The Swiss painter Angelica Kauffman created her self portrait Colors as part of a series for the Royal Academy of Arts in London. Kauffman was one of two women who founded the Academy. Her four part series on crucial elements of painting still graces that art institution today. This one sets the best example of …
Podcast Version of this Post A Constellation of Imagery A pastel confection, Self Portrait 1 by Joan Miró gives us a glimpse into the master’s psyche. Miró created a semblance of himself with pencil, pastel, and a bit of oil paint. But it stands out among other self portraits thanks to Miró’s constellation imagery, symbolism, …
What makes Philip Guston’s painting Stationary Figure a masterpiece?
– Passage of time and imminent death
– A child’s drawing… of pooling blood
– Preposterous solidity in a puff of smoke
What’s so special about Egon Schiele’s 1917 painting, The Embrace?
– Starving, clinging lovers entwined
– When sick and twisted was hot
– La Bohème on canvas
How does Self Portrait in Tuxedo by Max Beckmann stand out among his many self portraits?
– James Bond in a mask
– The rebellious New Objectivity movement
– An avant garde figure
What makes Untitled (Man Smoking/Malcolm X) by Carrie Mae Weems a masterpiece?
– Malcolm X in a supporting role
– Where Black America meets the globe
– Arm wrestling, poker, and booze