Art with a view

Monday
This is another work of art from the Taft Museum's Art for All project. This one is in Mount Echo Park at the viewpoint over the Ohio River and Cincinnati in the background. The 'painting' is View over Mantes, by Richard Parkes Bonington. Bonington can be considered a French as well as English artist. Although he was born and died in England, he trained in France. Rarely found in American museums, his paintings are esteemed for their soft brushstrokes, moist atmospheres, and muted colors. Small figures lead into this peaceful river scene set against a low horizon. The towers in the background may be those of the church of Notre Dame in Mantes-La-Jolie, a small city on the Seine between Rouen and Paris. The painting reflects early 19th-century nostalgia for the monuments of the medieval world and a taste for hushed rural scenery. It was another very hot and humid day, so there weren't many people about in the park - just one guy sitting in the shade reading a paper, and a park employee watering the flower beds. From the park I went to the gym to work out, then back home for lunch, followed by some odd jobs.

One year ago: Major road construction!