Wassily Kandinsky explored apocalyptic themes both in his art and writing.  However, in his foreboding about a disastrous future, he interjects a profound sense of  hope.  These opposing  forces of light and dark, the idyllic and the catostrophic, are symbolized in his Sketch for Composition II.  The dance of colors and shapes are mindful of the deeper mysteries, the sacred.  Birth and death, love and hate, desire and fear…all appear on the unmade bed of life where nothing is ever neat and tidy or convenient.  In celebration of the Guggenheim Museum’s 50th Anniversary, a special Kandinsky Exhibition is now being shown at the New York Guggenheim.

Campbell’s Soup Cans, which is sometimes referred to as 32 Campbell’s Soup Cans, is a work of art produced in 1962 by Andy Warhol.  It consists of thirty-two canvases, each measuring 20 inches in height × 16 inches in width and each consisting of a painting of a Campbell’s Soup can—one of each of the canned soup varieties the company offered at the time.  The individual paintings were produced with a semi-mechanized silkscreen process, using a non-painterly style.  Campbell’s Soup Cans’ reliance on themes from popular culture helped to usher in pop art as a major art movement in the USA.  Warhol, a commercial illustrator who became a successful author, publisher, painter and film director. 

Joshua Black Wilkins introduced himself humbly.  He was Justin Townes Earle’s tour manager, friendly, attentive and professional.  Joshua didn’t talk much about himself during the two days I had the chance to be with him.  He knew his job and he did it well.  When I returned to my atelier, I googled him and what I discovered surprised me.  He’s an artist.  Joshua is a singer, songwritier and gifted photographer.  I thought to myself, “It must be nice for Justin to know a kindred spirit travels with him on his tour.”  If I was Justin Earle, this is the man I’d want with me on my tour.  Source: www.joshuablackwilkins.com

Luncheon of the Boating Party (1881) is a painting by French impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir.  The painting depicts a group of Renoir’s friends relaxing on a balcony at the Maison Fournaise along the Seine River in Chatou, France.  The painter and art patron, Gustave Caillebotte, is seated in the lower right.  Renoir’s future wife, Aline Charigot, is in the foreground playing with a small dog.  In this painting Renoir has captured a great deal of light.  As you can see the main focus of light is coming from the large opening in the balcony, beside the large singleted man in the hat.   A luscious feast for the senses.  {Source: Wikipedia}

Prendergast was a painter, illustrator and graphic artist, his work was characterized by the use of a wide range of colors applied in short brushstrokes.  He was a member of a group of artists called “The Eight,” well-known for their common opposition to academism because they abandoned decorous subject matter and portrayed the more common aspects of American life.  Integrating these influences into his work, Prendergast painted more forceful works of art, with startling bright colors and staccato brushstrokes. As one of  “The Eight,” Prendergast was sharply criticized for his more abstract and brightly colored style.   Although he predominantly worked in watercolors, he began using oils in his later career.

“All I want to do is paint,” said Andrew Wyeth, “and I paint the things I know best,” as realized in his tempera painting Groundhog Day.  The everyday things found in and around his home resonated with emotion for Wyeth.  Dividing his time between Pennsylvania and Maine, Wyeth maintained a realist painting style for over fifty years and was sometimes referred to as the “Painter of the People,” due to his work’s popularity with the American public.