Z = Zadkine, Valentine Prax and Le Dôme Café - A to Z Challenge

ART: Artists, Art Trivia, Art Legends

During the blogfest, you had a glimpse of the ART world, via the alphabetical mini-art tour. For the Final Day of the challenge, we are back in Paris, on the Left Bank, in Montparnasse.


Le Dôme Café, Paris

Painting of the Café du Dome, in old Montparnasse

Le Dôme Café or Café du Dôme is a restaurant in Montparnasse, Paris. It was the first café of its kind there, opening as early as 1898. Known as the 'Anglo-American café', it attracted an artistic and literary crowd. It was frequented by the famous (and soon to be famous) painters, sculptors, writers, poets, models, art connoisseurs and dealers. Le Dôme later became the gathering place of the American literary colony and a focal point for Paris' Left Bank artists. Valentine Prax Zadkine was one of those artists at 'The Dome'.





Z = Zadkine, Valentine Prax
1897-1981


Valentine Prax Zadkine, a French painter, didn't come to Paris until 1919. Her early life was spent in French Algeria. When she first began her life in Paris, Valentine lived in poverty in a tiny studio on rue Rousselet, in Montparnasse. Her accommodations improved when an established painter, Charles Dufresne, discovered her and loaned his studio on
the Ile St-Louis for her use.

Valentine frequented The Dome and La Rotonde, the cafés where the 'great avant-garde' met to discuss art and ideas. It was at The Dome that she met the sculptor, Ossip Zadkine, who had emigrated from Russia in 1910. They married the following year.

In 1920, Valentine began exhibiting at the Salon d'Automne and the Salon des Tuileries as well as the exhibition in 1924 at Galerie Berthe Weill. By this time, she was starting to establish a reputation for her work, which explored rural life in a raw expressionistic manner.

In 1937, she exhibited alongside Picasso. In 1967, when Ossip died, Valentine worked to prepare a museum for 300 of his works, in his former home where he lived between 1928-1967. When she died in 1981, Valentine gave Ossip's property to the museum.
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To view Valentine's paintings:

http://www.zadkine.com/works/valentine-prax The works of Valentine Prax Zadkine; Zadkine Research Centre. Please visit the web site to see more images and information.
 
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Have you heard of Valentine Prax or Valentine Prax Zadkine? Have you heard of her husband, Ossip Zadkine, sculptor? Have you been to Le Dôme in Paris?

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Thanks to all those who dropped by during this month of April, as part of the A to Z Challenge! I've enjoyed the comments and the discussions. This group of ART themed posts will reside under a tab at the top of the blog, after April.

Brought to you by the A to Z Blog Challenge 2014 Team and the originator: Lee of Tossing it Out. Click the A to Z list of participants and read on.

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References:

http://www.haninafinearts.com/artists/valentine_prax/biography - Valentine Biography

http://www.zadkine.com/life/biography Biography of Ossip, and photo of the couple

http://www.zadkine.com/life/valentine-prax Valentine Prax Zadkine

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_D%C3%B4me_Caf%C3%A9 Le Dome Café


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Image credits:

a painting of the Café du Dome, Montparnasse.
(Painting by unknown author who died more than 100 years ago.)

This image (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired.
This applies to Australia, the European Union and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 70 years.

You must also include a United States public domain tag to indicate why this work is in the public domain in the United States. Note that a few countries have copyright terms longer than 70 years: Mexico has 100 years, Colombia has 80 years, and Guatemala and Samoa have 75 years, Russia has 74 years for some authors. This image may not be in the public domain in these countries, which moreover do not implement the rule of the shorter term. Côte d'Ivoire has a general copyright term of 99 years and Honduras has 75 years, but they do implement the rule of the shorter term.

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Y = Yamato-e, Japanese Painting - A to Z Challenge

ART: Artists, Art Trivia, Art Legends

A glimpse of the ART world, in the manner of an alphabetical mini-art tour. ART focuses on artists and art movements. This painting style goes back to the 15th century.


