Thursday, September 09, 2010

Of Interest to Young Ladies: A Quiet Place

Springtime in the Fields


Springtime in the Fields
Dahl, Hans...


Hardanger Fjord




The lovely paintings of three 19th century Norwegian artists, Johan Christian Clausen Dahl (1788-1847), Hans Dahl (1881-1919) and Hans Andreas Dahl (1849-1937) exhibit the sweet freedom of young ladies surrounded by mountain majesty and quiet waters.  It was, however, very difficult for me to distinguish between these three painters,  particularly between Hans Dahl, and his son, Hans Andreas Dahl.  Some of the art sites were inconsistent in their claim of artists, saying that the ones by Hans Dahl were done by his son, and vice-versa.  It is good that father and son shared their values so closely that one could not tell their art apart. They must have been wrought together at the heart.




Summer Morning Before the Fjord
by Hans Dahl   1881 - 1919  or  Hans Andreas Dahl, 1849-1937

One reason that it is so hard to figure out the difference in these artists, is that the styles of clothing and hair stayed fairly consistent between 1800 and 1900, the period of time that these three artists lived. The length of skirts and hair seem to have been long, and other artists of the period have shown the same thing in their paintings of women.




Summer in the Mountains of Norway
by Hans Dahl


I have included these paintings in this lesson for young ladies, because I believe that the faces show genuinely happy expressions from freedom, quiet, surrounded by God's big garden. In today's jaded world, it is rare to see young women with countenances that show a pure love of life.

 Youth was once a time of care free days and wonderment, with time for learning to be creative and observant, but today, many young women carry around a huge burden of discouragement and despondency.  Today, I hope to share some things that might be of value on  how to overcome that discouragement and develop confidence in life.

One of the most basic things to creating a sense of well-being and ultimately, happiness, is time spent in beautiful solitude. I have been trying to encourage young ladies to find a quiet place each day, in which to take in the word of God, speak to God, and  find ways to creatively carry out His will. On several occasions, Christ asked his disciples to come away with him to a quiet place.



Our hymns admonish us to seek quiet places to be alone: I Come to the Garden Alone, There Is A Place of Quiet Rest, and many more. Spend some time alone singing all the verses of these old songs.

  A quiet place can be a back yard garden, if you have one, and if it has enough privacy. If there is not a place like this, there might be an opportunity to create one.  Indoors, a girl might find a quiet corner with just a chair by a window, or a special desk where she can keep her Bible and some writing materials.

We begin by finding as many places in the Bible where the word "quiet" appears. Carefully write out the verses, decorate them with borders, and think about them. Let God speak to you through the scriptures. Speak to God through prayer.  Translate the words into your life. With prayer and God's help, you may be able to do them.

 The word "quiet" has great significance to God, for His Word records the following:

Psalm 107:30 Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.
Proverbs 1:33 But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.
Ecclesiastes 9:17 The words of wise men are heard in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools.
Isaiah 32:18 And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places;
1Th 4:11 And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;
1Ti 2:2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
1Pe 3:4 But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.

The last verse here, which is Ist Peter 3:4, is very significant. It shows how the Lord admires the quietness.  While it is good to have some social skills, God has said that he prizes the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit. Cultivate this quietness in your life by finding at place apart from the noise and haste, each day. It will renew your mind. The busy world around us can be very uncertain and upsetting. Those quiet times in life will provide stability.


A Young Harvester At Sunlight, by Hans Dahl






11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh, my this is a lovely post. I can't wait to share this with my oldest daughter who has just turned13.
Thank you so much for your blog-it is such a help to me.
~Rhonda

Anonymous said...

Lydia,

This is yet another beautiful artistic post. Clothing in terms of coverage did not alter much until WW1. Shapes may have come and gone; farthingales, panniers, crinolines, bustles... yes, the silhouette changed, but modesty and hair remained the same. Short hair for women did not come about till the 1920's; an era referred to by many as 'the decade of rose coloured nightmares' on account of the heretofore unseen upheaval breaking out in all areas of life and society, echoed fourty years later in the 60's cultural and sexual revolutions worldwide.

We are called to seek our heavenly Father in quietness, as the Psalmist writes'Be still and know that I am God'

Similarly, 'Lord, you will keep in perfect peace, those whose minds are fixed on you; for in returning and rest we shall be saved, in quietness and trust shall be our Strength' (Portion of the noon prayer, Book of Common Prayer, 1979).

