Artwork Today

The Book of Kells

2009-11-10T22:52:00.001-05:00

For historic background on the Book of Kells go to my blog historyscharacters.blogspot.com

The Book of Kells is probably the most famous book of illuminated manuscripts. It is certainly one of the most beautiful. I had the opportunity to see it in person on two occasions. Once, when it was on tour. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York was one of the stops. I went and stood on line for at least an hour then got to look at it for about two minutes. Very disappointing. The second time was when I was in Dublin. I went to Trinity College where the Book of Kells is on permanent display. There was no one else there other than a security guard. The book is encased in a glass box and each day they turn the page. Well, since no one else was around, the guard opened the case and let me look at several pages. (That was 30 years ago. I imagine that wouldn't happen nowadays.) It was beautiful.
The colors, the intricate designs are breathtaking. Knots, swirls, fauna and flora, there is so much there that it takes a while to take it all in.
Even the tiniest section is elaborately done.

Thge picture above is the Chi-Rho page. This is the insular of the Book of Matthew. The Greek letters Chi and Rho were often used in Medieval manuscripts to abbreviate the word Christ. The letter chi dominates the page with the rho sort of snuggled underneath.This
There are all these tiny swirls and knots. The entire inner part of the letter is filled. Some pages have have animals or human figures popping up, occasionally fighting or doing acrobatic stunts.There are apostles and angels watching over the manuscript. There is whimsy and humor. yet none of these take away from the script itself.
Some of the pages have no manuscript but are full page representations of the Apostles, Mary,and Christ.
But the images speak for themselves. Here are a few more.

Tribute to Jennifer L. Howley

2009-09-09T22:44:00.008-04:00

Today's posting is a little different. Project 2996 has asked those of us who signed up to write a tribute to one of the victims of 09/11/2001 to post it on our blog. My tribute is to Jennifer L. Howley

Jennifer L. Dorsey Howley - Director at Aon Insurance and Risk Management

Jennifer Lynn Dorsey was born to Lyle and Donna Jean Dorsey on July 7, 1967 in Lincoln Nebraska. Jennifer graduated from Lincoln Southeast High School in 1985. She had a lifelong love of music and took part in several choral ensembles as well as the high school theater department. After high school Jennifer moved to New York City and in 1987 began working in the insurance industry. For a while she lived in Fort Lauderdale and worked for Sedgwick James. Co-workers there remember her positive attitude and energy. She was always there for someone with a problem. She took pride in everything she did and inspired others to do the same.
In 1994 Jennifer returned to New York and started working for Aon at 2 World Trade Center, on the 92nd floor. She had recently been promoted from Senior VP to Director.
In 1997 Jennifer married Brian Howley. At the time of her death she was expecting their first child. She and Brian lived in New Hyde Park in Queens, New York.
As mentioned before, Jennifer had a life long love of music. In honor of Jennifer, Lincoln Southeast High School , her alma mater, opened the Jennifer L. Dorsey Howley Performing Arts Center in February 2009. The Theater opened with a play by Christopher Cartmill entitled "The Choir." This play was inspired by Jennifer's life and her love of music.
The family has also established a scholarship fund in Jennifer's name for a qualifying LSE senior who demonstrates an interest in the fine arts by being involved with the LSE fine arts program.

Filippo Brunelleschi and "IL Duomo"

2009-08-20T02:03:00.019-04:00

Filippo Brunelleschi (1377-1446) was one of the most important architects, engineers, and sculptors of the Italian Renaissance. His most famous structure is the Dome - Il Duomo - part of the Church Santa Maria del Flore, the Cathedral in Florence, Italy.
Brunelleschi was trained as a goldsmith and a sculptor in a workshop in Florence in 1392. Around this time he met Paolo dal Pozzo Toscanelli who became a mentor to young Filippo. Toscanelli was a merchant and medical doctor and he taught Filippo mathematics and science, especially the principles of geometry. He was also able to bring out Filippo's interest in technology.
In 1401, Brunelleschi entered a competition proposed by the Lord of Florence to design the bronze doors of the Florence Baptistry. Seven artists entered. Brunelleschi tied with Lorenzo Ghiberti, but the judges gave Ghiberti the commission, proposing that Brunelleschi act as his assistant. Filippo did not like this idea and withdrew. Both artist's panels can be seen in the Bargello Museum which is housed in the Palazzo del Bargello in Florence.
After this,Filippo turned to architecture. He was great friends with the sculptor Donatello and they spent several years in Rome studying . Brunelleschi immersed himself in the study of antiquity, especially Roman engineering - temples, buildings, baths, amphitheaters, paying particular attention to construction of architectural elements such as vaults and cupolas.
Brunelleschi also did work in mathematics. His most important work in that field was the rediscovery of the principles of linear perspective using mirrors. He did studies of the scale and computed the relation between actual length of an object and its length in the picture depending on its distance behind the plane of the canvas. Using these principles, he drew various scenes of Florence with correct perspective.
The Cathedral in Florence, Santa Maria del Fiore, had a partially completed dome. Work on the cathedral had begun in 1296 and over a hundred years later it was still not completed. The painter Giotto had worked on the building from 1334 until his death in 1337. Brunelleschi became interested in the dome - called Il Duomo - around 1409. The dome had posed a problem for architects for years and many had tried to find a solution. Part of the problem was that when the Cathedral was built no one knew how the dome could be constructed. It was to be larger than the Pantheon's dome in Rome and no dome of that size had been built since antiquity. And buttresses were forbidden by the city. The fact that the dome was to go over the octagonal Baptistry didn't help. Brunelleschi decided he was going to find the solution.
Since childhood, Filippo had been interested in mechanical things - clocks, wheels,, gears, and, especially, weights. In 1418 the wardens of works of the cathedral set up a competition to find a solution to the dome problem. Brunelleschi used his artistic and mathematical skills and his understanding of mechanics and came up with a proposal. His idea was to use brick as a building material, laid in rotating herringbone patterns. His methods included ways of lifting the materials into position, avoiding the use of scaffolding but including the use of machines, which he designed specifically for the project. Once again he was up against Ghiberti but this time he was the one given the commission (in 1420).
It was a long difficult project. Brunelleschi used more than 4 million bricks. He invented a new hoisting machine for raising the masonry needed for the dome. He issued one of the first patents for the hoist in order to prevent theft of his ideas and was granted the first modern patent for his invention of a river transport vessel.
By 1446 the Dome was nearly completed. The only thing left was to hang a huge lantern which was to hang from the center of the dome. This lantern was to help support the dome. But pundits said it wouldn't work and Brunelleschi was forced to take part in another competition before they would let him install it. Unfortunately he died(in 1446) before he could complete the job but it was finally finished according to Brunelleschi's specifications by his friend Michelozzo in 1461.
Il Duomo was the first octagonal dome in history to be built without a wooden supporting frame. At the time, it was the largest dome ever built; it still holds the title of largest masonry dome in the world. It weighs 37,000 tons and contains over 4 million bricks. The dome also used horizontal reinforcements of tension chains of stone and iron. Brunelleschi's dome paved the way to the future of iron and steel reinforcements, such as reinforced concrete in later centuries.
The facade of the cathedral was demolished in 1587-1588. It was not replaced until yet another competition was held in 1864 to design a new facade. The new facade was completed in 1876.
Brunelleschi worked on several other buildings, even as he was working on il Duomo. Among his other churches are Basilica di San Lorenzo di Firenze and Santo Spirito di Firenze

Giorgio Vasari was an artist, biographer, and contemporary of many of the great Renaissance artists. His Lives of the Artists is a classic. Click the link to read what Vasari had to say about Brunelleschi.

Grant Wood

2009-07-21T15:41:00.022-04:00

Grant Wood was an American artist He was born in Anamosa, Iowa on February 13, 1891. His family moved to Cedar Rapids in 1901.After graduating high school he enrolled in art school in Minneapolis. He returned to Cedar Rapids a year later to teach. In 1913 he enrolled the School of Art Institute in Chicago and worked as a silversmith.
Between 1920 and 1924 he made four trips to Europe. He immersed himself in various styles of art, especially Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. But the artist who influenced him the most was Jan van Eyck. (see May 23 posting)
In 1932 Grant Wood helped found the Stone City Art Colony which was located near his hometown. The idea behind the colony was to help artists get through the Great Depression.He also began lecturing throughout the country on "regionalism in the arts"
Wood taught painting at the University of Iowa's School of Art from 1934 until he died. He supervised mural projects, mentored students, produced his own works, and become an important part of the University's cultural life. On February 12, 1942 he died of liver cancer.
Besides paintings, Grant Wood produced a large number of works in various other mediums, including charcoal, lithography, ceramics, metal, and wood. In order to have a steady source of income, he often did advertisements for many Iowa-based businesses. He designed the stained glass windows for the Veterans Memorial Building in Grand Rapids.

Regional was a movement that was primarily in the Midwest and advanced figurative painting of rural American themes in a rejection of European abstractism. There were three artists in the forefront of the movement: Grant Wood, John Steuart Curry, (right: Tornado Over Kansas) and Thomas Hart Benton. (left: Parks, the Circus, the Klan, and the Press)

Wood's best known painting is American Gothic (top)painted in 1930.It is probably the most famous painting in American art. A painting which has become a cultural icon like the Mona Lisa and The Scream (by Edvard Munch). It was first exhibited in 1930 at the Art Institute of Chicago where it still hangs. It brought Wood instant recognition (and a $300 prize). Since then it has been used in hundreds of advertisements, satires, and cartoons. Art critics who liked the painting (e.g Gertrude Stein, Christopher Morley) assumed that it was meant to satirize rural small-town life, portraying it as narrow-minded and repressive. The trend to criticize rural America (and Middle America) began in the early part of the 20th century with such works of literature as Winesburg, Ohio (1919) by Sherwood Anderson and Main Street (1920)by Sinclair Lewis. Wood denied this interpretation.

