Faith Ringgold is an American painter born in Harlem New York 1930. She is also a writer sculptor, and mixed media artist but she is prolific in her narrative quilts. She studied at the City College of New York, and she is an active member of the Civil Rights Movement, as well as the Feminist Art Movement. She grew up in the Great-Depression era in Harlem, during her upbringing she explored many of her visual interests with crayons and her mediums spanned as she learned how to sew and work creatively with fabric. Faith’s art reflects many childhood experiences from racism, sexism, segregation, her other artistic themes are people, poetry, and music that have influenced her.

Tar Beach 2 (1990)

Tar Beach 2 (1990) is a painting depicted on a quilt that shows the world of Cassie Lightfoot, an 8-year-old girl from Harlem who dreams of flying over the apartment buildings and all throughout the city of New York. I am in awe of the colors she and the illustrative style of her work. Looking at this piece reminds me of perseverance and hope. Her narrative quilts are inspired by Buddhist thankas. I can see the parallels between the silk floral fabric and the vibrant colors of blue and yellow. And how she scales the foreground and the background. I really admire Thankas and I am fascinated that she chose them as a source of inspiration. I think she wanted to portray peace, love, and light in troubled neighborhoods of New York.

American People Series #20: Die

  Faith Ringgold wanted to document what was happening around her as an African American artist. There were a lot of undocumented killings of African American people and civil unrest during the ’60s. Everyone person is dressed the same, the men are dressed in business suits, and the women are dressed in what she called “hooty-dooty dresses”, this was how she abstracted this painting. This painting pertained to race and class, and everyone was fighting for the position of life.     I saw this painting at the Museum of Modern Art in New York back in 2018, and I was astonished by the scale of this painting. It was a stroke of luck that day because the museum had free admission through a UNIQLO promotion. American People series #20 was the most impressive work I had seen in the entire museum because it was so grand and because it instantly made you feel something, compared to the much more abstract works. I am sure it caught a lot of other people’s attention as well because the painting felt like it was screaming at you.  After witnessing this painting I never really delved into the artist until now. Faith Ringgold is one of my new found favorite artists. She carries a variety of themes in her work, she communicates through her hopeful and innocent narrative quilts to her grand-scale paintings of violence and suspense.

Link sources:

https://www.moma.org/audio/playlist/290/3867

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faith_Ringgold

Photo sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faith_Ringgold

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Faith-Ringgold

Edward Robert Hughes

Edward Robert Hughes is a British pre-raphaelite painter. He was born into a family associated with the pre-raphaelites brotherhood, his uncle, Arthur Hughes became acquainted with the founding members, John Everett Millais, Holman Hunt, and Dante Gabriel Rosetti however he was never an official member. Edward Robert Hughes would become a pre-raphaelite artist himself after being influenced by his uncle. After developing his style he became a studio assistant for one of the pre-raphaelite founding members, William Holman Hunt who was an elder at that time. Holman Hunt later succumbed to Glaucoma, that was when E.R Hughes made significant contributions to finalize this painting.

Edward Robert Hughes is known for his alluring paintings of mythological themes, that exhibit faerie, and other fantastical beings. He works predominately in watercolors, he also specializes in oil paintings as well.

The Light of the World by William Wolman Hunt

This is not an original painting of Edward Robert Hughes but it is significant because he is accredited to helping a pre-raphaelite founding member, William Wolman Hunt finish this piece due to his complications with glaucoma. It is a condition that can permanently damage vision loss. or blindness.

“Valkyrie’s Vigil”

“Valkyrie’s Vigil” is a beautifully rendered watercolor painting. Which is incredibly impressive. I personally find watercolors one of the most challenging mediums, because it is difficult to control the fluidity of water, and it is hard to correct any mistakes. It is also challenging to achieve a range of depth and shade compared to mediums like oil and acrylic. Looking at this painting I am astonished because this looks like an oil painting. The painting has a beautiful luminous translucent effect to it, which I think is hard to achieve with watercolors. When I see how smooth the fleshtones and the texture of the fabric look I am baffled. Because it’s hard to imagine how this was executed.

“The Weary Moon”

What I absolutely adore about Edward Hughes’s paintings is the ethereal essence that is captured with his soft and tender brushstrokes. However this painting of “The weary moon” stands out because is quite different from the rest of his stylized paintings. His paintings usually display figures at the forefront with expressions conveying soothing tranquility. Instead, this painting exhibits a sorrowful human figure. It is evident by the gesture of the palm which cups the face of disappointment, or someone trying to conceal their face. I am not sure why I would consider this piece one of my favorites compared to all the other paintings which have a much advanced, detailed, and realistic element to them. This painting is absent of fine renderings which are common in his works, but I like this stylistic approach of rough strokes which seems to encapsulate the emotion of this painting. Perhaps it is reflective of the person’s psyche.

