Eiffel Tower from the Seine with boats Paris France winter 2005

Late winter with zero temperatures and fast changing clouds. The coldest winter in Europe in almost fifty years made it difficult to produce but I... more

by Enver Larney

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Price

$25,000

Dimensions

27.000 x 20.000 x 1.000 inches

Title

Eiffel Tower from the Seine with boats Paris France winter 2005

Artist

Enver Larney

Medium

Painting - Oils On Canvas

Description

Late winter with zero temperatures and fast changing clouds. The coldest winter in Europe in almost fifty years made it difficult to produce but I did manage this canvas and also a similar work the previous day which I sold immediately to a Frenchman living in Paris. The biting cold presented some unusual color configurations which were bleak. Ample cloud created action in the sky which instilled a measure of liveliness. I was able to apply liberal amounts of cobalt which is always a pleasure. Some colors like cobalt, cadmium and reds have a language which translates with ease. During the course of this painting I kept moderately warm with occasional visits to a nearby fire drum which some homeless living under a nearby bridge had lit. They had made quite a home under the bridge and invited me over for a beer and some truly home cooked food. My rudimentary French was sorely tested but we managed to indulge in lively conversation. These encounters with real people living at the very edges of society are classic encounters that cannot be staged. Many of these homeless in the cities of the world are prey to the weather, especially harsh cold snaps which can come at any time.
During the winter of 2005 many of them died on the streets of Paris. They are forgotten in life and disappear like boats in a fog, becoming statistics in a world too busy with itself to notice those struggling in the waters and unable to swim. With every canvas that I paint, some story unfolds around my easel. Sometimes I am invited to participate and at other times I am a silent spectator to it all. To be shown hospitality by the homeless though, is a rare honor and somewhat curious in a city such as Paris. Many of the earlier impressionist painters had been homeless at some stage of their lives here in this city, including Claude Monet and Alfred Sisley. Despite the chilling cold I was in illustrious company.

Uploaded

November 18th, 2008