The Art Forger...for Carmelina.

Carmelina asked me about the book I am reading.  I think I have about 20 pages to go in it so I'll finish it this a.m. before work.  I am loving it and learning some new things that I wish I could try.  The forger herself speaks of Hans Van Meegeren (or is it Han), and I think I shared with you awhile back (two years ago?) about a non-fiction book that I read about him.  He did many experiments in his efforts to create forgeries that would fool the experts as to age and condition of canvas and in coming up with a way to create the craquelure (cracquelure?) that occurs over hundreds of years of drying of oils.  Memory serves here, and Van Meegeren began using something akin to bakelite as well.  Bakelite was discovered/created in the U. S. - I believe - about the time Van Meegeren was perfecting his techniques and he found the bakelite to be just what he needed.  In fact, I could easily envision what she was doing as it was described and I'm itching to try glazing in oils using phenyl formaldehyde as an additive to oils.  In my head I am seeing translucent jewel tones just vibrant with life.

She spoke a bit about underpainting in her work too and while I still do not quite understand why many/most oil painters do it (because it isn't as if oil paints are transparent or translucent in their own right) as to my mind you cover it up anyway...But she said something about using it to set a tone for her work and that I do understand.

I make it sound as if the book is a textbook on how to do forgeries and it is not that at all.  It is a novel about an artist who is paid to make a copy of a Degas, her favorite artist.  She realizes early on that she is forging a forgery as the original painting is not a Degas, though no one - experts included - seem to see it.  She rationalizes that it is ok - she needs the money this will bring - because she isn't forging a real Degas.  She does, however, start a relationship with the broker and gallery owner who hires her and what I like is that the author doesn't go into details about sex (which I hate and will actually skip pages as I do not find it necessary to a story), just a statement of fact and moves on. 

I guess for me, the artist in me was enrapt by the telling of the processes she uses in both the forgery itself and in her own work. 

As you can imagine, the proverbial poop hits the fan for the forgery of a forgery and I am hoping that because she copies a copy, all is well in the end.  I'll just have to finish it and see.  For me, I can easily see why this is a NY Times bestseller.  Others may find it boring, unless you are an artist or an artist at heart.  The book takes place in Boston...I'm just fascinated with this book.

I've read a lot so I'm often a veritable fountain of useless information (my kids say) and a user of apparently "big words," so I'm told.  Why does this offend anyone?  Words come naturally to me and as I said, I read a lot.  I've been made fun of at work for my emails (by only one person) which kind of hit me hard.  I'm not a "pretender" with my language.  I really talk this way.  Off that subject...

I also worked 9 hours on Saturday straight through, and another 7 1/2 yesterday.  To say I'm looking forward to the end of this coming week would be an understatement.  I'm still not finished with the other plant's inventory.  Why?   Because all the work I did on Saturday was lost by my using her personal format for plant storage.  She had a read only document that I overtyped and saved.  Or so I thought.  I never got a pop up saying it was a read only document and I didn't know it wasn't saving my work.  I've never seen that happen before (not getting a read only pop up) and of course, all the work I sent to myself to finish it up at my own plant has to be redone.  Fortunately I kept hard copies of everything except the trailer weights so will be redoing those when I have time today or by staying late after work.  In general, most everything is done though.  I think I have to Wednesday to turn the two inventories over to our corporate offices in Shreveport.

Sorry for all the blather...No sketching or painting at all and I doubt it will happen until next weekend.  I'll have something by then, I am sure (and I hope).  Just too busy with work right now and really enjoying reading.  I don't read like I used to (lack of time) so when I have books to read I am in 7th heaven.