BEAUTY IN THE MUNDANE

This is good example of how a creative artist can find beauty in the mundane, even a drab street scene.
"Downtown" Oil by Gene Costanza 20" x 24 "


'Abdu'l-Bahá says, 'When a man turns his face to God he finds sunshine everywhere.
AND
"......whichever way ye turn, there is the face of God: . (The Qur'an)

This work inspires me to find and paint my local street scenes.

See more of Gene's work at http://www.greenhousegallery.com/cgi-local/lookup.pl?titleid=11COSTAG1013&imagesize=fl&displayperpage=9999&displayhorz=4

Read more of Gods Word at http://www.bahai.org/

BEAUTY IN THE LANDSCAPE

I can relate to the beauty of these French Impressionst paintings. Note below the criticism he received from anti impressionist at one time regarding the sketchiness of his paintings.

Click on these images for a larger view

Daubigny sunset




Les Laveuses, Daubigney



Charles-Francois Daubigny: "Born into a family of artists, Daubigny worked as a decorator of trinkets for a clockmaker and then as a restorer of paintings in the Louvre. His formal training began when he entered the studio of Pierre Anasthasie Th�odore Senti�s in 1835. He also studied briefly with Paul Delaroche. Daubigny traveled independently to Italy in 1836, before competing unsuccessfully for the Prix de Rome in historical landscape in 1837 and 1841. He began exhibiting regularly at the Salon of 1838, making trips to the provinces each summer in search of landscape motifs. He met Corot on one such excursion to Cr�mieu in 1852. Although Daubigny achieved considerable success by the early 1850s, critics consistently complained about the rough execution and lack of finish in his landscapes. In the autumn of 1857 he purchased his famous studio boat, the 'Botin,' which prompted him to turn increasingly to riverscapes. Daubigny's career reached its apogee in 1859, when he received his third first-class medal at the Salon, was awarded a major commission to decorate a government office in the Louvre, and was named Chevalier of the L�gion d'Honneur. Shortly thereafter, however, his fortunes began to decline as complaints over his sketchy execution intensified. In 1865 Daubigny traveled to London, where he met Whistler. and to Trouville, where Monet, Courbet, and Boudin were also working. Daubigny was first elected to the Salon jury in 1866 and became notorious for his support of the younger generation, particularly Pissarro. Cezanne, and Renoir. He resigned from the jury of the 1870 Salon over the rejection of a painting by Monet."