Luo Li Rong

Chinese sculptor Luo Li Rong produces seemingly light flowing bronze sculptures. She chases areas of the sculpture to simulate white or transparent fabric. See a selection at the Horus Gallery in Antwerp.

Rise with the Breeze

Light Breeze

John White Alexander

John White Alexander (1856-1915) was an American portrait painter, extremely successful in his day but little known today.

From Wikipedia:

[He moved] to New York City and quickly achieved great success in portraiture, numbering among his sitters Oliver Wendell Holmes, John Burroughs, Henry G. Marquand, R.A.L. Stevenson, and James McCosh, the president of Princeton University.

His first exhibition in the Paris Salon of 1893 was a brilliant success and was followed by his immediate election to the Société Nationale des Beaux Arts. In 1889 he painted for Mrs. Jeremiah Milbank a well-received portrait of Walt Whitman and one of her husband, Jeremiah Milbank. In 1901 he was named Chevalier of the Legion of Honor, and in 1902 he became a member of the National Academy of Design, where he served as president from 1909 to 1915. He was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He received the gold medals of the Paris Exposition (1900) and the World's Fair in St. Louis (1904).

Contemplation

Green Dress

Portrait of Mrs. John W. Alexander

Study in Green and Black

Repose

Japanese Art

Japanese art, usually in the form of lithographs, are some of the most beautiful and intriguing art works in the world. There are two prominent masters of the art. Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) is most famous for “Under the Wave off Kanagawa” (often called “The Great Wave off Kanagawa”), part of his 36 Views of Mount Fuji series. The second painter whose works I like is Kawase Hasui (1883-1957). He is often referred to as the "painter of clouds," but I much prefer his winter scenes. I would call him the "painter of snow."

After visiting Japan (where I visited the Hokusai Museum), I also discovered an artist whose paintings decorate the Ninomaru Palace located in Nijo Castle in Kyoto. Tan’ yu (1602-1674) excelled at painting pine trees. The execution of pine needles and trunk are exceptional, but the asymmetrical balance is unmatched. Alamy has an image of one of his best.

Apart from paintings, Japanese architecture and furniture are also impressive. In the Ninomaru Palace I saw shelving (chigaidana) that was asymmetrical and well balanced. Unfortunately, as in the case of the pine tree paintings by Tan’ yu above, no photography was allowed inside the castle.

Hokusai - Under the Wave off Kanagawa

Kawase Hasui - Lake Teganuma

Kawase Hasui - Shiba Zojo Temple

Kawase Hasui - Miyajima in Snow

Kawase Hansui - Snow at Sinkyō Bridge, Nikkō

Benjamin Victor

Benjamin Victor is a modern sculptor keeping the classical tradition alive as the Classical Realist painters are. He has the distinction of having three of his sculptures in National Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol building, and he is working on his fourth. I am gratified that one of his statues (located in the Statuary Hall) is of the great Norman Borlaug. His website shows dozens of his works: he is quite prolific.

"Victor’s first work to receive attention was a life-size statue of the biblical character Samson, sculpted when the artist was a sophomore art major at Northern State University. The piece earned Victor a scholarship "in recognition of his aesthetic and conceptual integrity" from the prestigious National Sculpture Society in New York City. At age 23, Victor was commissioned to produce his proposal of a trio of soldiers for the Aberdeen Regional Airport War Memorial in South Dakota." (Source: Wikipedia)

Norman Borlaug

Sarah Winnemucca

Cecil E. Harris

Sabin Howard

Sabin Howard is modern sculptor keeping the classical tradition alive as the Classical Realist painters are. He does everything from intimate, still portrait style to more Greek-inspired statue to very large heroic scenes.

Sabin Howard at work

A portion of a war memorial

Tamara de Lempicka

Distinct from almost all the artists that I enjoy who are in the classical tradition, I really like the Art Deco inspired paintings of Tamara de Lempicka. No one could think of her as following the realist tradition in the classical sense. She seems to be inspired by the Cubist movement but retains a realist perspective. Her early paintings have the impressionist style of early Picasso. This early period began in 1918 and gradually developed into her own unique style by 1930.

Young Lady with Gloves, 1930

See the website devoted to her life and works at deLempicka.org

European Museums visit 2023

Kunsthistorische Museum, Vienna

• Saw paintings by Bernardo Bellotto who was nephew and student of Canaletto hence the similarity to his cityscapes. At first glance could be mistaken for Canaletto but all his works are darker. There were seven paintings there. His contrast of light and dark, particularly in intimate backstreet scenes, is better than his expansive views of palaces and grounds, though the picture of Schönbrunn Palace is very good. Two particularly good ones are Vienna, Dominican Church, and The Freyung in Vienna viewed from south east.
• There were two works by Canaletto and both are smaller than most of his works - about 24” x 18”. The Dogana in Venice is excellent. It has a great overall lightness to it with subtle shadows. Riva degli Schiavoni in Venice I found has too much the same lightness overall with very little gradation to shadow. It is an interesting composition but too much sky. Also the dilapidated buildings detract from the image.

