L’Auberge “View of the Vineyard” by Michael Flohr
“How could even a gem that glitters in the night be as good as drinking wine and cleansing the heart?” -Lord Otomo Tabito 8th Century Japan Wine has been a topic of great inspiration for poets, writers and artists for centuries. Contemporary painter Michael Flohr has taken this metaphor a step further and transports us to a landscape where fine wines begin – to the sun and sweet summer breeze that nourish the grapes from the earth – to the vineyard.
A refreshing vision of beauty and splendor, “View of the Vineyard” captures an elegant afternoon on the veranda at Napa Valley’s acclaimed L’Auberge restaurant. Color and light are harmoniously balanced like the character of a fine wine. Shades of lavender and green saturate his composition like ripe, succulent fruit fresh off the vine. Flohr’s painting technique is sophisticated and complex as he blends color with a precision of a wine maker blending different varietals. Clean, crisp color combines to allude to the summer breeze and the smell of the sweet grape harvest like the perfumed scent of a fragrant chardonnay.
Amid the wine tasters, elegantly poised in a red dress and signature vintage hat, is the artist’s wife and muse, Melissa. Like a fine wine, she appears delicate yet with intense, powerful character. Her presence serves as a subtle focal point within this impressive landscape. We are but spectators to the invisible miracle of nature’s most celebrated beverage. And are immersed in the aura of a truly elegant work of art.
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