More of My Favorite Artists and Their Art: John William Waterhouse

John William Waterhouse has long been one of my favorite artists because his paintings are so nuanced and his subject matter so alluring, intellectually as well as aesthetically.  It seemed appropriate to revisit his work as one list cannot possibly encompass the extensive catalog of paintings that are his legacy.  Following in the footsteps of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, J. W. Waterhouse turned towards classical Graeco-Roman mythology and medieval fables (particularly Arthurian legends which he delved into repeatedly) for his inspiration.  This subject matter resulted in images that were not only beautiful, but also infused with the iconic archetypes found in all European lore, giving them a timeless quality that has enabled Waterhouse to grow in popularity over the years.  His work was emblematic of the latter Victorian Era, though he was not as widely recognized as other artists during that period that worked in similar movements, and yet today his oeuvre is quite celebrated for its idealized depictions of feminine beauty.

“Pandora” (1896)

“The Magic Circle” (1886)

“Ophelia” (1889)

“La Belle Dame sans Merci” (1893)

“Ulysses and the Sirens” (1891)

“Miranda – The Tempest” (1916)

“Boreas” (1903)

“‘I Am Half Sick of Shadows,’ Said the Lady of Shalott” (1915)

“Windflowers” (1902)

“Flora and the Zephyrs” (1897)

“The Lady of Shalott Looking at Lancelot” (1894)

“A Study for ‘A Mermaid'” (1892)

“Pandora” (1896)

“The Magic Circle” (1886)

“Ophelia” (1889)

“La Belle Dame sans Merci” (1893)

“Ulysses and the Sirens” (1891)

“Miranda – The Tempest” (1916)

“Boreas” (1903)

“‘I Am Half Sick of Shadows,’ Said the Lady of Shalott” (1915)

“Windflowers” (1902)

“Flora and the Zephyrs” (1897)

“The Lady of Shalott Looking at Lancelot” (1894)

“A Study for ‘A Mermaid'” (1892)

 

My Favorite Artists and Their Art: Edward Burne-Jones

It is in some ways a bit funny that when many of us think of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, we often first recall the works of the latter Pre-Raphaelites and the artists associated with them, rather than the actual Brotherhood that began the movement in the early second half of the 19th Century.  Many of the latter-day artists, such as Burne-Jones and Waterhouse, have become as synonymous with the movement as its founders like Rossetti or Millais, and to me that is all the more impressive a testament to their work.  Edward Coley Burne-Jones‘ works were more heavily influenced by Medieval legends and ancient myth, and he was not confined to just the medium of paint on canvas, as he explored other venues of expression in painted and stained glass, chintzes and tapestries, and set design and decoration for the stage.  As his work matured and he grew artistically, he showed a deep and abiding affinity for narrative art, creating entire series inspired by Sleeping Beauty, Perseus and the Gorgon, and Pygmalion.  The darkly sensuous imagery he conjured from his imagination has become as immortal as the myths and legends that he idolized in his youth.

“The Beguiling of Merlin” (1874)

“The Depths of the Sea” (1887)

“The Tree of Forgiveness” (1881-1882)

“The Doom Fulfilled” (1885-1888)

“The Three Graces” (circa 1873)

“The Rose Bower” (1890)

“The Godhead Fires” (1878)

“King Cophetua and the Beggar Maid” (1884)

“The Golden Stairs” (1890)

“The Adoration of the Magi” (1888-1894)

“The Rock of Doom” (1885-1888)

“Phyllis and Demophoön” (1870)

“The Beguiling of Merlin” (1874)

“The Depths of the Sea” (1887)

“The Tree of Forgiveness” (1881-1882)

“The Doom Fulfilled” (1885-1888)

“The Three Graces” (circa 1873)

“The Rose Bower” (1890)

“The Godhead Fires” (1878)

“King Cophetua and the Beggar Maid” (1884)

“The Golden Stairs” (1890)

“The Adoration of the Magi” (1888-1894)

“The Rock of Doom” (1885-1888)

“Phyllis and Demophoön” (1870)

My Favorite Artists and Their Art: James Abbott McNeill Whistler

James Abbott McNeill Whistler rose to prominence as an artist during two very popular, very influential, and very different movements in the art world: the movements of the Pre-Raphaelites and the Impressionists.  He was a bit of both, in terms of his aesthetics, and yet not really either in terms of his subject matter or his worldview. His paintings, unlike his eccentric and at times combative personality, were subtle and nuanced.  Whistler founded a new movement called Tonalism, which featured an emphasis on detailed texture, bold brushstrokes, muted Earth tones, and a soft focus.  Many artists, particularly Whistler himself, oscillated between intimate portraiture and moody landscapes.  The resultant accumulation of his life’s work is an oeuvre that is imbued with conceptual depth and intellectual thought, but not necessarily wrought with emotion or overt expression of oneself.  Whistler’s legacy is not one of sentimental gratification; not for the artist, who strongly believed in art for art’s sake, and not for the viewer, whose eye is caught more by his technique than by his romantic philosophical worldview.  Rather, his legacy, as one must assume he would have preferred it, is the art itself.

“The Little Rose of Lyme Regis” (1895)

“Symphony in White, No. 1: The White Girl” (1862)

“Nocturne in Black and Gold: The Falling Rocket” (1875)

“Nocturne – Blue and Gold: Old Battersea Bridge” (circa 1872-1875)

“Whistler in His Studio” (1865)

“Rose and Silver: The Princess from the Land of Porcelain” (1863-1865)

“Arrangement in Black, No. 5: Portrait of Lady Meux” (1881)

“The Thames in Ice” (1860)

“Brown and Silver: Old Battersea Bridge” (1859-1865)

“Nocturne – Blue and Silver: Chelsea” (1871)

“Symphony in White, No. 2: The Little White Girl” (1864)

“Arrangement in Grey and Black, No. 1: Portrait of the Artist’s Mother” (1871)

“The Little Rose of Lyme Regis” (1895)

“Symphony in White, No. 1: The White Girl” (1862)

“Nocturne in Black and Gold: The Falling Rocket” (1875)

“Nocturne – Blue and Gold: Old Battersea Bridge” (circa 1872, 1875)

“Whistler in His Studio” (1865)

“Rose and Silver: The Princess from the Land of Porcelain” (1863-1865)

“Arrangement in Black, No. 5: Portrait of Lady Meux” (1881)

“The Thames in Ice” (1860)

“Brown and Silver: Old Battersea Bridge” (1859-1865)

“Nocturne – Blue and Silver: Chelsea” (1871)

“Symphony in White, No. 2: The Little White Girl” (1864)

“Arrangement in Grey and Black, No. 1: Portrait of the Artist’s Mother” (1871)

My Favorite Artists and Their Art: John Atkinson Grimshaw

Drawing inspiration from mid 19th Century art movements like The Pre-Raphaelites, and from late 18th Century Romanticism, John Atkinson Grimshaw created indelible images that are imbued with Victorian Era ideals.  Innocence.  Romance.  Beauty.  These simple aesthetic tropes of the times are permeated throughout Grimshaw’s work.  Whether depicting Gothic manors or urban streets lit by moonlight, faeries soaring through the night or ships in the harbor, Grimshaw’s paintings are almost photo-realistic and yet simultaneously elevated by his imaginative lighting and saturated by his use of Earth tones.  Little is known about Grimshaw as a man, and little more is known about him as an artist, but his work on the other hand is quite recognizable even to those outside the art community.  Our modern notion of what Dickensian London was like has been greatly influenced by Grimshaw’s work, which itself is just as timeless and unforgettable as the writings of Dickens.

