Speed of Life

Happy December! Love this new video and discussion of  the role of light in Fra Filippo Lippi's Annunciation in the collection of the National Gallery in London. Anna Murray and Harriet O’Neill find hope in the darkness.   From the National Gallery in London : "Our selection of paintings for December’s ‘Picture of the month’ vote was inspired by our interest in how artists have used and depicted light, particularly as a narrative device. With the clocks changing and the nights drawing in, we become more alert to the physical and symbolic qualities of light. It is a universal symbol of hope, associated with the beginning of a new day, the turning of seasons, and renewal. In many faiths, light plays ceremonial and symbolic roles. In the Christian art tradition, light alludes to the promise and presence of Christ. ‘The Annunciation’ radiates a sense of peace, and the connection to light might seem obscure at first. Set in a loggia (a room with open sides) which extends out into ...

Gregg Chadwick The Monk's Road 36"x36" oil on panel 2018 I’m very pleased to let you know that my painting  The Monk's Road  has been chosen to be featured in the New This Week Collection on Saatchi Art's homepage.   The Monk's Road  is part of an ongoing series of artworks about seeking peace and justice in a world in need of harmony. In the mountains of Northern Thailand, rising above the city of Chiang Mai, peaks are often caught in an early morning sea of fog. Written as ทะเลหมอก in Thai, this mist often covers the summit of Doi Inthanon, Thailand’s highest peak. On the mountain slope- two Buddhist stupas, often referred to as chedis in Thailand, sit to honor the monarchs of Thailand. Known as Phra Mahathat Naphamethanidon and -Nophamethanidon, the chedis were named to reflect the power of the sky and the grace of the land.  My painting "The Monk's Road" is set in this mist shrouded landscape. Three Buddhist monks in...

Gregg Chadwick Mulholland Drive 30"x40" oil on linen 2012

by Gregg Chadwick The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb known informally as The Ghent Altarpiece  was painted by the Flemish artist Jan van Eyck with the assistance of his brother Hubert in the 15th Century.  The multi paneled artwork has been a school to artists since it was unveiled at the  Saint Bavo  Cathedral in Ghent in 1432. The series of paintings that form the altarpiece evoke a harmonious universe of beauty and glowing light.  Jan van Eyck lived and worked in Bruges, Belgium from at least the unveiling of The Ghent Altarpiece in 1432 until his death in 1441. By then the city of Bruges had become one of the most important artistic centers in Europe. Painters traveled from all over the continent to study, collaborate and create in Bruge's fervent environment. Jan van Eyck himself was a transplant, having been born around 1390 in the village of Maaseik, just outside the city of Maastricht which is now part of The Netherlands.  Amaz...

A nice video from Winona State University documenting my large, commissioned painting from 1999 - Cartographer's Dream.

Gregg Chadwick 24"x36" oil on linen 2010

Buddha of the Setting Sun (Amida) Gregg Chadwick 40"x32" oil on linen 2010 Private Collection Marina del Rey One in an ongoing series of artworks inspired by the life and poetry of the Japanese Zen monk, poet, scholar and garden designer Muso Soseki. I am indebted to the American poet W.S. Merwin for his masterful versions from the Japanese translations and for his kind words of inspiration to me at the Hammer Museum. Temple of Eternal Light by Muso Soseki (1275 - 1351) English version by W. S. Merwin Original Language Japanese Buddhist : Zen / Chan 14th Century The mountain range the stones in the water all are strange and rare The beautiful landscape as we know belongs to those who are like it The upper worlds the lower worlds originally are one thing There is not a bit of dust there is only this still and full perfect enlightenment Portrait of Zen priest, poet and garden designer Musō Soseki

Hiroshi Sugimoto (Japanese, born 1948) Boden Sea, Uttwil, 42.3 x 54.2 cm (16 5/8 x 21 5/16 in.) gelatin silver print 1993 Metropolitan Museum of Art Seascapes Water and air. So very commonplace are these substances, they hardly attract attention―and yet they vouchsafe our very existence. The beginnings of life are shrouded in myth: Let there be water and air. Living phenomena spontaneously generated from water and air in the presence of light, though that could just as easily suggest random coincidence as a Deity. Let's just say that there happened to be a planet with water and air in our solar system, and moreover at precisely the right distance from the sun for the temperatures required to coax forth life. While hardly inconceivable that at least one such planet should exist in the vast reaches of universe, we search in vain for another similar example. Mystery of mysteries, water and air are right there before us in the sea. Every time I view the sea, I feel a calming sense ...