Wood was inspired by a cottage in Eldon, Iowa. The house's architecture was "Gothic Revival" thus the title of the painting.Wood decided to paint the house along with"the kind of people I fancied should live in that house." The painting depicts a farmer and his spinster daughter. The models were Wood's dentist, Dr. Byron McKeeby (1867-1950), and Wood's sister Nan (1900-1990).
The severity and detailed technique were inspired by Northern Renaissance paintings which Grant had seen on his trips to Europe. Eventually he became aware of the Midwest's own legacy which also plays a huge part in this painting.
Personally, I did not know much about Grant Wood nor his work until doing this posting. American Gothic is the only painting of his that I knew. I have discovered that I like some of his work a lot. I find his Paul Revere's Ride (right) particularly interesting. It appears three-dimensional, like a village in a miniature railroad scene. The other painting below is Young Corn

Link to the Cedar Rapids Museum www.crma.org/Content/Grant_Wood/Default.aspx

Caravagio

2009-07-07T17:55:00.002-04:00

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio was born on September 29, 1571 in Milan, Italy. He is considered the first great artist of the Baroque period. He is known for highly emotional paintings and his dramatic use of lighting. He is considered one of the greatest European artists.
Caravaggio's life was as dramatic and intense as his art. Contemporaries regarded him warily; his reputation was of a rebel - enigmatic and even dangerous. He never lacked for commissions and made a good living with his art. But he was always ready for a fight and others found him difficult to get along with. In 1606 he killed a young man in a brawl and had to leave Rome in exile. Over the next four years there were other brawls and possible attempts on his life.On July 18, 1610 he died, supposedly from a fever.
Caravaggio arrived in Rome in 1592 (after quarrels and a wounding of a policeman in Milan). He arrived with nothing but in a few short months he was working with
a successful painter, Giuseppe Cesari.His earliest known painting is Boy Peeling a Fruit .He was very particular and detailed in his work. The painting Boy with a Basket of Fruit (right)has been analyzed by a professor of horiculture who was able to identify individual cultivars right down to "... a large fig leaf with a prominent fungal scorch
lesion resembling anthracnose.*
In 1594 he went out on his known and met some highly influencial people. His painting The Cardsharps attracted the attention of Cardinaldel Monte, who was one of the leading connoisseurs in Rome. Caravaggio produced several music themed works at the request of the Cardinal and his friends.
He then began a series of religious works. While artists at that time painted the human figure in a sort of perfect or superhuman way, Caravaggio preferred to paint them realistically, as they would be seen walking down the street, flaws and all. His reputation as artist was on the rise.
Caravaggio was now just one step away from the success he was hoping for - public commissions. For that he he needed to be noticed by the Church. In 1599 he was contracted to decorated the Contarelli Chapel in the church of San Luigi del Francesi. Two works make up this commission: the Martyrdom of Saint Matthew and the Calling of Saint Matthew (see painting at top) which were finished in 1600. They were an immediate sensation.
Most other artists were taken with this new artist. Some faulted him for painting from life and not using drawings but for the most part he was now a star. He began receiving a stream of commissions. They were usually religious works but they featured violent scenes, decapitations, torture, and death. Some were rejected and had to be redone or find new buyers.
While his dramatic execution of a subject was admired, the realistic way he portrayed them was not. His first version of Saint Matthew and the Angel portrayed St.Matthew as a bald peasant in a torn shirt with dirty legs.This had to be redone and was renamed The Inspiration of St. Matthew.
After his exile from Rome in 1606, he traveled from place to place, often beiong forced to leave. In 1608 he spent time in prison for assault. He still received commissions though. His style began to change and more often than not his paintings depicted lonely, shadowy figures. They show the fraility of man while at the same time show the beauty of humility.

While the technique of chiaroscuro was used by painters for a long time before Caravaggio, it was he that perfected it. Chiaroscuro is a term meaning contrast between darkness and light. Caravaggio darkened the shadows and placed the subject in a blinding shaft of light. Somehow through this technique he was able to capture both the physical and the psychological reality of his subjects. For instance, the look on the face of St. Peter shows the guilt and pain of the denial, even before Peter has admitted it to himself. In the Calling of St. Matthew, St. Matthew points to himself as if saying "who me?" yet at the same time there is a look on his face that says he knows he is going with this man. Caravaggio somehow was able to capture this.
Above - The Conversion of St. Paul
Below: left - The Denial of Saint Peter; right - The Supper at Emmaus

Below: Caravaggio's last painting The Martyrdom of St. Ursula

*Caravaggio's Fruit: A Mirror on Baroque Horiculture (Jules Janick, Department of Horiculture and Landscape Architecture, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana)

Art sites for children

2009-06-27T18:48:00.013-04:00

When I got the idea to list these sites I had presumed that most museum websites had subsites for kids. Wrong. Here are four that I have come across.

Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYC) This is a really
cool site with a lot for kids to do. There's Degas'
ballerinas, knights in Central Park, Japanese
picture scroll,Marco Polo, about 18 different
subsites. The whole website is terrific

Museum of Modern Art (NYC) nicknamed MOMA.
I wasn't thrilled with this one. It's ok but takes
longer to load and it's kind of cutsie. This museum
has Van Gogh's Starry Night so that is one of the
pictures you can interact with.

National Gallery of Art (Washington D.C.)
I like it better than MOMA but not as much
as the Met. They go into detail about a few
paintings. Plus there is interactive art you
can make online.

The Hermitage Museum (St. Petersburg, Russia)
This has a couple of subsites - Virtual Academy
and Games Room. I couldn't really check these
out as it requires Internet Explorer 5 and I use
Firefox.

Bridget Riley

2009-06-25T19:45:00.020-04:00

I am not a big abstract art fan. Occasionally there is something I like but generally not a big fan. But I do like Bridget Riley's work. I first her paintings while I was still in my teens -early 70s I guess. The Museum of Modern Art had a special exhibit. Some- thing about it just fascinated me. Since then, I have tried to do similar drawings (mostly through doodling.)
Bridget Riley was born on April 24, 1931 in London and grew up in Cornwall. She began doing semi-impressionistic paintings, then in the late 50s did her version of pointillism (see Seurat). It was through studying Seurat that she became interested in optical effects. In 1960 she began doing studies in black and white and had her first solo exhibit in 1962. Her style of work was dubbed "Op-Art".
Her works give the viewer sensations of movement or color. In the 1960s it is said people would experience varied sensations such as seasickness or sky diving.
In 1967 Riley began to experiment with color with her
first stripe painting. And in the early 1980s, after a trip
to Egypt, she was inspired by the hieroglyphics and began
to explore color and contrast. Some these paintings use lines of color to give a shimmering sensation; in others she uses tessellating patterns. (also used by M.C. Escher in many of his works) At right Shadow Play (1990) an example of tessellation.
Here is a link to an interview she gave last year.
There is the question though - is this great art or is Bridget Riley a decorative artist. Personally I wouldn't put her up there with the greats. I find her paintings fun but she is no Monet. Here is a link to a discussion on this

Paintings shown: Top: Movement in Squares (1961); Above left: Brittania (1961);
Above right: Orphean Elegy I (1978)

Bridget Riley does not do her own painting. Would you believe she has others do it for her!

"Brooklyn Bridge" by Joseph Stella

2009-06-21T16:02:00.033-04:00

Joseph Stella (1877-1946) was born in a small village near Naples, Italy. He emigrated to New York at the age of 18 and anglicizing his name Giuseppe to Joseph. His older brother, a doctor, was already in New York and the plan was for Joseph to follow in his footsteps. After a year of medical school and another year of pharmacy school, Joseph gave up both and turned his sights to a career in art. He began attending classes at the Art Students League in New York where studied under William Merritt and, like Edward Hopper, Robert Henri, who had joined the Arts Students League in 1903.
Henri's philosophy that no subject was too mundane for the artist. Stella embraced this and began illustrating subjects of his fellow immigrants, becoming involved in immigration issues. He also began making a name for himself as a painter.
In 1909, homesick for Italy, he returned home for a visit. He also visited Paris where he saw, for the first time, Cubist and Futurist paintings. The Italian Futurists especially made an impression on him and he returned home to New York and completely changed his style of painting.
Italian Futurists believed that the modern artist should not look back to the past for his inspiration. The founder was Filippo Tommaso Marinetti. He published his Futurist Manifesto on February 5th, 1909 in an Italian newspaper. It was reprinted in France. Thus a movement began. Marinetti expressed a disdain for everything of the past, especially in politics and in the arts. Technology was the Futurists god. Speed, youth, violence, the car, the airplane, the industrial city, anything that represented technology's besting of nature. They were also passionate nationalists. I guess you could say that they were the opposites of the flower children of the sixties.
Stella returned to New York in 1912 and got to work. In 1913 he produced Battle of Lights, Coney Island, Mardi Gras. This is considered the first American Futurist painting.
Although Stella is considered the Father of the American Futurists, he did paintings many surrealistic paintings such as Flowers.