“Spirit of the Night” (1879)

“Silver Moonlight” (1880)

“Dame Autumn Has a Mournful Face” (1871)

“Blackman Street, London” (1885)

“Whitby Harbor by Moonlight” (1867)

“Iris” (1886)

“London Bridge – Night” (1884)

“A Moonlit Lane” (1874)

“The Lady of Shalott – Version II” (1878)

“Whitby Docks” (1876)

“Reflections on the Thames, Westminster” (1880)

“The Lady of Shalott – Version I” (circa 1875)

“Spirit of the Night” (1879)

“Dame Autumn Has a Mournful Face” (1871)

“Blackman Street, London” (1885)

“Whitby Harbor by Moonlight” (1867)

“Iris” (1886)

“London Bridge – Night” (1884)

“A Moonlit Lane” (1874)

“The Lady of Shalott – Version II” (1878)

“Whitby Docks” (1876)

“Reflections on the Thames, Westminster” (1880)

“The Lady of Shalott – Version I” (circa 1875)

My Favorite Artists and Their Art: Caspar David Friedrich

When it comes to Gothic imagery, there are few artists so fundamental in the creation of an aesthetic as Caspar David Friedrich.  Comprised of desolate landscapes, decrepit monasteries, haunted cemeteries, and gnarled forests, his iconic and often operatic paintings conjure up visions of German Romanticism.  At once his compositions are simple in their depiction of the majesty of nature as it dwarfs all human endeavors, but his work is also far more complex than that, employing subtle symbolism and allegory in landscapes to comment on what were then political, social, and religious concerns of his time.  Are the duo who appear to be admiring the moon, in fact, conspirators who chose this moonlight rendezvous for a clandestine meeting?  Whose is the disembodied spirit that hovers above the uneven grounds of the graveyard?  What do the trio of companions spot over the cliffs of Rügen?  Friedrich’s paintings are more than epic depictions of crumbling abbeys and ancient trees.  They are visual journeys into the heart of the past.

“The Abbey in the Oakwood” (1809-1810)

“The Sea of Ice” (circa 1823-1824)

“The Tree of Crows” (circa 1822)

“Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog” (circa 1818)

“Man and Woman Contemplating the Moon” (circa 1824)

“Chalk Cliffs on Rügen” (circa 1818)

“Oak Tree in the Snow” (1829)

“Entrance to the Cemetery” (1825)

“Moonrise by the Sea” (circa 1821)

“Ruins of Eldena, near Greifswald” (circa 1825)

“Garden Bower in Greifswald” (1818)

“Screech Owl on a Cross” (1836-1837)

“Two Men Contemplating the Moon” (1819-1820)

“Evening” (circa 1820-1821)

“Seashore in Moonlight” (1835)

 

“The Abbey in the Oakwood” (1809-1810)

“The Sea of Ice” (circa 1823-1824)

“The Tree of Crows” (circa 1822)

“Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog” (circa 1818)

“Man and Woman Contemplating the Moon” (circa 1824)

“Chalk Cliffs on Rügen” (circa 1818)

“Oak Tree in the Snow” (1829)

“Entrance to the Cemetery” (1825)

“Moonrise by the Sea” (circa 1821)

“Ruins of Eldena, near Greifswald” (circa 1825)

“Garden Bower in Greifswald” (1818)

“Screech Owl on a Cross” (1836-1837)

“Two Men Contemplating the Moon” (1819-1820)

“Evening” (circa 1820-1821)

“Seashore in Moonlight” (1835)

My Favorite Artists and Their Art: Francisco Goya

Steeped in allegory, religious imagery, and the darkness and fears within his own soul, the works of Francisco Goya speak much of the world he lived in and the way in which he viewed it.  Inspired by the horrors of war, the cautionary tales of myth, and the disarming allure of woman, Goya’s works fit firmly into the Romantic tradition.  His grotesque depictions of both real and imagined evils are as harrowing as any ever put on canvas.  With his skillful employment of dark and muted tones, heavy brush work, and detailed embellishments of realism, Goya kept his work, even at its most violent and fantastical, grounded in the foundations of reality.  He straddled both worlds with ease, just as he stood somewhere between the Old Masters and the New Masters as a legendary painter, perfecting the methods and subject matter of the past while introducing stylistic changed that would revolutionize painting in the 19th Century.

“La Maja Desnuda” (circa 1797-1800)

“La Maja Vestida” (circa 1800-1803)

“The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters (1797-1798)

“Saturn Devouring His Son” (1819-1823)

“The Executions of May 3rd, 1808” (1814)

“Francisca Sabas y Garcia” (1804-1808)

“Majas on a Balcony” (circa 1800-1810)

“Saint Francis of Borja Attending a Dying Man” (1788)

“The Colossus” (circa 1808-1812)

“Truth Rescued by Time, Witnessed by History” (1814)

“The Witches’ Sabbath” (1797-1798)

“The Devil’s Lamp” (1797-1798)

“Two Old Men Eating Soup” (1819-1823)

“Asmodeus – The Witches’ Sabbath” (1819-1823)

“La Maja Desnuda” (circa 1797-1800)

“La Maja Vestida” (circa 1800-1803)

“The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters (1797-1798)

“Saturn Devouring His Son” (1819-1823)

“The Executions of May 3rd, 1808” (1814)

“Francisca Sabas y Garcia” (1804-1808)

“Majas on a Balcony” (circa 1800-1810)

“Saint Francis of Borja Attending a Dying Man” (1788)

“The Colossus” (circa 1808-1812)

“Truth Rescued by Time, Witnessed by History” (1814)

“The Witches’ Sabbath” (1797-1798)

“The Devil’s Lamp” (1797-1798)

“Two Old Men Eating Soup” (1819-1823)

