Rain!

The causal relationship between weather and human emotions is evident on unbearably hot summer days that result in feelings of despair and melancholy. While rain may also evoke a sense of gloom, there are many among us for whom rainfall elicits a poetic response and a deep sense of solace. There is an undeniably mesmerizing beauty in the world that stands still waiting for the skies to clear.?

Rain was truly an inspiration for me, and several artistic impressions inspired me to do my own. My first favourite is a work of art of a 19th century artist Gustave Caillebotte – “The Yerres, Effect of Rain.” This extraordinary oil painting was inspired by Japanese woodblock prints. This influence is apparent in the vertical format, the pattern of the raindrop, and the level of detail. The painting evokes a sense of nostalgia, perhaps an intentional consequence of Caillebotte’s memories of his childhood spent at the banks of the river Yerres (south-eastern suburbs of Paris) with his siblings.

Surely Vincent Van Gogh is par excellence one of the best when it comes to Rain with his painting depicted in his late times prior his death in an asylum at Saint-Rémy, France, outside Arles. In this painting, there is a plunging perspective of the fields visible from his bedroom window, under the cover of a heavy rain shower. Van Gogh chose muted colours to emphasize the biting cold mist and heavy rains. The influence of Japanese woodblocks is also evident here in Van Gogh’s depiction of rain with dark parallel lines across the canvas. There is also a set of diagonal strokes that create a screen of raindrops visible close to the window.?The rain lashes the space so vigorously that it appears to be lashing the canvas itself.

What is a list of paintings without an impressionist? The great master?Claude Monet?did not skip the rain, either. His atmospheric?“Cliffs at Pourville, rain”?(1886) shows how bad it can be. The landscape is barely visible. I love how Monet could make any scene look idyllic, even washing down rain. Just another proof of his typical romantic style.

Another example is surely?Pierre-Auguste Renoir who?demonstrated a busy street scene in Paris, France in his painting “The Umbrellas”. The figures in this painting are unevenly distributed, and the focal point is not at the centre of the composition. Although several figures are apparent (even in the distance), a viewer is, perhaps, immediately drawn to the female figure to the left of the frame. This figure was modelled after Renoir’s lover,?Suzanne Valadon. She is without an umbrella, and a keen male figure next to her seems to have taken notice. Next to her is a fashionably dressed mother observing her two daughters. Renoir has expertly depicted great movement and a natural flow. The rain is only apparent in this painting in the use of the umbrellas and a hint of dark grey clouds peeking through from behind them.

It was?William Turner?who gave the prime example of rainy paintings:?“Rain, Steam and Speed”?(1844). He is said to be the founding father of impressionism and abstract art. The master of the Romantic style made this rainy landscape look so vast, that it makes you feel insignificant. A key characteristic of Romantic paintings.

Who doesn’t know?René Magritte’s?pipe (ceci n’est pas une pipe!)? This father of Belgian surrealists has its own museum dedicated to his life and art in Brussels, Belgium. My lips curled at many of his crazy ideas in his typical simplified style. In his painting?“Golconda”?(1953), it rains tiny Magrittes from the sky with that characteristic bowler hat, love that! This painting dwells in faraway Houston, USA, in the private Menil Collection.

The paintings of?Gregory Thielker?do not display the rain?more idyllic than it is. As drowsy and sad as they are, I have never seen paintings like these before. The paintings are so damn good that I can’t think of a better distraction to the actual rain outside. They look like photographs, but, really, they are made with paint. The rain paintings, like the?“Complete Stop”?(2008), show rain seen through car windows.

Recently I discovered an Australian painter Dusan?Malobabic, living in Perth. He paints very lively scenes which I love that reminds me of Renoir’s 19th century works. Malobabic shows?the same movement and sense of atmosphere. Of course, I should emphasize that he has his own style, colourful and bold, which I embraced in my own works.

The above painting which I depicted long time ago is called “Reflection” This striking colourful work of art is literally a mirror of the mind, a visual reflection of my imagination at work when seeing pouring rain. This is an expression of my inner thoughts and feelings. It's also an expression of creativity that can be used for self-reflection or perhaps social influence.

Hope you like it!

Alex Caruana