Young Artist

Q: I've seen several news stories about a young artist in her early teens who's being hailed as a child prodigy. Some famous people apparently own her work. I like it myself, have inquired about prices, and am told that original paintings are very expensive. Do you think her art is a good investment? Do you think she'll become really famous?

A: You say you like the art, but at the same time, you sound more interested in buying a commodity than a painting. You also seem to be more taken with the publicity and glamour surrounding the artist than you are with the art. Step back for a moment before doing any buying and ask yourself the following questions:

Would you consider buying a piece of art that looks exactly the same if it was by a competent artist who receives little or no publicity? If you hesitate or answer no, you might be guilty of buying by name and reputation and saving what you think about the art for last. The most satisfied collectors love their art no matter who it's by, who collects it, or how famous the artists are.

Are you buying something to hang on your wall and admire or something that you hope will increase in value? If you answer the latter, you should probably place your money elsewhere. People confuse art with stocks, bonds and other investments when, in fact, it's totally different. With securities, you pay an average commission of a percentage point or two to make a transaction. With art, as much as 70 to 80 percent of the selling price can go towards commissions and overhead. For example, if you pay $10,000 for a painting and only $2,000 goes to the artist, that $2,000 would be its approximate resale value on the open market. Purchased as an investment, you'd have to wait years just to break even.

Where is the publicity about this girl's art coming from? She may be garnering a lot of attention, but you have to determine whether that attention is scholarly art world attention or popular media attention. If the stories you see are on the 6 O'clock News or in mass market magazines like "People" and the famous people who own her art are known for accomplishments that do not include art collecting, this might be more a case of media hype than a serious art world phenomenon.

Find out whether curators are familiar with her work, whether she's been reviewed in major art magazines, had museum shows, and is in significant art collections. If the art world is as excited as the reporters on the 6 O'clock News are, something significant may be happening. If not, this whole hub-bub could be little more than a flash in the public relations pan.

And then there's the issue of age. It is extremely rare for an artist to be hailed or collected as a child prodigy, to sell early on at prices equivalent to those of famous artists at the peaks of their careers, to continue selling at those levels, and to go down in history as an important artist. This girl is very talented and she does beautiful work, but whether her current price structure is justified, whether she has a lock on future fame and fortune, and whether she'll even be interested in continuing as an artist after she graduates from college are huge unanswered questions.

Quite a number of young people show serious artistic talent from early on. Their best art can be as beautiful and engaging as that of many adult artists. If you like art by young talented artists, visit art schools, talk to art teachers, find out who the best artists are, go to their art exhibits. Once you get a feel for what you're doing, you'll be able to buy based more on what you love than on how much publicity the artists get or who owns their work. You'll also quickly discover that you don't have to spend anywhere near thousands of dollars in order to get something meaningful and satisfying.

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American Impressionist

The following article presents the very latest information on Mary Cassatt, American Impressionist, Renoir, Degas, Monet, Impressionism. If you have a particular interest in Mary Cassatt, American Impressionist, Renoir, Degas, Monet, Impressionism, then this informative article is required reading.

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Impressionism was the art form favored by an elite group consisting mostly of Frenchmen. Names like Renoir, Degas, and Monet are recognized as some of history's greatest artists. The fraternity of French Impressionism was invaded by a lone American woman, Mary Cassatt.

Mary Stevenson Cassatt was born on May 22, 1845 in what is today called Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. When she was fifteen, Mary entered the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia. (By this time, her family had moved across the state and lived in the Philadelphia area.) At the academy, Mary focused on drawing human figures.

Having studied under artists who were themselves taught in France and otherwise influenced by the frequent French art exhibits held in Philadelphia, Mary decided to go to Europe to further her studies in Paris.

In 1867, Mary submitted some of her work to be juried by the Paris Salon, a very important art exhibit at that time. She was turned down in this first attempt, but a year later, her painting, "La Mandoline," was accepted. Her first appearance in the Paris Salon coincided with the first appearance of the controversial Impressionists. This was her first connection with this art group.

Despite her first major success, Mary returned to Pennsylvania when she was 26 years old, with the intention of settling down and perhaps opening her own art studio. However, Philadelphia lacked the ingredients that Cassatt felt necessary for serious art making outstanding collections to study, exciting modern art, picturesque models. When her family moved to rural Hollidaysburg in the western part of Pennsylvania, she was forced to close her Philadelphia gallery. Living in a small town, away from the art world, frustrated Mary, and she longed to return to Europe.

With good luck, she received a commission from a Pittsburgh bishop to go to Europe and paint copies of two famous religious paintings for his cathedral.

It was during this trip to Europe that Mary decided to live in Paris. By this time, she had become an independent painter, experimenting with this modern art form, Impressionism.

