Visit to an Art Museum

Proust has the novelist Bergotte visit a gallery to see a painting by Vermeer.  While viewing the painting, the old writer drops dead.

Marcel Proust himself was a huge fan of Vermeer.  Painting, music, and architecture as well as writing permeates Proust's great novel, A La Recherche du Temps Perdu.  

This article discusses Proust and painting.  Marcel Proust Dreams of Art
The  painting of Proust himself will be familiar to readers of this blog.

This is a terrific article on Proust which I highly recommend.  It touches a lot of bases and gives the casual (if there is such a thing) reader of Proust a commanding explanation of Proust's relationship to painting and how it informs his art. 

I don't post very often because I don't find most of the recent references to Proust to be really about Proust or they don't have anything new to say.

If you find something of interest that I have missed, please comment on this blog. 

Paintings in Proust

A blogger with interesting thoughts about painting in Proust. I often try to figure out who "Elstir" was. He had to be one of the painters contemporary to Proust, just as Saens-Saens was likely a stand in for Vintieul. I think I have found the "petite phrase" in one of the violin/piano concertos.

http://proustreader.wordpress.com/2009/09/05/paintings-in-proust/

It would be so nice to have time to pursue all these tracks, but daily responsibilities tie me down. Maybe take an Elstir/Vintieul week and just pursue the threads? Lovely.

I wonder if the blogger knows about the book, Paintings in Proust by Eric Karpeles"?

The other Odette

A Collection of the Week's Random Proust Musings

I spent the entire weekend thinking about writing, talking about writing and doing everything apropos to writing except actually, well, writing.

Now, of course, I can't wait to get back to my manuscripts. Maybe Marcel felt the same when he went out into society.

I am still dealing with the death of the grandmother in book three.

Here are some blogs and article that I think are worth your while, Proust-wise.

Paintings in Proust:

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/pick-of-the-picture-books-paintings-in-proust-1017114.html

Observations on Writing and Art

http://proustreading.blogspot.com/2008/11/observations-on-writing-and-art.html

Jay in Equador read Proust and took one hell of a hike:
http://jayinecuador.blogspot.com/2008/11/hail-proust-cows-and-other-things-that.html

The Other Odette

Painting in Proust

Today the New York Times Sunday edition had a long article on Painting in Proust by Eric Karpeles. This book looks like a keeper, and if the American economy ever digs itself out of the toilet, I will certainly buy a copy.

In Proust's great masterpiece, he "names more than 100 painters and mentions or describes dozens or works." Who can ever forgot the scenes in Elstir's studio at Balbec?

What a delightful time one would have paging through the paintings that inspired Proust.

The article show a 1922 drawing by Paul Helleu of Proust on his deathbed. He looks so young and calm, as if he just lay down for a nap.

Here is the Amazon link should you decide to buy the book. Oh, why not! Give yourself a Christmas present. It's not THAT expensive.

http://www.amazon.com/Paintings-Proust-Visual-Companion-Search/dp/0500238545/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1225674031&sr=1-1

Everyone is writing a book about Proust

My sources have turned up two new Proust books. Proust has become quite an industry in the past few years. And everyone's reading him, too. Or is it only us Eastern Elite? I never know.

Mega-congrats to Web Cow Girl who finished reading Proust

http://webcowgirl.livejournal.com/1629208.html


A new Proust book: who knew?
When Proust Lost Money on De Beers Stock in Diamond Scandal
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=aOx_fp.fcpNY&refer=muse

Paintings in Proust: another new book. Looks like a keeper
http://www.amazon.com/Paintings-Proust-Visual-Companion-Search/dp/0500238545/?&tag=omnivoracious-20

Proust wrote so much about artists and writers--I almost think of them as real people, don't you?

The other Odette