Thursday, June 03, 2010

June

"June" by John White Alexander 1911 oil on canvas

May is usually the busiest month of the year for me; especially true this year as we celebrated my eldest daughter's graduation and the release of her piano CD. As much as I loved the festivities, I admit to casting a longing gaze at the "June" calendar page. White space! And for me June brings the first roses, the hammock and a glass of lemonade, the closing of homeschool for the season, and the opening of delicious books that I can peruse at leisure. That feeling of being on the precipice of summer is so regally captured in this painting, one of the many visual delights I enjoyed on my recent visit to the National Portrait Gallery. The light filtered through filmy curtains and the counterpoint created between the elegant lady and the flower vase create a scene that invites one to linger. And I did :)

2 comments:

Dana in Georgia said...

Beautiful portrait.

I'm thinking she's holding a peony. Can you tell?

Poiema said...

The leaf in the vase doesn't match a peony leaf; but it is just hazy enough that I can't tell for sure what type of flower it is. Nice to hear from you!