ArtExpertOnLine

     This week as we end another year, I chose a painting about dreams, looking into the future.  As with all Art, we, as viewers, are allowed to take what the artist has presented to us and make our own decisions about its meaning.  And, each day, those opinions may change depending on the trials and joys of our own life.     This week's artist is Maxfield Parrish (1870-1966).  He is remembered today as primarily a commercial artist and illustrator.  He was an artist whose work was so well accepted he financially profited, so after 1920 his focus was mainly painting.  It is known that at the height of his career one in four American homes owned some type of Parrish's work.  It could have been a print, an illustrated book, or a magazine cover.  Today it is possible in an antique or collectable store to find an old frame preserving a Parrish illustration once removed from a magazine or calendar.      "Dream C...

      This week we return to Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890).   Here we are inside the little yellow house he rented in Arles, France.   Back in 2020 I reviewed the painting of the exterior and now let us take a good look inside.  Van Gogh painted this room several times, this one the 1889 version.   Many experts have written about him and this painting, but I like to think of why he painted it.     It is typical for a painter to run out of ideas, "nothing to paint today".  And Van Gogh was dedicated, working everyday as most artists are compelled to do.  I think it fun to think the the first time he tried this subject, maybe, it was a very cool day, or maybe it was raining, to miserable to paint outdoors?  Maybe he was tired of portraits, and just felt like wanting a day by himself?   We don't know those things, but,  in creating this composition he gives us his personal space, and learn about him fr...

   It has been a while since we have looked at a contemporary artist and new work, and this particular image by Jimmy Baker is somewhat different from others of his.   At first glance our painting for this week appears to be a landscape, maybe a setting or rising sun.  Our attention is drawn to the circle just slightly above middle center, and the arches above and swirls of color high light it.  Look at the lower half, the earth.  The light has highlighted rocks or wood chips, but we are unable to distinguish more.   I think this painting allows us to determine for ourselves what to make of it.   Is this a dying earth, or one recovering from tragedy?         Jimmy Baker (1980-) is from Ohio.  He was born here, received his education in Ohio, and is presently and associate professor at the Art Academy of Cincinnati.  His work has achieved critical acclaim with solo exhibitions in Europe and across t...

    This week we are traveling to the United Kingdom for a very interesting family portrait.  The year is 1760 and our artist is Johan Zoffany (1733-1810), a popular portrait painter of the day.   And, according to sources, this work is typical of his style of painting.  When viewing, I think of the writings of Jane Austen ( Pride and Prejudice,  Sense and Sensibility)    If you remember this is the time when the Lord of the manor was "king" of his own little kingdom.  Women could  not inherit or own property, and all inheritance went to the oldest son.   So, here we have a family group with two women, one man, and four children.  In reading about the painting, I learned that the woman in red is the wife/mother and the woman in grey holding the fruit is the sister of Lord Bradshaw.   We do not know her circumstances but assume she is single, therefore under the care and household of her brother.   ...

    This week we are dipping way back to the 17th century for what is considered a genre painting.  Card playing must have been  a favorite pastime in Europe for generations as many artists tackled the subject, all the way up to Cezanne, and maybe later.   Our artist today is Judith Lester, (1609-1660).  Her work is often mistaken for Frans Hal, a man with whom she studied and worked beside.  Although it is impossible to know for sure, most references accredit them as simply artists of a like mind, and that Lester seems to have achieved her successes on her own merits.  She did become a member of the artists guild of the day, which was a considerable achievement.                 In this case, "genre" painting refers to painting of the everyday, or images of people going about their everyday life, and almost always it is not the upper class, but the middle class or poor.   This painting sh...

     I was looking for an abstract, contemporary image, until I ran into this.   Far from abstract, this is true realism, and so realistic it is a specific stadium, a specific game, featuring a great player up to bat.  The year is 1951 and we are in Griffin Stadium, in Washington D.C.  The Washington Senators are in the field, with the New York Yankees up to bat.  Baseball historians will recognize the batter as Joe DiMaggio because of his characteristic wide stance.  Also, 1951 is his last year of play.   The pitcher is not identified, but the posture of all the Senators shows the tension as the pitcher is about to throw the ball to one of the greatest hitters of all time.      Marjorie Acker Phillips (1894 - 1985) is our artist.  She was married to Duncan Phillips who was a huge baseball, Washington Senator fan.  They had box seats and attended most games, and Marjorie took her sketchpad with her, mak...

