Tuesday 17 November 2020

A Postcard A Day - Tuesday 17 November 2020 - T for Finland, walking and caterpillars

 Hello lovely ladies, it is Tuesday again and time to join the T-Party hosted by Elizabeth and Bleubeard. It involves bringing a drink or drink related  image. You will see mine later, but first off my postcard:

It comes from Finland and features the artist Elin Danielson-Gambogi (1861-1919) in her studio in Paris in the 1880s.
Elin Danielson-Gambogi was a Finnish painter, best known for her realist works and portraits. Danielson-Gambogi was part of the first generation of Finnish women artists who received professional education in art, the so-called "painter sisters' generation".



In 1895, she received a scholarship and traveled to FlorenceItaly. A year later she moved to the village of Antignano in Livorno where she met an Italian painter 13 years younger, Raffaello Gambogi (1874–1943).

The painting below is called 'The sisters' (1891) and I think it might qualify me for the T-Party. I love the coffee set. I think Valerie has a set like that...
They began working together and got married in 1898. They held exhibitions in Paris, Florence (where she was awarded an art prize by the city) and Milan and in many Finnish cities, and their paintings were also included in the 1900 World's Fair in Paris, where she again won bronze medal. She also got to second place at the 1901 national portrait painting competition organized by the Finnish state. King Umberto even purchased a painting from her.

This one is called 'After breakfast' (1890). This has a tea pot and liquor glasses in it. 

Their marriage was strained when Raffaello fell in love with her Finnish friend Dora Wahlroos. She moved to Finland for a while, but returned in 1903. Because of World War I, her connection to her home land was cut, and by the time she died of pneumonia at Antignano in 1919, she had been mostly forgotten in Finland.

I love the paintings of this artist, who I had never heard of to be honest.

The stamp is also very beautiful. 

It is about the artist Akseli Gallen-Kallela (26 April 1865 – 7 March 1931).


 He is another Finnish painter I had never heard of and who has had a fascinating career. Below is the painting from the stamp:


Gallen-Kallela was inspired by Sibelius' tone poem En saga (A Fairy Tale). On the right is Sibelius himself, at top left is the visuals it brought to Gallen-Kallela's mind and the empty section at bottom left was supposed to have notes from the tone poem, but Sibelius didn't wish to add them.

Have you all had a good week? We are in almost total lockdown. Everything is closed, bar the necessary food shops, farmacy and post office. The schools are still continuing as far as I know. I haven't been out at all except to the local shop. 
I tell a lie. On Saturday my friend and I drove into the mountains to go for a walk. We didn't want to walk among the trees as it was already a dull day. So we drove until we got to the top (just over 2056m/7650feet) and walked along a fire break.
The weather was not very nice, but perfect for walking. And we did not meet a single soul.

Below is typical vegetation of this area. (I forgot what it is called now, sorry)



Can you spot something on the ground?
A bit closer so you can see better:


They are nasty things called processionaria caterpillars. 

The pine processionary (Thaumetopoea pityocampa) is a moth of the family Thaumetopoeidae. The species was first described  in 1775. Sometimes placed in the genus Traumatocampa, it is one of the most destructive species to pines and cedars in Central Asia, North Africa and the countries of southern Europe. The urticating hairs of the caterpillar larvae cause harmful reactions in humans and other mammals. The species is notable for the behaviour of its caterpillars, which overwinter in tent-like nests high in pine trees, and which proceed through the woods in nose-to-tail columns, protected by their severely irritating hairs, as described by the French entomologist Jean-Henri Fabre.


They get their name from the way they move from one tree to the next: in procession.

Everywhere on our walk we saw the devastation that these critters cause.

They build these silken nest 'tents' for their larvae. Almost every pine had one or two of these nests.

We saw nicer animals too, like mountain goats (sorry, no photos. they were too quick).

Do you know what this is a sign of?

Wild boar. Of course we didn't see any as they are nocturnal. (What a relief).
I love watching the vultures:
They are difficult to capture with a phone. This was a group of 18 Griffon vultures, soaring above us. We watched them for many minutes. They are so majestic and huge!
With a wingspan of 2.8 metres and weighing 8 kilos, that’s 9 foot and 17lbs in old money, Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus) is one of our largest raptors. They are carrion eaters.

(The above is not my photo, but is from the Internet)

That is it from me today. 

Happy T-Day to all,

Lisca


Edit:

The caterpillars you saw, are not one long caterpillar. They are hundreds of caterpillars marching one after the other in processional style. I have seen lines of many meters long crossing a road and I didn't find the beginning nor the end. Awesome as well as gruesome. They don't seem to have natural predators here and it is a big problem.






