Month: November 2018

The Isms

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If I’m going to learn about art, it’s time I figure a few things out. I can’t keep all the eras straight (yet! I’m getting there!), but I am getting a better handle on the isms. You know, impressionism, surrealism, etc. Most of them are pretty self-explanatory, but I made a little guide anyway, just for fun. I know, I know, I left some out- cut me some slack, I jotted these down on a scrap piece of paper while I was waiting in the carpool lane at school.

Impressionism: These pieces of art capture the general picture, but no intricate details. Mary Cassat, for example, was a beautiful impressionist. These paintings have a soft feel and incorporate lots of light and blending.

Surrealism: Painters that dabble in surrealism put together surprising, odd combinations. They may be based off dreams the artist had, or at least they seem to be. Think Salvador Dali or Joel Rea.

Pointillism: Just as you’d expect, pointillism works are made up of tiny dots. Sadly, I missed National Dot day on September 15thbut good news! Only ten more months until the next National Dot Day! I’ll for sure (maybe) feature a piece of pointillism on that day. Until then, enjoy Georges Seurat’s amazing pointillism work.

Naturalism and Realism: This one is tricky because as a newbie, it seems like the same thing as Naturalism, but Google assures me that is not the case. Both depict a scene as… seen! Accurately, or as the artist views it. They are both sort of the opposite of surrealism. In Naturalism pictures might also emphasize the environment of the people featured. Realism deals with the here and now in time. It often focus on the middle-class, whereas Naturalism often features poorer subjects and in a more violent way. Edouard Manet is a famous Realist and Gustave Courbet is a notable Naturalist. Is that helpful? Because I think I’m more confused. Let’s move on.

Classicism: This is clearer! You will recognize Classicism because these works often portray ancient Greek and Roman arts.

Cubism: Another easy one- if you are seeing lots of cubes in a painting, you are looking at Cubism! These pieces of art are very popular for hanging in cubicles. Just kidding. Pablo Picasso is the quintessential Cubist.

Romanticism: I hope we have established that I am not going in chronological order? Or alphabetic? Romanticism was all the rage for a while and then pushed out by the Naturalism/Realism movement. But in its heyday Romanticism ruled. It was all about the artists’ emotions and imagination. Francisco Goya and Thomas Cole practiced Romanticism.

That’s all the “isms” I could think of off-hand! I have my favorites, but I’m actually so thankful for each of them. Varietyism is the spice of life!

An Artist That… Well, Rocks!

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As promised! Our guy… Norman Rockwell! Don’t you just imagine him as a guy who always has a mischievous smile and a joke on hand? He seems like the kind of man who knows everybody in town and always has a dog treat in his pocket for strays. Just… likeable. If you’ve heard otherwise, don’t tell me! Lalalala! I’m covering my ears!

Actually, I Googled Rockwell a bit and read nothing contrary about him. Such a relief. Although I was sad to find he struggled with some bouts of depression. You could never tell by looking at any of his 323 Saturday Evening Posts covers. They aren’t all humorous, but many of them are, and the ones that aren’t are filled with hope and happiness, I think.

I love an artist who can seamlessly move between light-heartedness and important, deeply emotional themes and Rockwell nails that balance time after time.

Try not to smile at this one:

But Rockwell isn’t all fun and games. I love the brave and determined Ruby Bridges headed to school in The Problem We All Live With (not pictured) or his Four Freedoms series:

I know you have one- what is your favorite Rockwell illustration?

Ard At Work

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I feel like we are finally getting into the swing of things now that school has been in session for a few months. My days have a sort of rhythm now, and I’ve had all my appointments that I put off over the summer, because who wants to waste their precious summery-warm minutes getting bloodwork or a haircut?! I went to the dentist too, which is on my list of “Things I Hate Worse Than Milk Moustaches.” It’s a short list. Also on the list is the letter from school that someone has lice, and fasting for bloodwork.

The positive about going to the dentist this past visit was that it reminded me of this piece of art by one of the most fun artists I can think of:

Ah, yes, Norman Rockwell and his Saturday Evening Posts… classics. Except. When I pulled this famous picture up to write a blog post on Norman Rockwell, I found this isn’t a Norman Rockwell cover!! The artist who did this picture was Kurt Ard, bless him. I think everyone knows this as a Rockwell, amiright? But Ard (from Denmark) was a fantastic illustrator in his own right. Once I started looking around, I loved his work almost (I won’t commit to an equivalent love!) as much as Rockwell’s. Look at this charming picture, for example:

Rounding up little dogies is exhausting!
Precious. If you’re disappointed that I tricked you into thinking we were going to discuss Rockwell today, stay tuned! I think you’ll love the next post…

Happy November 5th!

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Have you heard? It’s National Redhead Day! I hope you are all celebrating your favorite redheads. May I recommend gingerbread cookies? Or red velvet cake? Carrottop cake? I’m certain you wouldn’t pick a fight today, but just in case- do you know how to punch a redhead? Gingerly.

Here is one of my favorite paintings of a redhead (there are so many! Don’t worry. This will definitely not be my last post about redheads.)

Venus: not your average scandalous redhead.

This was maybe commissioned by the Medici family, maybe not, but it is still housed in the Uffizi Gallery. Botticelli made waves by creating such a large painting of a Greek mythological scene (the painting is 6’x9’). Apparently, that was quite rare during the Italian Renaissance, as was having a nude female as the central figure. There is no record of whether Sandro Botticelli painted this in celebration of National Redhead Day.

Venus’ backstory is an interesting one. Cronus conquered his dad (Uranus), castrated him and threw his genitals into the ocean, fertilizing it and creating our girl, Venus. That is Zephyrus (god of the east wind) on the far left breathing life into her and blowing her to land. He is embracing a nymph because, like all Greek gods, he was a womanizer. The other redhead (on the right) is an Hour The Hours controlled the seasons- I trust she was there to give Venus a hat and mittens.

Do you have a favorite redhead painting? There are a bunch to choose from, and some of the redheads are even wearing clothes!