Pink, Blue and Neon

They are a century apart, but still, there is a connection.

There may be vast differences between the sisters in Renoir's Pink and Blue painting, and these two impressionable young girls, however, what was it that held them transfixed?

On a recent visit to the São Paulo Museum of Art, I was intrigued by the museum's expansive picture gallery. The exhibit is unique on many fronts, from how it is displayed, literally in an off-the-wall manner, to an extensive collection of 4th century to contemporary works hung in chronological order. That afternoon, two things caught my attention, Renoir's Pink and Blue portrait, and two young girls running from painting to painting with their LED sneakers flashing with each step.

Then something wonderfully spontaneous happened, the two girls frenetic pace came to a screeching halt when their eyes fell upon Renoir's masterpiece. Why should this 1881 portrait of two sisters make them stop? More importantly, what held them there? Magically Renoir's painting made an immediate impression on these two Brazilian girls, probably sisters. In the painting's stillness and silence, a connection was made between sister and sister, and past and present.

I can only imagine the Brazilian sisters trying to make sense of the life that was depicted in Pink and Blue, comparing it to their own fast paced life in a sprawling metropolis. The differences between the two pairs of sisters was apparent, however, it was the similarities that kept them mesmerized. Funny thing how art has a way of putting your own life in context.

If you are lucky enough to have a young one in your life, pry them away from their mobile device, take them to a museum, and just see what connections may form.

Live in color,
Abby