Sunday, November 16, 2014

Michel Ropion : Portraits of the Himalayan people

To close out the summer months a couple of months ago, I posted my father's paintings of flowers . 
Then life took a bit of a tumble with unforeseen events. A deep breath is what I can now take to bring you part 2 of his body of work: his impressive collection of portraits.
Close your eyes for a moment to imagine these faraway places nestled in the Himalayas: Kinnaur ~ Ladakh ~ Spiti Plateau ~ Drokpa ~ Kangra Valley ~ Mustang ~ Sangla Valley ~ Sikkim ~ Dheraddun ~ Zanskar Valley ~ Nepal ~ Dharamsala ~ Annapurna ~ Kalimpong ~ Lahaul ~ India ~ Rothang Pass ~ Tibet ~
These magical locales will whisk you away to treasured places tucked along the northeastern ridges of India and Nepal, to the edge of Bhutan on the southern side; to the rims of Jammu and Kashmir on the northern end. From the rooftops of the Himalayas to the deep valleys down below, back up to wide expanses of Tibetan mountainous plateaus, my father has captured the spirit of nomadic communities living far away from the reaches of the Western world. 
With many treks behind them, my parents have long fallen in love with the region known as the Rooftop of The World. They are fascinated by the rich cultural diversity, by the melodic religious rituals, by the bold tribal jewelry, by the deep vermillion colors of the gilded monasteries, and especially by the warmth and tenderness of the people. 

They are truly at home when they are there. It is where my father paints.
















The paintings of my father, Michel Ropion, inspire my life. In my own home, I am lucky to have several of his pieces on my walls. They are bold, they are huge; they are riveting.

Tempted to have one on your own walls, his art is available though his own website: michel-ropion.com

I will close with my favorite line ~ the same one each time I am mesmerized like this:…"It's good for the soul"     … Enjoy, Adeline