She studied under the teacher who tutored Edouard Manet. Edgar Degas became her most intimate friend, and it was he who invited her to join the group of Impressionists. Over time, Cassatt and Degas worked closely together, consulting each other frequently, until it became difficult for the untrained eye to distinguish a Degas painting from a Cassatt. Mary had said that one of her greatest compliments came after Degas' death, and art critics mistook her gifts to him as his own work.

Mary Cassatt proved to be an important voice among the Impressionists in ways beyond her art. Because of her own wealthy upbringing, she was able to establish contacts with those who would become patrons of this "rebel" art group. Being the only American, she brought legitimacy to the style in the United States. She was also able to tap her family's wealth to help support her own starving artist companions.

The themes of her art were woman-centered: motherhood, girlhood, womanhood. The recurrence of these themes may have had to do with her relationship with her mother, which was very close. In her personal life, Mary remained single and childless.

Remaining in Paris for the rest of her life, Mary Cassatt lived long enough to see a new generation of avant-garde artists enter the art scene and to see the Impressionists considered Old Masters. She continued painting until 1915 when cataracts nearly blinded her. She remained vigorous into her old age, until diabetes finally weakened her. She died on June 14, 1926.

This article's coverage of the information is as complete as it can be today. But you should always leave open the possibility that future research could uncover new facts.

The Religious Paintings

When you're learning about something new, it's easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of relevant information available. This informative article should help you focus on the central points.

See how much you can learn about Hieronymus Bosch, Dutch, religious paintings, arts, artists, painter when you take a little time to read a well-researched article? Don't miss out on the rest of this great information.

It was in this time of religious unrest that Bosch, a very religious man who according to a number of sources joined a group known as the Brotherhood of our Lady, painted, and his doctrinaire belief in the religion is reflected in the very medieval nature of his paintings on religious topics. However they also reflect a resentment of the church, with church figures frequently presented as corrupt and almost diseased.

Bosch's paintings reflect a vivid imagination and a strong interest in moral values, but it is uncertain exactly what views Bosch held, as his symbolism relies on its archaism for its undoubted power.

His earliest works, such as 'epiphany' or 'the marriage feast at cana' are simple depictions of biblical tales, painted in loving detail but without the eccentricity present once he began to develop a style of his own. These first began to emerge in complex narrative pictures like 'the conjuror,' where such detail was needed to convey the story, but all of Bosch's most distinctive work was on morality and themes of punishment and sin. His first classic work was a tabletop of 'the seven deadly sins and the four last things.' This featured a single circle with four concentric rings, the innermost of which showed a beatific Christ, and the outermost of which comprised tableaux of each deadly sin. There are many subtle details in each, the dogs in 'lust' for example and the contrast between the glutton and his barely furnished dwellings. The 'four last things' depict possible eventualities, the most important being hell, which was later to feature almost to the exclusion of all else in Bosch's work, and the whole collection of images is surrounded by warnings of Gods omnipotence, in Latin.

However, outside of his hell paintings, Bosch had two symbols which were used for propagandic purposes, the owl, whose distanced observation of the Church's failings in works like 'ship of fools' symbolizes the evil of the scene it surveys, and carved heads on the end of staffs, which represent false idols, as in the ten commandments, and are always carried by the fools in Bosch's work. It is the paintings of the last judgment for which Bosch is best known, however, these comprising three giant panels, one of the fall of mankind and then two of hell. The fall of man features Eve presenting the apple of knowledge to Adam, but this is a small part of a wider tableau, where the tree is inhabited not by a snake but by a woman and God rests above dark clouds where angels fight scaled reptilian creatures with wings. Adam and eve feature three times concurrently, first at the bottom in God's grace, the fall, and then being chased from Eden by an angel with a sword. As they fall they get closer to god, but also to the owl in the tree and to the heavenly conflict above them.

The centre panel of the last judgment depicts human life, but in the same terms as hell on the other side of it. There are numerous subtle and outrageous depictions of the deadly sins, and demons are shown to walk alongside the humans, colluding in their sin. The majesty of the work in the detail, there is an unbelievable array of symbolism, all in the most apocalyptic terms. The point of this hell on earth is just that, there is little difference between it and Bosch's hell. Here the demons are replaced by humanoids in robes with the heads of swordfish and humans are pictured in great white naked huddles and burning in crucibles.

Bosch painted using this format of three panels on two other occasions, in 'the garden of earthly delights' and 'the haywain.' These are works of equal symbolic intricacy, but less wildly and imposing than those of 'the last judgment.' As Bosch matured his work became more devoutly religious, addressing contemporary issues of Church corruption rather than the general consequences of sin, but they are no less powerful than his earlier, maybe more sensational work.

