This is "Spring" by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema. I know it's huge and my apologies to my dial-up friends. The original is hanging in The Getty museum in LA. (The Getty Center, not The Villa.) If you ever get the chance to visit LA, The Getty is well worth the time. The place is honestly and truly amazing. I first visited The Getty in the late summer of 1998. It was the end of a difficult time for me, and though I did not know it at the time, the beginning of a whole new life. As with many major museums, you have the option of renting a box of sound that will tell you the story of many of the paintings living there. The very sweet, retired gentleman that rented me my set looked me right in the eye, smiled, put his hands on each side of my face and said, "enjoy them. Just see each piece and let it speak to you." This exchange was significant in so many ways. Yeah, I know, he touched me, but it wasn't weird or strange at all.
Anyway, back to Spring. This painting is very, very large; 70 1/4 in by 30 1/2 in and in this huge ornate frame that resembles the door of a Greek temple. The description is here. Of all the magical and wonderful pieces I saw that day, this one followed me home. If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you'll know that my attempts at drawing were somewhat abysmal, but in my drawing class I did learn to appreciate the glory of the masters. In this painting, each face tells a story. Each and every one. Do you see over on the left there is a woman with her head turned gazing at the man next to her. Does he know she loves him? And the woman with the cala lilies in her hair, she is completely enraptured by the events in the street. Each child is portrayed in her pride and excitement. And the colors, the colors are magnificent. Sir Alma-Tadema was fascinated by the ancient world and often painted modern (1890's modern) events and traditions in ancient form. It was almost as if he took the trussed up proper residents of the 1890's and set them free.
Spring, a time of rebirth. A chance to put Winter back in her sleeping place and see the world again with fresh eyes, new excitement, and simple joy.
