Richard Brakenburgh

Art Appreciation

Richard Brakenburgh, born on May 22, 1650, in Haarlem, Netherlands, was a prominent painter during the Dutch Golden Age. He studied under Hendrik Mommers, a Dutch painter known for Italianate landscapes. He was also notably influenced by Adriaen van Ostade and Jan Steen, whose styles are evident in his works. Brakenburgh's artistic journey led him to Leeuwarden between 1670 and 1687, where he honed his craft before returning to Haarlem.

Brakenburgh specialized in genre scenes depicting everyday lives of the Dutch middle class. His paintings are characterized by lively compositions, warm color palettes, and a keen attention to detail, capturing the domestic virtues and social customs of his time. He was known for his effective use of chiaroscuro, the treatment of light and shade, and attention to detail, though his figure drawings have been critiqued for lacking accuracy.

Among Brakenburgh's notable works are "The Feast of Saint Nicholas" (1685), housed in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdaym, and "May Queen Festival" (1699), located in the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest. These paintings exemplify his ability portray festive gatherings with warmth and authenticity. 

The Feast of Saint Nicholas, 1685

May Queen Festival, 1699

Celebration of a Birth, 1682

Sources:

Wikipedia

https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/search?p=1&ps=12&maker=Richard%20Brakenburgh

https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/richard-brakenburgh/m0dlkxtv

https://www.mutualart.com/Artist/Richard-Brakenburgh/E675D255462B2F4E

Miles Johnston

Art Appreciation

Miles Johnston was born in 1993 in the United Kingdom. He spent part of his childhood in Brunei, Borneo—an experience he has noted as influential due to the dramatic shift in environment and perspective. 

From an early age, Johnston showed a strong inclination toward drawing, often replicating characters from video games as a way to build technical skill. He grew up in a creative household and came to see art as a viable career path during his teenage years; by 17, he was already working professionally. He later refined his craft at the Swedish Academy of Realist Art, where he would go on to teach part-time, grounding his surreal instincts in rigorous academic technique.

Johnston’s work sits at the intersection of realism and surrealism, drawing viewers into the psychological space of his subjects. His figures—often distorted, repeated, or fragmented—immediately suggest an interior narrative, prompting questions about identity and perception. As he has described in his own process, compositions emerge through intuitive exploration, where relationships between elements create meaning rather than explicit storytelling. 

His approach aligns with influences such as M. C. Escher, Zdzisław Beksiński, and Gustav Klimt, among others. The result is work often described as dreamlike, visceral, and unsettling—images that resist easy interpretation while maintaining strong visual clarity.

Central to Johnston’s philosophy is the idea that emotional response completes the artwork. A piece may be technically precise, but its real value lies in how it affects the viewer. His meticulous process—beginning with thumbnail sketches and evolving through careful layering of tone and structure—supports this goal, ensuring that composition and light guide attention and meaning. 

Countercurrent

Dualism

Hive Mind

Sources:

https://beinart.org/collections/miles-johnston?srsltid=AfmBOoqu7rpzAizTXjoRBJsC80MpnTnqJLGAtay56TxxdDNtHDihfedW

https://www.instagram.com/miles_art/

https://youtu.be/0G_cdyacvqI

https://www.artsy.net/artist/miles-johnston

Walter Bowman Russell

Art Appreciation

Born in Boston on May 19, 1871, Walter Bowman Russell grew up during a period of rapid industrial and artistic change in the United States. Largely self-educated, Russell showed an early aptitude for drawing, music, and observation of the natural world. 

Although he briefly attended the Massachusetts Normal Art School in Boston, much of his artistic development came through independent study and practical work. As a young man, he supported himself through illustration and portrait commissions, eventually moving to New York City, where he became immersed in the thriving American art scene of the late nineteenth century.

Russell built a successful career as an impressionist painter and sculptor, earning recognition for portraits, allegorical works, and monumental public art. His paintings often emphasized luminous color, dramatic light, and soft atmospheric effects associated with American Impressionism. 

He worked with fluid brushstrokes and balanced compositions that blended realism with idealized beauty. Among his best-known works are portraits of political leaders, industrialists, and cultural figures, along with large-scale murals and sculptures commissioned for civic spaces. Russell also gained attention as a designer and architect, contributing to memorials and artistic projects that reflected classical influences combined with modern American themes.

