ArtCorner

One of the most influential artists of the twentieth century, Georgia O’Keeffe is considered to be a pioneer for women in the art world. Her life was an exciting ride spanning almost a full century, and her gigantic works of art are a testament to a woman without fears who knows no boundaries. Here are ten things you didn’t know about Georgia O’Keeffe:

1. Georgia O’Keeffe was born 1887, her father was a Banker and she decided that she wanted to become an artist when she was 10. O’Keeffe studied art in the Art Institute of Chicago.
2. After college, O’Keeffe first worked as a Commercial artist for advertisements. O’Keeffe’s work was first exhibited in public in April 1916 in New York, at the gallery 291, ran by photographer-art dealer Alfred Stieglitz.
3. In 1918 O’Keeffe was forced to give up teaching due to ill health. Alfred Stieglitz gave her money to paint for a year
4. O’Keeffe painted what she considered to be her first fully mature oils in 1919, mostly abstract artworks on a very big scale.
5. In 1923 Stieglitz exhibited 100 of O’Keeffe’s works in a major show at the Anderson Galleries. In 1924 O’Keeffe married Stieglitz. O’Keeffe’s first retrospective was held in 1927 at the Brooklyn Museum.
6. In 1929, O’Keeffe fell in love with the landscape of New Mexico, returning every summer and eventually buying a house and living there permanently after Stieglitz’s death.
7. In May 1946 the Museum of Modern Art in New York staged a retrospective of O’Keeffe’s work. This was a landmark for the museum because it was the first solo show at the museum of a woman artist
8. In 1953 O’Keeffe traveled outside North America for the first time, to Europe. There she caught the travel bug and ended up traveling extensively. In 1959, at the age of 71, she went on a three-month trip around the world. The view from a plane provided O’Keeffe with a new subjects: Rivers carving their way through a barren landscape, and clouds floating in the sky.
9. In 1973 O’Keeffe met Juan Hamilton, a potter almost sixty years younger then her, who became her confidant and companion. In 1971 O’Keeffe’s eyesight began to deteriorate, to the extent she could see colors only with her peripheral vision. Hamilton encouraged her to capture color and form, and experiment with clay.
10. O’Keeffe died on 6 March 1986 at the age of 98 in Santa Fe. Her ashes were scattered on her ranch, Ghost Ranch. O’Keeffe’s works are associated with the Modernist school of art and is considered a pioneer for woman’s rights. O’Keeffe had enormous influence on the modern art world of the twentieth century.

A truly amazing and truly glorious artist, Georgia O’Keeffe has positioned her self among the greatest artist ever to come from the United States, her legacy will be with us for years to come.

OverstockArt.com, has officially released the annual “Top 10 Best Sellers of the Art and Oil Painting World” ranking for 2006.

This report is a great way to follow what are the hippest, most desirable paintings on the market. This can be especially helpful for offices that need to keep up with the changing trends to impress customers and clients.

The Top 10 oil paintings sold online according to OverstockArt.com are:

1. Starry Night – Vincent Van Gogh
2. Cafe Terrace at Night – Vincent Van Gogh
3. The Kiss – Gustav Klimt
4. Poppy Field at Argenteuil – Claude Monet
5. Persistence of Memory – Salvador Dali
6. The Dream – Pablo Picasso
7. Artist’s Garden at Giverny – Claude Monet
8. Irises – Vincent Van Gogh
9. Sunflowers – Vincent Van Gogh
10. Farbstudie Quadrate – Wassily Kandinsky

It’s interesting to see how the old masters are still the most sought after artists even on the internet. I guess through our two dimensional monitor we can still sense a true classic.

Ever wondered what color corresponds with “Eggshell” or “Gohst White”? This useful tool will help you match the color to its name Visit our Wall Decor Tools page and get started!

This is the first of many wall decor tools that we hope to develop. if you have any ideas let us know…

Vincent Van Gogh is considered to be the most popular artist of Modern Art. According to OverstockArt.com, his art works Starry Night and Café Terrace at Night are the top ranking oil painting reproductions sold online and every time his originals hit the auction houses it is a major event.

It is sheer irony that in his lifetime, Van Gogh sold only one oil painting and now, long after his departure he is the top selling artist in the world.

Many associate Van Gogh as a deranged genius who cut off his ear and committed suicide. His turmoil and mental state are felt in his artworks, many of which show scenery from his daily life and are engulfed with emotions and deep anguish.

However, it would be wrong of us to disregard the great contribution Vincent Van Gogh brought to the modern art world. His vanguard use of colors and techniques to depict emotions brought something completely different to the then realistic world of painting.