Throughout his work, Bosch never questioned the sanctity of figures from the bible, but as 'christ carrying the cross' shows, he had no affection for the church. In this picture Christ carries the cross in closed-eyed serenity, but he is surrounded by blue tinged thieves, merchants, women and two priestly figures who are depicted in the harsh caricature of the villains rather than in the realistically rendered tranquility of their godhead.

Although it is almost impossible to fully comprehend the work of Hieronymus Bosch, it is possible to simply observe init a strong warning morality, and most importantly an imagination almost unrivalled in its gory genius.

The day will come when you can use something you read about here to have a beneficial impact. Then you'll be glad you took the time to learn more about Hieronymus Bosch, Dutch, religious paintings, arts, artists, painter.

Painter of the West

Have you ever wondered if what you know about Albert Bierstadt, Painter of the West, arts, artist is accurate? Consider the following paragraphs and compare what you know to the latest info on Albert Bierstadt, Painter of the West, arts, artist.

The more authentic information about Albert Bierstadt, Painter of the West, arts, artist you know, the more likely people are to consider you a Albert Bierstadt, Painter of the West, arts, artist expert. Read on for even more Albert bierstadt, Painter of the West, arts, artist facts that you can share.

Albert Bierstadt was born in 1830 in Solingen, Germany. When he was a child of two years of age his parents moved to Massachusetts where he lived until he was 23. He early on studied the art of being a daguerreotypist. In 1854, he returned to Germany and went to the Dusseldorf Art Academy for five years of training in landscape paining. Bierstadt belonged to the Hudson River School of painting of American landscapes. He began his art career as a European landscape artist. His best celebrated work from this period is Lake Lucerne. The painting shows a grand view of Lake Lucerne with the village of Brunnen in the middle background. The mountain peaks Ematten, Oberbauen, St. Gotthard and Uri Rotstock all lay in the distance. This work was greatly praised in the United States when it was presented in 1858 and helped establish Albert Bierstadt as a great landscape artist. He studied in Germany, Italy and Switzerland until 1857 after which he returned to the United States. Between 1859 and 1889, Albert Bierstadt traveled West on six different occasions to gather material for his art work. The first trip, in 1859, was with Colonel Frederick W. Lander. Lander was on an expedition to survey a more Northern route to California that would bypass Salt Lake City. The proposed new route would lessen tension between Mormons and emigrants who were passing through Salt Lake City on their way west. Another goal of the expedition was to sooth Native American populations whose hunting had been effected by wagon trains on the California and Oregon Trails. For Bierstadt it was an excellent opportunity to sketch and paint the Western United States with the Rocky Mountains and the Native Americans. Bierstadt also used a new technology for the time: photography. Bierstadt's brothers, Edward and Charles were photographers, and so, naturally Albert took camera equipment with him on his trip. He would photograph an area and occasionally paint from the photograph. The Lander expedition went through Nebraska and up the North Fork of the Platte River into the region of Wyoming. Bierstadt sketched and photographed wagon trains and Native Americans along the way. Less than a month later Lander went on to California while Bierstadt remained in the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming. Bierstadt thought the Wind River Mountains compared with the Alps of Europe. The first painting from this trip was The Rocky Mountains. It was exhibited in 1860. After this painting, Albert assisted his two brothers in setting up a photography studio. The Civil War, along with the work with his brothers' studio delayed Bierstadt's next trip West until 1863. His The Rocky Mountains, along with another painting, Lander's Peak, were exhibition successes and Bierstadt wanted to return West to garner more material for future art works. Lander's Peak sold for an astonishing sum of $25,000 to James McHenry, an American expatriate living in England. Bierstadt later bought the painting back and gave it to his brother, Edward.

During the Civil War, Albert Bierstadt painted works other than landscapes. In October 1861, Bierstadt received a five-day pass to observe Union troops. For the next two years Bierstadt painted several paintings of war scenes. In 1862, Bierstadt pained Guerilla Warfare (Union Sharpshooters Firing on Confederates. He later painted The Bombardment using newspaper accounts of the bombing of Fort Sumter in Charleston. The painting is from a viewpoint not directly above the conflict, but looking down from an angle, almost as if one was looking down upon a map of the area.

In May 1863, Bierstadt set out from St. Joseph, Missouri via Overland stagecoach with the goal in mind of reaching California. Bierstadt wanted to visit Yosemite and then travel through Oregon, Washington and then Canada. He painted Yosemite scenes profusely. He produced scenes in all of the four seasons, as well as different times of day and night. Bierstadt produced Emigrants Crossing the Plains in November 1867 from this trip. Wagons covered in white cloth with Indian teepees in the background splayed across the canvasses. He also produced a nearly identical piece but on a smaller scale with The Oregon Trail. In 1867 Bierstadt took his work to exhibit to Europe where he worked and exhibited his work until 1869.

