Art, Women in Green

women in green

I was intending to continue with the ‘paintings I would hang on my wall’ theme but, as you see, I changed my mind. I spent yesterday putting up the Christmas decorations and watching ‘Singing in the rain’, the original movie. I had to stop several times to sit and watch the dance routines. I never realized how far ahead of its time this film was. The only dance routine many people remember is the ‘singing in the rain’ song, but there are so many more, there are really good song and dance routines all the way through. Several of them mesmerized me, but this one had me transfixed, and from this one old movie clip, came this idea for this weeks Art Sunday; Ladies who wear green. Have you ever noticed how the colour green is not a favourite with portrait painters? portraits are usually either red, white, blue or black………and like the dance routine, those that are in green……….have a very special quality.


1 The Arnolfini Marriage, 1434, by Van Eyck

It  is possibly the most famous green dress painting of all time. Every one already knows this painting. It’s been used as inspiration for other paintings, copied and adapted many times over, and when a painting is used as the basis of another painting by another artist, it’s a sure sign the original is a pretty special piece of art.
Exceptionally for his time, van Eyck often signed and dated his paintings on their frames. At the time the frames were considered an integral part of the work (the two were often painted together). However, in the celebrated Arnolfini Portrait (London, National Gallery) van Eyck inscribed on the (pictorial) back wall above the mirror "Johannes de Eyck fuit hic 1434" (Jan van Eyck was here, 1434). The painting is one of the most frequently analyzed by art historians, the most popular theory was that it represented a pictorial marriage certificate, which was a common practice at the time, although that theory is now doubted by some. The woman looks to be pregnant but this could be a way of emphasizing the child-bearing potential of women. Records indicating that Giovanni Arnolfini's wife died before 1434, together with details in the picture, suggest that the portrayed woman was deceased (perhaps in childbirth) before or during the picture's making.

2. Hans Holbein the younger, the Meyer Madonna , 1526

Despite the fact many reproductions of this work seem to show the Madonna in traditional blue rather than green; I’ve included it because it’s an important piece from the period, Holbein was THE up and coming artist of the time and this is one of his most famous pieces. It was painted in stages. The first stage of this work was for Jakob Meyer, one of his most important patrons and former mayor of Basel. In 1526 Holbein stopped work on the painting and left for England. He resumed work on the painting when he returned in 1528 and added details such as the headdress of Meyer's daughter, Anna, bottom right, representing her betrothal. This little corner of the painting is a beautiful and sensitive portrait of the daughter. This Madonna was painted at a crucial time in the reformation, by the time this work was actually finished , the staunchly Catholic Meyer was no longer influential or powerful and Basel was increasingly influenced by the Reformation. Holbein seemed unconcerned with the reformation surrounding him and carried on with his work regardless of changing  religious. But this work was destined to become his last orthodox Marian image. It is believed that the three figures on the right are Meyer's first wife, Magdalena Baer, second wife, Dorothea Kannengiesser; and daughter Anna. In the view of art historian Jochen Sander ‘’this painting belongs among the undisputed masterworks of sixteenth-century European painting", and I think he could be right. Whole books could be devoted to this one painting and space here is limited.

3. Portrait of a Lady in Green, c 1530; Agnolo Bronzino
This is a bit of a mystery painting, generally thought to be by Agnolo Branzino, an Italian Mannerist painter from Florence, but that’s not universally accepted. Some believe it is from an artist the north of Italy, (possibly Emilia or Lombardy). This argument seems to be based on the costume, which is typical of Northern Italian fashion not Florentine fashion. If the portrait is by Bronzino, it must be early, ( prior to Medici patronage in 1539,) possibly somewhere between 1525 and 1535.  In about 1530 Bronzino worked in Pesaro for the court of Urbino and it’s possible he s[spent some time travelling to different areas in Northern Italy. It sounds very odd to us that fashion could be so defining but in Italy at that time, the different courts all had their own dynasties, fashions, customs and traditions and they remained quite separate from each other. Although; due to dynastic connections between some of the courts, it was possible for these unusual northern fashions to be seen occasionally in Florence. Whoever actually painted it, and whoever the sitter was, and where ever the fashion originated, I love it. What an unusual vivid shade of green.
William Hazlitt, writing in 1823, described the colors of the costume as resembling 'the leaves and flower of the water-lily, and so clear'. attention has been given to the costume with its slashed sleeves, puff shoulders, embroidered chemise and elegant headgear.

