One of the things that gets you through times like these are friends. What would we do without them? They support you, they hold you, they hear you out, they laugh and cry with you and, if necessary, give you a kick in the pants. Today’s blog is an expression of gratitude for all the friends, here and abroad, who make my life worthwhile!

Given that misogyny partially cost us the president hoped for, I’ll focus on  girlfriends in portraiture. I picked some that spoke to me and matched them to some of my photographs, all taken with strangers.

We start with Joseph Settegast’s 1850 painting of two girls (ABOVE). It can be found in the Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe, not exactly a city on most European travel itineraries, but one that is worth exploring nonetheless. The portrait attracted me for the porcelain quality of those faces, and their earnestness and a hint of Rousseau. My matching girlfriends are a little bit more outgoing, but then again they’ve reached the tween years.

Klimt’s portrait of Freundinnen was painted in 1916. It was destroyed by a fire set by retreating German forces in 1945 at Schloss Immendorf, Austria. The women seem vaguely ornamental, floating into the background similarly flat. That cannot be said for my matched pair, who are saftig and alive, coming forwards, but seem to have a similar bond.

Next in the time line is Schmitt Rottluff’s Freundinnen from 1926. My kind of “nasty” women, judging by their serious and intelligent expressions.  I thought that the two friends I chose bear some resemblance in their inquisitiveness.

Nolde’s Kleine Freundinnen from 1941 hangs over my desk. (Yes, of course, a reproduction. But a large and sensible one.) It has moved with me many times throughout the last 45 years, since there is something in it that gives me hope. A sense of closeness, and play with color that preserves childhood eyes, sensitivities and enthusiasm. It also gives me satisfaction that the credo of one of my – shall we say – stupid high school art teachers “red and yellow don’t go together” has been proven wrong. Long live defiance of rules! The photographic match relied on color and posture more than anything else.

I could not find a match in my archives for this last portrait. Instead you get a short intro to Modersohn Becker’s artistic career. Who’d thought I would ever post something from “pigtails in paint…..” https://www.pigtailsinpaint.com/category/artists-by-name/modersohn-becker-paula/

The author explains, though, that she is cribbing from a fabulous museum catalogue, so we hope all is well.

Friends matter. I cherish every single one. Particular when life gets turned upside down.

Painting by Nicolas de Largilliere, 1714/15

On this November 8, 2016, let’s explore what a model ruler looks like. I am thinking of August II the Strong, (1670 – 1730,) extraordinary patron of architecture and art. (Yes, I know, climate change, racial and economic equality, immigration and the shaping of the law are all high on the list. Hear me out.) He practically founded Dresden, a center of German culture for 100s of years, he created the famous porcelain manufacture of Meissen, he opened the first public museum in Germany, the Green Vault, and later a collection that can now be found in the Old Masters Gallery. He understood that art has a special role to play in influencing who we are, how we see the world, and what values matter. In this sense, it interacts with all other political actions, however tangentially.

He became King of Poland not once, but twice – complicated war and succession history and not entirely to the advantage of that country. But overall, he was as big in his regal (not physical) way as he was strong (- although in the end he suffered from diabetes and died at 252 pounds…).  He loved to build, to collect, to support artists as well as the arts, his tastes somewhat influenced by extensive travels around the continent, particularly France. And he wore pant suits….

 The photograph I took of a Polish man who stood still in costume first reminded me of a Prussian valet from one or another court – as depicted here by Georg David Matthieu, Kammerdiener Johann Völler, Oil on wood, flat stand-up. Sammlung Herzogliches Haus Mecklenburg-Schwerin. (I could not get the date, alas.)

But then I thought he really could be a descendant of August II, particularly in light of the fact that the latter had between 360 and 385 children – yes, you read that right. One single one legitimate. Many acknowledged with their respective mothers being given special status in the aristocracy of Saxony and elsewhere. In any event, if you look at the mouth and nose particularly of the later portrait, you can see some resemblance to the street artist. At least I did.

And here are some views of his palaces in Dresden, but none of Meissen porcelain since it is just too overboard.

However, here is a Dresden milk and cheese shop that is tiled by Villeroy and Boche, and one of the biggest tourist attractions…. 

Let’s hope then, that tonight we have a president for whom August II would join us in cheering. Man, let’s pray.