Laura G, Sassy 70’s

By Gustav Klimt (1862-1918), Flower Garden, oil on canvas, 43 1/4 by 43 1/4 inches (110 by 110cm), photo: Sotheby’s London, 01 March 2017. This work is considered one of Klimt’s finest landscape paintings. #arthistory #painting #oilpainting #art

From the catalogue note: “Painted in 1907 during the golden period of Klimt’s career, Bauerngarten is a masterpiece of Viennese fin-de-siècle art. This remarkable landscape is rooted in the natural world yet simultaneously reaches towards the symbolic, decorative avant-garde. It is this synthesis of natural beauty and harmonious regularity which lends the work its profoundly moving quality. During the summer months, from 1900 onwards, Klimt travelled out of Vienna to Litzlberg on the Attersee with his friends and family to relax and paint. In the rustic garden of the Mayr-Hof Klimt found inspiration for the present work, with its informal profusion of poppies, daisies, zinnia and roses, and transformed it into a shimmering array of colour.”

By Japanese artist Keika Hasegawa (active 1892-1905), Chrysanthemum, 1893, color woodblock, 36.9 × 31.4 cm (image) 43.3 × 31.6 cm (sheet), National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. #arthistory #printmaking #art #JapaneseArt

From Panteek Antique Prints: “In Japan, the chrysanthemum, or kiku, is the symbol of the sun, perfection, long life, power and nobility. The official flower of Japan and the seal of the Imperial family it is also the insignia on every Japanese passport.”

Your art history post for today: by Hasui Kawase 川瀬 巴水 (Japanese, 1883–1957), Azalea Garden, 1935, color woodblock print. As a print, it appears in many collections, both public and private. #arthistory #JapaneseArt #woodblocks #printmaking

From Newfields, a Place for Nature & the Arts: “From 1900 to the 1950s, Hasui was one of the most prolific and popular landscape artists working in Japan. In 1953 the Japanese Government decided to designate Hasui a Living National Treasure. Much of Hasui's work was aimed at an overseas audience, yet his prints unfailingly capture the lyricism and beauty of Japan.”

From me, a word about the tan discoloration of the border. This is called “mat burn.” From The Conservation Center, Chicago: “Mat burn is a darkening due to an artwork being in proximity to an acidic mat, so the discoloration will be at the margins (and often in a rectangular shape) on the front and often overall on the back of an artwork. Poor quality mats made from paper with heavy wood pulp content is chemically unstable and acidic. The wood pulp decomposes over time, releasing acid which migrates into the absorbent paper of the artwork.” So, whenever you have a work on paper framed, be sure to specify acid free backing and mat. Yes, it’s a bit more expensive. But worth it.

Photograph by French writer, caricaturist, and photographer Félix Nadar (1820-1910) of actress Sarah Bernhardt (1844-1923), known as the Divine Sarah, salt print from a collodion glass negative, ca. 1860-1865. #photography #vintagephotography #photographyhistory

Your art history post for today is actually photography history: by Kazumasa Ogawa (Japanese, 1860-1929), “Iris Kæmpferi,” 1896, colored collotype, 27.9 × 20.8 cm (11 × 8 3/16 in.), The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles. #arthistory #photography #PhotographyHistory

From Public Domain Review: ‘Ogawa Kazumasa, a Japanese photographer, printer, and publisher known for his pioneering work in photomechanical printing and photography in the Meiji era. Studying photography from the age of fifteen, Ogawa moved to Tokyo aged twenty to further his study and develop his English skills which he believed necessary to deepen his technical knowledge. After opening his own photography studio and working as an English interpreter for the Yokohama Police Department, Ogawa decided to travel to the United States to learn first hand the advance photographic techniques of the time. Having little money, Ogawa managed to get hired as a sailor on the USS Swatara and six months later landed in Washington. For the next two years, in Boston and Philadelphia, Ogawa studied printing techniques including the complicated collotype process with which he'd make his name on returning to Japan.

In 1884, Ogawa opened a photographic studio in Tokyo and in 1888 established a dry plate manufacturing company, and the following year, Japan's first collotype business, the "K. Ogawa printing factory". He also worked as an editor for various photography magazines, which he printed using the collotype printing process and was a founding member of the Japan Photographic Society.’

