Paul Gauguin and Ruth Asawa at the de Young San Francisco

Last Friday, Maria, Meryl and I drove to the de Young in San Francisco to see Paul Gauguin: A Spiritual Journey. It was my first time at the de Young and my only regret was that we didn't have time to explore more of the museum. 

The exhibit is an intriguing sampler of Gauguin's work. I appreciated seeing the wide range of Gauguin's creative talent that included sketches, watercolors, etchings, oil paintings and sculpture. Before I go any further, I should confess that I'm not a huge fan of Paul Gauguin. I can appreciate it but there's something about the work that always leaves me feeling a bit cold (I'm not the only one to feel that way about this exhibit.)

I am very happy that I was able to see L'arlésienne, Mme. Ginoux (The Woman from Arles, Madame Ginoux) Gauguin's sketch was the inspiration for six paintings by Vincent Van Gogh (L'Arlésienne, L'Arlésienne: Madame Ginoux, or Portrait of Madame Ginoux.) I've always found it fascinating when artists bounce ideas off of each other. Seeing this sketch and realizing what Van Gogh did with it was the highlight of the exhibit for me.

Below are the other pieces that jumped out at me. Gauguin is an interesting part of art history and while I can appreciate his palette and his brushstrokes, he's not an artist that has captured my heart. The exhibit did leave me wanting to rush out of there to paint so if encouraging creativity is a spiritual journey, then it succeeded in that message.

Ruth Asawa has her own room of sculpture. I'm very grateful to Meryl for bringing us in that room. I'm still thinking of Asawa's work and I need to read more about her. 

More photos from our day at the de Young in San Francisco can be dound here.

Have you been to the de Young? What are your favorite pieces there? What did you think of the Gauguin exhibit if you've been?