Only yesterday, I received some new dresses, a pettiblouse and waistcoat (vest) from www.thekingsdaughters.com in a variety of lovely prints, along with a collection of beautiful hair accessories from www.garlandsofgrace.com that are so feminine and delightful; even the plain dresses to be worn when doing housework and gardening, though simple, are beautiful. if artists of today could paint women going about the business of home and garden, going to or from church, attending to business in the marketplace, the high street, travelling etc, be they thus attired or wearing, for instance, the beautiful garments of their homelands - the Saris, the Bayjou Kurongs, the spectacular African robes, the Salwar kameez, the colourful clothing of the various South American Peoples, this would be so uplifting.

Keep on inspiring us, Lydia!!

Anonymous said...

Lovely post...

Anonymous said...

This has been a great encouragement to me today. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Rosemary

Anonymous said...

Wow, I saw the painting of the girls in the "canoe" recently at a doctor's office, and wrote down the artist's name in order to find it later on. I had never seen it before! I had forgotten about it until now. There is an amazingly beautiful light which doesn't show up until you see it in a large version.

Also, I love the color combination on the "Harvester" girl's clothing.

Anonymous said...

Wow, I just went to the Garlands of Grace website, how beautiful is that?!

I am not a head-covering woman, but I would order any of the things on there, I thought they were so pretty!

I have been growing my "colored" hair out to its natural gray for the very first time. I found that a nice, wide cloth headband covers the area where my hair transitions from blonde to white, and makes it look much neater.

I was very pleased to find that just doubling over a wide strip of remnant cloth, and tying it in a knot underneath my hair at the nape of my neck, made as many colorful headbands as I could wish for!

There is also a pretty crochet pattern for free at:
www.garnstudio.com/lang/en/visoppskrift.php?d_nr=0&d_id=676&lang=us
It is very simple and quick.

Love the post, as usual!

Lydia said...

Yes, those are very pretty headbands and very nice hairstyles!

Anonymous said...

Lovely paintings. Women of all ages need a quiet place, daily. Thanks for the reminder.
L. Rose
www.singlehomeschoolingmommas.com

Anonymous said...

I just read your daughter's article on the Victorian era
http://thepleasanttimes.blogspot.com/p/www.html --hilarious! Good points about how people today imagine it to be such a terrible time that everyone was miserable, everyone was poor, everyone was over worked, and...everyone was DEAD. I am sure a lot more could be said about this. Never as any era been so hated as the Victorian era, and it is totally unfair, for many people adore the Gothic and the Middle Ages and the Shakespearean history. Yet, they target the Victorian era as one that was so evil and unfair to everyone. One reason I enjoy the art you place here and on Lovely Whatevers, is that it shows some happiness and sweetness and some beauty of nature. Also, the pre-Raphaelites and the Realists and the Victorian artists were quite brilliant. They could paint anything quite accurate, and the way they could make water seem like it was so real! I can't describe how these paintings draw me in and make me feel as thoug I am there feeling the cool breeze or walking in the rain or just sitting in a garden.

Lydia said...

Although these paintings are from the 18th and 19th centuries, to me, they do not seem that long ago, because it is representative of the way I grew up. I lived in a log home overlooking a beautiful lake, where we regularly rowed out in a little skiff to pick lilies from the water.

As children, we brought home buckets and buckets of berries from the forest and although it was hard work, we happily walked down the trail singing.

Before the well was dug, we carried our water up a steep hill from the lake, and jokingly said we did have running water, because we ran up and down the hill with buckets. It was strenuous but we were also blessed by beautiful nature and scenery. Many of those hard working homestead children later painted beautiful oil paintings of the scenes of their childhood.

Just think, we did not have to pay someone at a fitness center to help us strengthen our arms and make us physically fit.More importantly, that daily experience in nature and work seemed to give us a keen awareness of our great God.

Young ladies in that setting thought it the most romantic thing possible. It was not uncommon to pick a flower and put it in your hair. Today such things are frowned on as though they are overly romantic or silly, but I must tell you it was a time of goodness and it was a time of freedom that many of us have been able to duplicate in our own families later on, just by showing them how to appreciate life and work and nature.

Anonymous said...

A fine post.....and your own thoughts here, in the comment section (5:56), are very moving in their own right as well.

How much our young girls & women lose, when they ignore the simple joys that nature brings. Or maybe they squelch their feelings of appreciation, because it isn't "cool" enough. How sorry I feel for them!

Some of my most enjoyable moments are when I walk with one of my children, perhaps down the road to a neighbor's house, or just around our own property. My middle child, in particular, is a very artistically-minded young woman, & loves to pick out this beautiful thing or that to call my attention to. Sometimes we just admire the way the light looks coming out of the clouds. :o)

Brenda