TAG Art History Minis

JAN 12 Today we celebrate the birth of John Singer Sargent. He was born in Florence in 1856 to American parents and spent most of his life in Europe. He studied in Paris and soon became a star student. His early interest was the landscape, but later he became known for his portraits and regularly exhibited full-length portrayals of women in the Salon. Sargent met Chilean-born Eugenia Errazuriz in Paris around 1880, and she frequently sat for him. Madame Errazuriz hangs at the @vmfamuseum and exhibits a style more free than his commissioned portraits. In 1884, he completed Portrait of Madame X, which he considered his best work. It caused such a scandal, however, that he lost support and soon left Paris. Nevertheless, Sargent enjoyed success through the end of his life, despite painting his style of Realism during a period in which Impressionism, Cubism, and other new forms held the art world's attention.

JAN 12 Today we celebrate the birth of John Singer Sargent. He was born in Florence in 1856 to American parents and spent most of his life in Europe. He studied in Paris and soon became a star student. His early interest was the landscape, but later he became known for his portraits and regularly exhibited full-length portrayals of women in the Salon. Sargent met Chilean-born Eugenia Errazuriz in Paris around 1880, and she frequently sat for him. Madame Errazuriz hangs at the @vmfamuseum and exhibits a style more free than his commissioned portraits. In 1884, he completed Portrait of Madame X, which he considered his best work. It caused such a scandal, however, that he lost support and soon left Paris. Nevertheless, Sargent enjoyed success through the end of his life, despite painting his style of Realism during a period in which Impressionism, Cubism, and other new forms held the art world's attention.

NOV 2 Today is the birthday of Richard Serra, born 1938 in San Francisco. His father was a pipefitter at a shipyard, and his mother encouraged young Richard's interest in art. After earning an MFA from Yale, Serra spent time in Paris studying in modern sculpture patriarch Constantine Brancusi's studio. He then spent time in Florence and began experimenting with nontraditional sculptural materials. Certainly, his father's profession and Serra's time working in shipyards and steel mills inspired him to create his large-scale sculptures with steel. In the early 1960s, Serra composed a list of over 100 transitive verbs--like to roll, to splash, to bend, to twist--to guide his process. One Ton Prop (House of Cards) is made of four rectangles of lead antimony propped together, each side working to hold the others up.

MAR 1 Today is the birthday of Theresa Bernstein. “A celebrated raconteur and art activist, the long-lived Theresa Bernstein may be the only artist to have made and exhibited work in every decade of the twentieth century. Exhibiting during the 1910s, Bernstein witnessed critics compare her work to that of Robert Henri and his circle for its forceful brushwork and realist approach. Despite this early acclaim, as is true for most women artists of her generation, Bernstein’s work has not yet received the attention it deserves. Nonetheless, her work has gradually made its way into important museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Philips Collection, and the Smithsonian Museum of American Art, among many others. Bernstein remained committed to figuration throughout her long career. Her desire was always to connect with real life and to be a painter of the people.”

MAR 1 Today is the birthday of Theresa Bernstein. “A celebrated raconteur and art activist, the long-lived Theresa Bernstein may be the only artist to have made and exhibited work in every decade of the twentieth century. Exhibiting during the 1910s, Bernstein witnessed critics compare her work to that of Robert Henri and his circle for its forceful brushwork and realist approach. Despite this early acclaim, as is true for most women artists of her generation, Bernstein’s work has not yet received the attention it deserves. Nonetheless, her work has gradually made its way into important museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Philips Collection, and the Smithsonian Museum of American Art, among many others. Bernstein remained committed to figuration throughout her long career. Her desire was always to connect with real life and to be a painter of the people.”

MAR 13 Today is the birthday of American photographer Diane Arbus (1923-1971). She is known for photographing social outcasts and for befriending, rather than objectifying, her subjects. In the late '40s, Arbus and her husband maintained a commercial photography business; Diane was art director and her husband Allan was the photographer. In 1954, she quit commercial photography to focus on her own art. Soon, she was meeting subjects by chance on the streets of New York. Around 1962, she switched from her 35mm camera and its grainy, rectangular images, to a twin-lens reflex camera. This led to a more detailed, square format described as “direct and unadorned.” Arbus pioneered the use of a flash in daylight, which served to separate the subject from the surroundings and produced a surreal effect. She established relationships with many of her subjects and returned to them over the years. "Child With Toy Hand Grenade" (1962)