Uffizi Gallery, Florence

San Marco Museum, Florence

Bargello Museum, Florence

Musea Brugge, Bruges

Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Frans Hals Museum

Cityscapes and interiors by Gerrit Berckheyde of Haarlem were much like a Dutch version of Canaletto, though Berckheyde as a few interior spaces as well.

Saw a few still lifes that were very good.

Vincente Romero

A recent article highlights the Spanish artist Vincente Romero who is continuing the classical tradition in pastel. "Vicente Romero's artistic influences are rooted in the classical tradition. He holds a deep admiration for 17th-century masters like Rembrandt and Velázquez." Read the full article here.

Black Veil

Looking at the Future

Radiance

Vincente Romero in his studio

A Peaceful Afternoon

A New Day Dawns

Great Sculptures

From the article "History's Most Famous Sculptures" is a collection of long admired and regarded sculptures around the world, and a few that are more infamous than famous. Some I have seen, others I am looking forward to seeing and some I don't care if I ever see. I have seen Winged Victory and the Venus de Milo (both in the Louvre), and Perseus with the Head of Medusa and David by Donatello (both in Florence). I saw a copy of Michelangelo's Pietà that was about half the size of the original. It was very impressive.

Winged Victory of Samothrace (Louvre)

Pietà (Vatican Museum)

David by Michelangelo (Galleria dell’Accademia, Florence)

The Discus Thrower (Glyptothek, Munich)

Laocoön and His Sons (Vatican Museum)

Boxer at Rest (Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, Rome)

Venus de Milo (Louvre)

Perseus with the Head of Medusa (Loggia dei Lanzi, Florence)

The Rape of Proserpina (Galleria Borghese, Rome)

Ecstasy of Saint Teresa (Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome)

David by Donatello (Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence. )

Statue of Liberty (Liberty Island, New York)

Lincoln Memorial (Washington, D.C.)

Nefertiti Bust (Neues Museum, Berlin)

Terracotta Army (Xi’an, China)

Great Sphinx (Giza, Egypt)

Winged Victory of Samothrace

Pietà

David

Boxer at Rest

And the not so great:

Manneken Pis (Brussels, Belgium)

The Thinker (Musée Rodin, Paris)

Monument to Yuri Gagarin (Leninsky Prospekt, Moscow)

Maman (National Gallery, Ottawa)

Venus of Willendorf (Natural History Museum, Vienna)

Unique Forms of Continuity (Museu de Arte Contemporânea da Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil)

Cloud Gate (AT&T Plaza, Chicago)

Fountain by Duchamp (original lost, multiple copies world-wide)

Museums to Visit

A list of museums I have not yet visited but intend to:

Kirkcaldy Museum and Art Gallery, Scotland (Waterhouse) 

Tate Britain, London (Waterhouse)

National Portrait Gallery, London

Mauritshuis, The Hague

Gemäldegalerie, Berlin

Musée d'Orsay, Paris

Historical Information Center for Thermopylae, Thermopylae

Galleria dell'Accademia, Florence (David)

National Etruscan Museum, Rome

The National Museum of Rome (Museo Nazionale Romano) is comprised of multiple buildings throughout Rome:

• Palazzo Massimo alle Terme (The Discus Thrower, Boxer at Rest)
• Palazzo Altemps
• Crypta Balbi
• Baths of Diocletian

Palazzo Colonna, Rome

Palazzo Doria Pamphilj, Rome

Vatican Museum, The Vatican

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Frick Museum, New York

Getty Museum, Los Angeles (Alma-Tadema)

The Egyptian Museum in Cairo, Cairo

Museums and galleries I want to visit again, typically because there is so much to see that it cannot all be viewed on one visit:

The Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Manchester Art Gallery, Manchester (Alma-Tadema, Waterhouse)

Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery, Bristol (Alma-Tadema)

Also look at those smaller museums that hold particular artists and works that I am interested in seeing. See pages on Vermeer, Canaletto, Leonardo, Bouguereau and Waterhouse.

Maritime Art

My interest in history and sailing combine in an interest in maritime art. I'm looking to acquire a powerful piece and am still looking.

For a more vigorous image I'm looking at scenes from Trafalgar by Auguste Ballin (1842-1909) whose prints are available from Art Marine UK, and Maritime Prints.

