The subject of our final post for our week of women is Marie Grosholtz (1761-1850), although you probably know her as Madame Tussaud. The French-born, Swiss-reared Grosholtz was a wax model prodigy – she made her first wax figure (Voltaire, above left) at the tender age of 17. (Her life is so interesting we had to make the post a bit longer than usual. Enjoy!)

1. Marie Grosholtz was trained by her mother’s employer, Dr. Philippe Curtius, a skilled wax modeler. Grosholtz, who referred to Curtius as “uncle,” apprenticed under the doctor from a young age. The Grosholtz women even moved to Paris with Curtius, where the doctor opened his popular wax museums. Upon his death, Grosholtz inherited his entire collection of wax figures, which became the foundation for her own exhibitions.

2. In 1780, the Royal Court at Versailles came calling: Grosholtz was invited to live at the Palace and serve as art tutor to Madame Élisabeth, Louis XVI’s sister. Grosholtz, a savvy businesswoman, used the royal connection to her (and Curtius’) advantage in creating Marie Antoinette-themed tableaux for Curtius’s Wax Salon. Visitors could watch “Marie Antoinette and her family eating dinner” or satisfy their inner Peeping Toms with a scene of Antoinette, in a low-cut nightgown, preparing for bed.

3. After the mob stormed the Bastille in 1789, the mutilated head of de Launay, the Bastille governor, was brought to Grosholtz. Paraded on a pike by the angry mob, the head had deteriorated in condition and the group had decided a wax head might be better suited for their purposes. Grosholtz supposedly fashioned the wax head on the steps of her exhibition while the mob waited.

4. De Launay’s head was just the beginning of the horrors to come for Grosholtz. (more…)

Now that we’ve added several new ways to catch up on “Feel Art Again” and peruse past artwork, we figure it’s time for a little quiz…..

How well do you know your “Feel Art Again” artists? Take the quiz to find out!

“Feel Art Again” appears three times a week. Looking for a particular artist? Visit our archive for a complete listing of all 250+ artists that have been featured. You can e-mail us at feelartagain@gmail.com with details of current exhibitions, for sources or further reading, or to suggest artists. Or you can head to our Facebook page, where you can do everything in one place.

We’re doing a week of women on “Feel Art Again.” Today’s post brings you the four most prominent female artists of the Venetian Renaissance: Sofonisba Anguissola, Diana Mantuana, Marietta Robusti, and Lavinia Fontana.

Sofonisba Anguissola (1532-1625) began training under Bernardino Campi when she was only 14; she later trained under Bernardino Gatti. Anguissola’s apprenticeships were unusual, as most women of the time only trained under their family members. Her apprenticeships made it more acceptable for other women to be students of art. When she was 22, she was introduced to Michelangelo, and began an informal training with the master that lasted at least 2 years. He would give her advice on drawings she made based on sketches from his notebook that he gave her. Anguissola was a court painter and art tutor to the queen in the Spanish Court of Philip III. King Philip III was so supportive of Anguissola that he even arranged her marriage at age 38 to Don Francisco de Moncada and provided her dowry.
Shown at left is Anguissola’s “The Chess Game” (1555)

(more…)

ATTENTION, ATTENTION:

“Feel Art Again” is now on Facebook!

(more…)

We’re kicking off the new season of “Feel Art Again” with some talented female artists, since our archive is a little lacking on the female front. Today’s artist is Frances Mary Hodgkins (1869-1947), “one of New Zealand’s most loved and critically-acclaimed artists,” who was requested by reader Alan R.

1. Although Frances Hodgkins first exhibited in 1890, when she was only 21, Hodgkins considered a trip to Morocco in the early 1900s as the true beginning of her painting career. During the trip, she travelled from Tangier to Tetuan, where few white women had been, with a native caravan.

2. With her painting “Fatima,” Hodgkins was the first New Zealander to have a work “hung on the line” at the Royal Academy of Arts in England. She achieved another first when she was the first woman to be appointed to the staff of Paris’ Académie Colarossi, where she held watercolor classes.

3. According to Hodgkins biographer Alexa Johnston, the artist was apparently a big fan of food: “She painted it and sent letters home to family about it.” Some of her favorites were veal and ham pie, Turkish Delight, and cupcakes.
(more…)

“Feel Art Again” was on a two-month hiatus, but it’s back and better than ever! All week we’ll be helping you “feel art again” with posts, quizzes, and more.

Today, we’re bringing back the “Feel Art Again” exam. Think you know your artists?
Take the quiz and see just how much you know:

On Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, we’ll have new posts on artists never before featured in the series.