“Asmodeus – The Witches’ Sabbath” (1819-1823)

 

My Favorite Artists and Their Art: William Blake

Philosopher.  Poet.  Artist.  William Blake was all of these things.  A central figure of the Romantic movement, and a precursor to Symbolism, Blake utilized Judeo-Christian concepts in his artwork and poetry, all the while exploring the ideas of classical philosophy as embodied by the pagan cultures of ancient Greece and Rome, and mining their mythological pantheon for creative metaphors.  Throughout all of his work, the same themes resurface time and time again, suggesting a deep and ever-evolving commitment to his convictions of faith and social equality.  Rebelling against the dogmas and rigidity of organized religion, Blake confounded his contemporaries who failed to understand why someone with such clear faith in God would reject the church and its doctrines.  The Biblical imagery found in his poetry and art is as complex as Blake himself was and shows him often being at odds with himself and the world in which he lived.  He was woefully misunderstood in his time, but as Western culture progressed, his work was reevaluated and he has become praised for his genius, if not fully understood.  The iconoclast has become an icon to intellectuals, romantics, and rebel spirits, who find within his work an all-encompassing passion and gleaming gems of intelligence.

“The Ancient of Days” (1824)

“The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed in Sun” (circa 1803-1805)

“Adam Naming the Beasts” (circa 1810)

“Satan Arousing the Rebel Angels” (1808)

“The Night of Enitharmon’s Joy”, also know as “The Triple Hecate” (circa 1795)

“Newton” (circa 1795)

“Nebuchadnezzar” (1795)

“The Number of the Beast Is 666” (circa 1805-1810)

“The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed with Sun” (circa 1805-1810)

“Oberon, Titania, and Puck Dancing with Fairies” (circa 1875)

“The Great Red Dragon and the Beast from the Sea” (circa 1804)

“Glad Day” (circa 1780-1795)

“The Creation of Eve” (1808)

“The Ghost of a Flea” (circa 1819-1820)

“The Ancient of Days” (1824)

“The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed in Sun” (circa 1803-1805)

“Adam Naming the Beasts” (circa 1810)

“Satan Arousing the Rebel Angels” (1808)

“The Night of Enitharmon’s Joy”, also know as “The Triple Hecate” (circa 1795)

“Newton” (circa 1795)

“Nebuchadnezzar” (1795)

“The Number of the Beast Is 666” (circa 1805-1810)

“The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed with Sun” (circa 1805-1810)

“Oberon, Titania, and Puck Dancing with Fairies” (circa 1875)

“The Great Red Dragon and the Beast from the Sea” (circa 1804)

“Glad Day” (circa 1780-1795)

“The Creation of Eve” (1808)

“The Ghost of a Flea” (circa 1819-1820)

 

My Favorite Artists and Their Art: Johann Heinrich Füssli

Few artists have delved so deeply into the darkness of the human psyche as Johann Heinrich Füssli, better known as Henry Fuseli, whose very works are like nightmares realized in oil on canvas.  Painted with all the mystery, eroticism, horror, and symbolism that was typical of the Romantic movement, Füssli’s paintings are profound explorations of myth, memory, and dreams, and they provided inspiration for the latter Symbolist and Expressionist genres.  As examples of both beauty and grotesquerie, these images fill the mind with simultaneous dread and desire, exciting the senses with a dichotomy of anticipation and apprehension.  Modern day art scholars and psychoanalysts recognize the use of archetypal symbology in his work, which might explain the strange enigmatic allure of his grisly depictions of death and decay, violence, and sensual desire emphasized all the more by the stark contrasts of chiaroscuro.  Whether this was Füssli’s exact intention or not is difficult to say, but he undoubtedly navigated his own world of fears and longings in the creation of his most impressive pieces, transcending Romanticism and essentially birthing Dark Romanticism.  Füssli is, for me, a master of the macabre.

“The Nightmare” (1781)

“Titania and Bottom” (circa 1790)

“Silence” (circa 1799-1801)

“Thor Battering the Midgard Serpent” (circa 1790)

“The Creation of Eve” (1793)

“The Nightmare” (circa 1790)

“Cupid and Psyche” (1810)

“Titania Awakening” (circa 1780-1790)

“The Shepherd’s Dream” (1793)

“Macbeth Consulting the Vision of the Armed Head” (1793)

“The Sin, Followed by Death” (circa 1794-1796)

“An Incubus Leaving Two Sleeping Girls” (1793)

“The Night-Hag Visiting the Lapland Witches” (1796)

“Dido” (1780)

“The Nightmare” (1781)

“Titania and Bottom” (circa 1790)

“Silence” (circa 1799-1801)

“Thor Battering the Midgard Serpent” (circa 1790)

“The Creation of Eve” (1793)

“The Nightmare” (circa 1790)

“Cupid and Psyche” (1810)

“Titania Awakening” (circa 1780-1790)

“The Shepherd’s Dream” (1793)

“Macbeth Consulting the Vision of the Armed Head” (1793)

“The Sin, Followed by Death” (circa 1794-1796)

“An Incubus Leaving Two Sleeping Girls” (1793)

“The Night-Hag Visiting the Lapland Witches” (1796)

“Dido” (1780)

 

My Favorite Artists and Their Art: Gustave Moreau

With precise execution and an accentuation of detail, Gustave Moreau was for a time one of the most prestigious painters in the world of symbolism, though today his work is largely overlooked.  His style was partly illustrative, but its roots in symbolism are deep, and much of his work looks forward and prophetically hints at the Art Nouveau movement that would become ascendent well over a decade later.  In his oeuvre, mythological figures are displayed in all their ornate glory, as fantastic centerpieces in understated environments, and as symbols of our complex human nature stripped down to its most fundamental form.  Desire, temptation, innocence, beauty, yearning – these are the themes that run through Moreau’s paintings.  They’re not particularly unique themes (they are of course the central themes that are found in most of the great artwork in the 18th and 19th Centuries), but Moreau’s work rises above the commonplace.  It is lavished the kind of attention and appreciation by his skilled hand that makes each painting a masterpiece.  His style is singular, iconic, innovative, and entirely the result of his genius.