When Joseph Stella arrived in New York the Brooklyn Bridge was only about 15 years old. Designed by John Roebling, it connected Manhattan Island and Brooklyn on Long Island (a fascinating book about the building of the bridge is The Great Bridge by David McCullough.) Of course, he had never seen anything like it. It fascinated him and gave him comfort. He would walk across the bridge late at night and stand in awe of it. He did several paintings of the bridge, all from the same viewpoint. His perspective captures the impression you get when you walk over the bridge. This particular version was painted in 1939 and hangs in the Whitney Museum in New York. Here are Joseph Stella's own words about the bridge: "Steel and electricity had created this new world. A new drama had surged from the unmerciful violations of darkness at night, by the violent blaze of electricity… The steel had leaped to hyperbolic altitudes and expanded to vast latitudes with the skyscrapers and with bridges made for the conjunction of worlds."
Other versions of the Brooklyn Bridge by Joseph Stella.

"Night Hawks" by Edward Hopper

2009-06-19T14:57:00.046-04:00

Edward Hopper was born on July 22, 1882 in Nyack, New York. He is one of the most famous and greatest of the American artists. A realist painter, his works were were primarily of urban scenes and landscapes. An intensively private man, his paintings convey this sense of solitude.

He shown a talent for drawing at an early age and by 1899 decided to be artist. His parents persuaded him to study commercial art so he enrolled in the New York School of Illustration. In 1899 he transferred to the New York School of Art. It was here that studied under Robert Henri, one of the founders of the school of American Realism. Hopper himself said that Henri was the most influential teachers he had.
In 1906 he did what all artists want to do - study in France. But he was disappointed. The Modern Movement was in full force and Hopper could not relate to it. He himself claimed that it's effect on him was minimal. The one European artist to have influenced him a bit was Rembrandt,especially the painting The Night Watch. He travelled to other cities and made 2 more trips to Europe in 1909 and 1910. And although he often travelled during the rest of his life, he never went back to Europe again.
For a time he painted things he remembered from Europe but found little success so returned to what he was known for - American subjects. In 1913 he made his first sale but he was now 37 and began to doubt that he could make a living as an artist. He wanted to give up working as a commercial artist but couldn't. He discovered that prints were becoming popular so he began to make prints of his work which sold better than his paintings. He also began painting in watercolors for the same reason.
Hopper married at age 42 and this marked a turn in his fortunes. His paintings began selling. In 1924 his show at the Rehn Gallery was a sellout. In 1925 he painted what is considered his first fully mature picture, House by the Railroad. It is typical of the paintings he did from this point on. There is a modern bleakness and a sense of isolation here. At the same time there is a seemingly nostalgic regard for American puritan values of the past. There is also a theme of the loneliness of travel. (The Hoppers had begun to travel a great deal within the United States and Mexico.)
Hopper's star continued to rise and in 1929 and 1933 he had exhibits at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Both MOMA and the Whitney Museum bought his paintings for their permanent collections.
"Hopper became a pictorial poet who recorded the starkness and vastness of America. Sometimes he expressed aspects of this in traditional guise, as, for example, in his pictures of lighthouses and harsh New England landscapes; sometimes New York was his context, with eloquent cityscapes, often showing deserted streets at night. Some paintings, such as his celebrated image of a gas-station, Gas (1940), even have elements which anticipate Pop Art. Hopper once said: 'To me the most important thing is the sense of going on. You know how beautiful things are when you're travelling.'
"He painted hotels, motels,trains and highways, and also liked to paint the public and semi-public places where people gathered:restaurants, theatres,cinemas and offices. But even in these paintings he stressed the theme of loneliness - his theatres are often semi-deserted, with a few patrons waiting for the curtain to go up or the performers isolated in the fierce light of the stage. Hopper was a frequent movie-goer, and there is often a cinematic quality in his work. As the years went on, however, he found suitable subjects increasingly difficult to discover, and often felt blocked and unable to paint. His contemporary the painter Charles Burchfield wrote: 'With Hopper the whole fabric of his art seems to be interwoven with his personal character and manner of living.' When the link between the outer world he observed and the inner world of feeling and fantasy broke, Hopper found he was unable to create." (Lives of the Great 20th Century Artists by Edward Lucie- Smith)
Edward Hopper died May 15, 1967

Edward Hopper was my mother's favorite artist. She especially loved The Night Hawks. This painting, like many of his paintings, portrays a typical city scene. I am guessing that these paintings are more appreciated by city dwellers than non-city dwellers. I was born and raised in New York City and have walked by scenes just like this. It's the kind of painting that you can weave stories about. (The couple seem unhappy, together but not talking. Perhaps they just had an argument. The solitary man, maybe a gangster waiting for his contact. Or just a lonely man looking to be around other people.)

This painting has something in common with Van Gogh's Starry Night.Both have been popular with young people and both have become part of modern pop culture. The Night Hawks has been referenced in numerous films and tv shows (such as The Simpsons- right) as well as in music and literature. In the current movie Night at the Museum:The Smithsonian it is one of the paintings that comes to life.(although it actually hangs at the Art Institute of Chicago.

By the way, on the outside of the diner is an advertisement for Phillies cigars.

Edward Hopper began this painting right after the attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. The mood of the country was somber and gloomy. this feeling is captured in the painting.

The paintings below are: The Lighthouse at Two Lights (1929) which is at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and New York Movie (1939). this hangs at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

St. Basil's Cathedral, Moscow

2009-06-12T16:26:00.024-04:00

St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow, Russia is one of the most exquisite buildings ever built. The Russian Orthodox cathedral was commissioned by Ivan IV (the Terrible) to commemorate the capture of the Tatar stronghold of Kazan in 1552. Since this victory occures on the Feast of the Intercession of the Virgin, the cathedral was officially named The Cathedral of the Intercession of the Virgin by the Moat (at that time there was a moat running beside the Kremlin.) It's been almost always been known as St. Basil's though. St. Basil the Blessed (1468-1552) impressed Ivan when he predicted in 1547 that a fire would sweep through Moscow. St. Basil was buried in the Trinity Cathedral that stood on the spot where St. Basil's is now.
The Cathedral was built between 1555- 1560. The architect was Postnik Yakovlev. Legend has it that Ivan had him blinded so he would never build a building more beautiful than St. Basil's. But, in fact, Yakovlev went on to design several churches in Russia .
St. Basil Cathedral is located at the south-east end of Red Square just across from the Spasskaya tower of the Kremlin. It is not very large and consists of nine chapels built on a single foundation. Each chapel is filled with icons, medieval painted walls, and varying artwork on the top inside the domes. Unlike Western cathedrals which are massive naves, senses of grandeur,and one design, St. Basil's is more intimate with varying styles.

It originally had eight chapels but in 1588 Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich added the ninth to house the grave of St. Basil.

Outside in the garden stands a bronze statue commemorating Dmitry Pozharsky and Kuzma Minin who rallied Russia's Volunteer army against Polish invaders during the "Time of Troubles' in the late 16th and early 17th centuries

St. Basil's came close to being destroyed by Stalin. He wanted the cathedral razed so that his soldiers could leave Red Square en masse. But the architect Baranovsky stood on the steps of the cathedral and threatened to cut his own throat if the cathedral was destroyed. Stalin relented - but put Baranovsky in prison for 5 years.
In recent years, St. Basil's has suffer from weather damage and neglect. it wasn't until the Millenium that the funds were available to repair it.

all photos by Brian McMorrow http://www.pbase.com/bmcmorrow/moscowstbasils&page=1

