Tag: oil on canvas

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Write Around PAM: Zhang Hongtu

Image description: After Shiato’s Landscape Album: Shitao-Van Gogh, from the series Ongoing Shan Shui. Zhang Hongtu. 2002. Oil on canvas. 48”H x 36”W. Colorful landscape of a river, plant-covered rock surfaces, a path leading to a building, and large mountain peaks in the background with fluffy white clouds above. There are thirteen columns with five black Chinese characters along the top with three red seals and four columns of several smaller black characters on the left with three red seals below. Multiple colors are layered together with distinct brush strokes. The clouds are fluffy and made up of white strokes with yellow, purple, and blue mixed in, and darker blue outlines. Below five rock peaks that are thin and rounded on top can be seen behind a large hill covered in greenery. At the base is a field of tall green reed-like plants. At the edge of the field is a white two-story structure with a dark brown roof. A white solid fence with golden vertical beams spaced evenly throughout sits in front of the structure with an arch that opens in front of the structure. A single tree with long branches and a few sparse leaves grows at the arched entrance. Yellow, gold, orange, and brown strokes are layered to create the ground around the fence. On the left and right borders, tall rock faces stretch nearly the length of the canvass and have various colors of greenery growing on the surface. Below, blue, green, and white dots make up the body of water that runs through the landscape. The reflection of the rocks and greenery can be seen in the water. On the right a narrow brown pathway with black steps runs between the rugged, plant-covered rocks. The brush strokes create a sense of movement throughout the painting - as if the clouds are rolling by and the greenery is blowing in the wind.

Zhang Hongtu’s Ongoing Shan Shui series explores categories of “East” and “West” in a distinctive way, reflecting his own life lived in two cultures. Here, he reimagines an album leaf by the great seventeenth-century artist Shitao—a small work in ink on paper—in the brilliant colors and brushwork of the Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh. Take…  Read more

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Daily Art Moment: David Park

Image descriptions: The Cellist, David Park, 1959, 56 in x 56 in, oil on canvas. 1. A detail of the figure’s right hand gently grasping a bow as it plays a cello. The brushstrokes are wide, generously applied, in strokes of burnt sienna, sage, black, navy, white, and yellow. 2. An overall shot of a square oil painting of an abstracted seated figure playing a cello, rendered in thick impasto-like brushstrokes that just come together to render the scene. The figure is comprised of mostly white brushstrokes and their clothing is black, against a background of sage, orange, cadmium red, dabs of yellow, blue, and navy. The figure's eyes are downcast playing the cello, left arm grasping the cello’s neck and right arm holding the bow. The figure recedes into the background at moments.
David Park (American, 1911-1960), The Cellist, 1959, oil on canvas, 56 in x 56 in, Museum Purchase: Funds provided by Ronna and Eric Hoffman. Portland Art Museum, Portland, Oregon, 86.77

While he was a young artist, David Park experimented with the predominant style of the day: abstract expressionism. However, he made a decisive turn toward representation and broke away from the fashion of the 1950s American art world. Park favored painting the figure either alone or in groups, using thick layers of paint and blocks…  Read more

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Write Around PAM: Frank Okada

Image description: 1. Consanguineous, Frank Okada, oil on canvas, 72 x 72 inches. A square abstract painting featuring bold colors on a largely deep yellow ground. The lower left corner holds an arc of undulating stripes that dip slightly in their center. The stripes alternate from vivid red to orange then back to red again. A rectangular shape composed of trapezoidal shapes and stripes juts downward into the center space from the top center. The rectangle sits at an angle slanted to the left. It begins with a brilliant blue at the middle top of the painting followed by a thin stripe of deep red, then a dark olive-green trapezoid. A golden yellow that matches the background color follows, forming another trapezoid. It is followed by a cream trapezoid separated by narrow golden yellow stripe from a pale gray trapezoid shape. The textured golden yellow ground is bisected horizontally two thirds of the way down from the top. The upper portion of the painting is the largest segment with the bottom third containing the red and orange arc and three more golden yellow segments. The segments differ slightly in hue. The lightest is at left next to the red/orange arc. The remaining two segments continue to the right with a thin, sharp uneven streak of cream interrupting the yellow ground from the lower right edge. Brushstrokes are clearly visible with the edges of the shapes being slightly ragged and uneven.
Frank Okada (American, 1931-2000), Consanguineous, 1969, oil on canvas, 72 in x 72 in, Museum Purchase: Caroline Ladd Pratt Fund. Portland Art Museum, Portland, Oregon, 71.4

As we enter winter, the days shorten, and at least here in the Pacific Northwest, the cloud cover grows. Soaking up moments of light and sun feels even more important for our mental health. We’re appreciating this painting by Frank Okada, on view in the Hoffman Lobby. The work evokes such a strong feeling of…  Read more

