ArtExpertOnLine

  Today I give you a new challenge, but an interesting one.  Jackson Pollock (1912-1956) was difficult to understand in 1952, when he completed this painting and art novices still have trouble understanding.  It was originally titled, Number 11 and sometimes the year completed was added to the title.  Later it simply became known as Blue Poles, however many art critics believe, as I do, that this title does a disservice, because to much attention is drawn to the major lines and not to the work as a whole.  It is an enamel and aluminum paint with glass on canvas, measuring 83.5" x 192.5" or almost 7 feet tall by over 16 feet long, so huge!  It is part of the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Australia, in Canberra.  They purchased it in 1973 for 1.3 million, today its value ranges from 100 - 300 million.     As most people know, Pollock was the first "action" painter.  He laid the canvas on the floor and carefully poured, spattered, dripped.  In the

   Here we are in the darkest and shortest days of the year and I give you a beautiful sunset image celebrating this season.  Claude Monet (1840 - 1926) painted it as part of a large series he did from 1890-91, this one completed in 1891.  Stacks of Wheat, (Sunset, Snow Effect) is the title.  It is an oil on canvas measuring 26" x 40", part of the permanent collection at the Art Institute of Chicago, which owns the most of the haystack series.  I am not certain how many paintings Monet did as part of this series, but Monet showed 15 in a Paris gallery in 1891, an exhibit that was a major art and financial success, establishing Monet as a French painting master.     Monet didn't have to travel far to find a field of haystacks, for they stood just outside his farm home in Giverny, in a province of Normandy, north of Paris.  In this northern area, Monet experienced all four seasons of the year, all portrayed in this haystack series.  Not only was the season important in t

   Just before the 2019 holidays I thought I would gift you something entirely unique and fun, plus a tropical scene to warm our cold day. Our artist is John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) and this is his painting, Muddy Alligators.  Sargent created it in 1917 in Florida. He is considered an America ex-patriot for he lived throughout Europe and traveled extensively.  His major genre was oil portraits, but late in life he visited the U.S. doing watercolors in Maine and Florida.   Muddy Alligators  is part of the permanent collection of the Worcester Art Museum, Worcester, Massachusetts.  It is 13 1/2 x 20 1/2.     This is a watercolor over  graphite, meaning he started with a pencil drawing.   It would appear most of these reptiles are reasonably sedate, providing ample opportunity for a pencil study.  In the foreground we see shadows from a fence.  Since we are looking slightly downward on the alligators I assume the sun  is behind us and this fence is between us and the alligators, (at

  A winter scene for a winter day.  Out my window the snow is falling setting the mood for this week's image. Our artist is Pieter Bruegel, the Elder, born 1525-30 and died in 1569.  (yes, there was a Younger)    This is an oil painting on wood done in 1565, measuring 46"by 64".  It is part of the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, Austria.  The title is, The Hunters in Snow and it has been called, Return of the Hunters.    The setting for this painting is the lowlands of Europe, now known as Belgium and Netherlands.  I love Bruegel's work because, just like Vermeer, 200 years later, we catch a glimpse of what life was really like for common people over 450 years ago.  Here is a wonderful panorama displaying people at work and in play - simply going about their daily lives.  We can comment about the life from many angles, certainly difficult as we see women on the left working over an open fire.  Since we see no kill from the hunters it is possi

 Hello readers,     Lately I have been concerned because readers are not being counted and their comments are not being posted on this blog, even when they have followed all instructions.   I have attempted to contact the company but have not been successful.  The whole idea of a blog is to have a discussion, so a one way communication defeats the ultimate purpose.  For the near future, I will continue writing as it is fun for me and I know most regular readers enjoy looking at the images.     If you have knowledge that would help me solve this problem I would dearly appreciate your comments.  I can be found at pbeckmann2010@hotmail.com.   THANKS.     Make Art a part of your life, it's a beautiful thing to do.     

   Sports is an interesting subject for artists because it usually involves moving subjects. At the close of the 19th century and into the 20th, artists were experimenting with new ways to express themselves and show movement.  Cubism and futurism were two of them and both are combined in this Robert Delaunay (1885-1941) painting, simply titled:  Runners. It is an oil on canvas and can be found at Musee D'Art Moderne, Troyes, France.  Between 1920-27 he painted this subject several times, each one quite different from the other, and I could not find the exact date for this painting or it's dimensions.     We do not know if Delaunay used photographs to create this image, but it is very possible he did. In early photograph it was necessary for subjects to remain still for the duration of the time the aperture was open exposing the film.  So, a photo taken of moving figures, could blurred faces, just as Delaunay has done in this painting.     I find this painting very appealin