MAR 13 Today is the birthday of American photographer Diane Arbus (1923-1971). She is known for photographing social outcasts and for befriending, rather than objectifying, her subjects. In the late '40s, Arbus and her husband maintained a commercial photography business; Diane was art director and her husband Allan was the photographer. In 1954, she quit commercial photography to focus on her own art. Soon, she was meeting subjects by chance on the streets of New York. Around 1962, she switched from her 35mm camera and its grainy, rectangular images, to a twin-lens reflex camera. This led to a more detailed, square format described as “direct and unadorned.” Arbus pioneered the use of a flash in daylight, which served to separate the subject from the surroundings and produced a surreal effect. She established relationships with many of her subjects and returned to them over the years. "Child With Toy Hand Grenade" (1962)

OCT 10 Alberto Giacometti was born this day in the small Swiss village of Borgonovo (1901). Though he worked in other media, he is recognized as one of the most important sculptors of the 20th century. Coming from a family of artists, he developed an interest at an early age and later studied at the Geneva School of Fine Arts. In the 1920s, he studied in Paris where his work was influenced by Surrealism and Cubism. Giacometti is best known for the thin figures sculpted in bronze, like Walking Man. It is suggested that such figures express the fear and isolation many experienced after World War II and during the Cold War. Visit the gallery this week: No fear or isolation here.

Robert Henri was born on June 24 or 25 in 1865. He founded the Ashcan School of American realism, a mission of which was to depict the grittiness of urban life, much in the same way as muckraking journalism did. Henri was an influential teacher, and his students included George Bellows and Edward Hopper. Despite his interest in the urban landscape, Henri is best known for his portraits. "Wee Maureen" is a portrait of a child in Dooagh, an Irish village Henri visited annually. The bold brushwork and thick application of paint are hallmarks of his works, and this portrait exemplifies the empathy Henri shows for his subjects. Visit the gallery today from noon until 4, and see how Henri’s teachings have influenced today’s artists. . . #artistbirthday #roberthenri #ashcanschool #realism #tappahannockartistsguild

Flag, Jasper Johns, encaustic, oil, and collage on fabric mounted on plywood, 1954-55 . . #flagday

Today (June 10) is the birthday of French painter Gustave Courbet (1819), a leader of the Realism movement. He rejected Classicism and Romanticism and instead elevated humble scenes and depicted ordinary people as heroes. Manet took inspiration from Courbet's ideas, as did the early Impressionists. Burial at Ornans "buries the viewer as if he or she were in a cave. In a decidedly non-classical composition, figures mill about in the darkness, unfocused on ceremony. As a prime example of Realism, the painting sticks to the facts of a real burial and avoids amplified spiritual connotations." (The Art Story) Visit the gallery to find our own examples of Realism. Open today and tomorrow from noon until 4. . . #courbet #frenchartist #realism #burialatornans #artistbirthday #tappahannockartguild

JUL 6 Today is Mexican artist Frida Kahlo’s birthday (1907). Married to Diego Rivera, she worked successfully to develop her own style, inspired by the folk culture of Mexico. It wasn’t until the 1970s that her significance as an artist was recognized. Today, she is an icon for feminism and the LGBTQ+ movement. (Click image for larger view) #fridakahlo #femaleartist #mexicanartist#tappahannockartguild

Archibald MacNeal Willard, inspired by a holiday parade in Wellington, Ohio, painted The Spirit of '76 around 1875. It was exhibited in the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia where it was not well received. Reproductions sold well, though, and soon the painting was popular enough to tour the country. The central figure is based on a sketch of the artist's father. Archibald Willard was proud of his father's work as a minister and of his grandfather's service in the Revolutionary War. Happy Independence Day! (Click image for larger view) #independenceday #fourthofjuly #julyfourth #spiritof76 #tappahannockartguild

Today we celebrate the birth of Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens (1577). Rubens maintained a workshop of students and assistants who participated in the creation of many of his works. In 1610, the workshop produced “The Elevation of the Cross,” commissioned by the Church of St. Walburga in Antwerp. Most likely, Rubens designed the piece and made sketches that his workshop would follow in executing the painting. The artist then came behind and made touch-ups where he deemed it necessary. This TAG member wishes he had a workshop of helpers. #artistbirthday #rubens#tappahannockartistsguild

