The Florence Academy of Art is inviting you to participate in its inaugural West Coast workshops. Don’t wait, however, because enrollment is capped at 10! Details here.
How does Santa Barbara, California, sound in January? Delightful. How about joining the Florence Academy for a week of workshop magic while there? That’s what the famous academy is currently offering, and enrollment is still open.
Image courtesy The Florence Academy of Art
Hosted in Santa Barbara between January 8-12 and January 15-19 will be the academy’s inaugural West Coast workshops, with several experienced instructors on hand to impart a substantial amount of information in a short period of time. “Instruction is by individual critique so you will be guided at your level of expertise,” they say.
Image courtesy The Florence Academy of Art
“At the Florence Academy of Art, painting directly from life is the culmination of various skills. In this course, students may select to attend the one-week or two-week session in Portrait, Still Life, and Landscape Painting conducted by Florence Academy faculty. Each weekly session begins with an in-depth explanation of the Florence Academy method, a technical demonstration on mixing colors, organizing the palette, and preparing mediums, and producing a painting from life. Students work 6 hours daily, painting the portrait in the morning and the still life or landscape in the afternoon. Students may attend one week or two weeks. 30 hours per week full instruction. Students work from the live model three hours per day.”
Image courtesy The Florence Academy of Art
Act quickly, however, because they’ve capped enrollment at 10 students per session. Tuition will be $1,375 per week. To learn more or register, contact Susan Tintori.
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Hubert and Jan van Eyck, “The Ghent Altarpiece (detail of God the Father),” 1432, oil on panel, 11 feet, 6 inches x 15 feet, 1 inch, St. Bavo Cathedral, Ghent
The Getty Los Angeles is just full of great news this week! On top of the major Caravaggio exhibition slated for November 21, the institution also recently announced major enhancements to the website “Closer to Van Eyck.” What’s the story? You’ll want to see this.
Launched in 2012, the Getty Foundation and the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage (Brussels) website “Closer to Van Eyck” has provided breathtaking details of one of the most important works of art in the world: “The Ghent Altarpiece.” The two organizations recently announced major upgrades and enhancements to the platform, including new images of the work under various stages of conservation treatment, a larger range of technical images, and the ability to see and compare multiple views of the painting at the same time.
According to the press release, “Located at St. Bavo’s cathedral in Ghent, Belgium, ‘The Mystic Lamb of 1432’ by Hubert and Jan van Eyck, also known as the Ghent Altarpiece, is a stunning and highly complex painting composed of separate oak panels. Since 2010, several Getty Foundation grants have supported the conservation planning, examination, and training related to the altarpiece as part of its Panel Paintings Initiative. A collaboration among the Flemish government, the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage, and their partners led to the first much-needed conservation treatment of the work in 2010. The panels and frames of the closed altarpiece were treated between 2012 and 2016 and the large-scale campaign now continues with the panels of the lower register of the open altarpiece. The ‘Closer to Van Eyck’ website launched in 2012, and had yet to receive major updates until now.
Hubert and Jan van Eyck, “The Ghent Altarpiece,” 1432, oil on panel, 11 feet, 6 inches x 15 feet, 1 inch, St. Bavo Cathedral, Ghent
‘“The Getty Foundation is pleased to have supported the research and study that has led to the restoration of the Ghent Altarpiece currently underway,’ said Deborah Marrow, director of the Getty Foundation. ‘The enhanced documentation now available through “Closer to Van Eyck” brings even greater access to the genius of the artists that will both delight viewers and inspire new scholarship.’”
Continuing, the Getty writes, “The altarpiece was painstakingly recorded at every step of the conservation process through state-of-the-art photographic and scientific documentation. Thanks to the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage’s imaging team, digital processing and design led by Frederik Temmermans of Universum Digitalis and the Vrije Universiteit Brussels, and imec’s Department of Electronics and Informatics, the altarpiece can now be viewed online in visible light, infrared, infrared reflectograph, and X-radiograph, with sharper and higher resolution images than ever before. Visitors to the site can now also adjust a timeline to view key moments in the conservation process, and have access to simultaneous viewing of images before, during, and after conservation. Users can zoom in even closer on details of the painting, exploring microscopic views of the work in 100 billion pixels.”
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Michelangelo Caravaggio, “Saint Jerome,” circa 1605, oil on canvas, Galleria Borghese
Los Angeles gets a major artistic treat this winter as the Getty Museum recently announced that it will soon be opening a blockbuster exhibition featuring some of Michelangelo Caravaggio’s most iconic and celebrated masterpieces from Rome’s Galleria Borghese.
