Goya Glows in "Lights and Darks" Exhibit

Here are some examples (click to enlarge) from the new Francisco Goya (b.1746-d.1828) exhibit lent by the Prado to CaixaForum Barcelona . Read more: Art Daily . The Prado has a nice album of the show on facebook. These were painted in the late 1700s. Goya is simply amazing!


The Art of Amy Crehore
Art of Amy Crehore

Greyhounds!

Jared Joslin's Circus Self Portrait featuring a greyhound.

The top illustrations are from a medieval book called "The Book of the Hunt" (15th century). One painting even shows veterinarians tending to dogs. I'm fascinated by greyhounds at the moment. I saw someone walking a miniature Italian greyhound not long ago in an argyle sweater (yes, the dog was wearing it). I hear they can move very fast, but they also have fragile bones. Greyhounds were popular in the 1920s (shown: Margaret Gorman and Dog 1925). LINK and LINK 

Here's an antique bronze sculpture and a vintage crate label for Greyhound Brand lemons. And last, but not least, is Jared Joslin's amazing Circus Self Portrait from 2007. Here is the link to his website.
They all inspire me and I'm a cat person!

UPDATE: The first "Book of the Hunt" was actually written in 1387 by Gaston Phebus.
The Art of Amy Crehore (website)

Art of Amy Crehore (blog featuring my new work)

Demonio!

Strikingly beautiful "Demonio" image from the Hours of Catherine of Cleves, Dutch Illuminated manuscript (1435-1460)

LINK (The Morgan Library)

The Art of Amy Crehore

People that live underground

Click on image to enlarge

There is something about children who live underground and play with big ants and other bugs that appeals to me. Illustrations by Sibylle Von Olfers for this 1906 book can be found on 50 Watts. Read the Story of the Root Children at the Digital Children's Library.

Another New Painting: "Basker's Cove" (by Amy Crehore)

"Basker's Cove" painting by Amy Crehore copyright 2012, oil on linen, 18" x 24"
Click on image to enlarge
(see it large here, too)

Detail of "Basker's Cove"

Another Detail of "Basker's Cove"
Thanks for blogging this painting, BoingBoing.

The Art of Amy Crehore

Leap Year- Birthday Of Balthus

I always envied people born on Feb. 29th. Balthus, the painter, was one of those special people. He was born on Feb. 29, 1908. I am celebrating Balthus and everyone else who has a birthday today. Here he is as the "King of Cats".

The Art of Amy Crehore

Very unique instrument: Gibson Mando-bass

I used this antique Gibson Mando-bass from 1917 that we have at home as an inspiration for my dream-like "Feed the Bear Blues" painting (shown above, Amy Crehore 2007, oil on linen, approx. 9"x 9"). The gorgeous pod-shape of the mando-bass reflects the wonderful art nouveau sensibility of Gibson at the time. The mando-bass can be played standing up or sitting down (horizontally). I exhibited this painting in my Brooklyn show at Ad Hoc Gallery in 2008. (By the way, the painting is still available.) You may have seen the band Smashing Pumpkins play one of these in a music video. The mando-bass was generally used in mandolin orchestras of the time.
 The Art of Amy Crehore

Looking at Klimt's Landscapes

Auctioned off two years ago at Sotheby's in London, this painting "Church in Cassone" (1913) by Gustav Klimt was saved from the Nazis, but it was also lost for a good while. (It sold for about 26 million pounds.) Read the story here. (Guardian)

I have been looking at Klimt's amazing landscapes recently in a gorgeous book about them.

I like them better than his figurative works. To view more, click on buildings or landscapes in this link.

The Art of Amy Crehore

Monkey Acrobats, Oh Yeah

acrobatesinges verso, a photo by pilllpat (agence eureka) on Flickr.

Natalie Wood 1966

I'm getting dizzy watching Natalie Wood singing "The Sun is Gray".
 
Round and round she goes. Movie: Penelope 1966.

Raymond Daussy, Mysterious Painter

(click on images to enlarge)
Raymond Daussy (follow this link for more images), a French painter born in 1919, was a founding father of the surrealist group in 1946. That's about all the information that I can find out about him, but I like his paintings. There are a couple of books on Amazon that are currently unavailable. (Paintings Volume 1: 1941-1963, published in 1984)

The Art of Amy Crehore

A New Painting by Amy Crehore ("Rose Quarry")

Here's one of my new paintings. Click image to enlarge.

It's called "Rose Quarry", 12" x 14" oil on linen by Amy Crehore 2012.

(See larger image here also)

The Art of Amy Crehore

Happy Valentines Day!

This vintage postcard featuring a pierrot with a mandolin standing under the moon with his gal came from a Barcelona flea market. A friend sent it to me a couple of years ago. Thanks, Val. 

The Art of Amy Crehore

What am I Reading?

I am currently reading a fascinating book called The Shocking Miss Pilgrim, A Writer in Early Hollywood by Frederica Sagor Maas. Maas wrote this memoir in 1999 at the age of 99! She was 111 years old when she died on Jan 5, 2012. She worked in Hollywood as a scriptwriter for 30 years after moving there from NYC in 1923. I got the book at my local library and you can also find the hardcover on amazon. This book has so many juicy details about early Hollywood in it and you will be astounded by what she remembers about her life, career and the people in the film industry. 

Thanks Adam Koford for the recommendation!

