This morning I wanted to share with you some interesting thoughts from fellow artist Robert Genn, gleaned from his bi-weekly newsletter. He is talking about Corot, one of the first plein air painters. Greatly esteemed in his lifetime, Corot was not only a great painter but he was also a nice guy. Monet had this to say about him: "There is only one master here - Corot. We are nothing compared to him, nothing."
View of Saint Lo with the River Vire in the Foreground
c. 1850-55
Oil on canvas
18 1/8 x 25 5/8 in.
Musee du Louvre, Paris
This is what Robert Glenn had to say about Corot.
"Corot was a nice guy. In order to give young and self-taught
painters a chance to be part of the action, he lobbied to lower
the hurdles that were then necessary for Salon entry. Thus
began the Impressionists. Corot was straight-forward,
entrepreneurial, unpretentious and generous. He supported the
blind painter Daumier and provided a cottage for Millet's widow.
Corot wrote the book on creative giving and was one of the first
whose work was a wiz-bang at fundraisers.
Artists of all stripes can find themselves mirrored in
historical figures. I'd rather be Corot than Pollock. In the
brotherhood and sisterhood, art history is both comfort and
challenge."
Why do we paint? Why do we collect art? Maybe there is more to art than being a super-star celebrity? What ifs? A way to get laid and get seen? Or a noble profession, a calling, perhaps?
