Wassily Kadinsky. From Sohail Kizilbash

Wassily Kadinsky, 1866-1944, a revolutionary artist, was born in Moscow at a time of cultural prosperity during the reign of Czar Alexander II.  His family had recently returned from exile in Siberia. Upon his return his father married a woman known for her intelligence and beauty but the marriage did not last long and Wassily was the only offspring. His parents divorced when he was only five years old and his mother’s elder sister brought him up.

Salvador Dali, the Surrealist. From Karen Capper

   
Salvador Dali, known for his extremely detailed photo-realistic paintings, is an international icon  for  surrealism movement.  Salvador Dali grew up in the Spanish province of Catalonia, near the French border.  Raised in a middle class family, where he regularly contended his banker father’s conservative, provincial views.  

Some Rafael Drawings

Good for the soul

- click here for more: Online Art Studio

follow up on Sohail's presentation: Chaos and Order, repetition, themes

Check out this older post on accidents and plans - Francis Bacon. It seems that our conversation went to distant levels of abstraction - this list of artists is my attempt to tie the discussion on the role of chaos and order back to drawing and painting [of] the figure.

real death - follow up on Matthew's presentation

Discussion follow up: Three examples for use of dead bodies. 

Different reactions when using dead bodies for knowledge, art, and beauty?

Gunter on Hagens - Body World: anatomy exhibitions with real bodies

Lovis Corinth, by Mellisa Romero

Lovis Corinth was born in 1838 in the town of Tapiau in East Prussia (now the Soviet Union), the son of a tanner. He was named Louis, but came to be called Lovis because he later signed his name with a Latin-style "u" which is written as a "v". Corinth grew up in a rural setting, with little or no exposure to works of art. From a very early age, however, he enjoyed sketching and painting. At the age of nine he was enrolled first in the public school in nearby Konigsberg and then at the Konigsberg Academy of Art.

CLAUDE MONET. By Richard Wiley

Monet is considered to be the founder of French Impressionist painting.  Born in 1840 and living until 1926, Monet filled his life with developing masterpieces of the impressionist movement.  Impressionism, philosophically means "expressing one's perceptions before nature."  

This is clearly evident in his work as reality appears to be an after-thought to what is actually put on canvas.  To me, reality seems to pass through his mind where he filters the colors, emotion, setting, and tempo and translates them into vivid depictions that are so much more than what is actually seen.  These depictions are governed by his use of color, brush stroke, composition, and balance.  

New interest in watercolor

 

Karen Mentioned in her presentation the new interest in watercolor - here is Marlene Dumas who became famous for her watercolors and watercolor-like oil paintings.. check the link:

http://christopherdavison.com/drawingseeing/?p=320

John Singer Sargent, the Sensualist, by Karen Capper

   As I have continued to study and work at watercolor, I have been introduced to John Singer Sargent, who is almost worshipped for his watercolor paintings.  He brings a freshness to painting that takes my, and most who desire pursuing the craft, breath away.