Art Adventures - by Patricia Banks©
Published September 2019 in Nanaimo Magazine and Voyager Magazine
Published September 2019 in Nanaimo Magazine and Voyager Magazine
A good painting always tells a story. It can speak volumes to anyone willing to listen. Recently, I visited an Art Museum in Koblenz, Germany. Most of the artworks were of a contemporary, modern style, but there was also a special showing of realistic style paintings, dating from the late 1800s to the early 1900’s. On entering the museum, we were instructed not to speak aloud.
We silently viewed a wide range of interesting paintings on display in the gallery. As I moved into one of the rooms on my own, I gasped. In front of me was the most riveting painting I have ever seen. It was grand in size, complex and skillfully composed, painted in luminous oil colours, and realistically rendered. I felt overwhelmed. A spontaneous flood of emotions came over me and I started to cry.
While it was exquisitely painted, this was not what had moved me. It was the portrayal of genuine kindness, the depth of gratitude, and the compassionate humanity that shouted from this painting with deafening volume. It was the extraordinary skill of the artist who was telling me a story with remarkable visual language. It grabbed me and commanded me to feel these emotions deeply.
While not a religious painting, the artist had illuminated the legend of Saint Martin of Tours (France) on his canvas; a story I was not familiar with at that time. (see: Saint Martin of Tours – Wickipedia)
I have always associated painting and creative activities with nurturing one’s soul. Even in silence, art has the capacity to heal. I will always remember the paintings that spoke to me.
“Listen with your eyes and I will tell you a story.” ~Patricia Banks
We silently viewed a wide range of interesting paintings on display in the gallery. As I moved into one of the rooms on my own, I gasped. In front of me was the most riveting painting I have ever seen. It was grand in size, complex and skillfully composed, painted in luminous oil colours, and realistically rendered. I felt overwhelmed. A spontaneous flood of emotions came over me and I started to cry.
While it was exquisitely painted, this was not what had moved me. It was the portrayal of genuine kindness, the depth of gratitude, and the compassionate humanity that shouted from this painting with deafening volume. It was the extraordinary skill of the artist who was telling me a story with remarkable visual language. It grabbed me and commanded me to feel these emotions deeply.
While not a religious painting, the artist had illuminated the legend of Saint Martin of Tours (France) on his canvas; a story I was not familiar with at that time. (see: Saint Martin of Tours – Wickipedia)
I have always associated painting and creative activities with nurturing one’s soul. Even in silence, art has the capacity to heal. I will always remember the paintings that spoke to me.
“Listen with your eyes and I will tell you a story.” ~Patricia Banks
