It is the nature of human kind to create. From earliest history we find all people creating two things: art and alcoholic beverages. In many cultures these take the forms of painting and wine. These two great cultural creations play off one another like well-scripted actors creating memorable scenes – a dry Riesling Kabinett with cheese and a Pieter Claesz Banquet painting; a Pinot Noir with grilled salmon and Renoir’s Luncheon of the Boating Party; or a sparkling Champagne for a night at Manet’s Bar at the Folies Bergére. In the years I spent in France, in Avignon on the banks of the Rhone, I studied art history and tasted some very fine wines. I’d like to share thoughts on each and make connections between them, hence, Of Art and Wine – a Blog. So get ready for a double degustation, enjoying a wine and a wonderful piece of art. Here’s how it works.
The latest blog posts are shown on the right and in the monthly archives. Each post delves into specific paintings with details about the artist(s), the genre of paintings, and interesting facts. Then comes the wine with details and suggested food pairings. Don’t forget to please leave a comment in the form at the bottom of the article.
A bit about me…
Hi. It’s me, Marjorie. I am an artist, writer, college professor, and traveler. As I mentioned above I have spent quite a lot of time in France, 10+ of the years between 1996-2016. Eight of those ten were in Avignon, in the Vaucluse, the heart of Provence and the key Côtes du Rhône wine region. Avignon is a walled city with a history dating back to the time of the Romans, though it is most famous as the home of the Popes in the 14th century, hence its lingering medieval essence.
As an artist it was only natural for me to take courses in art history, which I did at the Petit Palais Museum in the Mondays at the Petit Palais program, now sadly no longer offered. Their wonderful art historian, Mme. Chantal Duqueroux, provided us with wonderful lectures and trips to the sites where we could see the art, whether in Italy or just next door at the Popes’ Palace. I followed her to another place where she taught, Université du temps libre, an open university of sorts, where again there were marvelous lectures and field trips to Italy, Spain, Holland, Belgium, and of course in France. In that vein, I joined other art organizations, La maison d’art contemporain d’Avignon, and the Centre International de Research et Documentation de Petit Palais, as well as the Musée Vouland, which is dedicated to the decorative arts.
One of the things I grew to appreciate when I was living in France was the act of painting outdoors in the countryside. The French call it painting en plein air. It is something that I have carried forward into my life here in Colorado where we have such beautiful mountain scenery. It doesn’t take that much to get a good plein air set up for painting. You may need a chair to sit in, but also a small camp stool to use to hold your paints, brushes, and a container or two for water or solvent if you oil paint. The picture here is of my watercolor set up for plein air painting.
Click on the link to see what you need to go plein air painting. Page one is an instructive animation, which is followed by some other examples of paintings. https://ofartandwine.com/web-stories/plein-air-painting/
As can be seen, all that art, all those wonderful trips, and all those countries that are wine producers, would certainly ultimately lead to a site like Of Art and Wine, which I hope you all will thoroughly enjoy.
For more art history and travel items, as well as information on some interesting contemporary artists (including me), please visit vernellestudio.com, enjoy the Art Blog and look at the art. For my art and travel inspired writings go to my author page at amazon.com and for my artwork for sale and printed on various items, go to Vernelle Art Boutique at vernellestudio.com.
Here’s to art appreciation and good wine tasting. Cheers!
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