International Art Day

by guest blogger, Elmer Prather

When Mr. Prather told us he had finished two of our fine art puzzles, we knew that we had to save his post to help us celebrate International Art Day! Fine Art puzzles are new for Cobble Hill and we do them differently by creating collages with information as opposed to just a single famous image from a famous artist. We hope that you'll enjoy his experience with Carl Larsson and Van Gogh. 

This is the 48th Cobble Hill puzzle I have had the pleasure of putting together. It is a 1000 piece puzzle titled “Carl Larsson”. It is a puzzle displaying 40 of Carl Larsson's paintings. Carl Olof Larsson was a Swedish painter who is known for his paintings of images during the Victorian era.

In the photo of the puzzle below you will see a gentleman dressed in a black suit looking at a painting in what appears to be an art museum. It is the second picture from the bottom on the far right side. It is a self portrait of Carl Larsson painted in 1895.

Carl Larsson 1000pc assembled by Elmer Prather

Carl Larsson married fellow artist Karin Bergoo and they had eight children. Karin was also an interior decorator and she painted many of the interior rooms displayed in the puzzle. The intricate details drawn in each room appear realistic. Larsson's family became his favorite models.

When I started putting this puzzle together I thought that I would be an interesting project. As I added puzzle pieces and the puzzle started to come alive, I was in awe and amazement of how beautiful the paintings in the puzzle were.

Many of the paintings in the puzzle have people, Larsson's family members, doing many different activities. Some of the portraits are of his family in outdoor scenes while others have an inside setting. You will be able to look at each of the 40 portraits and imagine the different stories Larsson was trying to tell in his paintings. Paintings, like photos, tell a story.

The colors used in each of the paintings and the detail used to make the scenes look alive is amazing. If you let your imagination run free as you look closely at each painting, you would be able to write a book about the lives of the individuals he posed for his paintings.

This was an interesting and personally rewarding puzzle for me to put together.

Below is the 49th Cobble Hill puzzle I have had the pleasure of putting together. It is titled "Van Gogh". I chose this puzzle because of my love of art. The puzzle displays 26 of his paintings. Many of them were painted while he was in a mental institution and some were painted from his bedroom window. 

"Van Gogh" 1000pc assembled by Elmer Prather

Vincent Willem van Gogh was born March 30, 1853 in Zundert, Netherlands. He died July 29, 1890 in Auvers-sur-Oise, France at age 37.

Van Gogh had a troubled life. Once after an altercation with his friend and fellow painter, Paul Gauguin, he cut off his right ear. He depended on his younger brother for financial support. He only sold one of his paintings before he shot himself in his chest with a pistol.

Van Gogh was commercially unsuccessful during his lifetime and considered a madman and a failure. As he only became famous after his suicide, he came to be seen as a misunderstood genius in the public mind.

He created about 2,100 artworks, including around 860 oil paintings, most of which were completed in the last two years of his life.

Van Gogh suffered from psychotic episodes and delusions. He often neglected his physical health, did not eat properly and drank heavily.

Van Gogh did many self portraits. When he painted these he always painted them with his face on the left side showing his good ear.

I have had the pleasure of seeing several prints of his paintings including “Sunflowers” at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and some at the Saint Louis Art Museum.

Today, Van Gogh's works are among the world's most expensive paintings ever sold and his legacy is honored by a museum in his name, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. This museum holds the world's largest collection of his drawings and paintings.