Y = Yamamoto-e
 Japanese Classic




 Illustration of the The Tale of Genji*, Wakamurasaki, 1617–1691

 
Yamato-e is a style of Japanese painting inspired by Tang Dynasty paintings, and fully developed by the late Heian period. It is considered the classical Japanese style. This term has been used to distinguish traditional Japanese painting from Chinese style paintings (Kara-e), a style inspired by Chinese ink wash paintings.

Characteristic features of Yamato-e include many small figures and details of buildings and other objects, with the artist selecting a few of the elements in a scene to be fully depicted. The viewpoint is often aerial, with cutaway rooftops in some illustrations. Landscapes are very stylized.

Yamato-e style painting is often used for a narrative story, with or without text. These paintings can deal with the beauty of nature, the four seasons or famous places. The work is often on scrolls for the wall, or handscrolls that read from right to left, a folding screen or a panel. There was a Yamato period in Japanese history, but no Yamato-e paintings survived.
This style is not restricted to a particular period.


The Tale of Genji*, a classic work of Japanese literature written by the noblewoman and lady in waiting Murasaki Shikigu in the early years of the 11th century.


ART TRIVIA  - Claude Monet, French artist was a collector of Japanese art and displayed part of his collection on the walls of his Garden house in Giverny, France. No photos allowed inside, however, for the protection of the art.

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Did you know about Yamato-e style painting? Do you like the aerial viewpoint and lush colors?

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Brought to you by the A to Z Blog Challenge 2014 Team and the originator: Lee of Tossing it Out. Click the A to Z list of participants and read on.

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References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamato-e wiki on Japanese style of painting

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tale_of_Genji The Tale of Genji
 
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/yama/hd_yama.htm Yamato-e Painting, Metropolitan Museum of Art

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IMAGE credit:

Illustration of the The Tale of Genji, Wakamurasaki, credited to Tosa Mitsuoki (1617–1691) late 17th century

This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons. This is a faithful photographic reproduction of a two-dimensional, public domain work of art. The work of art itself is in the public domain for the following reason:

This work is in the public domain in the United States, and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years or less. This file has been identified as being free of known restrictions under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights

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Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse

X = Xavery, Jan Baptist, Sculptor - A to Z Challenge

ART: Artists, Art Trivia, Art Legends

A glimpse of the ART world, in the manner of an alphabetical mini-art tour. ART focuses on artists and art movements between the 1850's-1960's. Jan Baptist Xavery lived much earlier than that

Faith, Hope, Love, Strength, and Justice. Statues by Xavery, at The Hague

X = Xavery, Jan Baptist
1697 - 1742

Late Baroque and Neo-classicist
(ornate design,adheres to classical principles of composition and subject matter)


Jan Baptist Xavery, 1697 - 1742, was a Flemish sculptor who lived most of his life in the Netherlands. Son of another sculptor, Albertus Xavery, he was taught by his father before entering the studio of Michiel van der Voort. He stayed until 1719 when he moved to Vienna, then on to Italy. He returned in 1721 and settled in The Hague.

Muses 1739, by Jan Baptist Xavery

In 1725, Xavery became a member of the Confrerie Pictura, the city painters' guild, though he was best known for his portrait sculptures. He married Maria Christina Robart the same year, with whom he had two sons, both who would go on to become painters. Xavery died in 1742, leaving his legacy in stone.

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Have you heard of Jan Baptist Xavery? Do you like Classical or Modern sculpture?

Please leave a comment to let me know you were here, and thanks for dropping by! I'll respond.

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Brought to you by the A to Z Blog Challenge 2014 Team and the originator: Lee of Tossing it Out. Click the A to Z list of participants and read on. Hope to see you again throughout the blogfest.
 

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References:

http://arthistory.about.com/cs/namesxx/p/xavery_jb.htm More on Xavery

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Baptist_Xavery Wikipedia on Xavery


Images:

"Faith", "Hope", "Love", "Strength", and "Justice", Five statues on the façade

Made by the Hague sculptor Jan Baptist Xavery before 1742. Old City Hall, or The Hague.

