SHARING WITH ME

Poster for Zeng Fanzhi Which of course I never will, never have and will never do. It just felt that way yesterday. Before going to see Tom Hanks in « Captain Philips » late afternoon, I went to the MAM (Museum of Modern Art) at the opening time in the morning. It is unusual for me to go to an exhibition at the weekend. I don’t have to and it leaves the doors open for all those working people. There were few people there and I had come to see the Serge Poliakoff ( had seen his water colours in October - Serge Poliokoff - Maillol , ) and a new Chinese artist for me Zeng Fanzhi. The Advertising poster fascinated me. Someone asked me recently. «  Is Picasso really your favorite artist? » I didn’t need to think too long. « I don’t have a preferred artist. There are artistic tendencies  which interest me more » Artists who have a wide range in their pallet, fascinate me - perhaps more - they surprise me. Picasso never ceases to surprise me....

I would think that if someone mentioned the name Braque, most people would immediately associate him with Cubism - and Picasso. The paintings that come to mind at once for me are these….. MAISONS ET ARBRE 1908 PAYSAGE DE CARRIRERE SAINT DENIS 1909 LES USINES DE RIO-TINO A L'ESTAQUE 1910 NATURE MORTE AU  VIOLIN 191 Braque is infinitely more. Perhaps not as rich as Picasso by any manner of means but there are distinct periods. Some I like very much, others less so. To begin with, George Braque  (1882-1963) is a member of the Fauve group which he discovers at the Salon d’automne in 1905. For quite a while and at L’Estaque in the south of France, he paints enthusiastically and with lots of energy. It’s definitely Fauve for me and a discovery some years ago in Grenoble when I had seen « Die Brucke ». I’m not over keen on his landscapes but there is a nude which breaks away from the other painters in that group and has a character of it’s own. ...