Lines and Colors art blog
  • Eye Candy for Today: Frederic Leighton’s Invocation

    Invocation, oil painting by Frederic Leighton
    Invocation, Frederic Leighton

    Link is to Wikimedia Commons, original is in a private collection.

    Like the remarkable figure of Perseus in his interpretation of the mythological story of Perseus and Andromeda, Leighton here manages to render the figure as both solid and etherial.

    This is partly accomplished with solid draftsmanship, and partly with his superb command of value and edges. I’m struck in particular by the way he has handled the subtle shift in value on the arms, in which the tonal transitions are so delicate as to be almost imperceptible.

    The diaphanous gown defines the underlying figure with precision and grace, again by subtle control of value and the draftsmanship in the sweeping folds of fabric.

    The small bit of still life adds weight at the bottom of the composition and ties it to the hints of architectural elements that form the background.


    Invocation, Wikimedia Commons
    Related Posts:
    Lines and Colors search: Frederic Leighton

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  • Cameron Mousavi

    Cameron Mousavi, illustrations and concept art
    Cameron Mousavi is a freelance illustrator and visual development artist based in the Los Angeles area.

    Mousavi works in an appealingly naturalistic style, with the kind of feeling for texture and atmosphere that suggests experience in painting from life.

    I particularly like his drawings and architectural renderings.



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  • Adolf Kauffmann

    Adolf Kauffmann, landscape paintings
    Adolf Kauffmann was an Austrian painter active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

    His emphasis was on landscapes and maritime scenes, though he also painted cityscapes and other subjects. In his landscapes he often painted deep woodlands and closeups of trees, which he approached with highly textural paint effects.

    Images of Kaufmann’s work on the web are something of a mixed bag. I believe that — like many art images on the web — a number of his works are often represented with exaggerated chroma, in which someone has turned up the saturation on the colors to make the images “prettier”. Those images of his work I’ve found with more naturalistic color and value relationships suggest to me that he is a more subtle painter than that.

    There are a few sources of larger images, but the source I’ve found with the greatest number of his works is Artnet. If you continue to click “load more” at the bottom of the pages, you will be shown over 20 “pages” of images (worth exploring even though many are repeated).



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  • Eye Candy for Today: Carl Wihelm Kolbe etching

    Dead Oak Tree, Carl Wihelm Kolbe, etching
    A Dead Oak Tree, Carl Wihelm Kolbe

    Etching on laid paper, roughly 14 x 20 inches (37 x 52 cm),

    Link is to zoomable version on Google Art Project; original is in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, DC, which has a downloadable high-res version of the image.

    Kolbe was noted for his intricately detailed portrayals of natural forms, both real and fantastical. What I admire most about this drawing (an etching is essentially a drawing), is the wonderful control of value.

    Kolbe has used hatching and stipple to render the foreground form with visceral texture and contrast, but is still able to give the background elements a similar feeling of tactile detail while pushing them back with atmospheric perspective.


    A Dead Oak Tree, Google Art Project

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  • Matthieu Forichon

    Matthieu Forichon, vector illustration
    French illustrator Matthieu Forichon works in vector illustration, an approach that lends itself well to his crisp, elegant portrayals of fashion, travel, food and drink for clients like Louis Vuitton, Nespresso, Lillet, Camus cognacs & Neuhaus chocolates.

    I find particular appeal in his use of dramatic lighting in interiors and Parisian night scenes.

    Forichon’s website is in French, but easily navigated by non-French speakers. You may find it a bit easier, though, to browse through his work in the site of his artist’s representatives on Rapp Art.

    You can find some of his more informal, sketch-like pieces on his Instagram feed.



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  • Trevor Tennant

    Trevor Tennant
    Though he also paints still life and architectural subjects, Canadian painter Trevor Tennant focuses primarily on landscape and wildlife art.

    His approach to landscape is nicely naturalistic, with restrained colors, controlled values and an eye for atmosphere and texture.

    His website includes both originals and prints, and features a step-through process of one of his paintings.



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Vasari Handcraftes artist's oil colors

Charley’s Picks
Bookshop.org

(Bookshop.org affilliate links; sales benefit independent bookshop owners; I get a small percentage to help support my work on Lines and Colors)

John Singer Sargent: Watercolors
John Singer Sargent: Watercolors

Sorolla the masterworks
Sorolla: the masterworks

The Art Spirit
The Art Spirit

Rendering in Pen and Ink
Rendering in Pen and Ink

Urban Sketching: Understanding Perspective
Urban Sketching: Understanding Perspective

World of Urban Sketching
World of Urban Sketching

Daily Painting
Daily Painting

Drawing on the right side of the brain
Drawing on the right side of the brain

Understanding Comics
Understanding Comics

Charley’s Picks
Amazon

(Amazon.com affiliate links; sales go to a larger yacht for Jeff Bezos; but I get a small percentage to help support my work on Lines and Colors)

John Singer Sargent: Watercolors
John Singer Sargent: Watercolors

Sorolla the masterworks
Sorolla: the masterworks

The Art Spirit
The Art Spirit

Rendering in Pen and Ink
Rendering in Pen and Ink

Urban Sketching: Understanding Perspective
Urban Sketching: Understanding Perspective

World of Urban Sketching
World of Urban Sketching

Daily Painting
Daily Painting

Drawing on the right side of the brain
Drawing on the right side of the brain

Understanding Comics
Understanding Comics