ArtCorner

Edgar Degas certainly had an artistic fetish for dancers in his paintings, and his recently discovered plaster sculptures are no different. There are original wax sculptures and those that are bronze cast. The original waxes sculpted by Degas were cast and shown in Athens at the Herakleidon Museum back in April, which cannot be compared in reputation to the recently completed showing at Tel Aviv Museum of Art in June. There is much acclaim about this discovery, which is heralded as one of the greatest art finds of the century.

The Discovery

Were the sculptures gathering dust in some antique store or library? Actually, the plasters were found in a storeroom at the Valsuani Foundry on the south-western outskirts of Paris. The proprietor, Leonardo Benatov, sold the plasters to Art dealer Walter Maibaum who shipped them to New York in 2007. Of the 73 sculptures, 22 are still in residence at Maibaum’s. The others were sold, including various recasts of the plasters creating a percentile of shrinkage. The Little Dancer, the most valuable original, will be shown, but its recast sold at Sotheby’s in 2009 for 13.3 Million euro. Another 46 recasts were created to be sold for 2 million U.S. dollars a piece.

Shrinkage and Aesthetic

The less rare an item becomes the more of a coffee table conversation piece it becomes. A two million dollar conversation piece certainly raises many questions.

While these reclaimed plasters may be a true art find of the century, some of our art museums seem to be exploiting the aesthetic of a so-called “greatest art find of our century.” While the average consumer and art lover certainly cannot afford an original Degas plaster or its recasting, it can be understood as to why reproductions and museum showings provide us the opportunity to admire and explore the aesthetic the artist intended to communicate with his viewer. Yet, who would suppose that Degas’ dancers be sold as if they are red hot irons impersonating golden statues of pharaohs or vital organs on the black market?

With bronzes set to show in New Orleans in 2011, and considerations for viewing in Boston, Seattle, and other major cities, curators and art lovers may be getting ahead of themselves. Some claim that the bronzes have not been appropriately studied, while others like John Bullard, New Orleans Museum director and curator of the show at his venue, is convinced of the sculptures’ authenticity. “No internationally recognized Degas sculpture experts have publicly voiced concern over them. If they have problems, they should speak out,” he shared with the Art Newspaper.

Concern is currently controversial, and controversy always surrounds the greatest discoveries of our time, whether some of them are fakes or true works of Degas. Regardless, controversial subjects intrigue and create a mystique inside an audience, and our curiosity is piqued. The sculptures are dancers and move with the fluid grace of Degas’ paintings. The artist’s fetish remains timeless and unchangeable. Whether you seek to preserve aesthetics in art through originals or  any of its recast incarnations, what the viewer takes away is unchanged and priceless.

Few paintings make the transition from museum circle legend to pop culture icon. We have our favorites, be it by Degas, da Vinci, or Duchamp.

Mona Lisa and The Scream

The above listed paintings are two examples of famous paintings that have achieved pop culture icon status. What else do these paintings have in common? The latter, The Scream, is a “study of my soul,” according to Munch, a universal expression of human anxiety according to others. Mona Lisa is supposed by some scholars to truly be da Vinci himself. But aside from being supposed or literal interpretations of the artist, these two artistic icons have something else in common – music.

Mona Lisa Inspires Nat King Cole

Not yet another rigid profile painting of nobility by a notable painter, Mona Lisa is a girl who captured the world by her secretive smile. As a painting, we can impress upon her any of our experiences and imagine who Lisa del Giocondo was, what her life might have been like. We can suppose what his life might have been like, for those who favor the theory that da Vinci disguised himself in her. For those who do favor the theory, it may interesting to note Marcel Duchamp, among others, created L.H.O.O.Q. as an artistic parody of the original, including a mustache, goatee, and flattering inscription of “Elle a chuad au cui,” translated as “She has a hot ass.”

“Are you warm, are you real, Mona Lisa? Or just a cold and lonely lovely work of art?” Nat King Cole asks this of the painting in a song that topped Billboard’s charts for eight weeks as the number one song in 1950. “Many dreams have been brought to your doorstep. They just lie there and they die there.” Mona Lisa is the woman the viewer can’t have, by her expression as much as she is a painting which inspired a chart topping song.

The Scream and Screamo?

Before creating his 1893 masterpiece, Edvard Munch was taking a stroll down 76th Drive in Forest Hills (Queens, New York) only to be struck down by a most invasive muse. Munch said that the painting was a study of his own soul, describing the moment of inspiration thusly,

“I was walking down the road with two friends when the sun set; suddenly, the sky turned as red as blood. I stopped and leaned against the fence, feeling unspeakably tired. Tongues of fire and blood stretched over the bluish black fjord. My friends went on walking, while I lagged behind, shivering with fear. Then I heard the enormous, infinite scream of nature.”

