#HistFicThursdays - Brushstrokes from the Past - Heidi Eljarbo - Guest Post

 

It's #HistFicThursdays, and I'm so excited to be sharing a guest post from Heidi Eljarbo, as part of her Coffee Pot Book Club tour. Find out all about Heidi's connection with art and her thoughts on the most important piece of art in history. But first, let's meet the book..

Blurb

A Historical Art Mystery

WWII and the mid-seventeenth century are entwined in this fourth dual timeline novel about Nazi art theft, bravery, friendship, and romance.

April 1945. Art historian Soli Hansen and her friend Heddy arrive at an excavation site only to find Soli’s old archeology professor deeply engrossed in an extraordinary find in a marsh. The remains of a man have lain undisturbed for three centuries, but there’s more to this discovery…

As Soli tries to understand who the baroque man was and discovers what he carried in a sealed wooden tube, problems arise. A leak reveals the finds to the notorious Lieutenant Colonel Heinz Walter, and soon, both Nazi elite and the Gestapo are after the treasure.

When Heddy and the professor disappear along with the artwork, Soli and her resistance group must find them before it’s too late.

1641. In Amsterdam, French musketeer Claude Beaulieu has had his portrait done by his close friend and artist Rembrandt van Rijn. When a band of thieves steal the precious painting, Claude and his wife Annarosa Ruber pick up their swords and a few belongings and go after the culprits.

Set in Norway during the tumultuous last days of the second world war, as well as the peak of the glorious baroque art period, these two stories are a must for readers who love historical fiction with adventure, suspense, and true love that conquers all.

Perfect for fans of Kate Morton, Lucinda Riley, Kathleen McGurl, Rhys Bowen, and Katherine Neville.

Brushstrokes from the Past is available on #KindleUnlimited via this Universal Link

Guest Post

The most important work of art in history

 When our four children were young, we lived in Austria for five years. One summer we drove to Paris to take the children to Disneyland, the Eiffel Tower, Versailles, and Louvre. Our youngest, then six years old, was super excited to see the famous Mona Lisa. When we approached the iconic portrait inside one of the most famous art galleries in the world, she took one look at the small, framed painting and said, “I’ve seen it. Now we can go home.”

 Ranking the most important work of art in history is a difficult, if not impossible, task. I believe many have been surprised at how small Leonardo da Vinci’s most celebrated portrait is. Compared to, let’s say, The Coronation of Napoleon by Jacques-Louis David which is almost 10 meters (33 ft) wide by a little over 6 meters (20 ft) tall, the three-quarter pose of Mona Lisa measures only 77 cm × 53 cm (30 in × 21 in). But the crowd at the Louvre is evidence of how popular it is.

 Another painting—actually a huge fresco—by Leonardo da Vinci is The Last Supper and was made even more well-known through Dan Brown’s mysterious thriller and later movie, The Da Vinci Code.

 Many have come to know certain artwork through books or movies. Some examples are Girl with a Pearl Earring by Dutch baroque artist Johannes Vermeer. Many other artworks have also inspired both authors and moviemakers.

 One of my favorite paintings is a fifteenth-century piece by Jan van Eyck's called the The Arnolfini Portrait or Arnolfini’s Wedding. I have been to The National Gallery in London several times and beheld this portrait which is filled with symbolism. Like Mona Lisa, it’s surprisingly small, but I never get tired of studying it.

 On the list of most famous paintings are also newer pieces like The Scream by Edvard Munch, Guernica by Pablo Picasso, and The Kiss by Gustav Klimt. But what makes a painting famous or beloved? Is it how much a collector is willing to pay for it at an auction? The beauty of it? The details, hues, and exquisite brushstrokes? Or because most people simply like it?

 There’s an air of mystery to the most well-known pieces. Who is the woman named Mona Lisa and why does she smile?

I enjoy studying famous painters who ventured into new styles and new art techniques. As an example, Botticelli was commissioned by a member of the wealthy Medici family to paint what is known as The Birth of Venus. The Medicis had ruled Florence and nearby areas for centuries and enjoyed quality art. Botticelli’s amazing rendition of the goddess of love was painted around 1485, and with this the artist dared to be different. He painted on canvas instead of wood and the newborn goddess Venus is completely naked, only covered up by her long hair and her hand. Shocking? It probably was at that time.

So, as a common thread in the four books of the Soli Hansen Mysteries, I chose to start with the father of chiaroscuro, Caravaggio. The Italian painter was an artist who dared to be different and develop his own painting techniques. At a time when commissions from the Catholic Church and other prominent members of society were vital to baroque artists, Caravaggio took a chance. He painted shoeless people with dirty feet. He wanted to portray pauperism and the rawness of human existence. He communicated through his paintings an important Christian message that faith and worship are for all mankind, the poor and the rich. In the beginning, the Church outrightly rejected his renditions. Saints and angels were not to be depicted like paupers with dirty feet. But with time, even the Augustinians—the influential fraternity in Rome—were touched by the sincerity of truth and modesty in Caravaggio’s paintings.

In my dual timeline novels Of Darkness and Light, The Other Cipher, Hidden Masterpiece, and the newest book, Brushstrokes from the Past, the entwined second story starts with a young woman who has her portrait painted by Caravaggio. In the following books, the story continues with two other master painters who were greatly influenced by Caravaggio’s chiaroscuro technique of light and dark. We follow Rubens and Rembrandt as they continue and further develop this technique.

What do I think is the most important work of art in history? I believe every person could make their own top ten list. Maybe some would choose Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night from 1889 as their favorite. I have a weakness for Italian and Dutch baroque art, but also eighteenth-century art of the United Kingdom.

It’s all individual. It depends on what a certain painting makes you feel. Choose what you love.

Now, let's meet the author:

Heidi Eljarbo is the bestselling author of historical fiction and mysteries filled with courageous and good characters that are easy to love and others you don't want to go near.

Heidi grew up in a home filled with books and artwork and she never truly imagined she would do anything other than write and paint. She studied art, languages, and history, all of which have come in handy when working as an author, magazine journalist, and painter.

After living in Canada, six US states, Japan, Switzerland, and Austria, Heidi now calls Norway home. She and her husband have a total of nine children, thirteen grandchildren—so far—in addition to a bouncy Wheaten Terrier.

Their favorite retreat is a mountain cabin, where they hike in the summertime and ski the vast, white terrain during winter.

Heidi’s favorites are family, God’s beautiful nature, and the word whimsical.

Sign up for her newsletter at https://www.heidieljarbo.com/newsletter 

You can follow Heidi on these links:

Website - Twitter - Facebook - LinkedIn - Pinterest - Instagram - BookBub - Amazon Author Page - Goodreads

Keep up with the rest of the Brushstrokes from the Past tour stops by clicking on the banner below: