Thursday, December 31, 2015

Happy New Year's from JR Mooney Galleries

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Art Consultant's Spotlight: "Everlasting Joy" by Sidney Sinclair

“Everlasting Joy” by Sidney Sinclair is a recent acquisition by the J.R. Mooney Galleries of Fine Art. This painting is part of Sinclair’s Abstract Cross Series. All the usual elements of her crosses are represented in this painting: warm lighting, a thematic sense of mystery and heavy use of impasto technique.

What distinguishes this cross, to me, is the contemplation of the representation of The Holy Trinity. Sinclair’s “Everlasting Joy” is celestial; there is a sense that the cross came from somewhere besides an artist’s studio. Overall, the aesthetic of the piece is one of antiquity, as if the cross was forged by an early Apostle and later placed in the Hagia Sophia until it was smuggled to a Byzantine church in Budapest after the fall of Constantinople. When I reflect upon the Holy Trinity I first think of God and His origin, coming out of the void and creating the world.

I remember the Old Testament, a time when Western Civilization was in its infancy and the religions we have today were forming. In Exodus 3:13-14 God reveals Himself to His people: “And Moses said unto God, Behold, [when] I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What [is] his name? What shall I say unto them? 14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.” The mysteries of God shown through the canvas’ rudimentary abstract lines and rectangular shapes, in contexts of its parts, are not initially discerned as a cross. Rather it is when the eye calculates all the lines and the shapes together that the powerful icon is revealed and the second component of the Holy Trinity is introduced.

The physical attributes of the painting correspond to the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ. Sinclair’s cross is painted in earthy tones of red, brown, gold and yellow. The reds primarily used in the painting look like dried blood, homage to the blood that Christ shed when he was crucified. The golds and yellows are sallow soft and warm, like tones of flesh, that of the dying Savior. The Trinity is realized by the final component, the Holy Spirit. The three unify to become an important idea in Christian belief. "It is the Father who generates, the Son who is begotten, and the Holy Spirit who proceeds," As explained by the Lateran Council IV (1215). In this painting first felt is the mystery of who is God. Next the physical representation of the flesh, Jesus Christ, is shown on the canvas through the physical materials of the painting, and finally, the presence of the Holy Spirit resonates from and beyond the piece. The Holy Spirit is represented by the shape of the cross which is organic like the colors. The heavy impasto layers also create movement. The paint vibrates on the canvas and burst forth in waves like the energy of the soul. It is as if the Holy Spirit comes through the paint directly to the viewer. The idea that all three of these come together as one is symbolized by Sinclair’s cross.

Before crosses, Sinclair painted many landscapes. For me, “Everlasting Joy” is a type of landscape. It is a soulscape, a painting that mainly depicts the inner side of the artist. It is a record of her joys and sorrows and the days that she bore her soul to the canvas. One can feel the energy of Sinclair’s bold, repetitive strokes as everlasting as the icon she paints. “I bring my spirituality to these pieces, but the people who like them and buy them bring theirs,” Sinclair says to San Antonio Women’s Magazine in a 2013 interview. She continues to say she wants people to see the hand of God in her painting. Sinclair is also a cancer survivor and one does not have to look very hard at her painting to feel her faith and spirituality coming through. As it is stated in 1 Corinthians 1:18 ESV: “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

©Gina Martinez, Art Consultant, J.R. Mooney Galleries, Boerne, TX
Please Contact J.R. Mooney Galleries of Fine Art for Availability and Pricing
1 800 537 9609 Toll Free
210 828 8214 San Antonio, TX Location
830 816 5706 Boerne, TX Location
www.jrmooneygalleries.com

Saturday, December 12, 2015

Beautiful Paintings by Sidney Sinclair Holiday Ad

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Art Consultant's Spotlight: "Jingle Bells and Powdered Snow" by G. Harvey

Dashing through the snow, as the old holiday tune goes, the winter winds brush the cheeks of these festive riders. Like the automobile of later, people of the nineteenth century not only used the sleigh for daily travel but also to race and for courting, as is exemplified in the popular holiday song by James Lord Pierpont. However, here in Harvey’s scene, it is not racers or lovers but rather a group of people, perhaps a family, who enjoy a winter day’s outing. Their joy and excitement is felt in the impressions of their smiling faces and is reinforced by the colorful balloons held tightly by the figure seated in the back of the sleigh. Their loving pet accompanies them giving the piece an even stronger sense of family and companionship. The late afternoon light envelops the group as they dash across the trail, probably going on to another holiday party. In the yesteryear, during the snowy winter it was common to adorn horses' harnesses with bells as a way to avoid collisions. The song “Jingle Bells” gave these bells a more celebratory purpose and G. Harvey’s association with them and the powdery snow creates a holiday scene that is nostalgic and festive.

