The most refreshing comfort to weary modern people
Green art drawn by painters

Following 『Blue Museum』, which explored the lives of artists and the essence of art through blue paintings, 『Green Museum』, an art essay that delivers deep empathy and fundamental comfort to modern people tired of the complex and arduous daily life, has been published.
According to the 'Biophilia' theory advocated by Harvard University biologist Professor Edward Wilson, humans gain emotional stability through an instinctive connection with nature.
Hippocrates, the 'father of medicine', preached the belief that "nature heals the sick", and Goethe, a master of German literature, also emphasized in his 'Theory of Colors' that green is a color that calms the mind and advised people to always keep green close.

"Green Museum" is a book that delicately unravels the artistic journeys of fifteen painters active between the 16th and 20th centuries, focusing on green, the color closest to life, while paying attention to this instinctive human longing.
The green that bloomed from the tips of the painters' brushes sometimes led the hearts of the viewers with the power of comfort and healing, sometimes with a quiet rest, and sometimes with the light of hope that allowed them to start life again.
And here, as we open the bookshelf imbued with green art, we will regain the sense of peace and life we ​​had forgotten in a feast of green that brightens our eyes.

Nature, full of green and the fresh scent of green, certainly provides energy to our tired days and gives us vitality.
Many people take for granted the formula ‘nature = green’.
Green is reminiscent of nature, and at the same time, it carries a lot of positive meanings that will make you feel good just by hearing it, such as life, plants, rest, abundance, energy, peace, hope, luck, play, youth, and the beginning of love. --- p.6

Painters have found it particularly difficult to portray green beautifully on canvas compared to other colors.
So the challenge of creating a vibrant green paint that would not change and would last a long time was a real challenge for painters.
They developed a pigment by mixing various plants such as turmeric, aloe, and saffron into copper, and worked hard to create a satisfactory green color.
It was not until the late 19th century, with the development of the chemical dye industry, that painters were able to accurately express the color green on canvas, and from then on, they could freely sing of nature on their own stage, the canvas. --- p.7

In 19th century Paris, France, there was a painter who seemed to embody the spirit of Taoism in art.
He is one
He did not stay still, but constantly experimented with new painting techniques and brought about changes in his works.
But the theme was always fresh and lively 'nature'.
He also had a gentle and considerate personality, which warmly embraced his fellow painters, and many painters followed him with respect and affection.
That's why he was called the 'father of impressionism'. --- p.15

The life of the painter Pissarro was far from this stability.
Pissarro was always active in trying progressive painting methods in response to learning and social changes, and was inspired by Corot, Cézanne, and Seurat in turn, and continued to change his painting style.
Accordingly, it is difficult to single out his representative artistic tendencies.
But even amidst the changes in his style, Pissarro's paintings always contained a warm sensibility, just like his personality. --- p.33

"The Promenade in the Parc de Saint-Cloud" is a work that conveys the confidence and experience of Rousseau as a painter who dominated the Parisian art world of the Belle Époque, a period that shone dazzlingly like diamonds, around 1908.
Rousseau expressed the grandeur of nature, a lifelong artistic motif he cherished so much, through a giant street tree, creating a magnificent and elegant scene.
The six figures leisurely crossing the magnificent tree-lined street are drawn very small considering the size of the trees.
Thanks to this, a cute and adorable feeling is conveyed. --- p.50

Although a founding member of the Blue Riders and a painter of exceptional ability, Münter was relegated to the shadows of male painters because she was a woman.
However, a change in status could be felt at the Blue Rider retrospective held in Munich in 1949, and he began to be re-evaluated when he participated as a German representative at the Venice Biennale held in 1950. --- p.89

Painted in 1887, "Mont Sainte-Victoire with a Tall Pine Tree" is so distinct that all objects are clearly recognizable, including the pine tree in the foreground, the houses in the foreground, the bridge on the right, and Mont Sainte-Victoire in the center of the canvas.
In contrast, in the 1905 work “Mont Sainte-Victoire by Laubs,” neither the perspective nor the mountain, house, or trees were depicted in clear and distinct shapes.
The green brushstrokes give it a very rustic, geometric and simple appearance.
It looks like it's shaking as if there's an earthquake.
This is because Cézanne looked at Mont Sainte-Victoire from the same vantage point he always pursued.
Since I first began drawing this mountain, I have been obsessively climbing it and observing it from afar, so you could say that this is a compression of all the perspectives I have observed over the past 30 years. --- p.128

The term 'Renaissance Man' refers to an extraordinary person who excels in various fields.
It is a term derived from the name of the European Renaissance period.
If we were to name the representative Renaissance man who gave birth to this term, we would think of Leonardo da Vinci or Michelangelo, geniuses who were active in various fields such as painter, sculptor, and architect.
But there was another Renaissance man around the same time.
Giuseppe Arcimboldo, a court painter who excelled in various fields such as painting, interior design, costume design, and party directing, while also possessing outstanding wit and ingenious ideas, is just such a person. --- p.177

Grimshaw is also nicknamed 'The Painter of Moonlight'.
As his nickname suggests, he often painted scenes in the evening, late at night when everyone was asleep, and early in the morning before the sun rose.
His representative works are those that delicately express the beauty and sentiment of the mysterious moon illuminating the dark night sky.
"Whitby Harbour by Moonlight," completed in 1867, marks the beginning of his moonlight landscapes. --- p.223

In 1939, a turning point came in Moses' life, which had been spent painting simply all his life.
It was when Louis Caldor, an art collector from New York, happened to see her painting hanging in the window of a pharmacy while traveling through Eaglebridge.
Calder, who was working in the complex and cynical atmosphere of the New York art world at the time, recalls feeling a forgotten peace and vitality in Moses' paintings, which were imbued with a pure and warm sentiment.
He soon purchased all the works displayed in the pharmacy and then visited Moses' house.
There he meets a simple, elderly artist who paints on his kitchen table with children's paints and brushes, without any professional equipment.
This special encounter will soon open up new opportunities.

--- p.307