{"id":1386633,"date":"2024-12-20T00:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-20T07:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.artistsnetwork.com\/?p=1386633"},"modified":"2024-12-18T11:57:12","modified_gmt":"2024-12-18T18:57:12","slug":"painting-the-poetry-of-paris","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artistsnetwork.com\/art-inspiration\/painting-the-poetry-of-paris\/","title":{"rendered":"Painting the Poetry of Paris\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sometimes, even if you intend to resist it\u2014an iconic subject may still be the right subject for a painting. Pastelist W. Truman Hosner rose to the challenge, finding his own artistic truth in a painting of Notre Dame Cathedral.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For many artists, a significant part of travel is becoming acquainted with the locale by capturing its scenery in art. Michigan-based artist W. Truman Hosner appreciates travel as an opportunity to expand knowledge. \u201cAs an artist, naturally, I paint and sketch as I travel,\u201d he says. \u201cI do so, however, not to make a record of where I have been, but rather to record what I have learned.\u201d The artist remembers thinking, upon his arrival in France for an extended two-month stay, that he wanted to make the most of the many painting opportunities he was sure to have. \u201cI didn\u2019t want to make vacation paintings,\u201d he says. \u201cI wanted to see if I could get to a piece of truth\u2014to capture the poetry\u2014of the region. And I wanted to try to make each painting unique.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With these goals in his head, Hosner says he probably wouldn\u2019t have set out to paint such a recognizable subject as Notre Dame Cathedral, but not everything goes according to plan. When the artist ventured into Paris for a 10-day stay, he fully intended to spend time painting. But it was May, and the city was enjoying an unusual stretch of warm, sunny weather. \u201cI\u2019d spend mornings studying and sketching in the museums,\u201d he says, \u201cand when I\u2019d come out, Paris was in the full bloom of spring. I simply walked and walked and walked, relishing the joie de vivre.\u201d Finally, with just two mornings left, the artist was determined to produce one painting in Paris. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy apartment was near Notre Dame, so I\u2019d been walking by the grand dame cathedral practically every day,\u201d Hosner says. \u201cI decided to forget how many times it had been painted before and see if I could arrive at some truth of my own.\u201d Knowing that his painting time was limited, Hosner decided to break from his usual practices and went out the evening before to prepare. \u201cI wanted to lay out the composition based on what I predicted would be the effective light in the morning,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd I got lucky.\u201d Not only was his pre-planning effective, but something happened that no doubt contributed to the magical quality of the piece. \u201cThat evening, a handsomely dressed, older French couple, who were out for their routine evening walk, stopped and watched me work for almost 45 minutes,\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hosner says. \u201cThey spoke no English, but they didn\u2019t need to. Their smiles said plenty.\u201d The next morning, when Hosner had just about brought the painting to completion, he heard an exclamation from behind. \u201cIt was the same couple, now out for their morning walk,\u201d he says. \u201cOnce again, their smiles crossed all language barriers.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Hosner painted Notre Dame Matin (morning) <\/em>(pastel, 16×20) directly on a sheet of white Wallis professional-grade pastel paper with no preliminary underpainting or toning. His pastel palette included sticks of Rembrandt, Sennelier, Terry Ludwig, and Unison. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Traveler’s Tip: Be Selective<\/strong>\u2014I never choose a scene unless I think it can be material for my best painting yet. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Meet the Artist <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

William Truman Hosner<\/a> earned his BFA at Wayne State University in Detroit. He went on to study illustration at the Center for Creative Studies, College of Art and Design in Detroit, where he eventually returned to teach. At the peak of a successful commercial art career, Hosner re-focused himself, studying under master painters Harley Brown and Dan Gerhartz. Soon, plein-air painting captured his passion, and the artist was fortunate to have the personal mentoring of Max Altekruse. Hosner was the first Grand Prize winner in the Pastel Journal\u2019s international Pastel 100 competition. His paintings have been featured in museum exhibitions all over the world.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This article originally appeared in the August 2012 issue of Pastel Journal<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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