Francisco Goya, Saturn Devouring One of His Children, 1819 and 1823, plaster mounted on canvas, 57.5” x 32.7”, Prado Museum, Madrid, Francisco Goya [Public Domain], via Wikimedia Commons.
In one of the most terrifying images from the history of art, Spanish artist Francisco Goya rendered the titan Saturn devouring yet another one of his sons for fear the child will usurp him, as it was prophesized. (Saturn’s wife … Continue reading
Anish Kapoor, C Curve, 2007, Exhibited in Brighton in 2009, Photo by Dominic Alves via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License.
“I think I understand something about space. I think the job of a sculptor is spatial as much as it is to do with form.” Anish Kapoor
© 2013 Sally Whitman Coleman, PhD. All rights reserved.
What’s going on in this painting? The artist didn’t want it to be easy to figure out. An Italian Renaissance painter would have made the subject clear and provided easily identifiable figures in a clearly defined space. Jacopo Pontormo, a … Continue reading
Guo Xi , Early Spring, 1072, ink on silk, 62.3” × 42.6”, National Palace Museum, Taipei City, Taiwan, Photo in the Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.
Floating Perspective (noun) Floating Perspective is the name for the type of perspective sometimes used in Chinese art where there is not a single view of a subject but rather several shown at the same time, shifting from near to … Continue reading
Robert Capa, D-Day: June 6, 1944: Allied Invasion of Normandy, Photo by Templar1307 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic License.
In the early morning of D-Day, Robert Capa arrived at Omaha Beach on a landing craft to photograph Company E as it attacked the German troops that were firing machine guns from somewhere amid clouds of smoke on the French … Continue reading
Edward Hopper, Gas, 1940, oil on canvas, 26 1/4 x 40 1/4", Museum of Modern Art, New York, Photo by David Churbuck via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic License.
“If you could say it in words there would be no reason to paint.” Edward Hopper
Bloodletting Ritual of Lady Xoc, Lintel 24 of Structure 23, Maya site of Yaxchilan, Chiapas, Mexico, Photo by Michel wal via Wikimedia Commons, GNU Free Documentation License.
One of the things that come with the job of being a Mayan queen is the pain and blood loss associated with conjuring up royal ancestors. It was required of her office so that the Gods would continue to allow, … Continue reading
Robert Indiana, Love, original 1970, Shinjuku I-LAND Tower in Nishi-Shinjuku office district in Tokyo, Japan, Photo by TYO via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic License.
Robert Indiana Pop Artist Robert Clark was born on September 13, 1928 in New Castle, Indiana. He was adopted as an infant and moved frequently throughout Indiana during his childhood. Today, the artist lives on the island of Vinalhaven off … Continue reading
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, At the Moulin Rouge, 1892/95, oil on canvas, 48 7/16” x 55 ½”, Art institute of Chicago, Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.
Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec-Monfa, also known as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, was an aristocrat living the life of a bohemian artist in the lively Montmartre section of Paris in the late 19th century. When the Moulin Rouge, a cabaret, opened … Continue reading
Luis Barragán, San Cristóbal Stables, Mexico City, 1968, Photo by Steve Silvermas via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic License.
“I don’t divide architecture, landscape and gardening; to me they are one.” Luis Barragán
George Inness, Sunny Autumn Day, 1892, oil on canvas, 31 7/8” x 41 11/16”, Cleveland Museum of Art, Photo by pirano Bob R via Fickr, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic License.
George Inness, the American landscape painter, was at different points in his career associated with the American Hudson River School and the French Barbizon School of landscape painting; yet, it’s the work he did at the end of his career … Continue reading
Obelisk in St. Peter's Square, Rome, Photo by Danbu14, Creative Commons Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
Obelisk (noun) A four-sided monument with a pyramid-shaped, pointed top that originated in ancient Egypt. The shape is thought to be inspired by the rays of the sun. The obelisk that today stands in front of St. Peter’s Basilica in … Continue reading