Eye Candy for Today: John Martin’s The Great Day of His Wrath

The Great Day of His Wrath, John Martin

The Great Day of His Wrath, John Martin (details)

The Great Day of His Wrath, John Martin

Oil on canvas, roughly 77 x 120 inches (197 x 303 cm); link is to zoomable image on the Google Art Project; downloadable version on Wikimedia Commons, original is in the Tate.

This large painting by the 19th century painter John Martin — who was known for his depictions of monumental and cataclysmic events — is part of a tryptic sometimes known as the “Judgement Series”, along with The Last Judgement and The Plains of Heaven.

It might just as well be interpreted to depict nature’s wrath on a day that sees millions striking for action on climate change, and young people taking the role of the “adults in the room” — reminding us of the folly of turning a blind eye the contribution of human activity to this emergency for the sake of corporate profit.

 
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Louis Béroud

Louis Beroud

Louis Beroud

Louis Béroud was a French painter active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was known for his views of Paris — often of strikingly complex architectural subjects — and views of ornate interiors, in particular interior views of the Louvre museum.

Béroud was registered as a copyist at the Louvre and did several paintings of other copyists at work, as well as his fanciful interpretation of a painter surprised as his subject comes alive.

It was while painting his copy of Da Vinci’s La Gioconda (The Mona Lisa, image of Béroud’s copy above, bottom) that he came in to the museum one morning to find Da Vinci’s painting gone.

After inquiring of the staff if the painting was out for photography, it was discovered that it had been stolen.

(Yes, the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre in 1911. It was subsequently found and restored to its place, but not without some interesting speculation as to the nature of the crime.)

 
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Eye Candy for Today: The Camp Meeting, Worthington Whittredge

The Camp Meeting, Worthington Whittredge

The Camp Meeting, Worthington Whittredge (details)

The Camp Meeting, Worthington Whittredge, oil on canvas, roughly 16 x 40inches (40 x 103 cm); in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which has both a zoomable and downloadable version of the image.

What I love most about this immersive, panoramic painting by Hudson River School artist Worthington Whittredge is his use of contrasts of dark against light and light against dark as your eye moves across the image.

My image crops do not give you the effect of the painting’s scope; take the trouble to go the the Met’s site and view it full screen.

 
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Ariduka55

Ariduka55, illustrations

Ariduka55, illustrations

Ariduka55 is the handle of an unnamed Japanese artist who, among other subjects, has a series of images in which humans are juxtaposed against unnaturally large animals, both real and imaginary.

These are presented in a style that is influenced by concept art, anime, and in particular, the anime designs of Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli.

I can’t find a normal website for the artist, other than Tumblr and Twitter, and a Pixiv site (that requires an account to view more than the first few images).

[Via Design You Trust]

 
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Thomas Paquette: Defined by Water

Thomas Paquette: Defined by Water

Thomas Paquette: Defined by Water

Thomas Paquette is a painter from Western Pennsylvania, whose work I have featured several times before and who I continue to follow, as I am delighted and fascinated by his approach.

Paquette breaks up his compositions in areas of color that are often edged with contrasting or complementary colors. The color areas and edges are in rough patterns that have a fractal appearance, but blend to make a naturalistic whole from a distance.

The result is part naturalistic, part graphic and part textural, with energetic paint marks providing surface qualities that move the eye, even within images that are essentially tranquil.

Many of his oils are fairly large in scale, in contrast to his wonderful gouache paintings that are essentially miniatures, often in the range of three or four inches on a side.

You can find examples of both oil and gouache paintings on his website, as well as printed collections of his work. (I found the book of Gouaches to be particularly a treat, as most are reproduced at their actual size.)

Thomas Paquette’s work will be on display here in Philadelphia in a solo show at the Gross McCleaf Gallery: “Thomas Paquette: Defined by Water“, that runs from September 6th to 28th, 2019. The reception is Friday, September 6th from 5:00 to 7:00 pm.

 
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Eye Candy for Today: Cornelis Visscher, The Large Cat

Cornelis Visscher, The Large Cat, engraving

Cornelis Visscher, The Large Cat, engraving (details)

The Large Cat (Cat Sleeping), Cornelis Visscher, engraving, roughly 5 x 7 inches (14 x 18 cm)

I admire the way Visscher has varied the direction of his lines to indicate the natural texture of the cat’s fur, and the density of the lines to achieve his subtle variations in value.

The foreground foliage and background wall, indentation and daring little mouse give the composition depth, offsetting the dominance of the large figure of the animal within the frame of the image.

 
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