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beside the easel turns 2!!


Dulwich Picture Gallery, London 2013


Two years ago I had an idea for a blog about art history and my favourite artists of all time, celebrating their birthdays and their great art by in-depth analysis of some of their best works. Over the course of that time I have discovered numerous artists that I never would have known even existed without this blog. I have learned so much. It is truly humbling not only to have discovered artists, but to have learned and keep learning the most important skill any artist needs in this world: observation. The ability to see. And to compose those elements into a meaningful work that truly tells a story or moves you in a unique way. The goal of this blog has been to go beyond the countless blogs out there that show all kinds of art but without context or explanation. A fresh point of view can really change your opinion about an artist, or at least see some of their work with a different perspective.

In these past two years I have written about over a hundred artists from the Renaissance right up to the early nineteen hundreds, and although I do not claim to be an art historian or scholar of any sort, my opinions are based on observations and my background as an artist and photographer of many years. Factual information and biography can be found all over the internet on many artists, but my approach has been to celebrate artists who are not only the usual Old Masters that everyone knows like Rembrandt, Velázquez or Titian but lesser known greats who deserve as much credit for their talents. Art is about discovery and in that discovery, you learn about yourself and what you really appreciate and dislike. My sincere hope in you reading this blog is that you come away with a new perspective and understanding on art that goes beyond monosyllabic words like good, bad, nice, or cool. I also want to open the minds of people who exhort "so-and-so is the best! No one else comes close!" because that mentality reduces art to a kind of sport, which is ignorance. I have my favorites and biases as we all do, but as I mentioned earlier I have discovered so many geniuses that scarcely get praised today because their value at Christies is not stratospheric or because a prominent art critic dismissed them in some way.

I invite you to explore the various entries throughout the site if you haven't already. Look for more artists and also more topics about techniques and subject matter in the future. If you enjoy reading this blog please feel free to let me know. Thank you.

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