The Artist's Road Painting the World's Beautiful Places

Spring Fever

Perspectives from The Artist's Road

Lilacs in Bloom          date unknown          Tit Dvornikov

   For some reason, we have been struggling this year with spring fever like never before. It could be the beautiful weather or all the mature and scent-filled flowering shrubs and trees on our place which has awakened a deep need to take it all in and enjoy the moment. Whatever it is, we are having serious trouble getting down to work in our studios. Usually, the return of bright sunlight and warmish days invigorates us to get even more accomplished, but not this year. We are getting reinvigorated, to be sure, but it feels more like we are recharging batteries depleted by winter. It is no use trying to fight it either. It is clearly time to spend days in the garden or wandering outdoors. Luckily, our self-imposed job description includes a paragraph or two on our creative responsibilities to the outdoors, and so we can reasonably claim that we are really working the entire time. We all need time every now and then to simply soak up the glory days and savor these precious moments without guilt. It is also true that there are only just so many summers, just so many springs.

   We are also fortunate to be able to grow lilacs here, and more so, because our nearest and dearest neighbor is a horticulturalist and grows hundreds of varieties on his property! He has artfully arranged some of them to line a path in his meadow. What an incredible show of color, and the perfume from the thousands of blossoms is intoxicating.

   To honor his efforts and this sweet moment, we have made a short slide show for you of beautiful and inspiring lilac paintings by the Masters. Enjoy.

(Paintings by:  Clara von Sievers, William Mason Brown, Berthe Morisot, Raoul de Longpre, Johan Krouthen, Sophie Anderson, Pierre Auguste Renoir, James Ensor, Edouard Manet, Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, Henri Fantin Latour, Isaac Levitan, Mikhail Vrubel, Boris Kustodiev, Konstantin Korovin, Madeleine Jeanne Lemaire, Edouard Vuillard, Claude Monet, Mary Cassatt, Kiriak Kostandi, Tit Dvornikov, Karl Vikas, Valentin Serov, Isaac Levitan, Gustave Caillebotte, Levi Wells Prentice, James Tissot, Childe Hassam, Octav Bancila, Willard Metcalf.)