“Salome” (1876)

“Helen Glorified” (1897)

“Desdemona” (1875)

“Hesiod and the Muse” (1891)

“Song of Songs” (1893)

“Orpheus” (1865)

“Goddess on the Rocks” (circa 1890)

“Prometheus in Chains” (circa 1880-1885)

“Perseus and Andromeda II” (1870)

“Cleopatra” (circa 1887)

“Perseus and Andromeda I” (1867-1869)

“Salome and the Apparition of the Baptist’s Head” (1876)

“Oedipus and the Sphinx” (1864)

“The Abduction of Europa” (1869)

“Jason and Medea” (1865)

“Salome” (1876)

“Helen Glorified” (1897)

“Desdemona” (1875)

“Hesiod and the Muse” (1891)

“Song of Songs” (1893)

“Orpheus” (1865)

“Goddess on the Rocks” (circa 1890)

“Prometheus” (circa 1880-1885)

“Perseus and Andromeda II” (1870)

“Cleopatra” (circa 1887)

“Perseus and Andromeda I” (1867-1869)

“Salome and the Apparition of the Baptist’s Head” (1876)

“Oedipus and the Sphinx” (1864)

“The Abduction of Europa” (1869)

“Jason and Medea” (1865)

My Favorite Artists and Their Art: Franz von Stuck

As far as symbolism goes, and especially where mythological themes and figures are concerned, Franz von Stuck is one of the premier artists of the turn of the century and into the first couple decades of the 20th Century.  Stuck, who was heavily influenced and inspired by fellow symbolist Böcklin, succeeded in bridging the more classical symbolist style of the late 19th Century with the more modern aesthetic approaches of the Art Nouveau era.  His use of gold adornments in his paintings, his simple yet bold color palette, and his focus on elaborate details and embellishments endow his work with a distinctive style.  Like many symbolist painters, his work is steeped in the erotic and the morbid, the two are often combined in his dark mythological and Biblical scenes, wherein a beauteous and often morally unscrupulous femme fatale put hers feminine charms to corruptive and destructive use.  Stuck remains a favorite of mine for his willingness, and indeed his innate ability, to depict transgressions and horrors so seductively.

“Salome” (1906)

“Sisyphus” (1920)

“Lucifer” (1890)

“Judith” (1924)

“The Sin” (1893)

“Tilla Durieux as Circe” (1913)

“The Guardian of Paradise” (1889)

“The Inferno” (circa 1890)

“Adam and Eve” (circa 1920-1928)

“Perseus Turns Phineas to Stone by Brandishing the Head of Medusa” (1908)

“The Three Goddesses: Athena, Hera, Aphrodite (circa 1923)

“Judith and Holofernes – Version I” (1926)

“Susanna in the Bath” (1913)

“Judith and Holofernes II” (1927)

“Sensuality” (1891)

“Salome” (1906)

“Sisyphus” (1920)

“Lucifer” (1890)

“Judith” (1924)

“The Sin” (1893)

“Tilla Durieux as Circe” (1913)

“The Guardian of Paradise” (1889)

“The Inferno” (circa 1890)

“Adam and Eve” (circa 1920-1928)

“Perseus Turns Phineas to Stone by Brandishing the Head of Medusa” (1908)

“The Three Goddesses: Athena, Hera, Aphrodite (circa 1923)

“Judith and Holofernes – Version I” (1926)

“Susanna in the Bath” (1913)

“Judith and Holofernes II” (1927)

“Sensuality” (1891)

My Favorite Artists and Their Art: Arnold Böcklin

Arnold Böcklin is for me one of the great Symbolist painters of the latter part of the 19th Century.  In a few short years between the 1880s and his death in 1901, he produced a body of work that was simultaneously beautiful and grotesque to behold.  Blending Gothic romanticism, symbolism, and academicism.  His latter works, in particular, took his mythological subject matter into darker, more ominous, and more overtly erotic territories, all the while showcasing his considerable talent for creating dynamic compositions and atmospheric landscapes.  His attention to detail and his bold brush strokes combined to create a unique method (especially at a time where most artists were prone to focus on either technique or expression), giving Böcklin a mastery over both.  While he may not be as celebrated today – a real crime, in my opinion – the legacy of incredibly vivid and morbid paintings he produced speaks for itself: Böcklin was a master.

“The Plague” (1898)

“Self-Portrait with Death Playing the Fiddle” (1872)

“Isle of the Dead – Version III” (1883)

“The Chapel” (1898)

“War II” (1896)

“Medusa” (circa 1878)

“War I” (1896)

“The Surf” (1883)

“Odysseus and Polyphemus” (1896)

“Attack by Pirates” (circa 1880)

“Isle of the Dead – Version V” (1886)

“Roger and Angelica” (1873)

“The Plague” (1898)

“Self-Portrait with Death Playing the Fiddle” (1872)

“Isle of the Dead – Version III” (1883)

“The Chapel” (1898)

“War II” (1896)

“Medusa” (circa 1878)

“War I” (1896)

“The Surf” (1883)

“Odysseus and Polyphemus” (1896)

“Attack by Pirates” (circa 1880)

“Isle of the Dead – Version V” (1886)

“Roger and Angelica” (1873)

My Favorite Artists and Their Art: Gustav Klimt

Gustav Klimt is probably the singular artist I think of as embodying the Vienna Secession and the Jugendstil, or Art Nouveau, movements.  Utilizing eroticism, romance, youth, and other classical elements, Klimt touched upon all the usual human themes that permeate art and culture, but he did so in an aesthetically unique way.  Klimt drew from symbolism, aestheticism, and ancient Egyptian and Byzantine art, giving his work an entirely unique style, especially during his golden phase.  As he progressed creatively, he placed an increasing emphasis on femininity and female sexuality, at first represented within the context of mythological figures and then later more directly and controversially in his more graphic drawings.  Like Munch and Redon, Klimt’s work has grown on me over the years, as I’ve identified more and more with his subject matter and approach, and today I can easily call him one of my favorite artists.

“The Kiss” (1908-1909)

“Portrait of Mäda Primavesi” (1912)

“Nuda Veritas” (1899)

“Danae” (1907-1908)

“The Three Ages of Woman” (1905)

“The Sunflower” (1906-1907)

“Judith and the Head of Holofernes” (1901)

“The Hostile Forces” from “The Beethoven Frieze” (1902)

“The Girlfriends” (1916)

“Tragedy” (1897)

“Church in Cassone” (1913)

“Portrait of a Man from the Front” (1907)

“Pallas Athene” (1898)

“The Kiss” (1908-1909)

“Portrait of Mäda Primavesi” (1912)

“Nuda Veritas” (1899)

“Danae” (1907-1908)

“The Three Ages of Woman” (1905)

“The Sunflower” (1906-1907)

“Judith and the Head of Holofernes” (1901)

“The Hostile Forces” from “The Beethoven Frieze” (1902)

“The Girlfriends” (1916)

“Tragedy” (1897)

“Church in Cassone” (1913)

“Portrait of a Man from the Front” (1907)

“Pallas Athene” (1898)

 

