Author Archives: Sally Whitman Coleman, PhD

Ai Weiwei, Forever Bicycles, 2015, Waller Creek Delta on Lady Bird Lake, Austin, TX, Photo by Rachel Zein for The Daily Texan. Ai Weiwei, Forever Bicycles, 2015, Waller Creek Delta on Lady Bird Lake, Austin, TX, Photo by Rachel Zein for The Daily Texan.

Make the Time: Ai Weiwei in Austin

Next time you are out on Butler Trail in Austin, TX, make your way over to the Waller Creek Delta to see Chinese political activist artist Ai Weiwei’s public art installation, Forever Bicycles. The dramatic assemblage of over 1,200 bicycles … Continue reading

Sharin Neshat, Video still from Rapture, 1999, Photo via Gladstone Gallery, New York, NY. Sharin Neshat, Video still from Rapture, 1999, Photo via Gladstone Gallery, New York, NY.

An Open Invitation from Shirin Neshat

Born in Qazvin in Iran and educated in Berkeley, CA, Sharin Neshat creates images of the strong contrasts between Western and Islamic society as an invitation to open a dialog between the cultures. Neshat left Iran in 1975 to attend school and didn’t return … Continue reading

Sandro Botticelli, Detail of Venus, c. 1490, Oil on canvas, Galleria Sabauda, Photo via Wikimedia Commons Sandro Botticelli, Detail of Venus, c. 1490, Oil on canvas, Galleria Sabauda, Photo via Wikimedia Commons

Make the Time: Botticelli in Boston

If you are in Boston anytime before July 9th, make the time to see the exhibition, “Botticelli and the Search for the Divine” at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Sandro Botticelli is today, as he was during his lifetime, … Continue reading

Aeolic column Aeolic capital, Archaeological Museum of Mytilene in Mytilene, Lesvos, Greece

Just a Second: Aeolic Order

The Aeolic order is a style of ancient Greek architecture thought to be the prototype of the Ionic order. The Aeolic style, which appears in the 6th century BCE, probably originated with the Phoenicians because there are similarities between the Aeolic column capitals and … Continue reading

Nina Katchadourian, Photograph from “Lavatory Self-Portraits in the Flemish Style,” from Seat Assignments, 2010 and ongoing, Photo by Sally Coleman. Nina Katchadourian, Photograph from “Lavatory Self-Portraits in the Flemish Style,” from Seat Assignments, 2010 and ongoing, Photo by Sally Coleman.

Make the Time: Nina Katchadourian at the Blanton

If you are in Austin, TX anytime before June 11th, I highly recommend you visit the exhibition, Nina Katchadourian: Curiouser at the Blanton Museum of Art. Expertly curated by Veronica Roberts, the show allows you to view the world as … Continue reading

Alfred Stieglitz, Photograph of Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain, 1917, Image in the Public Domain via Wikipedia. Alfred Stieglitz, Photograph of Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain, 1917, Image in the Public Domain via Wikipedia.

100 Years of Alienation

If you feel somewhat alienated by art, or if you find a lot of modern and contemporary art hard to understand, you are not alone. People have been feeling this way for 100 years now, and we all can blame … Continue reading

Paul Fehér, Muse with Violin Screen (detail), 1930, wrought iron, brass; silver and gold plating, The Cleveland Museum of Art, on Loan from the Rose Iron Works Collections. Paul Fehér, Muse with Violin Screen (detail), 1930, wrought iron, brass; silver and gold plating, The Cleveland Museum of Art, on Loan from the Rose Iron Works Collections.

And Now for Something a Little Different

Today the exhibition, “The Jazz Age: American Style in the 1920s” opened at the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum in New York City. This is an opportunity to discover how all areas of design reflected the excitement of rapid modernization. … Continue reading

Sonia Delaunay, Prismes électriques (Electric Prisms), 1914, oil on canvas, 98.4” x 98.4”, Musée National d'Art Moderne, Centre Pompidou, Paris, Public Domain via Google Images. Sonia Delaunay, Prismes électriques (Electric Prisms), 1914, oil on canvas, 98.4” x 98.4”, Musée National d'Art Moderne, Centre Pompidou, Paris, Public Domain via Google Images.

What is Orphism?

Pioneered by the couple Sonia and Robert Delaunay, Orphism was an art movement in Paris that was influenced both by Cubism and color theory. These artists used abstract form and color alone to indicate the subject and sensations. Borrowing from scientific … Continue reading

Michelangelo, Moses from the Tomb of Pope Julius II, 1512, San Pietro in Vincoli, Rome, Artwork in the Public Domain Michelangelo, Moses from the Tomb of Pope Julius II, 1512, San Pietro in Vincoli, Rome, Artwork in the Public Domain

Happy Birthday Michelangelo

The Italian Renaissance Master Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni was born on this day in 1475. He arguably is one of the greatest artists of all time. Before anything else, Michelangelo was a sculptor, his finest achievements in painting and architecture also having a … Continue reading

Wolfgang Tillmanns, Freischwimmer 190, 2011, color photograph (c-type print), 5'9" x 7'3", Photo by Yakshini via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic License Wolfgang Tillmanns, Freischwimmer 190, 2011, color photograph (c-type print), 5'9" x 7'3", Photo by Yakshini via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic License

Wolfgang Tillmans in London

If you are fortunate enough to visit London sometime between now and June 11th, visit the Tate Modern to see the exhibition of photographs by Wolfgang Tillmans. The artist, who is equally happy showing his work in fine art museums as he … Continue reading