Jean Dubuffet: Raw Art

 If at first you don't succeed...

I love it when I see an artist with really varied kinds of work; a sign of experimentation; learning; process and not settling when something 'works' or proves commercially successful. Jean Dubuffet (1901-1985 birth-date 31st July) had 3 goes at establishing his art practice: leaving his Paris Art School in 1918, put off by the academic approach & wanting to study independently, then 'getting a proper job' starting a wine business in 1925, then Art again, in 1934, then back to the business, until finally, Art yet again in 1942. 

Artist in his Vincennes Studio, France, 1972

(L) Algerian Landscape, 1920 (R) Fear, 1924

(L) Moonrise in Ghosts, 1951 (R) The Beautiful Horned, 1954 

I'm glad he made it - eventually; throwing all he had into his art - which sometimes included grit; coal dust; sand; straw; tar- his 'Hautes Pates' - or as one critic put it: 'scraping the dustbin'. He favoured 'low art', establishing the Art Brut movement, and accumulating a vast collection of such work.

Being included in a Pierre Matisse Exhibition alongside Picasso, Braque, Rouault & others in 1944 sealed the deal. A long, hard, slog, with the need to earn money to support a family, and German occupation of France thrown in. 

View of Paris Small Business, 1944

I loved it when I came across the picture of the black & white enamel-like 'playground', or 'jardin d'email', which I had walked about on at the Kroller Muller Museum on an Art Field trip when I was 20. I hadn't realized it was by him, and it was a great reminder of an amazing Art venture. One man with several Art Movements encapsulated in his working life; better than staying in the wine trade for 'security'. Enjoy! 

Giorgio Vasari: Father of Art History

 Who's The Daddy? 

So, today, 30th July, is the birth-date of Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574), known as the 'Father of Art History'! I love his belief that 'As long as Art lives never can I accept that men are really dead'; doing all he could to make Artists of his time come alive, producing: 'The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors & Architects', 1st published in 1550, with several editions. Considered the foundation of art history, it includes anecdotes, biographies, and techniques used by artists such as: Leonardo da Vinci; Raphael; Titian; Botticelli, and Michelangelo, who befriended him. I had to get to grips with the language used to describe art movements of that time: Mannerism; (Late/High) Late Renaissance - stylized work.

It made me think again about Art History, how it needs to be refined, or redefined, in how it's taught in schools and university, rather than being phased out. There's so much I realize I don't know, in spite of loving lessons at school so much the content lingered long after. It's not even just about the style of any given Movement, there's a need for a broader overview, I think, beyond the focus on Europe, and more on how to 'read' a painting. Art was considered the 'soft' option at school - mad! Forget the official labels, I loved that we were taught 'Art Appreciation' even with much teenage resistance & scorn, it got through, eventually. It would be a great loss to the curriculum; a kind of leprosy, if an important part of our body of learning dropped off - almost unnoticed.

The work is a little strange, but powerful too. I love the flat, impossibly squished together 'frieze' of 6 Tuscan Poets in deep conversation: (seated): Dante Aligheri (1265-1321) 'Divine Comedy' & Guido Cavalcanti (1255-1300) love sonnets; (standing, in clerical garb): Humanist & Classical Scholar, Giovanni Boccaccio (1313-75) & Francesco Petrarch (1304-74) 'Decameron'; far left: Humanist/Man of Letters, Marsilio Ficino (1433-1499) & Platonic philosopher, Cristofaro Landino (1424-15040) Their laurel leaves symbolize Literary Achievement.