This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons.
You are free:

• to share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work
• to remix – to adapt the work

Under the following conditions:

• attribution – You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work).

 ***

Muses, 1739

Sculpture by Jan Baptist Xavery - St Bavochurch, Grote markt, Haarlem, 1739

This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.

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W = Warhol, Andy - A to Z Blog Challenge

ART: Artists, Art Trivia, Art Legends

!POP ART!

1960s New York

W = Warhol, Andy
1928 - 1987


New York Pop artist and illustrator, Andy Warhol, was born on August 6, 1928 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  Check links below for more information


Warhol was an American artist and a leading figure in the visual art movement called pop art. His works explore the relationship between artistic expression, celebrity culture, and advertisement of the 1960s. After a successful career as a commercial illustrator, Warhol became a renowned artist. The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh holds an extensive collection of art and archives, and is the largest museum in the US dedicated to a single artist.


Warhol's art encompassed many forms of media, including hand drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, silk screening, sculpture, film, and music. He was also a pioneer in computer-generated art. He founded Interview Magazine, and  is the author of several books, including The Philosophy of Andy Warhol, and Popism: The Warhol Sixties.
 

Warhol's studio, The Factory ,was a famous gathering place for distinguished intellectuals, drag queens, playwrights, Bohemian street people, Hollywood celebrities, and wealthy patrons. Musicians and artists such as Lou Reed, Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger, and Truman Capote were regulars, but Salvador Dali and Allen Ginsberg came less frequently.

"Walk on the Wild Side", Lou Reed's best known solo song, was released on Transformer, 1972, and referred to the superstars and life at The Factory. During the 1960s, Warhol began his paintings of iconic American objects. These included: dollar bills, Campbell's Soup Cans, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis, Brando, and others. He groomed a retinue of bohemian and counterculture eccentrics, which he called Superstars.  These films were frequently shown in underground movie theatres.

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Are you aware of Andy Warhol's art works? Do you like Warhol's version of POP Art? Have you heard about his studio and The Factory?

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Please let me know you were here by leaving a comment, and thanks for stopping by! I'll respond. NOTE: Restrictions on photographs of Warhol and Warhol's art works prevent their use in this post.


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References and Links


http://www.warhol.org/  Andy Warhol museum

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Factory The Factory, Warhol's studio

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Brought to you by the A to Z Blog Challenge 2014 Team and the originator: Lee of Tossing it Out. Click the A to Z list of participants and read on. Hope to see you again throughout the blogfest.

 

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V = Van Gogh, Vincent, A Complex Man - A to Z Challenge

ART: Artists, Art Trivia, Art Legends

ART focuses on artists and art movements between the 1850's-1960's. An artist of unusual vision is featured today, Vincent van Gogh, who saw movement in his surroundings and a particulate world, full of energy. 

Self Portrait with felt Hat, Vincent Van Gogh, c. 1880s

V = Vincent van Gogh
1853 - 1890


Vincent Willem van Gogh was a post-Impressionist painter of Dutch origin. He came to Paris in March of 1886 to share a Rue Laval apartment in Montmartre with his brother and to study at a local studio. In June, they moved to a larger apartment further uphill at 54 Rue Lepic. This address still exists today and has a small plaque on the building near the front door advising that Vincent and Leo once lived here. In Paris, Vincent painted views of Moulin de la Galette, Montmartre scenes, and locations by the Seine River.

Cafe Terrace at Night, 1888 by Van Gogh

Van Gogh didn't begin painting until his late twenties, completing many of his best works during the last couple of years of his life.  In just over ten years, he produced more than 2,100 art works which included 860 oil paintings, 1300 + watercolors, drawings, sketches and prints. There are self-portraits, landscapes, still life paintings , portraits, and paintings of wheat fields and sunflowers. Especially sunflowers. See the painting below by Gauguin showing Van Gogh at work.

