Bray Active Retirement | The Joy of Painting

Monday 16th March – Sunday 29th March 2020

Opening Reception: Sunday 22nd March 3pm – 5pm

Holy Redeemer Parish Centre

We meet as a group every week for our painting class. A place to share, stay connected and inspire one another with art.

Henri Matisse viewed his masterpiece ‘Le Bonheur de Vivre’ of 1905 as ‘Creating an art of balance, of purity and serenity, devoid of troubling or depressing subject matter. An art that could be for every mental worker, for the businessman as well as the man of letters, for example, a soothing, calming influence on the mind, or something like a good armchair that provides relaxation from fatigue’.

When this painting became a recognised ‘work of art’ the upcoming Picasso was disconcerted, which prompted him to out-do Matisse with his 1907 canvas ‘Les Demoiselles d’Avignon”. However Matisse appears the guardian in our darkest times of something that human beings need to be able to imagine and believe in. Happiness is a human right and Matisse speaks up for it beautifully.

The Bray Active Retirement Group might not all want the angst of being a Matisse or Picasso but come together every week to create art, share enthusiasm, fun, and the possibility of taking home a masterpiece. They bring their work to share with you from Monday 16th March until Sunday 29th March 2020.

The joy of painting is at heart the joy of sharing and the works exhibited here reflect not just hours, but years of work by the participants. There is always a process of revealing oneself in the art we make and that is possibly the hardest journey we undertake. Sharing our art with others is the joy.

Your feedback and patronage is important, please feel free to let us know what you think.