S = Seurat, Georges-Pierre - Artist, French Faves - A to Z Challenge

An Artist who was point-on in his painting of an era. . .

A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte - WC*  by Georges-Pierre Seurat

S = Seurat, Georges-Pierre


Born December 2, 1859 - March 1891, George-Pierre Seurat was a French Post-Impressionist painter and a draftsman. He is known for his innovative use of drawing media and for devising the painting techniques known as Chromoluminarism and Pointillism.


His large scale work, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, was painted between 1884 - 1886. This painting altered the direction of modern art by initiating Neo-impressionism. It is one of the icons of late 19th Century painting.

Artist Georges Seurat (1859-1891) WC*PD

In 1878, he moved on the Ecole des Beaux-Arts but his formal artistic education came to an end in November 1879, when he left to serve a year of military service.  Seurat's first exhibited work, at the Salon of 1883, was a Conte' crayon drawing of Aman-Jean. 

Georges-Pierre also studied the works of Eugene Delacroix, and his use of colour. He departed from the Impressionist style by preparing for the work with a number of drawings and sketches, before starting on the canvas. Impressionists preferred to work 'in the moment' creating their paintings in the field all in one session, without sketches or previous studies of the subject.



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Cirque

English: The Circus

Georges Seurat,  Le Cirque, WC-PD *

Disillusioned, Seurat and some of the other artists he had met set up a new organization, the Societe des Artistes Independants. His ideas on pointillism influenced his fellow painters, Charles Angrand, Henri-Edmond Cross, Albert Dubois-Pillet and especially Paul Signac.

So, it seems there were Indies in art at the end of the 19th Century, just as there are in writing.

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Have you heard of Seurat? Do you like the pointillism style? 


Please leave a comment to let me know you stopped by, and if you are part of the A to Z Challenge. I'll be sure to check your blog, and reciprocate. If you're not in the challenge, thanks for stopping by to visit! I try to reply to all comments.

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The A to Z Blog Challenge is brainchild of Lee, at Tossing It Out.  Please visit the A to Z blog site to find out more information and the participant list.  There are also Twitter and Facebook presences if you want to check those!

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References and Image Credits:

Georges Seurat Wiki
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Georges_Seurat_019.jpg

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Portrait of Georges Seurat
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

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A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte  by Georges-Pierre Seurat, Wikipedia Commons

This is a faithful photographic reproduction of a two-dimensional, public domain work of art.
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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Cirque

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

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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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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.

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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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I = Ingres, French Artist and Painter - A to Z Blog 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.





Ingres, Artist, Self-portrait at age 24, PD*-WC



I = Ingres, Jean-Auguste-Dominique
1780 – 1867


A French Neoclassical painter, Ingres also played the violin. His actual skill on the violin is a matter of dispute. As a man respectful of the past, he assumed the role of protector of the status quo in painting against his perceived rival, Eugene Delacroix, who represented the new Romantic style of painting. He studied and borrowed from earlier art, adopting the style most appropriate. By the end of his life, Ingres' portraits, painted and drawn, were recognized as his greatest legacy.


Modern opinion considers Ingres and some of the other Neoclassicists as 'Romantic' spirits of an earlier sort. This is especially true of Ingres' expressive distortions of form and space. Elegance of line was paramount. His technical abilities won him many awards, but like most artists, he suffered some major thumbs-down reviews from the critics. Ingres influenced a later generation of artists. His most significant were: Degas, Picasso and Matisse.


At 71 years of age, Ingres married for the second time to a 43 year old woman, a relative of a friend. It was a happy marriage and seemed to inspire more painting. In 1853, he painted the Apotheosis of Napoleon I, for the ceiling of a hall in the Hotel de Ville in Paris. It was destroyed by fire in the Commune of 1871.


Ingres died of pneumonia in January of 1867, at the age of 86, having kept his faculties until the last. He is interred in the Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, in a tomb sculpted by his student Jean-Marie Bonnassieux. He bequeathed the contents of his studio, a number of major paintings, over 4000 drawings, and his violin to the city museum of Montauban, now called the Musée Ingres.

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A sketch that shows the technical expertise of Ingres' drawing skills:

Portrait of Victor Baltard's wife and daughter Paule.



Portrait of Baltard's wife and child by Ingres

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Have you heard of Ingres or know his work? Did you know of the animosity between Ingres and Delacroix? Do you like the Neoclassical style better than the Romantic? (Both styles took liberties with the image and its presentation, in the interest of art.)


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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!

A to Z Blog Challenge 2014

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References:

Image Credits

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Auguste_Dominique_Ingres - Wiki on Ingres, with some example of his work

Images: 1) Self-Portrait at 24, and 2) Portrait of Baltard's wife and child.
 Same public domain details for both images.