Three masterpieces by the celebrated Baroque painter Michelangelo Caravaggio (1571-1610) are on loan from Rome’s Galleria Borghese from November 21 through February 18 at the J. Paul Getty Museum. “Caravaggio: Masterpieces from the Galleria Borghese” is a remarkable opportunity for West Coast art lovers, as a limited number of paintings were created by the Italian. Caravaggio famously died at the age of 39 while a fugitive after having killed a man in May 1606.
The Galleria Borghese has generously loaned three paintings: “Boy with a Basket of Fruit,” “Saint Jerome,” and the powerful “David with the Head of Goliath.” “These three masterpieces are among Caravaggio’s best-known paintings, and we are extremely grateful to the Galleria Borghese for sharing them with our public,” said Timothy Potts, director of the Getty. “Caravaggio’s revolutionary genius made him one of the most important and beloved figures in European art history. The opportunity to see three of his most renowned works alongside the exceptional 17th-century Italian masterpieces in our own collection is an event not to be missed.”
Continuing, the Getty’s press release reads: “One of the most admired painters in history, Caravaggio developed a boldly naturalistic style that employed striking theatrical compositions and emphasized the common humanity of his protagonists. His art was both widely celebrated and highly controversial among his contemporaries and remained influential for centuries afterward.
“The three paintings presented in the exhibition exemplify the crucial stages in Caravaggio’s short but intense career (he died at age 39).
Michelangelo Caravaggio, “Boy with a Basket of Fruit,” circa 1593, oil on canvas, Galleria Borghese
“‘Boy with a Basket of Fruit’ (ca. 1593-94) represents the beginning of the artist’s career when he moved from Lombardy to Rome and first attracted attention as a painter of realistic genre scenes and still lifes. ‘Saint Jerome’ (ca. 1605) portrays the saint as a scholar reading and annotating sacred passages in the dramatically spotlighted manner that Caravaggio made famous. In ‘David with the Head of Goliath’ (ca. 1610), painted at the end of the artist’s career in his more somber and expressive later style, Caravaggio included his own features in Goliath’s head, purportedly in penance for his having committed a murder in May 1606. All three paintings were acquired by Cardinal Scipione Borghese, a nephew of Pope Paul V, who knew Caravaggio personally and was one of his primary patrons.
Michelangelo Caravaggio, “David with the Head of Goliath,” 1610, oil on canvas, Galleria Borghese
‘“Caravaggio continues to exert tremendous influence on art today. His exceptional combination of truth to life and drama, and that famous chiaroscuro, gave birth not only to a new style of painting, but also inspired generations of painters with his psychological naturalism,’ said Davide Gasparotto, senior curator of paintings at the Getty Museum. ‘These rare loans are prime examples of Caravaggio’s exceptional talent and innovation.’
“The exhibition at the Getty Museum is the first part of an international exhibition program on Caravaggio aimed at promoting the Caravaggio Research Institute, an international research project on the artist, conceived by Anna Coliva, director of the Galleria Borghese, and supported by the Roman House FENDI through a three-year partnership with the Roman museum.
“The partnership between the Galleria Borghese and FENDI is part of a patronage begun by the luxury goods house in 2015, and is based on the company’s belief that beauty must be shared and spread, and that the incomparable richness of the Galleria Borghese, a reflection of the Eternal City, is a powerful, cosmopolitan pathway to promote a refined cultural sensitivity, both contemporary and universal, in the same way that FENDI pursues in its collections a true example of aesthetic research and the absolute sign of ‘Made in Italy.’
“‘The Caravaggio Research Institute is an international scientific project that seeks to reintroduce within museums the most advanced research to make them producers of culture and not mere producers of blockbuster exhibitions. The Galleria Borghese and FENDI are honored that the Caravaggio Research Institute will be presented to the public at the Getty, a leading actor in preserving, researching, promoting, and enhancing art and a leading authority in the realm of digital humanities,’ says Anna Coliva, director of the Galleria Borghese.
“‘We are proud to support the Galleria Borghese and the Caravaggio Research Institute through this unique exhibition opportunity at the Getty Museum. It is increasingly a fundamental value, as well as a moral one, for FENDI to enhance, support and export Italian art and beauty in the world, its excellence and its talents,’ states Pietro Beccari, Chairman and CEO of FENDI.”
