Wokey Hole, near Wells, Somerset, c.1794 by Michael Angelo Rooker.
Rooker helped make watercolor a viable medium for serious artists. Before he concentrated on it, it was considered beneath a serious artist.
-
Beauty and Warmth
Navajo Blanket, 1881 from New Mexico, Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies.
In the 17th century sheep were introduced to the American Southwest by the Spanish. Navajo women used designs learned from Mexico and expanded upon them until they created their own unique designs.
-
Sweating the Small Stuff
The Gleaners by Jean-Francois Millet.
The Gleaners are picking up the last little remains of the harvest. Millet sets the women against a broad horizon and thereby lends a majesty to their work. This was on purpose as Millet saw the work as a social commentary against the rich vs. the poor in society.
-
As Straightforward as it Seems?
Asparagus by Adrian Coorte (active 1683-1707).
Sometimes still life painters concentrated on a particular item in order to give it their complete attention and immerse themselves in rendering it as close to the real thing as possible.
-
Tudor Rose
Sir Thomas More by Hans Holbein, The Frick Collection
Holbein was a 16th century German artist who became the court painter under Henry VIII. His style, with its attention to detail, was well suited for his later work in miniature. The Tudor Rose
-
Trumpeted In
La Naissance de Vénus (Birth of Venus)1879 by William-Adolph Bouguereau.
Very similar in composition to Botticelli’s work. Bouguereau had a very successful career. His realistic style appealed to a large number of people. A contemporary of Degas and Monet; they even conceded his extreme popularity.
-
Rising Out of the Foam
Birth of Venus, c. 1485-86 by Sandro Botticelli.
One of the most famous of the Italian Renaissance paintings it is one of the most frequent images, out of thousands, when a likeness of the Greek goddess Venus (Aphrodite) is referenced.
-
Nuts
Gathering Paradise by Sandy Skoglund
Installation art creates an environment within a museum or gallery that brings the viewer into the artwork. It began in the 1970’s and reached it’s zenith in the 1980’s, today it is often termed “site specific.” Skoglund’s use of animals and color make her work popular and memorable for viewers.
-
Raisin Bread
Still Life with Strawberries, no date by Levi Prentice (Amerian 1851-1935), Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh.
Prentice is known for painting still lifes, often with fruit. He worked as a carpenter and an art teacher.
-
Support
Oriental Poppies, 1927 by Georgia O’Keeffe,
Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum.If someone asks, buy a poppy, but why a poppy?
– Happy Memorial Day Weekend.
Your Daily Art 