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| Cleo in the Garden Room oil on canvas 36"x48" by Judy Feldman |
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| In the Red Room, (2007) 30"x30" by Judy Feldman |
I have always been attracted to scenes that include a window or patio – I love showing the foliage outside and contrasting the view with an interior setting. You can see this idea in my painting, “Cleo in the Garden Room."
Recently, I visited New York City to get my culture “fix.” I saw some wonderful museum exhibits, including one at the Metropolitan Museum of Art entitled “Rooms with a View: The Open Window in the 19th Century.”
During the Romantic era, the open window appeared in many paintings of interiors. For the first time, the window is actually the focal point, often showing views from the artist’s studio. In addition to the effects of light on the interior room, you get the impression of a painting within a painting, as some of the window scenes are quite detailed.
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| Cleo and the Red Chair 36"x36" by Judy Feldman |
This theme of rooms with a view has continued to attract many painters ever since. I’m thinking of the wonderful paintings of Matisse who used the theme of an open window throughout his long career. In Open Window, Collioure, (National Gallery of Art), he painted the view out the window of his apartment on the Southern coast of France. He used the theme of the open window in Paris and especially during the years in Nice, Grand Interieur (Art Institute of Chicago) and Etretat, and in his final years, particularly during the late 1940s.
Pierre Bonnard also painted from his home, favoring interior scenes of his family and daily life. In “The Green Blouse,” (Metropolitan Museum) the window is a prominent part of the background; in the “Dining Room Overlooking the Garden,” (MoMA) the view outside is even larger than the table setting inside.
Here at Wilde Meyer, you can see several artists who have been influenced by this theme of Rooms with a View.
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| My Real Life Big Screen TV acrylic on panel 18" x 20" by Lori Faye Bock |
Lori Faye Bock
In her painting entitled “My Real Life Big Screen TV,” Lori Faye Bock shows a fantasy view outside a dining room window. It’s very decorative – a painting within a painting.  |
| Doesn't Get Much Better Than This! acrylic on panel by Lori Faye Bock |
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| Breakfast on the Portal acrylic on panel in handmade frame 22" x 26" by Fran Larsen |
The view of a large red mountain and lush foliage is the focal point of Fran Larsen’s “Breakfast on the Portal” painting. Her vivid colors take us outside, beyond the vignette of the purple chair and oddly sloped table.
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| Living Room, Our House 28"x32" by Fran Larsen |
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| Mermaid reverse glass painting on reclaimed window 27" x 30" by Melinda Curtin |
Melinda Curtin takes the window theme to another level. She actually paints on vintage windows in a reverse glass process. The window frame becomes the painting frame, and sometimes she paints an additional frame inside, as in this image, “Mermaid.”
So the next time you see a beautiful scene outside a window, think of all the artists who have been inspired by this visual act to create some amazing works of art!
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| Horse at Night 27"x30" by Melinda Curtin |