Vincent Van Gogh

2009-06-09T13:39:00.031-04:00

Irises (1889)
I have a terrible need of -- dare I say the word? -- religion. Then I go out at night to paint the stars...
- Vincent van Gogh, Arles, 1888
Everybody knows Vincent van Gogh (30 March 1853 – 29 July 1890). Well, almost everyone. Even if they don't know his artworks, they know the name. Since the 1960s, perhaps earlier, young people have taken Vincent to heart. He has had a hit pop song written about him (Vincent - also known as Starry,Starry Night by Don McLean), as well as a piece of classical music (Timbres, Espace, Mouvement, by Henri Dutilleux, also inspired by Vincent's painting Starry Night). There have been several films of his life. And Playhouse Disney uses Vincent's paintings more than any other artist in their children's program Little Einsteins. Books of letters between him and his brother Theo have sold in the millions. Why has he become a cultural phenomena? Perhaps there is something in his works that modern men and women relate to. Perhaps it is his sad life or the words he writes to his brother and the love the two of them had for each other.
What would Vincent make of all this. I think he would be bewildered by it, not quite understanding it.
Vincent lived in abject poverty his whole adult life. If it wasn't for his brother Theo, he never would have lived as long as he did. Everything he tried was a failure. Often he undermined his own success. He worked as an art dealer, book clerk, teacher, and preacher. He tried to study theology. He felt his calling was in the ministry, his father's calling. Eventually he obtained a position as a missionary in a coal-mining district in Borinage, Belgium. Here he felt he should live like those he preached to, sleeping on straw. He was dismissed by church authorities and returned to the Netherlands to his parents but the conflict between him and his father forced him to leave. He returned to Borinage and bordered with a local baker. It was at this time he began to draw. By 1880 he had taken up art as his profession and went to Brussels to study art.
He returned to the Netherlands where he was constantly sketching,
his surroundings, his neighbors, bird's nests. In 1885 he produced his first major work, The Potato Eaters.
He wanted to show people behaving naturally,
not posed. There are a lot of subtle details, the rafters, the pouring of coffee, lines in the window, etc. Vincent had planned out this painting for at least 2 years. He had hoped that it would make his name. It was not successful nor was it accepted by the Salon. Today it is considered his first great painting.
In late 1885 he moved to Antwerp. There he discovered the works of Peter Paul Rubens and also Japanese painting. He began to study color theory. He also began to drink heavily and his health began to deteriorate.
In 1886 he moved to Paris. He saw Impressionist painting for the first time as well as Neo Impressionist - Seurat, for example. Vincent began to adopt some of the pointillism style, juxaposing complementary colors (i.e. blue and orange) to form vibrant contrasts.
In November of 1887 he met and befriended the artist Paul Gaughin (he's the one who went to Tahiti). Then in February 1888 he arrived in Arles. He asked Gaughin to come down and stay. The landscapes were beautiful, the light perfect for an artist. But by the end of the year their friendship had come apart and Vincent was showing signs of a mental breakdown. It was at this time, after Gaughin left, that he cut off his ear. There are several different versions of what happened. Some say that it was actually Gaughin who cut off the ear. Whatever happened, Vincent spent several days in critical condition .
In May 1889 Van Gogh had himself committed to a hospital in Saint-Remy, about 20 miles from Arles. It was here that he painted Starry Night. He started getting recognition and respect from his fellow artists. His works were displayed in several avant-garde exhibitions.
In May 1890 he went to Auvers-sur-Oise near Paris where he was closer to his brother, who was now married. But he depression deepened and in July 1890 he walked out into a field and shot himself, dying 2 days later. Theo's grief overwhelmed him and he died 6 months later.
There are many theories about the state of his health.* Some say he was epiliptic, others say he had a brain disorder.
Vincent's paintings are often turbulent, swirls of color moving about. The sun, the stars are brilliant lights moving around the sky. Cypresses that seem to be crawling up the painting.
Vincent sold one painting in his lifetime - The Red Vineyards of Arles. Today his paintings are sold for millions of dollars.

* This article has a section at towards the bottom of the page about his health.

An aside - in November 2004 a dutch filmmaker was assassinated by a Muslim extremist because of a 10 minute made by this filmmaker. Called Submission, it was about the violent treatment of women in some Islamic countries. The name of this film maker was Theo Van Gogh, great -grandson of Vincent's brother
Paintings below: (Left top) Red Vineyards of Arles (1888); (right) one of the many self-portraits he did. (bottom left) Starry Night (1889); (right) Cypresses (1889)

The Japanese Footbridge - Claude Monet

2009-06-03T22:23:00.027-04:00

One of the most wonderful "art experiences" I have ever had was at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. (I really shouldn't "one of" because I went several times.) In one room they have 3 of Monet's Waterlilies - all wall size. You can sit on a bench and be surrounded by these beautiful paintings. I hope they still have it that way. I haven't been back to New York in several years.
Claude Mone t was born November 14, 1840 in Paris and died at Giverny on December 5, 1926. He is the epitome of Impressionist painting. In fact he is considered the founder of Impressionism.The term Impressionism is derived from one of his paintings - Impression, Sunrise (It was part of the first Impressionist exhibit and an art critic used the term to disparge the artists. But the artists liked the term and decided to use it to describe their work).
Monet always knew that he wanted to be an artist. He began studying art at age 11 at the Le Havre Secondary School of the Arts. Around 1857 he met fellow artist Eugene Boudin who became a mentor to Monet. He taught how to paint with oils and, perhaps most importantly, how to paint "en plein air" - the outdoors.
Occasionally Claude would travel back to Paris to the Louvre Museum. He met several other painters including Edouard Manet, whose works bridge realism and impressionism.
In 1870 he went to London and became inspired by the landscapes of John Constable and Joseph Turner. These two artist would also have a profound effect on Monet.
In May 1883 Monet and his family moved to Giverny. He would remain there the rest of his life. He would find some of his greatest inspirations there, especially in his gardens. He began working on series of paintings. For instance his "haystacks" paintings. He would paint them at different times of day,different points of view, and different weather conditions, in order to see how the sunlight changed the shadows and colors.
As he became more successful he was able to spend more on his gardens. He planned them out, making precise designs for planting, everyday giving instructions to his gardeners. Today, the gardens are still there and opened to the public. Monet said of himself, "I'm good for nothing except painting and gardening."
There is a wonderful book called Linnea in Monet's Garden - also a DVD. It is a fantastic introduction to Monet for children - and adults can enjoy it as well.
The Japanese Bridge Over the Lily Pond was first painted in 1899. By the way this is not one of the paintings at the Museum of Modern Art. The picture at the right is bridge as it looks today, probably not much different than it did in Monet's day. The bridge appears in at least 40 of Monet's paintings
The painting at the right is also the bridge. It was painted in 1926 after Monet had developed cataracts. His eyes were operated on in 1923, but it is possible that he was now able to see certain ultrawave violet that the normal eye usually can't see. If you squint your eyes you barely make out the bridge. The other paintings are referred to as Waterlily Pond, Symphony in Rose (above, far right), Water Lily Pond (below right), and Water Lily Pond,Symphony in Green (below left)

"Pentecost" by El Greco

2009-06-01T11:15:00.007-04:00

El Greco (1541-1614) was a painter,sculptor, and architect. His name was actually Doménikos Theotokópoulos (for those of you interested in Greek, here is his name in the Greek alphabet - Δομήνικος Θεοτοκόπουλος) and he was born in Crete, which was part of the Republic of Venice at that time. After he settled in Spain people began referring to him as "El Greco"- the Greek.
After leaving Crete in 1568, where he painted mostly Byzantine icons, of which almost nothing has survived, he went to Italy. He spent time in Venice and Rome. He then went to Spain, where he spent the rest of his life, occasionally making a return visit to Italy.
El Greco had a distinct style - his elongated figures, his intense colors, often his figures looking upward. Mannerism had developed by artists such as Michelangelo. In Mannerism, painting took on more subjective view of the physical world. Often space was compressed, figures elongated and entwined, colors were out of the ordinary. It emphasized the artist's stylishness. It appeal to the artist's intellect and that was something that appealed to El Greco.
After failing to find much success in Italy, El Greco moved to Spain.In 1577 he moved to Toledo, Spain and remained there the rest of his life.
The Counter-Reformation was in full force and in Spain there was a great demand for religious art. The majority of his paintings are religious works, painted with zeal and passion.
After his death, El Greco fell out of favor in the art world. In fact he was down right disdained by the Baroque artists of the 16th century. It wasn't until the late 18th century that he was rediscovered. The Romantics embraced him. In 1890s he became an inspiration to Spanish painters living in Paris. Gradually the rest of the world began to "discover" him. His influence on other artists is varied but is most evident in Paul Cezanne, a forerunner of Cubism, as well as Picasso.
The Pentecost ,which hangs in the Prado in Madrid, Spain, was painted around 1600. It is an oil painting on canvas. It is a good example of El Greco's work - the colors, the exaggerated figures, the intensity and pareligious fervor.
View of Toledo, one of El Greco's most famous works

Paul Cezanne's Road Before the Mountains, Sainte-Victoire (below)

A Sunday on La grande Jatte by Georges Seurat

2009-05-28T00:17:00.028-04:00

Georges Seurat (1859-1891) was a French, Post-Impressionist (or Neo-Impressionist) artist who invented a technique known as pointillism. He was from a wealthy family and attended L'Ecole des Beaux-Arts. After a year of military service, he returned to Paris and devoted 2 years to just doing black and white drawings. He wanted to master drawing before moving on to painting. In 1883, he produced his first major painting The Bathers. This painting was rejected by the Salon. Subsequently, he and a few other artists formed the Société des Artistes Indépendants. An ironic note. The established school of painting at this time was the Impressionists (Monet, Renoir) which several years before was the anti-establishment school of painting. In 1884 he began work on his masterpiece A Sunday on La Grande-Jatte.
A Sunday on La Grande-Jatte took two years to finish. Obviously a very patient man, Seurat placed small precise brush strokes of different colors next to each other. These dots of color would blend together when looked at from a distance.He had study the new sciences of color theory and opticals and wanted to put them to the test in his paintings. Seurat believed that an artist could use color to create emotion and harmony in art the same way a musician uses counterpoint to create harmony in music. He believed that scientific use of color was just like any other natural law and he was obsessed with proving his point. He says in a letter to Maurice Beaubourg, "Art is Harmony. Harmony is the analogy of the contrary and of similar elements of tone, of color and of line, considered according to their dominance and under the influence of light, in gay, calm or sad combinations"
Seurat's theories can be summarized as follows: The emotion of gaiety can be achieved by the domination of luminous hues, by the predominance of warm colors, and by the use of lines directed upward. Calm is achieved through an equivalence/balance of the use of the light and the dark, by the balance of warm and cold colors, and by lines that are horizontal. Sadness is achieved by using dark and cold colors and by lines pointing downward.*
A Sunday on La Grande-Jatte is his greatest work. It shows people of different walks of life and social classes enjoying various activities in the park, Le Grande Jatte, which is an island in the River Seine. He spent two years on this painting, visiting Le Grande Jatte and making more than 30 oil sketches in preparation for the final painting. The painting is 10 feet long. It hangs in the Art Institute of Chicago.
As with most major paintings (and other art forms, literature, etc) scholars have different theories about the painting. Some think it represents hostility between the social classes. They all congregate there but no one looks or speaks to each other. For others it shows the growing middle class at leisure. I tend towards the latter because Seurat's purpose centered around his theories of color. don't think he would have bothered making any kind of political statement.
An interesting aside - in 1984 a new Stephen Sondheim musical opened based on this painting. "Sunday in the Park with George" starred Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters. I never got to see it in person but I did see the televised version (I also have the original cast album). It was glorious. It fictionalized Seurat's life, of course but I believe it caught his spirit.
Below is a link to youtube - the final number of the first half ,when the painting is finished.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVO9rN5Bk1A

Georges Seurat was only 31 when he died,most probably of diptheria. He produced 7 major paintings and 60 smaller ones.

