Lunedi Lunacy

Last Thursday we went to the opening of Van Gogh: Up Close the exhibition that's intended to be this year's blockbuster at the National Gallery here in Ottawa. A retrospective it focuses on the flora that Van Gogh captured in his earlier years.  I'll be writing a bit about my own impressions of the first major show of Van Gogh's work in Canada in 25 years tomorrow but in the meant time here's a touch of lunacy.

On a trip to New York last week friend Cathy caught this take on one of the Dutch artist's more famous paintings:  The Starry Night.  Who knows maybe Van Gogh's inspiration was the result of a sugar rush brought on by one too many M&Ms????

And it reminded me of a wonderful exhibition in Chicago many years ago of the art of Chuck Jones, the brilliant American animator.  His company of mad-cap characters - Bugs, Elmer, Porky - sat for their portraits by the greats:  Whistler, Munch, Picasso, Chagall, Da Vinci, Lautrec and Van Gogh. And who better to be captured by the obsessive post-impressionist than that most obsessive of creatures Wile E. Coyote.

Obviously painted after the tragic events of December 1888 the look in Wile E.'s suggests that his obsession with his muse - much like Van Gogh's - had become even more "earie".

More about Chuck Jones and his work can be found at Chuck Redux - a fun blog with animations and art inspired by and influenced by the master animator.

28 May - 1934: Near Callander, Ontario, the Dionne quintuplets are born to Oliva and Elzire Dionne; they will be the first quintuplets to survive infancy.