Painting

Famous Paintings by Famous Artists of the 20^th Century

Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968) painted Nude Descending a Staircase #2 in 1912 and set the world on its ear.  The style of Duchamp’s work, a stylized facet-Cubism referred to at the time as Futurism, was shocking to the art-viewing public.  It’s oil on canvas, sized 57-7/8 x 35-1/8 inches, and owned by the Philadelphia Museum of Art, PA.

Max Beckmann (1884-1950), German, painted Acrobats in 1938-1939. It is oil on canvas in triptych.  The center panel measures 78-1/2 x 67 inches and the side panels 78-1/2 x 35-1/2 inches each.  His style was Expressionism with dark line work and strong color.   The painting is part of the private collection of Mr. and Mrs. Morton May of St. Louis and on display at the Saint Louis Art Museum, MO.

Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) painted Guernica, oil on canvas, in 1937 as the centerpiece for the Spanish Pavilion during the 1939 World’s Fair.  The painting is considered one of Picasso’s most famous and recognizable images and is a work of personal outrage against the destruction of Guernica, Spain, as part of bombing practice for Hitler’s planes.  The village and all inhabitants were obliterated. Always the patriot, although not interested in politics, Picasso used this painting to share his pain and sadness.  It is currently on display at Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain.

Edward Hopper (1882-1967) painted Early Sunday Morning, an oil on canvas, in 1930.  It measures 35 x 60 inches and is Realism in style.  His use of large planes of color and his stylized and realistic imagery is exceptional.  Hopper was equally talented as a watercolorist and printmaker (etching).  This painting is viewable at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY.

Jackson Pollock (1912–1956) painted Number 1 (Lavender Mist) in 1950.  His Abstract Expressionistic style was born in 1947 with the first of his drip style works that rocked the world.  Number 1 (Lavender Mist) is painted in oil on canvas and measures 87 x 118 inches – considered very large for this time, but future works would be even larger.  See this work at The National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Piet Mondrian (1872–1944) painted Composition with Red, Yellow and Blue (see below) from 1937–42.  It’s oil on canvas and measures 28-1/2 x 27-1/8 inches.  Mondrian’s style is a hard-edged work described as “successive golden rectangles dividing a golden rectangle into squares.”  Go to www.gogeometry.com/wonder_world/piet_mondrian_composition_ii_golden_rectangle.html to see it in “action.”  The painting is currently seen at the Tate Gallery, London.

Jasper Johns (1930 - ) painted Target with Four Faces in 1955.  The work is done in encaustic on newspaper on cloth over canvas.  Encaustic is an art material in which beeswax and pigment are combined for a thick, almost sculptured look.  This work is part of a long-appearing image in John’s work – the target.  The painting measures 29-3/4  x 26 x  3-3/4 inches.  It and other “target” series works can be seen at MoMA, New York, NY.

Henri Matisse (1869-1954) painted The Dance during 1909-1911.  There are actually two paintings, one a study for the second.  The study was done in muted tones in 1909.  Many say the 1909 painting is more joyous, while the final canvas work finished in 1910 has a dark and almost pagan look.  It is painted in a Fauvist fashion with strong, warm tones against a cool background.  One might wonder why Matisse changed moods before doing the second work.  See the first painting at MoMA, NYC; the large, more oil on canvas (102 x 153 inches) is exhibited at the State Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Russia.

We can only dream of seeing one of these masterpieces, but having the opportunity to view all of them would surely be paradise!

Competitions & Opportunities

Paris Residency for a NYC-Based Visual Artist
Lower Manhattan Cultural Council
NYC
Deadline:  Sept. 29

LMCC is proud to partner again with the Mayor’s Office of the City of Paris to provide one New York City artist or collaborative pair with the opportunity to live and work at Cite Internationale des Arts, Paris, France, for six consecutive months (May – October 2012).  The selected artist will be assigned a live/work studio/flat in Central Paris and be provided with a monthly stipend.  For more information, visit http://lmcc.net/residencies/paris_residency.

Young Arts 2012
Deadline:  Oct. 14

Founded in 1981, Young Arts is the core program of the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts (NFAA), the signature national program that recognizes and supports America’s most talented 17-18 year olds in the visual, literary and performing arts.  All high school seniors or 17-18 year-old high school graduates demonstrating excellence in these arts are eligible.  Winners are eligible for financial awards and scholarships, once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to participate in workshops with master artists and perform with fellow winners, and access to a nomination for the title of Presidential Scholar in the Arts, the highest award that can be given to any artistically talented high school senior. www.youngarts.org; 305.377.1140.

Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition 2013
National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C.
March 22, 2013 – Jan. 4, 2014
Deadline:  Oct. 31, 2011

The competition is open to all artists, 18 years of age and older as of Jan. 1, 2011, who are legal residents of the U.S. or its territories with an address in the U.S. at the time of the competition.  The work entered should be understood as a portrait in the broadest sense.  It may be a traditional, representational work or it may be a more experimental portrait, but it must be based on the artist’s direct contact with any living individual(s).  Self-portraits are eligible.  Entries will be accepted in all visual arts media, including but not restricted to painting, drawing and watercolor, sculpture, weaving, ceramics, photography, prints, video, film and other digital or time-based media.  NOTE:  The NPG reserves the right to limit the number of entries accepted and may close online entry at any time between Sept. 1 and Oct. 31, 2011.  The Grand Prize winner receives $25,000 plus more.  www.npg.si.edu/competition/site3/about/rules.html.

National Endowment for the Arts
Research Grant Opportunity
Deadline:  Nov. 8

The NEA’s Office of Research & Analysis has announced the availability of grants to conduct research into the value and impact of the U.S. arts sector on the nation, whether on individuals or communities.  Grantees may use either existing or newly established datasets to conduct their research.  The resulting projects will help determine the usefulness of various datasets to arts-related research.  Through this grant opportunity, the NEA hopes to further expand the pool of researchers knowledgeable about arts and culture datasets.  The NEA encourages applicants from diverse backgrounds, including those who have not specialized in arts-related research.  They anticipate awarding up to 25 grants in the range of $10,000 to $30,000, and projects can begin as early as May 1, 2012. www.nea.gov.

Textile Symposium
The Textile Museum/
The George Washington University Campus
Washington, D.C.
October 14-16

This symposium is presented in conjunction with the exhibition Weaving Abstraction:  Kuba Textiles and the Woven Art of Central Africa (opening reception on Oct. 14).  A panel of six renowned scholars and authors will bring to light new insights on the role textiles and basketry play in Central Africa’s cultures, past and present, and their influence on Western and African-American art.  Share and discuss your own African textile treasures with the experts on Sunday, Oct. 16.  Register:  www.textilemuseum.org/symposium; or call 202.667.0441, ext. 64.

Art Illustration

Botanical Illustration

Is there anything more exquisite than a perfect botanical illustration with its subtle coloration, fine line, detailed drawing and simple, clutter-free background?  Perhaps not.   But, botanical illustration was not designed to be art; it was created for a scientifically accurate depiction of plants.  Specific details of the plants were recorded, the aim being to distinguish one plant from another.  The illustrations were initially used by physicians and scientists, and exactness was required—not an artistic painting.  But as it turns out, both things were achieved, even though botanicals as art are a relatively new application.

Although many famous people painted flowers (Monet, Renoir and modernist Georgia O’Keeffe), their approach was strictly for art, not scientific detail.  Today, photography is the most frequently used documentation of flora, but long before the camera was invented, botanical illustration was a vital tool for learning the intricacies of plant life.  From the start, fine-line drawings were hand colored with watercolor to capture as lifelike coloration, shape and detail as possible.

One of the earliest documented herbal books was an encyclopedia done in 141.  It contained 440 illustrations.  But even earlier was a Syrian tomb decorated in 1500 BC with 275 plant drawings.  Scientific minds have used detailed botanical illustrations for thousands of years.

Some of the earliest botanical drawings were done to record plants used as medicine.  The drawings identified plants and herbs that were used to treat illnesses and had to be accurate so that whoever was collecting the plant would select wisely.  These early books contained drawings that were individually drawn and then colored.  When more than one book was created, each drawing was repeatedly redrawn and recolored.

As Europeans became intrigued with flowering plants, their interest in botanical illustrations followed.  With the discovery of new colors of pigment, the colors used became more realistic, and the drawings were sought for décor as everything from wall art to wall coverings.

As technology advanced and printing came into the picture, wood-cuts and etchings were created individually and then hand colored to achieve the pages.  And as time passed and mass production of illustrations for books became important, multiple prints were done, but still colored page-by-page.

Today, there are two centers where botanical illustrations are collected or living plants are exhibited, helping rekindle interest in this exquisite style of drawing.  One is The Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew, near London, England, where you can see living examples of one in eight of all plant species.  Secondly, the Art Department holdings at the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation at Carnegie Melon University in Pittsburgh, PA, include over 29,000 original paintings (mostly 20^th century watercolors), drawings and original prints dating from the Renaissance to the present. Visit http://huntbot.andrew.cmu.edu/.

