We're evacuating the planet. What 100 paintings do you insist we bring with us?

Cafe Society
101

Skald, may I argue in favor of stained glass windows as being a form of painting? It is pigment applied to (or within) a surface to create a picture. Stained glass speaks to me more than oil or acrylic on canvas – light shining through glass is a living thing.

In that case, I would take along several Tiffany windows, because the layering of glass in the windows gives me so much joy and elevates my spirit. As well as windows by LaFarge.
We could save time by just yanking out the windows in the Corning Glass Museum, even if they aren’t the best examples.
Also the windows by Giacometti the elder, iin the Fraumunster and Grossmunster Cathedrals in Zurich, because the brilliance of the cobalt blue is so fine.

102

Gilbert Stuart’s unfinished “George Washington”

“Relativity” by M.C. Escher

“Upper Valley” by Sabra Field
http://www.trorc.org/images/upper_valley.jpg

“Christina’s World” by Andrew Wyeth

“John F. Kennedy” by Jamie Wyeth

“Prisoners from the Front” by Winslow Homer

“The Problem We All Live With” by Norman Rockwell

“Moby-Dick” by Rockwell Kent

“The Dance” by Henri Matisse
http://crfranke.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/henri-matisse-the-dance.jpg

“Yosemite Valley” by Albert Bierstadt
http://www.paintinghere.com/uploadpic/Albert%20Bierstadt/big/Bierstadt_Yosemite_Valley_Yellowstone_Park.jpg

103

After I saved mine, I’d probably go with a few Rembrandts, some Vermeers, the Wheatfield with Crows by Van Gogh, and anything I could grab by Edward Hopper.

I was also planning to include Warhol–regardless of what people say, once you’ve seen his paintings, you’ll never look at a soup can the same way again–but my BIL owns a lot of his paintings so he’ll rescue Warhol’s legacy.

104

La Donna Velata, Raphael

Paris Street, Rainy Day, Gustave Caillebotte (you’ll need an entire compartment for this one, as it’s about 9 feet)

Mt. McKinley, Sydney Laurence (even bigger than the Caillebotte)

105

While I think you’re full of crap on the light-as-living-thing thing, you are correct overall that good stained glass needs to be preserved. I thought abot linking to the LaFarge, but I couldn’t find any pictures that were adequate, which kinda proves your point.

106

“The Girl with the Pearl Earring” by Johannes Vermeer

“The Birth of Venus,” Sandro Botticelli

“Lady Agnew of Lochnaw” by John Singer Sargent

“Washington Crossing the Delaware” by Emmanuel Leutze
http://cgfa.acropolisinc.com/l/leutze2.jpg

“The Duke of Wellington” by Thomas Lawrence
http://media-1.web.britannica.com/eb-media/32/5032-004-5AB4F87A.jpg

“The Blue Boy” by Thomas Gainsborough
http://www.paintinghere.com/artistPic/Thomas%20Gainsborough.jpg

“Young Corn” by Grant Wood

“The Family of Carlos IV” by Francisco Goya
http://www.unc.edu/~hdefays/courses/span330/arte/goya-familiaCarlosIV.jpg

“Stour Valley and Dedham Church” by John Constable

“Emma Hamilton” by George Romney
http://historical-fiction.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/emma1.jpg

107

I’d be keen to include Cranach the Elder’s Judith with the head of Holofernes, but to avoid thematic duplication I’d settle for Salome with the head of John the Baptist. :slight_smile:

An additional nomination is for Lotto’s Venetian Woman in the Guise of Lucretia.

108

Deal! Whew. That was easy.

109

I suspect Skald might have, in his private compartment, these paintings by an author and philologist of some renown:

http://hem.bredband.net/johava/middle/Rescue3.jpg

110

If we’re limited on our Van Gogh’s, I vote for Potato Eaters over Starry Night. Hands of Ire is a good keeper from a Latin American master (I was just thinking about this because of the Ecuador thread.)

111

I love the Perfesser, but there’s nothing about those that demands keeping the originals. The same is true of Alan Lee.

112

Stratocaster, I would replace your Still Life With Apples with another Cezanne:

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.picturalissim.com/t/cezanne_apples_oranges.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.picturalissim.com/cezanne_apples_oranges.htm&h=316&w=400&sz=26&tbnid=ZT1-X0vzj3Le4M:&tbnh=99&tbnw=125&prev=/search%3Fq%3DCezanne%2BApples%2Band%2BOranges%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=Cezanne+Apples+and+Oranges&docid=kro8j6HsP2wxtM&sa=X&ei=oLxoTo2-B8Xl0QHo_LzNCw&ved=0CB0Q9QEwAQ&dur=4703

Of course, we’re comparing apples and ora…nevermind. Hemingway used to study Cezanne to learn how to improve his writing. I think this was one of the paintings he studied.

Elendil’s Heir: The house and yard where Christina spent her world is still there and, I assume still open to the public. It is a most amazing place. Send me a PM if you want to know more. My favorite Andrew Wyeth are the Helga Paintings – especially the most famous close up of her. I had it all to myself one time for a very long time. That was so lovely.

Chefguy: I’m with you on Paris Street, Rainy Day.

Skald the Rhymer, you said to Tapiotar:

I had the experience once of walking into a room in a museum that was lighted only by approximately 150 Tiffany lamps. They reached out and grabbed me and shook me up. I came to myself later, sitting in a chair embraced by color that comforted me. I had been crying. I didn’t see anyone else in the room while I was there. But maybe you should reconsider your definition of the idea of “living thing.” Tiffany has a name because it is that good.