   This is one of those images that make me happy a few things have improved with time.   This painting was done in 1912 but it took another fifty years (and plus) before the automatic washer and drier were used in most American households.  Our artist is John Sloan (1871-1951) and he painted this scene after viewing it out his apartment window in New York City.   If you know this city, the exact location is East 22nd Street.   It is described as a tenement house, which is an apartment building owned by one person, divided into units which are rented out to others.  A tenement is usually thought of as a building meeting minimum standards required by a city for multiple occupancy.       This is an interesting time in American history.   Edith Warton wrote novels about life of the super elite, rich and photographer Lewis Hine was photographing young children forced into hard labor rather than attend school....

    Our image this week comes a day late, but it is a major painting in the history of art and culture.  The artist is Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968).      Duchamp had an interesting life.  He was one of four successful artists coming out of a large family, and certainly the most famous, and influential of the four.  He began as a painter but eventually set aside painting to explore many more artistic and creative ideas.  He had the good fortune to be both highly creative and intelligent.  He and others explored what they called the 4th dimension which (briefly) is a concept simultaneously bringing together multiple views, as observed from differing points of view, all at the same time. Confusing?  I agree. But it got the creative world thinking and Art was never quite the same.     "Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2" is a work from 1912.  It was a monumentally important work because it combined Picasso and Braque's...

    I probably should have saved this for the 4th of July, but that is a little far off and this work is among Childe Hassam's finest.      I have known of Childe Hassam (1859 - 1935) for a very long time, but only recently did Wikimedia straighten me out about the correct way to pronounce his first name.  It seems the "e" is silent; and his last name is pronounced as written, with two syllables.        From what I have read, Hassam was a pretty sharp guy, and possibly a little  arrogant.  He created 3,000 some works of art in his career and lived his entire adult life on the proceeds of their sale.  This is quite remarkable.  Most artists, (at least before 1930) had to supplement their income by teaching, commissioned portraits or careers outside the art field.  But Hassam figured out not only how to market his work, but also what subjects would be popular.  Timing is always a big issue, and he wa...

     I thought it time for a little contrast, something sweet and pretty.  But this week's image isn't just a nostalgic mismatch, but a professionally composed arrangement of a scene.   Carl Larsson (1853-1919) did this work in 1898 after he had achieved considerable success as an artist.  The family had recently moved into a new home where Carl and his wife, Karin designed and decorated the whole of the interior.  It was then that Carl created a series of 26 watercolors of his family active inside this new home.  Here we have "The Kitchen".        Allowing our eye to flow through the painting we notice a lot of detail, a lot telling us how meals were prepared in this space.  Two things catch me and make me smile.   First is that the window is open and a nice breeze coming in. Next, look at the cat.  Why is he huddled next to the oven/stove?  It seems safe to assume the breeze is cooling the r...

   I did a little searching to find an interesting painting for this week, and so, with a little smile, I show you "The Jug on the Window".   There is a lot to look at here, and my first reaction is: "what in the world is this all about?".        One of the delightful things about studying painting, is the discovery of unique places.  A couple of weeks ago we were in Japan looking at an ancient station and road connecting the important capital cities.  And now, we are in another unique place on the other side of our planet. This is Les Baux-de-Provence in Southern France.  It is located in the Alpilles mountains, 22 kilometers south of Avigon, 15 kilometers NE of Arles.  It is considered one of the most beautiful villages in France.  People  have occupied this village since back to 2nd and early 1st centuries BC.  And, today contains ancient ruins of life, especially a ruined castle.    "The Jug on the ...

      It was back in March of 2021 when I first featured a painting by this artist.   There are many reasons why I am attracted to his work, but I think primarily because he successfully records early nineteenth century American history.   This week's painting is a regional work straight out of the area recorded by Samuel Clemons (Mark Twain) in his books about life on the Mississippi.       George Caleb Bingham (1811-1879) painted "Lighter Relieving a Steamboat Aground" in 1847.   (It is interesting to note that Samuel Clemons was an adolescent when Bingham painted this scene, so maybe it was Bingham's images that helped influence Clemons?)    Bingham is rightfully considered a Missouri artist, but he was much more than that.  He traveled to different areas of the United States and Europe to gain an education perfecting his artistic talent, but eventually did settle back in Missouri with his family to paint...

