Interior designers get their inspiration from all sorts of places — fashion, travel, history, Hollywood…you name it. But when it comes to offering creative fodder, nothing beats nature, for both designers and artists. I recently visited The Phillips Collection — twice! — to tour a special exhibition, entitled Seeing Nature: Landscape Masterworks from the Paul G. Allen Family Collection (Allen co-founded Microsoft, along with friend Bill Gates). I was blown away by the art. And the colors!
First, my husband, Peter, and I took in the exhibition, which includes 39 works from Monet, Cézanne, Sargent, O’Keeffe and many, many more. It’s nearly impossible to pick a favorite when surrounded by pieces from such giants of the art world. I snapped a few shots, however, of those that really spoke to me and got me thinking about palette possibilities for future design projects (trust me, the paintings and colors are MUCH more gorgeous in person!).
One work by contemporary American artist April Gornik (born in 1953) really stood out. Entitled Lake Light, it is part of Gornik’s series of African landscapes, inspired by a trip there about 10 years ago. Somehow, there’s both an ethereal quality to the painting and yet a photo-realism quality. I love the moody shades of gray and blue, mixed with grassy greens.
Austrian artist Gustav Klimt (1862-1918) zoomed in for his landscape painting of trees, Birch Forest (Birkenwald). Check out the realistic shading and detail:
I am captivated by these colors! The golds, oranges and reds combined with the greens and browns. What a warm and welcoming palette this would make for any space. And can I digress for a moment? Notice how the painting pops against that rich wall color! Farrow & Ball (more on them later) is the paint sponsor of the exhibition, and each gallery wall is painted in one of their distinctive colors (or, to be proper, colours). I can’t say for sure, but that might be London Clay –one of my favorites! — as the backdrop here. Anyway, it’s refreshing to visit a gallery and see something other than white walls. It makes a huge difference, I think, in the way we experience the art.
Trees are not the only subject matter depicted in the collection. Water is a big theme too. French painter (and sailor) Paul Signac depicted the sea on the coast of Brittany in his work Morning Calm, Concarneau, Opus 219 (Larghetto). Signac adopted George Seurat’s pointillist technique, using small dots of color.
The legendary canals of Venice, not surprisingly, have inspired many artists through the years. French artist Henri Edmond Cross (1856-1910) captures the water’s shimmering light effects in his work, Rio San Trovaso, Venice. Cross adopted a painting technique called divisionism, which employs small rectangles of color (as opposed to the dots used in pointillism) to convey movement. The colors are spring-inspired, yet the overall effect is soft and serene.
Claude Monet (1840-1926) painted scenes from Venice, too, but in the work below, he was inspired by another famous city’s waterways — London’s River Thames. Waterloo Bridge, Overcast Weather captures a dreamy mood, yet warm sunlight breaks through the fog and is reflected on the water and through the bridge’s arches.
Another destination that seems to have sparked the imagination of numerous artists is our very own Grand Canyon. American artist Thomas Moran (1837-1926) depicted its colors and forms so majestically. And, apparently, Moran was way ahead of the times. I can’t help but think of Pantone’s dual Colors of the Year (you can read about them here), as I ponder his palette of sky blue and desert pink in Grand Canyon of Arizona at Sunset.
Okay, people, there is color and then there is COLOR. English artist David Hockney (born 1937) offers a different vision for the Grand Canyon. These vibrant hues would certainly add energy to any space. If there’s an absolutely fearless homeowner out there ready to go for it, I’m in!
Of course, no nature-inspired exhibition would be complete without a few floral-themed artworks. I love the earth tones, with splashes of red, pink and yellow, in this garden scene by Flemish artist Jan Brueghel the Younger (1601-1678). It’s part of his allegorical suite on the five senses and depicts the sense of smell. Can’t you just smell the flowers along with the woman in the painting?
American artist Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986) depicts three-dimensional detail of a single, sculptural blossom in Black Iris VI (from her second series of irises). Both the petals and palette are delicate — and then there is an unexpected shot of bright green in the stem. It really draws your eye in.
These images should give you a taste of the depth and breadth of this truly not-to-be-missed exhibition, which runs through May 8, 2016.
As I mentioned earlier, Farrow & Ball is the official paint sponsor of the exhibition — and chose The Phillips Collection as the site of their DC launch of their Nine New Colours of 2016.
Peter and I, along with A. Houck Designs staff, returned to the gallery for the launch celebration and a private, guided tour, led by Gallery Educator Michelle Pollack, of the Seeing Nature masterpieces. Artworks and paint colors! All in one fabulous night!
I’m a huge fan of Farrow & Ball’s richly pigmented paints and their sophisticated palette. The newly launched color collection offers something for everyone. Here’s the full scoop directly from Farrow & Ball’s blog, The Chromologist. My favorite hue among the nine new ones is Inchyra Blue No. 289. Farrow & Ball describes it as an “aged blue grey [that] can read more grey, blue or even green depending on the light.” I love to use complex shades that take on different qualities as the light shifts. And I must say, the night of the launch party, the paint chip had a decidedly green cast…to me. What color do you see?
I hope you can take some time this spring to get out and enjoy nature and all that Washington has to offer. You never know when and where inspiration will strike!
Sophisticated Take on Pantone’s Color of the Year
