Category: Art History
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Why isn’t artist Norman Lewis famous?
Abstract Expressionism, the first uniquely American art movement to achieve international influence, trumpets the limitlessness of artistic horizons. But limitless for whom? How many Black abstract expressionists can you name?
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Henri Matisse and that cursed armchair
Henri Matisse painted quiet moments of repose in order to catch his breath before returning to the turmoils of life. “Peace of mind” is what he craved and what he wanted to bestow on us. Does this mean he wasn’t quite serious enough as an artist?
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Stuart Davis was hip to the jive
Can a painter take the same passionate risks as a jazz musician? For that matter, can the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra transform the colors, lines, and layers of a Stuart Davis painting into live music? Here’s a rare opportunity to compare notes.
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Charles Sheeler and machine-age anxiety
Charles Sheeler and Diego Rivera jumped at the chance to depict a revolutionary manufacturing complex nicknamed “The Rouge.” Do their paintings celebrate the potential of machines to liberate us from drudgery? Or do they warn us about the dangers of living in a technology-driven society?
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Who cancelled Berthe Morisot?
Berthe Morisot’s brushwork was audacious, even for a French Impressionist. Despite this, contemporary critics reviewed her work favorably. Today she is the least-known member of this popular group of painters. The lady (almost) vanished. Where did she go?
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George Bellows: Last stop, 59th Street
“Bellows paints the city in undress,” grumbled the New York Daily News and they were right. Did the artist’s fidelity to the hard truth about urbanization interfere with his ability to create beautiful works of art?
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Leonardo’s brazenly feminist portrait
During the Italian Renaissance, women were portrayed as ideals, symbols, and allegories — even in their own portraits. Then one day Leonardo da Vinci said goodbye to all that.
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St Jerome’s home office: Fit for a genius
For centuries people commissioned portraits to reinforce their role in society. It had little to do with our modern, lonely desire to feel seen for who we really are. Do we still believe a person can be described from a single viewpoint in one place? Will multimedia replace the official painted portrait?
The Shy Museumgoer 