Art Consultant's Spotlight: "Carriages on Canal Street" by G. Harvey

The streets of New Orleans are usually warm and muggy. The mighty Mississippi River can generate enough fog to blanket all of downtown and the Central Business District for days at a time. However, in winter the warm humidity is replaced by a wet cold that all Southerners will swear is worse than any blizzard. This chill permeates the skin all the way to the bone, causing most to avoid the outdoors as much as possible during the brief winter.

In this print, “Carriage on Canal,” G. Harvey depicts a New Orleans gripped by this sort of weather. Harvey chose to depict Canal Street no doubt because it is one of the city’s most recognizable thoroughfares and is an obvious choice for a backdrop which he may adorn with his signature horses, glowing street lamps and people from a bygone era. However, there is significance to choosing Canal Street as the setting of this piece. Canal Street represents the transition from old to new which is another predominant theme in Harvey’s works. The median on Canal Street is locally referred to as the “neutral ground” and it played a very important role in New Orleans’ history and Americanization.

At the turn of the nineteenth century Louisiana was a French colony. In 1803 France sold it, along with a large territory, to The United States. Before this time most people in the city lived in the Vieux Carré (the French Quarter). After the Louisiana Purchase, a multitude of American settlers from all over the country flocked to New Orleans, forever changing its cultural makeup. The Americans populated the uptown area, choosing to live apart from the Creoles and eventually expanded the city. The two neighborhoods physically met at Canal Street which was named for an artificial waterway that was never realized. However, as time marched on, the median of Canal Street where the lady with the umbrella depicted in Harvey’s print stands waiting for a ride, became known as the neutral ground. It was a place of commerce and frequented by Americans, Creoles, gens de couleur libres (Free People of Color) and Native Americans, one of the few places where the groups mingled. This division lasted into the twentieth century as more immigrants from other countries came to New Orleans thus increasing the diversity of the population. In long coats, clutching umbrellas, the people scurry underneath the warm glow of street lamps and storefronts moving from one destination to another, trying to stay dry. They come and go, crossing back and forth over the cultural boundary divide, just as do the carriage, street car and automobile which symbolize the progress and unity of the growing city.

The woman in the print waits on the neutral ground for a ride, shielded by her umbrella and the thin trees. Approaching is a horse-drawn carriage offering shelter and transportation. The carriage is prominent in the scene while the newer automobile and street cars remain in the background. Harvey has captured a special time in the city’s history. On Canal Street, the carriage remains regal showing that the old ways still work with the modern ones. This is equivalent to the idea that all of the cultures of the city: French Creole, Spanish, Native, Caribbean, African and American can coexist, especially when they have a place to come together and meet.

It is important to the prosperity of the city for the different groups to come together. In Harvey’s world as shown on Canal Street, the horse is equal to the automobile, just as the two cultures are intertwined with one another.

Art Consultant's Spotlight: "The Toy Shop" by G. Harvey

“The Toy Shop” is a holiday scene that is still very familiar to parents and grandparents alike today. Even though the piece depicts another time, all viewers can relate to the feeling created by the work. Snow covers the turn of the twentieth century town. The shorter day has passed and twilight falls upon the streets. The glow from the lamps and lights in the stores create a cozy atmosphere for the people out shopping. They wrap up their errands and prepare to return to the warmth of their homes and love of their families. The protagonist in this scene is a small child who has accompanied his father on this cold wintry day. The child stands at the window of a toy shop. He gently pulls at his father’s coat and points to something in the window. The father, lovingly attentive to the child, already has a rather large wrapped gift in hand. However, the little one has spied something in the window, just one more thing he wants for Christmas. With childlike urgency, he tugs at his father’s coat to make sure he knows the importance of the coveted item. The father placates him, as all parents or grandparents do, with his attention. Maybe what the child wants is already wrapped up in the father’s arms. Perhaps it’s waiting to be put under the tree and to be discovered as a gift from Santa Claus on Christmas day. The child’s coat is red, the only figure not dressed in black, representing the predominant color of the holiday season and the color of Santa’s coat. It also symbolizes the excitement of youth. He is the only figure to face the viewer, and it is delightful to feel the impression of his smile, the wide-eyed wonder and excitement that the holiday season brings out in children and in us all, no matter the time.