My Daily Art

Lucas Cranach the Elder. Portrait of a Lady, c. 1540. Collection of the Winnipeg Art Gallery; Gift of Lord and Lady Gort. G-73-51.
On any given week day at the WAG, I can usually pop into the galleries to get my daily art dose. It’s something I’ve always enjoyed, and maybe even taken for granted. Now with the WAG closed temporarily, I miss those moments. I don’t know how long we’ll be closed – so I wanted to revisit some of my favourite works and share them with you. Today, I thought about the Portrait of a Lady by the German artist, Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553). Painted around 1540, this fashionable portrait confirms Cranach’s place as one of the most gifted and versatile portrait painters of his day. Aside from the stunning array of jewellery and fabrics that define the sitter, it has always been her face – and the gaze, both intense and gentle – that stops me when I pass by this work in the gallery. A little comfort in these difficult and uncertain times.
This is the first in a series of daily posts that will continue until the Gallery reopens. Follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, or visit our stories section.
10 thoughts on "My Daily Art"
Leave a Reply
Related Stories
To plan your visit, check out wag.ca/visit
Thank you, Dr. Bory, for your virtual guide. As a rural member of the WAG, I don’t get to visit the galleries often. But during this time of pandemic closures and social isolation, I look forward to the uplift of your art reflections and visual interpretations.
I appreciate this initiative during this challenging time!
Merci de cette initiative M. Borys…. grandement apprécié….. en ces temps turbulents, il est essentiel pour moi de garder le contact avec les arts….
…a great idea! I will look forward to subsequent doses of daily art. Thank you!
Irmgard Baerg
This is delightful,I and my husband look forward to the next postings.
Searched through all my previous WAG catalogues and
publications to find favourites in the hope you will cover some
of these and they are as follows:
Jean Paul Riopelle: Vallee
Tom Thomson Early Snow
Bruce Head – the Wall – not in the Wag but much part
of Winnipeg
And of course, everyone’s favourite: George Reid The Story
And many more
Hi Els, thank you for your suggestions! We recently covered The Story – hope you enjoyed seeing this one!
I look forward to the daily emails. They will be appreciated even more now that direct access is not possible?
I’m at halfway through Hilary Mantel’s new book, The Mirror and the Light, about Thomas Cromwell. This lady, gazing serenely from the canvas, lived in the same era as Cromwell. A line drawing of this painting is available to colour on the WAG@Home website. Can’t wait to see if I can bring her to life with pencil crayons!
I just stumbled across this art display. What a wonderfully uplifting way to end a rather difficult day. Thank you so much! I will be joining you more often.