Wednesday might just bring an exciting new feature…

And a new quiz on Friday will round out the week-long art bonanza.

So sit back, relax, and enjoy the art.

Leonora Carrington, requested by reader Brandon Z., is one of the last living original Surrealists. The English-Mexican artist was singled out by Salvador Dali as “the most important female artist,” but today she’s probably more well-known for her colorful life than her colorful paintings.

1. Born into a wealthy English family, Leonora Carrington was sent to some of the best schools, including two convent schools. The high-spirited Carrington was thrown out of both convent schools—and possibly others, sources aren’t clear on how many—because of her “rebellious behavior.” As Carrington tells it, “I was requested to leave. They said, ‘This child does not collaborate with either work or play.’”

2. Carrington’s interest in the surreal and supernatural was sparked at a young age. When she was 9 and attending the first of her convent schools, she decided she wanted to become a saint and be able to levitate. She attended her first Surrealism exhibition at age 10. Later in her life, she dabbled in alchemy and the occult, both of which are frequently referenced in her artwork.

3. In 1936, Carrington viewed Max Ernst’s work at a London exhibit. Carrington fell in love with the artist, 20 years her senior, through his artwork; Carrington explains, “I fell in love with Max’s paintings before I fell in love with Max.” Ernst left his wife for Carrington, his “Bride of the Wind,” and the two ran away to Paris together. Their time together was short-lived, though: Ernst was taken by the Gestapo during the invasion of France in 1940. He later managed to escape to America with the help of Peggy Guggenheim. Carrington, devastated, fled to Spain and suffered a nervous breakdown, landing her in a psychiatric hospital.

(more…)

Today’s “Feel Art Again” features the American artist John August Swanson at the request of reader lisa, who describes Swanson’s work as “Color for a taupe world!” Some of Swanson’s works, such as “Power to the People” (above), depict themes of social justice, although Swanson is most well-known for his biblical imagery.

1. John August Swanson describes his art as telling stories through narrative scenes. In the popular “Power to the People,” Swanson tells the story of an unemployed man looking for work. The man journeys from an employment agency with a long line of people, at the left side of the painting, through the city to join with a group of people, at the right side of the painting, who are gathering to call for human rights and justice. (For scene-by-scene description of the painting, head to Circles of Hope.)

2. Often described as combining the “flat, stylized look of iconography” with the colors and stories of Mexican folk art, Swanson’s artwork is influenced by his own mix of cultures. Swanson was raised by his mother, a Mexican garment worker who immigrated to the U.S. when she was 18. His father, a Swedish vegetable vendor, was mostly absent from Swanson’s life, though the culture still had some impact on Swanson’s artistic development.

(more…)

Back at the end of May, I promised to cover 13 artists from 13 different countries in the 13 “Feel Art Again” posts for the month of June. Due to personal issues, I’ve gotten a little behind schedule, but I’ll be working this week to fulfill my promise.

Today’s post lands us in Kenya, at the request of reader Christina W., for the artwork of Walter Njugana Mbugua.

1. Walter Mbugua did not begin painting professionally until he was about 30 years old. Mbugua had become a teacher and court clerk straight out of high school. In his spare time, he wrote plays and poetry, but apparently was unsuccessful in his attempts to publish them.

2. Although he was born Walter Njugana Mbugua, the artist is best known by his nom de plume, Sane Wadu. When he left his “secure career” as a teacher and clerk to pursue painting, he was ridiculed by his friends and neighbors, who called him “insane.” Mbugua’s response was to declare his sanity with his very name; he has gone by Sane Wadu ever since.

(more…)

Back at the end of May, I promised to cover 13 artists from 13 different countries in the 13 “Feel Art Again” posts for the month of June. Due to personal issues, I’ve gotten a little behind schedule, but I’ll be working this week to fulfill my promise.

At the request of reader Corrine S., today’s “Feel Art Again” features the “amazingly detailed works” of sculptor Do-Ho Suh. Born in South Korea, Suh now splits his time between New York and South Korea.

1. Until the 11th grade, Do-Ho Suh planned to be a marine biologist; fish and marine biology were “the passion of [his] life.” Although Suh changed his career path just before leaving for college, he still reads about fish “over and over again.” According to Suh, he keeps books about fish on his bedside table because “they are quite relaxing and help [him] fall asleep too.”

2. “Staircase” (above right), one of Suh’s 2003 installations, is a red nylon reproduction of a staircase and floor in his landlord’s apartment. To some, “Staircase” seems to reference Led Zeppelin’s memorable song, “Stairway to Heaven.” When asked about the reference, Suh replies, “I wouldn’t deny it.”

(more…)