   I found this image while scanning through the internet.  The artist is new to me, but I was captivated by the subject and composition.      The artist is Charles Weir, (1823 -1845), and it was painted in 1842, three years before his death.  There are several interesting things about this artist.  First, he was the younger brother of Robert Weir, a well known painter and educator who spent the majority of his adult life teaching art at West Point. As his dates indicate, he did this painting when he was only 19, and dying at 22.  I could find no information about why he passed away so young.  Seeing a photo of Robert Weir, it appears Robert was a Caucasian man, so it make sense that Charles was, too.  The last interesting fact is that this painting is one of only two known works - what a pity.      Although almost no information is available about Weir's short life, there is a fair amount about this scene b...

   This week let's take another trip to Japan, and the wonderful woodblock artist, Utagawa Hiroshige, (1797-1858).   This is a straight forward image of people crossing a bridge.   But, I have discovered, this is a very important scene.   Kakewawa is now a large city in Southwest Japan.   When Hiroshige created this art it was number 26 out of 53 stations along a primary road called the Tokaido Road.   This road linked Shogun capital, Edo to the imperial capital, Kyoto, so it became the main travel and transport artery of old Japan.  Each of the 53 stations offered food and lodging to the travelers.      I think it is fairly safe to assume that the buildings seen on the very left side are the stations quarters for tired and hungry travelers.   Kakewawa is on the Pacific Ocean, so also, safe to assume that that is what Hiroshige shows us in the distance.   When this series was complet...

    By special request, this week I am featuring one of the world's most famous artists, Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890).  Most people know only the highlights of his life, and even those have been caught up in legend.  A few years ago there was even a song about him and his famous painting, "Starry Night", which greatly romanticized his life.  To truly understand this artist is to view his work and read his letters to his brother, Theo.       So here we have a wonderful painting done the same year he died, and very similar to "Starry Night" containing the same swirling brush stokes that create so much movement.  If a strong wind is whipping the land and sky, why aren't the trees bent? What is this painting about?   I love the human presence.  The two men walking and the horse with buggy provide a size dimension.  Wow, that is a tall cypress tree!  It can't even fit inside the canvas.      Notice...

     It was back on December 13, 2020 when we first looked at a work by Danish artist,  Wihelm Hammershoi (1864-1916).   This work is very similar to our previous one, as it is in the same restrained palette and features his wife, Ida, as his model.  This one, too, contains that same element of mystery, coolness and distance typical of this period of Hammershoi's art.       It is immediately obvious that Hammershoi has great skill in rendering objects realistically and with great detail.  The covered bowl on our left is ample proof.  So, why has he zeroed in on this scene?  Why is she facing the wall, with her face turned slightly away from the light source, which is probably a window.  And, finally, why is she dressed all in black, with no white apron as seen in the other painting?      I hear no sound, no way of sensing what her mood.  Is she sad?  Has she turned away from us to hi...

    We are going back to 1633 for this week's painting.  Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) was at the height of his career when he completed, "The Storm on the Lake of Galilee.  It is considered an historical, religious work depicting Christ and his disciples on the boat in the storm as told in the Bible's book of Mark.      Other than portrait painting, Rembrandt did many images of Bible stories. By now he was at the top of his game, and known throughout Europe  as a great painter and story teller.     Biblical subjects were popular for many artists and it is known that Rembrandt did see similar works on this particular subject.  Yet here, we see a true master at work.  The general composition of the triangular ship/sail is not unusual, and may have been lifted from others.  But it is the light on that turbulent sea, boat and people.  We can almost feel the wind as it blows up the sea, tearing the sail.  ...

    I thought I would bring you a lot of color this week and an image that is almost symmetrical.  This is another new artist to me, and one worth getting to know. She was Pacita Abad (1946-2004).      This is not a "painting" in the usual sense, but a multi layered quilted canvas work.  Abad combined multi cultural traditions from Asia, Africa, Latin America and her native Philippines to design and create her art. Besides stitched fabric she also painted on the canvas, plus adds such things as buttons, beads, shells, and mirror pieces.  So, the resulting artwork is an almost three dimensional design to delight the eye.      Our image for today is one of 3 of a series which she began in the 1970's and completed this one in 1986.  I have not been able to discover what "Bacongo" means, but I will venture a guess that maybe it is this person's name.  This work is so much more than an image of a person.  It is almos...

  I consider myself reasonably educated in Art of Western culture, but I find it interesting that in slowly attaining that education this week's artist was completely missed.  And, he was a huge heavy-weight.  I picked this image out after scanning the collection at the Nelson Atkins Art Museum in Kansas City, MO. I selected it not for the subject matter, but for the amazing composition which immediately drew me in.  I now have done minor research into Aaron Douglas (1899-1979) and here is a little of what I have found.    He was born in Kansas and moved about the middle of our country working at various labor jobs to attain an education.  He even attended the University of Minnesota for a short time.  He did make the "required" trip to Paris for a short time, but it was in Harlem, New York City where he first made his major impact.   Here he was a leader in the Harlem Renaissance and the Harlem Artist's Guild, and by this time had sever...