Your art history post for today: by Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890), Irises, 1890, oil on canvas, 29 x 36 1/4 inches (73.7 x 92.1 cm), The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. #arthistory #vangogh #painting #oilpainting

From the museum: ‘In May 1890, just before he checked himself out of the asylum at Saint-Rémy, Van Gogh painted four exuberant bouquets of spring flowers, the only still lifes of any ambition he had undertaken during his yearlong stay: two of irises, two of roses, in contrasting color schemes and formats. In the Museum’s Irises he sought a “harmonious and soft” effect by placing the “violet” flowers against a “pink background,” which have since faded owing to his use of fugitive red pigments.’

By Lorraine Schneider (1925-1972), Primer ("War is not healthy for children and other living things"), 1966, etched print, 2 x 2 inches, photo: Bonhams New York, 4 June 2014. #arthistory #printmaking #womanartist #womenartists #war

The lot essay: ‘ONE OF THE MOST ICONIC ANTI-WAR IMAGES TO EMERGE FROM THE VIETNAM ERA. The simple image of a sunflower with the equally simple but profoundly powerful statement "War is not healthy for children and other living things," was originally created by Los Angeles artist Lorraine Schneider for a miniature print contest at Pratt. It has since become one of the most reproduced and recognizable anti-war statements of the modern era. Schneider granted the use of the image to the anti-war organization Another Mother for Peace; as writer, peace activist, and Another Mother founding member Barbara Avedon recounts, "On February 8, 1967 fifteen friends met at our house to discuss 'doing something' about the war in Vietnam ... We decided to send a Mother's Day card to Washington. We would print and distribute one thousand letters of protest that said in a very ladylike fashion 'For my Mother's Day gift this year I don't want candy or flowers. I want an end to killing. We who have given life must be dedicated to preserving it. Please talk peace' ... I called Lorraine and asked if we could use Primer on the face of the card. She sad yes, and one thousand cards became two hundred thousand cards. And because of her genius 'Another Mother for Peace' was born" (Lorraine Art Schneider ... An Illustrated Catalogue p xi). The card was presented and read on air by the Smothers Brothers during their "Comedy Hour" a week before Mother's Day 1967, with viewers instructed to write if they would like a copy of the card– an act which incensed CBS executives, and launched the image and slogan on its path to ubiquity.
The present example was exhibited at the Autry Museum in Los Angeles from May 2013 - January 2014. Poster versions frequently appear in exhibitions of protest art, most recently at the Century of the Child exhibition at MOMA in 2012.
"The effect of that tiny etching upon people all over the world is incalculable ... Copies have appeared on greeting cards, jewelry, bumper stickers, posters and stamps, to mention only a few areas of distribution. It has become a symbol of peace throughout the world" (ibid, p xv).’

A recent sketch of mine. Drawn freehand on my iPad Pro using the Sketch Club app. Based on a photo posted by the subject on the Museum by Sktchy app. #digitalart #ipadart #artapp #drawingapp

By Diego Rivera (1886–1957), The Flower Vendor (Girl with Lilies), 1941, oil on masonite, Norton Simon Museum, Gift of Mr. Cary Grant, © Banco de México Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico, D.F. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. #arthistory #mexicanart #painting #oilpainting

From the museum: “Rivera was among the leading North American artists of the twentieth century, best remembered for the public murals he painted throughout Mexico and the United States. He arrived at his distinctive brand of stylized naturalism after a decade in Paris (1909–1919), where he had befriended such European artists as Picasso and Duchamp and experimented with various avant-garde approaches. Pre-Columbian art of his native country, however, would present the key source for Rivera’s mature style, characterized by emphatic color, simplified forms, and a dramatic tension between flatness and three-dimensional modeling. The figure of the flower vendor formed a recurring theme in Rivera’s work, appearing both in his murals and in easel paintings like this one. The indigenous girl, kneeling before her pile of calla lilies—a flower associated with funerals and death—constitutes an ode at once to the beauty of Mexico’s native cultures and to the suffering of her native peoples.”

Saw my first examples of Lemon Beebalm, also known as Purple Horsemint, yesterday on the banks of the creek near the library. Shot with my iPhone 15 Pro Max. Edited in Distressed FX app. #photography #iphonography #distresssedfx

A new month, a new art history theme. Since April showers bring May flowers, this month I will focus on flowers. And since today is May Day (International Workers' Day), here is today’s post: by Walter Crane, A Garland for May Day, 1895, relief print, the digital collection Political Posters, Labadie Collection, University of Michigan. #ArtHistory #mayday #labor #labour

From Wikipedia: ‘The 1st of May, or first Monday in May, is a national public holiday in many countries, in most cases known as "International Workers' Day" or a similar name. Some countries celebrate a Labour Day on other dates significant to them, such as the United States and Canada, which celebrate Labor Day on the first Monday of September.’