The Art Marketplace

Artool Products – New Website

Visit http://www.iwata-medea.com/index.php/artool/ to access Artool’s newly designed website.  You’ll see a new look and much more content, including artist profiles and your favorite airbrush templates.

Jack Richeson & Co. – 2011 Holiday Rebates on Easels & Pastels

Purchase qualifying BEST or Richeson Easels or Unison Pastels and receive up to $200 back from Jack Richeson & Co.  This offer is valid on purchases from Sept. 1, 2011 through Dec. 31, 2011.  For full details and the rebate form, visit www.richesonart.com/rebate.

Commemorative Art Programs – 9/11

Following is a selection of program offerings that commemorate the tenth anniversary of 9/11:

Brooklyn Museum
Brooklyn, NY
Ten Years Later:  Ground Zero Remembered
Sept. 7 – Oct. 30

This installation honors those who were lost and those who have suffered and triumphed in the face of that day’s adversities.  On view are works by the artists Michael Richards (who perished in the attack) and Christoph Draeger.  In addition, two reflection books on view contain comments from Museum visitors responding to images of Ground Zero exhibited at the Museum for the first anniversary of 9/11 in 2002.  http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/upcoming_exhibitions.php.

Miami Art Museum
Miami, FL
Focus Gallery:  Joel Meyerowitz - Aftermath
Through Nov. 6

This special exhibition consists of 24 recently donated photographs taken by the only photographer granted right of entry into Ground Zero.  For nine months during the day and night, Joel Meyerowitz photographed “the pile,” as the WTC came to be known, and the over 800 people a day that were working in it.  http://www.miamiartmuseum.org/exhibition-Meyerowitz.asp.

MoMA PS1 – Long Island City, NY
September 11
Sept. 11 – Jan. 9, 2012

This major exhibition reflects upon the attacks of 9/11/01 and the ways that they have altered how we see and experience the world in their wake.  More than 70 works by 41 artists in a range of mediums—many made prior to 9/11—explore the attacks’ enduring and far-reaching resonance.  The exhibition is accompanied by a 248-page catalog designed by Kloepfer-Ramsey and published by MoMA PS1.  http://www.momaps1.org/exhibitions/view/338.

Metropolitan Museum of Art
New York, NY
The 9/11 Peace Story Quilt
Through Jan. 22, 2012

The 9/11 Peace Story Quilt was designed by the artist Faith Ringgold and created in collaboration with NYC students ages 8 to 19.  It poignantly conveys the importance of respect, understanding and communication across cultures and religions to achieve the goal of peace.  Comprised of three 72 x 50-inch panels, each with 12 squares on the theme of peace, the quilt will be displayed alongside several of the students’ original works of art that inspired its content, as well as related works made this summer by the Museum’s high school interns.  Special programming will be offered at the Museum on Sunday, September 11.  http://www.metmuseum.org/special/se_event.asp?OccurrenceId={427AFBE3-C836-4757-BE11-E9385E5C9E70}.

Lower Manhattan Cultural Council
New York, NY
InSite:  Art + Commemoration
Through Oct. 11

This is a series of public and online programs inviting artistic response to a decade of recovery and change in Lower Manhattan.  A dynamic web portal is a platform for artistic ideas, events and information addressing the anniversary.  A full roster of artistic programming includes exhibitions, poetry readings, performances and more.  Visit http://insite.lmcc.net/.

Airbrush

Tips for the Airbrush Artist

The Art of the Dot:  Stippling – This is a term that refers to visible dots that are utilized to create various effects.  Some artists create these by using an airbrush.  Both internal and external mix airbrushes can achieve a stippled spray.  An external mix brush does it almost automatically because of the method it employs to spray paint.  Internal mix airbrushes will produce a stippled spray when the air pressure is lowered to around 2 psi.  In some cases you can achieve a stippled spray by removing the air cap.  For best results in stippling, both types of airbrushes should be set at a low air pressure—the lower the pressure, the larger the dot.  This incomplete atomization will usually develop large specks of paint that are controllable by the artist.  Stippled spray is used to develop various effects, e.g., the rough surface of a metal casting, the look of rust or fabric and background areas for color field painting.  As opposed to the soft delicate spray usually achieved with the airbrush, artists find the ability to stipple very convenient.

