Month: December 2012
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A Mine of Beauty: Landscapes by William Trost Richards
William Trost Richards, one of America’s foremost landscape and marine painters (and father of American Impressionist Anna Richards Brewster), had a patron named George Whitney, who lived near him in Philadelphia and supported him not only by purchasing his works on a regular basis, but by helping to finance Richards’ travels. While traveling and painting,…
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The Adoration of the Shepherds, Andrea Mantegna
The Adoration of the Shepherds, Andrea Mantegna. In the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Click “Fullscreen” under the image and use zoom controls or download arrow. Painted in the mid 15th century, this astonishingly sculptural Nativity scene is a marvel of details and textures, from the craggy face of a weary Joseph and…
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Twas the Night Before Christmas: A Visit from St. Nicholas illustrations by Jessie Willcox Smith
On December 23, 1823 a poem titled A Visit from St Nicholas was printed anonymously in the Troy, New York Sentinel. Popularly known by its opening line “Twas the Night Before Christmas”, the poem was widely reprinted and authorship eventually assigned to Clement Clarke Moore. It became one of the most familiar verses in American…
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Eye Candy for Today: Edward Redfield winter scene
Woodland Stream, Edward Willis Redfield. Redfield, a Pennsylvania Impressionist devoted to painting winter scenes in particular, painted these canvasses with huge, thick gobs of paint, piled on like… well, like snow. From this Russian blog whose name Google Translate makes out as “Postcards with Reproductions”.
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Dorian Vallejo
Dorian Vallejo is a portrait painter based in New Jersey. Though he sometimes sets his portraits in the more traditional toned or textured plain background, he often creates a kind of portrait that I particularly enjoy, with the subjects in background settings that are in some way relevant to the their personality. In particular, his…
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Eye Candy for Today: Pieter de Hooch elegant interior
Leisure Time in an Elegant Setting, Pieter de Hooch. I love the subtle play of light in the areas outside the main focus. In the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Today is Pieter de Hooch’s birthday. I took the suggestion from the Met’s mention of that fact, and this painting, on Twitter. See my previous post…