More of My Favorite Artists and Their Art: Edvard Munch

Some artists have created such indelible and iconic images that one work comes to encompass their whole legacy.  While it takes a great genius to create such a work, what is unfortunate is that he or she may have created many more masterpieces that go unappreciated or are overshadowed by the artist’s previous success.  In the case of Edvard Munch, he became so renowned and so famous for two or three pieces (namely The Scream, Puberty, and Madonna), that the rest of his extraordinary oeuvre has remained relatively obscure to the public.  Most who know of Munch have one, two, or three images emblazoned in their mind’s eye and know little or nothing else of the Norwegian artist.  They probably associate his work with Post-Impressionism and Proto-Expressionism during the fin-de-siècle.  Few are aware that Munch continued to produce haunting and emotionally evocative work well into the early 1940s before his death at the age of 80 in 1944.  Though the Nazis deemed his work “degenerate art” and had him banned, he has continued to inspire artists and aesthetes who see his work for its true value with all of its innovative technique, melancholy subject matter, and always relevant human themes.  Munch deserves not only wider recognition of his works, but also a deeper understanding of his social importance within the art world, and this warrants another look, or perhaps a first look for many, of his genius.

“Anxiety” (1894)

“The Day After” (1894-1895)

“The Kiss” (1895)

“Model by the Wicker Chair” (1919-1921)

“Ashes” (1894)

“The Sick Child” (1896)

“Self-Portrait in Hell” (1903)

“Self-Portrait – The Night Wanderer” (1923-1924)

“Starry Night” (1923-1924)

“Winter in Kragerø” (1912)

“Melancholy” (1892-1893)

“Workers on Their Way Home” (1913-1915)

“Anxiety” (1894)

“The Day After” (1894-1895)

“The Kiss” (1895)

“Model by the Wicker Chair” (1919-1921)

“Ashes” (1894)

“The Sick Child) (1896)

“Self-Portrait in Hell” (1903)

“Self-Portrait – The Night Wanderer” (1923-1924)

“Starry Night” (1923-1924)

“Winter in Kragerø” (1912)

“Melancholy” (1892-1893)

“Workers on Their Way Home” (1913-1915)

My Favorite Artists and Their Art: Gail Potocki

Today is the birthday of a friend and a wonderful artist… Gail Potocki.  Happy birthday, Gail!

Gail Potocki is a contemporary symbolist painter, who specializes in paintings which are created in the classical tradition on a technical level, but she has a unique approach artistically in that she adopts timeless symbols and icons and imbues them with a distinctly modern meaning.  Drawing inspiration from art movements spanning three centuries, taking her cues from Symbolists, Surrealists, the Pre-Raphaelites, and Romanticists, Gail’s work transcends those very movements and genres.  Looking back upon the past with a haunting poetic eloquence and towards the future with a wariness that is both strikingly beautiful and starkly cautionary, her work emphasizes strong environmental themes and celebrates the outsider culture of freak shows and performance art, alternative music, and classic literature and films.  Gail’s work is wholly unique unto itself and offers a powerful and emotional glimpse into the mind of one of today’s most original talents.

“The Repositioning of Artifice” (2012)

“Botanica No. 23” (2010)

“Eve” (2006)

“Jo-Jo the Dog-Faced Boy” (2009)

“No Witness in the Slaying of a Memory” (2000)

“Eternal Flower” (2004)

“A Collapse of World Lines” (2013)

“Pip” (2009)

“Daisy and Violet Hilton” (2009)

“Low” (2010)

“Charlie Chaplin” (2011)

“Tattered Mothe” (2004)

“The Severed Continuum” (2013)

“Shadow Puppets” (2001)

“Adam” (2006)

“Theda Bara (2011)

“The Repositioning of Artifice” (2012)

“Botanica No. 23” (2010)

“Eve” (2006)

“Jo-Jo the Dog-Faced Boy” (2009)

“No Witness in the Slaying of a Memory” (2000)

“Eternal Flower” (2004)

“A Collapse of World Lines” (2013)

“Pip” (2009)

“Daisy and Violet Hilton” (2009)

“Low” (2010)

“Charlie Chaplin” (2011)

“Tattered Mothe” (2004)

“The Severed Continuum” (2013)

“Shadow Puppets” (2001)

“Adam” (2006)

“Theda Bara (2011)

My Favorite Artists and Their Art: Anders Zorn

I’m not too fond of “realism”, as so often the subject matter is painted devoid of emotion and focuses instead on technical details that can become superfluous.  However, there are a number of painters in the realist movement which have avoided this aesthetic pitfall and created imagery that is at once visually meticulous and emotionally gratifying.  Swedish painter Anders Zorn combined the bold brush strokes and introspection of impressionism with the attention to detail and objectivity of realism.  What makes him stand out from so many realist painters is that he managed to capture not just the image of his subjects, but also their emotional states and characteristics.  For this reason he’s one of my favorite Swedish artists.

“The Bride” (1886)

“Summer Fun” (1886)

“Love Nymph” (1885)

“The Dinghy” (1918)

“The Thorn Bush” (1885)

“Vallkulla” (1913)

“The Misses Salomon” (1888)

“Portrait of Mrs. Eben Richards” (1899)

“Studio Idyll” (1918)

“A Toast at the Idunn Society” (1892)

“The Bedroom” (1918)

“Portrait of Max Liebermann” (1891)

“The Bride” (1886)

“Summer Fun” (1886)

“Love Nymph” (1885)

“The Dinghy” (1918)

“The Thorn Bush” (1885)

“Vallkulla” (1913)

“The Misses Salomon” (1888)

“Portrait of Mrs. Eben Richards” (1899)

“Studio Idyll” (1918)

“A Toast at the Idunn Society” (1892)

“The Bedroom” (1918)

“Portrait of Max Liebermann” (1891)

My Favorite Artists and Their Art: Dante Gabriel Rossetti

Poet.  Painter.  Illustrator.  Translator.  There are many labels which could be ascribed to Dante Gabriel Rossetti.  I think of him most often as an aesthetic idealist and as the leading figure in the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.  His artwork evokes all the medieval pageantry, love and yearning, and lyricism of a troubadour’s song.  Drawing from a small number of beatific models from the Pre-Raphaelite movement, such as Lizzie Siddal, Jane Morris, Alexa Wilding, and Fanny Cornforth, Rossetti created an iconic gallery of ethereal women;  some callous and detached, some angelic and graceful, but all stunningly rendered by his skillful hand.  Of all the 19th Century artists, he remains among my favorites.

