Shelley’s Art Musings
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Shelley’s Art Scandal – Anti-Semitic or Misguided?
Mear One created a work of art on the streets of London which caused controversy at the time, and then six years after it was removed caused more controversy. Find out what happened and why this piece is used to create a political scandal.
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Shelley’s Art Musings – There is more to Whistler than his Mother…
I am sure that the first thing anyone thinks of when they hear the name James Abbott McNeill Whistler is the dower painting of his Mother. The muted pallet and stern setting of the piece along with the initial reaction to its original name made this a sure-fire masterpiece, but ask most people to name another piece by Whistler and they probably can’t. Whistler was born in Lowell, Massachusetts in 1834 to Anna and George Whistler. He lived his first 3 years in a house which has now become “Whistler’s House Museum of Art”, dedicated to his artwork. In 1837 they moved to Stonington, Connecticut so that his father could…
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Shelley’s Art Musings – Claude Monet
The 11th November is Armistice Day, and this year marks 100 years of this monumental date, but did you know that Monet presented “Water Lilies” to the state as a monument of peace. This was done by writing to the Prime Minister and his friend George Clemenceau. The pair had been friends for over 30 years, and in Monet’s letter he wrote: “I am on the verge of finishing two decorative panels which I want to sign on Victory day, and am writing to ask you if they could be offered to the State with you acting as intermediary.” On November 14th this year, the Musee Orangerie will be holding…
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Shelley’s Art Musing: Bruegel the Elder – 450 years on.
I started writing about art, because I wanted to show those who say “I don’t get art” that it isn’t as difficult to understand as some make out. Art, in its many forms, is so entwined with life, but some lose sight of the intentions and make it seem too elitist and out of reach, forgetting that art was a form of communication and a way to teach and share stories through the ages. A fine example of this is the work of Pieter Bruegel, and currently there is an exhibition on in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna. This exhibition celebrates the life and work of this witty and humorous…
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Shelley’s Art Musings – Delacroix Sexist?
It’s an iconic and powerfully strong image, isn’t it. Lady Liberty leading the charge of freedom, in what is known as Delacroix’s most famous painting, but the symbolism and composition of the piece have opened debates around sexism and imagery. Delacroix was notorious for his dramatic paintings, but audiences found his topics and depictions rather hard to stomach, as the scenes are overly violent, too grand, oversized and overpowering in the response that they almost demand. Delacroix was a leading name in French Romanticism, born in 1798 he was educated at Lycée Louis-le-Grand, and at the Lycée Pierre Corneille in Rouen, where he immersed himself in the classics and…
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Shelley’s Art Musings – Spotlight on Rembrandt
When you look at art throughout the ages, there is nothing quite so extravagant as the late renaissance moving through to the Baroque period. The artwork is indulgent and highly detailed, with every aspect of the frame covered. Rembrandt was known as a master of this field, producing elaborate self-portraits and depictions of biblical scenes embedded his name in the art world for the ages. Born Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn in 1606, he was the son of a miller and was able to attend a Latin school. At the age of 14, he began to study at the University of Leiden, but finding academia was not for him, he took…
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Shelley’s Art Musings – Spotlight on Alphonse Mucha
There is something decadently elegant about the Art Nouveau movement. Removed from the academic and classical styles which were so readily seen at the turn of the century, this style had a freedom and flow which had an underlying statement of love and beauty. The curvaceous forms and looping lines of the style accentuate the pieces and lent itself to not just retinal artwork, but home design and architectural displays. Alphonse Mucha, was the father of this movement, with the style being called ‘Le Style Mucha’ when it first came into the public domain, he became famous in this field almost by accident. Mucha hated the term ‘Art Nouveau’ as…
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Shelley’s Art Musing – Greek Myth Influences on Art
When thinking about Greek myths, or any myths, legends or religion for that matter, you probably have some very defined ideas of what the characters in those stories look like. For example, if I were writing about Zeus, you would probably be thinking of an aging yet muscular, bearded man, with a thunderbolt in one hand and an animal of some kind around him. If I were to have said Jesus, you would have thought of a dark-haired, bearded gentleman in a white robe and a halo of light around his head. These are accepted symbols and images used in the art world to portray figures of mythological or religious…
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Shelley’s Art Musings – Book Review: Greek Sculpture by Edmund Von Mach
I am a huge fan of Greek art and mythology, and really the two things go hand in hand. The mythology element helped shape many of the stories and language that we still know and use today and the artworks heavily influenced art movements in the western world, so it would make sense for any art lover to have, at least a rudimentary understanding of both. Edmund Von Mach has created a great read which covers the techniques and principles of Greek sculpture, but I would say that this is aimed at those who already understand the mythology which inspired the artists, there sculptures not only acting as things of…
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Spotlight on Seth Globepainter
I have now written a few articles for you, usually looking at the negative reception of street art, or the issues which come about from art which is in public areas, so it is nice to be able to look at this subject in a positive light, rather than to extol the virtues of why street art is effectively an open gallery for all. Julien Malland aka Seth Globepainter is a street artist who has emerged in Paris and is utilizing the building of the 20th arrondissement, with large-scale characters which dominate the skyline and bring a beauty to the area by developing his vision on to the side of…
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