feel-art-again

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Cursing God: Mark Rothko

Today marks the 105th anniversary of the birth of Mark Rothko (1903-1970), a Latvian-American artist who believed "pictures must be miraculous." In honor of Rothko, and at the request of reader nikki, today we'll take a look at Rothko's life and art. (Shown above is his 1938 "Entrance to Subway," part of his Subway Scenes series.) 1. Mark Rothko was born Marcus Rothkowitz to a highly-educated family fluent in Russian, Yiddish, and Hebrew. At the age of 10, Rothko left... READ ON

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Eager to Escape This Theatre: Jean-Léon Gérôme

At the request of reader Mike, today's "Feel Art Again" features Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824-1904), a French painter. Like John William Godward, Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, and Sir Edward Poynter, Gérôme was a painter in the Academic manner and painted scenes of Middle Eastern and Egyptian life. Shown above is his 1893 painting, "Painting Breathes Life Into Sculpture." 1. Jean-Léon Gérôme was a staunch supporter of the academic tradition of painting and... READ ON

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It's Your Art: The NYC Waterfalls

Since June 26, four massive man-made waterfalls have been in operation in New York City. The waterfalls were designed by world-renowned artist Olafur Eliasson. There is less than a month left to view the installations, which are only up through October 13. 1. Erecting four 90- to 120-foot waterfalls along the East River was no small feat. Costing $15.5 million, the waterfalls required 64,000 square feet of scaffolding and more than 20 permits from various agencies. With such work involved, it's... READ ON

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Least Likely to Succeed: P. Buckley Moss

Readers Melanie & Johnny requested a post on American artist Patricia Buckley Moss (born 1933), who is famous for her paintings of the Amish and Mennonite communities. So today I present some _flossy facts about P. Buckley Moss, "the people's artist." 1. When she was a child, Patricia Buckley was not expected to accomplish much. Due to her dyslexia (which was only diagnosed in adulthood), Buckley was deemed "not proficient in anything" until her artistic abilities were discovered. Later, at... READ ON
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The Best That Has Ever Lived: Cecilia Beaux

Reader BobM requested a post on Cecilia Beaux (1855-1942), a famed but now forgotten contemporary of Mary Cassatt. September 7 was the 66th anniversary of the death of this American artist, so today we'll take a look at her life and most famous painting, "Les Derniers Jours d'Enfance" ("The Last Days of Infancy"). 1. Twelve days after Cecilia Beaux was born, her mother died of puerperal fever and her father soon fled back to his native France, unable to handle the loss of his wife. Beaux and her sister... READ ON

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What is art?

Over the past year, the art on "Feel Art Again" has ranged from the traditional masters (Leonardo da Vinci, Vincent Van Gogh, both shown above) to the highly controversial (DuanPen, Marcel Duchamp, both shown below). Pablo Picasso believed, "Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up." Everyone has a different idea about what exactly is and isn't art and who can and can't be classified as artists. So today, I ask all of... READ ON

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The Colors of the World Smile: Konstantin Korovin

Today marks the 69th anniversary of the death of Konstantin Korovin (1861-1939), a "famous painter" of Russia who is little-known in the U.S. Although Korovin disliked categorizations, he is considered one of the first Russian Impressionists with works like "Parisian Street." A bit about his life: 1. When Konstantin Korovin first entered the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture at age 14, he was studying in the architecture program. After two years, he switched... READ ON

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Not Rock Hudson: Sol LeWitt

Two readers, Corrine and Hill-Dawg, requested a post on the American artist Sol LeWitt (1928-2007). Today is the 80th anniversary of his birth, so to celebrate, we'll take a look at his life and his art. 1. One of Sol LeWitt's early jobs was with Seventeen magazine. In the 1950s, while he attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City, he worked at Seventeen doing paste-ups, mechanicals, and Photostats. He later worked for a year as a graphic designer for architect I.M. Pei. 2.... READ ON

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Single-Handed Mastery: José Orozco

Several weeks back, reader AMT requested a "Feel Art Again" post featuring Mexican muralist José Clemente Orozco (1883-1949). Tomorrow is the 59th anniversary of Orozco's death, so today we'll take a look at his life and his art. 1. While mixing chemicals to make fireworks to sell for Mexican Independence Day in 1904, José Orozco injured his left hand and eye. His injuries weren't treated for several days, though, because of the holiday, by which point gangrene had... READ ON

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Wandering in Canada: Paul Kane

Few artists had the opportunity to paint Native Americans from first-hand experience, but Canadian Paul Kane (1810-1871) was one of those lucky few. In honor of Kane's birthday, which was yesterday, we'll take a look at his life, his travels through Canada, and his art. 1. Paul Kane explained his motivation for depicting Native American life thusly: "I had been accustomed to see hundreds of Indians about my native village"¦ But the face of the red man is now no longer... READ ON

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