Category: IDES 131

On October 27, 1923, Roy Lichtenstein was born in New York City and is now known to be one of the most influential members of the pop art movement (while also sharing a birthday with me!). Lichtenstein first became interested in art and design at a young age, as he was a huge fan of jazz and would often attend concerts to draw portraits of the musicians playing their instruments. After high school, he attended Ohio State University but did not receive his Master of Fine Arts degree until 1949, after serving in WWII.

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Lichtenstein worked on various exhibitions for a number of years and then began teaching at Rutgers University in 1960, which is where he first gained interest in pop art. At this time, Lichtenstein was known to incorporate hidden cartoon characters into his work, which later turned into direct adaptations of various comic book strips. 

Throughout his life, he was often accused of copying the work of other artists, to which he argues that the use of different textures and techniques makes his art different enough, even if others still consider it “copying”. Liechtenstein had a particular interest in the printed element of cartoon and commercial art, as he often resembled a style similar to photographic reproduction. 

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 On September 29, 1997, Roy Lichtenstein died at the age of 73. Through his use of bold lines, striking colours, and various cartoon-like elements, Lichtenstein is now considered one of the best leading pop artists of his time. 

Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Lichtenstein  
https://www.moma.org/artists/3542 
https://lichtensteinfoundation.org/biography/

Images:
https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/features/roy-lichtenstein-learning-resource
https://theconversation.com/roy-lichtenstein-had-only-one-great-idea-in-his-pop-art-but-made-the-most-of-it-84630c
https://www.sartle.com/artwork/drowning-girl-roy-lichtenstein
https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/lichtenstein-whaam-t00897
https://en.wahooart.com/A55A04/W.nsf/Opra/BRUE-6WHLSZ

On June 3, 1877, Raoul Dufy was born in Le Havre, France. At a very young age, Dufy left school to begin working at a coffee importing company. However, it wasn’t until the age of 18 where he discovered his true passion for art. In 1895, he started taking evening art classes at École des Beaux-Arts and painted mostly watercolour landscapes. Eventually, he won a scholarship to study at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. There, he was greatly influenced by Impressionist painter Claude Monet and soon developed his own unique colourful style.

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In 1901, Dufy entered his first exhibition at the Exhibition of French Artists and was lucky enough to gain attention and support from various fellow artists at the time. Soon enough, he expressed interest in Fauvism, particularly when he visited the Salon Des Indépendants in 1905. There, he found inspiration in Henri Matisse’s “Luxe, Calme et Volupté”. Until about 1909, he followed the artist group Les Fauves bright and vivid colour palette, until he realized that he could create his own subtle, yet still Fauvist style. 

Throughout the late 1920s, he painted many different yacht scenes in France using bright oils and watercolours. However, he also experimented with many other different mediums including murals, ceramics, textiles, tapestries, and even stationary. Unfortunately, in 1950, he developed severe arthritis in his hand which greatly impacted his ability to paint. Only three years later, Raoul Dufy passed away on March 23, 1953 at the age of 75.

Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raoul_Dufy 
https://www.sothebys.com/en/artists/raoul-dufy
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Raoul-Dufy

Images:
https://www.artfixdaily.com/blogs/post/579-raoul-and-jean-dufy-at-the-mus%C3%A9e-marmottan-monet 
https://www.helenebailly.com/en/artistes/presentation/9122/dufy-raoul#artwork-11279 
https://www.moma.org/collection/works/194451

Born on October 3, 1867, Pierre Bonnard grew up in Fontenay-aux-Roses, France. He started showing talent for drawing and watercolour at a very young age, and grew up painting scenes in the garden of his parents’ country home. Later, he went to school to study law, as per his father’s request, however, he began taking art classes on the side. After selling his first work of art later that year, his parents let him study art full-time at “Academie Julian” in Paris.

Soon after the start of his artistic career, Bonnard formed an art group with his friends from school called “Les Nabis”. While most of his peers created paintings with more religious themes, he kept his overall style playful and un-ideological. In 1892, he gained interest in decorative art and design and started creating posters and lithographs, as he was particularly inspired by the Japanese print style. Because of this, he also started including geometric patterns in his portrait paintings.

In 1894, Bonnard created a series of paintings of life in Paris and continued to focus on similar subjects until he married a woman named Marthe de Meligny in 1925. Marthe is known to be the subject of many of his portraits, particularly that of the nude style, as his most famous portraits include Marthe lying nude in a bathtub. 

The last painting he did was titled “The Almond Tree in Blossom”, (1947) and was completed a week before he died at age 79 in Le Cannet, France on January 23, 1947. Pierre Bonnard is widely considered ‘one of the greatest colourists of modern art’ due to his bold use of colours, which were heavily influenced by Paul Gaugin. His striking, distinct style is what truly led his remarkable life as an artist.

Sources:

Metmuseum.org, www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/bonn/hd_bonn.htm.
“Pierre Bonnard.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 29 Sept. 2020, www.britannica.com/biography/Pierre-Bonnard.
“Pierre Bonnard.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 28 Oct. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Bonnard.

