June 10, 2010

Edie Roberson

The Ladies' Club, 2007
acrylic, pastel 33"x 42"

I love how she turns vintage toys and familiar images into characters in her paintings. See her website here. I found her here.

Lotte Laserstein (1898 - 1993)

Abend über Potsdam (Evening over Potsdam), 1930

I love how each figure seems to have a struggle and a story. Found here. More images here.

Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale (1872 – 1945)

The Deceitfulness of Riches

More found here, here, here, or here. There is a lot on to be found on the web. I would love to have a story book filled with her illustrations.

April 02, 2010

Piero di Cosimo

Piero di Cosimo (1462-1521)

The Forest Fire (c. 1505) Oil on panel, approximately 28 inches x 79.5 inches. Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.

Gerard David

Gerard David (c. 1460 – 1523)

Three Legends of Saint Nicholas circa 1500-20. Oil on panel, 3 panels each: 55.90 by 33.70 cm

If you ever get the chance to watch Sister Wendy talk about this painting, she will MAKE you love it. (Sister Wendy's Odyssey? Grand Tour?... can't remember which series.)

March 08, 2010

Maira Kalman

Ottoman Breakfast, 2008
gouache on paper 14 x 10 1/4”

www.mairakalman.com

I love her children's books too. Especially this one which uses the lyrics from a Talking Head's song.

January 26, 2010

Isaac Levitan

The Lake. Study. 1898-99. Oil on canvas mounted on panel.
The Art Museum of Nizhniy Novgorod, Russia.

Isaac Levitan (1860-1900) was a classical Russian landscape painter.  This particular painting was one of his last, unfinished paintings.  If it is unfinished, it looks perfect to me!  I love the colors and the lightness.  There is an interesting summary of the artist here.  Galleries of his work can be found here or here.

I have been fascinated by Russian art ever since an art history class that briefly covered Soviet art in modern art discussions.  Some things are similar to Western art and some things are uniquely Russian.  Check out The Russian Art Gallery to see more.