Jump to content

Fifteenth and final installment “Le Cafe de Nuit” ( the Night Cafe ) by Van Gogh


Ben

Recommended Posts

This is a current project of the “Night Cafe” done in 1/12th scale in oil painting.  For anyone interested in my process. Obviously only partly done.  

24164F74-E759-48BE-A61A-3DC616224399.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like it; very recognizable subject!  I am familiar with the painting and purposely not looking at the original, I think the use of shading to illustrate the lights is working...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I’m adding another sort of minor installment- just chairs.  I’ll probably add more or less from time to time because I won’t be able to work on it this weekend, but there you go!

 

5FD2819F-9A65-4A03-8BCA-8AA8ECAA37DC.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It is magic!  Chairs have appeared!  I really appreciate the lighting in this picture, and with my one painting experience, understanding the effect you want and getting a paint brush, hand and mixture of paint to behave, can be very challenging for me.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Another slight addition of the couple in the corner and the single drinker who sits close to them.  In addition, a few touch ups.

90BFC8C4-5232-4571-A7FE-A6C78467F032.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I’ve tightened things up a bit and added wine bottles and glasses. I have more tightening up to do and two more figures and then I’ll probably start to work on the frame. I’d like to attempt at a replica of the actual frame that is on the painting.  

9FA4EC6C-489B-4EB4-AE50-152A65E3A0CD.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This picture is just to give some idea of scale.  Thank you to the nice comments and interest.  I enjoy being able to share, because otherwise it’s just my wife and son looking at it and for them these paintings are a dime a dozen.  Neither of them particularly appreciates Van Gogh anyway (lol)

BD312685-49B3-49AB-8358-2935EAA04852.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is an update from last time. I will probably continue to tweak it but the majority is done and I’ll soon take off the tape to measure for the frame to get going on that.

370BB5B6-86AB-40E6-81FC-019181B1E87B.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The painting looks much different when it doesn't measure 8" x 7.25" on my computer screen... 

Many forms of Art are an acquired taste for our families...our adult sons have accepted that I may have a few loose marbles, with the amount of time I spend stitching something that is roughly 8.5" x 11", 1-2 years of evenings and weekends... but it makes me happy, and keeps me from showing up at city council meetings and asking pointed questions, like why we spent money on that weird sculpture that we call "art".

Yes, Beauty is in the eye of the beholder for our families;  I like Art that affects emotion, both "I love the piece" or "good grief, how did this painting get in this very respectable museum?"  Both are fun experiences.

The most important aspect of Fine Art is that it touches the soul of the collector... 

I like your painting!

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know that many of you are expert wood workers and so I won’t be showing too many steps of my attempt at framing this.   I may even  screw it up to the point of either starting over or giving up.   But I’ll post a few if progress is made - but please forgive my wood working ( lack of) skills.

 This first post is just a raw frame that I made and started to carve.

 

2A4A9BFA-8F98-44AA-972C-326F3AEC4585.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It looks good, but now I'm going to have to go find the original because I don't remember how it is framed :).

Oh, and even the experts can be get befuddled with their projects... and I've learned from a master a new way of dealing with my miniature problems , you put the items that are stumping you away in a drawer and then you stop thinking about it!  Of course, said Master isn't stumped by my identical turnings to a +/- tolerance of .005"!

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks so much!  You know, you are right I did learn a lot.  You see things that I never would have noticed otherwise ( little details like how he did wine glasses and bottles).  And there are lots of little things that I can never replicate like having the right colors and amounts of paint on a brush when he makes some little swirl that is a chair leg or something.  I read a book once where a guy had broken it down to which direction his brush strokes went because he was right handed and that sort of thing.  That guy must have had some insight that I’ll never have!  You know I’ve painted this particular one 3 times!  I still think Van Gogh forgot to paint the legs of the proprietor ( under the pool table), but maybe it was painters license!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The hardest part of being a miniaturist is deciding which details to leave out and let the mind's eye fill in the blanks.  The artist gets to decide on the details you omit, and as you indicated,  Van Gogh didn't give the guy feet under the table! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 12/4/2017 at 7:28 AM, Ben said:

That guy must have had some insight that I’ll never have!  You know I’ve painted this particular one 3 times!  I still think Van Gogh forgot to paint the legs of the proprietor ( under the pool table), but maybe it was painters license!

That guy never tried to paint it - especially in miniature. So I think the insight prize goes to you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So I’ve worked more in the carving and I got to a point that maybe I could keep detailing and try to form more “leaf” shapes or more defined shapes, but I’m not sure to what level I could actually get.  It looks good I guess.  It certainly isn’t a replica of the real frame but it’s more of an “impression” ( ironic no?).  So I I’ve stained it a sort of grayish color.  I will reapply some more paint to get the color more accurate to the original.  The grey isn’t quite what I expected but it will be ok in the background ( so in short it’s not done yet). I will make a final reveal probably in the next installment but here is the frame as it stands now

A6156712-4ACA-4EA9-94A6-0A6D3E441765.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It took a couple of attempts to find a photo of the original on the wall at Yale University's Art Gallery... I see similarities!  The original has a really'fussy' frame, you have chose a very challenging first piece!  

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...