Lewis Hine, Child in a Carolina Cotton Mill, 1908, gelatin silver print, photograph in the Public Domain.
Trained sociologist Lewis Hine wanted to improve the working conditions for immigrants in America at the turn of the 20th century, so he picked up a camera. He met families on Ellis Island and then followed them to other regions … Continue reading
Graffiti by SLOKE, Photo by Rob Larsen (drunkenfist.com), Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License.
If you are free on a Sunday afternoon in the near future, check out Nathan “SLOKE” Nordstrom: FATCAPPED at testsite in Austin. SLOKE is famous for his wildstyle graffiti, which is characterized by intricate and complex lettering that is virtually … Continue reading
Alma Thomas, Red Azaleas Singing and Dancing Rock and Roll Music, 1976, acrylic on canvas, 73¾” × 158½” × 2½”, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C., Photo by Cliff via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License.
“Do the trees near your house play music? Do the flowers in your neighborhood sing and dance?” asked African-American artist Alma Thomas (1891-1978). She perceived a vibrancy and vitality in her garden and she captured the inspiring performances on her … Continue reading
Archibald J. Motley Jr., ‘Blues,’ 1929, oil on canvas, 36 × 42 inches, Collection of Mara Motley M.D., and Valerie Gerrard Browne, Image courtesy of the Chicago History Museum, Chicago, Illinois. © Valerie Gerrard Browne.
A retrospective exhibition of the work of Archibald J. Motley, Jr. now is on view at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Motley was one of the first black artists to attend the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where … Continue reading
Mary Ellen Mark, Amanda and her Cousin Amy, North Carolina, 1990, gelatin silver print, Photo by J. Scott 2 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License.
The photographer Mary Ellen Mark passed away yesterday. Mark is best known for her arresting images of people who live on the edge. She paid the rent by photographing celebrities for Look and Life magazines, but it’s the photographs of … Continue reading
Andy Warhol, Self-Portrait, oil and silkscreen ink on canvas, 45 in. x 67 1/2 in. , Collection SFMOMA, Photo by Thomas Hawk via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial 2.0 License
“An artist is somebody who produces things that people don’t need to have.” Andy Warhol
Diane Arbus, Eddie Carmel, Jewish Giant, taken at Home with His Parents in the Bronx, New York, 1970, Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Diane Arbus American Photographer Diane Nemerov was born to David Nemerov and Gertrude Russek Nemerov, owners of Russek’s, a Fifth Avenue department store, on March 14, 1923. She married her childhood sweetheart, Allan Arbus, in 1959 and they divorced in 1969. Arbus is … Continue reading
Ellsworth Kelly, Dark Green Curve I, 1982, oil on canvas, 72 1/2 x 102 1/8 in., Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Photo by rbasallote via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic License.
There is no room for interpretation here: you are looking at a large, flat green shape created by Ellsworth Kelly. This work of art that boldly asserts its flatness is typical of Kelly’s Formalist art, which in many ways was … Continue reading
Grandma Moses, Catching the Thanksgiving Turkey, July, 22, 1944, 19¾“x 26”, oil and glitter on Masonite, Private Collection.
Anna Mary Robertson Moses, also known as Grandma Moses, the American Folk artist, began her artistic career at the ripe age of 78. This self-taught artist painted nostalgic scenes of “old-timey” New England landscapes depicting rural life. She began painting … Continue reading
H. C. Howard, Campaign Poster for Abraham Lincoln, 1860, Woodcut or lithograph on linen, Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress (065) Digital ID # pga-01637u
Happy Election Day from The Art Minute. Now get out there and vote!
Paul Strand, The White Fence, Port Kent, 1916, gelatin-silver print, 9 3/4
Paul Strand American Photographer Along with Alfred Stieglitz, Paul Strand (October 16, 1890 – March 31, 1976) made tremendous strides in establishing photography as a fine art. His modern-style photographs are noted for their sophisticated sense of composition, an absence of … Continue reading
Asher Brown Durand, Kindred Spirits, 1849, 46.1” x 36.2”, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.
This iconic painting by Asher B. Durand depicts the artist’s mentor and close friend, Thomas Cole, the leader of the Hudson River School, in conversation with the poet William Cullen Bryant. The pair stands at a distance from Kaaterskill Falls … Continue reading