Your Custom Text Here
Composition by Piet Mondrian, Solomon R. Guggenheim, New York.
Working to build his paintings from the simplest elements of lines and basic colors, Mondrian believed that he could control the line and color and control the art. He was the leader of the De Stijl movement in art.
IKB 79,c.1959 by Yves Klein, Tate Gallery, London.
Klein created his own color called IKB (International Klein Blue) and he devotes the entire canvas to the color. He wrote the Chelsea Hotel Manifesto about his art. He died at age 34.
What the Water Gave Me, 1938 by Frida Kahlo.
Kahlo's work is always very personal. This one exposes the thoughts and dreams of the artist whose feet stick out of the water at the end of the tub. She was married to Diego Rivera whose career eclipsed her own, however there has been a revival of her work in the last 15 years which has made her very popular.
Sunlight and Shadow, 1884 by William Merrit Chase, Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, NE
This work by another American artist who studied and had great success in Europe as well as in the US, was originally entitled The Tiff by the artist. That title gives us a little more insight into what is going on between the man and the woman peeking over the edge of the hammock.
Exekias was active in the second half of the 6th century BCE. He is well known for his depictions of battle scenes, but also for another of his amphorae which shows Ajax and Achilles playing a board game.
Container with Lion on Lid, 18th Dynasty Tomb of Tutankhamen,
The treasures of the "boy-king" are something to behold. Especially when you consider that we really only have them because he was such an unremarkable Pharaoh at the time, that his grave was overlooked by grave robbers for millennia.
An Experiment on a Bird in the Airpump, 1768 by Joseph Wright of Derby.
Wright of Derby studied under Sir Joshua Reynolds however his work is more experimental as he was fascinated with light and painting the effects of light and darkness. This work even features the moonlight so it is a combination of artificial and natural light.
Upward (Empor), 1929 by Vasily Kandinsky.
This is one of the more controlled of Kandinsky's work. He used lines and shapes to create an abstract form. There are two shapes that resemble the letter "E" they could refer to the German title of the piece Empor.
Garden of Earthly Delights, c.1504 by Hieronymus Bosch.
This painting has fascinated art and art history students for years. There is so much going on here and in his depiction of Hell, that one can study it for years and never totally understand it. He is so popular there is even a line of figurines.
Nosegay of Violets, c.1503 by Albrecht Dürer.
Dürer's paintings and engravings are still compelling and popular 500 years after he lived and worked. He is considered the greatest German artist of the Northern Renaissance for his paintings and most especially his graphic work. his skill came from apprenticeship in metalwork whose exactly methods made for highly detailed etchings and engravings.
Jack Be Nimble by Andrew Wyeth, 1976, Andrew Wyeth Office.
Radiator Building - Night, New York, 1927 by Georgia O'Keeffe.
O'Keeffe's skyscrapers come from her time in New York. She was an artist whose environment was her inspiration and drove her work.
The Jazz Bowl, 1931 by Viktor Schreckengost, The Cowan Pottery Museum, Rocky River, OH.
According to many sources the Jazz Bowl is considered one of the earliest examples of the Art Deco style made in America. It was produced by Cowan Pottery as a punch bowl for a client who turned out to be Eleanor Roosevelt.
Lady of Shalott, c. 1872 - 3 by Arthur Hughes.
A favorite subject of Victorian painters and based on a poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson, there are many versions of the Lady.
The Hill House, south-west perspective, c.1903 by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Glasgow School of Art.
Mackintosh's most famous private residence is Hill House. The style is a combination of Art & Crafts, Art Nouveau and old Scottish manor. It was built for Walter Blackie, a Glasgow publisher. Mackintosh designed the entire thing including furnishings, outbuildings, lawn decorations, lighting, etc.
Dejeuner sur l'herbe, 1863 by Edouard Manet, Musee d'Orsay, Paris.
Manet in an attempt to liberate art from the confines of literary and academic subjects by placing contemporary figures outside in the open air. He has become associated with the Impressionists because he began to use the same lighter colors. Notice the similarity between this scene and Tissot's Holiday featured here on October 16, 2020.
Chrysanthemums, c, 1875 by James Tissot, Private collection.
By the time this work was painted Tissot was well established in his career and in work takes a rare look at a common flower vendor rather than the young fashionable women of the increasingly prominent upper-middle class.
Young Lady in a Boat by James Tissot, Private Collection.
Tissot concentrated on popular subjects for his artwork, first young fashionable women and finally the Bible after he found religion. Critics considered his work "fluff" but he did well for himself in Paris and London.
Holiday (The Picnic), c. 1876 by James Tissot, Tate Gallery London.
Painted in the backyard of his London home, Tissot's artwork often depicts beautiful women in fashionable clothes and the men who admire them. For a while his work was disregarded as frivolous, but his had a revival as his skill and technique became appreciated once again.
Mona Lisa, 1503/06 by Leonardo da Vinci, Musee de Louvre, Paris.
The mystery surrounding one of the most famous paintings in the world stems from the unknown identity of the sitter and the fact that the artist is one of the most famous artists of the Italian Renaissance. Leonardo used a painting technique he created called sfumato.
