Your Daily Art

  • Shout-out to Modernism

    Solar Do-(It-Yourself) Nothing Toy. After Charles Eames by Edgar Olaineta, 2012, 
    from the Factory Direct: Pittsburgh exhibition Warhol Museum.
    The Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh is hosting an exhibition of contemporary art called Factory Direct: Pittsburgh, now through September 9, 2012.

  • Happy Birthday Gustave

    Fruit Displayed on a Stand by Gustave Caillebotte, 1881-2, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
    Caillebotte existed on the fringes of the Impressionist group, as he was both a benefactor and a member of the group. He was a painter himself, but lived as a lawyer, solider, and engineer. He did not adhere closely to the painting by light and loose brush strokes of the Impressionists and his work belies his realistic-style training, however, he allowed enough of the looser, less studied style of the Impressionists to enter his work, that it was given a lightness, that more realistic work lacks.
    Even in death he supported the Impressionists, leaving his vast collection to the French Government on the condition that it be displayed, not stored away. The artists and their work had not yet been embraced by the French people, and the government and they rejected that condition, but ended up accepting a portion of the work which they did display, making it the first time the artists of the group were displayed in a government exhibition.

  • Comments on the Walls

    Both of these graffiti pieces have been attributed to the artist known as “Banksy” his work had been absent from London for a while, but it is thought that he has returned in order to make some statements about the Olympics which begin in London next week.

  • Beautifully New

    Lady with Fan by Gustav Klimt, 1917, Private Collection.
    Happy Birthday to Gustav Klimt, today would have been his 150th birthday. The Austrian Art Nouveau painter, often chose women as his subjects and also used gold leaf to further embellish and decorate his work. There is a retrospective of his artwork at the Belvedere Museum in Vienna, Austria now through January 6, 2013.

  • Beautiful Perfection

    Cupid and Psyche as Children by William-Adolphe Bouguereau, 1889, Private Collection.
    Among the most popular and prolific artists of the 19th century, Bouguereau was a traditional academic-style painter as many other artists were shunning (or being shunned by) the French Art Academy and heading in different directions. He preferred classical subjects, such as Greek Mythology, and a very straight-forward, realistic, presentation. His work remains quite popular for it’s beauty, and the obvious skill of the artist.

  • Directing the New Age

    The Marshmallow Sofa by George Nelson and Irving Harper for Herman Miller, 1956.
    George Nelson was offered the Directorship of The Herman Miller Furniture Company in 1945 following the publication of a book called, Tomorrow’s House which he co-authored with Henry Wright. Under Nelson’s leadership, mid-20th century design had a home and was allowed to flourish.
    The Cranbrook Art Museum in Bloomfield Hills, MI is hosting a retrospective of Nelson’s career through October 14, 2012.

  • Circles and a Flag

    Window Triptych from the Avery Coonley Playhouse, Riverside IL., 1912 by Frank Lloyd Wright, The Art Institute of Chicago.

    Frank Lloyd Wright designed every element of his buildings especially his homes. He designed this stained glass window for the Playhouse of the young Coonley daughter.

    Happy 4th of July!

  • Nurturing Young Talent

     Koala by Hannah Kiraly, 2012
    Hannah Kiraly is my neighbor and a senior at Lakewood High School next year. Not long after I first met her I saw some of her photos and was blown-away by her natural talent. I have been pleased to see it grow and mature, as she as, and I believe it is important that she continue to take photos. Please check-out her work at the link on her name below, and just get a small glimpse of what she is up to. She is also a first rate cat sitter.

    Hannah Kiraly: Click “Collect Me” to help me win a New York City photo exhibition and a$25,000 cash grant: One Life Photography Competition

  • Another View of the Jersey Shore

    Jersey Shore by Mabel Hewit, c. 1935, Mary Ryan Gallery.
    Mabel Hewit was from the Cleveland area and created woodblock prints in the “white-line” technique. Most of her subjects were everyday people and scenes. She enjoyed creating these prints, in part, because she felt that the brightly-colored woodblock prints were mare accessible to working people who were looking for colorful art for their homes.

  • Small Work on a Large Scale

    Continuous Mile (Black) by Liza Lou, 2006-08, The Cleveland Museum of Art
    Liza Lou is known for creating artwork out of beads and also for creating ambitious pieces. This work is a mile long length of beaded cotton rope that is then coiled around itself so that it forms a circle. It is created in a South African beading technique used by the Zulu peoples. Lou lives and works in both South Africa and Los Angeles.