The Color of Light

I have a friend who suggests that each person has an essential question. She poses that her essential question is "Where would I put that?" That is the question she asks herself before she acquires anything. Consequently, she rarely buys or accepts things "on the fly." I, on the other hand, have always felt that if I fancied something, I could make room for it in my life. That explains the 5 trips to the dump we made recently, but I digress. The question I am always asking myself is "How would I paint that?" I am fascinated by the way light plays off objects, such as moonlight or sunlight off the water, the contrast of light versus shadow, and how light influences the perception of color. This same question formed on my daughter's lips on our recent trip to the Met, when she observed Bierstadt's painting The Rocky Mountains Lauder's Peak. Bierstadt was a member of the Hudson River School, painters who emphasized the details of their landscapes with the use of light. Bierstadt's use of light to guide the eye to the center of this painting, following the waterfall from the upper right corner of the painting to the center, is expert and breathtaking. His use of light, shadow, and color helps create tremendous depth. There are many artists who use light powerfully. One of my favorite paintings is J.M.W. Turner's The Grand Canal. Turner was know as the "painter of light", and he certainly proved the title in this painting.

Artists such as Vermeer and Impressionists,

such as Monet (Musée de

l'Orangeries des Tuileries in Paris has a spectacular collection) carve atmosphere with light in paint. It is their abilities I crave when I experience the light of a San Diego morning or a sunset at Menemsha, wishing to capture that impression forever.