At autumn’s call, leaves fall: Autumn in the arts

The reds, oranges, yellows and sunsets – autumn is well and truly underway! The early darkness and crispy chill in the air can’t always be captured on camera, but it certainly can be within artwork.  So, when deciding to write about my favourite autumn themed paintings, I began by reflecting on autumn in films, music and TV shows as well as artwork that really gives me all the warm and fuzzy feels that accompany the recent frostiness in the air!

You can really enjoy the yellow and golden leaves, and the deliciously crunchy sounds when you tread on them

Immediately I thought of being in my first year of university: living in Sherbourne and walking to the FAB (Faculty of Arts Building), heading over the bridge which led to cute and clear photos that I would take on my way to lectures, and especially on the little junction where Lakeside meets Heronbank. You can really enjoy the yellow and golden leaves, and the deliciously crunchy sounds when you tread on them.  Campus in autumn can be hectic as the academic year starts, but when you take a beat to walk around and enjoy the crisp air and the orange-peppered grass, I find it can revitalising, especially when snowed under work.  Try it and tell me what you think?

As soon as September hits, that also cues my annual Gilmore Girls rewatch, and there is something about Stars Hollow in autumn which just kickstarts another level of cosy. Call it nostalgia, comfort or combine it with a fresh hot coffee (in true Lorelai fashion): Gilmore Girls is the epitome of an autumnal rewatch, especially in my PJs with my fairy lights on. Think of those la, la, las and tell me they don’t heal something within you? Even the dark academia aesthetic that Rory and Paris share: THAT’s what I try and emulate in my autumnal wardrobe.

Lizzy McAlpine is the queen of autumn sound

Moving from series to film, the When Harry met Sally’s poster (and the film in general) is gorgeously autumnal. Golden and orange leaves accessorise the trees and wooden bench, and a softly lit streetlight frames the couple in the park as they are mid-meet-cute (one of many over the course of their dynamic relationship) which is artistically captured on the DVD cover. This film is another comfort rom-com; their dynamic, sarcastic, competitive relationship, as well as the constant will-they-won’t-they trope, underscores the film.  We also see sustained warm colouring and intermittent cuts to documentary style talking-heads with couples in a lounge style setting, which adds to the sense of comfort and warmth. The combination of textures in the casual fashion as well as the organic nature of their repeated accidental meetings makes this film one of the best cosy, hot chocolate and fuzzy socks, ‘night-in movie’ for this autumn.

From watchlist to playlist: I think Lizzy McAlpine is the queen of autumn sound.  This is evident in her Five Seconds Flat album. If not simply the album cover with Lizzy backlit by a fiery orange glow, the first strum of ‘doomsday’ cues the lyrics “pull the plug in September”, and this transports me through time and seasons, especially the autumntime.

Vincent Van Gogh’s The Garden of St. Paul’s Hospital, Leaf-Fall is classically Van Gogh and an even brighter artwork than his signature textured paintings

From musical artists to painters, Van Gogh, O’Keefe and Thomson all have beautifully pumpkin-spiced scenes. Tom Thomson’s Autumn Foliage looks so silky smooth to touch; it’s like a creamy autumn leaf design which is organically messy. I see it like leaves you’d find on the side of the road, ironically like a clean sheet of snow but a multi-coloured collage of leaves on the ground! Georgia O’Keefe also frames autumn leaves in all of their evolving hues; from green to crimson to honey-yellow. The piece is layered and the darkness in the background adds depth in illustrating the layers of leaves captured. It is the focus of the leaves in the centre of the painting that’s the most curious aspect, as the rainbow of the autumnal colour palette in its natural form makes it so textured and almost tactile. Vincent Van Gogh’s The Garden of St. Paul’s Hospital, Leaf-Fall is classically Van Gogh and an even brighter artwork than his signature textured paintings. The colours are quasi-pastel but contrast the usual darker tones of autumn with the brighter hues and different textures of the season.  The single dark blue figure of the man breaks up the bright pastels as he passes through the scene, which adds depth to the painting in the midground, and provides indirect movement to the otherwise still landscape.