Paintings

Gustave Caillebotte

Gifts for Mother's Day

It's not too soon to be thinking of Mother's Day. You know what that means. You forget it until three days before and then quickly order: a cardigan ("Honey, I never wear those skimpy sweaters"), a bouquet of flowers (wilted in a week) or chocolate (Mom has been dieting for ten years). The truth is this Mother's Day you can give her a gift to cherish for years which will become a family heirloom, a copy of an art masterpiece. Not only will it show how much you love her, not just because she is your mother, but also because you love the woman she truly is.

Are you ready for the challenge? This requires a little thought. Besides being your mother what is her personality, what activities does she enjoy, what visions might give her inspiration?

Let's say your mother loves dance, not just to dance herself but to watch dancers. Check out Edgar Degas's Dancers at the Old Opera House or Dancers Backstage Jean Louis Forain's  Can Can Dancers. If your mom is more sophisticated attending musicals, the ballet and cocktail parties

she might appreciate La Dance by Matisse.

If your mother is religious she might appreciate Church at Auvers 1890 by Van Goth or Auvers Sur Oise painted in the last few weeks of Van Gogh's

A more traditional religious choice would be: A Coastal Landscape with Saul after the Conversion by Eugene Delacroix and El Greco's The Annunciation

Of course, you could give your mother a real bouquet that would last not a week but for decades. Here are some of the choices you might want to consider:

A Bouquet of Flowers in Front of a Window by Maxime Maufra; or perhaps a floral arrangement by the master of all floral paintings Vincent Van Gogh: Blooming Almond, Branch in a Glass, Blossoming Acacia Branches, Blossoming Almond Tree, Blossoming Chestnut Branches, Bowl with Sunflowers Roses and other Flowers, Chestnut Tree in Blossom and Eugene Delacroix's A Vase of Flowers in a Console.

If your mother is a romantic there are paintings that will speak to her heart. You may know her well enough to know that although she is  (or has been) a competent professional all her life, well dressed with a take charge attitude she may be quite another person in her personal life. A Boating Party 1890 by John Singer Sargent, A Corner of the Studio by Claude Monet, A Woman Reading also by Monet, A Garden in Cofru by John Singer Sargent as well as A Morning Walk by Sargent. All of these may resound with her spirit.

Perhaps your mother has thought of herself first and foremost as a mother since you and your siblings were born, an identity she continues in her role as grandmother and perhaps even as a surrogate mother to others. You must check out the works by Mary Cassatt. They include Breakfast in Bed,

After the Bath, Baby's Room at the Window, Best of Ellen with Bows in her Hair and Bathing the Young Heir and many others.

If your mother is a lover of the outdoors consider: View from the Wheat Fields by Van Gogh, Samuel Colman's A New Hampshire Landscape, Hans Anderson Brendekilde's A Woodland Landscape, Pierre Auguste Renoir's Algerian Landscape Wild Woman Ravine 1881 and Frederick Edwin Church's Autumn Landscape Vermont 1865.

If Mom is a sailor, lives by the water or simply loves seascapes there is a myriad of choices: Boat at Anchor of the Seine 1890-1891 by Gustave Caillebotte.Schooner in Fairhaven Harbor 1857 by William Sunrise Bradford,

Childe Hassam's Cat Boats Newport 1901, and Bela Balla's Boats on the Lake.

Many women are animals lovers so we have works of art that would please her greatly, for instance: John Femeley's A Chestnut Hunter in Landscape, Isaac Van Amburgh's Amburgh and his Animals 1839 and Richard Ansdell The Lucky Dog.

Perhaps your mother (or the woman who will receive this gift) is none of the above but rather a truly modern woman who wouldn't miss the latest gallery opening, who subscribes to Modern Architecture and Absolutearts. Her tastes are eclectic and might include work by the masters, abstract art or stylized art There are plenty of artworks from which to choose: Joan Miro's Ciphers and Constellations in Love with a Woman, Leonardo Da Vinci's Annunciation

Mark Rothko's 367 untitled 1947, Wassily Kandinaky"s Flood Improvisation and Pablo Picasso's Blue Nude.

If you still are not sure of the artistic taste of the woman to whom you will send this, call her, e-mail her, ask her some leading questions which can be as specific as "If you were to buy a piece of art, what type would you buy?" The final choice will still be a surprise as she won't know which painting she will receive.

Also, don't forget. This wonderful gift that a woman will cherish forever is best shown framed. This is an easier choice for you. Click on the painting and then go the frames and click on one. Is that a good match, the best way to showcase this piece of art? If not, keep trying. In each case, you will see exactly how the finished piece will look.  This process may prove to be a gift for you as well. This Mother's Day you may have a much deeper look at the soul of the woman you love.

 

About the Author

Avid lover of art.

Can someone rearrange/edit this paragraph I've written for me please?

Just to make it sound a bit better put together..

Gustave Caillebotte was born in Paris, France and was an impressionist artist, however his paintings were much more realistic than others’. He was close to a number of other artists, and his style and techniques differed throughout his works as he acquired and experimented with other styles he had seen - not really sticking to any style in particular. Gustave painted a number of domestic scenes, portraits and interiors; many of which contain members of his own family. He produced a lot of scenes that let us observe the upper-class, indoor life such as dining, piano playing, card playing, reading and sewing; all done in a reserved and devoted way.

Gustave Caillbotte was an impressionist artist born in Paris, France whose paintings were thought to be much more realistic than other artists. He was close to the other artists and his style and techniques changed as he acquired and experimented with their ideas, not really sticking to any one particular style. Gustave painted a number of domestic scenes, portraits and interiors, many of which contained members of his own family. He produced a lot of scenes that observed upper-class indoor life such as dining, piano-playing, card-playing, reading and sewing. They were all done in a reserved and devotional manner.

Gustave Caillebotte

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