4. François Bouche, Madame de Pompadour no 2, 1756
François Boucher (29 September 1703 – 30 May 1770) was a French Rococo painter. He painted several portraits of his illustrious patroness, Madame de Pompadour. This is no 2 in quite a long line of portraits of the famous Madam Pompadour. Rococo is not my favourite style or period, but of the Rococo paintings and artists I know, this is one of my favourites. It somehow portrays a sense of power and success despite the frivolity and unnecessary detail typical of the Rococo style. She was one of the most famous and some say powerful women of her time and for Boucher to be able to portray this in a style intended to promote the frilly fussy feminine side of women………….that’s quite an achievement. She is shown with all the trappings of a sixteenth century woman, she has frills and flowers galore, but in her hand is a book not a fan or lace handkerchief, on her bedside table is writing equipment and a pen, not some piece of useless ornamentation and the look of serious determination on her face is equal to any modern political portrait.


5. Ammi Philips; Woman with Books c 1850

Ammi Philip was an American painter known for his portraits of women. By the mid-1820s, Phillips' sitters, in keeping with the period, are portrayed as very Romantic, gentile figures. They are strong women with a delicate beauty clothed in the shimmering, pearly colors typical of the Romantic age. During the 1830s his seated women became more realistic, reflecting the ideal Republican mother. They tend to be  seated, with long slender necks, determined faces and usually lean slightly forward toward the viewer. To me this one looks like an educated but not overly wealthy woman, the sort of person who knows the value of hard work but also of education, a very ‘no-nonsense’ sort of person.
By the 1840s, Phillips portraits were under serious competition from the less expensive new technology ‘photography’. After that period he was forced to concentrate his work on the the rich and powerful, those who could afford the extra cash required for a painted portrait rather than the new photographic portrait. His paintings after that targeted the up and coming, the rich and powerful, the new ruling classes. Which was quite sad, and a long way from his folk art beginnings.


6. Claud Monet; Camille Woman in Green Dress 1866

Camille Doncieux; was the first wife of French painter Claude Monet.
She modeled for her husband many times, she was in fact his favourite model. She is also known to have modeled for Pierre-August Renoir and Édouard Manet.
Camille and Monet were married in 1870 and had two sons within a few years of being married. Jean in 1867 and Michel in 1878. It’s thought that the second pregnancy and childbirth made worse  her already deteriorating health she died prematurely in 1879, probably from some form of pelvic or cervical cancer. Monet painted her on her death bed.

7. Dante Gabriel Rossetti, The Day Dream, 1880
This painting was commissioned by Constantine Ionides. Rossetti painted it from an earlier drawing of Jane Morris sitting in a tree at Kelmscott Manor, because by 1880, she was no longer posing for him. ceased posing regularly for him.  Jane Morris is sitting in the boughs of a sycamore tree and, dreaming and  ignoring  the book in her lap. The picture was also titled 'Monna Primavera', signifying the spring setting for the painting.

8. Dagas; The Green and Pink Dancers
One of his many many ballet dancer paintings.

9. & 10 John White Alexander; American portrait painter
Alexander was born in Pennsylvania. He was orphaned in infancy and  reared by his grandparents. When he was quite a young lad he was given a job as a telegraph boy and it was his employer who admired his drawing and encouraged him to develop his talent. By 18 he had moved to New York and was working as illustrator for Harpers weekly. He went on to train as an artist, travelled Europe and met and was influenced by many of the great artists of the time including whistler.
He is the first artist I have ever come across who seems to favour painting women wearing green, he did a whole series of different portraits of women wearing green, these are just two of them.
.No 9 is The green dress 1899  no 10 is Study in black and Green 1906.

