A Little Art History for a Monday Night

Each day when I get to my studio the first thing I do is sit down and read. This can range from books on how to sell my art to books on applications or art history. This week I want back to Gardner's "Art Through the Ages". Used this when I went back to Georgia State about ten years ago and am simply re-reading it now.

Up to the Neo-Classical period and David and the French Revolution. Not one of my favorite periods, I tend to enjoy the Romantics which I am about to get into in the next chapter. More into Fuseli, Goya - who I believe his Black Paintings, Salvator Rosa an early romantic from Italy, Gericault a brilliant French painter and W.M. Turner - maybe the Father of Abstract.

So I think on Sundays I will entice you with my great love of art history. Here are a few of the works I really enjoy. Starting with the Neo - Classical artists. I really enjoy the furniture of this period much more than the paintings.

Death of Socrates
Jacques Louis David

Death of Murat
Jacques Louis David
my favorite of this the Neo Classic Period

Painting Design
Angelica Kauffman
female artist and student of Reynolds in England

Vigee_Lebrun
I believe she helped start the French Academy after the Revolution
i'll have to check on that.

Now we come to some artists I really get into. They are darker and tend to be more complex in my thinking.

This is Salvator Rosa. Italian. And some consider to be the
Father of Romanticism. 

This is one of his paintings. The Romantics tended to have these
dark brooding paintings, filled with mystery - sadness.

This is the French Delacroix.
"The Death of Sardinopolus"
From what I remember about this painting, Sardinopolus
lays in bed waiting as his city falls around him, he has one
last orgy. I'll let you know next week if I remembered correctly. 

"The Raft of the Medusa"
Gericault

"Witches Flight"
Francis Goya
One of the Black Paintings
This guy painted during the infamous Inquisition of
the Catholic Church. So much of his work pokes fun at the
 church and the monarchy of the period. One of my all time favorite
artists. He hails from Spain.

One of the etchings from "Los Caprichos"
This is titled "The Sleep of Reason Produces Nightmares"

Piranesi
This is a series he did of of the "Carceri  or Prisons.
His works are etchings not paintings.
But he still qualifies as a genius.

"The Nightmare"
Fuseli
Did not do a lot of paintings, but did create many illustrations
during his time. This has to be one the most sublime images
of this period.

To round out this period, here is W.M. Turner
Turner was English and his paintings are also sublime.
He produces these great swirling masses, but the imagery
is still apparent. this is "the Slave Ship" and its horroring tale
I will acquaint you with next Sunday evening.