*en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_Seurat near bottom of article.

Other seurat works:(top) The Bridge at Courbevoie (1886-87); (bottom) La Parade de Cirque (1887-89) also called Invitation to a Sideshow

"Relativity" by M.C. Escher

2009-05-24T23:42:00.015-04:00

Maurits Cornelis Escher (1898-1972) was born in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands. His father was a civil engineer. He is considered one of best and probably the most famous of graphic artists. Over his lifetime, Escher made 448 lithographs and over 2000 drawings and sketches. He illustrated books and also designed tapestries, postage stamps, and murals.
Although Escher did some realistic works,(his early works were of the Italian countryside) his primary works involved optical illustions, explorations of infinity, and impossible structures. He became fascinated with the Regular Division of the Plane when he visited the Alhambra, a 14th century Moorish castle in Grenada Spain (see photo below).
Escher did not have mathematical training but mathematics play a huge role in his work. This influence emerged in his work around 1936 after he began studying George Pólya's academic paper on plane symmetry groups
"This paper inspired him to learn the concept of the 17 wallpaper groups (plane symmetry groups). Utilizing this concept, Escher created periodic tilings with 43 colored drawings of different types of symmetry. From this point on he developed a mathematical approach to expressions of symmetry in his art works. Starting in 1937, he created woodcuts using the concept of the 17 plane symmetry groups."*In 1941, Escher wrote his first paper, now publicly recognized, called Regular Division of the Plane with Asymmetric Congruent Polygons, which detailed his mathematical approach to artwork creation. George Pólya's
Relativity is a 1953 lithograph depicts a kind of serene world where the laws of gravity do not seem to apply. It's a sort "world of the future" type of scene with everyone dressed alike in lycra-like attire. Everyone is going about their day-to-day existence. These types of figures are found in other Escher works.
But there are actually three sources of gravity. They are perpendicular to each other. Each inhabitant lives in one of these gravity wells. Each staircase services 2 of the gravity wells.What makes the picture confusing is that all gravity sources are depicted in one space. Each park is in one gravity well but of the doors save one seem to be leading to basements below the parks.
This is one of Escher's most popular works. I am sure many of you have seen it used on other items - gift wrap, jigsaw puzzles, etc. In fact I did a puzzle with this picture on it.

*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._C._Escher
Some other of M.C. Escher's works (upper left) Still Life with Street (his first "impossible" work)
(upper right) Drawing Hands. (bottom left) Regular division of the Plane III (bottom right) The Alhambra

The Arnolfini Portrait by Jan Van Eyck

2009-05-23T00:13:00.026-04:00

Jan (also known as Johannes) Van Eyck was a 15th century painter from the Netherlands who is considered one of the best Northern European artists of the 15th century. He came from a family of painters but none achieved the success of Jan. Van Eyck has been called the "Father of Oil Painting" because of the misinformation perpetuated by Giorgio Vasari, the 16th century painter and biographer of the Renaissance artists. He credited Van Eyck with inventing oil painting. But his masterful techniques brought to light qualities of the oil paints never before realized. He would build up layers of transparent glazes which would then give him a surface on which he could capture the smallest detail. This would also preserve the colors.
Van Eyck spent several years as a court painter, first for John of Bavaria and then for Philip the Good of Burgandy.He was with the Burgandy Court, living in Bruges, from about 1425 until his death in 1441.
Van Eyck, unlike most of his contemporaries, was paid a very substantial salary and did not have to rely on commissions to make ends meet (although he did take on private clients) . Also unusual for his time was the fact that he signed and dated his works, on the frame of the painting. The frame was considered an important part of the painting and often the frame and the painting were painted together.
The Arnolfini Portrait was painted in 1434 and hangs in the National Gallery in London. It is one of the most analyzed paintings by art historians. For a long time it was thought to represent an announcement of an engagement or marriage (thus its alternative title, The Betrothal of Arnolfini, among several others). And the woman is probably not pregnant. The lifting of the skirt is often found in 15th century paintings of virgin saints.
Instead of signing the frame of this picture, Van Eyck signed the painting in an ornate script over the mirror. The inscription says "Johannes de Eyck fuit hic 1434" (Jan Van Eyck was here, 1434) There are 2 figures reflected in the mirror, as if they were just coming in. The man is lifting his hand as if he is greeting him. It is speculated that one of these figures is Van Eyck himself. (see detail of picture above).
The picture is supposedly of Giovanni di Arrigo Arnolfini and his bride, Giovanna Cenami, but it has been established that they did not marry until 13 years after this painting was done. It is now believed to be Arnofini's cousin, Giovanni di Nicolao Arnolfini.
The details in this painting are extraordinary and unusual for the time. The clothing, ornaments, room decor all show that these were people of wealth. Even the oranges under the window were symbolic of wealth as they were very expensive in Bruges.

Some other paintings by Jan Van Eyck (left) St. Jerome (right) Madonna and Child

"Thomas More" by Hans Holbein the Younger

2009-05-20T10:40:00.029-04:00

Hans Holbein the Younger (1497- 1547) was a German artist and printmaker. He is considered one of the greatest portrait painters of the 16th century, indeed of all time. His father - you guessed it - Hans Holbein the Elder, was an artist of the late Gothic period.
While still in Germany, Holbein mostly produced religious works - paintings, murals, and designing stained glass and prints. He occasionally painted portraits, making a name for himself with portraits of Desiderius Erasmus, the Dutch humanist.
Holbein traveled to England in 1526 in hopes of finding work. He had a recommendation from Erasmus and was able to get into the inner circle of Thomas More, statesman and humanist and part of the court of Henry VIII, where he added to his already excellent reputation. Holbein returned to Basel, Germany for 4 more years than returned to England where he was able to get into the good graces of Anne Boleyn and Thomas Cromwell. By 1535 he was the King's Painter to Henry VIII. In this role he not only painted the royal portraits but designed jewelry, plate, and other precious objects.
Holbeins portraits went beyond just capturing the physical appearance. His portraits show details of clothing, jewelry, and other embellishments. He used objects in the paintings to allude to the sitter's position in society or to an event in the sitter's life.
His portrait of Sir (Saint) Thomas More is one of Holbein's most well- known portraits. It hangs in the Frick Museum in New York. I have had the privilige of seeing it a few times. It was painted in 1527 and measures 29 1/2 " by 23 3/4". It is oil paint on oak panel.
Thomas More was a diplomatic envoy and Privy Councillor in the Court of Henry VIII. He was elected Speaker for the House of Commons in 1523. In 1529 he became Lord Chancellor. He served in that office for three years. When the king wanted to divorce Catherine of Aragon More resigned and refused to recognize the king's claim to be head of the Church in England (Act of Supremacy). More was arrested, convicted of high treason,and beheaded. He was canonized a saint of the Catholic Church in 1935.
This portrait of More shows someone of importance, which he was. The medillion he wears does not represent a specific office, just that he was in service of the King. The rendering of his clothing, to me, is remarkable. The velvet, the fur seem real; if you could touch the painting you would expect to feel those fabrics. There were a couple of other paintings of St. Thomas More but they have not survived. A drawing of More and his family - including father, children, and grandchildren - is in the Tate Gallery in London. As with many of Holbein's subjects, these portraits are they only pictures of Thomas More, the only way we know what he actually looked like.
Holbein died in 1543 during the plague in London.
For more information on St. Thomas More - www.luminarium.org/renlit/tmore.htm This is a very comprehensive site with a biography, his works, articles and essays about him, links, and a discussion forum.
Other portraits by Holbein top row - Henry VIII; Erasmus
Bottom row - Woman with Squirrel; Anne of Cleves

"Rain, Steam, and Speed" by Joseph Turner

2009-05-16T12:25:00.007-04:00

Joseph Turner was born on April 23, 1775 in London. His father taught him to read and that was the extent of his education. He loved to draw and by age 13 was selling his drawings in his father's barber shop. At 15 he was asked to exhibited one of his paintings at the Royal Academy and by 18 he had his own studio. His reputation grew rapidly and success came to him at a young age. By 27 he was a full member of the Royal Academy.
He began to travel throughout Europe. Venice, Italy became of source of inspiration for him and many of his paintings are set there. He studied the effects of the sea and the sky in different types of weather. Eventually his paintings evolved into a sort of romantic interpretation of the landscape instead realistic interpretation. Indeed, although Turner was an inspiration to the Impressionists, he is considered part of the Romanticism movement that began in the latter half of the 18th century and grew during the Industrial Revolution.
The painting Rain, Steam, and Speed , the Great Western Railway is an example of Turner's later work, a good example of the style for which he is famous. It is a watercolor and was painted before 1844, which was the year it was exhibited. Most artists at this time disdained the Industrial Revolution and much of the work of this time is of a back to nature type. For example, Constable in art, William Wordsworth in poetry, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edgar Allen Poe in literature. They are all considered part of the Romanticism movement. But Joseph Turner differed with them on the industrial age. He admired what was going on and he successfully combined nature with industry in many of his paintings. He was an especially big fan of the railways and chose one of the most advanced engines for this painting,known as the "Friefly Class"; and the bridge it is crossing at Maidenhead was a masterpiece of engineering by the greatest bridge - builder of his time, Isambard Kingdom Brunel.*

*www.fulcrumgallery.com/JMW-Turner/Rain-Steam-and-Speed-The-Great-Western-Railway-before-1844_28298.htm
Other examples of Turner's work:The Grand Canal, Venice 1835 oil on canvas (left) and Warkworth Castle, Northumberland - Thunder Storm Approaching at Sun-Set 1799,watercolor on paper (right) .

