Henri Matisse, Dance, 1909, oil on canvas, 8' 6 1/2" x 12' 9 1/2", Museum of Modern Art, New York, Photo by Troels Myrup via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution License.
“I have always tried to hide my efforts and wished my works to have the light joyousness of springtime which never lets anyone suspect the labors it has cost me.” Henri Matisse
Flying buttresses at Amiens Cathedral, France, c. 1220-1270, Photo by Holly Hayes, Creative Commons Attribution license via Flickr.
Flying Buttress (noun) A segmented (partial) arch on the exterior of a building that supports the walls. Architects and builders first used flying buttresses in the Gothic era which allowed them to keep the interior open and pierce the walls … Continue reading
Michelangelo Buonarroti, The Holy Family with St. John the Baptist (the Doni Tondo), c. 1506, tempera on panel, 47 1/2
“Good painting is the kind that looks like sculpture.” Michelangelo Buonarroti
Mahavairocana Mandala, Tibet, 19th century, painted wooden panel, 11 3/4" x 11 1/2", The James and Marilyn Alsdorf Collection, Photo by Cea., Creative Commons Attribution License via Flickr.
Mandala (noun) A cosmic diagram that presents Buddhist deities in schematic order. The cosmic Buddah, who presides over the universe, is at the center and attendants and other deities are in the surrounding areas in a diagrammatic structure. In this … Continue reading
Richard Serra, Torqued Ellipses, 1998, steel, nearest sculpture: 11' 9
“I was in analysis and I told my analyst I wanted to be the best sculptor in the world and he said, ‘Richard, calm down.’” Richard Serra
Eugène Delacroix, Liberty Leading the People, 1830, oil on canvas, 128" x 102.4", Musée du Louvre, Paris, Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.
Romanticism (noun) A style of art, first popular in the early nineteenth century, that attempted to elicit strong emotions from a viewer by presenting dramatic, exotic and sometimes frightening subjects. It was the stylistic antithesis of the rational clarity of … Continue reading
Paul Strand, Wall Street, platinum print, 9 15/16" x 12 5/8", Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.
“The artist’s world is limitless. It can be found anywhere, far from where he lives or a few feet away. It is always on his doorstep.” Paul Strand
Head of a Roman Patrician from Otricoli, c. 75-50 BCE, Marble, 1’ 2” high, Museo Torlonia, Rome, Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.
Verism (noun) From the Latin word meaning “true,” verism is the name of a style of portraiture that is hyperrealistic and emphasizes individual features. The Romans created veristic portraits of older men most likely because the style conveyed experience as … Continue reading
Georgia O'Keeffe, Oriental Poppies, 1928, oil on canvas, 30" x 40", Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum, Minneapolis, Photo by 6-3-2, Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution License.
“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” Georgia O’Keeffe
Wenbi Pagoda in Changzou, 10th century, wood, Changzou, China, Photo by Jakub Hałun, Creative Commons Attribution License via Wikimedia Commons.
Pagoda (noun) A pagoda is a tiered building with multiple eaves found most commonly in the Far East. More often than not, a pagoda is a religious building used for the practice of Buddhism. The Wenbi Pagoda in Changzhou, built … Continue reading
Gertrude Käsebier, Blessed Art Thou among Women, 1899, platinum print, 9/1/16
Pictorialist Photography (noun) Pictorialist Photography was an international photography movement in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century in which artists manipulated their photographs so that they would appear to be more creative and therefore comparable to other fine arts, … Continue reading
Georges Braque, Still Life with Violin, 1913, oil on canvas and paper, 36 1/2" x 26", Los Angeles County Museum, Los Angeles, Photo by C Leavitt, Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution License.
“The function of art is to disturb. Science reassures.” Georges Braque