tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post3317191154580444634..comments2024-03-28T06:18:17.942-04:00Comments on Gurney Journey: Road to ExileJames Gurneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01870848001990898499noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-26606013678231447692010-08-26T17:49:03.645-04:002010-08-26T17:49:03.645-04:00Your blog is just like what Forrest Gumps Mom said...Your blog is just like what Forrest Gumps Mom said "Life is like a box of chocolates - you just never know what you're going to get". Love your blog - each day is a surprise.Mary Bullockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09718356993209078250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-29989110178461517852010-08-26T15:22:53.403-04:002010-08-26T15:22:53.403-04:00Nice! some great recent posts, JamesNice! some great recent posts, JamesJonInFrancehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05623398725744947374noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-42749021076920992852010-08-26T13:42:04.656-04:002010-08-26T13:42:04.656-04:00Hi James, thank you very much for posting on Levit...Hi James, thank you very much for posting on Levitan who is little known outside Russia. For me personally, no other painter's landscapes strike me so deeply as his. <br /><br />What you mention regarding the fusion of aesthetic and external/social elements in his work was something that was typical of many Russian artists of the time. Russian society, unlike the West, skipped the period of Enligtenment and quickly transformed from medieval, traditionally religious society into a secular imperial state. The clash of the 19th century rationalism and deep-rooted spirituality produced special ambience in the 19th century Russian art, not just visual, but music and most notably literature as well. Levitan himself, like Dostoyevsky, was a product of this dilemma. Many of his landscapes have spiritual, even religious overtones, yet he was a "libertine" and eagerly researched the newest developemnts of European painting. <br /><br />Also, it was not customary for Russian artists to produce art as a mere display of skill, since the tsarist regime was generally viewed as corrupt, unjust and unsustainable and it was considered an artist's moral duty to fight it - see for instance numerous political Repin paintings.Petr Moreshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15732837782055254155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-61771736779765831802010-08-26T12:49:56.157-04:002010-08-26T12:49:56.157-04:00Interesting to compare it with Hobbema's The A...Interesting to compare it with Hobbema's The Avenue.Don Coxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11232752398252841794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-57412438102900466622010-08-26T12:14:32.587-04:002010-08-26T12:14:32.587-04:00This has always been one of my favorite paintings!...This has always been one of my favorite paintings!craigstephenshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16061315500937089274noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-57010261313103237222010-08-26T11:03:22.494-04:002010-08-26T11:03:22.494-04:00Fascinating.Fascinating.Jean Spitzerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13520415864511680025noreply@blogger.com