Joseph Turner became more and more eccentric over the years and eventually isolated himself from everyone. One day he disappeared from his home and was missing for many months. He was found hiding in a house in Chelsea near death. He died the following day, Dec. 19,1851

Sleepy Baby by Mary Cassatt

2009-05-10T22:13:00.014-04:00

Mary Cassatt (1845-1926) was born in Pennsylvania. Her father was a stockbroker and financier. When Mary was a child the family often traveled throughout Europe, even living in France and Germany for four years. At the age of 15 she decided that she would become an artist and in 1861 enrolled in Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia. But she felt she needed to study in Europe. In 1866 she began lessons in Paris. In 1868 she exhibited for the first time at the Salon.
Mary often saw the works of Edouard Manet in Paris and she was greatly influenced by his works.
In 1870 she had to return to the U.S. because of the Franco-Prussian War. She was very unhappy and nearly gave up painting. In 1871 she was able to return to Europe and in 1874 settled permanantly in Paris.
In 1877 Mary met Edgar Degas who advised her to join the Impressionists. In her own words, “I accepted with joy. Now I could work with absolute independence without considering the opinion of a jury. I had already recognized who were my true masters. I admired Manet, Courbet, and Degas. I took leave of conventional art. I began to live.”
"Sleepy Baby" is a typical example of Mary's work. It was painted in 1910 and the medium is pastels on paper. It hangs in the Dallas Museum of Art. She started on the mother-child theme in the 1880s and after 1900 concentrated solely on that theme and is these are her most well known paintings.

Edgar Mueller's 3-D street art

2009-05-08T14:41:00.008-04:00

Just a short bit on an interesting new form of art - 3-D street art. Edgar Mueller is the foremost of the street artists. Born in 1968 in Germany,he began to devote himself exclusively to street painting at the age of 25. Here are a few examples of his works.

The Chrysler Building - New York City

2009-05-07T23:06:00.025-04:00

And now for something completely different. A little architecture. My sisters and I grew up with an awareness of architecture. Our dad was an architect. And growing up in New York certainly exposed us to a lot of beautiful architecture - and ugly architecture. I remember when the World Trade Center built my dad would rant on how ugly it was. Two tall skinny boxes. (Not only that,for the first several months shadowy images of the 2 buildings would appear on our tv screen).Compare those buildings with the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building. These 2 Art Deco buildings are just plain beautiful. I was going to write about the Empire State Building. It has always had a special place in our family. My mother worked for the architects -Shreve, Lamb, and Harmon (15 years after it was built) but I have to admit I prefer the Chrysler building.
The Chrysler Building was finished just months before the Empire State Building. It was built between 1928-1930 (the Emp St B was finished in 1931). It is located at 405 Lexington Ave (corner of 42nd St.).There are 77 floors, 319.5m (1048 feet) high, 29961 tons of steel, 3,826,000 bricks, near 5000 windows. Cost: $ 20,000,000. The style is Art Deco. The architect was William Van Alen.
Art Deco was a style popular from about 1925 -1939. It appeared in all of the decorative arts - architecture, interior design, furniture- as well as in the visual arts, including fashion, film, and painting. It is based on geometrical shapes. Often materials such as aluminium,stainless steel, lacquer, and inlaid wood, as well as exotic materials, such as sharkskin and zebraskin, were used. Sweeping curves, sunbursts,chevron patterns, stepped forms are all common in the design.

"The design, originally drawn up for building contractor William H. Reynolds, was finally sold to Walter P. Chrysler, who wanted a provocative building which would not merely scrape the sky but positively pierce it. Its 77 floors briefly making it the highest building in the world—at least until the Empire State Building was completed—it became the star of the New York skyline, thanks above all to its crowning peak. In a deliberate strategy of myth generation, Van Alen planned a dramatic moment of revelation: the entire seven-storey pinnacle, complete with special-steel facing, was first assembled inside the building, and then hoisted into position through the roof opening and anchored on top in just one and a half hours. All of a sudden it was there—a sensational fait accompli."— Peter Gossel and Gabriele Leuthauser. Architecture in the Twentieth Century. p209.

"The Unicorn Tapestries"

2009-05-03T19:02:00.009-04:00

There are seven tapestries in this series, although one of them is lost. Only a couple of fragments remain. They were woven between 1495 and 1505. These tapestries were acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 1937 through a donation of John D. Rockefellar. They hang in the Museum's annex "The Cloisters" which is located in upper Manhattan on the Hudson River. The Cloisters just happen to be one of my most favorite places in New York.
The first tapestry, The Start of the Hunt shows a group of hunters starting off to search for the unicorn. They are not really dressed for hunting, more like noblemen. This is followed by the Unicorn at the Fountain. In this one the unicorn uses his magical horn to remove venom from the fountain. The third, The Unicorn Leaps into the Stream,is more vicious with the hunters having cruel looks on their faces. In the fourth, The Unicorn Defends Himself, the unicorn fights back, kicking people and other animals. The fifth tapestry, The Unicorn is Captured by the Maiden, is the lost tapestry. It is in fragments because of mishandling over the years. The sixth tapestry is The Unicorn is Killed and Brought to the Castle. The unicorn is brought to the Lord and Lady of the castle who want the magical horn. The seventh tapestry, The Unicorn in Captivity,is the most famous of the seven. Here the unicorn is alive once again and living within a fence.
There are basically two interpretations of the tapestries. One is the Christian interpretation. The unicorn represents Christ, thus his resurrection in the seventh tapestry. The other is that the tapestries were made for a celebration of a marriage, with the unicorn representing the bridegroom.
What is striking about the tapestries is the flora and fauna found in the works. They are for the most part symbolic. All are shown in full bloom, even though they would be from different seadsons. The plants have been woven so accurately that they have all been identified.
For instance, the pink carnations on the left. They symbolize earthly and divine love, betrothal and marriage, Christ and the Virgin.
The tapestries are made with wool warp and wool, silk, silver and gold wefts.
It is not known who commissioned the tapestries. Each tapestry has the letters A and a reversed E joined together with a bow. Some say that this represents Anne of Brittany, twice queen of France. In the third tapestry the initials F and R are sewn into the sky. This , some say, represents the noble La Rochfoucald.
For a comprehensive look at the tapestries click the link at the top of this page. This will bring to the Metropolitan Museum's site on the Unicorn Tapestries.

"St. Joseph the Carpenter" by Georges de la Tour

2009-04-30T13:34:00.018-04:00

Georges de la Tour was born on March 13, 1593 in the province of Lorraine, which was at that a duchy (independent, ruled by a duke).( bit of history - In 1624, after the Duke's death, and European monarchs began fighting over the duchy and in 1631 Lorraine was taken over by France.) There is not much known about his training or education. He was influenced early on by the works of Caravaggio. What La tour is most known for is his use of light. His paintings usually are set at night with the figure(s) sitting or standing by by a candle. The contrast, known as
chiaroscuro* is striking. The works are simply painted, not dramatic. And the majority of his painting during this second phase of his work are primarily religious.
St. Joseph the Carpenter is a perfect example of the simplicity of La Tour. A son is helping his father by holding the candle so the father can see. But this is no ordinary child. This is Christ. Now look at the wood Joseph is shaping. It is a prefiguration of a cross. And the child Jesus looks on, obediently and accepting.**

The painting below is The Education of the Virgin Like many of La Tour's works, there is a question whether the painting is a copy of his original,one done in his workshop, or possibly painted by his son Etienne. if it is not a Georges de la Tour, it is certainly done in his style.
Georges de la Tour was forgotten by the art world until the 20th century - a german scholar named Hermann Voss rediscovered La Tour in 1915. Some of his work had been mistaken for Vermeer. In 1935 an exhibition of his paintings in Paris began a revival of his works.
*chiaroscuro – the interplay of light and shade in drawing and painting; a work stressing that interplay (Italian chiaro ‘clear, bright’ + oscuro ‘dark, obscure’.)
** This sentence comes from John Rupert Martin's book Baroque
Go to www.abcgallery.com/L/latour/latour.html for more of his works.

