Category Archives: Art

Jun 02 2014
Art

joseph-etienne roulin

Vincent van Gogh painted six portraits of the Joseph-Etienne Roulin, the mailman, between July 1888 and April 1889. I mean, the man owes a few high fives and paintings to the postal service — the Letters of Vincent van Gogh surpass 900 pieces of correspondence. 

I know Roulin didn’t deliver all of them, but my goodness, let’s do the math: That’s one postman painting for every 140 letters written. 

The Barnes does a great job letting the world know their painting is “brighter and fresher” than the other versions of Roulin, and it’s the only one that’s signed. You know what, Barnes? I’m starting to get a similar opinion I have of you that I have for Gauguin. It’s not even a feeling, it’s just a low groan.

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Jun 01 2014
Art

posters for the people

This book is super rad. The Federal Art Project created more than 200,000 posters, paintings, and murals between 1935 and 1943. WPA/FAP artists included Grant Wood (see his murals here), Lee Krasner, Mark Rothko, and Jackson Pollock. 

Jun 01 2014
Art

cézanne’s “the world is an apple”

While I might be too tempted to throw eggs at the exterior (half-kidding, though the producers of “Art of the Steal” would be totally fine with that), the Barnes Foundation is hosting a beautiful Cézanne exhibit called “The World is an Apple.” Of course, the Barnes is the only place hosting the show. Well, LA-DEE-DAH, Barnes.

Jun 01 2014
Art

bedroom(s) at arles

One of my favorite games is “Spot the Differences.” I own that feature in People magazine. Today’s edition features Roy Lichtenstein’s Bedroom at Arles (part of the Meyerhoff collection at the Fitzhugh Farm) and van Gogh’s. 

Ready, set, spot!

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Roy really hates visible nails, hanging fixtures, and messes. He makes up for it with his love of Ben-Day dots and folded towels.

While you won’t see Bedroom, the “Pop Art Prints” exhibition features prominent work by Roy. Go after a happy hour. You’ll look so cultured. 

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Jun 01 2014
Art

model as muse

A show at the Smithsonian Archives of American Art (don’t be fooled, this is not the American Art Museum) examines the model in painting. “Artists and their Models” opened May 15 and runs through the summer. 

“The model has long been essential to the work of the artist..They often serve as artists’ muses—mortals who can sometimes be almost otherworldly in their ability to inspire creativity…Models are too often given short shrift in art history, their names and stories left unknown unless their fame came by way of scandal.”

Their stories left unknown?! Get it together, Smithsonian! I’ve seen Factory Girl, so I know it doesn’t end well for Edie Sedgwick, though it did wonders for Sienna Miller’s hair.

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May 30 2014
Art

iggy, clueless, monet

If you haven’t been living under a ROCK or aren’t a fan of DWTS (which, if not, stop reading this), you’ve heard the Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy” video is a complete Clueless remake. Which, go with me on this, can FULLY connect to my art-meet-quirky-pop-culture perspective.

Iggy:
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Clueless
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Monet’s “Rouen Cathedral” — ”Far away, it’s okay”:
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Monet’s “Rouen Cathedral,” detail — big old mess:

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Happy Friday, everyone.

May 29 2014
Art

acrobats at the cirque fernando

There used to be four permanent circuses in Paris (most CERTAINLY pre-PETA). In this work, Renoir brings us to the Cirque Fernando in 1875. The girls are collecting oranges wrapped in tissue, thrown by members of the audience while cheering.

Way to make flowers look passé, ladies!! Make those fans work!

May 29 2014
Art

lost and found: andy warhol

The Andy Warhol Museum, Carnegie Mellon University and the Carnegie Museum of Art are giving themselves some MAJOR high fives this month for finding lost works of art by Warhol on a floppy disk.

All this time, I figured the only masterpiece on such a device was Carmen San Diego and that incredibly entertaining Treasure Mountain game (hello, you caught ELVES FOR MONEY). Don’t even get me started on what I made on that KID PIX program. 

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May 29 2014
Art

maya

“Find a beautiful piece of art. If you fall in love with van Gogh or Matisse or John Oliver Killens, or if you fall in love with the music of Coltrane, the music of Aretha Franklin, or the music of Chopin — find some beautiful art and admire it, and realize that was created by human beings just like you, no more human, no less.”

– Maya Angelou

*Thank you, romanceandrevolution, for this beautiful post. I appreciate your letting me blatantly steal this from you in the name of art.

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May 28 2014
Art

woman before an aquarium

Henri Matisse once said, “Creation begins with vision… Everything that we see in our daily life is more or less distorted by acquired habits…”

I don’t know about you, but my habits during the day generally include drinking mass amounts of Diet Coke and searching the Internet for Kimye wedding photos, not looking in aquariums. Matisse would LOVE that.

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