At this particular point in his artistic career Munch was struggling with a major bout of madness, and in the coming years underwent therapy which brought upon a new era in Munch’s art.

According to Bob Olson, a professor of contemporary music at Texas State University, it was a revolutionary moment in music heard from a nearby apartment that gave Munch more than an anxiety attack. “It’s just another example of great art begetting great art,” said Olson in a CNN.com article, “A genius in one medium inspiring a genius in another.”

Whatever Munch heard that day is not yet clear. Given the era, it certainly was not Screamo, but the sound incurred a similarly unique expression in Munch. Art begets art. Great art begets great art, and art changes lives.

We each have our favorite paintings, be it a part of a museum collection, a favorite of popular culture, or a local creation. It will be exciting to see what new revolutions in music inspire art and what artists we know today, be they locally or nationally recognized, who will create the next great art icon. Who knows what Jimi Hendrix or Lady Gaga may have secretly inspired?

Until we find out, explore Mona Lisa, The Scream, and other iconic favorites at overstockart.com.

Many artists, particularly painters, have made a name for themselves for their artistic ingenuity. They’ve painted and brought new meaning to an object or a scene or an event. However there are seldom artists who make use of their craft in addressing day to day issues, such as poverty, love, freedom, communication, bravery, work and everyday mundane activity of human life. Norman Rockwell is one of those few.

Norman Rockwell has made a great impact not only in terms of his art, but also in terms of his social contribution.

To give you a glimpse of who Norman Rockwell was and what he’s done that has made an indelible mark in history is to bring you back to the city of New York where he was born on February 1894. This is where he cultivated his gift under the tutelage of instructors from Chase Art School, the Academy of Design and finally the Art Students League. His artistic style was influenced by his instructors Thomas Fogarty, George Bridgman, and Frank Vincent Dumond.

Norman’s first major breakthrough came in 1912 at age eighteen with his first book illustration for Carl H. Claudy’s Tell Me Why: Stories about Mother Nature. This catapulted him to become the art editor of Boys’ Life published by the Boy Scouts of America. Unfortunately, his streak was cut abruptly with an imminent war.

Rockwell’s family moved to New Rochelle, New York (The same suburban town from the movie “Catch me if you Can” starring Leonardo De’Caprio) when Norman was 21 years old and shared a studio with the cartoonist Clyde Forsythe, who worked for The Saturday Evening Post. With Forsythe’s help, he submitted his first successful cover painting to the Post in 1916. Norman Rockwell published a total of 322 original covers for The Saturday Evening Post for over 47 years. Rockwell’s success on the cover of the Post led to covers for other magazines of the day, most notably LIFE Magazine.

In 1943, during the Second World War, Mr. Rockwell continued on to produce his most famous four part series of paintings of the most powerful war caricatures inspired by the famous Franklin D. Roosevelt’s speech – Four Freedoms. These masterpieces as described were the four principles for universal rights: Freedom from Want, Freedom of Speech, Freedom to Worship, and Freedom from Fear.

During his long career, he was commissioned to paint the portraits for Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon, as well as those of foreign figures, including Gamal Abdel Nasser and Jawaharlal Nehru. One of his last works was a portrait of Judy Garland in 1969.

For “vivid and affectionate portraits of our country,” Rockwell received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States of America’s highest civilian honor, in 1977.

Rockwell died November 8, 1978 of emphysema at age 84 in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. First Lady Rosalynn Carter attended his funeral.

To see more of Norman Rockwell’s paintings, you can visit the Norman Rockwell Museum. The Museum’s collection is the world’s largest, including more than 700 original Rockwell paintings, drawings, and studies.

The break-in at the French capital’s Paris Museum of Modern Art has cost not only masterful works of five great artists; Picasso, Matisse, Georges Braque, Amedeo Modigliani and Fernand Léger  but it has compromised a piece of history in the hands of thieves.

But why these paintings and why these artists? There sure are a wide range of works to pick. But from among the many choices of paintings, the thieves have meticulously picked these works of art because these paintings cost more than jewels. The five cost an estimated amount of almost 1oo million Euros.

These paintings are very expensive not only because they were created by great men, but equally because of it’s historical impact in our society.

