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Monkey (study for La Grande Jatte), 1884 by Georges Seurat, The Art Institute of Chicago.
Seurat made hundreds of studies for his painting La Grande Jatte, some just small pencil sketches like this, some on-site oil sketches, and even full large scale drafts.
Past Times by Kerry James Marshall, 1997.
This work was recently bought by Sean Combs (P.Diddy) for his personal collection.
Marshall who is from Chicago and was classically trained as an artist, has gained much fame in recent years through gallery representation and shows at the Met Breuer, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago,, and the Tate Modern in London.
As an art historian, I can’t help but make a connection between his work and the work of the great Jacob Lawrence.
The Old Pennsylvania Station, NYC, 1910-1963, McKim, Mead, and White Architects.
When the original Beaux-Arts station was torn down in 1963 there was such an uproar from the citizens of NYC that the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission was established. The loss of historic architecture to make way for future projects is a double-edge sword, what went up in its place is Madison Square Garden. The destruction of this building was featured in an episode of the television series Mad Men.
Life Death, Knows Doesn't Know, 1983 by Bruce Nauman.
Neon words flash on and off in this piece. It references the conflicted nature of life. Words have been included in art since the beginning of time.
Winslow Homer, The Berry Pickers, 1873.
The fresh blueberries in Maine and Nova Scotia really can’t be beat. This work by Maine resident Winslow Homer (who moved to Maine in his later years) and brings back memories of traveling from Ohio to Nova Scotia by car.
Sioux Seed Player by Oscar Howe
Oscar Howe was a Yanktonai Native American who combined Native traditions with modern art methods. His work allowed the Native artists who came after him to expand the arts that are usually practiced by native peoples. His work is in collections and has been exhibited all over the world.
Prototypes for Modular Ceramic Wall Dividers, 1958 by Eva Zeisel
A designer of ceramics and dinnerware. Zeisel designed the shapes and often the decals that adorned them. However, because the factories owned the shapes, quite often they would put decals on the pieces that were not designed by her, and she often felt they did not match the design.
Maharaja Jaswant Singh of Marwar, ca. 1880, watercolor, The Brooklyn Museum.
The simple setting of this watercolor work is unusual and it has more in common with a photograph than a painting. It reflects the influence of the British on India in it's more austere setting and pose.
Liza Lou, Color Field, 2013, glass beads, stainless steel, Perspex, , 20 x 26 feet (dimensions variable). , Courtesy the artist. © Liza Lou 2010-2013. Photo credit: Dean Eliot.
Artist Liza Lou’s works with beads which appeals to me because I make jewelry using beads. This piece is from an exhibition last year where she used thin pieces of wire each with a single color of beads that were then put together in patterns.
Liza Lou, Kitchen, 1990–95. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York
I first saw her Kitchen at the Akron Art Museum and was blown away by the amount of beads and time it must of took to complete at life-size room. She had people helping her with the beading or she would probably still be working on it.
Detail of the sink from Kitchen.
Yet Another Fight For Remembrance by Titus Kaphar, 2014
Time Magazine commissioned African-American artist Titus Kaphar to create a work after the Ferguson Protests in Missouri in 2014. The protests were sparked by the fatal shooting of Michael Brown by Police Officer Darren Wilson.
I feel an affinity to Kaphar as he and I are both from Michigan and were both introduced to the study of art history in Community College. He infuses his work with art and history and and makes his own voice and the voice of modern African-Americans heard in this work, as well. His art is very important, especially these days, as it reminds us we need to look backwards and know history, in order to move forward.
Gateway, Tangier by Henry Ossawa Tanner, c. 1912, The St. Louis Art Museum.
Tanner studied art at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, which was highly unusual for an African American at this time. He was also lucky enough to study under Thomas Eakins, who revolutionized the way that art was taught and influenced many. Robert Henri, founder of the Ashcan School, was also a student at the same time. Tanner felt the burden of post-slavery racism (his mother was a slave who had escaped through the Underground Railroad, even in the north, and decided to strike-out for France, where he spent most of his life. He continued his studies at The Louvre where the great French masters, such as Gustave Courbet, influenced his work further.
Group, ©1963 by Maurice Sendak, Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak Archives, Rosenbach Museum and Library, Philadelphia
One of the most popular books of my generation has proven to be among the most imaginative children's books ever written. Where the Wild Things Are is a remarkable story with amazing illustrations.
Louis Comfort Tiffany artwork at the University of Michigan. Peacock mosaic.
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Beach Scene by Martha Walter
Another in my on-going series of artists I discover on Pinterest.
Martha Walter (1875-1976) was a student of William Merritt Chase at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and later became a teacher at the New York School of Art, run by Chase. She developed her own loose style and preferred work in the Plein-Air technique.
Drowning Girl by Roy Lichtenstein, 1963, MOMA, NYC
The controversy about Lichtenstein’s work stems from his "lifting" images from 1950's and 60's comic books, enlarging them, and rendering them in paint. This part of his career is only the tip of the iceberg, as his work went in many other directions through-out his long career.
Regionalist artist Thomas Hart Benton studied in New York but was always drawn back to the middle states of the US where he grew up. There is a lot of material about Benton and I would recommend the book by art historian Henry Adams.