Great to see the sketch that preceded the finished painting of the Nativity. Vasari was fortunate in being employed by various members of the Medici family; which is the other thing - how do artists survive? Financially. Spiritually. Pleased to have 'found' him and his work - still very much alive to this day.                                                                                                                     The Medici's: Lorenzo the Magnificent (1533/4) & Alessandro, Resting 1537 (R)

A very clean and tidy style. The Garden of Gethsemane (1570) betrays none of the horror of sweating blood through extreme anguish, focusing on the glory. Other themes covered address the gruesome nature of some Biblical stories: the beheaded giant, Goliath; Judith about to behead her target; the stoning of St. Stephen, but all 'tastefully' rendered. Entombment, 1532,

Here's an opportunity to view more of his work - a fantastic range, in just a couple of minutes:

Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky: Master Seascape Artist

 I Must Go Down to The Sea Again!

I think it's a little bit obvious I love a good art obsession, but Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky (1817-1900), really knew how to obsess and excel at his chosen genre of Seascapes in the Romantic style, dedicating his 60 year career to around 6,000 canvases, with about 20,000 attributed to him! And I'd never heard of him!

Born on this day, 29th July, in the Crimea, of Armenian heritage, he collected medals and accolades throughout his life, travelling extensively in the process.

Bay of Naples in Moonlight, 1842

He clocked up 55 solo exhibitions all around the world, including: Berlin; New York; Paris; San Francisco and London! He stuck with what he knew and what he was good at, even when the Art Movement turned from Romanticism to Realism. His home became a Museum of Art in 1880, and still is, housing over 400 of his works. The most astounding thing I learned from someone who knew his art practice, was that he always worked from memory! Able to retain in his mind's eye, every nuance of the sea in all its moods, whether by day, or moonlight.

                        

Black Sea at Night (L) Pushkin's Farewell to the Black Sea, 1877 (R)

Aivazovsky met Russia's National Poet, Pushkin, in September, 1837

The Ninth Wave, 1850, (his most famous painting)

Stormy Sea at Night

His love for Armenia grew stronger, and was further enhanced by his marrying an Armenian widow. It seems his beloved country returned the compliment by celebrating him on the obverse of a 2,000 dram banknote in 2018:

I had absolutely no trouble tracking down a virtual gallery of his paintings, more a matter of which backing music was preferable. So, if you'd like a quick riffle through some of his output, there's this:

Enjoy! 

Stefan Filipkiewicz: Artist-Hero

Landscape Lover

I'd like to introduce Polish Artist, Stefan Filipkiewicz (1879-1944), who I've just discovered, on the anniversary of his birth, 28th July.

No great drama in his work, just the quiet, steady passion of a man for his art and sense of place; especially the Tatra Mountains; a passion that was recognized on being awarded the Gold Medal at the Universal Exhibition in Poznan, 1929.

Tatra Mountains seen from Olcza, 1924, above,

The Art of Caring

Painting; teaching art; contributing to a literary salon in Krakow, life ticked along nicely. Until 1939, when Poland was invaded, forcing Stefan to flee with his family to Hungary. Life took on a different shape and focus; he became the secretary of the Citizen's Committee for the Care of Polish Refugees, organizing assistance to military & civilians in need.

Laka, 1904                                                                                 Cottage in the Sun, 1904 (R)    

Forest Stream in Winter

Landscape of Escape

The committee also provided false documents and new identities for many of the Poles of Jewish descent. Around 30,000 Polish refugees were rescued, and 5,000 Jews saved. Sad to see the document, signed by Heinrich Himmler, ordering the execution of 13 of those committee members, at Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp, on August 23rd, 1944, including Stefan Filipkiewicz, who had helped save so many.

Gallery

There's a wonderful opportunity to share in the love he had for the landscape of his home-land throughout the seasons, just two minutes, and a wealth of artwork in this virtual presentation:

Karl Pärsimägi: 'Estonian Matisse'

Wild at Heart

I remember the word 'Eurocentric' from art classes at school, and can now see what that means: I know nothing of artists from the Baltic States; African; Asian, or Australasia. I'm intrigued by the life and work of Karl Pärsimägi, who I have just discovered, known as the 'Estonian Matisse' (1902-1942). The influence of Fauvism is very evident. I wish he'd had the opportunity to continue his art practice; it would have been interesting to see how it would have developed.

