Merry Christmas.

[klassylady25]

  Merry Christmas Max!!

[schen]

Merry Christmas everybody. 

I have been away from computers for few days.  The kids came home for the holidays and we went to Milwaukee for a short vacation.  We arrived at Milwaukee on Saturday with the city covered with thick fog.  Overnight, the temperature dropped 30 degrees, the rain changed to snow and the wind was up around 40 mph making the wind chill as low as -6F.

While we visited the Milwaukee Art Museum, I saw a few portraits by the Austrian master painter Carl Kronberger.  They were about 8"x6" (20cmx15cm) in size and the details were incredible.  We discussed about how not to make the restored photos look painted.  And these are painted portraits.  The original paintings had more details.  The pictures I took with hand-held camera without flash are slightly blurred.


Captain Frederick Pabst (the brewer) Mansion in the fog



Santiago Calatrava-designed Quadracci Pavilion of Milwaukee Art Museum with the Burke Brise Soleil (the outdoors blinds) closed because of the high wind.



The Burke Brise Soleil on a good summer day (taken during our July visit)



Peasant Man by Austrian Carl Kronberger (1841-1921)



Details of the Peasant Man



Peasant Woman by Carl Kronberger (the moire pattern on her scarves was in the original painting *not* the digital artifact)

[cmpentecost]

Hi Schen,

I'm jealous you got to go to the Milwaukee Art Museum.  Truly a great place.  Wonderful paintings as well.  They look like photographs!

In Montana today, we are getting a major snow blizzard, and I love it!  I think Santa will need Rudolph tonight, unless he's gone the way of GPS!  We are planning to ski tomorrow.

Merry Christmas!!

Christine

[Tess (Tassie D)]

Happy Christmas day to everyone. We've been up since dawn, the presents are open, turkey and duck are cooking.
My daughter is very proudly sporting her new mp3 player. We forgot the side effects though, bad singing to music we cant hear.  :wow:

http://picasaweb.google.com/tesscam/December2007

[Ausimax]

Yep, Candy there the ones, not as faded as mine. :wow:

Schen, great photos, and the Carl Kronberger paintings are beyond belief, how can anybody paint in that much fine detail? If I could make my restorations look that "painterly" I would be more than happy.

Tess that is the joy of Christmas, the real joy is when the grandchildren come and you can buy them all the noisy toys, real Christmas joy! GET-BACK!!!!!!! :funny:


Max.

PS: we Aussies left you a little bit of Christmas Cheer, however Santa may be travelling a bit light by the time he gets to you. :)

[klassylady25]

Those paintings are incredible and like Max, wouldn't it be wonderful to be able to put that to the digital world of restoration!!   Okay, who's going to be our teacher?  :o)

[Charlene5]

Schen, thank you for posting your pictures.  They're always gorgeous and so thoughtfully composed.  I really enjoy them!

MJ

[Mhayes]

Schen, how beautiful, thanks for sharing.

Margie

[pcraft]

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year everyone!!!!

[Hannie]

Well Happy New Year to (all of you) you to!
Chen, those paintings are amazing, what an artist!

Hannie

[schen]

The irony was that while Kronberger was painting these photo-like portraits, the Pictorialism was raising its head.  And the Pictorialism believed that in order to create art out of photography, the photos should be distorted/blurred to look like paintings.

[glennab]

Hi Shujen

I'm sending you my best wishes for the holidays and appreciation for your wonderful photos.  The two portraits are incredible.  How I'd love to have the talent to render a human face with such accuracy and beauty.

My favorite photos are those of the museum.  I love architecture, and that building is as much a work of art as anything I can imagine inside it.  Thanks for sharing images of what must have been a fantastic trip!

Cheers! (and stay warm!)

Glenna