Seahorse Brooch, 1902 - 1905 by René Lalique.
Another example of Lalique's amazing art nouveau jewelry designs. Nature and natural objects were favorite subjects of art nouveau artists.
Snowy Night
The Midnight Mass, 1911 by Edward Timothy Hurley, Cincinnati Art Museum.
A beautiful night time snow scene showing the rooftops and the majority of the light coming from the church as the faithful have left their homes to attend.
More Amazing Fabric
Madame Jacques-Louis LeBlanc (Francoise Poncelle), 1823 by Jean-August-Dominique Ingres.
Ingres did over two dozen preliminary drawings in preparation for this painting. His work is clear and sharp and seems more like a photograph than a painting. Portraits are an artist's bread and butter.
Closer to God
The Builders, 1920 by Fernand Leger.
A follower of the Cubist movement, elements of it can be seen in this work of workers on a high rise. He was trained in an architect's office where he could study construction firsthand. Starting in the late 1920's through the 1950's America experienced an unprecedented growth in skyscrapers as the architects and moguls competed to make taller and taller structures.
Shaping Nature with Color
Le Talisman, 1888 by Paul Serusier
Serusier was strongly influenced by Post Impressionist Paul Gauguin's bright and bold works and this painting represents nature broken into blocks of color. What makes the Nabis artists different from the Abstract Expressionists who saw their work as a revolution, is that the Nabis saw theirs as a bold new interpretation of their world, rather than a revolution against tradition.
Earliest Influences
Woman, Bird by Moonlight by Joan Miro.
Miro was one of the most prominent members of the Surrealist movement. His artwork is filled with fantasy and color and he brings the viewer inside his fantasy world. Miro's work is said to resemble pre-historic cave paintings.
Enjoy the View
The Swing by Jean-Honore Fragonard.
Fragonard is considered the greatest artist of a short period known as Rococo. This 18th century style followed the Baroque period where it utilized all the ornament and fashion of the Baroque, but left out the drama.
What is Art?
Fountain by Marcel Duchamp.
In 1917 French Dadaist artist turned the art world on it's ear when he exhibited this piece signed by "R.Mutt." He said Mr. Mutt did not need to create the object, his mere choice of it and applying his signature could serve as its consideration as art. Thus began a movement known as Found Object.
Selfish
The Concert, 1660 by Johannes Vermeer, The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (stolen 1990).
The FBI has a website which lists stolen art and gives a description of the crime. More often than not, when notorious works like the ones taken from the Gardner Museum are stolen, they are "requests" from collectors who will never try to sell or publicly display the artwork in their possession.
In 2021 Netflix released a documentary about the art heist called This is a Robbery: The World’s Biggest Art Heist.
Drapery
Drapery Study for Semiramis by Edgar Degas.
Sometimes the studies artist's do (and often never intend to publish) are the most beautiful.
Inspiration at Home
Anne with a Japanese Parasol, 1917 by George Bellows.
Bellows did quite a few portraits of his family and friends. This is his oldest daughter. He was a member of the group known as The Eight and a teacher at the Art Students League.
Driven to Create
Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations' Millennium General Assembly, c. 1950-64 by James Hampton, The Smithsonian.
James Hampton worked as a Janitor to earn a living all his life, on his off time he was compelled to create art to express his strong religious beliefs. He made this assemblage out of discarded furniture, flashbulbs, wrapped in gold and silver foil and purple tissue paper.
For Safe Keeping
Set of Canopic Jars, c. 1069-945 BC, Egyptian 30th Dynasty.
These jars were used to store the internal organs, removed for mummification. They stored the liver, lungs, stomach and intestines. They represent the four sons of the god Horus and were to protect the organs inside.
You Have to Look the Part
Napoleon I on his Imperial Throne, 1806 by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres.
Ingres' state portrait of Napoleon the I is one of the most commanding ever done. He was a young man and a student of Jacques-Louis David when he painted this work.
Collections Beget Museums
Pot, 20th Century, Maria Martinez, The Millicent Rogers Museum, Taos NM.
Maria Martinez came from a long line of potters and kept up the tradition in her own family. The Millicent Rogers Museum received a wonderful collection of this family’s work. Rogers was a great supporter of Native American artists during her lifetime and the museum is her former house which features her collections and special exhibitions.
Apple Blossoms
Spring (Apple Blossoms) by John Everett Millais.
Millais is one of the founding members of the 19th century British artist group known as the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. He achieved the most fame of the group and eventually came to lead the Royal Academy he had rebelled against.
Multiples
Felt Suit by Josef Beuys.
Beuys’ work is difficult for many people to classify as "art." He believed in exalting everyday objects and in the healing powers of art. His felt suit represented one he wore to a protest of the war in Vietnam and to him it symbolized political change.
Riddle Me This
Oedipus and the Sphinx by Gustav Moreau, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Moreau captures the tension as the Sphinx asks Oedipus that simple riddle that eluded so many before him.
Snowfall
Sewing Memories
Presentation Quilt, 1847-50 by Mary Heidenroder Simon.
In earlier centuries quilts were to mark important events. People would save up material from just about any source and incorporate into their work, so often a favorite shirt or dress would have a second life.