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Happey Birthday Chagall
Marc Chagall was born on July 7th, 1887 in Vitebsk, Belo Russia - the oldest of nine children. He was a French painter and stained glass artist until his death 1985.
Much has been said and written about this talented artesian, his ability to define the light of the Jewish faith in the “Gola” has made him a synonym with Mainstream and Orthodox Jewish Art.
To celebrate his 121st birthday, Google has honored Chagall with his very own Google logo. He now joins an elite list of artists that have graced the internet’s most popular search homepage.
If you have a minute take yourself on a journey into the art world of Marc Chagall - as if you are stepping into a make believe playground where everything is possible.
See more Google Artist logo’s can you identify the artists?
Effects of Color on Claude Monet’s Poppies
Claude Monet painted The Poppy Field, near Argenteuil in 1873. Painted in the wildflower fields outside Argenteuil, this painting reveals Monet’s passion for color. With dabs of reds, he scatters the poppies in a natural abundance through a lush green field.
Poppies, Near Argenteuil, Claude Monet, 1873.
In the foreground, Monet illustrated his darling Camille and their son Jean with simple strokes of violet, black, and white.
In the countryside, a vivid splash of poppies seems to move in a gentle breeze. The position of the poppies seems uncertain. To many viewers, they appear to quiver as the wind blows.
Monet who is unknown as the classic Impressionist, some might say the father of Impressionism, painted not a landscape but the impression of a landscape.
Play with the slider and see how the reds and greens just turn this painting on and give it life.
Monet Water Lily Sold for $80 Million
Earlier this week a Claude Monet water lily painting was sold for more than $80 million, breaking the record for the famous French artist – the father of impressionism.
The painting is called “Water Lily Pond,” which was part of a four-work collection of water lily paintings that Monet created during the latter part of his lifetime.
The four large-scale paintings of Monet’s water lily garden were created in 1919. The paintings are scattered around the world, the most famous of which is the famous large panels exhibited in New York City at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Monet created his Water Lilly garden in Giverny, France by artificially re-routing a stream. Monet then filled the pond with different hybrids of water lilies in an effort to get as many different colors of flowers in the pond. This turned the pond into Monet’s most favorite motif during the last years of his life. The water lily garden in Giverny it still a landmark for art lovers around the world.
After an exciting bidding war, the painting finally sold to an anonymous collector for 41 million pounrds equivalent to $80.5 million, setting a new record price for Monet paintings in auction.
The painting was originally purchased in 1971 at a New York auction for $320,000. Not a bad return…
Art gone Green - Eco-Friendly Framing
This week we celebrated Earth Day, and for sometime now everyone has been jumping on the “green wagon” in their efforts to be good “citizens of this world…”
In the art world, similar efforts are being made in order to take advantage of eco-friendly and sustainable products and projects. As artists become more conscious of environmental issues, more and more artistic endeavors will contain green references and themes. So getting the word out about the availability of green alternatives is especially fitting for this time of year.
One recent eco-friendly initiative has been undertaken by OverstockArt.com, which has started incorporating all-recycled frames in their framing selection to go along with their artworks. The frames are made from recycled moulding scraps and sawdust. They come in a variety of colors and shapes and are the perfect complement to a nature-setting landscape.
“It just makes the art we sell even more of a conversation piece…” said Dawn Kail, Assistant Manager at OverstockArt.com, “Now people can enjoy the beauty of nature on their wall and know that they took part in the important collective efforts of preventing deforestation.”
We all have a personal and shared responsibility to make this world a better place. As artists, we can take part in this movement by using recycled products in our art and project the green theme in our creations. Together we can all make a difference.
A Youthful Picasso Found
Imagine a young Pablo Picasso naked in bed with one of his lady friends… talk about erotic… that moment was captured in a recently discovered oil painting worth millions, stacked up against the wall of a house in Britain.
The masterpiece, titled Embrace, created in 1901 and signed on the back by Picasso, is estimated at around six million dollars when it goes under the hammer on April 10.
Women in Art
This week, is International Women’s Week. It is a week long celebration celebrated by women around the world every year the week of March 8th, which is International Women’s Day.
International Women’s Day is the story of ordinary women who made history. It is rooted in the centuries-old struggle of women to participate in society on an equal plateau with men.
To commemorate this day, I wanted to share with you a video on 500 Years of Women in Western Art:
To learn more about the women in this presentation, visit this page.
I hope that you will all have a lovely Women’s Day!
