All those things one hears about the painting methods and techniques of John Singer Sargent come to an excellent example in his Portrait of Mrs. Hugh Hammersley of 1892. Sargent can manage a tour de force of a painterly approach like very few other artists. Of course, it is said that he admired Velazquez … Continue reading
I start fresh. I look at this picture as if the first time in seeing. Although difficult to do so, the Daughters of Edward Darley Boit has been pondered and subjected to voracious scrutiny and detailed psychoanalysis. Not infrequently this picture has been proclaimed the greatest produced by an American and, upon examination, hardly presents many … Continue reading
[1]Normally one does not think of Maxfield Parrish as a mid-century artist. He was born in 1870 and died in 1966. However, during the decades of the 60s and 70s, his resurgence was remarkable. His pictures, with their breathtaking views and their mythical characters, had a strong influence on those looking for the idyllic. Because … Continue reading
If you have seen the previous installments of this series, you will know that it is a practice of mine, as part of learning about an artist, to paint a work in the manner of the artist studied. Sometimes it is an exact copy of a work, such as my reproduction of Judith and Her … Continue reading
I have always found a special admiration for a lot of Degas work. I especially enjoy his self-portraits and his works in oils. However, the Museum of Modern Art in New York is holding an exhibit of very abstract works by Degas called “Edgar Degas: A Strange New Beauty”. One can read the New York … Continue reading
To start this second part of the Velazquez Prize, a myth must be dispelled. Reference to Velazquez should not come as part of an examination of Impressionism. Artists, today, wrongly think they are Impressionists simply because they use a painterly or rough approach to brushstrokes on a canvas. The use of broad brushstrokes does not … Continue reading
I have read some of Varieties of Modernism, edited by Paul Wood. This is one of a series of four books primarily used at universities in teaching modern art history. Varieties of Modernism covers 20th century modernity in art and purports to be a book of art history. If one wonders why students these days … Continue reading
In the last part of the critical examination of the Hockney’s book Secret Knowledge: Rediscovering the Lost Techniques of the Old Masters, I looked at the intricate patterns on drapery that were seemingly precisely integrated with the fabrics’ folds and bends. I came to the conclusion that such precision was possible due to proper … Continue reading
I am currently undertaking another reading of David Hochney’s Secret Knowledge, Rediscovering the Lost Techniques of the Old Masters, a book that puts forth that optical devices were widely used in the production of art work going back to the Renaissance. He introduces us to drawings and a painting by Ingres, a painting by Bronzino, … Continue reading
The famous Cardinal Albani commissioned Anton Raphael Mengs to paint the Parnassus Ceiling for the Villa Albani in Rome. The Villa Albani, not particularly suited as a permanent residence or for hosting guests, was a showcase for Cardinal Albani’s rich and extensive collection of classical antiquities. Albani dealt in buying and selling ancient objects from Rome and Greece, and along … Continue reading