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Daily Art Moment: Édouard Vuillard

Image description: Vuillard, Interior, Mother and Sister of the Artist, 1893, oil on canvas. This painting is crowded with busy patterns and two women looking out towards the viewer. The young woman on the left wears a hunter green, yellow and white plaid dress and is leaning against the wall while bending forward at the waist as if to stay in the painting. The wall behind her is patterned of many colored splotches including white, crimson, yellow and dark green. Despite competing patterns the young woman almost blends into the wall, save for her pale face and hands. An older woman is seated on a chair in the middle of the space. She is wearing an all black dress and her pale face and hands offer contrast. The rug beneath them is a tan color and appears to have a subtle pattern to it. At the back of the room, in the corner, is a warm brown wooden dresser with drawers and on the far right of the scene, next to the seated woman is a round table covered with a brown, yellow, orange and cream patterned tablecloth. On top of the table sits a large wine bottle, an empty white plate and a crumpled white napkin.
Édouard Vuillard (French, 1868–1940), Interior, Mother and Sister of the Artist, 1893. Oil on canvas; 463 x 56.5 cm. The Museum of Modern Art, New York, Gift of Mrs. Saidie A. May, 141.1934.

Artist Édouard Vuillard found inspiration from the people closest at hand, as seen in our current special exhibition, Private Lives: Home and Family in the Art of the Nabis, 1889–1900. Vuillard’s mother, Madame Marie Vuillard, was a constant in her son’s life and in his art. More than 500 paintings in which she is depicted,…  Read more

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Write Around PAM: David Park

David Park (American, 1911-1960), The Cellist, 1959, oil on canvas, 56 in x 56 in, Museum Purchase: Funds provided by Ronna and Eric Hoffman. Portland Art Museum, Portland, Oregon, 86.77

All forms of creative expression invite us deeper into ourselves, with opportunities to reflect, to be changed, to feel inspired. Today we invite you to bring some energy from David Park’s The Cellist into your creative writing, and see how centering music can open up new spaces or connections in your writing. First, think of…  Read more

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Daily Art Moment: Frank Okada

Consanguineous, Frank Okada, oil on canvas, 72 x 72 inches. A square abstract painting featuring bold colors on a largely deep yellow ground. The lower left corner holds an arc of undulating stripes that dip slightly in their center. The stripes alternate from vivid red to orange then back to red again. A rectangular shape composed of trapezoidal shapes and stripes juts downward into the center space from the top center. The rectangle sits at an angle slanted to the left. It begins with a brilliant blue at the middle top of the painting followed by a thin stripe of deep red, then a dark olive-green trapezoid. A golden yellow that matches the background color follows, forming another trapezoid. It is followed by a cream trapezoid separated by narrow golden yellow stripe from a pale gray trapezoid shape. The textured golden yellow ground is bisected horizontally two thirds of the way down from the top. The upper portion of the painting is the largest segment with the bottom third containing the red and orange arc and three more golden yellow segments. The segments differ slightly in hue. The lightest is at left next to the red/orange arc. The remaining two segments continue to the right with a thin, sharp uneven streak of cream interrupting the yellow ground from the lower right edge. Brushstrokes are clearly visible with the edges of the shapes being slightly ragged and uneven.

Frank Okada once described his work as being “dedicatory in nature.” He said, “My parents, through good and bad times, always placed the first portion of newly cooked rice before their modest Buddhist shrine, dedicating that portion to the memory of those past and as an abiding affirmation of their faith. Occasionally, in thoughts conjured…  Read more

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Write Around PAM: Jean-Baptiste Monnoyer