It seems he had a strong sense of Justice even at an early age, awarded a medal for his participation in the Estonian War of Independence in 1919. He went on an art study trip in Germany in 1923 - strange, as this was the year it suffered hyperinflation.

Interior Views

           

In 1937, he moved to Paris. I was struggling to piece together his life from the tiny bits I uncovered until I discovered, just now, that he became a courier for the French Resistance, which led to his being arrested in Sept. 1941. He was then taken to Auschwitz, via Dracy Internment camp.

Painting of a church, and interior of an orthodox church:

He was not Jewish, nevertheless, he was executed on this day in 1942. Soviets painted out his offending medal of honour in his portraits; denying him official recognition because of that involvement; though allowed for his life-work to be celebrated with an exhibition at his centenary. So sad to have found his life was cut short so brutally, when he'd striven to protect justice and Freedom from the devastation tyranny has on ordinary people.

I found a moving music-soundscape, photo-montage tribute that seemed appropriate to add (with heavy heart) to this post: The Sound of Auschwitz Birkenau:

Grosz: Artist-Commentary of the Gross

 SURREAL REVEAL

I'm only just discovering the amazing breadth of style there is in the work of Georges Grosz (1893-1959), whose birth-date it is 26th July.

Being a satirical, social commentator in his art & caricatures got him into a lot of trouble: fined a large amount, with his litho plates confiscated, accused of insulting the German Army; sought after / hounded by Nazis; arrested on arrival in Moscow, suspected of being a spy; even prosecuted for blasphemy for some potent anti-clerical drawings.

Exquisite drawings, able to capture intensity, and monstrosity.

below, Civil War,1936-7, reed-pen over charcoal on paper.

Terror in the Streets, 1916

Throw in a stint of military service (short-lived), and his art speaks volumes in how to process the madness of the times he was living in. It might explain, too, his being one of the founders of Berlin Dada - the absurd, and surreal - fit those times well.

Explosion, 1917

Adept at painting, drawing, caricature, collage, or photo-montage; excelling in which style; able to capture the zeitgeist of the age, or area, as in the image on the left of Kurfurstendam, 1925

Emigrating to America brought about a complete change of style - putting all the horrors of subject matter behind him, and returning to painting. He would have seen the poem by Emma Lazarus welcoming exiles and refugees to their new home; new life.

below: Street in Berlin, 1931

Here's a fantastic art-ride through his work that really brings together the scope and range he was able to produce; some very beautiful and touching work:

Maxfield Parrish: Dessert Trolley of the Art World

 Sweet Menu

Dream Castle in the Sky, 1908

I recognized the art straight away (I have the box-set of notelets!), but had no idea who the artist was: Maxfield Parrish (1870-1966), today being the anniversary of his birth-date, 25th July.

    

Dinky Bird, 1904 // Dreamlight // The Canyon, 1923

By the Light of the Golden Age

Already a brilliant and successful Artist of the 'Golden Age of American Illustration' (1800-1920), his work took on a whole new dimension whilst recovering from TB in the Adirondacks (1900), where his usual supply of lithographic inks froze in the climate! He switched to oils, and in the process of experimentation, discovered innovative techniques to maximize the saturation and luminosity he became so famous for. His work appeared everywhere: on seed packets; Edison-Mazda Light bulbs; tyres; toothpaste...

...as well as illustrations for the Arabian Nights; he got a little bit saturated with his own success, making a firm decision to give up on the 'girls on rocks' he was so used to putting out constantly.

But, his work continues to be used, as in my notelets; the covers of albums by Elton John; Moody Blues, and Dali's Car.

Daybreak (1922), the most popular art print of the 20th Century makes it to Dali's Car Album

Binge-Fest:

Here's a couple of minutes worth of his sumptuous offerings with Mike Oldfield's 'Jungle Gardenia' as backing: