There are a lot of masterworks in the Rijksmuseum, but I was mesmerized by this quite unknown work; at full scale you get drawn in by the atmosphere of the balmy summer evening.
It's our national pride! I visited it a few hours about a year ago, but it almost deserves a full day; from the religious paintings of the early middle ages to the modernists of the '60s and with all these masterworks of Vermeer and Rembrandt; it's a feast!
Another that I really like, also in the Rijksmuseum, maybe in the same room. The Singel Bridge at the Paleisstraat by George Breitner. Also the fantastic 17th century still lifes, like this one: Willem Kleisz. Heda, Still Life With Gilt Cup. Both of them are very photographic in their own ways. The still life, hyper-realistic. The Singel, almost like a time traveler sneaking a selfie with a smartphone.
Great exhibition of American painting from the 1930s currently on at The Royal Academy in London: FRIDAY NIGHT BOYS: America After the Fall: Painting in the 1930s at The Royal Academy - review From the show, here's a great Grant Wood - Death on Ridge Road: ... and Alexandre Hogue - Erosion No. 2: Mother Earth Laid Bare:
Johannes Vermeer - Woman in Blue Reading a Letter Currently here: FRIDAY NIGHT BOYS: Vermeer and the Masters of Genre Painting at The Louvre - review
I like the painting style, color, texture and light very much; but the composition seems arbitrary. I'm probably missing some symbolism.
My niece, married name Ernst, named her son Max. Strangest part is that neither she nor her husband knew of the artist when they named him. They thought I was joking when I asked "...after the artist?" ...and then having to explain. Painter... Surrealist...
Art should be fun too, right? Not all art has to be highbrow or challenging. One of my workmates has just bought this Steve Brown print. As daft as it is, it fits perfectly in his dining room. Gotta love Steve Brown. Not often you find a Scot with a sense of humour but he clearly has... Mind you, he'd have to coming from Kilmarnock.
I've seen that Hooper of the NY Movie, I think it's one of his most technically interesting works. Gas is great, never saw that. The wife is a big O'Keefe fan, wait til she sees that one
I don't know if someone put this down, but the Mona Lisa, I can safely say that's very important piece. Id paste up a picture of it, but I haven't figured out how to put up pictures yes, I'm a newbie......
I'd send you the link but I'm on my comp at work and it's coming up as a 'forbidden' site. Why? Why?? Anyway, try something like: photobucket.com/
My wife and I bought a large print of this at an estate sale back in the 80s. It's hung in our house ever since. I love it for it's simplicity, and sentimental value.
Hard to limit myself to just one, but I've always appreciated the sheer virtuosity of Salvador Dali's The Sacrament of the Last Supper. It's a huge painting--almost 9 feet by 6 feet--and if you're ever in Washington DC be sure to check it out at the National Gallery. Another display of exceptional technical skill is Wyeth's The Virgin. Tempera is a demanding medium, but when it's done well the artwork has a luminosity that's hard to match.
A few years ago, The Brandywine museum had a cool Tempera only show, featuring a slew of Wyeths (of course), but also artists as varied as Pollack. It was very cool to see such a concentrated exhibit just on that media.