“Do not quench your inspiration and your imagination; do not become the slave of your model.” – Vincent Van Gogh.

Looking at Van Gogh’s palette we see a great shift from his early beginning in 1880. Then, Van Gogh used dark earth tone colors such as raw umber, raw sienna and bottle green. His subjects were mostly peasants and the hard working class such as the “Two Peasant Women Digging In a Field With Snow” oil painting.

Then around 1886 a new movement in modern art swept Van Gogh. Impressionism came along and Van Gogh started capturing the essence of his subjects with a bright color palette that included Naples yellow deep, Vermillion, Red Ochre, Cinnabar Green and a wide array of Blues (see our wall decor tools section to view the colors mentioned).

His emotions dictated his palette as he painted according to his feelings, sometimes he used to restrict himself from using certain colors, as he did with “Sunflowers” were he used almost exclusively shades of yellow.

Van Gogh painted as a man possessed with lots of oil painting straight from the tube at times, thick brushstrokes and rapid movements. He is said to have averaged a painting a day in his last days!

In his lifetime Van Gogh was able to complete over 870 paintings and over a thousand drawings and watercolors. It is a shame that his genius was only recognized after his passing, but we will forever have his art to give us a small glimpse into the world of the most talented artist of all times.

There are benefits of buying art online, the tools and comfort that web galleries provide have created a shift in the way art is bought and sold.

1. A huge selection of artists and artworks.
2. A great way to sort through a great deal of variety.
3. Technology assistant to help us visualize the art in our home and on our walls.

All these and more make buying art online a very interesting proposition, but it does present some challenges. Here are 10 tips to help you optimize on your art shopping experience this holiday season. Read more »

Designing your wall decor is not a simple task, you can’t just pick out random items to fill up your space, it has to match your style and your current home décor.

Wall decor is a must, no room will be complete without it. So, how do you choose what wall decor is right for you? Here are a few tips to help you get started:

First, match the wall decor to the size of your wall. This is a fundamental step in picking the right wall decor for your home, you first must decide what fits the empty walls that you want to decorate and stylized. So take out a meter stick and measure what would best fit your walls.

Second, decide on a theme or continue your existing design. Your style needs to be consistent, your areas need to have specific looks and your wall decor should match. If you love classic decor but decide to decorate with contemporary art pieces then it will clash. Just remember to extend your style and not replace it from room to room.

Third, each room has a purpose, keep that in mind. You should respect the function of the room as you decorate. For the bedroom use more soothing, relaxing color oil paintings. For living room or home office use more lively artworks that encourage creativity and discussion.

Fourth, embrace change. It is important to change your décor around as seasons and décor trends turn, it just keeps your home from becoming dull and out of date. Done are the days where the same painting hangs for eternity, it feels good to change the decor around and renew corners of your home with magnificent art. As you change as a person your personal taste changes and so does decor. So keep up with the times and your personal taste and change stuff around. It will make your home look updated and more of your own.

Wall décor is not just about art. It is also about the color of the walls and the way you integrate shelves, book cases and mirrors. Every one of these items has specific functions and should be incorporated into the wall décor scheme. Just remember to keep your wall décor from becoming dull and uninteresting.

No room is complete without wall art, even with the most minimalist style you still need something to draw attention to the entire room. Whether you simply want to paint, or embrace your wall with high-end oil paintings, the possibilities are endless. You need wall art. It helps complete your living space, making your home seem…well, like a home.

Gustav Klimt, the Vienna master painted the Kiss painting in 1907. The painting depicts a couple surrounded by a gold blanket and ornaments sharing a moment of shear passion – the perfect kiss.

In the oil and gold masterpiece, the man appears standing as he holds in his arms the kneeling woman. The two seem to be positioned on a flower field, kissing, totally engaged with one another. The woman seems to be following the lead of her partner, but is not taking an active part.

The patterns of the man are mostly black and white rectangles, while the woman is engulfed in flowers.

The identity of the people depicted in this painting is not exactly clear; some suggest that it is Klimt himself and his beloved partner, Emilie Floge. However, that is sheer speculation as Klimt made it a point never to paint himself. He was once quoted: “For this reason one will have to do without an artistic or literary self-portrait of me. This is not really to be regretted.”

Many have tried to interpret the Kiss masterpiece, some say that the golden surrounding represent the feeling of how everything seems so beautiful and golden at first kiss. Some suggest the painting depicts the succumbing of the woman to the man’s sexual desires.