The Art of Amy Crehore
P.S. I finished a couple of new paintings and will post them here very soon (after I take photos).

Cynthia Was a Superstar

She had nice legs and she was a very big celebrity in 1937. Read article LIFE

Thanks, boingboing

Foujita and his Cats

Watching Antiques Roadshow this week (part 3, Eugene, OR) got me thinking about Leonard Tsuguharu Foujita (1886-1968) because someone waltzed in with two Foujita drawings (not the ones pictured above, but these). One was purchased from the artist himself for $100. in the 1930s and the other was bought from a bellhop of the hotel where he lived for $5. (it had been a tip). 

Foujita moved to Paris from Japan around 1913 and knew Picasso, Kiki, Modigliani, Matisse and others. He drew and painted a lot of female nudes and cats. He did very well for himself as an artist. I found these cool photos of Foujita with his round glasses, bowl haircut and various cats.  READ about Foujita. 

More images: LINK

The Art of Amy Crehore

A Strolling Pierrot Under a Full Moon

"Carnival Evening" was painted in 1886 by Henri Rousseau (Philadelphia Museum of Art). Early last evening, while driving in my car, I saw a sky that looked exactly like this with the winter trees in silhouette. Rousseau painted a pierrot strolling with his girlfriend under a full moon. This is one of my favorite paintings, although Rousseau created many pictures that I could easily call favorites. 

The Art of Amy Crehore

Rare Monkey Jazz Cartoon from 1930s

Dorothea Tanning RIP

"Primitive Seating" sculpture by Dorothea Tanning 1982

Surrealist painter Dorothea Tanning (1910- 2012) died peacefully yesterday at age 101. She's the one who was married to Max Ernst. LINK to article by Jerry Saltz

LINK to decades of images

Maurice Sendak on Colbert Report

This almost made me wet my pants:

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

"Fake Death Picture"

"Fake Death Picture" by Yinka Shonibare (digital print) 2011 

from upcoming Exhibit: Addio del Passato (so closes my sad story)

Feb 16- March 24, 2012

533 w.26th St. NYC, James Cohan Gallery 

Interview with artist Yinka Shonibare - Whitehot Magazine

Mystery of a Masterpiece

Last night, there was a fascinating NOVA show on PBS. Experts were investigating whether a portrait of a girl on vellum (shown above) is really a Leonardo Da Vinci. They think it was cut from an old book of the period (they found the book in a museum in Poland).

Link to article about the story in the Guardian.

Here's the link to the show which you can watch online if you missed it.

NOVA -Mystery of a Masterpiece

I blogged about this picture earlier and said I thought it looked to me like it might be authentic. That was just my gut feeling based on the style of the face and execution of the drawing.

Rockwell for Collier's Magazine 1919

Last night on PBS Antiques Roadshow (Eugene, OR !) someone brought in a really old Rockwell painting. They appraised it at half a million. It is a nice one called "The Little Model". This painting is one of only four that Rockwell painted for Collier's magazine (1919, cover). I rather like it and I am surprised how large he painted his illustration work (using oils). I'll get to see it since it is on display now at the museum in my town. I don't think I have ever seen a Rockwell in person.

Watch Appraisal: 1919 Rockwell "The Little Model" Oil Painting on PBS. See more from Antiques Roadshow.

New Leonard Cohen Album Live Stream

LINK

Magical Gift of Picasso Etchings to British Museum

The British Museum recently acquired the complete suite of 100 Vollard etchings made between 1930 and 1937 by Picasso. It was a surprise gift from a man named Hamish Parker in memory of his beloved father Major Horace Parker. Depicting himself as a minotaur (in 15 of the works), the etchings are a visual diary of Picasso's great love affair with Marie-Therese Walter. Almost half of the prints show a classical sculptor's studio with Marie-Therese as a model. 

These etchings are magical and will always be inspiring. This is the Picasso that I love the most, unafraid to show emotional sensitivity toward his muse. Picasso exchanged the plates for these etchings with his dealer Ambroise Vollard for a couple of paintings by Renoir and Cezanne. This rare, complete set will go on view from May 3- Sept 3, 2012. Link

Right now, you can order the book Picasso's Vollard Suite from the Getty Museum.

The Art of Amy Crehore

RIP Etta James

NYTimes

"Some Things Just Stick in Your Mind" performed by Vashti Bunyan

More songs from album of the same name 1964-67.

Yayoi Kusama and Joseph Cornell were lovers

Although I had read Joseph Cornell's biography a couple of times, I hadn't realized that it was the amazing dot woman artist Yayoi Kusama who had been his first girlfriend (when he was 60). I blogged about Cornell a couple of times: here and here. 

 I also recently blogged about Kusama ( LINK). 

She talks about the affair (lasting 10 years) in an old interview with Kusama by Grady Turner in Bomb Magazine (1999).

Degas - drawings of the nude

Thanks to Artinfo slide show-

Bringing in the new year with some exquisite drawings by Degas. 

He makes me want to draw. 

I'm finishing up a couple of new paintings this week and I will post them here soon. 

THE ART OF AMY CREHORE

P.S. I am no longer posting my art on tumblr, in case you were looking for me there.

Rosa Loy and Neo Rauch

Rosa Loy is married to Neo Rauch. She is a painter, too. This video shows them exhibiting together. Here is her website: Rosa Loy. Their show was at the Essl Museum near Vienna in 2011. I would have liked to have seen that show.