After living in Paris for a few years, Vincent moved to the south of France where his work was influenced by the strong sunlight of the region. His palette of colors grew brighter and he developed the style that became his signature, during his stay in Arles in 1888.

After years of painful anxiety and frequent bouts of mental illness, Vincent died at age 37 from a gunshot wound, likely self-inflicted and accepted as such.  However, no gun was ever found. At that time, his work was known only to a select group of people.

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The most comprehensive source of information about van Gogh is a collection of letters between him and his younger brother, Theo van Gogh, an art dealer. There were hundreds of letters between 1872 and 1890, with most of the letters sent from Vincent to Theo. He and his brother remained friends throughout their lives.

If you'd like to read more, try the novel, Dear Theo, by Irving Stone. The following in a part from the book description: "Van Gogh's brother Theo was his confidant and companion, and, in his letters to him, van Gogh reveals himself as artist and man. . ."

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Painting sunflowers, Vincent is subject matter for his friend Gauguin. This is prior to their disagreement in Arles, France.





Van Gogh Painting Sunflowers by Paul Gauguin

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Are you a fan of Van Gogh's art? Did you know about the missing ear (or part of it) and the story behind it? Do you have a favorite of Van Gogh's painting?

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Brought to you by the A to Z Blog Challenge 2014 Team and the originator: Lee of Tossing it Out. Click the A to Z list of participants and read on. Hope to see you again throughout the blogfest.


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References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_van_Gogh Wiki on Vincent van Gogh

Article by Henry Samuel in Paris  04 May 2009; Another version of what happened to Vincent's ear. (UK Newspaper)

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Image Credits

Cafe Terrace at Night, 1888 by Van Gogh

This work is in the public domain in the United States, and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years or less

The work of art depicted in this image and the reproduction thereof are in the public domain worldwide. The reproduction is part of a collection of reproductions compiled by The Yorck Project. The compilation copyright is held by Zenodot Verlagsgesellschaft mbH and licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License


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Self Portrait of the Artist by Van Gogh

This work is in the public domain in the United States, and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years or less.

 The official position taken by the Wikimedia Foundation is that "faithful reproductions of two-dimensional public domain works of art are public domain".
This photographic reproduction is therefore also considered to be in the public domain

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Vincent Van Gogh by Paul Gauguin

The work of art depicted in this image and the reproduction thereof are in the public domain worldwide. The reproduction is part of a collection of reproductions compiled by The Yorck Project. The compilation copyright is held by Zenodot Verlagsgesellschaft mbH and licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.

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U = Utrillo, Maurice of Montmartre - A to Z Challenge

ART: Artists, Art Trivia, Art Legends 

Montmartre was home to artists and windmills in the late 1800s, high in the Paris landscape. The climbing cobbled streets head upward past cafes, the last inner city vineyard in Paris, the Moulin de la Galette, the Montmartre Cemetery, Bateau Lavoir, and finally to Tertre Square and Sacre Coeur.




A Montmartre street in Paris, 'Lapin Agile' on left, by DG Hudson

U = Utrillo, Maurice
1883 - 1955


Maurice Utrillo, or Maurice Valadon, was a French painter born in Paris in the Montmartre quarter. He is one of the few famous painters of Montmartre who began and ended his life in this district. Utrillo is best known for his depictions of the houses and streets of the Montmartre district. He painted few portraits.

Suzanne Valadon, Maurice's mother, was Marie-Clémentine Valadon, an eighteen-year-old artist's model when her son was born. She never revealed who the father was when the time came, generating much speculation. She had posed for Berthe Morisot, Renoir, and Toulouse-Lautrec, who introduced her to Edgar Degas. She was eager to learn and Degas encouraged her and acted as her mentor. Maurice, her son, was given his name by Spanish art critic, Miguel Utrillo, as a last resort.

Maurice Utrillo died in November 1955, and was buried in the Cimetière Saint-Vincent in Montmartre. Although his life was plagued by alcoholism, he lived into his seventies.


