReplyDeleteBravo...sometimes we just gotta do it.
ReplyDeleteThe few things I have ever bought myself, simply because they made my heart sing, I have never, ever regretted. We need some of those things in our lives.
ReplyDeleteSometimes.... you just have to have it ... I think we don't do enough of that for ourselves.....
ReplyDeleteBills never go away but the opportunity to own something beautiful doesn't always come around. You'll find a way to cover the cost of both. What's the point of working hard if you can't collect treasures along the way?
ReplyDeleteIf you've ever had a spare moment to look at instagram in your very busy life, you can follow Chatsworth House (@chatsworthofficial) and relive those happy visits. They recently posted a pic of the whole statue of the kneeling Vestal Virgin - it's truly wondrous, as you know!
I'm pleased to see that you didn't mention the painter's name; that means you bought it simply for the pleasure it gives, and that's exactly what we all should do.
ReplyDeleteGood for you. Art is a wonderful and powerful and amazing thing. It is what defines us as humans!
ReplyDeleteI'm happy you bought something that you love...
In six or twelve months you won't care what you paid but you will still have your beautiful painting
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to seeing your oil painting once you can claim it. I love the expressiveness and majesty of trees!
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you bought the painting. You will love it and enjoy it forever - as John Keats quotes - "A thing of beauty is a joy forever, its loveliness increases; it will never pass into nothingness" - enjoy and love. Ro xx
ReplyDeleteI've been to Chatsworth and unfortunately I missed seeing the Veiled Lady, I shall be on the lookout for her if I go again.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you treated yourself to the painting, sometimes we just HAVE to do these things ... well that's what I tell myself 😁
The veiled lady is indeed beautiful .... I always wonder how the veil is sculpted ...... perhaps Tom can enlighten us ? XXXX
ReplyDeleteThe stage you are at at present John means that treating yourself to something which gives you such pleasure - and something that is yours and yours alone - is an important part of moving on. And never mind the money.
ReplyDeleteThe veiled lady is stunning... as a woodcarver I looked at that and wondered whether I could replicate it in wood... I very much doubt that I should ever be that good.
ReplyDeleteI thought you were financially fucked.
ReplyDeleteIt was 60£ a lot for me
DeleteThat’s only 12 packs of Lidl caramel donuts!
DeleteThe veiled lady is wonderful.
ReplyDeleteIt reminds me of trying to convince by best friend to go and see something. Much as I love the man, he is a cultural philistine, when we went to the National Gallery in London he was more interested in the quality of the coffee in the cafe than any of the paintings. He travels a lot and when he was in Rome I pleaded for him to go to the Galleria Borghese....no, that is not the right word I nagged and nagged. Their hotel was so close. I told him that I thought everyone should see Apollo and Daphne at least once in their life. “Sculpture”, he said “I like sculpture”. He did go and was moved by the piece. Difficult not to be.
Enjoy your art John.
Well, that's what art is supposed to do: move us.
ReplyDeleteAnd if a piece of art moves you, it's a good idea to get it. Oh, it's a little expensive. But think of it as something that will give you pleasure and it may even be a good investment!
XOXO
The soul needs feeding as well as the body.
ReplyDeleteA beautiful sculpture. I always wanted to see Degas ballerina and I have. I loved her and she inspired some artwork I was doing at the time.
ReplyDeleteIf the painting gives you pleasure, I'm so glad you bought it, photos please ! Xx
"A veiled vestal virgin" by Raffaelle Monti (1818–1881) is indeed a wonderful sculpture. It was created between 1846 and 1847. It first came to Chatsworth in 1999, having spent most of its life in Chiswick House, London. The Dukes of Devonshire were fabulously rich and had many other properties apart from Chatsworth.
ReplyDeleteReally? I'm sure it must have come to the house earlier ?
DeleteAround what year did you first see it?
DeleteI thought it was in the 1990s
DeleteWell done you for buying that painting. Look forward to seeing a photo of it hanging in your cottage. Have you decided where it's going to go yet?
ReplyDeleteTo this day I regret not buying a painting of a sunset that I loved. I've never had much money and at the time I couldn't justify the expense, but at least 20 years later, I still think about that painting. I should have lived off noodles and walked to work in order to have it, but sadly I will never see it again.
ReplyDeleteI don't think the amount it cost you is very much at all for something that will bring you untold pleasure. There are a couple of comments from the same person that are a bit "off", put it on the wall, any wall and enjoy it. xxx Ro
ReplyDeleteBalm for the soul. Does not matter what it "costs" (there are other costs besides monetary costs) as long as it gives you pleasure. It obviously spoke to you. We all have to have a dose of "pleasure" somewhere along the way or something to look forward too where you can. It helps fill the days. xx
ReplyDeletetreating oneself is something we all need to do occasionally.
ReplyDeleteSpoil yourself... you sure as hell aren’t going to be 60 quid better off, when the time comes for you to shuffle off.
ReplyDeleteLXX
I'm so pleased for you that you bought that painting when it had such an effect on you - and I think no-one has the right to question how you spend your money. You work hard; you also do a very stressful voluntary job helping others; you are still going through a hard time and living in a stressful time when you worry about the future. YOU DESERVE A TREAT!!!
ReplyDeleteThe veiled lady is beautiful, thank you for sharing it :)
ReplyDeleteI thought that bindweed was an odd choice of flower for a vestial virgin (on her head), apparently in the language of flowers they represent 'perseverance'. I am now wondering at what she should be persevering?
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine being able to create "the veiled lady"...the ability to carve stone so that it looks like one can see through it. Amazing and lovely...
ReplyDeleteI've always been in awe of this sculpture. Is this where the original is located John? I remember my first trip to the Louvre and being in a hall with natural light streaming through skylights and the sculptures in that room looked so real that I wished I could touch them as I knew they'd be real. I was young and it was a simpler time (1979)
ReplyDeleteIf it brings you joy and you can find a way to manage the expense, I think it's worth it. Can't wait to see it.
ReplyDeleteHey....'you can't take it with you'.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to seeing your new piece of art here.
I think there are things that are just as necessary as paying the electric. I did the same thing with a beautiful watercolour and I have never regretted it.
ReplyDeleteFabulous. I remember seeing a copy of "David" for the first time in the Vic and Al, and I was awestruck. Another stature that was very moving was in a church near Warwick castle and it was of an angel weeping over the corpse of a dead little boy. The boys mother carved it. I still cry thinking of it. Art just keeps giving and is worth every penny if it speaks to you.
ReplyDeleteStatue not stature.
ReplyDeleteThe cemetery of Staglieno in Genoa is on my bucket list, as the sculptures there are incredible. The Veiled Lady is breathtaking and closer to home, so I hope to see it first. I’m glad you treated yourself to the painting, it’s something that will bring you endless pleasure (and sod the bank manager).
ReplyDeleteSometimes you just have to go for it sod the expense so many times on my travels I have regretted not buying something, looking forward to seeing a photo of the painting.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant trickery. Technique at its finest. Ok, I know.
ReplyDeleteAnd sublime too
DeleteGood for you! We all need a splurge now and then.
ReplyDeleteWhy is she veiled, I wonder?
ReplyDelete