ArtExpertOnLine

     This week we have a very special image.  If you have not had a chance to look at last weeks, please take a minute and do, as today we have the exact opposite.  Two still lifes that couldn't be more different.    One week ago I wrote about a collection of objects and, now, I have only a vague memory of individual pieces.  I first saw today's painting several years ago.  It was screaming at me from across a room and I have never forgotten it; one object imbedded in my memory.    The artist is Mike Lynch (1938-), a Minnesota painter of major distinction.  A large majority of his work are landscapes, often at night, illuminating buildings passed along a lonely country road.  But of all his work, I am especially attracted to this one.      Just as his primary work has a basic nostalgic sentiment, so does Camels.  They were the first cigarette on the market in 1917 and soon came to be America's favorite.  Smoking a Camel was not for the weak of heart, it was a talent, and fo

       In my interest to provide a wide variety of artists and works, I searched long and far for this week's entry. The artist is Alexander V. Grigoriev (1891-1961), a Russian with a very interesting history. Although he made a huge impact on Russian art he is barely mentioned in a large book I own on Russian art. In the 1920's Grigoriev was an important member of the Socialist Realism Movement. He organized and lead several schools and art groups instructing and ministering to artists across the Soviet Union. In 1937 he was arrested for anti Soviet activities and spent the next nine years in a labor camp. From then on he was labeled an enemy of the people and was restricted from much travel, as he could not even go to Moscow to visit family. Finally in the mid 1950's his honor was reinstated in the Communist party and his achievements acknowledged.       The title of this painting is simply, Still Life .  Although I am attracted to this image, I find it a little stran

   I thought about this iconic American painting recently when reading a historical novel about a 18th century American woman.  She had extreme difficulty reaching some personal goals just because she was not a man.    When Grant Wood (1891-1942) painted this image in 1930 he had no idea it would become a huge symbol in our country.  But, now, in our time, when individual rights are of prime importance, I find it interesting to relook at American Gothic.      Much has been made of the paintings elements, and composition, which is amazing!  But to me what is important is the expressions on the faces in relation to the pitch fork.  Notice the daughter is positioned behind her father. It is difficult to decide what she is looking at, maybe just the back side of his face, but he is looking straight at us - as if he is daring us to challenge him.  And where is his power coming from?  The pitch fork!  Look at how Wood has included his fist at the very bottom center.  Now we can read into it

 This week is a total switch to something quite wonderful, but different from images looked at in the past.  It is a painted story quilt created by Faith Ringgold.      I am not pleased with how this image came out, it is not very sharp, but it is such an amazing work, let's give it a try.  I have discovered that making copies of most current works run into copyright issues, as seems to be the case with this one.       Faith Ringgold has an interesting history.  She is a very successful American artist reaching into several Art venues, including children's books.  Her first was the title of this quilt, Tar Beach .  She centers her art around the American Black experience.  Although she does paint, she also has chosen to create quilts to remove any association with traditional Western European and American cultural ideas.  Her quilts have that marvelous folk art tradition yet reach far beyond into a real visual pictorial delight.      Tar Beach 2  is a painted story of an actual

       This week we return to a pure landscape.  I selected it when reading that the artist, Egon Schiele (1891 - 1918) died of the European influenza epidemic.  So I thought it related a bit to our own epidemic struggles.    Four Trees was painted in 1917, a year before his death.  My guess is that when creating this painting he had no idea he would fall ill in the coming year, so impending death was probably not an influence.     Schiele had a short but interesting life, so interesting that several film, plays have been made of parts of his story.  Many of Schiele's art was centered around the figure, mostly female and many critics have considered them grotesque, and erotic.  So he was controversial.  His personal life was disturbing enough that he was jailed for a short time for a relationship with an under age girl.      I am really attracted to this landscape.   Notice how it is composed of horizontal shapes and lines.  The trees are evenly spaced, with the sun centered in the