“Dream idyll a valkyrie” or “A Witch”

“Dream idyll a valkyrie” or ” A witch” is perhaps my favorite painting of Edward Hughes. Another aspect I appreciate from Edward Hughes is his secular ideas and themes for his paintings. He predominantly depicts many women in mythological, angelic, and ethereal forms. Although this painting portrays a witch perched on a pegasus. Witches are typically seen as vile or ungodly, yet she still looks like a divine celestial goddess. This painting also demonstrates great value for perspective, with an aerial view of the city down below. When I look at these paintings I get a sense of dream-like euphoria. This type of feeling gives me the desire to live in this sort of universe which is non-existent in our reality. I often get deja vu when I observe paintings, perhaps it triggers a subconscious memory from my dreams.

source:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Robert_Hughes

Image source:

https://www.tuttartpitturasculturapoesiamusica.com/2013/01/edward-robert-hughes.html

Antonio Corradini

A master of carving texture:

Antonio Corradini was an Italian Rococo sculptor, born in Venice. He was famous for his illusory textured veiled marbled carvings on women. His carvings are so detailed and intricate realistic that the veils can be portrayed as if they are translucent.

“Veiled Truth”, completed in 1750

I remembering seeing an image of this sculptor somewhere on the internet. And I was astonished at how beautiful and realistic it looked. What captivates me is how subtle protruded carved lines can make the texture look so realistic. What I find very alluring about “veiled truth” is the mystique of the woman’s expression. She can be portrayed as solemn, sensual, or feeling worn out. Sometimes I like to think I am living vicariously through renaissance paintings and sculptors, with their expressions. I feel like it helps me correspond to art.

What I admire about Antonio Corradini’s art is not only his impressive craftsmanship of signature veils but that most of the subjects were females. I find it more evocative, It makes me wonder if he felt a deep sense of connection to women, because he seldom sculpted men. What I find most captivating about his sculptures is the mystique and unknown. Especially in this piece, the women with closed eyes can be depicted as both peaceful yet sorrowful. It looks as though she can be in a deep slumber, or as someone who is passed away.

It looks like a real delicate and tender fabric or linen. But it is so deceiving because this is stone-hard marble.

I adore this piece because of the fine rendering of lines on the veil which looks more delicate and complex compared to the previous carvings. What I also find very fascinating is how these statues are seemingly expressionless however they simultaneously convey a lot of emotion. It demonstrates how subtle and powerful these statues can be.

In this statue, the female is looking to her left in an averted gaze. To me, it looks like she is in disbelief or disapproval. She seems to carry more expression and looks more lively in comparison to the previous image. I believe it is because of the twist of her neck and her head tilted onwards to the right.

Antonio Corradini is one of those artists I have just recently discovered, and I have instantly fallen in love with it.

There seems to be a change of moods from the statues when there are multiple rather than one. There is a sense of intimidation and there is something slightly menacing with their expressions. Maybe because of the proximity and identical faces there is a compelling powerful sense of unity. Which has an interesting eeriness to it. However, his work is incredible and it would be a huge privilege to see one of these masterpieces in real life one day.

Sebastiano Del Piombo was a High Renaissance painter born in Venice. He was never considered a productive or disciplined painter, and he often avoided the technique of fresco. His works were predominately portraits and religious subjects. He worked alongside notable artists like  Raphael and was acquainted with Michaelangelo. Oil was his medium of painting.

Salome with the Head of John the Baptist or The Daughter of Herodias is a circa 1510 oil on panel painting

This painting conveys a woman holding the head of John the baptist. I find this compelling because of the dominating and unbothered expression of someone holding a decapitated head. I love the realistic rolled-up blue and white silk sleeves. It is a great reference to study his painting technique for textures. I would use this painting as a guide to practice and emulate his methods for smooth and illuminated textures.

Madonna with the Veil

Date: 1525

There’s something very calming and serene about this painting. The muted colors co-ordinate with soft expressions and transparent cloth. It’s pleasing to the eye, especially seeing the baby in slumber.

Pietà

Date: 1517

This painting is both sorrowful and hopeful. An interesting contrast which seems to represent these moods through colors. It appears the focal point is Mother Mary because the light is shining on her. The theme of Hope seems to dominate this painting.

Death of Adonis

This is mythological painting has a very interesting composition. The rule of thirds placement is unexpected. The subject and title suggest the dead body of Adonis to prevail in the painting, but he is rather in the distant background. However, the reactions and expression of the people in the foreground are more enticing.

Tod des Adonis

Date: 1505

This painting seems to be off the grid from his religious and mythological paintings. That’s why it seems unusual hence the painting technique which looks quite stippled.