Henri Matisse’s La Pastorale (1905) is an important step in his discovery of an idyllic world of pure color and unshackled eros. The 1906 L’Olivier pres de l’Estaque (Olive tree near Estaque), painting by Georges Braque shows the influence of Matisse and the so-called “wild beasts”. While the most celebrated artist, Pablo Picasso’s pigeon aux petits-pois (spring 1912) brings the new era of “cubism”.

The truth is, art thievery seem to be a growing problem in many museums and art restoration houses. And these very same artists seem to be the target.  The number of artworks already recorded by The Art Loss Register account 659 Picasso masterpieces, Matisse has 121 while Georges Braque has 89.

As these works of arts continue to decline in number because of thievery, probably, there will come a time when all these will just written words.

She was a rare blend, born to an Hungarian Jewish immigrant and a Mexican woman of Spanish and Indian decent. Her short life was full of turmoil and artistic creation.

Only years after her death when the Movie “Frida” staring Salma Hayek came out did the story of Frida Khalo‘s tumultuous life was brought to the attention of the public and over night she became an iconic female figure of the art world in the 20th century.

Her agony was drowned many a times with her favorite drink the Tequila. In honor of her life and her passion, the Khalo family has started a Tequila brewery that bares the Khalo name and Frida’s own portrait on the label.

Fridah Khalo bottled as fine Mexican Tequila

Her cousin Izevelda Khalo who published a book in 2004 commemorating the 50th anniversary of Frida Khalo’s death, was also the person behind the Khalo Tequila endeavor. In a statement to the Mexican press she said:

Tequila was her favorite drink, it was apart of Frida’s life in good times and in bad times…

The Kiss has become one of the most popular paintings in the world and is Austrian artist Gustav Klimt’s most famous painting. The Kiss Painting shows off Klimt’s best known style of gold shades and symbolic additions, and it is this that has made his work so popular with modern art lovers who prefer something uplifting to add to their homes.

The glowing themes of The Kiss painting by Klimt showed lovers intertwined into one being, symbolizing the strength of this bond. Some art traditionalists rejected this for its use of eroticism, but others found it refreshing.
Gustav Klimt’s popularity and appeal across Europe with more modern-thinking art lovers helped him to sway the seas of discontent that erupted from the erotic nature of many of his paintings. His prominent role in the Viennese Society and links to several galleries and museums across Austria helped him to continue his style. Klimt fans loved his use of golden backgrounds, intensive colors & ornamental layouts.
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In 1937 During the Spanish Civil War; the Fascists devastated the peaceful town of Guernica with aerial bombings executed by the Natzi Luftwaffe.

Picasso’s painting the Guernica, was his reaction to the tragedy.

The following is an amazingly detailed 3D representation of the painting, an amazing work by Lena Gieseke:

I had the pleasure of visiting the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid this summer, the home of the Guernica. It was one of the most amazing and heartfelt encounters I have ever had with a piece of art. The massive scale and the vivid terror the painting entrenches over you are hard to describe.

The popular online art gallery, overstockArt.com, revealed today the annual Top 10 Oil Paintings rankings for 2009. Topping the list is Vincent van Gogh’s irrefutable magnum opus, Starry Night.

Van Gogh’s Starry Night reclaims its title as the world’s most popular oil painting a year after Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss snatched the title away. According to overstockArt.com’s statistics, van Gogh has the top two most popular oil paintings in the world, with Starry Night in first place and Café Terrace at Night in second. “Van Gogh consistently remains the most popular artist in the world, his total sales numbers have left everyone well behind,” said David Sasson, CEO of overstockArt.com.

The top oil paintings sold online according to overstockArt.com are:

TOP SELLING OIL PAINTINGS Most popular art on the plannet:   courtesy of overstockArt.com © 2009 All Rights Reserved

RANK ARTIST MASTERPIECE #1 Vincent Van Gogh Starry Nightt #2 Vincent Van Gogh Cafe Terrace at Night #3 Gustav Klimt The Kiss #4 Claude Monet Poppy Field at Argenteuil #5 Pierre Auguste Renoir Luncheon of the Boating Party #6 Claude Monet Garden Path at Giverny #7 Pablo Picasso The Rest #8 Georgia O'Keeffe Red Cannas #9 Wassily Kandinsky Farbstudie Quadrate (Color Study of Squares) #10 Pablo Picasso The Dream

According to Sasson, the Top 10 list is released annually due to popular demand. “A lot of people want to know what’s selling best because it helps them stay up to speed with the latest trends and allows them to know which paintings are the hippest and most desirable on the market.”

“In the business world especially, where image is everything, many companies strive to keep up with the latest interior décor trends to maintain a modern appeal that will impress customers and clients,” said Sasson.