Your art history post for today: by Odilon Redon (French, 1840–1916), portrait of Violette Heymann, 1910, pastel on gray wove paper, 72 x 92 cm (28 3/8 x 36 1/4 in.), The Cleveland Museum of Art. #arthistory #pastel #art

A quote from the artist: “I cannot say what my sources have been. I love nature in its forms; I love it in the smallest blade of grass, the humble flower, the tree, the land and the rocks, up to the majestic mountain tops. All things for their character in themselves, more than wholes. I tremble as deeply at the mystery that emerges from solitudes.”

From the museum: “Although he was known early in his career for works primarily in black and white, such as charcoal drawings and lithographs, Odilon Redon turned to more colorful media, including pastel, later on. In particular, he focused on commissioned pastel portraits of women with flowers, such as this one.”

By Kehinde Wiley (born 1977), “Shantavia Beale II,” 2012, oil on canvas, 60x48 inches, private collection. #blackart #blackartist #blackartists #oilpainting #painting

From the Saint Louis Art Museum: “Kehinde Wiley’s vibrant paintings actively engage with the traditions of European art. In his work, Wiley replaces historical depictions of white figures with images of contemporary African Americans, Africans, and people of the African diaspora. His work is widely recognized for calling attention to significant absences and erasures in Western art history, exposing the lack of representation of black individuals in figurative painting.”

Your art history post for today: by African-American artist Charles Ethan Porter (1847–1923), Floral Still Life, ca. 1880-1890, oil on canvas, 16 1/8 × 20 3/8 × 13/16 inches (41 × 51.8 × 2 cm), Detroit Institute of Arts. #ArtHistory #blackart #blackartists #blackartist #BlackHistory

Information on the artist from the National Gallery of Art: ‘In 1881 Porter decided to travel abroad to continue his development as an artist…

Less than two years into his time in France, Porter’s money ran out. He wrote to Mark Twain, asking him for help. His letters to the writer are the only known first-person accounts from Porter. On April 4, 1883, he wrote:

Now I am aware that there are a goodly number of my Hartford friends and others who are anxious to see how the colored artist will make out, but this is not the motive which impresses me. There is something of more importance. The colored people—my people—as a race I am interested in, and my success will only add to others who have already shown wherein they are capable the same as other men.

Conscious of his place in an art world dominated by white men, Porter was eager to show what he, and other Black artists, could do.’

By Camille Pissarro (1830-1903), Garden and Chicken Coop, 1892, oil on canvas 28 7/8 x 36 ¼ in. (73.3 x 92 cm.), photo: Christie’s New York, 11 Nov 2019. This was the home of his friend Octave Mirbeau. #arthistory #art #impressionism #oilpainting #painting.

Fruit and Flowers, c. 1630, Orsola Maddalena Caccia (Italian, Moncalvo 1596–1676 Moncalvo), on canvas, 30 × 39 in., The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. #arthistory #womanartist #womenartists

From Art Herstory: “Like many of the earliest known women painters of the Renaissance, Orsola Maddalena Caccia (1596–1676) was a nun. She was born Theodora Caccia; she adopted the name Orsola Maddalena when she took her vows as an Ursuline sister. Later she, along with her five sisters, joined a convent founded by their father, painter Guglielmo Caccia, in Moncalvo. Of the six Caccia sisters, only Orsola Maddalena and Francesca were painters.

As far as we know, no paintings by Francesca Caccia survive. But a number of works by Orsola Maddalena still exist today, many in the area of Italy where she lived and worked. These paintings include the Nativity featured here; Birth of the Virgin; St. Luke the Evangelist in the Studio; The Birth of John the Baptist; and several other religious works. She also painted still lifes with flowers and birds. She is said to have helped bring the genre of still life painting to Northwestern Italy.

In 2020, a collector bequeathed three paintings by the artist to The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. As a result of this bequest, The Met now boasts the largest collection of works by the Mannerist painter-nun outside the artist’s native Italy.”

By Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986), Two Calla Lilies on Pink, 1928, oil on canvas, 40 × 30 inches (101.6 × 76.2 cm), Philadelphia Museum of Art. #arthistory #womanartist #womenartists

From the museum: ‘Georgia O’Keeffe once remarked, “What is my experience of the flower if not color?” This painting of two calla lilies is an extraordinary example of her floral compositions, made of sweeping, broad waves of subtly blended hues. The white petals, highlighted in green, are arranged against a pink backdrop, and from each one emerges a bright yellow pistil. Many have interpreted O’Keeffe’s depictions of floral anatomy in relation to sexuality and gender, but the artist always resisted these interpretations, considering them too specific and limiting.’