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Kehinde Wiley, “LL Cool J,” 2005, oil on canvas, National Portrait Gallery
Just a week or two ago, the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) in Washington, D.C., announced the two artists slated to paint the official portraits of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. Who are they?
Internationally acclaimed painter Kehinde Wiley, best known for his vibrant, large-scale paintings of African Americans, and portrait master Amy Sherald, first-prize winner of the Portrait Gallery’s 2016 Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition, have been chosen to paint the NPG’s official portraits of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.
Amy Sherald, “Miss Everything (Unsuppressed Deliverance),” 2013, oil on canvas, Frances and Burton Reifler
The two portraits will be unveiled at the museum in early 2018 and will be added to the Portrait Gallery’s permanent collection. “The Portrait Gallery is absolutely delighted that Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald have agreed to create the official portraits of our former President and First Lady,” said Kim Sajet, director of the NPG. “Both have achieved enormous success as artists, but even more, they make art that reflects the power and potential of portraiture in the 21st century.”
According to the NPG, “At the end of each presidency, the museum partners with the White House to commission one official portrait of the President and one of his spouse. There are two sets of official portraits: one for the White House and one for the National Portrait Gallery. The museum began to commission Presidents’ portraits with George H.W. Bush.”
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One of the most celebrated paintings in the world — the iconic “Monarch of the Glen” by Sir Edwin Landseer —embarked on a groundbreaking tour across Scotland last week following its acquisition for the nation earlier in 2017.
Painted in 1851, Sir Edwin Landseer’s “Monarch of the Glen” famously shows a confident and proud stag against a Highlands landscape. The painting is recognized all over the world as an image closely associated with Scotland. In March 2017, and after a four-month fundraising campaign, the painting made headlines once more when it was acquired by the National Galleries of Scotland (NGS).
“Monarch of the Glen” is again in the news this fall as the painting is now on tour across the nation, traveling to four major venues beginning with the Inverness Museum and Art Gallery, where it will be on display through November 18. Following its run at the Inverness, the painting moves to the Perth Museum and Art Gallery from November 25 through January 14, 2018; then to the Paisley Museum and Art Gallery from January 20 through March 11; and finally on to the Kirkcudbright Galleries March 25 through May 12.
“Thanks to the generosity of the National Lottery and the Scottish Government we are able to take this fantastic picture across the country to be enjoyed by as many people as possible,” remarked Sir John Leighton, director-general of the National Galleries of Scotland. “We want this tour of ‘The Monarch of the Glen’ to be seen as a huge thank you for the overwhelming support that we received during the fundraising campaign and as a celebration that this amazing work of art now belongs to all the people of Scotland. We hope that it will be admired and debated by audiences across the country.”
Sir Edwin Landseer, “The Monarch of the Glen,” circa 1851, oil on canvas, 163.8 x 168.9 cm. National Galleries of Scotland
According to the NGS, “Landseer (1802-73) was intoxicated by the Scottish Highlands. He first visited the country in 1824 and was overwhelmed and inspired by the experience of the landscape and its people; he returned annually in late summer and the autumn on sketching expeditions, developing a particular affinity with the novelist Sir Walter Scott and his work. The resulting paintings range from intimate and remarkably fresh landscape studies, painted on the spot, to his most famous large-scale picture, ‘The Monarch of the Glen.’ They played a key role in formulating the deeply attractive and romantic image of the Highlands, which still resonates today.
“‘The Monarch of the Glen’ was originally intended as part a series of three works to be displayed in the House of Lords, but the scheme was never realized and the painting was sold to a private collector soon after its completion. From the moment it was first exhibited in 1851 at the Royal Academy in London it proved immensely popular, and the admiration has continued right up to the present day. It was widely reproduced in the nineteenth century, especially through steel engravings, and in 1916 it was purchased by Sir Thomas Dewar. From that point it was regularly employed as a marketing image, first by Pears Soap and then by John Dewar & Sons Distillery and Glenfiddich. Subsequently it was also appropriated by Nestlé and Baxter’s Soup. Through its widespread use in commercial advertising and in popular culture, the picture has become instantly recognizable yet it remains an extremely powerful work of art and a rich source of debate about issues of history and identity.”
Fiona Hyslop, cabinet secretary for culture, tourism, and external affairs, added, “This tour is an exciting opportunity for people of all ages and backgrounds across Scotland to access and enjoy this iconic painting in their own communities. I am confident this will further inspire many to seek out new opportunities to engage in culture and the arts. I am pleased the Scottish Government was able to support both the acquisition of the painting and its tour with a total of £175,000 funding and I look forward to seeing the ‘Monarch of the Glen’ continue to attract visitors from far and wide in the years to come.”
