Underneath the Woman is a Man

"Woman Ironing" by Picasso

The fact that Picasso started a portrait of a man and then switched his idea to "Woman Ironing" is no big deal. Painters do this all the time. I often sand down a head or face numerous times and make shifts in composition. If a painting takes months to work on, it may end up a whole different painting than I originally intended by the time I am done. The "process" of painting is fascinating- it keeps painters challenged and interested. We are allowed to change our minds and change our strokes. It looks like Picasso flipped his original sketch upside down and this may mean that he simply wanted to reuse the canvas and/or wasn't satisfied with his idea in the first place. Anyway, I'm glad Picasso decided to paint over it or we might have missed out on this masterpiece- "Woman Ironing"- which is currently on display at the Guggenheim in the exhibition "Picasso Black and White".

Go here> LINK (NYTimes) to reveal the painting underneath. Just scratch the image with your mouse! By the way, it is Picasso's birthday (born Oct. 25, 1881). He is definitely one of my favorite artists, warts and all. I have learned so much from looking at his art.

 

Stay tuned to this blog - I will reveal a new painting of mine very soon.

The Art of Amy Crehore

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Pal O Mine, Blind Willie McTell

This post is dedicated to my friend Ruth who loves blues music.

Giant Vases in Sargent Painting - Good Fun for Daughters

I always loved that John Singer Sargent painting because it has a hint of surrealism. You know, the one with the giant vases and young girls:  

The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit. The Boit family gave those giant Japanese vases to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston (shown above). Apparently the girls used the vases to play games with as conservators found: coins, buttons, feathers, badminton shuttlecocks, tennis balls, chocolate wrappers inside the vases (see B&W photo above). Book about this painting available on the museum website: LINK

Little Nemo Himself

Was there anyone more inspiring than Winsor McCay?

His art is so imaginative, surreal and well-crafted.

CLICK photo to ENLARGE

Today, the Google logo celebrates his creation Little Nemo in Slumberland.

Here is a photo of Winsor McCay (sporting a gorgeous white suit and hat) in 1908 sketching for a charity benefit;
the young boy wearing the knickers and Nemo sash could actually be his son, age 12. The character of Nemo was supposedly modelled on his son Robert. LINK (Library of Congress photo)

Trivia: My grandmother's uncle Stanley Forde was in a silent film with McCay in 1924: The Great White Way. McCay played himself. LINK

Moonrise Kingdom - So Good

Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom blew my socks off.

I finally went to see it and it did not disappoint.

In fact, it inspired. I can't say enough good things about it.

I want to see it again. Often. It has everything. So many great visuals.

Feels like a foreign film, yet so very American.

So dreamlike, yet so real.

Spilling over with nostalgic details -  

a New England summer setting, 1965.
Wonderful characters and great actors.

Oh joy.

 

The Art of Amy Crehore 

artofamycrehore

Frida Parade

I saw 10 Fridas parading down the sidewalk yesterday.

One was only about 6 years old. Beautiful.

(Maude Kerns Art Center)

 

The Art of Amy Crehore 

artofamycrehore

Newly Discovered Works by Magritte

Above are three examples of works- Night in Pisa 1953, Transatlantic Passenger 1936 and The Harvest of the Clouds 1927 by Rene Magritte published in Rene Magritte: Newly Discovered Works: Catalogue Raisonne Volume VI. Read more at artnews . This new book has 130 previously unseen works.  (Top and bottom: ©2012 CHARLY HERSCOVICI, BRUSSELS, middle: COURTESY SOTHEBY’S IMAGES.)

I love the way Magritte's mind works. It is easy to take him for granted because he was so good at what he did and his classic work was so often appropriated/copied.

Magritte invented his own unique world of visual poetry and it is nice that he is still being celebrated (upcoming show at MOMA in Sept. 2013).

 

The Art of Amy Crehore

artofamycrehore