Image Description: Jean-Baptiste Monnoyer, Antoine Monnoyer. “Still Life with Flowers, Fruits, a Parrot and a Monkey.” 1690/1699. Oil on canvas. 43 ⅜ “ and 59 ⅛”. Large painting with a dark background and brightly colored flowers with a thick gold frame with ornate filigree. A dark blue sky filled with a thin layer of flat clouds fills the background. Rolling hills can be seen in the distance with sunlight illuminating low clouds behind them. A dark tree trunk raises up behind a large plant with layers of leaves that are green at the tips and purple at the base. A tiny monkey hides in the darkness at the base of the plant. Only its head is visible. The monkey has black fur, a dark brown face, and small teeth. It looks towards the middle of the painting with its mouth gently open, teeth visible. To the right of the monkey is a large pile of fruit. Two large clusters of grapes are stacked high. Those on top are oval shaped, with a darker blue and purple color. The smaller grapes are round and a lighter blue color with purple accents. The grapes reflect the light source that seems to be illuminating the middle of the painting. Under the grapes are five dark blue oval plums, still on the branch with small dark green leaves. Two sets of three peaches are set below and above the grapes on the right. The peaches are cream and orange and blend into the dark shadows. Above the fruit is a large plant with pinnate leaves each with eight, serrated leaflets. Above the leaves, long thin green stems reach out and curve downward with eleven large blossoms with white centers and feathered red petals. Light reflects off the white portion of the petals creating a striking contrast to the dark shadows covering the leaves in the background. To the right is a large peony plant with sixteen buds and blossoms growing from thin green stems with light green oval leaves with strong veins. The large blossoms have dark pink centers and light pink outer petals and stand out, reflecting the light. Under the peonies is a smaller plant with large dark green leaves that have thin stems growing outward with groups of round flowers with white centers with a shiny black ball in the middle. Three groups to the left and back of the leaves are red and green striped. The groups in the middle and front are light pink with green stripes. Next to them are clumps of four-petaled star-shaped purple flowers. A bunch of these flowers extend upward past the peony leaves. The clumps at the top right are light blue and white. Next to them a dark colored parrot with a blue body, brown head, red forehead, black beak, and golden round eyes camouflage behind dark leaves. Behind the flowers, tree branches with large dark green leaves extend to the edge of the painting.
Jean-Baptiste Monnoyer (French, 1636-1699); Antoine Monnoyer (French, 1670-1747), Still Life with Flowers, Fruits, a Parrot and a Monkey, 1690/1699, oil on canvas, 43 3/8 in x 59 1/8 in, Museum Purchase: Support provided by Laura and Roger Meier through the Director's Fund and the North Building Campaign. Portland Art Museum, Portland, Oregon, 2004.1

This still life painting by Jean-Baptiste and Antoine Monnoyer captures a richness of color, texture, shadow, and light. The blossoms and fruits evoke a bountiful energy that invites us to step further into the scene. Our own lives also offer places of abundance, richness, and delight, if we take a moment to step further into…  Read more

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Write Around PAM: Maude Kerns

Labor Day weekend often represents an end to summertime vacations, but let’s hang on to that energy just a little bit longer through our writing this week. This painting by avant-garde artist and educator Maude Kerns carries the feeling of a late-summer road trip, with something new waiting beyond the bend in the road. Kerns…  Read more

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Daily Art Moment: Joan Mitchell

Image description: Joan Mitchell, Soldats des bois, 1956, oil on canvas, 71 ¾ x 77 ½ inches. Large, square, abstract expressionist painting comprised of whiplash gestural lines of colored paint that swarm and recede in and out against an expansive white background.The lines seem to document a controlled chaos of fast movement and are comprised of vibrant streaks of cadmium red, Prussian blue, cyan, yellow, and black, unevenly applied while pushed across the canvas with a paint brush.
Joan Mitchell (American 1925–1992), “Soldats des Bois,” 1956, oil on canvas. Private Collection, L2021.46

“Abstract is not a style. I simply want to make a surface work.” —Joan Mitchell Mitchell is one of the foremost painters of Abstract Expressionism. In the 1950s, she lived between New York and Paris, where she developed a unique approach that set her work apart from the “all over” paintings of Jackson Pollock, Willem…  Read more

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Write Around PAM: Théo Van Rysselberghe

“Plage à marée basse à Ambleteuse, le soir (Beach At Low Tide, Ambleteuse, Evening)”. Théo Van Rysselberghe. 1900. Oil on Canvas. 21 ½” x 24 ¾”. Series of bright vividly colored dots fill the canvas depicting the sunset, ocean, and beach. The bottom third of the canvas has a base layer of blue and green dots with purple, pink, yellow, and white drops on top. Estuaries run from the bank, curving through the sand, and into the sea. They are made up of light yellow and orange dots, reflecting the sunset. Near the middle of the painting darker sand depicted by dark green, blue, and brown dots runs along the edge of the ocean which is composed of longer ovals of green, blue, yellow, and pink brushstrokes. Light blue sky covers the top of the canvas with yellow, pink, and red rays extending to the right. Above, red, purple, and orange clouds dot the sky. Long linear clouds on the right and small oval clouds on the left. The painting is framed in a gold frame with highly detailed filigree loosely resembling vines, leaves, and flowers.
Théo Van Rysselberghe (Belgian, 1862-1926), Plage à marée basse à Ambleteuse, le soir (Beach At Low Tide, Ambleteuse, Evening), 1900, oil on canvas, 21 1/2 in x 24 3/4 in, Gift of Laura and Roger Meier. Portland Art Museum, Portland, Oregon, 2011.142

Théo Van Rysselberghe’s painting beautifully captures the summertime: a beach at sunset. Step into this scene with us today, and take a moment to rest. Soak in the colors of the sky, hear the ocean waves, feel the sand between your toes and the breeze on your face. And then, take a few minutes to…  Read more