Images

'La Rue Norvins à Montmartre', 1910
A street in Montmartre, 1910, with Sacre Coeur Basilica in distance


Square Tertre on Montmartre
Streets and squares, buildings and houses surround Tertre square, the artists market

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At the turn of the twentieth century, the Lapin Agile was a favorite spot for struggling artists and writers, including Picasso, Modigliani, Apollinaire, and Utrillo.





Lapin Agile, Cabaret Artistique, Montmartre, Paris, by DG Hudson

Note: For Utrillo's paintings as well as any photographs of him, there are many restrictions and associations controlling their use, so I can't show you the artist or the paintings with this post. Location photos will show you the general look of the neighborhood in Montmartre where the artists gathered.

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Have you heard of Maurice Utrillo, Montmartre artist? Have you been to the artists market in Tertre Square? Do you like his style?

Please let me know you were here by leaving a comment and thank for visiting! I'll respond.

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Brought to you by the A to Z Blog Challenge 2014 Team and the originator: Lee of Tossing it Out. Click the A to Z list of participants and read on. Hope to see you again as we near the finish line. . .

 

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References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maurice_Utrillo Information on Utrillo

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lapin_Agile The Lapin Agile

http://www.biography.com/people/maurice-utrillo-9514159 Utrillo's biography


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T = Toulouse-Lautrec, Henri de - A to Z Challenge

ART: Artists, Art Trivia, Art Legends

A glimpse of the ART world, in the manner of an alphabetical mini-art tour. ART focuses on artists and art movements between the 1850's-1960's. There are exceptions.

Can you spot the artist in the painting?




Self-portrait in the crowd, At the Moulin Rouge,  by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, 1892, PD*-WC

T = Toulouse-Lautrec, Henri
1864 - 1901


Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec-Monfa, or alternately, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was a French painter, printmaker-lithographer, draughtsman and illustrator. His portrayals of the colorful theatrical life of Paris in the late 1800s gave us a collection of elegant and provocative images of the underside of the 'modern' life of those times.
Toulouse-Lautrec was a Post Impressionist artist, in the company of other well-known painters Cezanne, Van Gogh and Gauguin.

Toulouse-Lautrec immersed himself in art, since he was unable to participate in the sports that other men his age enjoyed. He recorded in his works many details of the late 19th-century bohemian lifestyle in Paris. When the Moulin Rouge cabaret opened, Toulouse-Lautrec was commissioned to produce a series of posters. That opportunity offered him a living of his own, his paintings were displayed in the cabaret, and a seat was always reserved for him.

The Moulin Rouge landmarks, Montmartre, Paris, by DG Hudson

 

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec met and befriended Oscar Wilde, while in London. When Wilde faced imprisonment in Britain, Henri was a very vocal supporter. Toulouse-Lautrec's portrait of Wilde was painted the same year as Wilde's trial.

Oscar Wilde, c.1895, by H. Toulouse-Lautrec

During his career of less than 20 years, Toulouse-Lautrec created 737 canvases, 275 watercolors, 363 prints and posters, 5,084 drawings, some ceramic and stained glass work, and an unknown number of lost works. Toulouse-Lautrec's skilled depiction of people relied on his painterly style which is highly linear and gives emphasis to contour.

Toulouse-Lautrec was placed in a sanatorium shortly before his death in 1901. He died at age 36 at the family estate from complications due to alcoholism and syphilis.

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Did you know Toulouse-Lautrec also did illustrations in the Art Nouveau style? (in some of the posters) Do you like his art? Any special paintings that you like, if you do like his work?

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Brought to you by the A to Z Blog Challenge 2014 Team and the originator: Lee of Tossing it Out. Click the A to Z list of participants and read on. Hope to see you again throughout the blogfest.

***

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_de_Toulouse-Lautrec Wiki on Toulouse-Lautrec


IMAGES - PD-WC

(Images of posters with the 'Moulin Rouge' brand showing cannot be used, as may infringe copyright) Check images for more examples.