Beyond art, Russell became known for his philosophical and metaphysical writings. He believed the universe operated according to rhythmic universal laws that united science, spirituality, music, and art. These ideas were explored in books such as The Universal One and The Secret of Light. Alongside his wife, Lao Russell, he founded the University of Science and Philosophy to promote his theories on consciousness and cosmic balance.

Kelp harvesting on the flats

Portrait of a Young Girl, 1904

Sources

Wikipedia

https://philosophy.org/about-us/walter-russell

https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/russell-walter-bowman-1871-1963

https://www.the-athenaeum.org/art/list.php

https://www.mutualart.com/Artwork/Kelp-harvesting-on-the-flats/602FFF5909061110

Michelle Jung

Art Appreciation

Michelle Jung is a Connecticut-born painter whose path into fine art developed later than most. Raised in East Hartford, she earned a degree in art history from Colorado State University before working in galleries and later running her own insurance business. 

Her formal transition into painting began around the age of 40, followed by intensive study through workshops and, eventually, a Master of Fine Arts in painting. This nontraditional trajectory plays a central role in her perspective—she approaches painting with both academic grounding and lived experience, often emphasizing that artistic growth is not confined to youth.

Michelle’s career has since grown into a national presence, with exhibitions, awards, and memberships in organizations such as the American Society of Marine Artists and the California Art Club. Her work is rooted in observation but not tied to strict representation. As she explains in interviews and writings, including features on her official website, she studies environments repeatedly—sometimes for years—before translating them into paintings built from memory, sketches, and layered references. This process allows her to move beyond documentation and instead capture what she describes as the “personality” of a place.

Stylistically, Michelle operates between realism and abstraction. Her paintings often read as representational from a distance, but dissolve into expressive brushwork and layered color up close. She works methodically, building compositions over time before executing the final paint application with speed and confidence. Her use of multiple planes, subtle distortions, and unconventional formats—such as square canvases—creates visual tension and draws viewers into the work. 

Sources:

https://www.michellejungstudio.com/

https://www.instagram.com/michellejungart/

https://theartfulpainter.com/artful-painter/michelle-jung-16

https://www.oilpaintersofamerica.com/about-opa/bloggers/michelle-jung/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxTkJ1oBXQg&t=1s

Body Art: Kazim - Belgian Bodypaint Championship

Artist: Kazim Christophe Cwikla

via Kazim 2C 

Francine Van Hove

Art Appreciation

Years ago, I wrote about Francine Van Hove and how one of her pieces caught my attention. I was new to writing about artists and their work, and I fell short in expressing a proper appreciation.

Born on May 5, 1942, in Saint-Mandé, France, Francine Van Hove is a French contemporary painter known for her quiet, intimate portrayals of women in domestic interiors.

She studied at the prestigious École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, where she developed a strong foundation in classical drawing and painting. Her early training emphasized observation, composition, and the human figure—elements that would remain central throughout her career. Growing up in Paris, she was immersed in a rich artistic tradition that shaped her sensitivity to light, space, and mood.

Van Hove’s career is defined by a consistent focus on contemplative female figures, often depicted reading, resting, or lost in thought. Her technique reflects careful draftsmanship, soft brushwork, and a restrained palette that leans toward warm neutrals and muted tones.

Influences from artists such as Johannes Vermeer are evident in her handling of light and interior space, while her compositions maintain a modern simplicity. Rather than relying on narrative drama, her paintings emphasize stillness and introspection.

Among her most recognized works are her depictions of reclining women, seated figures near windows, and quiet bedroom scenes—often untitled or simply described by their subject. Her work has been exhibited widely in Parisian galleries and across Europe, reinforcing her reputation within contemporary figurative painting.

Sources:

Wikipedia

https://www.galerieclaudinelegrand.fr

https://www.artnet.com/artists/francine-van-hove/

https://www.mutualart.com/Artist/Francine-Van-Hove/overview

Ana Bagayan

Art Appreciation

Armenian-born artist Ana Bagayan is known for paintings and drawings that blend symbolism, surrealism, and metaphysical themes. Raised between Armenia and the United States, Bagayan later studied painting at the prestigious ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California, where she refined her technical skills and developed a highly imaginative visual language. 

Ana’s artwork explores cosmic consciousness, spirituality, dream imagery, and the unseen forces that connect human experience to the universe.  

She has exhibited her work in galleries throughout the United States and internationally, earning recognition for compositions that balance fine art traditions with contemporary surrealism. Her work reflects influences from mysticism, mythology, and metaphysical philosophy while maintaining a distinctly modern aesthetic.