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

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D = Delacroix, Eugène - 2014 A to Z Blog 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 my selection of the artists and the art style movements from the end of the 1800's and into the first half of the 1900's. There are exceptions, such as this one.

Eugène Delacroix, 1822, Early portrait, PD*-WC

D = Delacroix,  Eugène  
1798 - 1863

French painter Eugène Delacroix, regarded as the leader of the French Romantics, was the nemesis of Ingres**, according to sources.  Delacroix' s brushstrokes and optical effects of color had a major influence on the work of the Impressionists, while his passion for the exotic inspired the Symbolist artists. As a lithographer, he illustrated various selected works of William Shakespeare, Walter Scott, and Johann W. von Goethe.

Delacroix was inspired by the art of Rubens and the painters of the Venetian Renaissance. Drama and romantic content were his central themes. Delacroix's most influential work was Liberty Leading the People, a painting from 1830. The painting and what it depicted raised a few concerns.

** Ingres will appear as the A to Z artist on April 10th.
 
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English: Liberty Leading the People, 1830

French: La Liberté guidant le people



Liberty Leading the People, Eugène Delacroix, Louvre,  PD*-WC

In the Romantic style painting above of the July 28, 1830, French Revolution (also called the July Revolution), we see a 'constructed' scene. Liberty, the allegorical goddess-figure is shown leading the charge. Some sources say the figure in the top hat on the left of the painting is Delacroix. Artist license? Perhaps, but knowing that it might be the artist adds interest. He was evoking contemporary events of his time by using the romantic image of the spirit of Liberty.

The French government purchased the painting in 1830, but deemed its glorification of liberty too inflammatory and removed it from public view. Note: we saw this painting in 2010 in the Louvre museum in Paris, its traditional home. Since 2012, however, this painting is on exhibit at another gallery in Lens, Pas-de-Calais, France.


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Are you familiar with the work of Delacroix? What do you think of paintings that commemorate historical events? Do you care if they are accurate? Does artistic license allow the artist to indicate his own feelings on the matter?

Please let me know you were here in the comments. Thanks for dropping by!

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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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Image Credits

PD*-WC July Column and Eugène Delacroix  sketch:

This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons. Commons is a freely licensed media file repository.

This media file is in the public domain in the United States. This applies to U.S. works where the copyright has expired, often because its first publication occurred prior to January 1, 1923. See this page for further explanation.

This image might not be in the public domain outside of the United States; this especially applies in the countries and areas that do not apply the rule of the shorter term for US works, such as Canada, Mainland China (not Hong Kong or Macao), Germany, Mexico, and Switzerland. The creator and year of publication are essential information and must be provided. See Wikipedia:Public domain and Wikipedia:Copyrights for more details.

Image Credit

PD*-WC  Liberty Leading the People

This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons. Commons is a freely licensed media file repository. . . This file is in use by a Wikimedia project which requires the file to be completely unchanged, including updates, minor improvements, and error corrections.

 

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eug%C3%A8ne_Delacroix Eugène Delacroix Wiki

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_Leading_the_People Wiki

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B = Braque, Georges, 2014 A to Z Blog Challenge

ART: Artists, Art Trivia, Art Legends

A glimpse of the ART world, in the manner of a mini-art tour. ART focuses on the artists and the art style movements following Impressionism between the 1850s-1960s. There are exceptions.

Georges Braque, c.1908, Artist, PD*-WC

B = Braque, Georges
1882 – 1963

Georges Braque, French painter, collagist, draughtsman, printmaker and sculptor, was a major artist of the early 20th century. He was born in Argenteuil, Val-d'Oise, and grew up in Le Havre, France. Like his father and grandfather, Georges trained as a house painter and decorator. That changed when he arrived in Paris. In a city dedicated to art, he discovered new ways to paint.

Braque's contributions to Fauvism from 1906 onwards, and his part in the new art movement called Cubism, ensured his work would be remembered. Braque was part of the collective of artists in Paris at the turn of the century.

Frank G. Burgess, an artist, art critic, poet and author in the San Francisco Bay area, wrote an influential article titled, The Wild Men of Paris.  Burgess introduced the Proto-cubists to the United States including Braque, Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, and Jean Metzinger. Proto-cubism was the experimental stage of the art movement that would become Cubism.

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Have you heard of the artist, Braque? Have you seen Cubist style painting or sculpture?

Unfortunately, most of Braque's paintings are not in the public domain until 2034, so I've included a link to one example.

Man With a Guitar 1914 - painting

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

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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.




A to Z Blog Challenge, April 2014

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References:

George Braque Wiki
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_Braque

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*Image credit for photo of Braque, PD-WC

Georges Braque, 1908, photograph published in Gelett Burgess, The Wild Men of Paris, Architectural Record, May 1910

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 ***