Self-portrait in the crowd, At the Moulin Rouge, 1892

This work is in the public domain in the United States, and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years or less.

The official position taken by the Wikimedia Foundation is that "faithful reproductions of two-dimensional public domain works of art are public domain".
This photographic reproduction is therefore also considered to be in the public domain. In other jurisdictions, re-use of this content may be restricted;

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Toulouse-Lautrec portrait of Oscar Wilde, c. 1895

This artwork is in the public domain

File Source:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Henri_de_Toulouse-Lautrec

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S = Sargent, John Singer - A to Z Challenge

ART: Artists, Art Trivia, Art Legends

A glimpse of the ART world, in the manner of an alphabetical mini-art tour. ART focuses on artists and art movements between the 1850's-1960's. There are exceptions.


An American artist arrives in Paris. . .
 

Self-Portrait, John Singer Sargent, 1907, PD-WC

 

S = Sargent, John Singer
1856 - 1925


John Singer Sargent, an American artist, was considered the 'leading portrait painter of his generation' for his evocative painting of Edwardian era luxury. Many of his patrons were wealthy. John was trained in Paris before moving to London. He enjoyed international fame as a portrait painter, but  it was one of his portrait paintings that fostered a scandal. . .

An early submission to the Paris Salon, Portrait of Madam X, was intended to consolidate his position as a society painter, but it resulted in scandal instead. The low-cut neckline and the pose of the figure seemed to inspire discussion and disapproval. . .(Victorian and Edwardian sensibilities are easily offended.)

John Singer Sargent, in his studio with the Portrait of Madame X, c.1884, PD-WC

Sargent studied in Paris with Carolus-Duran, the young French portrait artist, who was noted for his bold technique and modern teaching methods. He would be a pivotal influence  to Sargent during his learning years, 1874 to 1878. In 1879, he painted a portrait of Carolus-Duran which received public approval and admittance to the Paris Salon. Sargent was 23 years old.

During his career, he created roughly 900 oil paintings and more than 2,000 watercolors, as well as countless sketches and charcoal drawings. Sargent also left hundreds of 'rapid charcoal portrait sketches' of his patrons that he called 'Mugs'. Many have been exhibited as a collection. In 1909, he exhibited 86 watercolors in NY City, 83 of which were purchased by the Brooklyn Museum.

He traveled worldwide from Venice, Italy to Montana and Florida. Later in his life, Sargent devoted most of his time to working on mural paintings and working en plein air. Most of his life was lived in Europe. Sargent returned from the United States to England in 1924 after a major retrospective, and died there in April of 1925.

Sargent was a life-long bachelor, who surrounded himself with family, friends, and other artists. He was generally private about his personal affairs, so little is known but supposition.

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Do you know the work of the American artist, John Singer Sargent? Any favorites? Did you know some of his work is considered Impressionistic?

Please let me know you were here by leaving a comment, and thanks for dropping by! I'll respond.

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Brought to you by the A to Z Blog Challenge 2014 Team and the originator: Lee of Tossing it Out. Click the A to Z list of participants and read on. Hope to see you again throughout the blogfest.

***

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Singer_Sargent Wiki - John Singer Sargent


IMAGES

John Singer Sargent, in his studio with the X, Portrait of Madame c.1884,

This is a faithful photographic reproduction of a two-dimensional, public domain work of art. The work of art itself is in the public domain for the following reason

You must also include a United States public domain tag to indicate why this work is in the public domain in the United States. Note that Mexico has a term of 100 years and does not implement the rule of the shorter term, so this image may not be in the public domain in Mexico. Côte d'Ivoire has a general copyright term of 99 years, but it does implement the rule of the shorter term.

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Image: Self Portrait of Sargent,1907

This work is in the public domain in those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 80 years or less.

You must also include a United States public domain tag to indicate why this work is in the public domain in the United States. Note that Mexico has a term of 100 years and does not implement the rule of the shorter term, so this image may not be in the public domain in Mexico. Côte d'Ivoire has a general copyright term of 99 years, but it does implement the rule of the shorter term.