No 11. John William Waterhouse;
Gather ye Rosebuds while ye may, 1908
Based on a poem by Robert Herrick (1591-1674)
 To Virgins to Make Much of Time.

Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
    Old Time is still a-flying;
And this same flower that smiles today,
    To-morrow will be dying.

The glorious lamp of heaven, the Sun,
    The higher he's a-getting;
The sooner will his race be run,
    And nearer he's to setting.

That age is best, which is the first,
    When youth and blood are warmer;
But being spent, the worse, and worst
    Times still succeed the former.

Then be not coy, but use your time,
    And while ye may, go marry;
For having lost but once your prime,
    You may for ever tarry.


No 12 Tamara Delempicka  Girl in a Green Dress 1929

One of Tamara De Lempicka’s most famous painting, ‘Girl in Green with Gloves’, is almost an iconic image. Painted in 1929, the ‘Girl in Green with Gloves’ is a painting of a young woman wearing a sheer green dress, white gloves, and a large, white hat. It is a stylized, two dimensional, decorative image typical of its time in overall effect but outstanding in the impact it makes when first seen. It seems as if this woman is catching her hat as it’s about to fly off her head. This is one of the earliest Art Deco images, Art Deco followed on from the more expensive Art Nouveau.  Art Deco heralded art for the masses, it became used in advertising, posters and illustrations. Its smooth straight lines were bold and uncompromising in a way the more intricate art nouveau was not. It was far more accessible for mass production. Tamara De Lempicka. Was one of the dominant figures of the art deco years. Her detailed portraits of many famous and successful celebrities from all over the world brought her world recognition.

No 13 & 14 Two paintings by Suzy Papnicolas; Hula Hands and Dancers feet.

I know virtually nothing about this artist. I came across her site while searching for more ‘green dress ladies’. She is a contemporary artist, working today and selling her work from her from her internet site here

http://www.papanik.com/Gallery1.htm
GALLERY ONE
These are signed and numbered giclees. All the images on this gallery page can be purchased in fine art reproductions on canvas.
email Suzy at suzy@papanik.com
These paintings are all sold in their originals. Reproductions are sent rolled in a tube. The price of mailing in the United States is included.

No 15, Darren Baker; Ballet flight
Darren is a contemporary British painter whose work is sold from this site


http://www.redraggallery.co.uk/artist-darren-baker.asp

No 16 Stephanie Rew Seated in Green
Another contemporary British painter selling from here

http://www.scottishartpaintings.co.uk/artist-stephanie-rew.asp

And that concludes my ''Ladies in Green''................hope you enjoyed it.

Add a Comment

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Dec 13, '11, edited on Dec 13, '11 mitchylr said I'm not sure exactly why, but I don't like the use of green on the old 'classical' art, but I do like it in the modern/contemporary art. Maybe I'm just odd. thats odd, exactly the opposite to my reaction, I really like the Marriage Portrait, I think I realised a long time ago how unusual it was to use such a vivid green in a painting, I can't think of another single painting of that age to use that shade. And the Bronzino is maybe my favourite of them all, so unusual and so beautifully painted. The more modern ones are lovely, but not as unusual as the older ones. Thats the way I see it but funny thing about art is that we all see it differently.

delete reply mitchylr wrote on Dec 12, '11 I'm not sure exactly why, but I don't like the use of green on the old 'classical' art, but I do like it in the modern/contemporary art. Maybe I'm just odd.