“Lady Lilith” (1868)

“Beata Beatrix” (1864-1872)

“The Damsel of the Sanct Grael” (1874)

“Sibylla Palmifera” (1866-1870)

“Astarte Syriaca” (1877)

“Proserpine” (1874)

“The Salutation of Beatrice” (1869)

“Alexa Wilding” (1877)

“Veronica Veronese” (1872)

“Venus Verticordia” (1864-1868)

“Lady Lilith” (1868)

“Beata Beatrix” (1864-1872)

“The Damsel of the Sanct Grael” (1874)

“Sibylla Palmifera” (1866-1870)

“Astarte Syriaca” (1877)

“Proserpine” (1874)

“The Salutation of Beatrice” (1869)

“Alexa Wilding” (1877)

“Veronica Veronese” (1872)

“Venus Verticordia” (1864-1868)

My Favorite Artists and Their Art: René Magritte

Perhaps the greatest goal of any artist is to present the viewer with a new perspective, or an unusual way of looking at a mundane subject, thus subverting their preconceived notions.  Belgian surrealist René Magritte is an undisputed master at this.  He utilized simple lines, muted colours, and everyday matter, and then juxtaposed them in absurd fashion to create something extraordinary.  Much like contemporaries Dalí and Escher, Magritte sought to challenge established ideas in art about what was real and what is merely illusion.  His artwork is at once atmospheric and intellectual.  The imagery he created is unmistakably his own and full of quirky oddities which seem quite out of place within their environments…  much like people themselves.

“The Son of Man” (1964)

“Natural Encounters” (1945)

“The Evening Gown” (1954)

“Homesickness” (1940)

“The Lovers” (1928)

“The Blank Check” (1965)

“The Rape” (1934)

“The Black Flag” (1937)

“The Red Model” (1935)

“The Treachery of Images” (1928-1929)

“The Son of Man” (1964)

“Natural Encounters” (1945)

“The Evening Gown” (1954)

“Homesickness” (1940)

“The Lovers” (1928)

“The Blank Check” (1965)

“The Rape” (1934)

“The Black Flag” (1937)

“The Red Model” (1935)

“The Treachery of Images” (1928-1929)

My Favorite Artists and Their Art: H.R. Giger

A telltale sign of a great artist is when you immediately recognize their work for its aesthetic values and style.  Another sign is when their work can be found impacting other mediums of creativity.  For these reasons, I consider H.R. Giger to be one of the greatest contemporary artists.  His compelling, moody, futuristic visions have been inspiration for films, music videos, comic books, sculpture, and even interior design.  Drawing upon European industrial design, the science fiction and horror genres, and his own aesthetic style often referred to as “bio-mechanical”, Giger has created an often unique and always unsettling oeuvre of his own.  His artwork is a reminder of the fragility of the human condition as we become more emotionally inert, intellectually mechanical, hyper-sexual, and brutal in our way of living.  Many of his works are dark provocations or surrealistic commentaries on eroticism, war, technology, and dehumanization.  Some have called his creations monstrous or disgusting, and one could argue this to be true, but they are frighteningly reflective of the modern world in which we live, making them both timeless and beautiful.

“Li – Version II” (1974)

“Biomechanical Mia” (1980)

“Lilith (1976-1977)

“Begoetterung XI” (1979)

“Passagen Temple – Leben” (1975)

“Necronom IV” (1976)

“Erotomechanics VII” (1979)

“Dune Worm XII” (1979)

“Erotomechanics VIII” (1979)

“Necronom V” (1976)

“Erotomechanics IX” (1979)

“Elp XII” (1986)

“Aufbruch zum Sabbat” (1976)

“Pilot im Cockpit” (1978)

“Li – Version I” (1974)

“Li – Version II” (1974)

“Biomechanical Mia” (1980)

“Lilith (1976-1977)

“Begoetterung XI” (1979)

“Passagen Temple – Leben” (1975)

“Necronom IV” (1976)

“Erotomechanics VII” (1979)

“Dune Worm XII” (1979)

“Erotomechanics VIII” (1979)

“Necronom V” (1976)

“Erotomechanics IX” (1979)

“Elp XII” (1986)

“Aufbruch zum Sabbat” (1976)

“Pilot im Cockpit” (1978)

“Li – Version I” (1974)

 

My Favorite Artists and Their Art: Odilon Redon

Odilon Redon‘s artwork is extraordinarily unique and hard to describe.  Whether working in colorful pastels, watercolors, or stark charcoal drawings, the images he created are remarkably vivid and dreamlike.  Shifting in styles and genres from Post-Impressionism to Symbolism, his art is saturated with an emotional intensity that seems almost prophetic of future art movements such as Expressionism and Surrealism, yet he doesn’t seem to belong to any single movement.  Rather, Redon’s skill was transcending the boundaries of what had come before and exploring what was yet to come, all the while journeying inward to a place of psychological conflict and spiritual awakening.

“The Smiling Spider” (1881)

“The Crying Spider” (1881)

“The Spirit of the Forest” (1880)

“The Buddha” (1904)

“The Flame” (1896)

“The Raven” (1882)

“Guardian Spirit of the Waters” (1878)

“Flower Clouds” (1903)

“Stained Glass Window” (1908)

“Portrait of Mademoiselle Jeane Roberte de Domecy” (1905)

“The Cyclops” (circa 1914)

“Cactus Man” (1881)

“The Smiling Spider” (1881)

“The Crying Spider” (1881)

“The Spirit of the Forest” (1880)

“The Buddha” (1904)

“The Flame” (1896)

“The Raven” (1882)

“Guardian Spirit of the Waters” (1878)

“Flower Clouds” (1903)

“Stained Glass Window” (1908)

“Portrait of Mademoiselle Jeane Roberte de Domecy” (1905)

“The Cyclops” (circa 1914)

“Cactus Man” (1881)

My Favorite Artists and Their Art: William-Adolphe Bouguereau

William-Adolphe Bouguereau is perhaps one of the great heroes of the Academic art movement.  His works are vividly brought to life in a manner that is at once realistic and yet also idealized.  While Bouguereau confined himself to the traditional Victorian values of Academicism and Realism, the images that he managed to create during his lifetime are iconic and timeless, though he has not been treated as kindly as his contemporaries by many art historians.  Often drawing on themes of gentle eroticism, the juxtaposition of beautiful women with nature, and the bittersweet reminisces of childhood, Bouguereau painted in a way that could be emotionally evocative in its realistic depiction of everyday life, but also dreamily intoxicating in the way that he romanticized human sexuality and sexual innocence.