The Western landscape paintings of Albert Bierstadt are truly masterpieces. They use light and form to portray mountain lakes with idyllic deer by the shores. Ponderous mountains fill the background with light and shadow creating grand vistas and larger than life landscapes. The landscape paintings give the viewer a sense of the immensity of the West and the beauty of its wilderness. The Yosemite painting of Bridal Vail Falls captures of sparkle of light on water while showing the power of the waterfall as it descends over the cliff. The power of Albert Bierstadt's paintings is in his ability to convey the grandeur and beauty of the 19th century American West landscape.

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Biography of Thomas Hart Benton

Do you ever feel like you know just enough about Thomas Hart Benton, arts, artist, American artists to be dangerous? Let's see if we can fill in some of the gaps with the latest info from Thomas Hart Benton, arts, artist, American artists experts.

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Thomas Hart Benton was born April 15, 1889 in Neosho, Missouri. He was named after a great-uncle who served as a U.S. Senator before the Civil War. His father served as a U.S. Congressman from Missouri. He grew up going to boarding schools and spent much of his early years during his father's four terms as a U.S. Congressman. Benton's first art job was as a cartoonist for the Joplin American in Missouri.

In 1907, when he was eighteen, Benton began his serious art training at Washington D.C.'s Corcoran Gallery School. Later on in 1907 Benton studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago but left out of dissatisfaction with the school's teaching techniques of using plaster casts as models from which to draw. In 1908, Benton went to Paris and studied at the Academie Julian for three years. It was here that he learned of contemporary European art styles such as postimpressionism and cubism. Benton's early works followed these European styles. More of his early work would be available except that it was destroyed in a fire in 1917 in Neosho, Missouri.

In 1918, Benton became a draftsman for the U.S. Navy and worked out of the Norfolk, Virginia Naval Yard. The work of draftsman demanded objectivity from Benton and this influence greatly shows itself in his mature works. This draftsman experience also led him away from the European influences he had gained in Paris. Benton began working more in the form of realism in his work. In 1923, following his naval duty, Benton moved to New York City and taught art at the Art Students League for twelve years. In 1935, Benton moved back to his home state of Missouri and taught at the Kansas City Art Institute. He also directed the institute. Benton would stay here the rest of his life. His most famous student was Jackson Pollock, the Abstract Expressionist. On January 19, 1975, he died at the age of eighty-five in his studio.

Thomas Hart Benton is best known for his portrayal of Midwest American life during the 1930s and 1940s and also for exhibiting a rebellious spirit of going against the grain of the art world of his era. His style was bold color with strong lines. The characters in his paintings have an almost caricature-like appearance in that the muscles and facial aspects are distended and given a fluid appearance. Benton is perhaps best known for his mural work. His most famous murals are located in New York City at the New School for Social Research, the state capitol building of Missouri and the Harry S. Truman Library. Some critics have labeled Benton as a Regionalist for only producing work from scenes of the American Midwest. A careful examination of his work would show that his art goes beyond the scope of a Regionalist and extends to many aspects of American Life. For example, following Benton's term of service for the Navy he decided to embark on a project that would depict American history in twelve groups of paintings, five works in each group for a total of 75 large paintings. The undertaking was to be known as the American Historical Epic. It was to be an examination of the people's history of the United States; not an idealized, sanitized depiction of American history but focusing on scenes of exploitation and violence. Benton only finished three of the paintings before giving up on the project due to dissatisfaction. He began working on paintings of the people and culture around him.

Thomas Hart Benton painted scenes that could be deemed rebellious for his time. Benton painted scenes of black agricultural workers in the fields, farmers struggling to get in the harvest, or seedy bar scenes with drunken lewdness and murder. His paintings were not idealistic or romantic. They contained explosions of color, giving the canvas an almost gaudy aspect. The subjects were treated with a tremendous boldness, an overpowering boldness of an America that was bigger than life itself. Every scene was an outpouring of excess. From the greed and grasping hordes of capitalism to the raw strength of a cowboy wrestling a steer to the ground Benton brought the scenes of the Midwest to life with a strength that could not be ignored by the art world. Benton's works are realistic in their nature, but not as the quaint realism of Norman Rockwell. Many of the paintings act as criticism of U.S. life and culture. Yet they are not done in an air of superiority. They are done so that the viewer of the work has to come face to face with America from toiling farmer to exploitation of African Americans to debauchery in a gin mill. The genius of Thomas Hart Benton is not in his critical depiction of America culture, but of making the art viewer confront a view of America that is not romanticized at all.

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