Detail of Still Life with Milk Can and Apples by Cezanne
After looking at a lot of painting, not everyone sees or remembers a particular artist's work. Whatever field of art is most interesting to us - be it music, literature, dance - a recurring theme may make memorable a particular form but the name of the artist is often forgotten. Yet, when we come to know it once again, then better for the second and third time around, the work becomes a part of us. Still, the name of the artist is but on the tip of the tongue. The melody, the story line, the leap, the shape and colour of the work remains with us in abstract.
The first shape to emerge from the camera, number 3, reminded me of a Marcel Duchamp Readymade, the shadow suggesting a urinal. Before shooting, image number 1 was prearranged, including three motifs of Cezanne - the apple, the knife and the sculptural arrangement of a white napkin, reminiscent of the profile of Cezanne's beloved mountain, Sainte-Victoire (above). which he painted over and over again. Number 4, the halved red cabbage, suggested an early abstraction of Georgia O'Keeffe. Number 5 is a parody on Giorgio Morandi's life-long obsession with space and forms that penetrate each other as in painting small uninteresting bottles. (Mine was arranged and photographed in five minutes!)
As for the 'exception', fellow blogger Ralphe was right about the vertical knife on the breadboard:
while cooking a la Julia recently, the knife was photographed for its shadow - ergo, a motif of the culinary arts. Hot Fudge and Elizabeth both mentioned Morandi whose work has recently been exhibited at major museums in this country and in Italy. Memorable imagery, but a name I tend to forget!
Speaking as one who is learning a smattering about art through blogging I found your analysis very interesting. When I have time (?) I'll go back and do some matching.
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