Oath of the Horatii by Jacques Louis David

2009-04-25T10:55:00.015-04:00

Jacques Louis David's "Oath of the Horatii" is one of the most important paintings in the history of France.
Commissioned by the Administrator of Royal residences in 1784, it was exhibited in 1785 at the Salon. The picture made David's career.
The story behind the painting comes from a story from first told by Livy. It takes place in the pre-Republic period during the wars between Rome and Alba, in 669 B.C. It has been decided that the feud between the 2 cities be resolved by a duel between 2 groups of 3 champions each. The 2 groups are the three Horatii brothers and the three Curiatii brothers. And here is where the theme of the painting comes in - which takes precedence -love of family or love of country. One of the Curiatii sisters is married to a Horatii brother and one of the Horatii sisters is engaged to a Curiatii brother. The father of the Horatii brothers tells his sons they must fight the Curiatii despite the laments of the women.
Recent archeaological discoveries at Pompeii and Heculaneum had sparked great interest in Europe of stories of what was called "The Heroic Age" of Rome so the story was familiar to most of the French people. The picture created a sensation and though not revolutionary in intent, its Neoclasical style soon became the semivoice of the revolution. David created a program for arousing patriotic zeal. After this painting, art became much more political.
The painting shows three groups, the father, the brothers, and the sisters all against the backdrop of a rather massive setting. Each side group reacts to the father in the middle, one with enthusiasm, one with sorrow.

For a discussion of Neo Classical art go to http://www.artcyclopedia.com/history/neoclassicism.html Socrates by David

St. George and the Dragon.

2009-04-23T13:57:00.037-04:00

Today is the feast day of St. George (ca 275/281- 303).
St. George was a soldier in the army of the Emperor Diocletian. He was martyred on April 23, 303. The earliest stories of St. George and the dragon were in the 11th century, brought back from the Crusades.There have been so many representations of St. George fighting the dragon that I thought I would present several of them for comparasion.
This one on the left is an Orthodox Bulgarian icon from Alciato's Book of Emblems first published in 1531.

The one below was painted by Rogier van der Weyden (born ca.1400 in Tournai, Belgium). At the time he died in 1464 he was considered the greatest painter in Europe. His St. George was painted between 1432-1435. The National Gallery's website has a whole kids site relating to this painting

This painting below is by Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640). Rubens was a Flemish Baroque painter who was greatly influenced by Italian Renaissance painting. Notice the difference between this depiction of St. George and the other 2. Rubens is known for his movement, color, drama and this painting has all three. This St. George comes sweeping in to rescue the maiden, full of bravado. He WILL slew the dragon.
The next painting is by Pre-Raphaelite artist Edward Burne-Jones (1833-1898)The pre-Raphaelite. This painting is one of seven St. George paintings commissioned by the artist Myles Foster for his home.
By the way, the Pre-Raphaelite movement was founded in 1849 by a group of English painters, authors, and poets including Dante Gabriel Rossitti, his brother William, Frederic George Stephens, and William Holman Hunt. Their intention was to take art back to he time of before Raphael and Michelangelo, before what they considered to be mechanistic approach in art. Romanticism was their prevailing theme and many of their works focused on myths and legends. The King Arthur legend is often found among their works. They are considered by some to be the first avant- garde movement.

"Aristotle with a Bust of Homer" by Rembrandt

2009-04-19T18:54:00.006-04:00

Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606–1669) Rembrandt is considered one of the greatest of all European painters and the greatest Dutch painter. Although his full name was Rembrandt van Rijn, is usually just referred to as Rembrandt. The period during which he lived and painted is known as the "Dutch Golden Age" He achieved some financial success in his younger years but his later life was marked by personal tragedy and financial hardships. But he remained popular throughout his life and taught nearly every important Dutch artist.
His greatest paintings were portraits, self portraits, and scenes from the Bible. Rembrandt did many self-portraits, beginning in his youth and continuing through 1669, the year that he died. They form a kind of auto-biography
Aristotle Contemplating the Bust of Homer was painted in 1653 and had been commissioned by the Sicillan collector Antonio Ruffo. This was the first painting to sell for more than 1 million dollars. It was purchased in 1961 by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York for 2.5 milion dollars. I seem to remember it hanging in the lobby of the museum, near the front door. Don't know if they still have it there.
This imaginary portrait shows Aristotle, looking a bit worn, at the bust of the legendary (maybe mythical) epic poet Homer. Aristotle is dressed to the nines, a medillion with Alexander the Great's picture hangs from the gold chain. A reminder, I guess, that Aristotle had been Alexander's tutor. Aristotle's opulance represents his worldly success and the simple, humble bust of Homer represents spiritual values. Aristotle seems to being lost in thought, perhaps meditating on what he gave up to attain his success.

Self Portrait -1640

Self-Portrait 1661

"Incoming Tide" by Winslow Homer

2009-04-18T18:46:00.020-04:00

Winslow Homer (1836-1910) one of the finest of the American artists. A landscape painter and printer, his primary subjects were of marine scenes, especially the ocean. He was raised outside of Boston - actually in Cambridge which was a rural area at the time. His father was a businessman and his mother an amateur watercolorist. He was apprenticed to a Boston commercial lithographer at the age of 19. This lasted about 2 years. He then went on to do free-lance illustration. This he did for nearly 20 years.
Most artists are known for working in only one medium - oils, watercolor, etc. Winslow was successful in a variety -wood engraving, oils, watercolor, etching. In 1861 Harper's magazine sent Homer to the front lines of the Civil War battles and for the next four years he produced sketches of battle scenes and camp life. He began doing paintings of some of his sketches. His painting Home, Sweet, Home(1863), drew critical acclaim and was sold quickly.As a result, he was elected an Associate Academician at the National Academy and became a full Academician in 1865. After the war he turned to scenes of childhood and young women, reflecting the country's longing for simpler times.
He spent the year 1867 in Paris. He did not do any formal study but practised painting landscapes, while at the same time he continued to do illustrations for Harper's.
In 1875 he quit working as an illustrator and decided to try and live on his earnings as a painter. In 1882 he moved to Prout's Neck, Maine, living just 75 feet from the ocean. Except for family members, he rarely saw people. After the death of his father, he began to travel at times, painting the warmer ocean of the Caribbean.
Incoming Tide was painted in 1883 at Scarboro, Maine. It is a watercolor on paper, as most of his seascapes are. It is one of Homer's first purely marine pictures, completely absent of any human figures. It depicts the elemental forces of nature, which became his primary inspiration in later years. A friend later recalled Homer's attraction to inclement weather: "[W]hen I knew him he was comparatively indifferent to the ordinary and peaceful aspects of the ocean....But when the lowering clouds gathered above the horizon, and tumultuous waves ran along the rockbound coast and up the shelving, precipitous rocks, his interest became intense." *
*from the website of the National Gallery

Go to the following link for a short video of the area near Homer's home
http://www.nga.gov/feature/homer/homervideo4.htm

Other paintings
Breezing Up: A Fair Wind 1876

Home, Sweet, Home(1863)

The Coming Storm (1901)

"Salisbury Cathedral from Bishop's Grounds" by John Constable

2009-04-16T19:29:00.020-04:00

John Constable (1776-1837) was an English landscape painter. Before Constable, landscape artists painted from their imagination. The landscape would usually be a backdrop to tell some mythical story. (althought there are some Dutch landscape artists, such as Jacob van Ruisdael) For instance, the 17th century Baroque artist Claude Lorrain. He is known for landscapes but they usually tell some story (see example below). Constable, an admirer of Lorrain, wanted to paint what was around him, to paint scenes of everyday life. Definitely not popular in the"Age of Romanticism."
Constable was always looking to develop new techniques to convey light and movement. He would use broken brushstrokes, usually in small dabs to create an impression of sparkling light. He did many studies of skies and clouds and even studied the works of meteorologists of the time.
Although not popular during his lifetime, his work greatly influenced later artists, especially the Impressionists.
"Salisbury Cathedral from Bishop's Grounds" was painted in 1825. It measures 2ft 10 5/8ins x 3ft 87ins and hangs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Constable did several paintings of this cathedral, each slightly different from the other in terms of sky or perhaps the season of the year. The original was commissioned by the Bishop of Salisbury in 1722 but was rejected because he felt the sky was too dark. On the left is the Bishop and his wife walking.
This particular version is considered unfinished. Another version came the following year and hangs in the Frick Museum in New York.

Claude Lorrain's
"Landscape with Apollo and Mercury" 1645

Other Constable works:
"Mill in Gillingham, Dorset" 1826

"Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows" 1831

The Music Lesson by Johannes Vermeer

2009-04-12T21:20:00.008-04:00

Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675)Baroque artist. Born and lived in Delft, the Netherlands. Because he worked slowly, he did not produce many paintings - about 34. He also liked to use bright colors which were often expensive. His favorites were ultramarine, cornflower blue, yellow. Most of his paintings are of interiors of ordinary life or portraits. You often get the feeling that you are intruding into someone's life.
There is a transparency in his paintings which he achieved by using a technique called pointille, which is applying paint to the canvas in loosely granular layers.
"The Music Lesson" was painted between 1662 and 1665. It measures 28 7/8ins by 25 3/8 ins. It is in the Royal Collection at St. James Palace, London.
A young woman is playing a virginal, a base viola lays on the floor behind her. Her music teacher is watching intently. You get the feeling that perhaps there is more to their relationship, at least on the part of the teacher. The painting is characterized by the use of perspective which draws our eye to the back of the room. But Vermeer has placed other objects in front which we notice first - the table,the bass viola, the chair. By doing this, Vermeer has , in a sense, protected the privacy of the pair. Light enters the windows, casting subtle shadows. An interesting element is the mirror hanging above the virginal. We see the image of the young woman as well as the viola. There is also an image of legs of an easel. It is as if Vermeer was putting himself in the picture.

