ArtExpertOnLine

    Spring is taking its time to arrive here, but I so dream of summer, I thought a scene by the water could be just what we need.   At first I thought to describe this scene as warm, but our two occupants seem to be dressed in several layers; so most likely it is a little cool. The museum's description, provides the location of the scene as Fladbury in England's Cotswolds.               John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) was born in Italy to American parents, so was an American citizen, but it wasn't until very late in life that he traveled to our country, mainly Florida.  Most of his life was spent in parts of Europe, especially England, Paris and parts of Italy, and here he was a successful portrait painter.    An Out-of-Doors Study was done in 1889.  Sargent was well acquainted with Claude Monet and here we can see the influence of Monet who often painted by the water and did informal settings of people....

 As you can see this is not the Mona Lisa, but another and similar portrait by Leonardo DaVinci, (1452-1519).  She is Gineura de'Benci and Leonardo did this sometime between 1474 and 1478.  She is believed to be about 16, and DaVinci was about 22. Experts assume this portrait was done for her bridal engagement. It is the only DaVinci to be in the Americas; at our National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C.  If you check their website you will discover much fun information about all the symbolism and new techniques young Leonardo used in creating this portrait.   But, I want to look at it in our usual, and maybe unusual way.     Happily, I have been to D.C. and seen this painting.  I was doing a fast stroll through the galleries and suddenly stopped, realizing I just walked by a room with only one painting in it!   How could this be?  What was so important it should have the pleasure of its own room?  The Gineura de'Ben...

 Wow, what's not to love about this colorful, multi image work.  Our artist is Frank Big Bear (1953 -) .  He grew up on the White Earth Reservation and now lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  He has received several Bush Foundation Fellowships, plus the Enduring Vision Award in 2008.   He is represented by the Bockley Gallery in Minneapolis.      I love the mystery surrounding the image and the title.  I did learn Joseph E. Big Bear is the artist's brother, and his poetry is part of an attached caption.  I have decided against including it, as I don't find it essential for enjoying the painting.  However the image certainly portrays a personal reaction to the life of this close family member.      I have always found inclusion of a whole spectrum of color a very difficult task.  Only a limited number of artists take on the job.  But we can see here, Big Bear is a master at it!  It is fun to run ...

   This week's artist is new to me, but when I first saw this portrait, I knew I would have to show it to you.   The artist is William Newenham Montague Orpen (1878 - 1931).  He was born in Dublin, Ireland and spent most of his adult life in London and Paris.  Today he is remembered for the huge number of images he created depicting the soldiers and scenes of World War I.  Traveling along the front lines of the war his images provided a realistic picture of the brutality of war.  After the war he returned to London and continued a very successful career as a society portrait painter, which made him very wealthy.   After his death in 1931 he was pretty much forgotten by art critics until very late in the 20th century.      I  know little of curacao, but after a quick search discovered the liquor is made from laraha, a bitter orange native to the island of Curacao.   Evidently juice and pulp of the laraha...