I have posted this haunting photograph of a 10-year old mill worker before, but it bears repeating. By Lewis W. Hine (1874-1940), “One of the spinners in Whitnel Cotton Mfg. Co. N.C. December 1908.” #photography #vintagephotography #childlabor #labor

From the Cantor Art Center: “In 1908, Lewis Hine felt so strongly about the devastating affects of child labor that he quit working as a New York City school teacher to become an investigative photographer for the National Child Labor Committee.
Hine spent the next 10 years traveling through New England, the South and the Mid-West, photographing children at work in mills, coal mines and factories. The resulting photographs, proof to the public that child labor was thriving, helped change American labor laws…

Lewis Hine was born September 26, 1874, in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. He studied sociology at the University of Chicago, Columbia University, and New York University, and became a teacher at the Ethical Culture School, a progressive elementary school in New York founded by social reformer Felix Adler. Hine often took his classes to Ellis Island to photograph immigrants arriving from Europe, and in the process came to the realization that documentary photography could effect social change. In 1907, as staff photographer of the Russell Sage Foundation, he photographed Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, steel makers for an influential sociological study, and a year later became the National Child Labor Committee's (NCLC) official photographer, documenting child labor in the NCLC's effort to legally end the practice. From 1908 to 1924, Hine gained entrance to mills, mines and factories by donning a variety of guises, including fire inspector and Bible salesman. The NCLC amassed a collection of 5,100 photographs, most of them taken by Hine, though child labor would continue largely unabated until 1938, when the Fair Labor Standard Act was passed.

During World War I, Hine documented the American Red Cross's work in France and Belgium. In 1930, at age 57, he was commissioned to photograph the construction of the Empire State Building, shooting from a basket hanging 1,000 feet above Fifth Avenue. During the Great Depression, he documented drought relief in the South, life in the Eastern Tennessee Mountains, and served as chief photographer for the Works Projects Administration (WPA). During the last years of his life, Hine struggled financially, losing his house and applying for Welfare. He died on November 3, 1940, following complications from surgery.”

By African-American artist Manet Harrison Fowler, Still life with flowers and Tuskegee pennant, 1966, watercolor on paper, 17 3/4 × 14 1/2 inches, photo: Swann Galleries, March 24, 2022. #art #blackart #blackartist #womanartist #womenartists

From the gallery: "Manet Harrison Fowler (1895-1976) was a Texas native and 1913 graduate of the Tuskegee Institute who later studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and toured the country as a soprano opera singer. She brought the Mwalim Center for African Culture to Harlem in 1932, and became an important figure in the Harlem Renaissance.”

"Glance at the sun. See the moon and the stars. Gaze at the beauty of earth's greenings. Now, think. What delight God gives to humankind with all these things...All nature is at the disposal of humankind. We are to work with it. For without we cannot survive." - St. Hildegard of Bingen (ca. 1098-1179).

Here is an example of a brown-eyed Susan, shot with my iPhone 15 Pro Max, taken on the banks of the creek near the public Library. Kind of looks like the flower is being a little shy, trying to hide her face. #iphonography #DistressedFX

By Chinese artist Huang Yongyu (1924-2023), Plum Blossoms in Snow, scroll, mounted and framed, ink and colour on paper, 68.5 x 67.5 cm, photo: Christie’s Hong Kong, May 31, 2023. #arthistory #asianartist #chineseart #chineseartist

A quote from the artist: "I have achieved little in my lifetime. I didn't receive much formal education. But I dared not live a life without an aim or in laziness."

Beverly Y. Smith, "Minerva," 2022, from the artist's series "Last Seen Wearing," mixed media quilt, graphite portrait, vintage flour sacks, ticking fabric, vintage bow-tie quilt patterns, drunkard's path and patchwork quilt designs. The artist's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quiltbev/
#BlackHistoryMonth #blackart #contemporaryart #quilting #quilts
From the artist: “After the Civil War, freed slaves placed wanted information ads in newspapers to find family members separated by slavery. The ads verify the persistent efforts made to reunite with love ones. Through my quilts, my ancestors beckon me to find family members separated as early as the 1700s and to call them by their names."