Robert Flinkman

February 28, 1981      Saturday      Mardi Gras, New Orleans

It's all fun here, admidst the cafes, jazz and gaslights. I've chosen already two scenes, one of which I've sketched in already at Bourbon and Conti. The other is at Bourbon and Orleans, that one will be sketched in tomorrow during the day, both to be pasteled in at night. The third one I may do at daytime for the sake of variety. Besides creating my own artwork, I want to visit the New Orleans Museum of Art.

March 1, 1981              Sunday

After a restful night, pleasant sleep, I had [breakfast] in the Blue Room here.......I then headed to Orleans and Bourbon to do a sketch there for my next pastel. The entire area was being cleaned. I rather wondered whether it rained last night, or were the streets still wet from the beer. Some people were still staggering about, faces with smudged paint, wanting to know what time it was. After that I headed back to the hotel, deposited my art materials and hired a taxi to take me to the Museum of Art.......
What a tremendous impression on me was a painting by Miro, Portrait of a Young Girl, 1935. The painting captivated my attention more than any other work there. I could even feel my heart beating. The effective, simple forms. and the choice of color helped to create direct communication to the viewer. I stood for a long length of time in front of this work, a masterpiece created by Miro. I cannot express with any choice of words why this piece spoke so well to my mind and heart. The colors were so well chosen, each complementing the other, and the forms as well so well balanced in their positioning. I went down to the museum shop to see whether a post card could be had of it. The catalog had only a black and white reproduction. Well, that could fade, but my memory never, my impression will only remain fresh.
The trip was well worth the time, I'm glad I went. I also saw some Magritte, Degas, Monet, Rouault, Dufy, a Picasso from 1960 of a woman in greys, blacks and brown, and several others of his work, Braque, Veronese, Tintoretto, Bellini. These were a few choice works.