Zurich Oil Paintings Heist
Three men with ski masks strolled into a the E. G. Bührle private Collection museum in Zurich, Switzerland in broad daylight, snatched four 19th-century Impressionist masterpieces, tossed them into a moving van and made their getaway, making it one of the largest and most daring art raids of all time. The crazy thing is it was the second art heist in a 30 mile radius in less than a week…strange ha…
On the first raid, the robbers took two masterpieces by Picasso worth an estimated $4.4 Million. The second time around, they sped off with four masterpieces by four different artists totaling $163 Million:
- A beautiful and lavish 1890 Vincent Van Gogh masterpiece – “Blossoming Chestnut Branches.”
- An 1879 extravagant Claude Monet masterpiece – “Poppies near Vetheuil.”
- An 1871 Edgar Degas portrait – “Count Lepic and his Doughter” (less important than the other three)
- A popular and one of the most admired Paul Cezanne’s in history – the 1888 “Boy in red Waistcoat”.
Their is still no apparent connection between the two robberies other than the vicinity. The problem the thieves face now is to sell these oil paintings on the market, which is virtually impossible, raising the question why did they do it? Was it an ordered job by a private collector? Was it some calling card dare to prove they are up to a bigger challenge? I guess only time will tell…
Impressionist and Modern Art Sale
I know not all of us can take part in this sale, but we can all appreciate the art that Sotheby’s London has on display. I also love the way they are selling the art works. They really tell a story about the art that is a very significant part of the sale…
Specialists Helena Newman and Alexander Platon introduce six highlights of the Impressionist and Modern Art Auction in London, to be held on the Evening of 5 February.
I really love the Franz Marc piece and the Renoir… too bad I don’t have the cache to own it… oh well, I guess I will just have to do with art reproductions…
Great Moments in the Art World in 2007
I really can’t believe that the end of 2007 is here, but I can’t argue with our spinning globe. It seems that just a few days ago I got used to the fact that it was 2007 and not 2006… Now I need to get used to a whole new year all over again!
Anyway, this is the time of the year that everyone tries to sum up what has happened in the past 12 months. I will try and add my impressions of the most important art events that occurred around us in the year 2007. Enjoy!
- New Evidence regarding the Mona Lisa: first it is observed that Mona Lisa Died at a Convent in 1542. Then reports say that Mona Lisa was pregnant when she was painted…
- A famous Rothko is auctioned off by Rockefeller
- Sol LeWitt Immortalized - The American conceptual artist Sol LeWitt passes away at the age of 78 after a long battle with Cancer.
- Liz Taylor gets to keep her Van Gogh - after a long legal battle the movie star gets to keep her coveted masterpiece amidst controversy
- Gustav Klimt takes on NYC during the Fall of 2007
- Me and the Starry Night Unite – my trip to the MoMA, the highlight of my year…
- Mona Lisa lashes - A French Scientist has researched the answers behind the fate of Mona Lisa’s missing eyebrows and lashes.
- Van Gogh on top for another year – The annual list of top selling oil paintings is dominated yet another year by Vincent Van Gogh.
If you have any other events or things you thought were important in 2007 that you would like to share please comment below and I will add it to the list…
Suzanne Bloch and Adele Bloch
Last Thursday, on a chilly early morning heist in Sao Paolo, Brazil a gang of highly skilled (considered professionals) art thieves broke into the Sao Paolo Museum of Art and stole two paintings.
One of the paintings is a 1904 Blue Period portrait by Pablo Picasso called “Portrait of Suzanne Bloch.” The portrait is valued at around $50 Million.
What I found fascinating in this story is not the heist itself, but the painting that was taken…
Just a year ago Ronald S. Lauder the multi-billionaire, chairman of Estee Lauder and the founder of the Neue Galerie Museum in New York City bought a fabulous 1907 Gustav Klimt painting the “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer.” The price tag on the painting broke every imaginable record at the time reaching $137 Million!
Examining the two paintings we discover that not only do Suzanne and Adele share the same surname, and where done at about the same time period, but the striking resemblance is uncanning!!!
Gustav Klimt’s Adele has been in the news for the last three years, but who was Suzanne? Is there some sort of connection between Picasso’s Blue Period Suzanne, and Klimt’s Adele of the Viennese elite?
So, is there a connection between the two women? What is it about the Bloch’s?
If there is a connection between the art pieces, this should raise the value of Suzanne and would indicate that the thieves were sent to do the job by some wealthy art lover for his own collection, someone who is knowledgeable enough about the art world to make the connection…