Even Michaelangelo struck his statue of Moses in frustration and told it to “speak.” Pieces can be perceived as “living.”

113

Thank you, thank you, thank you. For a moment there, I was worried that nobody would remember to bring that particular series. Those are my favorite paintings by far. They are gorgeous and incredibly detailed, but they’re also arranged and planned with the utmost care to convey the artist’s meaning. Everything has a definite symbolic importance, as Cole himself said. For example, here’s his description of Youth:

The stream now pursues its course through a landscape of wider scope, and more diversified beauty. Trees of rich growth overshadow its banks, and verdant hills form the base of lofty mountains. The Infant of the former scene is become a Youth, on the verge of Manhood. He is now alone in the Boat, and takes the helm himself, and, in an attitude of confidence and eager expectation, gazes on a cloudy pile of Architecture, an air-built Castle, that rises dome above dome in the far-off blue sky. The Guardian Spirit stands upon the bank of the stream, and, with serious, yet benignant countenance, seems to be bidding the impetuous Voyager “God speed.” The beautiful stream flows for a distance, directly toward the aerial palace, for a distance; but at length makes a sudden turn, and is seen in glimpses beneath the trees, until it at last descends with rapid current into a rocky ravine, where the Voyager will be found in the next picture. Over the remote hills, which seem to intercept the stream, and turn in from its hitherto direct course, a path is dimly seen, tending directly toward the cloudy Fabric, which is the object and desire of the Voyager.

The scenery of the picture—its clear stream, its lofty trees, its towering mountains, its unbounded distance, and transparent atmosphere—figure forth the romantic beauty of youthful imaginings, when the mind elevates the Mean and Common into the Magnificent, before experience teaches what is the Real. The gorgeous cloud-built palace, whose glorious domes seem yet but half revealed to the eye, growing more and more lofty as we gaze, is emblematic of the daydreams of youth, its aspirations after glory and fame; and the dimly-seen path would intimate that Youth, in its impetuous career, is forgetful that it is embarked on the Stream of Life, and that its current sweeps along with resistless force, and increases in swiftness, as it descends toward the great Ocean of Eternity

There is so much in these paintings that simply isn’t conveyed in a digital reproduction. For example, the airy, see-through of the ‘castle in the air’ in Youth just doesn’t come through unless you see the originals in person. Neither does the texturing of the rocks and the weather patterns in Manhood, or the light streaming through the clouds and the arriving angels in Old Age. If there’s any painting where we need the originals rather than just copies, it’s this series.

114

Thanks! PM sent. Or post here, if you don’t mind, so others can enjoy it too.

115

Upon review it was foolish of me not to gather up all the Van Goghs in the first place, and I have scheduled myself for penance. I will of course bring them all, though I make no promises that I’ll let anyone else look at them.

116

We have to include Simon Vouet’s St. Jerome and the Angel. This is one of those paintings that roots you to the spot for 20 minutes while you absorb every last detail. It’s hanging in the National Gallery in DC. I love the fact that the angel’s face is in shadow.

117

I’ve always loved David, and was able to view his Death of Socrates at the MMOA this past summer.

118

Good stuff. I prefer his painting of Napoleon’s coronation, though: Homeschool History Curriculum - History At Our House

119

One of the best classes I ever had was a course in art history. I was a history major and it’s hard for me to separate a work of art from its cultural and historical context. If the earth must go we have to preserve something of our past in addition to representations of our concepts of beauty. I did the full 100, but I’ll just list the first ten here. I went in a very rough chronological order.

Lions and Bison, cave paintings in Chauvet

It’s important to remember that art is as old as mankind, it’s impossible to look at those lions in fluid motion and not appreciate it.

Minoan bull-leaping fresco, ruins of Knossos, Crete.

I chose this to mark the beginning of European art.

“Autum Colors on the Qiao and Hua Mountains”, Calligraphy and ink on paper by Zhao Mengfu

I settled on this as an example of Chinese landscape painting because it also showcases the art of calligraphy as well.

“The Great Wave at Kanagawa”, Polychrome woodblock print, Katsushika Hokusai

It’s iconic and one of my favorite works of art in general. Its influence on pop art is pretty amazing.

“Codex Borbonicus” Polychrome on amatl, artist(s) unknown

It is an excellent example of mesoamerican pre-Columbian art.

“Papyrus of Ani” Polychrome on papyrus, artist(s) unknown.

Representative of ancient Egyptian art and hieroglyphs. I’ve always loved the weighing of the heart vignette, especially Ammit waiting to pounce.

"Christ Pantocrator of St. Catherine’s monastery, Encaustic on wood, artist unknown

In my opinion this is the finest Byzantine era depiction of christ. I find the eyes especially compelling.

“Along the River During the Qingming Festival”, Ink on silk, Zhang Zeduan

Take a look at it, keep scrolling… keeeep scrolling. Pretty amazing, right?

“Evening Bell From the Mist Shrouded Temple”, Ink on paper, Muqi Fachang

I love this painting So much. It is so spare and elegant… nothing is there that shouldn’t be. It really captures the ephemeral beauty of something glimpsed through fog or mist.

“Magnolia and Erect Rock”, Ink and colors on silk, Chen Hongshou

There’s so much to like about this painting. I love the contrast between the realism of the flowers and butterfly and the almost cartoonish pumice rock rising through it all.
I enjoyed the thought experiment Skald, thank you. :slight_smile:

120

lokij, my kingdom for the rest of your top hundred with commentary!