Summer vacation ideas from artists

Take a walk

With the arrival of summer, gardens burst into bloom, fields begin to glow with vibrant yellow, the sky turns bluer, and the sun shines brightly. All of this creates the perfect inspiration for stunning landscape paintings, and each time you look at them, you can almost smell the fragrance of summer flowers and plants.

In his vibrant oil painting "Summer," Frank Weston Benson depicts his wife and children resting on a hillside after a short walk from their home, Wooster Farm. Amidst dry grass and white flowers, they gaze at the azure Penobscot Bay in Maine. The painting is full of the vitality of summer, urging viewers to step outside and, without having to travel far, simply learn to discover the beauty of the scenery around them.

Claude Monet was also a painter who devoted much time to enjoying nature, especially summer, the time of year with the most beautiful light. "Woman with an Umbrella" is one of his most famous works, set in Argenteuil, a suburb of Paris where his family lived from 1872 to 1878, depicting his wife and son strolling through sun-drenched meadows. In "Walk by the Pourville Cliffs," he found inspiration in the stunning scenery of the turquoise waters and flower-covered Pourville cliffs in Normandy. And in "Round of Flowers," Monet depicts his wife walking in their garden, with the innocent and carefree colors of a rural summer.

Picnic

Summer is the perfect time to enjoy picnics and outdoor activities with friends and family. And so are artists! Picnics aren't a new concept; they've been the subject of many paintings since the early 19th century, often using broad brushstrokes and bright, vibrant colors to express the innocent, pure joy of summer.

Manet's painting "Lunch on the Grass" brings together all the necessary elements for a successful picnic: a relaxed atmosphere, a lush, refreshing natural landscape, and delicious food. However, Manet's picnic was not well-received by the public in 1863, due to the composition and the bold sideways glance of the nude woman, which caused viewers discomfort.

In the painting, a woman, seemingly having just finished bathing, is drying herself beside two men. Her clothes are spread out on the ground like a towel to sit on, as if she hadn't prepared carefully for this picnic. The two men beside her are engrossed in conversation, oblivious to her presence. Another woman is in the background, splashing water in a pond. The surroundings seem quiet, and the green foliage gives the viewer the feeling of cool weather. Everything exudes an impromptu, relaxed, casual, and carefree atmosphere of a peaceful picnic in the countryside or near a forest. If you're also interested in such a picnic, remember to bring a towel.

swimming

Summer wouldn't be complete without the opportunity to frolic and swim in the clear blue water. Therefore, one of the most vibrant and quintessential summer destinations is swimming pools and lakes. Artists have also seized this time to depict the refreshing moments of people amidst nature.

La Grenouillere (Frog Lake) is a very popular place for recreation, swimming, and boating in Croissy on the Seine River, near Bougival, and also where Monet lived and worked in 1869. Throughout the 1860s, it became a very fashionable and attractive tourist spot for Parisians to enjoy the rural scenery and floating restaurants on the water. Visitors were quite diverse, ranging from painters and writers to aristocrats. Monet and his friend Renoir often painted together during this period, producing different works about the same scene. Monet's broad, free-flowing brushstrokes almost perfectly recreated the shimmering sunlight reflecting on the lake's surface, as well as the cool atmosphere in the green of the leaves and the sky.

Renoir also painted Frog Lake while working with Monet, offering a close-up view of the small, circular flower-covered island to focus more on the people. His figures are more numerous and possess more individual characteristics; he also depicts oarsmen and a few sailboats in the background to further enhance the landscape of the small island.

Another location on the outskirts of Paris along the Seine River is Asnieres, which was also popular with French citizens from the 19th century. Unlike "Sunday Afternoon on the Grande Jatte," which depicts a picnic of the aristocracy, this painting by Seurat portrays a working-class recreational spot on the opposite bank.

Swimming in the sea

The sea breeze carries a salty scent, the sand feels underfoot, and the intoxicating sensation of a summer beach is truly irresistible. Many famous artists have chosen summer beaches as their subject matter, and we can almost certainly be sure that they would also take advantage of the opportunity to swim and sunbathe there, because the golden sunshine and sparkling blue sea are so inviting!

In the eyes of artists, the sea appears in countless forms: dreamy and relaxing in Degas's paintings, cool and blue in Hopper's paintings, blazing hot in summer in Derain's paintings, breezy in the twilight in Monet's paintings...

From 1918 onwards, Picasso spent every summer by the sea, first in Biarritz, then on the Cote d'Azur or Dinard. These summer vacations inspired him to create a series of works depicting beachgoers. "Bathing Women," created in 1918 in Biarritz, was the first in this series. Before that, most paintings of women on the beach were nudes, from Sandro Botticelli's "The Birth of Venus" to Paul Cezanne's "Bathing Women." But Picasso's painting, simply depicting a simple and joyful beach scene, unpretentious and uncomplicated, with a straightforward approach to highlighting the realistic beauty of the slender and lithe bodies of young women, held a unique place among his works. The simplicity of the light, the sharp and dull rocks, the colorful swimsuits, the stillness of the ocean, the joy of the young women... all create a dreamy, surreal atmosphere, like Tanguy's seascape paintings.

