Father’s Day

 

My Dad had a big operation this year (as did my Mum back in February) and events like these always give one reason to pause, to assess, to confirm that love is shown in all ways, if not always spoken about. And so this blog is written to show and to say love to my wonderful Dad. It also goes out to my brother who’s a great father, and to all my male friends and to all men who have and have had the pleasure and challenge of fatherhood. This one’s for you.

 

Finding art that show fathers with their children is a lot more challenging than finding mothers and children! That’s probably why so many years ago, when I picked up pastels for the first time, I did a whole series of dads with their kids. I felt that relationship was just as important to show as the much more common maternal bond. Of course as those works are older, all the photos are tucked away in an album somewhere. I will dig them out and digitize them one day…

 

In the meantime, let’s have a look at a few pieces I dug up.

 

 

 

It is unclear as to why  Domenico Ghirlandaio (Italian, Florentine, 1448/9–1494) painted this portrait of a man with one of his ten children (five sons, five daughters). General Manager of the Medici banking empire, Sassetti (1421–1490) was about 67 years old at the time of this painting which suggests possibly this may be his youngest child. The face of Sassetti looks like that of a younger man but according to notes from the Met, infrared studies show an underdrawing with more evident jowls and crow’s feet. Perhaps Sassetti insisted he be made to look younger as this painting would be how posterity would see him.

 

This is particularly interesting as one of Ghirlandiao’s most well know works is of an old man and a boy (see below) where the painter doesn’t hold back in representing the facial age of the man – grey hair, warts, wrinkles and all. There is also a contrast in the relationships between the older men and the youth beside them. Sassetti looks down, not at his son but seemingly in his own world, while his son looks up at him as if to gain attention and affection. In the other painting, there appears to be affection between the old man and the young boy – they look at each other and the boy is within the embrace of the old man.

 

Next is a painting by Rembrandt.

 

 

The story of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32), tells of a man who divides his estate between two sons. The younger one goes off and spends all his money and desperate, returns to his father who forgives him without question. The older son, who had remained with his father, obeying him, is angry. The father replies, “My son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.”

 

The painting by Rembrandt (1606-1669) reveals the mercy and love of the father for the son. He rejoices in his son’s return, calmly embracing the raggedly dressed young man. There is solemnity where there might have been strong physical emotion shown (‘his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him’). Instead, Rembrandt has shown the scene almost as a laying on of hands. The father could be seen as a representation of God who accepts humanity with all its faults, and therein is found the intensity of emotion for all has been forgiven. A truly loving father without judgment is shown here. There have been other paintings done of the Prodigal Son. This website shows a few others and also goes into more depth about this painting.

 

Next is a painting by Honore Daumier.

 

 

A small painting, Daumier (1808-1879) conveys the relationship between father and children. There is no mother in view so it’s all about the father and his offspring. He kisses his baby and his older child holds out her arms, maybe to receive affection or to hold the baby again. It’s dark and so I imagine the father returning home from work, greeted by his children. Beautiful in it’s simplicity. No extraneous detail beyond what Daumier wanted to express.

 

Degas is up next.

 

I’ve always admired this painting, never really taking note that it depicted a family, the family Lepic. It’s a curious interpretation, with the father seeming to go one way while his daughters and dog look as if to go in the opposite direction. They cross the Place de la Concorde, the wall in the distance blocking our vision of the Tuileries.

What I’ve always appreciated is the way Degas (1834-1917) moves your eye around the painting. We enter at the upper left and move along the background to the figure of the father, and then we take the path of his umbrella down to the daughter on the far right who looks across the painting towards her sister who in turns looks out the left side but then rather than move off the canvas, our eyes are stopped by the man on the left and his cane. We travel upward and follow, once again, his view into the painting. Masterly! There is much more to admire in the painting, the way Degas uses the light background (the negative space) to accentuate the figures, the loose brushstroke, so much so that I could write a whole blog on this painting. But it’s time to move on. (You can read more about the painting on the Hermitage Museum website.)

 

Lastly is a painting by Van Gogh.

 

This time, it looks like mother and child have come to the field to see the father. The painting is entitled ‘First Steps’ and I imagine the mother seeing this event first and wanting to share it with her husband, brings the child to where the father is working. What do you think? It’s a touching picture. Interestingly, it is Van Gogh’s variation on a work by Millet. While in the asylum at Saint Remy, Van Gogh (1853-1890) painted 21 copies after Millet. This one was translated from a black and white photo Van Gogh’s brother Theo had sent him. Isn’t the light beautiful in this painting?

Here’s the original image by Millet:

 

 

And just for fun, here’s one more image. I have always loved Helen Oxenbury’s illustrations and this one makes me smile.

Here’s a wonderful video of Helen Oxenbury (b. 1938) talking about the process of illustrating.

 

 

And if you’ve been following my blog, you know I have a penchant for including quotes so I won’t disappoint!

 

I believe that what we become depends on what our fathers teach us at odd moments, when they aren’t trying to teach us. We are formed by little scraps of wisdom.

~ Umberto Eco, Foucault’s Pendulum

 

He didn’t tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.

~Clarence Budington Kelland

 

A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty.

~Author Unknown

 

My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me.

~ Jim Valvano

 

Fatherhood is pretending the present you love most is soap-on-a-rope.

~Bill Cosby

 

Never raise your hand to your kids. It leaves your groin unprotected.

~ Red Buttons

Dad, your guiding hand on my shoulder will remain with me forever.

~Author Unknown

 

So to all you fathers out there, HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!!!

 

 

IAPS

 

From the 6th-9th June I was in Albuquerque attending the 10th IAPS (International Association of Pastel Societies) Convention. It was truly wonderful. While there, I helped out in the Holbein booth and also made small videos of very short interviews with artists and vendors. you can go to my YouTube channel to watch them. I’m still in the process of uploading them.

 

 

Fernwood art stroll

 

And last but not least, a reminder that the Fernwood Art Stroll is next weekend!! If you are in the Victoria area, do come and by and say Hi. I’ll have original work and cards for sale as well as works in progress to examine (!).

 

 

Go to the Fernwood Art Stroll website to download a brochure. Just click on the About square. Sure hope to see you!!

 

Thanks for reading and sharing. Feel free to drop me a line about what you thought of this post.

 

~ Gail

 

 

 

PS. I also came across these examples of fathers and children but felt, well, they were not quite the feeling I was going for for Father’s Day!

 

 

PPS. And if you’ve made it this far, check out this short slide show from the Met on Fatherhood.