Van Gogh’s masterpiece, Starry Night, was created in 1889. To celebrate the 120th anniversary of the creation, overstockArt.com developed a special rendition of the masterpiece in deep oil paint. This special version of Starry Night was created by overstockArt.com over the course of a year, it took seven months to dry and weighs over 18 pounds. This distinctive one-of-a-kind 36″ X 48″ reproduction of Starry Night is available to purchase for $2,458. The conventional 20″ X 24″ reproduction is $119.

In 2009 overstockArt.com sold more than 45,000 oil paintings. They are one of the Web’s most successful distributors of wall décor items with over 10,000 daily visitors and 100,000 loyal customers.

The Reina Sofia Museum, as I covered last time, is the home of Spain’s Modern Art masterpieces. The experience at the Reina Sofia is a majestic walk through the great works of the Spanish Modernist — from Salvador Dali to Juan Miro. As you marvel at the illuminating creations you cannot avoid the glaring evidence of the massive effect of the Spanish masters on the modern art movement.

With that said, there is one Spanish artist who has set the tone for 20th century evolution of Modern Art, you guessed it… that artist is Pablo Picasso.

Even though Pablo Picasso is a Spanish native, his works were banned from the country throughout the rain of Generalisimo Franco. The artists’ public rejection of Franco made him unwelcomed by the tyrant in his own native country.

This prelude makes the story of the Guernica oil painting at the Sofia, Madrid an extra special one.

The Guernica is probably Picassos’ most famous creation. Not an easy task as his works of art have been grasping the highest average dollar value for the past 20 years.

Guernica is a depiction of the bombing of Guernica, Spain, by German and Italian warplanes at the height of the Spanish Civil War on April 26, 1937. My mother used to call it the grand rehearsal to the Second World War.

The Spanish Republican government commissioned Pablo Picasso to create a large mural for the Spanish display at the 1937 World’s Fair in Paris. Guernica shows the tragedies of war and the suffering it inflicts upon individuals, particularly innocent civilians.

As you walk through the Reyna Sofia, just as you are about to enter the Guernica hall, you get the feeling that you are about to encounter greatness… similar to the feeling you get as you enter the Sistine chapel, there are only a handful of artistic creations that inspire the same emotions. The Guernica at the Rheina Sofia is one such display.
When you set yourself in front of the display it takes many minutes to stare at it. You can probably spend an hour just staring at it and probably an entire semester analyzing this masterpiece in an art or history class.

The Sofia holds a room adjacent to the Guernica that holds famous paintings and sculptures relating to the Spanish Civil War including preliminary sketches of various parts of the Guernica.

This huge oil painting which was originally inspired by a newspaper clip, has gained a monumental status, becoming a perpetual reminder of the tragedies of war, an anti-war symbol, and an embodiment of peace. The symbolism is abundant in every stroke and it is an important engagement I recommend to any Madrid visitor.

In conclusion, the Guernica will forever remain Picasso’s greatest work. As the years go by the importance of the message it delivers to the world just gets more and more important and relevant.

Just over 100 years ago, Rene Magritte was born in Belgium. By 1922 at the age of 28, he sold his first painting. Even though the Magritte family were personally acquainted with Salvidor Dali and his family in Spain; it would be another four years until Rene begins to experiment with surrealism.

He contributes to the final issue of “Révolution Surréaliste” by painting the first version of his famous work “The treachery of Images”. One of his most famous is a painting of a pipe which in fact, looks like an advertisement. Below are the words “Ceci n’est pas une pipe” (This is not a pipe).

By 1943, just as WW2 was coming to a close, Magritte began exploring his “Renoir” or “Solar” style which he continues until 1947. This is the style we have come to know Magritte by. In all of Magritte’s paintings, he forces the viewer to really look at what he is seeing. He takes everyday objects and turns the ordinary into the exra-ordinary.

The image of a man in a bowler hat is one of his most recognizable and represents the common man. The first version, “The Son of Man” was actually a self portrait, painted in 1964. It has remained a remarkably iconic image even to this day. When Rene was asked about the man’s obscured face, he commented that “There is an interest in that which is hidden and which the visible does not show us. This interest can take the form of a quite intense feeling, a sort of conflict, one might say, between the visible that is hidden and the visible that is present”.

Another of his images is the giant green apple, called “The Listening Room”, 1952. In this painting, we see a massive green apple out of context in a room with a glass window, wood flooring and white trim. In 1958, a second version was painted with near identical apples but in a room with gray brick flooring and an open-arched window. Juxtaposing size and context was one of Rene’s recurring ideas and is what makes his paintings so intellectually engaging.