Beyond gallery exhibitions, Bagayan has built a successful career as a commercial illustrator. Her illustrations and commissioned works have appeared in projects connected to companies and publications such as Sony BMG, Rolling Stone, and Spin. 

Silence, 2009

Bitcoin Baby Blues, 2018

Alien Venus, 2021

Sources:

https://www.anabagayan.com

https://www.artcenter.edu/

https://www.instagram.com/anabagayan

https://www.artsy.net/artist/ana-bagayan

https://www.artpal.com/popmodern

https://laluzdejesus.com/product-category/exhibitions/ana-bagayan-strange-attractor/

Luigi Russolo

Art Appreciation

Born on April 30, 1885 in Portogruaro, Italy, Luigi Russolo was raised in a musical family. Since his father was an organist, he was initially trained in music rather than formal visual arts. The early exposure shaped his later fascination with sound and noise. 

In the early 1900s, he moved to Milan, where he became involved with avant-garde circles. Although largely self-taught as a painter, Russolo absorbed influences from Symbolism before aligning himself with the emerging Futurist movement, which emphasized modernity, speed, and industrial life. 

Russolo became a key figure in Futurism, working alongside artists like Umberto Boccioni and Giacomo Balla. His paintings often explored dynamism, movement, and the energy of urban environments. However, his most lasting influence came through his 1913 manifesto, The Art of Noises, where he argued that industrial sounds should be considered music. 

Among Russolo's notable works are Dynamism of an Automobile, which captured the force and motion of modern machines, and Solidity of Fog, reflecting the collective energy central to Futurist ideology. 

His paintings Music reveals the transition from Symbolist themes to Futurist abstraction. While his visual output was relatively limited compared to peers, Russolo's interdisciplinary approach -- bridging painting and sound -- cemented his reputation as one of Futurism's more experimental voices.

Self-portrait with Skulls, 1909

Dynamism of a Car, 1913

Solidity of Fog, 1912

Landscape with trees, c. 1940

Sources: 

Wikipedia

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search#!?q=Russolo

https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/luigi-russolo-1894

https://www.moma.org/artists/5122

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Luigi-Russolo

Victor Borisov-Musatov

Art Appreciation

Victor Borisov-Musatov was born on April 14, 1870 in Saratov, Russia, into a modest family; his father worked as a railway clerk. A childhood spinal injury left him physically fragile, shaping both his quiet temperament and introspective outlook. 

He showed early artistic talent and studied at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture before continuing at the Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg. Seeking broader exposure, he later traveled to Paris, where he studied at the Académie Julian and encountered French Symbolism and Impressionism, influences that would define his mature work.

Borisov-Musatov’s career, though brief, positioned him as a key figure in Russian Symbolism. He drew inspiration from memory, nostalgia, and an imagined aristocratic past, often depicting dreamlike estates, gardens, and figures in flowing dresses. 

His technique emphasized soft contours, muted color palettes, and a hazy, almost musical atmosphere that blurred reality and fantasy. Rather than focusing on narrative detail, he aimed to evoke mood and emotion, creating compositions that feel suspended in time. His exposure to artists like Puvis de Chavannes informed his use of decorative harmony and flattened space.

Among his best-known works are The Pool (1902), widely considered his masterpiece, as well as Autumn Song (1905), Phantoms (1903), and Emerald Necklace (1903–1904). These paintings reflect his signature themes of fading beauty and quiet melancholy. Although he died at just 35, his work influenced later Russian artists, particularly those associated with the Blue Rose movement, who carried forward his poetic and symbolic approach to painting.

The Pool, 1902

Autumn Song, 1905

Phantoms, 1903

The Emerald Necklace, 1903

Sources:

Wikipedia

https://www.tretyakovgallery.ru/en/collection/viktor-borisov-musatov/

https://www.theartstory.org/artist/borisov-musatov-viktor/

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Viktor-Borisov-Musatov

https://www.wikiart.org/en/viktor-borisov-musatov

Jean-Honoré Fragonard

Art Appreciation

Jean-Honoré Fragonard was born on April 5, 1732, in Grasse. His family moved to Paris during his youth, where his artistic talent began to emerge. 

Initially apprenticed to a notary, Fragonard soon shifted toward painting and studied under notable artists such as François Boucher and later Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin. In 1752, he won the prestigious Prix de Rome, which allowed him to study at the French Academy in Rome. There, he absorbed the influence of Italian Baroque masters and developed a strong foundation in composition, color, and expressive brushwork.