Images:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pierre_Bonnard,_Self-portrait._c._1889,_oil_on_canvas,_21.5_x_15.8_cm.jpg 
How the Japanese transformed French painting

https://www.newstatesman.com/Pierre-Bonnard-Colour-Memory-Tate-Modern-review
https://frenchculture.org/performing-arts/3843-pierre-bonnard-dining-room-country
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%27Morning_in_Paris%27_by_Pierre_Bonnard,_1911.JPG 

Born on May 14, 1727, Thomas Gainsborough grew up in Sudbury, Suffolk and later became one of the greatest English portrait and landscape painters of the 18th century. Gainsborough discovered his love for painting at the age of ten, and practiced constantly while living in what is now known as “Gainsborough’s House”, a popular museum dedicated to the life and works of Thomas. After discovering his great talent, Thomas’ father let him leave home in 1740 (at the age of thirteen) to study in London under Hubert Gravelot.

After marrying a woman named Margaret Burr, Gainsborough temporarily moved back to Sudbury in 1748 to practice his portraits. Margaret and Thomas later had two daughters and decided to move into a bigger house in Ipswich in 1752, but they later settled more permanently in Bath in 1759. This is where Gainsborough finally gained traction and sold various commissions while studying the works of van Dyck. 

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Soon enough, Gainsborough discovered that displaying his works in exhibitions would help him gain even more attention. He eventually began sending paintings to the Royal Academy every year, and was actually invited to attend the exhibit as a founding member in 1769. Although he had to temporarily stop displaying his paintings while his family moved to London in 1774, he finally made it big in 1777, where he painted and displayed portraits of celebrities like the Duke and Duchess of Cumberland. 

Throughout the later years of his life, he resorted to painting simple landscapes, as this was his true passion. On August 2, 1788, Gainsborough died of cancer at the age of 61. In The Story of Art, Gombrich states that compared to his rival at the time, Joshua Reynolds, who emphasized the “importance of tradition,” Gainsborough was “a self-made man,” who decided to make his own rules (362). Ultimately, the mindset that Gainsborough had throughout his life is what led to his great success as a painter. 

Sources:

Gombrich, Ernst Hans. The Story of Art. Phaidon Press, 2016.
“Thomas Gainsborough.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 10 Sept. 2020, www.britannica.com/biography/Thomas-Gainsborough.
“Thomas Gainsborough.” Thomas Gainsborough - The Complete Works, www.thomas-gainsborough.org/.

Images:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Gainsborough
Mr and Mrs Andrews by Thomas Gainsborough
https://www.rct.uk/collection/400675/henry-duke-of-cumberland-with-anne-duchess-of-cumberland-and-lady-elizabeth
https://www.wikiart.org/en/thomas-gainsborough/king-george-iii-1781
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blue_Boy

Raphael Sanzio (better known as simply Raphael) was born on April 6, 1483, in Urbino, Italy. As a child, his father, Giovanni Santi, taught him how to paint, as he was also a painter. Soon after his father died, he began his apprenticeship in Perugia at a young age. Upon arriving in Perugia, he found inspiration through his mentor, Perugino, who heavily influenced one of his first notable paintings, “The Marriage of the Virgin” (1504).

Later in 1504, Raphael moved to Florence, where he studied the works of Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Fra Bartolommeo. He was particularly captivated by Da Vinci’s chiaroscuro (light and dark contrast) and sfumato (soft shading) techniques, where he notably “avoid[ed] giving his figures a harsh and rigid appearance,” (Gombrich 345). Throughout his four years in Florence, he gained a bit of popularity and recognition as a talented young artist.

In 1508, Raphael was called to Rome by Pope Julius II to paint the inside of the Vatican Palace, where his paintings the “Disputation of the Holy Sacrament” (1510) and the “School of Athens” (1511) were displayed. Raphael also completed a series of Madonna paintings from 1508 to 1513, which were heavily influenced by Da Vinci’s “Madonna Litta” (1490). In 1517, Raphael was commissioned to paint an altarpiece depicting Christ’s Transfiguration, however, the painting was left unfinished as he unexpectedly died at age 37 on his birthday (April 6, 1520). The unfinished painting was displayed above his body at the funeral mass in the Vatican, however, the painting was later completed by Giulio Romano.

Sources:

Gombrich, Ernst Hans. The Story of Art. Phaidon Press, 2016.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Raphael.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2 Apr. 2020, www.britannica.com/biography/Raphael-Italian-painter-and-architect.
“Raphael.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 17 Oct. 2019, www.biography.com/artist/raphael.

Images:

http://www.raphael-sanzio.com/quotes/
http://totallyhistory.com/the-marriage-of-the-virgin/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disputation_of_the_Holy_Sacrament
https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.26.html 
https://www.wga.hu/html_m/r/raphael/5roma/5/10trans.html