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
Sainte-Chapelle, 1241-1248, Île de la Cité, Paris, Photo by Didier B, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 Generic via Wikipedia.
Built by French King Louis IX, a.k.a. St. Louis, in the mid-13th century, Sainte-Chapelle almost itself is a reliquary rather than a chapel to house reliquaries. The space is connected to the Royal Palace so that the royal family could simply walk into … Continue reading
Maurice Prendergast, The Bathers, c. 1918-1923, oil on canvas, 17.5
Let this painting of bathers by American Post-Impressionist artist Maurice Prendergast inspire you to revel in the last days of summer! See you in September.
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
John Trumbull, Thomas Jefferson, 1788, oil on panel, 4.8" x 3", The White House, Washington, DC, Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.
“Our greatest happiness does not depend on the condition of life in which chance has placed us, but is always the result of a good conscience, good health, occupation and freedom in all just pursuits.” Thomas Jefferson Happy Independence … Continue reading
Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Untitled, 1992, Photo by Rosalyn Davis via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic License.
Works of art from Glenn and Amanda Furhman’s blue-chip collection of contemporary art currently are on view at The Contemporary Austin. The exhibition features the human figure, primarily in sculpture, each a type of investigation of the roles into which … Continue reading
An Angel Unlocking the Door of Hell, Winchester Psalter (Psalter of Henry of Blois), between1121-1161, 12.6” x 8.8”, British Library, London, Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication License, Wikimedia Commons.
The lavishly illustrated Winchester Psalter likely was created for Henry of Blois, brother of Stephen, King of England, in the 12th century. This manuscript from the Romanesque era has 80 unusual and innovative illustrations, including the frightening scene of an … Continue reading
Julia Margaret Cameron, The Angel at the Tomb, 1869-70, Royal Photographic Society, Bath, Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.
British photographer Julia Margaret Pattle was born on June 11th, 1815 in Calcutta, India to Adeline de l’Etang, a French aristocrat, and James Pattle, a British official of the East India Company. In 1838, in Calcutta, she married Charles Hay … Continue reading
Roman copy of the Apoxyomenos by Lysippos, original c. 330 BCE, Museo Pio-Clementino, Vatican City, Rome, Photo by Marie-Lan Nguyen via Wikimedia Commons.
The Apoxyomenos, or the “Scraper,” is a popular subject in ancient Greek art that depicts athletes cleaning themselves by rubbing olive oil on their bodies and then scraping it off with a curved metal scraper, called a strigil. This particular … Continue reading
Maya Angelou reciting her poem,
“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.” – Maya Angelou To watch Maya Angelou read her iconic poem, “Still I Rise,” click here.
Albrecht Dürer, Self-portrait, 1500, oil on panel, 26.4” x 19.3”, Alte Pinakothek, Munich, Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.
Albrecht Dürer Northern Renaissance Artist Albrecht Dürer, German painter, printmaker and theorist, was born on May 21, 1471 in Nuremberg, where he lived for most of his life. His father, Albrecht Dürer the Elder, was a goldsmith; most likely, the … Continue reading
Kara Walker, A Subtlety: The Marvelous Sugar Baby, an Homage to the unpaid and overworked Artisans who have refined our Sweet tastes from the cane fields to the Kitchens of the New World, 2014, Domino sugar refinery, Brooklyn, Photo by Inhabitat Blog via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic License.
Kara Walker, the world-renowned African-American visual artist and recipient of the MacArthur Foundation “genius” grant in 1997, has created a sugar sculpture, entitled A Subtlety, which is on view in the former Domino sugar factory storage shed in Brooklyn through … Continue reading