       I have always been attracted to the work of this week's artist, Odilon Redon, (1840-1916).   Maybe it's the colors, maybe the simple composition, but I think most likely I am attracted to the way he balances his uncanny skills while creating almost child-like imagery.  Here we have a portrait of a beautiful young woman while dancing all around her are these fun and imaginative shapes looking somewhat like flowers, organic greenery.    It is a puzzle to me why he did her in profile.  Maybe it was her preference, maybe not.  But the work tells us less about her and more about Redon and his style of art.  She looks pleasant, but otherwise provides little expression, and the shapes around her bounce away from her face and body almost like they are in motion.   It is almost a dreamlike setting.     Odilon Redon was one of those independent artists whose work didn't nicely fall into early modern moveme...

      This is one of those paintings I was attracted to the minute I saw it.  Let me tell you why.   The artist is Robert Delaunay (1885-1941) and this is a late work of his, painted in 1934.  If you have any knowledge of modern art, you may know there was a movement in the 1960's called Op Art where artists attempted to create optical illusions with dramatic graphic designs.  This painting is not one of those, but almost a step before it.  I find the design amazing.  Notice how the line dividing the circles is skewed to the left side of the canvas, starting below the frame but ending top right just before the end is reached.  This gives the feeling this row of circular shapes is a long series, much larger below us and we only see the very top.     I have found painting color outside the confines of realism difficult.  Discovering and creating shades that compliment or create the desired objective is achieved by ...

    I find this week's painting interesting for a lot of reasons.   A couple of artists, many years before, had selected this subject before Paul Cezanne (1839-1906) took it on in 1890.  But Cezanne, now referred to as the Father of Modern Art, was to make his own, unique versions.  He did five, plus many sketches and small studies of a couple of these men.  This painting is the second in the series.        I think it is interesting to see what is NOT in the work:  no females; no cups, glasses, bottles of drink; and no gambling money.   Each character has his head down, so no verbal communication between them, as they wait for the next move.  Although there are tobacco pipes available, only one is smoking, but no sign of puffs of smoke.      Cezanne did this painting between 1890 and 92.  The structure of a painting was of prime importance so time was taken to arrange and position ea...

       This week I ask you to spend some time with this painting.  Take two fingers and pull and stretch to examine every corner.  It is amazing the detail you will see and enjoy.  The artist is Pieter Bruegel the Elder (ca.1525-1569), and yes, there was a "Younger".  Pieter Bruegel the Younger was the son of  today's artist and my memory reminds me he was not as talented or accomplished as his father.           This huge vista in today's painting was done in 1565 as a commission of six works depicting the seasons, of which only four are known to exist today. Bruegel was then 40 years old and at the height of his career.  The scene is Flanders, the Dutch speaking area of north Belgium close to the Netherlands and France.  For the time, this is a totally remarkable painting.  The Reformation is in full swing dividing Europe into Protestant north and Roman Catholic south.  Almost all painting ha...

  Today's painting comes by special request from a frequent reader.  I have avoided the subject since starting this blog, but I think it is about time I take it on!     Female nudes have been painted for centuries, and many artists have taken their turn.  Drawing and painting the human body has been a standard in art schools since the renaissance, the idea being that a study of the muscles, bones, and sections are essential to doing justice to the whole. The female figure has been especially admired in Europe, but old Puritan standards in the U.S. have kept it behind closed doors here.      Our painting today is one of the oldest I have shown.  The artist is the Spaniard, Diego Velazquez (1599-1660) and the title is The Rokeby Venus.  An exact date is not known but given as 1647-51.   The title comes from Rokeby Park in County Durham, England where the painting hung for much of the 19th century.  The painting shows th...

    I thought I would toss something quite different to you this week.   It is an image with lots going on in it.  The most important consideration when viewing is that this work is extremely large.  It is 84 inches (7 feet) tall and 78 inches (6 feet, 6 inches) wide. This means picking up the full impact is difficult for us, but, we can easily see the painting as a whole, as if from a distance.   In a gallery situation, a painting this size must be in a very large room, so viewer can approach from afar moving in.  Once in, the work will submerge us, surround us, so we catch the swirls and seeming chaos.   The artist is Fiona Rae.  Born in Hong Kong in 1963 she moved to Britain in 1971.  Here she studied art and established her career.  She now lives in London.  The title of this work is "Untitled (emergency room)"       This image is very complex, with all emphasis on surface, no attempt at establ...

