Orthogonals

Battle of San Romano, 1430's. Panel 6' x 10' 7". National Gallery, London. By Paolo Uccello.

Christ Giving the Keys to St. Peter, 1481 Fresco. 11' 5 1/2" x 18' 8 1/2 ". Sistine Chapel, Vatican, Rome- by Perugino

"d" points out the orthogonals.

Orthogonals: Lines running at right angles to the plane of the picture surface but, in a representation using one-point perspective, converging toward a common vanishing point in the distance. (Hart)

The lines on the ground in the middle ground of Perugino's fresco are a nice example of orthogonals.

Paolo Uccello loved the use of orthogonals, some say he 'overdid' his use of them in most of his paintings - The Battle of San Romano is a nice example - especially in the foreground.

Arnold Genthe

Greta Garbo portrait, 1926.

Arnold Genthe was born in Berlin in 1869. In 1894, he earned a PhD in Philology at the University of Jena. In 1895, he came to San Francisco and became a self-taught photographer. He took many photos of Chinatown that are some of the only surviving ones that were taken before the 1906 earthquake. His most famous photographs are of the aftermath of the San Francisco earthquake. In 1911, he moved to New York City and opened a portrait studio. He had many famous clients including Rockefeller, Woodrow Wilson and Greta Garbo. His portraits of her sent her career into orbit. He died in 1942 in NYC of a heart attack.

Note: I have a big sale on woodblock prints in my Etsy shop right now with free shipping!

Sense of Place

Paul Gauguin - Still Life with Peaches, 1889.

"I thought that by leaving Aix I should leave behind the boredom that pursues me. Actually, I have done nothing but change my abode and the boredom has followed me." - Paul Cezanne

Note: For those of you wondering why I chose a Gauguin painting to go with a Cezanne quote... I saw the image and automatically assumed it was Cezanne, later to realize it was not! Anyone else agree this painting is very much in Cezanne's style?

Janet Fish

Olive Oil from Provence, 1973. Oil on canvas, 48 x 60 ".

Janet Fish and Charles Parness, 1999.

Butterfly Collection, 1984. Oil on canvas, 54 x 68".

Butterfly detail

Four Honey Jars, 1970. Oil on canvas, 67 x 54 ".

Oh, how I love Janet Fish. She is known for painting still lives - especially collections of things and vignettes too. She's amazing at painting glass and reflections as well as fruit in packages. The subject seems to take on a life, even a 'personality' of it's own.

"Gloriously ripe oranges strain against their high-gloss grocery wrapping. Grouped tequila bottles create a visual symphony of reflected color and light. An afternoon tag sale, complete with badminton set and Barbie doll, is brought to life through lush brushstrokes and vivid color. Artist Janet Fish is well known for her richly executed oil paintings and watercolors of glass, fruit, and flowers, through which she 'captures the beauty of everyday objects.' Her art is 'beyond realism.'" (Vincent Katz)

Janet Fish was born in Boston, MA in 1938. She grew up in Bermuda, went to Art College in New Haven, CT and the Skowhegan School in Maine. She was big in the New York art world in the 1960's and 1970's.

Images from the fabulous book : Janet Fish Paintings by Vincent Katz - 2002, Harry N. Abrams, Inc.

Chien Yao

2 Vases (1895-1910) by Emil Arnold Krog and Knud Valdemar Engelhardt. Porcelain, multicolored underglaze and crystal glaze. Made by Den Kongelige Porcelainsfabrik, Copenhagen.

Chien Yao: Shallow Japanese tea dishes that in earlier times were produced in China. Their glaze recalls rabbit fur, bird's feathers, turtle shells or oil spots. The predominant color tones of dark blue, brown, and green pan out from the center or form cloud-like patches. The glaze is applied in several layers which are fired several times. The result is that, as the light striking the surface varies, the color apparently keeps changing. (Gabriele Fahr-Becker)

These vases are made by Danish designers of the Art Nouveau period who were inspired and influenced by Asian ceramics and techniques.

Frieze

Athena batteling Alkyoneos, detail of Altar of Zeus frieze, Pergamon. Marble, 7' 6 high. Staatliche Museen, Berlin. (Hellenistic Period)

Procession of elders and maidens, detail of east frieze of the Parthenon, c 447-438 B.C. Marble, 3' 6" high. Louvre, Paris.

Seated gods and goddesses, detail of the east frieze of the Parthenon, c 447-438 B.C. Marble, 3' 6" high. Acropolis Museum, Athens, Greece.

(This photo is a bit fuzzy, I know, but the frieze is notated on the upper left side in the inner, top bracket.)

The part of the entablature between the architrave and the cornice; also, any sculptured or ornamented band in a building, on furniture, etc. (Gardner)

Abstract Lyrical

Title unknown, by Honora Lyall

Title unknown by Helen Bartley

Abstract Lyrical: Emotional art that emphasizes rhythmic use of line, color, and form for their abstract charm instead of their values, associated with objects or things. (Ralph L Wickiser)