Emilio Grau Sala (1911-1975) | Colorist painter

Emilio (Emi) Grau Sala was a Catalan painter. He studied at the Escuela de Bellas Artes de Barcelona.

He was a famous colorist (oil painting, watercolor and pastel) and illustrator.

Having made his debut at the Salon des Humoristes in Paris when extremely young, he had his first one-man show in Barcelona at the age of 18, and went on to have shows of his work throughout the world - Paris, Madrid, London, Buenos Aires, New York.

Wassily Kandinsky | I - Dell'Estetica, 1910

Lo spirituale nell'arte, 1910

I. Introduzione

Ogni opera d’arte è figlia del suo tempo, e spesso è madre dei nostri sentimenti.

Analogamente, ogni periodo culturale esprime una sua arte, che non si ripeterà mai più.

Lo sforzo di ridar vita a princìpi estetici del passato può creare al massimo delle opere d'arte che sembrano bambini nati morti. Noi non possiamo, ad esempio, avere la sensibilità e la vita interiore degli antichi Greci.

E se in scultura tentassimo di adottare i loro princìpi non faremmo che produrre forme simili alle loro, ma prive di anima.

Come le imitazioni delle scimmie. Esteriormente i movimenti delle scimmie sono perfettamente uguali a quelli dell'uomo.

Wassily Kandinsky | Oval n°2, 1925

Emily Dickinson | Heart! We will forget him! / Cuore! Lo dimenticheremo!

Heart! We will forget him!

You and I, tonight!

You may forget the warmth he gave,

I will forget the light!

Cuore! Lo dimenticheremo!

Tu ed io, questa notte!

Tu potrai dimenticare il calore che dava -

Io dimenticherò la luce!

Francine Van Hove, 1942

Willem Kalf | Dutch Golden Age painter

Willem Kalf (1619-1693) was a Dutch Golden Age painter who specialized in still lifes. Later in his life, Kalf became an art dealer and appraiser.

Life and work

Willem Kalf was born in Rotterdam, in 1619. He was previously thought to have been born in 1622, but H. E. van Gelder's important archival research has established the painter's correct place and date of birth. Kalf was born into a prosperous patrician family in Rotterdam, where his father, a cloth merchant, held municipal posts as well.

Wassily Kandinsky | The movement of the Triangle

Concerning the Spiritual in Art, 1910

Many grievous obstacles along this road must be conquered, so as to arrive at the first stage; and even then an evil, unseeing hand may toss more obstacles in the way, so that this road sometimes appears to be totally impassable, as all landmarks vanish.

It is then that there unfailingly arises some human being, no different from the rest of humanity but for a secret power of "Vision" within him.

He sees and points the way. Sometimes he would prefer to lay aside his power, as it is a heavy cross to bear; but he cannot do so. Though scorned and hated, he never lets go but drags the cartload of protesting humanity after him, ever forcing it forward and upward, over all obstacles in his way.