Crawling into my soul I can occasionally discern connections between beloved works of art. Not because I have any training. I’m just a devoted patron and a woman in awe of artistry.
All things visual draw me in and when I can use imagery to help solidify a feeling or capture a long-lost moment, my heart sings. Discovering and celebrating nuances and similarities is a source of contentment because it’s another way of knowing myself. If I allow my mind’s eye to flow freely as I line up objects, paintings, colors, textures I can identify subtleties which conjure ease…and a sense of home. Me…being more fully “me” than I would otherwise be.
I had a strange experience in France many years ago. I took a photo in a small, Medieval French village because I adored the light and the color play on ancient stones. There’s an odd, paranormal-ish tale to go along with this pic but I’ll save that for another day. Mini-spoiler: I had no idea my dad’s family had ancestral roots in that very picturesque locale….an a-ha that still startles me. Maybe my friend Mark Petruska will inspire me to share more, given his spooky story from last week. Here’s the photo:
My point in sharing it today is to highlight my love of artists and the soulfulness I feel when pieces – and sometimes places – speak to me. Are you the same?
I wrote about my love of Toulouse-Lautrec last year, but I omitted one aspect of my adoration. I can’t imagine I’m the first to make this observation, but the parallels between his work and the photographic wizardry of famed photographer Saul Leiter is mesmerizing. It’s as if Leiter’s photography is an echo of Toulouse-Lautrec’s soul.
Here’s what I mean:
On the left? Parisienne women captured in misty-looking brushstrokes by Toulouse-Lautrec – The Box, 1889: On the right? Seven decades later, a dreamy photo captured by Leiter in a Paris cafe in 1959:
And this chapeau-related parallel? Toulouse-Lautrec’s “Aristide Bruant”, painted in 1892 rivets my attention with a commanding hat. When I first saw Leiter’s photo of a (“Man at a wedding/funeral”) taken in 1951, I was struck by the recall to Lautrec’s Aristide:
Is this what artistry is? Influences and inspirations as echoes, lovingly, endearingly rendered through eyes anew? Whether paint strokes or with camera lenses – I see visions coalescing across time and space.
For more about my love of Leiter and raindrops…and of course, a sweet memory of my dad, take a look at my Heart of the Matter post. I aspire to artistry and share a photo I took last week. One that I think my dad would like, too.
Vicki 💝
Leiter Images Courtesy of:
Saul Leiter Foundation – photographer and painter
Toulouse-Lautrec Images Courtesy of:
Victoria Ponders 
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