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Gazing

I don’t think it’s a historical accident that Impressionist paintings began in France. There are distinctive French vistas that are so lyrical, so vibrantly drenched in radiant light, that they virtually compel the brush to dance over the canvas with the verve of a Renoir or a Manet.

Gazing takes us to just such an exquisite French locale. A lithe, graceful young lady dressed in white chiffon and wearing a bonnet, gazes out across a glittering lake toward a distant village. She stands under a single, slender tree. The basket she carries suggests some forgotten purpose; for the moment, she is entirely absorbed in the vista that captures her gaze.

The mood is one of breathless anticipation. It is not only the girl who holds her breath in order to enter into the perfect tranquility of the moment – it is us as well. As she gazes at far horizons, we, in turn, gaze at her – hoping to join in her beautiful world.

I adopted my Impressionist persona and developed the vivid, animated style so that I could create poetic effects that lift my audience beyond the mundane world we live in. Here, we can join a young girl gazing at a timeless vista.

  • Gazing was painted in the Plein Air style of outdoors, embracing the light and color of the open air. The mood is one of breathless anticipation, as the blythe young lady stares expectantly into the distance.
  • One can easily see the influence of great French Impressionists such as Claude Monet during this exploratory time in Thomas Kinkade’s career. In Gazing, the scene and the romantic nature of the subject make one imagine that Thom was painting in the very footsteps of this great French master.
  •  For a period of six years, Thom painted under the brush name of Robert Girrard from 1984 to 1989: “I wanted to reinvent academic styles – implementing my own use of light. Impressionism was an avenue that beckoned that pursuit.”
Title Gazing
Published January 2006
Subject Location France
Collection Robert Girrard Collection
Classification Robert Girrard

Image Size

20" x 16"

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