15 comments:

  1. Hi Lisca-I love the paintings of the first artist-a sad story of her life though and I liked learning about the second artist.
    glad you got away into nature for a bit-good for the soul. I have never heard of that very long caterpillar-I thought it was a snake.
    take care Happy T wishes Kathy

    ReplyDelete
  2. So many artists traveled to Paris or Italy before World War I, and were really recognized only in their own countries. That’s a fascinating biography of the one you discovered!

    be safe... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. What an interesting post. Those postcards are fascinating Lisca. I had not heard of those artists either, and it is good to learn about them. They are really talented, and I am with you. I really like Danielson-Gambogi's art also. And you walk looks fascinating also. I have never seen caterpillars like that. That was fascinating. And you saw so much wildlife too. We are not in lockdown but we should be as we need it.Even in my small state there are so many new cases each day. Covid is scary stuff. Take care and have safe safe and have a fantastic T day. Hugs-Erika

    ReplyDelete
  4. Love all the art related pieces here Lisca!!The paintings as well as the postcards are beautiful.
    But oh those caterpillars-ugh:(
    And yes, seems like everywhere we are experiencing heavy restrictions again...
    keep well, and happy T day!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I didn´t know these artists, either - interesting stories and beautiful works!

    Here most shops are open. Most people wear masks, but not all.

    Those caterpillars sure look like a pest. And the bird... wow, didn´t know they were that huge.

    A happy T-day, you seem to make the best of it!

    ReplyDelete
  6. A very interesting artist, and she painted beautifully. And she has my china! Glad you got out for a walk. Those caterpillars are a pest, we had them in an oak tree next to the house and it had to be encased in nets and treated. They got rid of the little beasties, but the tree died off, too....Happy T Day, hugs, Valerie

    ReplyDelete

  7. sorry Lisca. When I went to leave a comment, I put it on the wrong post. Had to delete it and start over. That is why I ask you use your DIRECT LINK:

    https://scrappingcavewoman.blogspot.com/2020/11/a-postcard-day-tuesday-17-november-2020.html

    when you link to T each week.

    I enjoyed reading about both artists you shared with us. What amazing paintings Danielson-Gambogi created. So soft. She reminds me a bit of Cassatt. Glad Valerie has her china. Seems her life was a bit sad, though.

    I've never seen a caterpillar like that before, but they certainly cause a lot of damage and havoc. We get bag worms here that spin their silk around evergreens.

    Thanks for sharing your two lovely postcards and drink reference with us for T this Tuesday, dear friend.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Lovely postcards and stamps. The area you went walking looks like a nice place to go. I don't like those caterpillars after you said how destructive they are. Ugh. Our covid-19 cases are going up here in Connecticut US but we aren't back to the full lockdown we had back in March. Happy T-Day!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Fabulous, the postcards are so interesting! As you probably know we have a national lockdown here at the moment with restrictions back in place. Loved walking with you today, the views are beautiful 😁. Happy T Day wishes! Hugs, Jo x

    ReplyDelete
  10. I love your postcards today. I think I've used a couple of those paintings for T Tuesdays past. Perfect for the day :)

    You're walking in a rocky place, it looks like. That'd improve my balance, and I'd love climbing up where you posed. Nice! What a shame about the trees. They look like such interesting creatures -I've never seen anything like them- and it's such a shame they're so destructive. Wild boar are dangerous! and I'm glad you didn't see one. We get vultures and buzzards here but nothing like yours. Gorgeous!

    Happy T Tuesday!

    ReplyDelete
  11. That's an odd pose for a photo on your postcard. At first I thought it was a death photo like they took in those days to remember loved ones by.

    I love Elin Danielson-Gambogi's "slice of life" paintings. They have a dreamy quality. Both these artists were new to me.

    Eww, the processionaria caterpillars look awful - like a tapeworm. I'd never heard of them either. You had quite an interesting nature walk. The Griffon vultures are very majestic looking.

    Happy T-Day! Stay safe and stay well. Hugs, Eileen

    ReplyDelete
  12. Lisca, I loved your postcard and the reading all about the artist. She was very talented but how sad that she was forgotten towards the end of her life. And the artist on the stamp was very talented as well. I really love the colors of that painting so I am off to have a look at his work more closely.
    Your walk sounds wonderful. It is great that you can still meet with your friend and take some exercise despite the lockdown.
    We have had an increase in cases of COVID in our little town. Our school district is closed for a few weeks and doing remote learning instead. Thankfully, I already pulled my children out.
    Those caterpillars look very similar to ones we have here but I have never seen any march in procession like that. I can imagine they do a lot of damage to the trees.
    Happy Tea Day,
    Kate

    ReplyDelete
  13. Love the postcard and the information about the artists. You chose a good place for your walk. The caterpillars are fascinating but hairy caterpillars that cause a rash are not so likeable! I would have loved to watch the Vultures and to see mountain goat would be exciting too! My son has Wild Boar quite near his place in France! Belated Happy T Day, Chrisx

    ReplyDelete
  14. Lovely postcard and again so much to learn from ! Love the painting, as I always wanted to own such a coffee set. Delft porcelain it is called, I think. Thanks for sharing the beautiful photos from your walk. We have a similar species of caterpillars/moths around here, called "oak processionary". Be careful not to touch the caterpillars as their hairs are venomous and can cause skin irritation.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I very much enjoyed this post. The paintings of Elin Danielson-Gambogi is amazing. I didn't know her before this post. Now I will be learning more about her. Yes, we have a caterpillar here in the states that is very much like the one you have. Wonderful photos too. Enjoy your day.

    ReplyDelete