beside the easel

The Thankful Poor, 1894 Born June 21, 1859 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Henry Ossawa Tanner was an African-American artist. He was the first African-American to enroll in the prestigious Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1880, where he studied with Realist painter Thomas Eakens and was the only black student at that time. Tanner's work was characterized by an approach that synthesized elements of Impressionism, his Academic Classical training and genre subject matter that was influenced by his Methodist upbringing to include religious themes and a deep appreciation of the landscape. Just a boy during the The American Civil War years, Tanner experienced racism throughout his early life and as an artist in Philadelphia into his twenties, leading to his decision to leave America for Paris to study at the esteemed Académie Julian in 1891. Emboldened by this vibrant cosmopolitan society Tanner grew into his own style with greater depth. He became a highly esteemed Black a...

Madonna della Misericordia by Fra Bartolomeo, 1515 In this article, Bob Duggan discusses how Renaissance Art redefined culture by overturning dogma and challenging religious notions, sometimes vain but always intriguing. Based on the book The Controversy of Renaissance Art by Art History professor Alexander Nagel he explains how Humanism deeply influenced artists of the day yet were criticized for being superficial and distracting people from the intended message. The Art triumphs ultimately after the fall of Savonarola's radical puritanism and paves the way for artists to explore ideas and concepts within the scope of religion and Neo-Platonism that changed the world.

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 ov...