Mary Cassatt, on the other hand, brings us the innocent, peaceful image of children playing in the sand on the beach. The authenticity of the scenery and the naturalness of the children make many people say they even feel warm when looking at this painting in winter...

Parties

People can party in all four seasons, but summer parties always have a unique character—exciting, impulsive, and intoxicating with lively dances. Renoir's "Lunch on a Boat" and "Dance at the Moulin de la Galette" immortalize the carefree joy of summer in the smiles of those present, and in the shimmering sunlight that radiates through each inspiring splash of color.

Van Gogh painted another summer night ball in Arles, the lights shining brightly, reflecting on the splendid dresses of the young women, all exuding a joyful and lively atmosphere.

Dalí's "nightclub scene" is dimmer, evoking the decadent impression of a "month-long party, a night of laughter," yet seemingly urging the viewer: look, summer is passing by, why hesitate, just get drunk!

Go by boat

Boating has been a popular activity among European nobility since the late 19th century. It's no surprise that many artists find inspiration while boating or watching people sail on the river. And even now, boating in the summer remains a favorite activity for many, both elegant and sporty.

Gustave Caillebotte (a contemporary of Renoir, the man in the yellow hat in the lower right corner of "Lunch on the Boat") was a member of the prestigious sailing club in Paris and loved sailing. He painted sailing scenes in several works created around 1877 and 1878, most notably "Rowing on the Yerres," depicting a lone rower navigating the emerald green waters.

Monet's interest in rowing is also evident in Mary Cassatt's "Going for a Boat Ride," with its striking yet subtle contrast of lemon yellow and blue. Similarly, "The Railway Bridge in Argenteuil," created after Monet moved to Argenteuil, a small but beautiful town just 11 km from central Paris, in 1872, often completed his work outdoors rather than in a studio. Monet painted many of his river landscapes and the railway bridge in Argenteuil while sitting in a small boat, and this painting is one of them.

Edward Hopper must have put a great deal of effort into perfecting the movements of the sails, the boat, and the surface of the Hudson River, creating a realistic sense of freedom amidst the vast sky and waves. The sails, full of wind, soar, carrying the cool breeze of a summer vacation by the river, blowing even into the eyes of viewers centuries later.

Listening to music

Summer is perhaps the perfect time to spend more time, not only listening to music, but also practicing playing it. If the lyre in Klimt's painting is too complex, then the guitar in Matisse's painting is a more manageable choice. Matisse himself was a fan of jazz music, and he incorporated a harmonious blend of warm colors into his paintings, making it easy for viewers to imagine a poignant summer night filled with romantic melodies...

Or, if playing music is too difficult for you, then embody the other character in the painting and quietly enjoy a "concert" at home. Botero's painting depicts a similar scene. On a hot summer evening in Colombia, a man plays the guitar and sings, a woman listens, a dog sits by the bed listening, and a passerby stops at the window to listen as well. But judging by the expressions on the listeners' faces, the man is probably not a very talented artist...

But if the music is so captivating, don't just sit there; stand up, let yourself be carried away by the melody, and dance like Picasso's dancers!

Read a book

Do you remember those childhood days when you'd sneak out of the house to rent books to read? Nowadays, amidst the hustle and bustle of life, how often do you find the time to leisurely read a book? So, it's not surprising that young children today are more interested in TV, computers, and phones than books!

Why don't we follow the example of ancient masters – they celebrated the joy of reading by depicting people reading on beautiful summer days, freely soaring in their imaginations, in the creativity that words and language bring?

Cycling

When talking about summer activities, cycling is a must-mention. You can race bikes to satisfy your passion for speed, or simply leisurely explore the beautiful scenery around you. Just look at the joy on the faces of the children in Ernest Zacharevic's paintings!

"Children on Bicycles" is a mural created by Ernest Zacharevic, a Lithuanian artist, in George Town, Penang, Malaysia. George Town is considered a giant museum because it has collaborated with many artists to create interesting and fun street art, bringing a unique urban beauty.

Sports

Don't forget to make time for sports to stay healthy during the summer. Artists are often interested in sports as well, making it an ideal subject to showcase their talent in mimicking movement. For example, the tennis match in Lavery's painting: the scattered balls on the grass, the casual attire, and the smiling faces of the people present convey the peaceful atmosphere of a summer afternoon.

Sports competitions are also a familiar subject for Lawrence Toynbee, one of which is the clash between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge. Strongly influenced by Anthony Fry's paintings of dancers, Toynbee captured the speed and dynamism of a rugby match, such as the way he depicted the forwards' feet as streaks of color, their faces blurred and indistinct in the rapid movement of the game.

Sleep

Does that sound absurd? Because everyone needs to sleep, year-round, 8 hours a day, it's not just in the summer that you get to sleep, right? But amidst the hustle and bustle of life, not everyone remembers to take care of themselves, rest, and relax properly. Take some time to give yourself a deep, restful, and fulfilling sleep, like the woman in Picasso's "Dream"...

Huong Thao