JUN 7 Today is the birthday of Paul Gauguin (1848), one of art history’s most castigated figures. It is oft told that he quit a career in the stock market and abandoned his family for life as an artist, but it may be that his wife, at least, was glad to be rid of him. His early paintings fall into Impressionism, but he soon moved to develop a new style. His quest for authenticity led him from Paris to Brittany, a region cut off from modernity in the 19th century. After some time there, he left for Panama, Martinique, and, most famously, Tahiti. His styles ranged from Symbolism to Primitivism, which Picasso would later adopt. While in Brittany, Gauguin painted Vision After the Sermon (Jacob Wrestling with the Angel). He didn’t want the painting to look real, but rather like a spiritual vision. He flattened the spaces and used color as an abstract element. Note the red field where Jacob and the Angel wrestle. Visit the gallery this weekend, and maybe, like the Breton churchgoers, you too can have a religious vision. Open Thursday through Saturday, noon until 4. (Click image for larger view) . #gauguin #frenchartist #symbolism #primitivism #postimpressionism #tappahannockartistsguild

JUN 6 Today we celebrate the birth of Diego Velázquez (1599), Spanish painter and lead artist in Philip IV's court. Many of his paintings show his perfected use of chiaroscuro to create a dramatic sense of dark and light. In 1656 he painted his baroque masterpiece Las Meninas, in which the infanta Margaret Theresa seems to be the focus. Also seen are other members of the royal family, including the king and queen in a mirror. Velázquez himself appears at left working on a large canvas. There are many interpretations surrounding this work. What’s yours? . . #Velázquez #baroqueart #spanishartist #artistbirthday #tappahannockartistsguild

MAY 21 Today is the birthday of sculptor Marisol Escobar (or just Marisol) born in 1930. She enjoyed short-lived fame in the Sixties and again in the 21st century before her death in 2016. She found inspiration for her portraits from photos and memory and incorporated found objects, such as the door and sneakers seen in The Family. I love this piece and hope to see something like it in the gallery soon. How about you? . . . #marisol #popart #foundobjects #sculpture #portrait #family #tappahannockartguild #artistbirthday

MAY 15 Today is the birthday of artist Laura Wheeler Waring (1887). Her mother had been active with the Underground Railroad, and her father was pastor of the first all-black church in Connecticut. Waring taught art and music at Philadelphia's Cheney Training School for Teachers, as well as at Harvard and Columbia. Time in Paris before and after World War I had a profound effect on her growth as an artist, and in 1927, her work was part of the first exhibition of African-American artists in the US. This portrait of Anna Washington Derry helped Waring win an award from the Harmon Foundation, which resulted in the painting being exhibited in several cities in the US and Europe. Today it can be seen at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. . . . #laurawheelerwaring #africanamericanart #portrait #annawashingtonderry #tappahannockartguild

MAY 13 It's the birthday of Georges Braque (1882). He and Picasso developed Cubism when both lived in Montmartre in Paris, beginning around 1908. With the application of geometry, Braque created paintings with multiple perspectives. He fragmented his subjects so that they looked both flat and three-dimensional at the same time. Shown here is Violin and Candlestick, painted in 1910. . . . #georgesbraque #cubism #frenchpainter #modernart #tappahannock

MAY 11 Today we celebrate The Most Illustrious Salvador Dali, born in Catalonia on this day in 1904. A leader of the Surrealism movement, his most famous piece is The Persistence of Memory, completed in 1931. Its melting clocks and human "monster" figure are used to recreate a dreamlike state for the viewer. Dali himself was a work of art, shown here sporting his iconic mustache and posing with his pet ocelot. Come look for surrealism in our gallery. Open Thursday through Saturday, noon until 4. . . #salvadordali #artistbirthday #surrealism #tappahannock #tappahannockartguild

Andy Warhol, arguably the most popular of pop artists, was born this day in 1928. After graduating art school, he moved to NYC in the late '40s and began work as a commercial artist. His experiences as an illustrator likely led to his most famous style, photographic silkscreen printing. There are so many facets of Warhol's career--too many to describe here: Chelsea Girls, The Factory, Edie Sedgwick, the films, 15 minutes of fame, The Velvet Underground, being shot, his wigs, Interview magazine.... His legacy is large in popular culture to this day. Remember Burger King's Super Bowl ad a few years back of Andy eating a Whopper? Learn more at The Warhol museum (warhol.org). . . #andywarhol #popart #shotmarilyns #marilynmonroe #artistbirthday #tappahannockartistsguild