ON IMPRESSIONISM A simplistic definition of Romantic Impressionism would be that it is a style of composition which evokes subtle moods and impressions. Further, the term encircles that group of artists, such as Monet, Renoir, Pisarro, Cezanne, Degas and others who broke away from the French Salon with its dull traditions. It was a movement which dealt with the nature of light diffraction and diffusion and enabled the painters to create new, more natural ways of rendering light effects. This was done by making use of natural light as it hit surfaces in an effort to create the illusion of changing light and colour. Palettes became more vivid and quick isolated strokes, blurred outlines and pure pigments were used, ignoring the accepted laws of colour and form. As colours and emotions are interrelated, i.e. red rage, green with envy and so on, the execution of impressionist painting becomes a highly personal work. Yellow, orange, blue - any colour - can represent something beyond the reach of rationality. While we know that the physical combination of blue and yellow equals green, the impressionist gets the same effect by allowing the eye to make its own mixture of colours, causing them to be more vibrant and luminous. I try to fuse what I see into statements in my paintings which are, in fact, revelations of me. Colour and warmth are so powerful in my view that looking into some paintings should be an experience like staring into a fire, unfolding the essence of my soul. In my landscapes, my goal is to give a heightened expression of the life around us. Light in dusk, brownish-red soil, bluish-gray skies aglow with pink, green-orange vegetation - all of it is full of poetry. I like to squeeze colours straight from the tube onto the canvas, mixing and modelling with the brush. This was not something I learned, but something I feel and from such indulgence, the effect I want is born. I use brilliant colour as it speaks more powerfully and directly to the viewer. Colour is a lyrical realism and a personal symbolism. My favorite artists are Van Gogh and Canadian, Emily Carr, as they represent to me all of the above and both used colours and their complements with greater effect than any other artist to date. |
Londaon Ontario artist, Susan Bush Donati, has painted all her life. She grew up in a family of artists where brushes and paints were always available to her. Through painting, she expressed the beauty she saw around her and it consequently became a passion. She cultivated and enhanced this love of art by attending the University of Alberta in Fine Arts, Loyola College (sculpture), the University of New Brunswick (Arts) and Concordia University (English) in Montreal. She has continued to study and teach art in both Montreal and Toronto. She loved Toronto the minute she moved here fifteen years ago. The beautiful Ontario countryside, exciting downtown streets and the multi-cultural and hence, multi-dimensional aspect of life as a Canadian, have inspired her to paint country and city scenes in her favourite medium, oil. Travel in Europe and Canada has further expanded her scope and artistic vision. Her aspiration and focus are to share her appreciation of life through her work. She belongs to a number of art groups, has won numerous awards and is a past president of the Mississauga Art Society.