Fragonard’s career flourished during the height of the Rococo period, a style defined by elegance, playfulness, and intimacy. He became known for his lighthearted, often romantic scenes filled with soft colors, fluid movement, and a sense of spontaneity. 

His paintings frequently depicted aristocratic leisure—garden encounters, flirtation, and private moments—reflecting the tastes of pre-Revolutionary French society. Unlike more rigid academic painters, Fragonard embraced loose, energetic brushstrokes that gave his work a lively, almost sketch-like quality. However, with the rise of Neoclassicism and the social shifts leading up to the French Revolution, his style fell out of favor, and his career declined toward the end of his life.

Among Fragonard’s most celebrated works is The Swing (1767), a defining image of Rococo art known for its playful sensuality and theatrical composition. Other notable pieces include The Progress of Love series, originally commissioned for Madame du Barry, and The Bolt, which captures a dramatic and intimate moment between lovers. 

The Swing, 1767

Love Letters, 1771

Le Chat angora, 1783

Sources:

Wikipedia

https://www.louvre.fr/en/explore/the-palace/jean-honore-fragonard

https://www.nga.gov/collection/artist-info.1379.html

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jean-Honore-Fragonard

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search#!?q=Fragonard

William Holman Hunt

Art Appreciation

William Holman Hunt was born on April 2, 1827, in Cheapside, London, into a modest family. His early life was shaped by financial constraints, and his father initially discouraged his artistic ambitions. Despite this, Hunt persisted and eventually gained admission to the Royal Academy Schools after several attempts. 

At the Royal Academy, he met fellow artists Dante Gabriel Rossetti and John Everett Millais, with whom he would form the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood in 1848. The group rejected what they saw as the rigid academic standards of the time, advocating instead for a return to the detail, color, and sincerity of early Renaissance art before Raphael.

Hunt’s career was defined by his commitment to realism, symbolism, and moral narrative. He developed a meticulous technique characterized by vivid color, sharp detail, and painting directly from nature. 

Unlike many of his contemporaries, Hunt often worked outdoors to capture accurate light and environment, a practice that reinforced the Brotherhood’s ideals. His travels to the Middle East, particularly the Holy Land, were central to his approach; he sought historical and geographical authenticity for biblical scenes. This dedication resulted in paintings that combined spiritual intensity with precise observation, often embedding layers of symbolic meaning within seemingly straightforward compositions.

Among Hunt’s most celebrated works are The Light of the World (1851–1853), The Awakening Conscience (1853), and The Scapegoat (1854–1856). The Light of the World, depicting Christ knocking on a door overgrown with weeds, became one of the most reproduced religious images of the Victorian era. The Awakening Conscience presents a moment of moral realization within a domestic interior, rich with symbolic detail. The Scapegoat, painted after his travels, reflects his commitment to biblical authenticity and emotional weight. Together, these works exemplify Hunt’s ability to merge technical precision with narrative depth, securing his place as a leading figure in 19th-century British art.

The Light of the World, 1851

The Awakening Conscience, 1853

The Scapegoat, 1854

The Lady of Shalott, 1888

May Morning on Magdalen Tower, 1890

Sources:

Wikipedia

https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/william-holman-hunt-282

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search#!?q=William%20Holman%20Hunt

https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/artists/william-holman-hunt

https://www.britannica.com/biography/William-Holman-Hunt

Pascin

Art Appreciation

Jules Pascin was born on March 31, 1885, in Vidin, Bulgaria, into a wealthy Jewish merchant family. As a young man, he showed little interest in joining the family business and instead pursued art, studying briefly in Vienna and Munich. In Munich, he trained at the Moritz Heymann School and began contributing satirical drawings to publications such as Simplicissimus, which helped him develop a loose, expressive line and a focus on human subjects.

Pascin moved to Paris in 1905, where he became part of the Montparnasse circle of artists, often referred to as the School of Paris. There, he associated with figures like Amedeo Modigliani and Chaim Soutine. With the outbreak of World War I, Pascin relocated to the United States, living in New York and later traveling through the American South, including Cuba. These experiences broadened his subject matter, introducing scenes of everyday life, particularly intimate portrayals of women and marginalized communities.

His mature work is marked by delicate, fluid lines, soft washes of color, and a quiet, introspective tone. Pascin often depicted nudes, café scenes, and street life with a sense of vulnerability rather than glamour. His technique blended drawing and watercolor, emphasizing immediacy and psychological nuance. 