This article was featured in Fine Art Today, a weekly e-newsletter from Fine Art Connoisseur magazine. To start receiving Fine Art Today for free, click here.
Opening November 9th, THE BRINTON 101 is the 2017 adaptation of The Brinton Museum’s former Small Works invitational show. The exhibition features nearly 300 works of art in varying media by 101 top artists from across the country. Our premise is that a great work of art can be accomplished in a small amount of space, hence the show features paintings, sculptures and mixed media pieces in a wide variety of themes and price ranges. All of the art is for sale and will be on display until December 17th.
Ben Steele was born in 1977 in Kennewick, Washington and graduated from University of Utah in 2002 with a BFA in painting and drawing, continuing his education at the Helper Art Workshops under the instruction of former University of Utah professors David Dornan and Paul Davis. The summer workshops led to a multi-year internship with Dornan and Steele relocated to Helper, Utah to begin his professional art career, exhibiting in galleries throughout the United States ever since. He continues to live and work in Helper, Utah.
Steele’s art is part of several notable collections, including the Raymond James Financial art collection, the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation, Academy Award Winning Producer Michael Sugar, the Executive Offices of the San Francisco Giants, golfer Fred Couples, and in multiple Delta Airline Sky Club lounges throughout the US.
“Brisighella Evening, Italy” was painted on location. This quaint town is so lovely. The painting will be shown in the 2017 NOAPS Holiday Small Works Show.
Frances Pampeyan is a California-based artist whose gift was noticed at an early age by her mother. Her childhood memories include having a paintbrush in her hand. She studied drawing and painting at Pasadena Art Center College of Design and has continued to study and develop her skills through instruction by nationally and internationally known artists.
Frances is a member of the California Art Club, SoCalPapa, Laguna Plein Air Painters Association, and also the Gardens Art Guild at the Huntington Library.
“Minervaville, Early Spring Greens” by Mary Bentz Gilkerson
“Minervaville, Early Spring Greens”
10 x 20 in.
oil on cradled panel
$1400
Using the ever-changing color and light of a impression, the artistry of Mary Bentz Gilkerson paintings connect people to the experience of place.
“Almost daily for the last five years I’ve made a small painting inspired by the landscapes I travel through, mainly near the roads and highways around Columbia, SC, especially Lower Richland,” says Gilkerson.
Mary is drawn to the ordinary spaces we move through, especially ones that are within view from the road.
“In a roadside view I find a strange intersection of nature and culture. We move so fast that we don’t take time to observe the world around us in the way that people did before modern transportation and technology came along. In my work, I seek to focus on the shifting patterns of light and color that tell us what time of day and season it is, to note the small and subtle, as well as the large and grand.”
Gilkerson holds an MFA in drawing and painting from the University of South Carolina. A native South Carolinian, she lives and works in her Columbia studio after retiring as a professor of art at Columbia College. She has received grants from the S.C. Arts Commission and the Cultural Council of Richland and Lexington Counties in addition to having been selected as a Southern Arts Federation Fellowship Finalist. Her work is in the permanent collections of McKissick Museum, Palmetto Health, Morris Communications Company, and Seibels Bruce Group, among others.
“Greeting the Sun at Moran Point” by Matt Sterbenz
“Greeting the Sun at Moran Point”
48 x 24 in.
oil on canvas
The 9th annual Grand Canyon Celebration of Air featured 25 artists painting
plein air at the Grand Canyon September 9-16, 2017. The exhibit and sale of their work will be open daily through January 15, 2018, at Kolb Studio at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
This month’s featured artist is Matt Sterbenz from Chandler, Arizona. For his second year participating in the Celebration of Art, Sterbenz captured in his studio painting “Greeting the Sun at Moran Point” the glory of a canyon sunrise.
“A Grand Canyon sunrise is a thing of incredible beauty. It all starts with a warm glow. The sun slowly creeps above the horizon, and the quiet Canyon begins to stir. As the golden light intensifies, peaks and mesas rise from a sea of shadow. “Greeting The Sun At Moran Point” began with such a sunrise, and a quick plein air painting. Because the light changes so quickly, especially when the sun is very low, I could only paint a few notes of color before the sun’s display was over. Back home in the studio, I referenced some of my photographs and plein air sketches in hopes of capturing the magic I witnessed that day.”
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