Martha Mayer Erlebacher

Art Appreciation

American contemporary realist painter, Martha Mayer Erlebacher is highly regarded and recognized for her classical techniques with modernism in her figurative and still-life paintings.

Many of her figurative paintings are metaphorical, such as the series titled The Cycle of Life, where she expresses the various stages of life to the four elements (air, fire, earth, and water).

You can see more of her wonderful work HERE.

Flora (2003) via womenpaintingwomen

Form and Void via americangallery

The Cycle of Life, Fire: Youth (2006) via studioincamminati

The Cycle of Life, Earth: Adulthood (2009) via artodyssey1

The Cycle of Life, Water: Old Age (2007-08) via figurationfeminine

Similar artist: Giuseppe Muscio



Sources: http://www.marthamayererlebacher.com/; http://figurationfeminine.blogspot.com/2009/09/martha-mayer-erlebacher-1937.html; http://studioincamminati.blogspot.com/2010/10/realist-art-around-philadelphia-martha.html; http://www.sullivangoss.com/martha_mayer_erlebacher/; http://www.independent.com/news/2012/oct/04/still-life-martha-mayer-erlebacher/; http://womenpaintingwomen.blogspot.com/2012/01/martha-mayer-earlbacher.html; http://artodyssey1.blogspot.com/2010/09/martha-mayer-erlebacher-martha-mayer.html; http://americangallery.wordpress.com/2012/02/16/martha-mayer-erlebacher-1937/; http://seraphin.squarespace.com/martha-mayer-erlebacher-the-cy/; http://poetsandartists.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/pa26lo.pdf

Vicente Romero

Art Appreciation

Spanish painter Vicente Romero is known for his oil and pastel portraits of beautiful women in intimate settings. Born in Madrid, Romero studied at the most prestigious art school in Spain, before moving to Costa Brava, the coastal region of northeastern Spain on the Mediterranean.

What caught my attention, besides the paintings of beautiful women, was his use of light and shadow to create transparency and depth. For example, the portrait of a lady in a sheer dress holding up a embroidered lace sheer throw against the Mediterranean light delicately outlines her body.

His work captures intimate moments he wishes to share with his viewers. For example, the lovely ballerina sitting at a corner after or before practice. Romero's use of reflection is wonderful. Notice how he places detail on the subject rather than the other non-important things in the setting. You see this again in the painting of a naked woman holding her sheer robe below her waist looking out into the Mediterranean.

You can see a lot more of his wonderful work HERE.

via pondly

 

via pondly

via cuded

Sources: http://vicenteromero.wordpress.com/; http://www.cuded.com/2011/11/paintings-by-vicente-romero/; http://www.pondly.com/2011/10/women-painting-by-vicente-romero-redondo/; http://www.artelibre.net/ARTELIBRE1/ROMERO/vicenteromero.htm; http://impressioniartistiche.blogspot.com/2011/07/vicente-romero-redondo_3335.html; http://www.artistsnetwork.com/medium/pastel/romero-figure-gallery; http://everythingis-art.blogspot.com/2012/08/recommended-artist-vicente-romero.html#!/2012/08/recommended-artist-vicente-romero.html





 

Genesis - I can't dance

Music Appreciation

Music videos during the late 80's and 90's were heavy on fashion and style. For example, George Michael's bleach torn Levi's in Faith or the hip hop style in Bell Biv DeVoe's Poison. The ad placement in music videos was perhaps the smartest thing to do since it caused kids, like me, to ask our parents to buy the various styles.

Phil Collins and Genesis decided to highlight this "false glamour" in their video I can't dance.
Released on December 30, 1991, the song, reached top ten on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.

The music video is best remembered for Phil Collins' parody of Michael Jackson's solo dance at the conclusion of Black or White, which was released a few weeks before I can't dance.

Previous Blog on Genesis' Land of Confusion.

Sources: Wikipedia

Grant Wood

ART APPRECIATION

Grant Wood is best known for his iconic painting American Gothic, which depicts a farmer and his daughter in front of a farm house with a gothic window in the American midwest.

Arbor Day, another popular painting of Wood, is featured on the back of the 2004 American quarter coin.

The Iowan studied many styles of painting techniques, during his time in Europe, and took influence from Flemish artist Jan van Eyck. 

Wood was associated with an American realist art movement known as Regionalism, which focused on rural life and the American heartland.

You can see more of his work HERE.

American Gothic (1930) via badarthistory

The Appraisal (1931) via dailyartfixx

Arbor Day (1932) via paintedocean

The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere (1931) via americanculturaltreasures

Sources: http://www.grantwoodartgallery.org/; Wikipedia

Camille Pissarro

Art Appreciation

Danish-French Impressionist Jacob-Abraham-Camille Pissarro was born in the Island of Saint Thomas on July 10, 1830.

Pissarro was considered a great contributor to the Impressionism and Post-Impressionism movement. He studied in Paris under master artists such as Gustave Courbet, Jean-Francois Millet, and Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot. Corot inspired him to paint "en plein air," however, unlike Corot, Pissarro finished his paintings outdoors to give it a realistic feel.

Paris hosted annual government-sponsored juried exhibitions known as Salon where artists presented their work to the public. During the late 19th century, the Salon adopted traditional French paintings standards that had to be followed in order for an artist to exhibit their work--focus was on subjects, religious themes, and portraits not landscape and still life. Because of this conservative standards, many artists, especially those who exhibited their work at the Salon in the past, were rejected.

Pissarro, along with a group of young artists, which also included Claude Monet, were dubbed "impressionists," by the conservative Académie des Beaux-Arts, the host of the Salon. Because of negative public perception, Napoleon III sponsored a concurrent exhibition known as the Salon des Refuses, where the public could compare the "officially acceptable" art with those that were refused.

Pissarro, also known affectionately by his peers a "Papa" for his even temperment and calming influence, participated in all eight Salon des Refuses exhibitions from 1874 to 1886.

You can see more about his history and work HERE.





Boulevard des Italiens, Morning, Sunlight (1897) via abeautifulbook



Peasant Girl Drinking Her Coffee (1891) via artportraiture

Pissarro, Hay Harvest at Éragny (1901) via melbourneblogger

Self-portrait (1898) via dailyartist

Sources: John House, "Impressionist Masterpieces." National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1985; http://dailyartist.blogspot.com/2011/02/camille-pissarro-july-1830-10-november.html; http://www.camillepissarro.org/; Elke Linda Buchholz, "Art: A World History." Abrams, New York; Wikipedia