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Inspiration from Artists Wk 60 , Anna Dillon and Jean Baptiste Camille Corot

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Jenny Harris

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Robert, there are a few videos on her Facebook where she discusses various paintings and how she approaches her work, but none of them actually shows her painting.  Still worth a look, though - I found a few by searching ‘Anna Dillon artist videos’.  

Tessa Gwynne

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Just had a look Jenny, interesting to hear her talking about her paintings And to appreciate their size. Thank you. 

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by Tessa Gwynne

With Sarah, Phil, Ellen, Rose the dentist, and the granddaughter whose name I forget.

Robert Jones, Napa

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  Jean Baptiste Camille Corot 1796 – 1875  I have a turn of the Twentieth century book, in which Corot is described as having had “almost a fear of direct sunlight”: which just goes to show how little attention you may need to pay to many a scholarly oeuvre, because while it’s true that Corot’s paintings became increasingly subdued and atmospheric as he aged, it certainly wasn’t true of his earlier paintings.  He was born into a wealthy family of cloth merchants but proved to be entirely unsuited to the life of a draper, and was given the freedom, at the age of 26, to concentrate exclusively on painting: to which end he travelled extensively in Europe, particularly to Italy, Switzerland, France, and several times to Britain– he painted several versions of Souvenirs d’Italie, which are among his best known paintings today.  The fourth painting down is one of them.   Attribution can be difficult with Corot, because he not only encouraged others to copy his paintings, he would also sign them: his aim, apparently, was both to educate younger painters, and enable them to make some money….. would that he were around today…  

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by Robert Jones, NAPA

With Sarah, Phil, Ellen, Rose the dentist, and the granddaughter whose name I forget.

Robert Jones, Napa

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A bigger one than I've managed to find so far... One more And another small one.  I may get the hang of this one day.  (When I say he travelled TO France, that wouldn't have been hard, since he was born there: what I should have said was that he travelled extensively throughout France (and its colonies) together with many other European countries.)

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by Robert Jones, NAPA

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Paul (Dixie) Dean

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Thank you for your excellent introduction Robert, I will have a closer look at his work and pick any out that I particularly like.
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Tony Auffret

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I have always been a Corot fan and often felt he took the first step on the road that led to impressionism.  A liking of his work certainly helped persuade me, half a century ago, to try my hand at art.  As Robert has already posted my favourite Corot (La Route de Sevres), I have chosen another favourite Ville D'Avray.
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Paul (Dixie) Dean

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A few thst I have picked out, hope I haven’t duplicated . 
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Helen Martell

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Unfortunately the bright colours of the start of the week (Anna Dillon) rather make Corot’s work all dark muddy green to me! (Apologies)

Tessa Gwynne

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I think Corot’s work has a gentle feel to it, and both his figures and animals look as though they belong there rather than being added in for the sake of it.  I get Helen’s point  but perhaps that underlines what a wonderful medium is paint (of all varieties) and how it provides such endless possibilities of style, use of colour etc.. Aren’t we fortunate to have the opportunity to draw and paint?
With Sarah, Phil, Ellen, Rose the dentist, and the granddaughter whose name I forget.

Robert Jones, Napa

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What has to be remembered here, though, is that Anna's work is not, and does not pretend to be, a reflection of the landscape as it is, but rather as she interprets it; Corot painted what he saw - and obviously interpreted it too, but his commitment to it was, if not pre-photography, certainly pre-colour photography.  Artists today have the privileges that those of Corot's generation lacked, to enhance colour and shape to 'unrealistic' extents, if they choose to.  Had he done that, he would probably have been locked up as a madman - cf what happened to van Gogh's artistic career rather later on. Which doesn't of course mean that the discerning exhibition curator would be fool enough to display Corot's work next to Anna Dillon's..... I can quite see why they'd suffer in comparison; though it does depend on what you're looking for in painting - and for most of us, that probably varies a bit according to our mood.  I suppose one might tire of Anna's work?  I don't think I would, but a break now and then to something more atmospheric maybe - despite the fact that in their different way, Anna's work IS atmospheric.....   Now then: here's why we have paintings rather than words..... what I want to say can't be said, or at least I can't say it: I haven't got the words to say why I love Corot, always have, and given a chance would acquire one of his works over anyone else's, even over the wonderful Anna Dillon's,  and there it is!  I conclude that comparing artists is a mug's game (with proper apologies to Helen, who is no mug) and I'd be better off staying out of it. 
With Sarah, Phil, Ellen, Rose the dentist, and the granddaughter whose name I forget.

Robert Jones, Napa

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Paul - no, YOU haven't duplicated: but Corot did!  That third one down is one of the Souvenirs d'Italie, almost identical to another but for a different arrangement of figures.  Well - if you like a spot, why not paint it three or four times, I suppose?   It's a thought: it'd save us having to search out or think up yet another composition every time.....!
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Sarah Crouch

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Hello all. Corot is one of my favourite artists - I have a really good book called the 'Tate Watercolour Manual' which takes key elements from great artists and demonstrates how they can be applied by us humble painters. Although Corot is primarily known for his oil paintings there is a chapter on him, which discusses his balance of lights and darks in a painting.. its fascinating and a little complex for me to comprehend/explain... they describe it as almost Taoist.... but basically the lights within darks and darks within lights in some of Corots works (like the tree ones chosen above) aid the composition as a whole and balances everything out. Hope that makes sense... sorry have not worked out how to insert a painting as an example but I find the idea of balance in a 'yin and yang' sense fascinating and I do love the harmony in his paintings.

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by Sarah Crouch

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