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Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose, 1885-6 by John Singer Sargent, Tate Gallery, London.
While on a boat trip with his friend Edwin Austin Abbey Sargent saw some Chinese lanterns hanging and decided to use them in a composition. This image has proven to be one of his most popular ones. The combination of beautiful flower, children and the lanterns really appeal to people.
The Lantern Bearers by Maxfield Parrish
Primarily a book illustrator Parrish's work has become very popular in recent years owing to its beautiful and colorful narrative scenes. This work was an illustration for Eugene Field's Poems of Childhood.
The Awakening Conscience, 1851-53 by William Holman Hunt, Tate Gallery, London.
Hunt shows us a young woman who has seen the error of her ways just in time to save herself - it is explained that the song they are singing reminds her of her girlhood home and that what she is doing is wrong. Hunt was a deeply religious man and his faith drove his art.
Il Dolce Far Niente, 1866 by William Holman Hunt, Private Collection.
The title can be translated into something akin to the joy of doing nothing. The model who sat for this work eventually became his wife, her name was Fanny Waugh. The original model for this work was a woman named Annie Miller whom Hunt also wanted to marry, but their romance crumbled when she would not stop modeling for other artists.
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.
Salisbury Cathedral from the Bishop's Grounds, ca. 1825 by John Constable, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
This one is a favorite of mine by Constable because the cathedral is so clear and detailed.
Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows, 1831 by John Constable, Tate Britain.
This version of the cathedral is the most "romantic" with the horse and cart in the foreground and the rainbow in the background, which was apparently a later addition to the work.
Stained Glass Panel in Frank Lloyd Wright’s Style at Arizona Biltmore, Phoenix.
Frank Lloyd Wright always liked to create an entire environment in his buildings and homes. He designed furniture, rugs, light fixtures, stained glass, pottery, fabrics - whatever a home would need. His student Albert McArthur, who collaborated with Wright on the design, included a glass panel typical of his teacher's style that now serves as a beautiful focal point at the entrance.
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.
Jesus Loves Me by Varnette Honeywood, 1983
A good friend first introduced me to the art of Varnette Honeywood about the time this work was made. I have always been fond of the way Honeywood combined, colors and shapes to perfectly capture her scenes. Sadly, she passed away in 2010.
Christo and Jeanne-Claude "Lower Manhattan Packed Buildings" (Project) (2 Broadway and 20 Exchange Place) Collage 1964-66.
This proposal for a project in Lower Manhattan was rejected but Christo and Jeanne-Claude did get a NYC project called “The Gates” done in 2005. They put orange “gates” in Central Park and the citizens were sorry to see them go when they were taken down.
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.
White and Pink Roses by Henri Fantin-Latour, Private Collection.
A friend of the Impressionists Manet and Bazille, in his early career Fantin-Latour was part of the traditional academic salon. He loosened his brush strokes after he came to know the Impressionists and their techniques.
Chicago World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 (aka Chicago World's Fair) Designed by a panel led by architect Danial Burnham and landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition made Chicago the leading force in architecture, a prominence the city is still known for today. The style is classically influenced by the Greeks and Romans, but the designed on a faux city built onto the lake. More than 27 million people came to see the sights, among them, the first use of electric lighting designed and installed by George Westinghouse and Nikola Tesl , using his invention of AC current.
Flamingoes by Sydney Long, c. 1905-06, The National Gallery of Australia
Long's work was often controversial because of the subject matter he chose to portray in his languid art nouveau style. He was fond of nudes and tranquil scenes. He often chose flamingos as a subject matter and this is perhaps his most stylistic version of the subject matter, where colors and curves become the focus rather than a realistic portrayal. After 1918 he concentrated on print making translating many of his most popular paintings into prints.
The Three Graces by Antonio Canova, 1814-17, The Victoria and Albert Museum.
Canova worked in the Neoclassical style and the subject of this work goes back to that time as well. It depicts three of the daughters of Zeus who represent the epitome of good hostesses as they were in charge of the gatherings when the gods got together. They make a perfect subject matter as they are beautiful young women and many artists over the centuries have chosen to portray them.
Canova,Three Graces, detail.
Louis Comfort Tiffany artwork at the University of Michigan. Peacock mosaic.
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Between Heaven and Earth by El Anatsui, 2006. The Metropolitan Museum of Art
From Ghana, artist El Anatsui uses found object to create beautiful works of art that drape and hang within the spaces in which they are shown. He also uses more traditional mediums like wood, clay and paint, but you can find bottle caps, metal cans, aluminum wrapping, etc.
Three Flags by Jasper Johns, 1958, Whitney Museum of American Art