Trafalgar - 1:00pm (Victory firing into Buccaneer)

Some newer marine artists are Steven Dews, John Christian, R.G. Grimson and Geoff Hunt.

H.M.S. Pandora Gives Chase - Steven Dews

First Shots - John Christian

Stop and Search 1770 - R.G. Grimson

RMS Surprise off Calcutta - Geoff Hunt

Nelson's Day, Battle of Trafalgar - Randall Wilson

Art Galleries

I've been to a number of art galleries but there are still many I'd like to visit.

In Europe, I have visited the Louvre, in Paris, the Pardo, Reina Sofia and Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid,  the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, the Delphi Archaeological Museum in Delphi, the National Gallery in London, the National Gallery in Dublin, the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the Capitoline Museums and the Borghese Gallery in Rome and the Manchester Art Gallery. I saw a special exhibition of the works of Canaletto at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich.

In North America, I have visited the National Gallery in Ottawa, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, and the National Gallery in Washington.

Galleries that I have not yet visited but want to see are, in Europe, the Mauritshuis in The Hague, and the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin, plus the many galleries in Rome, Venice and Milan.

In North America, I want to visit the Frick Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, and the Dali Museum in St.Petersburg Florida. 

Louvre, Paris

Art Posters

So many talented illustrators created some of the greatest travel and advertising poster of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Some have become iconic and are instantly recognizable, many in the Art Deco period.

Others: Busch binoculars, Saint. Ives, Orient Express - Stewart, Orient Express 1888, Glacier Express, Colwyn Bay, Lake Garda, Normandie, Santorini.

Sources for high quality reproductions are Pictorem and AllPosters.

Waterhouse Exhibition

In 2009-10 the Musée de Beaux Arts in Montreal held a special exhibition of the works of John William Waterhouse entitled John William Waterhouse: Le jardin des sortilèges (Garden of Enchantment). This was a world-wide travelling exhibition, but Montreal was the only venue in North America and had over 90,000 visitors.

Paintings displayed:
The Lady of Shalott, 1888-93
The Lady of Shalott, 1894
The Favourites of Emperor Honorius
Saint Eulalia
After the Dance
Dolce far Niente
Sick Child Brought into the Temple of Aesculapius
Cleopatra
Miranda
Consulting the Oracle
The Magic Circle
I am Half Sick of Shadows said the Lady of Shalott
Circe offering the Cup to Ulysses
The Siren
A Mermaid
Ulysses and the Sirens
Circe Invidiosa
Circe
The Love Philtre
In the Peristyle
Hylas amd the Nymphs
A Naiad
Psyche and the Golden Box
Mariamne Leaving the Judgement

I remember distinctly Cleopatra, which was captivating, the longing expressed in Miranda, the wistfulness of Dolce far Niente, and the melancholy of Saint Eulalia. I studied The Favourites of Emperor Honorius, which was my favourite, for about half an hour (at least) finding more and more interesting elements in the composition.

Dolce far Niente

Grinling Gibbons

The greatest wood carver ever, his works can be found throughout Britain. He also did stone carving, mostly marble, but I prefer his wood carvings. I saw his works at York Minster (marble); the Victoria & Albert Museum, London; and Fairfax House, York.

I want to see his other works particularly St. Paul's Cathedral, Hampton Court Palace, Petworth House in West Sussex. His work is in two churches in London: Church of St Michael Paternoster Royal, and St James, Piccadilly. His works can also be seen at the Wren Library, Cambridge University, and at the Trinity College Chapel, Oxford University. Gibbons also made the marble monument for Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell, located in the south choir aisle of Westminster Abbey. There is a nice carved panel at Northbrook House, Kirtlington (near Bicester), Oxfordshire, but it may not be accessible to the public.

Outside of Britain, the Cosimo Panel, an allegory of art triumphing over hatred and turmoil, is housed in the Museo degli Argenti at Pitti Palace in Florence. The Modena Panel is a memorial for Charles II and which also features a medallion self-portrait by Gibbons. The panel is displayed in the Estense Gallery in Modena, Italy.

Petworth House

St. James Church

Trinity College, Cambridge

I purchased a recently published book Grinling Gibbons: Master Carver by Paul Rabbitts.

Other works on Gibbons:
Grinling Gibbons and the Woodwork of his Age by Henry Avray Tipping, 1914
Grinling Gibbons and the Art of Carving by David Esterly, V&A Publications, 2000
The Work of Grinling Gibbons, Geoffrey Beard, John Murray, 1989

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David Esterly is exceptional good, and is continuing (or resurrecting) the art of fine wood carving. There is a good article about and interview with Esterly in Harvard Magazine. In fact, he was commissioned to repair works of Grinling Gibbons after a portion was severely damaged in a fire at Hampton Court Palace.