  I have always loved this painting.  It has always seemed so intimate to me.  A young woman, a young girl, and a small dog out for the day and resting on a bench.  She is looking straight at us as if we have interrupted her reading.  Her pleasant expression seems to indicate she is listening to us, wondering what we have to say.   Manet has painted the girl close enough to her so we must assume they are related, is this mother/daughter or maybe two sisters?   If we do a search of the painting we would discover the name of the model, but I prefer to allow her to remain anonymous pretending maybe some day, long ago, I knew her and I am there.   The artist is Edouard Manet (1832 - 1883).  He was the oldest of the group of artists loosely associated with the French Impressionists.  Manet never considered himself part of this group, but there are huge similarities and they certainly influenced one another.   During his ma...

  Do you like beer?   How about a huge mug center stage?   That is what this week's image features and it is bright and colorful. It was painted in 1921 by Fernand Le'ger (1881-1955).   If you have studied art, you may see a resemblance to Paul Cezanne and Pablo Picasso in this work.  Le'ger was a very talented French artist, but did not live in a vacuum.  He was part of a large group of extremely gifted artists living in and around Paris in the late 19th century and early 20th century.  What a heady experience it must have been to mix and exchange ideas, thoughts and work.   But the trick of it all, was to come up with something original, great to be influenced, but one needed their own special brand, product.   For Le'ger it was cubism dependent on the cylinder.  It became known for a time as, "tubism"    Le'ger served in World War I at the front, and shortly after that his painting was very mechanica...

It has been just over a year since we looked at another of Hiroshige's works, and that was from a different series.       Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858) was one of the finest of the Japanese artists, and is often considered the greatest landscape artist of his century.  He was hugely influential, especially to European artists such as Monet, Manet, Whistler, and Van Gogh.  I find it sadly interesting that although his paintings and prints were in high demand, selling well, he was poorly paid, never accumulating great wealth. In 1856 he retired to become a Buddhist monk, and at that time began his final series of woodcut prints.  This weeks selection is taken from that series, "100 Famous Views of Edo"  The title of the work is "Asakusa Rice Fields and Torinomachi Festival".     What strikes me the most about this work is how creative it is.  Many of Hiroshige's works were part of a series, so this is not unusual, but who takes on the...

    I usually stay away from controversial subjects, but for this week, I decided to tackle this one.   The title is The Last of the Buffalo and Albert Bierstadt painted it in 1888.  Here we see a First American on a white horse spearing a bison, with remains of others in the foreground.   What we realize today is that bison were essential for Native People and every part of the animal was important to them and used.  But, in 1888, Bierstadt's goal was to portray a more romantic, glamorous image to the cities in the East, and this painting is the last of a long series he did of the American West.    Bierstadt (1830-1902) was born in Germany, and was brought here as a small child.  He maintained a studio in New York and traveled the West photographing and sketching, then returned to studio to create very large canvases of what was then, a very mysterious land.  He was part of the Hudson River School of artists who believed in ca...

    Probably the most controversial American painter of the nineteenth century was our artist for this week.   Thomas Eakins (1844-1916) was a realist painter and educator who suffered terribly because of his teaching methods, but American culture would most likely be still stuck  in the stifling Victorian tastes and ideals of that century if it were not for Eakins fortitude and personal strength.  As a young man Eakins studied in Europe before returning to his Philadelphia home to work and teach.   From the very beginning he was a strong realist, believing there was nothing finer than to depict nature as beautifully and lifelike as it truly is.  And this interest extended to the human form as well.       In his teaching, life study was essential and he wanted men and women treated equally.  This meant live nude male and female models were used in mixed sex classes - a far cry from the norms of  the day.  ...

     A very special thank you to the National Gallery of Art for allowing us to use this painting this week.  The artist is Joan Miro (1893-1983), a Spanish artist usually considered a surrealist.   This past week I did google some information about the painting and read several "expert" opinions on its merit.  Their highly educated views gave me reason to pause, as mine will be a little more "humble".      I have never been to Spain, but I have been to many farms. Because of the nature of the business, they all have many things in common, and we see them all portrayed here. Without background history, viewing the painting on its own merits, it is amazing to see all Miro has included.  Everything is here!  As our eyes scan across the canvas all kinds of life and objects are discovered; even a snail!  Miro must have loved this place.        The landscape is divided in half horizontally, with the bot...