Among his notable works are Hermine David in the Studio, Young Girl in Red, and Seated Nude, all of which reflect his ability to capture fleeting emotion with minimal detail. Though not as commercially celebrated during his lifetime as some peers, his work has since been recognized for its emotional honesty and influence within early modernism.

Despite his artistic success, Pascin struggled with depression and alcoholism throughout his life. His relationships were often turbulent, and he placed immense pressure on himself as an artist. On June 5, 1930, in Paris, Pascin died by suicide at the age of 45, leaving behind a note and a body of work that continues to resonate for its sensitivity and restraint. 

Hermine David in the Studio

Young Girl in Red

Hermine in Bed

Seated Nude

Sources:

Wikipedia

https://www.moma.org/artists/4471

https://www.theartstory.org/artist/pascin-jules/

https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/jules-pascin-1696

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jules-Pascin

Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld

Art Appreciation

Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld was born on March 26, 1794, in Leipzig, then part of the Electorate of Saxony in the Holy Roman Empire. He grew up in an artistic household; his father, Veit Hanns Schnorr von Carolsfeld, was a painter and engraver who encouraged rigorous draftsmanship. 

Schnorr enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, where he joined a circle of young artists who would become known as the Nazarenes. Rejecting the dominance of Neoclassicism, they sought moral clarity and spiritual depth through a revival of early Renaissance and medieval styles. In 1817, Schnorr moved to Rome, immersing himself in fresco painting and religious themes.

His career took shape through large-scale fresco commissions in Rome and later in Munich under the patronage of King Ludwig I of Bavaria. Schnorr became widely recognized for his biblical illustrations, especially his Bibel in Bildern, a series of woodcut designs published between 1852 and 1860. These images, marked by clear outlines, balanced composition, and restrained emotion, aimed to make scripture accessible to Protestant households. His technique emphasized linear precision over painterly flourish, aligning with Nazarene ideals of spiritual sincerity and narrative clarity.

Schnorr is best known for his biblical woodcuts and monumental fresco cycles, including scenes from the Nibelungenlied in Munich’s Residenz. His illustrations influenced 19th-century religious publishing across Europe and America. 

Annunciation (1820)

The Wedding at Cana (1819)

Flight into Egypt (1828)

Sources:

Wikipedia

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Julius-Schnorr-von-Carolsfeld

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search?q=Julius+Schnorr+von+Carolsfeld

https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/73068 

Frank Weston Benson

Art Appreciation

Frank Weston Benson was born on March 24, 1862, in Salem, Massachusetts, into a prosperous family with strong maritime roots. His early exposure to culture and education encouraged artistic interests, and he began formal study in 1880 at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston under Otto Grundmann and Frederic Crowninshield. 

Seeking broader artistic training, Benson traveled to Paris in 1883 to study at the Académie Julian, where he absorbed academic traditions and European painting techniques that later shaped his mature style. These formative years established a balance between strong draftsmanship and an interest in light and atmosphere that would define his work.

Benson’s career developed alongside the rise of American Impressionism. Early in his professional life, he painted portraits and murals, but his style evolved toward plein-air painting and the study of natural light, especially after joining the Ten American Painters in 1898. His technique combined academic realism with loose brushwork, allowing figures to remain clearly defined while surrounding elements shimmered with color and movement. 

Benson often painted outdoors, focusing on sunlight and seasonal atmosphere rather than strict detail. His approach reflected both French Impressionist influence and a distinctly American sensibility rooted in New England landscapes and domestic life.

Among Benson’s most recognized works are Eleanor, Summer, The Sisters, Calm Morning, and Sunlight, many of which depict his daughters in outdoor settings at the family’s summer home in Maine. These paintings became popular for their luminous treatment of light and their idealized portrayal of leisure and family life at the turn of the twentieth century. 

Eleanor (1901)

Summer (1909)

The Sisters (1889)

Sources:

Wikipedia

https://www.frankwbenson.com/biography/

https://americanart.si.edu/artist/frank-w-benson-352

https://www.pem.org/exhibitions/frank-w-benson-american-impressionist

https://www.wikiart.org/en/frank-w-benson

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunlight_(Benson)

Body Art: Jeff Mougenot - NOARK 2492

Artist: Jeff Mougenot

Model: Olivia Venner

via Jeff Mougenot

Josef Albers

Art Appreciation

Josef Albers was born on March 19, 1888, in Bottrop, Westphalia, Germany, into a Roman Catholic family of craftsmen. His early exposure to practical skills like glass engraving and plumbing laid a foundation for his later artistic endeavors. 

