Dr. Janet McKenzie reviews the exhibition Radical Bloomsbury: The Art of Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell, 1905-1925 on view at Brighton Museum & Art Gallery through October 9, 2011. The exhibition, McKenzie writes, "seeks to re-evaluate the work of Duncan Grant (1885-1978) and Vanessa Bell (1879-1961) and their relationship with the avant-garde... Indeed, the Bloomsbury
Jonathan Jones blogs about British painter John Martin whose "fascination with disaster... bore no relation to real Victorian life... The fears, or secret dark desires, of Martin and his contemporaries were rooted in imagination, not reality." According to Jones, Martin's work begs the question of whether "our own sense of impending disaster [is] just a
Levi Rubeck reviews the exhibition Lyonel Feininger: At the Edge of the World at the Whitney Museum of Art on view through October 16, 2011. Rubeck writes: "...the growth and variety of [Feininger's] production serves as a fascinating take on art straddling creation for its own sake and the influence of the outside world... The
Roslyn Bernstein talks with Todd and Peter Barnet about their father, painter Will Barnet, in anticipation of his upcoming retrospective at the National Academy Museum. The sons vividly recount their childhood and note that their father, now 100, still paints daily. "Peter, the oldest at 72, Richard... who is 70, and Todd, now 68, would
[VIDEO] Richard J. Goldstein interviews painter Dorothea Rockburne about her work on the occasion of the recent retrospective exhibition In My Mind's Eye at the Parrish Museum. Goldstein notes that "Rockburne told me that art history has shown her that all artists are bound to repeat themselves which is something she always eluded through her
Interview with painter Emily Gherard about her work and influences. Gherard says: "The painting or drawing begins with an idea of a particular form and how it might fit in the space of the painting but as the work continues what keeps me in the piece is manipulating the materials... I look for when the
Altoon Sultan blogs about Polish poet and essayist Zbigniew Herbert's essays on Dutch Golden Age Painting. Sultan writes: "Herbert takes us on a deep tour of Dutch 17th century painting in his 1991 book Still Life with a Bridle... he aims to write about Dutch 17th century painters in a down to earth way, not
William Poundstone blogs about rediscovered American Regionalist painter Roger Medearis. Medearis, a student of Thomas Hart Benton, is the subject of an upcoming exhibition at The Huntington Library in San Marino, CA. Poundstone writes that after Regionalism gave way to Abstract Expressionism "Medearis donned suit and tie to get a real job with Container Corporation
John Seed writes about Nathan Oliveira's last works which will be on view at John Berggruen Gallery, San Francisco from September 8 - October 22, 2011. Seed notes: "In the last year and half of Oliveira's life, there were wonderful developments in the studio. 'The old Nathan came back,' says Joe Oliveira, 'the guy who
Christopher Joy and Zachary Keeting visit the studio of painter Julie Heffernan. Heffernan discusses how her early paintings evolved into her current work, her painting process, and the unique clarity she admires in old master paintings.
Carrie Moyer discusses her career and work in an extensive interview with Phong Bui. Moyer notes: "...even though I am naturally more comfortable making big paintings, the smaller ones have been a way for me to get ideas out on the canvas without giving into my tendency to overwork the surface. I have been interested
L. St. James reviews the exhibition Joan Miró: The Ladder of Escape on view at Tate Modern through September 11, 2011. St. James writes: "The thirteen rooms of the Tate's exhibit serve as testament to the artist's sensitivity to the world around him and as a reminder that even for a most revered Surrealist, 'the
Bob Duggan reviews the new book The History of Rome in Painting, edited by Maria Teresa Caracciolo and Roselyne de Ayala. Duggan writes: "... what I found most enlightening were the small wonders the team of specialists offered... Cimabue’s 'Ytalia' provides a bird’s eye view of Rome from the 13th century... Cimabue painted 'a political
Christopher Lowrance blogs images from the exhibition Robert McCann: Subtext Sprawl at the University of Kansas' Art and Design Gallery, on view through September 15, 2011. McCann writes: "My most recent group of paintings began with ideas about how modern technology and science make it easier for people to be superstitious, and broader themes of
The Artblog
Andrea Kirsh reviews Lech Majewski's The Mill and the Cross, a new biogrphical film about the artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder. Kirsh writes that "Majewski captures Bruegel's truth that great events occur amidst the shapeless narrative of everyday life. Just as remarkable is the effect he creates of taking us into the actual space of
Ed Beem reviews the exhibition Edward Hopper's Maine at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art on view through October 16, 2011. Beem writes that the stars of the exhibition (which was designed by painter Alex Katz) are "30 small oils Hopper did on Monhegan Island over the summers of 1916-19. Littoral jewels, the little Monhegan
Henrike von Spesshardt reports on the discovery of previously unknown watercolors and drawings by German painter Otto Dix on view in the exhibition Dix in Düsseldorf - Otto Dix and the Dusseldorf Artistic Scene 1920-1925 on view from September 4-December 2, 2011, at Galerie Remmert und Barth, Düsseldorf. Spesshardt notes that Dix is known as
James Kalm tours the exhibition Reverie @ Zürcher Studio, New York, curated by Stephen Westfall. Kalm notes that this is "a prime group of painters dealing with the contemporary challenges of formalist abstraction. This walking tour includes views of works by: Andrea Belag, Shirley Jaffe, Alix Le Méléder, Sylvan Lionni, Julia Rommel, Patricia Treib, Stephen
Rebecca Wright reviews the exhibition Frida Kahlo & Diego Rivera - Masterpieces from The Geldman Collection at Pallant House Gallery, Chichester on view through October 8, 2011. Wright notes that "The ongoing debate about the critical importance of Rivera versus Kahlo has been heated, fought on many fronts, over a long period of time. It
Victoria Webb interviews painter Norbert Marszalek about his work and studio process. Marszalek notes: "Storytelling... plays a role in my work. I am all about the narrative. I'm sure that’s why I paint in series. It's like writing a novel. My series have a beginning, middle and end but it may not be totally linear.