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Acrobat and Young Harlequin 1905 by Pablo Picasso, The Barnes Foundation.
Painted in 1905 this work is part of Picasso's Rose Period that The Barnes Foundation .came after his Blue Period. His subjects during this time often included acrobats dancers and harlequins.
Roycroft Campus, East Aurora NY
Much like Byrdcliffe, Roycroft was started as a self-contained Utopian community where its founder Elbert Hubbard envisioned a society of artists and crafts people living and working in harmony. It is a lovely place to visit and the Roycroft Inn is an Arts and Crafts lover’s paradise.
Book about Byrdcliffe
Dragonfly Wallpaper, c.1905 by Zulma Steele, Byrdcliffe Arts and Crafts Colony, Woodstock NY, Private Collection.
Byrdcliffe was a Arts and Crafts Colony started by Jane and Ralph Whitehead as a Utopian community based on the ideals and writings of John Ruskin and William Morris, where like-minded artists, craftspeople, writers and architects could gather, share and practice their crafts.
Beata Beatrix, 1872 by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, The Art Institute of Chicago.
This is a portrait of Rossetti's wife Elizabeth Siddal that was painted after her death. In it he casts her as Dante's Beatrice, thereby casting himself as his namesake. When Siddal died he was so overcome with grief he buried his manuscript book of poetry along with her (five years later he retrieved it).
The Bower Meadow, 1850-1872 by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Manchester City Art Galleries, UK.
Begun in 1850 the background is Knole Park, Kent which he painted out of doors with William Holman Hunt. The Pre-Raphaelites advocated painting out of doors in natural settings, but this is the only time Rossetti ventured down that road. He completed the figures in 1872.
The Day-dream, 1880 by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
The model in this piece, Jane Morris is the wife of William Morris and it is a widely held belief that Rossetti and Jane carried on an affair.
La Belle Iseult, 1858 by William Morris, The Tate Modern, London.
The model for this work is Jane Burden who later became the wife of William Morris and lived with him at Red House. Note his emphasis on the design and detail in the room, he later gave up painting in favor of interior design and was very successful with Morris & Co.
Pewabic Pottery in the Guardian Building, Detroit
Detail from Pewabic Pottery tile decoration from the Guardian Building, 1928, Detroit MI.
Mary Chase Perry Stratton and her partner Horace Caulkins founded the Pewabic Pottery based on the Arts & Crafts style and ideal sweeping the country. The building they built in 1907 they moved to the building that still houses an active pottery, museum and store.
Pewabic Pottery Tiles the Guardian Building, Detroit.
I received this fantastic book as a gift and had to re-post the Guardian Building. Anyone who is into architecture will love it and Detroiters need to see it to appreciate gems in that city (before they disappear).
Vintage Post Card
Here is to a happy and healthy 2021.
Fruit Still Life in a Landscape, c. 1872 by Severin Roesen, Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Now that is a selection of fruit.
Peacock Tile Panel by William De Morgan, Formally The Peacock House now run by the Richmond Fellowship, London.
William De Morgan became involved with the Pre-Raphaelite movement through William Morris. Morris, Burne-Jones and others were interested in medieval decoration for their homes and De Morgan's tiles were the perfect addition.
An Allegory of Venus and Cupid, c.1550 by Agnolo Bronzino, National Gallery, London.
Bronzino's style is known as Mannerism, a style of exaggeration and poses. The meaning of the allegory is uncertain but figures such as Time (the old man), Cupid with his wings and Venus holding the golden apple she received from Paris, are easily recognizable.
Leisure Hours by John Everett Millais, The Detroit Institute of Arts.
Late in his career, Millais gave up the idealisim of his youth and the PRB and created very popular and sentimental pieces. He was also quite sought after as a portrait artist for his ability to create beautiful paintings around his subjects.
Landscape at Chaponval, 1880 by Camille Pissarro, Musée d'Orsay, Paris.
Pissarro is the only artist to exhibit his work at all the "Impressionist" shows. Throughout his career he remained true to the Impressionist vision of capturing moments in light.
William Adolph Bouguereau, Virgin with Angels, 1900.
Bouguereau often included angels, cupids, putti etc in his artwork. His art was very popular during his lifetime and continues to be popular today, as well.
The Adoration of the Magi, c.1445 by Fra Angelico and Filippo Lippi,
Virgin of the Angels, 1881 by William Adolph Bouguereau, The Getty Museum, Courtesy of Forest Lawn Memorial Park Association.
This painting was restored by the conservation specialists the Getty Museum and in exchange for restoring the work the owner, The Forest Lawn Museum, allowed the Getty to display the work. Bouguereau was very popular during his lifetime and while often panned by critics, remains a popular artist among museum visitors today.
The Star of Bethlehem, 1888-91 by Edward Burne-Jones, Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery, UK.
This watercolor was originally a design for a tapestry and is very large roughly 8ft x 12ft and he used a ladder to do the painting.
Gloria, 1884 by Thomas Wilmer Dewing, The Cleveland Museum of Art.
Originally an entry for a Christmas Card contest - it is a perfect image for the season.
Crinum erubescens and Amaryllis superba by Priscilla Susan Bury nee Falkner Bury Aquatint printed in color, finished by hand from Priscilla Susan Falkner Bury (1793-1869)
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