“The Return of Spring” (1886)

“The Birth of Venus” (1879)

“Bather” (1870)

“The Invasion” (1893)

“Evening Mood” (1882)

“Biblis” (1884)

“The Wave” (1896)

“Nymphs and a Satyr” (1873)

“Cupidon” (1891)

“Dawn” (1881)

“L’amour et Psyché, Enfants” (1890)

“The Bohemian” (1890)

“The Invasion” (1893)

“The Return of Spring” (1886)

“The Birth of Venus” (1879)

“Bather” (1870)

“The Invasion” (1893)

“Evening Mood” (1882)

“Biblis” (1884)

“The Wave” (1896)

“Nymphs and a Satyr” (1873)

“Dawn” (1881)

“L’amour et Psyché, Enfants” (1890)

“The Bohemian” (1890)

My Favorite Artists and Their Art: M.C. Escher

M.C. Escher is one of those artists who is impossible to categorize.  His works don’t possess the typically inherent emotions of most art movements.  His art is far more procedural, intellectual, and precise in its purpose.  Many of his works are woodcuts done entirely in black and white, yet his works are as complex and unforgettable as those of artists who pour the full spectrum of colors onto their canvases with paint.  What Escher does is present viewers with works of art that are at once restrained in their expression of emotions, but at the same time are provocative and mentally stimulating.  One could half-jokingly say that looking at an M.C. Escher print is like doing mathematical gymnastics with your eyes and brain.

“The Eye” (1946)

“Drawing Hands” (1948)

“Relativity” (1953)

“Hand with Reflecting Sphere” (1935)

“Snakes” (1969)

“Waterfall” (1961)

“Paradise” (1921)

“The Castle in the Air” (1928)

“The Fall of Man” (1927)

“Bond of Union” (1956)

“The Eye” (1946)

“Drawing Hands” (1948)

“Relativity” (1953)

“Hand with Reflecting Sphere” (1935)

“Snakes” (1969)

“Waterfall” (1961)

“Paradise” (1921)

“The Castle in the Air” (1928)

“The Fall of Man” (1927)

“Bond of Union” (1956)

My Favorite Artists and Their Art: Arthur Rackham

From my own perspective Arthur Rackham remains the greatest artist from The Golden Age of Illustration which lasted from the 1880s up until around WWII.  Rackham first rose to prominence with his strangely compelling illustrated works that featured all of the various elements of the greatest myths, fables, and fairy tales.  The artwork that he produced contained all of the whimsy, romance, adventure, and grotesquerie that was found in their accompanying narratives.  Rackham’s images became so ingrained in the minds of many children that his illustrations almost defined the essence of fantasy and legend for generations.  Personally, I’ve always found his unique combination of innocent beauty with eeriness, and often tragedy, to be emotionally moving.  I can’t think of any other artist in the world of illustration who managed to so evocatively retell the stories of the past with such imagination and believability.

“Soon She Was Lost to Sight in the Danube” (1909)

“Freya” (1909)

“The Third Time She Wore the Star-Dress which Sparkled with Every Step” (1917)

“At This the Whole Pack Rose Up into the Air, and Came Flying Down Upon Her” (1907)

“It Seemed as if a Sudden Swarm of Winged Creatures Brushed Past Her” (1922)

“Thor” (1910)

“The Waiting Maid Sprang Down and Maid Maleen Followed” (1917)

“Brünnhilde” (1910)

“Brünnhilde Kisses the Ring” (1911)

“Marjorie and Margaret” (1912)

“How Sire Launcelot Fought with a Fiendly Dragon” (1917)

“Titania Lying Asleep” (1908)

“When the Storm Threatened to Burst on Their Heads” (1909)

“And Now They Never Meet in Grove or Green, By Fountain Clear or Spangled Starlight Sheen, But They Do Square” (1908)

“The Magic Cup” (1908)

“Where Is Pease-Blossom?” (1907)

“Soon She Was Lost to Sight in the Danube” (1909)

“Freya” (1909)

“The Third Time She Wore the Star-Dress which Sparkled with Every Step” (1917)

“At This the Whole Pack Rose Up into the Air, and Came Flying Down Upon Her” (1907)

“It Seemed as if a Sudden Swarm of Winged Creatures Brushed Past Her” (1922)

“Thor” (1910)

“The Waiting Maid Sprang Down and Maid Maleen Followed” (1917)

“Brünnhilde” (1910)

“Brünnhilde Kisses the Ring” (1911)

“Marjorie and Margaret” (1912)

“How Sire Launcelot Fought with a Fiendly Dragon” (1917)

“Titania Lying Asleep” (1908)

“When the Storm Threatened to Burst on Their Heads” (1909)

“And Now They Never Meet in Grove or Green, By Fountain Clear or Spangled Starlight Sheen, But They Do Square” (1908)

“The Magic Cup” (1908)

“Where Is Pease-Blossom?” (1907)

My Favorite Artists and Their Art: Frida Kahlo

Frida Kahlo was an extraordinary woman, whose life was full of tragedy, love, politics, and most importantly art.  Kahlo remains a unique figure in art history since she, unlike so many other female artists, developed her own style that became uniquely associated with her.  Whether creating symbolist portraits of herself or surreal montages of everyday life, her works have a primitive emotional quality and an insight that is unrivaled by many of her peers, including her artist husband and mentor Diego Rivera.  Often exposing her personal life unabashedly, as well as reflecting on her connection to nature, Kahlo’s works are deeply poetic commentaries on what it is to be human.  Kahlo’s paintings are lush, sensuous masterpieces that express the hopes and heartbreaks she experienced, revealing her to be a passionate, melancholic, vulnerable, and complex human being.

“The Love Embrace of the Universe, the Earth (Mexico), Diego, Me, and Senor Xolotl” (1949)

“Frida and the Miscarriage” (1936)

“Sun and Life” (1947)

“My Grandparents, My Parents, and I” (1936)

“Moses” (1945)

“Magnolias” (1945)

“Two Nudes in the Forest” (1939)

“What the Water Gave Me” (1938)

“The Two Fridas” (1939)

“The Broken Column” (1944)

“The Flower of Life” (1944)

“The Bride Frightened at Seeing Life Opened” (1943)

“The Love Embrace of the Universe, the Earth (Mexico), Diego, Me, and Senor Xolotl” (1949)

“Frida and the Miscarriage” (1936)

“Sun and Life” (1947)

“My Grandparents, My Parents, and I” (1936)

“Magnolias” (1945)

“Two Nudes in the Forest” (1939)

“What the Water Gave Me” (1938)

“The Two Fridas” (1939)

“The Broken Column” (1944)

“The Flower of Life” (1944)

“The Bride Frightened at Seeing Life Opened” (1943)

My Favorite Artists and Their Art: Salvador Dalí

It’s hard to describe the works of Salvador Dalí.  He is an iconoclastic and controversial figure in the art world.  Yet he’s much more than that.  Dalí’s work holds a number of influences and inspirations that set him apart from other artists and make his works almost impossible to categorize.  At first glance, he appears to be a surrealist, a modernist, a cubist, and a dadaist.  But his paintings, collages, and bizarre three-dimensional works of art also owe much to classical and Renaissance masterpieces.  Many critics and art lovers have dismissed Dalí because he was either too eccentric, too commercial, or because they simply failed to understand the pure talent and genius of his creations.  On a personal level, I’ve always been attracted to these images, because they seem to have been born in dreams and were then expressed in a way that we could all experience them as vividly as Dalí himself.

