Elizabeth Gardener Bouguereau, Ludwig Von Beethoven, 5th Symphony, Amy Carmichael - Wonderland

I've put much of the wonderful classical pieces we've been enjoying on this blog onto the playlist at the very bottom of this blog.  Feel free to scroll down and use it as a pop-out player to continue listening to this music throughout the day.  

We've looked at William Adolphe Bouguereau now I'd like to feature paintings by his second wife, Elisabeth.  I think her paintings are very similar to her husbands and I like them a lot!  As with his work hers is realistic.  This painting makes me want to know what they were so quietly watching. The following is a brief biographical paragraph from the Art Renewal Center Museum.  You can visit that site at the link following the paragraph.  

ELIZABETH GARDENER BOUGUEREAU was an American from New Hampshire who studied with William Bouguereau, later to become his second wife after the death of his first wife Nellie a few years prior. Her art historical influence is very significant, as she undoubtedly played a role in persuading her husband to use his influence as President of the Academy, Head of the Salon, and President of the Legion d'Honneur, to convince the Academie Julien (and a few years later the École des Beaux Arts) to open their doors to women for the first time in history.

http://www.artrenewal.org/pages/artist.php?artistid=372

The next composer I would like to feature is Ludwig Van Beethoven. 

 

The following link has a biographical sketch of his life and you can also listen to a lot of his works there.  http://www.lvbeethoven.com/Bio/BiographyLudwig.html

The first piece I would like to feature is from Beethoven's 5th Symphony.  You can listen and watch it performed on the following you-tube link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6K_IuBsRM4

Our poem this week by Amy Carmichael is 


                 Wonderland
Lord, Thy little children stand
   At the opeing of the day
Bordering on Wonderland.


Very near to us it lies,
   Gathers round us as we play,
Waiting for our seeing eyes.


Wonderland is everywhere;
   Can we go where it is not?
When we go, we find Thee there.


And Thou art so very kind;
   Thou hast never once forgot
To put things for us to find.


Oh, a thousand voices call,
   "Come and find what has been hidden;
All the world's a Wonder-ball."


Father, may we take Thy hand?
   We will do as we are bidden.
Come with us to Wonderland.