Impressionism and the MoMa app

Glorious Gardenias at Paint Party Studios

It was the Spring of 1996 when I was first introduced to and simultaneously fell in love with art.

As a freshman in college, I signed up to take the required Art Appreciation class (or Art History 101, it may have been called). Before that time, I had no experience with art whatsoever, except maybe finger painting in Kindergarten. So, I had no idea what was in store as I sat in the big lecture hall awaiting the entry of the professor and the first lesson. It's often been said that a student can enjoy any class and become interested in any subject matter if they have a great teacher. After fifteen years, I can't remember her name, but my Art Appreciation teacher was truly great. She made the history and examination of art and all its forms come alive for me. I absolutely loved that class. She started at the beginning, skipped an era here or there, but basically over the course of a semester gave us a comprehensive review of art to date. I loved it so much I even remember reading chapters in the textbook that weren't required in the syllabus. I truly learned how to appreciate art. After all, there's a technique to it. There are things to look for that speak to its level of form, function, and design.

Which brings me to my favorite art form: Impressionism. So many things are wonderful about the 19th century and Impressionistic art is one of them. Monet, Manet, Renoir, Cezzane - suffice it to say I became obsessed with those guys for quite sometime. I can't pick a favorite painting from that era, but the use of light and negative space are among my favorite elements.

After all these years of loving art, I never once thought of painting something myself. I never even attempted it as a hobby. But with the recent boom in local paint parties, I had to give it a try. What if I had hidden talent? It was worth of shot. As a lover of Impressionism, I naturally picked a painting that carried its elements. I soon discovered, about ten minutes into the venture, that painting is not so easy (no matter what the paint party advertisement says). It was an exhausting process. I managed to make it out with a decent picture, thanks entirely to the paint party host who worked her magic and cleaned mine up at the end. Apparently, my skills had not advanced beyond Kindergarten.

So, I think from now on I'll stick to appreciating art. I recently discovered an app for that. On my iPhone there's an app for the Museum of Modern Art (MoMa) in New York City. When I need a little bit of art in my life, I just scroll through a collection or see what's on view. The app has bios of artists, explanations of terms, and quite a substantial Cezzane and Seurat collection. Since I can't create my own Impressionistic art, this will have to fulfill my desire to look at it regularly. That is, until the day when I can purchase a real painting of my own. Ah, a girl can dream...