“The Persistence of Memory” (1931)

“Raphaelesque Head Exploding” (1951)

“Apparition of Face and Fruit Dish on a Beach” (1938)

“The Metamorphosis of Narcissus” (1937)

“The Enigma of Desire” (1929)

“The Dream” (1931)

“The Disintegration of the Persistence of Memory” (1952-1954)

“Cubist Self-Portrait” (1923)

“The Ants” (1929)

“Figure at the Window” (1925)

“The Visage of War” (1940)

“The Persistence of Memory” (1931)

“Raphaelesque Head Exploding” (1951)

” Apparition of Face and Fruit Dish on a Beach” (1938)

“The Metamorphosis of Narcissus” (1937)

“The Enigma of Desire” (1929)

“The Dream” (1931)

“The Disintegration of the Persistence of Memory” (1952-1954)

“Cubist Self-Portrait” (1923)

“The Ants” (1929)

“Figure at the Window” (1925)

“The Visage of War” (1940)

My Favorite Artists and Their Art: Frank Frazetta

As a genre that spans multiple mediums, fantasy has been able to introduce people to new worlds, new concepts, and encounters that only the imagination could provide.  Within the art world, very few fantasy artists have ever been given the credit that they deserve for their artistic work.  Aesthetically, fantasy in art is usually comprised of scenes of scantily clad barbarian men and women battling with supernatural forces, though there are other kinds of fantasy art. However, when it comes to “pulp fantasy”, as I often refer to it, no artist has ever had the kind of cultural impact and influence that Frank Frazetta has.  His works have pushed the envelope in ways that are almost indescribable.  The men he draws are muscle-bound and rippling with testosterone;  the women are voluptuous sensual creatures who can barely stand due to their feminine endowments;  the monsters are as grotesque and as savage could be.

“Conan the Adventurer” (1965)

“Birdman” (1972)

“Cat Girl” (1984)

“Conan the Barbarian” (1966)

“Vampirella” (1969)

“Egyptian Queen” (1969)

“The Death Dealer” (1973)

“Conan the Usurper” (1967)

“The Tempest Witch”, also known as “The Sea-Witch” (1967)

“Vampirella” (1996)

“Conan the Destroyer” (1971)

“The Silver Warrior” (1972)

“Witch” (1981)

“Conan the Conqueror” (1967)

“Conan the Adventurer” (1965)

“Birdman” (1972)

“Cat Girl” (1984)

“Conan the Barbarian” (1966)

“Vampirella” (1969)

“Egyptian Queen” (1969)

“The Death Dealer” (1973)

“Conan the Usurper” (1967)

“The Tempest Witch”, also known as “The Sea-Witch” (1967)

“Vampirella” (1996)

“Conan the Destroyer” (1971)

“The Silver Warrior” (1972)

“Witch” (1981)

“Conan the Conqueror” (1967)

My Favorite Artists and Their Art: John William Waterhouse

I’ve been a great admirer of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and their artistic style for a very long time now.  Of all the artists associated with the movement, I think that John William Waterhouse is probably my favorite.  This is partly because Waterhouse was consistently brilliant in his creation of evocative scenes inspired by mythology, historical legend, and classic literature.  However, while this aspect of his art appeals to me on an intellectual level, I find myself also drawn in by the delicate sense of bittersweet romance and unrequited love on an emotional level.  Waterhouse created images of women who were more than mortal women.  They are beautiful, seductive, and melancholy representations of our collective longings manifested on the canvas of a master.  Waterhouse was one of the last Pre-Raphaelite artists and yet his work overshadows many of the lesser known artists of the movement who came before him.

“A Mermaid” (1901)

“The Lady of Shalott” (1888)

“A Naiad” (1893)

“Lamia – Version I” (1905)

“Echo and Narcissus” (1903)

“Ophelia” (1894)

“Hylas and the Nymphs” (1896)

“The Crystal Ball” (1902)

“A Hamadryad” (1893)

“Circe Invidiosa” (1892)

“Lamia – Version II” (1909)

“Circe Offering the Cup to Odysseus” (1891)

“A Mermaid” (1901)

“The Lady of Shalott” (1888)

“A Naiad” (1893)

“Lamia – Version I” (1905)

“Echo and Narcissus” (1903)

“Ophelia” (1894)

“Hylas and the Nymphs” (1896)

“The Crystal Ball” (1902)

“A Hamadryad” (1893)

“Circe Invidiosa” (1892)

“Lamia – Version II” (1909)

“Circe Offering the Cup to Odysseus” (1891)

My Favorite Artists and Their Art: Edvard Munch

Edvard Munch has long been one of my favorite artists in Modern Art.  His Symbolist and Proto-Expressionist works have a deeply personal connection with me.  Somehow, they reach into my psyche, wrenching my emotions and thoughts from within and allow them to materialize in paint.  Munch’s art worked on two psychological levels at once, both conjuring up primitive emotions from our personal past while at the same time juxtaposing it with his knowledge of archetypal characters from our collective past.  I love the way his artwork, much like Franz Kafka‘s writings, tap into those deep-rooted feelings of inadequacy, guilt, regret, lust, and utter despair.  Utilizing bold brush strokes and vibrant colors and contrasting them with ambiguous shadows, Munch’s imagery carries with it all the complex emotions and mysteries of the human experience.

“The Scream” (1893)

“Puberty” (1894-1895)

“Vampire”, also known as “Love and Pain” (1893-1894)

“Madonna” (1894-1895)

“The Three Stages of Woman” (circa 1894)

“The Sick Child” (1896)

“Self Portrait with a Skeleton Arm” (1895)

“Self-Portrait with a Cigarette” (1895)

“Evening on Karl Johan Street” (1892)

“The Sun” (1909-1916)

“Lady from the Sea” (1896)

“Death in the Sick Room” (1895)

“The Scream” (1893)

“Puberty” (1894-1895)

“Vampire”, also known as “Love and Pain” (1893-1894)

“Madonna” (1894-1895)

“The Three Stages of Woman” (circa 1894)

“The Sick Child” (1896)

“Self Portrait with a Skeleton Arm” (1895)

“Self-Portrait with a Cigarette” (1895)

“The Sun” (1909-1916)

“Evening on Karl Johan Street” (1892)

“Lady from the Sea” (1896)

“Death in the Sick Room” (1895)