ONLINE LECTURE
45 minute slide talk with Q&A afterward
This live event has already occurred but you can purchase the recording. A link to the recording will be emailed to you within 24 hours of purchase.
Although one of the moodiest and most expressive themes in art history, nocturne paintings are rarely discussed as a cohesive visual lineage. Join Mia as she considers and presents examples of nocturne paintings, ranging from American Tonalism, Japanese woodblock prints, Russian Impressionism, and much more. She will also dive into examples of contemporary nocturne painting, and how it has been used as a theme of expressing what happens when the lights go low.
About the Instructor:
Mia Bergeron is a classically trained oil painter that uses modern techniques and concepts to create layered imaginative works. Imagery in her work often oscillates between the fictitious and the observed in equal parts.
Rooted in her upbringing in New York City with continuous exposure to modern art, her paintings also reveal her choice to study classical painting in Florence, Italy under Charles H. Cecil in her twenties. Heavily influenced by historical artists such as Diego Velázquez, Titian, Anthony van Dyck, and John Singer Sargent, her paintings are also shaped by contemporary artists such as Alex Kanevsky, Ann Gale, and Adrian Ghenie.
For Mia, the process of making paintings is similar to meditation. Each painting is the listening and contemplating of the surrounding world. The minutes at the easel are similar to focusing on the breath- there are times when the scrutiny is welcomed and quiet, and other times when the mind is loud and unintelligible. It is this dynamic contrast that is at the center of Mia’s paintings. This dualistic nature of life is what pushes and inspires her work.
Mia has been published numerous times in international magazines. Her painting “Tranquil Ghosts” was the cover image for the January 2022 Issue of American Art Collector Magazine. She continues to teach workshops at Townsend Atelier, Chattanooga. She and her husband, artist John McLeod, live in Red Bank.
Image credit: Nocturne in Black and Gold- The Falling Rocket | by James Abbott McNeill Whistler | c. 1875