Don’t soak the airbrush! — It’s important when cleaning an airbrush that you do not immerse the entire tool in a cleaning agent, be it soap and water, lacquer thinner or gun and equipment cleaner.  There’s no reason for paint, inks or dyes to be present anywhere else in the airbrush except for the color cup and the tip.  If paint or another material somehow works back into the area of the trigger or further back toward the handle, you must disassemble the airbrush and clean it by hand.  If you soak the airbrush in cleaner, the solvent and any paint that is dissolved will invade the triggering mechanism—which can then easily gum up the works and make the trigger sticky or impossible to manipulate.  It will also cause deterioration of any seals in the airbrush that are not solvent resistant (although most airbrushes today have solvent-resistant seals).

The dual action airbrush rocks! – The dual-action airbrush is the most popular model in use because of the triggering method.  This style of airbrush enables you to change the amount of paint sprayed without stopping your hand movement.  Just depress the trigger completely for air and then pull back on the trigger to release paint.  The amount of paint is determined by how far back you pull.  Remember, the result is determined by the amount of paint emitted and how close the brush is held to the work surface.  With the dual-action airbrush you can spray from a fine line (pencil thickness) to a wide line (1-1/2”) without stopping for readjustment.

ArtPourri

News from the Art World

Attendance Records Set – The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, has announced that the exhibition Art in the Streets attracted 201,352 visitors, marking the highest exhibition attendance in the museum’s history.  With this exhibition, MOCA expects to double its annual attendance this year to 400,000 visitors. — The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC, has announced that 5.68 million people visited the Met during the fiscal year that ended on June 30. The number, which includes attendance at The Cloisters museum and gardens, is the highest recorded in 40 years. The total was more than 400,000 greater than in Fiscal Year 2010. The recent exhibition Alexander McQueen:  Savage Beauty drew 661,509 visitors, placing it among the top 10 most visited exhibitions.

Admission Increases – Due to escalating costs, effective Sept. 1, the Museum of Modern Art, NYC, will raise adult admission to $25 and full-time student admission to $14; however, admission will remain free for those 16 and under.

Art Graces the Streets – Due to popular demand, The Detroit Institute of Arts has initiated the program “Inside/Out” for the second year.  Eighty reproductions of masterpieces from the museum’s collection will be placed in the streets and parks of greater metro Detroit through Nov. 30 of this year.  Around 44 cities will participate throughout the event, which will continue April-June and July-Sept. 2012.  DIA is working with the communities to plan educational opportunities and other fun activities, and residents of participating cities will receive free museum admission of a designated family Sunday.  See more at http://www.dia.org/calendar/special-event.aspx?id=2814&iid=.

New Art Acquisitions Made – The Philadelphia Museum of Art has announced the acquisition of a wide range of works of art that will significantly enhance its world-renowned collection. These major works—acquired by purchase, gift or pledged to the Museum as donations—include several Impressionist and modern paintings by major masters as well as nearly 200 paintings, sculptures and drawings from one of the country’s most significant private collections of work by self-taught artists, thus making the museum one of the leading centers for the study of this material in the country.  Among the acquisitions are paintings by Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro and Alfred Sisley, as well as a pastel by Mary Cassatt.

New Stamps Salute Our Nation – The U. S. Postal Service continues its “Flags of Our Nation” series with the issuance of 10 more stamp designs that feature the flags of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the states of OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD and TN.  In addition to the official flag, each stamp design includes artwork that provides a snapshot such as an everyday scene or activity, rare wildlife or a picturesque vista.  Art director Howard Paine collaborated with artist Tom Engeman on the 50 stamps in this series.

Love Reigns in Miami – Participate (by appointment only) in Rivane Neuenschwander’s First Love installation at the Miami Art Museum, FL, the artist’s psychologically complex adaptation of Samuel Beckett’s novella by the same name.  In this version, visitors are invited to describe the face of their “first love” to a police sketch artist.  The portraits will hang in the gallery for the duration of the exhibition, ending Oct. 16.  Participants receive free museum admission.  Sessions take approximately 1-1/2 hours and are available on weekends.  Info/Sign-Up:  firstlove@miamiartmuseum.org.

Milestone – Renowned painter Lucian Freud, a grandson of Sigmund Freud, has died in London at age 88.  “Freud built up a formidable reputation as one of the most powerful contemporary figurative painters of nudes, portraits and faces.  His is a gutsy realism characterized by strong forms and arresting detail, rendered with rich dynamic brushwork.”—Acquavella Galleries.

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Copyright ARTtalk Vol. 21, No. 11 — September 2011