"Comparing the girl with her reflection we can notice that the back of her head, directly seen, is more conventionally perceived, more recognizable, perhaps more touching, her reflected face, its detail dissolved, its humanity suspended in light, has a deeper kind of completeness. The face is reflected not only in the mirror but also in the painter's temperament. For the first time we have the sense that he has a use, however oblique, for the whole of human appearance." Lawrence Gowing, Vermeer, 1952

The Resurrection by Piero della Francesca

2009-04-11T13:28:00.008-04:00

Piero della Francesca (c. 1415- October 12, 1492) was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance. During his lifetime he was known as a mathematician and geometer , as well as an artist. His mathematical background is obvious in his paintings, especially when it comes to perspective.
"The Resurrection" was finished around 1460. The fresco hangs in the Museo Civico of Sansepolcro (Tuscany) which was the artist's hometown. It measures 7ft 5ins by 6ft 7ins.
Christ is the center of the picture portrayed at the moment of His Resurrection, strong and ready to begin the next phase. The sleeping soldiers beneath are symbolic of human frailties. Like the apostles in Gethesemane. The soldier in brown is said to be a self portrait of Piero.
You can see a definite geometric design with the soldiers forming the base of a triangle, or pyramid and Christ at the pinnacle.
Then there is the background landscape, which in a sense are two different landscapes. On the left, the trees are bare, it is winterlike. On the right, we have spring. The Resurrection has led us from the bleak and barren to the new, fresh beginnings, new hope for mankind.
Interesting tidbit - Sansepolcro escaped artillery fire during World War 2 because the British captain charged with the task had read an essay by Aldous Huxley which described The Resurrection as "the greatest painting in the world". Captain Antony Clarke had never seen the painting but at the last moment (shelling had already begun)remembered where he had heard of Sansepolcro and ordered his men to stop. A message received later informed them that the Germans had already retreated from the area — the bombardment hadn't been necessary and the town, along with its famous painting survived.

Michelangelo's "Pieta"

2009-04-09T20:48:00.002-04:00

In keeping with Holy Week, I present Michelangelo's "Pieta". This is truly a beautiful and moving piece of art. I was fortunate to have seen it in person when I was a child - about 10 or 11 I think. It was at the Vatican Pavillion at the World's Fair in New York in the 1960s. Even at that young age I could see that this was something out of the ordinary.
Created in 1499 out of a single piece of marble, the "Pieta" stands 5ft 5.5 ins by 6 ft 4.8 ins. It was commissioned by the French Cardinal Jean de Billheres for his funeral monument. It now stands in St.Peter's Bascilica in the Vatican.
The theme is one which popular North of the Alps where the portrayal of pain had always been connected to the idea of redemption; it was called "Vesperbild''.
"The Pieta" combines the Renaissance ideals of classical beauty with a naturalism. There have been several theories (of course) of why Michelangelo depicted Mary as very young. He himself said that her youth symbolizes her incorruptible purity. Some have compare the positioning of Mary holding the dead Christ with the Madonna holding the baby Jesus. Personally, I find that quite a moving idea. A mother holding her dead son but seeing only the child she once carried in her arms.
Michelangelo Buonarroti was born March 6, 1475 in the region of Tuscany, Italy.(That means he was 22 when he sculpt the "Pieta"!) He died in 1564 in Rome.
On May 21, 1971, the statue was severely damaged when when a mentally disturbed geologist named Laszlo Toth walked into the chapel and attacked the Virgin with a geologist's hammer while shouting "I am Jesus Christ."After the attack, the work was painstakingly restored and returned to its place in St. Peter's, and is now protected by a bullet-proof acrylic glass panel.

Click the "pieta" link above to see more photos of the "Pieta"

The Last Supper by Leonardo DaVinci

2009-04-08T15:04:00.000-04:00

Another famous DaVinci painting. But how could I not with it being Holy Thursday.
First of all, this is not a painting with secret messages, Mary Magdelene is not sitting next to Jesus, Peter is not threatening anyone with a knife. For some reason people like to imagine all sorts of things with regard to Leonardo's paintings, especially this one. Dan Brown didn't help the situation with his "Da Vinci Code".
"The Last Supper" was painted between 1495-1498.It measures 15ft by 29ft and covers the back wall of the dining hall at Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy. It was painted for Leonardo's patron Duke Ludovico Sforza and his duchess Beatrice d'Este.
The scene depicts the scene of the first Eucharist at the moment when Jesus has just announced that one of the twelve will betray Him. Each of the apostle have obvious reactions. You can almost hear them. "Do you hear what he just said?" "No one here would do such a thing!" Peter's temper is in play and he is swinging the knife around in his anger.
The apostles are seated in groups of three. Starting from the left, the apostles in the first group are Bartholomew, James the Minor, and Andrew. Next we have Judas, Peter, and John. Judas seems to be holding a small bag (30 pieces of silver?) and his face is shadowy. Peter looks furious. It is the figure of John,because he seems effeminate, that some claim is actually Mary Magdelene. But John was usually painted in an effeminate way by most artists of the period because of his youth .Besides if that is Mary Magdelene, where is John? It would make no sense for Leonardo to leave out John.
Christ is in the center, His calmness keeps things from getting out of hand.
Thomas, James the Major, and Philip are the next group. Matthew, Thaddeus, and Simon at the right end.
As you can see, the painting is not in the best condition. This is because Leonardo experimented with the paints. The preferred method of fresco painting at the time was tempera on wet plaster. Leonardo decided to try using dry plaster. It resulted in a more varied palette but it turned out not to be very durable.

Detail from Castagno's "Last Supper" John is on the right, sleeping.
(c.1450)

El Greco's "Last Supper"
(1567-1570)

Christ Entering Jerusalem by Giotto

2009-04-05T16:12:00.000-04:00

Giotto di Bondone (c. 1267 – January 8, 1337, near Florence, Italy), known as Giotto, is considered the most revolutionary artist of his time. His work is like a bridge between the Gothic and Byzantine art of the Middle Ages and the art of the Renaissance. The later 16th century biographer Giorgio Vasari says of him "...He made a decisive break with the ...Byzantine style, and brought to life the great art of painting as we know it today, introducing the technique of drawing accurately from life, which had been neglected for more than two hundred years."
Giotto's masterwork is paintings in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, also referred to as the Arena Chapel, completed around 1305. This fresco cycle depicts the life of the Virgin and the life of Christ. It is regarded as one of the supreme masterpieces of the Early Renaissance.

Christ Entering Jerusalem was painted between 1305-1306. It is one of the murals in the Arena Chapel. Giotto tried to simplify his compositions, no extra elements, just the essentials. He balances the building on the right with the boy climbing the tree. Christ links the two sides.Whereas Byzantine and Gothic art tended to be flat, Giotto gives us a more three-dimensional painting.
Below is a painting by Duccio of the same subject. Duccio was a contempoary of Giotto, a little younger. There are more details, more figures in his painting. The figures are more elongated, less real. Now a modern viewer looking at the Giotto painting may think, "that doesn't look natural to me." But you need to look at it with 14th century eyes.
Another difference is the perspective. Giotto places his figures in the foreground, pulling us into the scene. Duccio's view is from above. His figures seem to be almost floating.

Giotto was also an accomplished architect, as many of the Renaissance artists were.
The murals of the Arena Chapel were commissioned by Enrico degli Scrovegni. For more information (and photographs) go to:
http://www.cappelladegliscrovegni.it/eng/index_e.htm
http://www.mystudios.com/gallery/giotto/arena.html
http://www.christusrex.org/www1/giotto/scrovegni.html

Day One - Mona Lisa

2009-04-03T11:09:00.000-04:00

I thought I would start off with "Mona Lisa" as it is one of the most famous, if not the most famous, paintings in the world; but perhaps most people don't know her background.
Also known as "La Gioconda", "Mona Lisa" is actually a portrait of the wife of Francesco del Giocondo. It was painted by Leonardo Da Vinci between 1503-06. It is painted on wood and measures 30 x 20 7/8 in (77 x 53 cm). It "resides" in the Musee du Louvre, Paris.
The painting is one of the first to set the subject against the backdrop of a landscape. Leonardo uses a pyramid design in placing the figure and the light illuminates her face against the darkness of her hair, clothing, etc. This draws us to her, yet keeps her at a distance at the same time. Thus there is a mysterious element about her.
Leonardo uses a technique called "sfumato"* which blurs the outlines and gives the painting a kind of smoky feeling. There is a feeling of calm about the painting.
It is her smile that has attracted viewers for generations. The slight opening of the lips at the corners of the mouth was considered a sign of elegance at that time.*
The portrait was never really finished and Francisco del Giocondo never received it. Leonardo was said to consider it a favorite and carried it with him. Eventually it wound up in the possession of the King of France, Francis I.
The "Mona Lisa" has been used in many, many ad campaigns, and in parodies of modern artists.
Below are two examples.

by Peter Max

www.allposters.com

Twice the painting has been damaged by vandals, but it was able to be restored.

1 sfumato:(noun) - A word, from the Latin (via Italian) fumare ("to smoke"), used to denote a painting technique. Sfumato means that there are no harsh outlines (as in a coloring book) present; areas blend into one another through miniscule brushstrokes, which makes for a rather hazy, albeit more realistic, depiction of light and color. An early, wonderful example of sfumato can be seen in Leonardo's Mona Lisa. (from Art Histort 101, About.com)

2 This bit of information is from an essay titled "On the Perfect Beauty of a Woman by Firenzuola, a 16th century writer.