Art 2022

Some highlights of the museum tours I did while on my European trip in 2022 (other than works by Vermeer and Canaletto which are covered in those sections).

Reina Sofia Gallery, Madrid

The Enigma of Hitler by Dali. I've never seen a reference to it but it is surprising that his is displaying the nightmare of Hitler in a painting done in 1939 — years before the full extent of his barbarism was known.
Portrait of Sarah Bernhardt, 1890-95 by Santiago Rusiñol - excellent
Still Life, 1926 by Dali is interesting
Volson Plan, 1925 by Le Corbusier - view of a model for urban development
The Chorus Girl, 1934 by Rafael Pellicer Galeote - very nice 

Prado, Madrid

Fountain of Grace by Van Eyck (Rm. 58A) is very good.
Portrait of a Cardinal by Raphael (Rm. 49) is an exceptionally good portrait.
Grapes of Spain by Maria Luisa de la Riva (Rm. 61A) was a very good still life.
Isabel II Veiled by Camillo Torreggiani (Rm. 61) was very good.

Thyssen-Bornemisza Gallery, Mardid

Autumn, 1875 by Frederic Church is a great landscape – I would like a copy
Cross in the Wilderness by Frederic Church is also quite good
The Abundance of Summer by Paul Lacroix is one of the best still lifes I have seen — perfect fruit!
Portrait of Millicent, Duchess of Sutherland, 1904 by John Singer Sargent is very nice
The Risen Christ by Bramantino is interesting because it has an almost Art Deco style that reminds me of De Lempika, yet this was painted in 1490!
Capriccio with a River and Bridge by Bernardo Bellotto is a very nice landscape
Winter Landscape with a Peasant Family by Francesco Foschi
Winter Landscape with Figures by Francesco Foschi

National Gallery, London
There was a special exhibition in 2022 of the paintings of Raphael.

Mr and Mrs Andrews by Gainsborough (Rm. 35) My print! I never noticed the unfinished portion in her lap that they speculate may have been for a baby that never came about. Colours are a little more vibrant than in my print.
View of the Westerkerk by Jan van der Heyden (Rm. 19) is a super realist painting that I wouldn't have expected in 1660. I do not like it — too photo-realistic.
La velata or La donna velata (The woman with the veil) by Raphael is quite good. (Its home gallery is the Pitti Palace in Florence.)

National Gallery of Scotland

Flower Still Life with Bird's Nest by Jan van Huysom, 1718. Very nice still life.

Manchester Art Gallery
(Poor lighting on a lot of paintings – awkward viewing angles were necessary to avoid highlights on the paintings!)

Balaclava by Lady Butler - powerful depiction singling one individual to represent horror of the massacre (at Crimea).
Hylas and the Nymphs by Waterhouse - not bad.
Captive Andromache by Frederic Leighton - very nice
Flowers in a Glass Vase by Jan Anton van der Baren - very good still life.
Cogitating the Poor-law Bill, 1844 by Philip Westcott
Inspiration, 1866 by John Dawson Watson
Expectation, 1900 by John William Godward

Chatsworth

Portrait of a Woman by Boltraffio - A compelling portrait

National Railway Museum, York
Surprising that a railway museum would have some simple but interesting paintings.

Second Class: The Parting, 1854 by Abraham Soloman
First Class: The Meeting, 1855 by Abraham Soloman
Return to the Front, 1862 by Robert Collinson

National Gallery, Ottawa
Portrait of an Elderly Man by Tintoretto
Portrait of a Young Lady by Veneto

Lady Standing at a Virginal by Vermeer

Autumn by Frederic Church

Balaclava by Lady Butler

The Abundance of Summer by Paul Lacroix

Captive Andromache by Frederic Leighton

Portrait of Sarah Bernhardt by Santiago Rusiñol

The Risen Christ by Bramantino

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Grinling Gibbons

I had three occasions to see his work:

Victoria & Albert Museum

A large (~6ft H by 4ft W) panel wood carving illustrating the Stoning of Saint Stephen.

Stoning of St Stephens

York Minster

There was an exhibition highlighting the work of Gibbons in general and showcasing three of his stone memorials located in the Minster. Saw two of three memorial created for various clergy. (One panel was covered by another temporary exhibition!)

Fairfax House, York

On display is the first recorded wood carving by a young Gibbons, referred to as the King David Panel. Small (~ 1ft H by 8in W) and not as finely done as his later works but still quite impressive.

King David Panel