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R = Rembrandt, van Rijin, Artist - A to Z Challenge

ART: Artists, Art Trivia, Art Legends

A glimpse of the ART world, in the manner of an alphabetical mini-art tour. This artist hails from the 1600s, from the land of windmills. Famous enough to be known by one name, he is a painter and an etcher, considered one of our greatest artists in depicting light and shadow.

He looked into the soul of his subjects to paint his perceptive portraits. His name is Rembrandt.




Self-Portrait, Rembrandt, Dutch painter, 1659, PD*-WC

R = Rembrandt, Harmenszoon van Rijin
1606 - 1669


Rembrandt lived and painted during the Dutch Golden Age, an especially prolific and innovative time in Dutch history. During his lifetime, his etchings and paintings were popular and sold well. For twenty years, he taught many important Dutch painters.

'In his portraits and self-portraits, he angles the sitter's face in such a way that the ridge of the nose nearly always forms the line of demarcation between brightly illuminated and shadowy areas.' (wiki)
'A Rembrandt face is a face partially eclipsed; and the nose, bright and obvious, thrusting into the riddle of halftones, serves to focus the viewer's attention upon, and to dramatize, the division between a flood of light—an overwhelming clarity—and a brooding duskiness.' (wiki)

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And then, there was Saskia van Uylenburgh, pictured below, wife of the artist. She was his model for some of his paintings, drawings and etchings. Saskia was from a patrician family, but being of independent spirit, she married the romantic artist. She became 'immortal' through art.





Portrait of Saskia van Uylenburgh, c. 1635, Rembrandt

Rembrandt achieved success in his youth, but his later years were full of financial hardship and personal tragedy. He lost both his sons before he himself passed on. He died within a year of the last son, on October 4, 1669 in Amsterdam, and was buried in an unmarked grave in the Westerkerk. 

The portraits of himself, his family and Dutch life form a biography of the artist and the man. Rembrandt portrayed himself, his wife and contemporaries over four centuries ago, leaving a legacy of life in the 1600s, for those of us who came after.

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The Company of Frans Banning Cocq and Willem van Ruytenburch (Night Watch)
An example of a painting commemorating an event or notable persons.

The Night Watch, 1642, Rembrandt, PD*WC

 
The Night Watch, 1642: (short version of name)
The composition, the lighting and staging direct the eye to the two main figures in the image above. The details in this painting are meant to be seen up close, so check the link if you're interested.

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Do you like Rembrandt's painting style? Doesn't Saskia look like a gentle soul? Have you seen any of Rembrandt's paintings in a gallery?

Please leave a comment to let me know you were here, and thanks for dropping by! I will respond.

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Brought to you by the A to Z Blog Challenge 2014 Team and the originator: Lee of Tossing it Out. Click the A to Z list of participants and read on. Hope to see you again throughout the blogfest.

***

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rembrandt Wiki on the Artist

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Nightwatch_by_Rembrandt.jpg The Nightwatch, painting by Rembrandt
 
Images

Image of Rembrandt, a Self-Portrait:

This is a faithful photographic reproduction of a two-dimensional, public domain work of art. The work of art itself is in the public domain in its source country for the following reason:
This work is in the public domain in the United States, and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years or less.

The official position taken by the Wikimedia Foundation is that "faithful reproductions of two-dimensional public domain works of art are public domain". This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1923.

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Saskia van Uylenburgh, the Wife of the Artist

 This is a faithful photographic reproduction of a two-dimensional, public domain work of art. The work of art itself is in the public domain in its source country for the following reason:
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1923.
This work is in the public domain in the United States, and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years or less

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The Nightwatch

The official position taken by the Wikimedia Foundation is that "faithful reproductions of two-dimensional public domain works of art are public domain". This photographic reproduction is therefore also considered to be in the public domain.
This work is in the public domain in the United States, and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years or less.

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