After working as a schoolteacher from 1908 to 1913, he pursued formal art education at institutions in Berlin, Essen, and Munich, studying under notable artists such as Max Doerner and Franz Stuck. In 1918, he received his first public commission for a stained-glass window, marking the beginning of his professional art career .

In 1920, Albers joined the Bauhaus in Weimar as a student and became a faculty member by 1922, teaching the principles of handicrafts. With the Bauhaus's move to Dessau in 1925, he was promoted to professor and married Anni Albers, a student at the institution and a textile artist. 

His work in Dessau included designing furniture and working with glass, collaborating with established artists like Paul Klee. Following the Bauhaus's closure under Nazi orders in 1933, Albers emigrated to the United States, where he taught at the experimental liberal arts institution Black Mountain College in North Carolina until 1949 .

At Black Mountain College, Albers taught students who would later become prominent artists, such as Ruth Asawa and Robert Rauschenberg. In 1950, he joined Yale University to head the design department, significantly contributing to its graphic design program. 

Albers' teaching methodology emphasized practical experience and vision in design, profoundly impacting postwar Western visual art. His book Interaction of Color, published in 1963, is considered a seminal work on color theory, exploring how colors interact and influence human perception .

Albers is best known for his series Homage to the Square, initiated in 1949, where he explored chromatic interactions with nested squares. Each painting consists of either three or four squares of solid planes of color nested within one another, meticulously recording the colors used. This series exemplifies his disciplined approach to composition and his deep investigation into color relationships .

Homage to the Square: Study for Nocturne, 1951

Grid Mounted, 1921

Rolling After, 1928

Manhattan, 1963

Sources:

Wikipedia

https://www.albersfoundation.org/alberses/biography

https://news.yale.edu/2015/09/01/yale-school-art-exhibition-examines-impact-josef-albers-art-and-teaching

https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/josef-albers-636

https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/artist/josef-albers

https://ideelart.com/blogs/magazine/josef-albers-and-the-interaction-of-color 

https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-josef-anni-albers-amassed-1-400-works-south-american-art

https://louisapenfold.com/albers-interaction-of-color

https://www.thoughtco.com/josef-albers-4628317

https://jlzych.com/2020/04/29/exercises-from-interactions-of-color-by-josef-albers

https://cristearoberts.com/exhibitions/233-discovery-and-invention-the-early-graphic-works-of-josef-albers

https://www.theartist.me/art/8-top-artworks-by-josef-albers/

Body Art: Kazim - Bodypainting POV

Artist: Kazim Christophe Cwikla

via Kazim 2C 

Rita Angus

Art Appreciation

Born on March 12, 1908, in Hastings, New Zealand, Rita Angus grew up in Palmerston North before studying at the Canterbury College School of Art in Christchurch from 1927 to 1933. Her training coincided with a push among young artists to develop a distinctly New Zealand visual language rather than imitate European models. 

Early exposure to the region’s sharp light, rolling hills, and coastal settlements shaped her visual memory. Financial hardship during the Great Depression forced resilience, and teaching roles supplemented her income while she refined her craft.

Angus was influenced by European modernism, particularly the clarity and structure of artists such as Giotto and early Renaissance painters, as well as the flattened perspectives of modernists. She was also shaped by contemporaries including fellow New Zealand painter Colin McCahon. 

Rather than romanticizing the landscape, Angus painted it with crisp lines and controlled composition. Works such as Cass (1936) exemplify her spare, luminous approach—depicting a rural railway settlement with geometric precision. Her portrait Rutu (1951) reflects her interest in identity and cultural respect, portraying her friend Rutu Te Ao with dignity and stillness.

Her method relied on careful drawing and layered oil paint to achieve smooth surfaces and balanced color harmonies. In later years, spiritual reflection and personal struggles informed stylized self-portraits and symbolic landscapes. Angus often eliminated unnecessary detail, favoring clarity and strong contour. 

Rutu (1951)

Cass (1936)

Boats, Island Bay (1968)

Sources:

Wikipedia

https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/4a13/angus-rita

https://www.tepapa.govt.nz/discover-collections/read-watch-play/art/rita-angus

https://christchurchartgallery.org.nz/artists/rita-angus