Gerrit Dou, The Young Mother, 1658, oil on panel, 28.9” x 21.8”, Mauritshuis, The Hague, Image in the Public Domain via Wikimedia.
During the Dutch Golden Age, artists specialized in different subjects in order to compete in the new art market. Early in the 17th century, artists developed specializations within their specialization to carve out a market niche for themselves. Within the … Continue reading
Rembrandt van Rijn, two impressions of Jacob’s Ladder, 1655, etching and drypoint, 4⅝” x 3⅛”, Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
In printmaking, a burr is made of the metal that remains on a printing plate after it has been displaced in the process of carving an image. This often happens when using drypoint as a printmaking technique. When creating a … Continue reading
Gian Lorenzo Bernini, 1622-25, Apollo and Daphne, Marble, 93”, Galleria Borghese, Rome, Photo by By Alvesgaspar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Looking at Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s Apollo and Daphne, we can see characteristics of the over-the-top Baroque style. For example, the sculpture illustrates the point of highest tension in the story, which is when the nymph Daphne is “saved” by her … Continue reading
Rembrandt van Rijn, Abraham Entertaining the Angels, 1656, etching and drypoint, 6 ½” x 5 ½”, Image via Wikiart, artwork in the Public Domain.
Abraham is an example of faith in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Each of the three monotheistic religions, meaning that followers believe there is just one God, either emphasizes Abraham or traces their origins to the tribal patriarch. Jews believe that … Continue reading
Caravaggio, Judith Beheading Holofernes, 1598-99, oil on canvas, 57
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio would have been 545 years old today. He actually only lived to be 38 years old, which is somewhat miraculous considering his tumultuous life. We know more about him from law books than anything else. He was brought to … Continue reading
© 2016 Sally Whitman Coleman, PhD. All rights reserved.
The website for the Metropolitan Museum of Art has many interesting and inspiring pages to explore. A current favorite of mine is The Artist Project which has a series of videos of artists talking about various works of art in the museum. It … Continue reading
Judith Leyster, Boy Playing a Flute, c. 1635, oil on canvas, 28.7
Judith Leyster Painter, Dutch Golden Age Judith Leyster, born July 28th, 1609 in Haarlem, was one of the few successful women artists working prior to the 20th century. She was the first female member of the Haarlem Guild of St. … Continue reading
© 2014 Sally Whitman Coleman, PhD. All rights reserved.
In Tim’s Vermeer, now showing in movie theaters around the country, Tim Jenison, a successful inventor and software engineer attempts to prove that Jan Vermeer, the 17th-century painter from Delft, used a mechanical device to create his images. In this … Continue reading
Carel Fabritius, The Goldfinch, 1654, oil on panel, 13.2” x 9”, Mauritshuis, The Hague, Photo by The Yorck Project: 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei via Wikimedia Commons, artwork in the Public Domain.
Art lovers should read Donna Tartt’s novel The Goldfinch, named for a 17th–century painting featured in the book, not to learn more about the work of art’s historical significance and the circumstances of its production, but rather its quasi-mystical and … Continue reading
Jan Vermeer, The Milkmaid, c. 1660, oil on canvas, 17.9” x 16.1”, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Photo by jimmiehomeschoolmom via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License.
By now, you may have heard about Pei-Shen Qian, the Chinese artist living in Queens, NY who forged over 60 paintings by Abstract Expressionist artists such as Mark Rothko, Franz Kline and Jackson Pollock. An art dealer from Long Island, … Continue reading
© 2013 Sally Whitman Coleman, PhD. All rights reserved.
Did you ever wonder what the story is behind this seemingly ubiquitous image of the Virgin Mary? We’re so used to seeing this popular image of the Virgin of Guadalupe on all kinds of paraphernalia from Votive candles to purses … Continue reading
Rembrandt van Rijn, Self-Portrait, 1659, oil on canvas, 33 ¼” x 26”, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Image Courtesy of 1000Museums.com.
When you walk into any gallery of 17th-century paintings and one by Rembrandt is in the room, you will be drawn to the Rembrandt. His paintings glow. In a word, they are “rich,” like a dessert can be rich. They … Continue reading