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The Social World of Élisabeth Louise Vigée-Lebrun
Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun (1755-1842) was not only the rare woman of her time who integrated herself into the French Royal Academy of Painting, but also beloved portraitist to the aristocracy.
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Egon Schiele – One of the great Expressionist painters
Egon Schiele's roots were in the Jugendstil of the Viennese Secession movement. Like a whole generation, he came under the overwhelming influence of Vienna’s most charismatic and celebrated artist, Gustav Klimt.
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Portrait Paintings and Studio Drawings
"It takes a long time for a man to look like his portrait." - James Whistler
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Autoportraits du musée d’Orsay : les sex-symbols d’hier
« Des autoportraits de peintres datant de la fin du XVIIIe au début XIXe ? Pourquoi faire ? » – Ne soyez pas si sceptiques ! Oui vous connaissez pour les plus fameux d’entre eux, les œuvres phares ; les Nymphéas de Monet ainsi que ses soleil, les Tournesols de Van Gogh, les vahinés de Gauguin… Admirables n’est-ce pas ?! Mais qu’en est-il de l’Homme, l’observateur, l’amoureux, celui qui répand les couleurs sur sa palette, celui qui tient son pinceau, qui le mâchouille ardemment ou le suçote peut-être ? On vous a donné les grandes lignes de leurs vies, les anecdotes sulfureuses, folles ou parfois aussi captivantes que le voyage d’un hamster en solitaire dans sa roue… ? Fort…
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Egon Schiele – The Poet (Self-Portrait), 1911. In HD!
Click on the image to see Egon Schiele´s The Poet (Self-Portrait) in High Resolution, with all its amazing details!
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The future is black!
A simple black square by Russian artist Kazimir Malevich was first presented to the public in 1915. What a sensation! At the same time the image caused both incomprehension and rejection – the viewer could neither make out representational features nor see shapes or lines in this composition. While the First World War was already raging in Europe, Malevich had created an unprecedented painting implying a dark premonition of the future. Today Black Suprematic Square by Malevich is an icon of modern painting mentioned in countless books about 20th-century art. During his life the artist himself referred to his masterpiece several times in his work, just like in his self-portrait…
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A Selfie Too Far?
Selfie-fever has reached its pitch and now even Obama and Dave are getting involved. Two days ago, the pair took a much-commented-on shot with the Danish PM. Why all the attention? Because they were attending Nelson Mandela’s memorial service at the time. Many people have reacted strongly, declaring the selfie entirely inappropriate and disrespectful. Others have come to the leaders’ defence, claiming that a memorial service should be a time for celebration and that there’s nothing wrong with a good dose of joy. This is just the latest in a series of headlines made by the selfie phenomenon. It has been named as ‘Word of the Year 2013’ by Oxford…
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Glass Mirrors and Serial Codes: A Glimpse into the Self Portrait
‘You use a glass mirror to see your face; you use works of art to see your soul.’ George Bernard Shaw The self portrait in its most potent form offers the viewer with a direct insight to an artist. On an superficial level we are granted a glimpse of the artist’s face. For the viewer it is interesting, exciting, and dynamic thing to be afforded this opportunity, as I believe it adds unconsciously to our perception of the artist. But why certain artists engage in this practise so frequently is a tricky one to answer. Is the self-portrait an exercise in convenience (no easier/cheaper model to arrange than yourself) or…
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The Changing Face of Vallotton
Before photography came along paintings were undoubtedly the best way of providing a lasting imprint of a person’s physical appearance. It’s always confused and delighted me how dabs of paint on a canvas can be transformed into a likeness of a person, and at the hands of the best artists, can reveal a true sense of temperament and character. And due to our natural predisposition to study faces, it is perhaps one of the hardest painterly tasks to get right (one only needs look at the sincere but botched ‘Monkey Jesus’ Fresco to see how wrong it can go).
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The Good, the Bad, and the 17th Century
Here we are again at the 17th century, the time of Master Rembrandt and his many self-portraits. But, frankly, when I consider wanting to go back in time, I don’t fancy returning to the 17th century. There were a tonne of wars. Famines in Russia, France, and Finland and a plague in both Seville and London. Shakespeare died, for crying out loud – I’m still mourning this loss. The Good: Jamestown, Virginia was established – which later led to a massacre of 347 English settlers by the natives (essentially score one and only) St Peter’s Basilica was completed Torture was outlawed in England (we’re still waiting for that…
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