Mihrab (prayer niche), Iran, Isfahan, Ilkhanid period (1206–1353), mosaic of polychrome–glazed cut tiles on stonepaste body; set into mortar; 135 1/16 x 113 11/16 in., The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Photo via The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Mihrab (noun) A mihrab is a niche in an Islamic mosque that indicates the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca toward which all Muslims should face when they pray.
German Aquamanile in the Form of a Dragon, c. 1200, copper alloy, 8 3/8 x 4 3/8 x 7 3/16 in., The Cloisters Collection, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Photo via The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
An aquamanile is a vessel that holds water used for washing hands in both religious and secular contexts. Typically, the vessel is animal-shaped and has religious symbolism. During the Middle Ages, priests often used them to wash their hands before Mass. This aquamanile … Continue reading
Beatrix Potter, Illustration from The Tale of Peter Rabbit, c. 1901, watercolor on paper, Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.
Helen Beatrix Potter, the English author, illustrator, and natural scientist, was born on July 28, 1866 in London into a wealthy Unitarian family. As a child, she kept many small pets and had a collection of insects and butterflies that she frequently … Continue reading
Alphonse Mucha, Advertising Poster for Job Cigarettes, 1896, color lithograph, 26.25
Alphonse Mucha, the Art Nouveau painter from the Czech Republic, was born on July 24th, 1860. While he was attending school in Paris in the late 19th century, he became a highly successful commercial artist, designing posters, advertisements, and book illustrations. His … Continue reading
Salvador Dalí, The Anthropomorphic Chest of Drawers, 1936, oil on wooden panel, 25.4 x 43.1 cm., Kunstsammlung Nordheim-Westfalen, Dusseldorf, Photo by Jordan5k via Flickr,
Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, 1st Marqués de Dalí de Pubol, better known as Salvador Dalí, was born on May 11, 1904. The Spanish artist worked in variety of media, but is best known for his Surrealist paintings. Because … Continue reading
Frank Gehry, MIT's Stata Center, 2006, Cambridge, MA, Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
“Architecture should speak of its time and place, but yearn for timelessness.” – Frank Gehry
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
Jean-Léon Gérôme, Pygmalion and Galatea, c. 1890, oil on canvas, 35 x 27 in., The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
“Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.” – William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream Happy Valentine’s Day from The Art Minute
Antoni Gaudí, Detail of the Nativity Façade (east façade), 1894-1930, Church of the Holy Family, Barcelona, photo by Enfo via Wikipedia, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Façade A façade is the face of a building. Often an architect embellishes a façade with a special architectural or ornamental treatment. The Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí created perhaps the world’s most elaborate Art Nouveau façade, the Nativity Façade, for … 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
Thomas Kinkade, A Peaceful Retreat, 2002, available in several sizes in different media, Photo by Glen Dahlman via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.0 Generic License.
Kitsch (noun or adjective) German for “trash,” kitsch is art that is overly sentimental and vulgar. Kitsch is considered in poor taste because it is a pale and formulaic imitation of genuine achievements in the fine and applied arts. Conversely, … Continue reading