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)