One thing is certain, the feeling of sheer excitement and heart-struck energies are captured by Klimt in this passionate masterpiece, this perfect kiss is captured and will forever remain timeless.

Oil painting can be a very tricky and difficult medium to master. Many people stay away from oil painting just because they know the learning curve is higher then other self-proclaimed painting mediums.

Impasto style oil painting where thick rich brush strokes are applied are especially difficult. However, by the end of it all, you will feel as if Vincent Van Gogh himself possessed your soul and the joy of creation will be immense.

Another known style is glazing where the artist paints a series of thin layers building up a sense of depth in the artwork. This is an extremely tiresome process, as you can only apply a new layer after the old layer has completely dried up.

With that said, there is really no substitute to oil painting. The following are ten easy to apply oil painting tips to get the beginners out there started:

1. When at the art supplies store, pick up some pigments containing lead, cobalt or manganese. They really help in accelerating the drying.
2. You can tell if too much oil has been added to the pigment if the paint on your palette dries up it forms wrinkles.
3. To make sure the solvent you are using is right for oil painting, put a small amount on a piece of paper and let it evaporate. If it evaporates without leaving any residue, stain, or smell, it should be fine.
4. Try to incorporate the “fat over lean” technique. Because the lower layers absorb more oil from the subsequent layers on top, the layers underneath might crack over time if they are too oil-heavy. This is very fundamental.
5. When painting, set your color palette in a consistent order, so as you go along, you can pick colors instinctively.
6. If you want to clean away a layer of oil, use alcohol, it is a powerful solvent.
7. For the underlying layers try to avoid certain colors as some tend to take a long time to dry.
8. For glazed oil paintings, use linseed oil for the underlying layers as it dries up the fastest of all the oils.
9. For light colors use poppy oils, although it does dry slower, linseed oil has a tendency to turn yellow.
10. For the drying process, try and expose your oil painting to sunlight; don’t dry your oil painting in the dark. It may cause a thin film of oil to rise to the surface.

Hope this helps some of you beginners out there that are looking to pickup painting. If you got a great painting tip to share with others, or found any of these tips helpful please comment and let the world know…

Tonight, Teri Horton, a 73-year-old former truck driver from California, will appear on the Late Show with David Letterman telling viewers about her unlikely find: a large-scale drip painting by the American Expressionist Jackson Pollock, which just recently became the world most expensive artist.

Last week, David Geffen, the owner of DreamWorks sold his beloved No5, 1948 Pollock for an estimated $140 Million. If ever accepted by the art community, Horton’s painting could be worth $50 million. Her story has now been made into a documentary film called “Who the #!@$ is Jackson Pollock?” which opens in New York next week.

This is truly a remarkable story that starts 15 years ago in San Bernardino California, where Horton stopped in a thrift-shop to buy a gift for a friend. There, she found a big ugly painting (as she describes it) and she bought it for five dollars (haggled down from seven…).

Her friend could not fit the big board into her trailer, so Horton put the painting in a garage sale. An art teacher in town noticed the painting, and remarked that it looks very much like a Jackson Pollock. Thus began Horton’s 15 year struggle with the skeptical art world, a life journey that has now been turned into a movie.

This story can provide inspiration to us all in hope that may be we’ll find a Jackson Pollock, or a Picasso one day… the chances are very slim, and even if it is genuine, your finding will be highly scrutinized.

Horton was recently offered $9 million dollars by a collector from Dubai, but refused to accept even though she is living on social security. They say that this truck driver is simply enjoying the ride.

The great masters of the modern era made it a point to include faces of fellow artists, siblings and patrons in some of their large scaled oil paintings. Pablo Picasso paid similar homage to a more unusual friend: a little Dachshund called Lump.

Lump appears in at least 15 Picasso paintings. He has been the top best selling animal in Modern Art history. His place in modern art history is a very important one, being the Muse of Picasso, one of the most admired artists of the Twentieth Century.

Now, thanks to the devotion of its former owner, the veteran American photographer David Douglas Duncan, a new book, “Picasso and Lump: A Dachshund’s Odyssey” has been published depicting the events and images of the Top Dog of the Picasso Villa.

By showing Picasso in the intimacy of his own home, Mr. Duncan seeks to portray him as an affectionate family man with a sentimental attachment to a funny little dog. Picasso was once quoted, ‘Lump, he’s not a dog, he’s not a little man, he’s somebody else.’

Even though Picasso had Lump for only 6 years, their lives were intertwined as both died one week apart in 1973.