delete reply rabbitfriendhere wrote on Dec 12, '11 I enjoyed your ladies in green very much Loretta! :-)

delete reply catherinearmant wrote on Dec 11, '11, edited on Dec 12, '11 I particularly liked Gene Kelly dancing with the Lady in Green. I like the first Photo : gentle and romantic. And Van Eyck astonishing Painting. I have heard that he made use of the "Camera Obscura" to obtain the perfect perspective for his superb Interiors. And the ravishingly rich Portrait of Agnolo Branzino. And of course : Madame de Pompadour in her supreme Turquoisy Green splendour. I like both Studies of the Green and Black dresses. I like the Hawaiian little Girl.

delete reply catherinearmant wrote on Dec 11, '11, edited on Dec 12, '11 Dear Loretta, What an amazing amount of work you have put there. "Women in Green", a very well chosen theme. And it is so beautiful to look at, ... and to read ! Thank you very much for this top quality Post. It deserves many Stars !

delete reply kathyinozarks wrote on Dec 11, '11 beautiful blog Loretta- I loved it

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Dec 11, '11 bennett1 said ; I was wondering about the composition of the pigments. actually, that was exactly what I thought, but I didn't really know, and I like Nemos explanation, it does make sense. There do seem to be more 'ladies in green' recently, maybe the pigment WAS difficult, but isn't any more.

delete reply bennett1 wrote on Dec 11, '11 I am enchanted by John Alexander's woman in green with black cat.

delete reply bennett1 wrote on Dec 11, '11 Beautiful pictures and what an evolution of the depiction of the feminine form. I also was intrigued about the "why not green" question. I like Nemo's explanation; I was wondering about the composition of the pigments.

delete reply brendainmad wrote on Dec 11, '11 I've always loved films with dancing in them. I saw Gene Kelly on stage many years ago in Cincinnati I think. Green is my sister Jackie's favourite colour. I would love to have any of these paintings on my wall too.

delete reply artprevails wrote on Dec 11, '11 Wow, was my response too! Thank you for this marvelous compilation...

delete reply greenwytch wrote on Dec 11, '11 WOW, they are magnificent and glorious......all of them! well done as always, Loretta! thank you. ; )

delete reply nemo4sun wrote on Dec 11, '11 forgetmenot525 said I can't quite decide which one I like best they are all wonderfull women ~ what can i say :)

delete reply nemo4sun wrote on Dec 11, '11 forgetmenot525 said what a clever chap you are.............here I have sat for hours looking for green dresses and wondering why there are so few of them and I never once stumbled across that explanation..........thanks Nemo. i just read it yesterday :)

delete reply nemo4sun wrote on Dec 11, '11 wow! this is just stunning art, song, dance poetry and a very good history of painting going from top to bottom bravo!!!

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Dec 11, '11 starfishred said love the Bronzino and the Waterhouse--but they are all stunning cyd sharisse was a great talent thanks heidi I really like the Bronzino too, but I also like the Tamara Delempicka, I can't quite decide which one I like best..............the Bronzino I think, its so unusual.

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Dec 11, '11 nemo4sun said One possible interpretation of the lyrics is that Lady Green Sleeves was a promiscuous young woman and perhaps a prostitute. At the time, the word what a clever chap you are.............here I have sat for hours looking for green dresses and wondering why there are so few of them and I never once stumbled across that explanation..........thanks Nemo.

delete reply nemo4sun wrote on Dec 11, '11 forgetmenot525 said Have you ever noticed how the colour green is not a favourite with portrait painters? i think i stumbled upon a reason for this when reading about the song "greensleeves" per wikipedia: One possible interpretation of the lyrics is that Lady Green Sleeves was a promiscuous young woman and perhaps a prostitute. At the time, the word "green" had sexual connotations, most notably in the phrase "a green gown", a reference to the way that grass stains might be seen on a woman's dress if she had engaged in sexual intercourse out-of-doors :) .

delete reply starfishred wrote on Dec 11, '11 love the Bronzino and the Waterhouse--but they are all stunning cyd sharisse was a great talent

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Dec 11, '11 Cyd Charisse, the dancer in green, reminds me of Liza Minellie in Caberet, except that I don't remember Liza wearing green, I think she wore purple.