Art, For Family’s Sake

This week I had proposed that we talk about art in our homes.

I haven’t the walls space for the art I’d like to hang.

My shelves are filled with books and more of the knick-knack, family mementos- type of thing than art.

I am very fond of good impressionist art; Monet is my favorite. For years, I had a huge poster of his waterlilies over our bed, but somehow, that came down when we moved from Colorado and I didn’t have the room in this house.

I used to have other Impressionist works of Paris in the rain, but those are no longer around. My husband bought a large framed print of Mme. Monet and Her Son for me, and she is looking over me right now, but my taste also runs very eclectically. One son gave me a beautiful painting on slate of the Italian countryside one Mother’s Day and that is just above me right now.

I have family pictures hanging on two walls of the living room and up the hallway, rather than art. I have framed prints of flowers by my bedroom door; I also have a couple in my dining room. The prints in my room are joined by a painting that one of my sons did when he was young of flowers on a deck. Opposite of that wall is one that he did in artist chalk of space, with stars and a couple of planets, and a waterfall done by a very young other son. I used to have more of the kids’ works up, but I now have a few of THEIR kids’ works up, including two darling, but less-that-lifelike, portraits of yours truly:

 

And a self-portrait  by the oldest girl when she was quite little:

Much of the art taking up wall space is  religious pictures and plaques. In fact, my mother once said that my house looked like a religious-goods store. My husband is comforted by the images, some of which belonged to his mother, ones which he grew up seeing daily.

Some others I bought, or were given to me. Perhaps my favorite is a subtle white relief of the Madonna and Child, which my husband gave to me for one of my birthdays, when he proposed to me…and I turned him down. (I said “yes” 11 months a later.)

Another one that is dear to my heart is another Madonna and Child, a small drawing done in pen by a late regionally famous artist in Virginia, near where we met and my husband attended college. After having been in and out of the Army and seminary, and having his education interrupted, my husband graduated later than many of his fellow students, yet he was very popular. When we married, one of the gifts we received was the framed drawing from his former classmates, who added behind it a list of masses, rosaries, prayers, church visits, etc., which they offered for us. It is an impressive list, done with great sacrifices of time, I can tell you. What I can’t tell you is how much I have appreciated those prayers through the years.

Given the money and space, would I have more ‘real’ art on my walls? Yes. Would I take down the works  of my kids and their kids? Never!

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