An April Birthday Boy: Antoine Vollon
Antoine Vollon, known primarily for his excellent still-life paintings, had a birthday on April 23rd. In the glory days of the annual academic Salon in Paris (1760s–1890s)—when the self-ap ...
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Curator's Corner
Earth Appreciation Month: John Joseph Enneking
What better way to celebrate Earth Month than to show you paintings by an American Impressionist who celebrated the beauty of nature through COLOR. To be totally honest, I had never heard of Enneking ...
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Curator's Corner
Respect for History: Kako Katsumi
Never underestimate the aesthetic power of an ancient culture’s art. That can certainly be said of the stranglehold ancient Greek and Roman culture has had on Western art since the Renaissance ( ...
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Curator's Corner
Gem of the Month: Rogelio Polesello
“Argentinian Modernism” is not really a term bandied around at any length in surveys of modernism of the mid- to late 1900s. The truth is, the development of modernist art movements in Cen ...
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Curator's Corner
Let It Snow in Ukiyo-e Prints
We have had several snowfalls in the past couple of weeks. On Presidents’ Day I found myself staring at a snow-laden tree across the street and thinking, that looks like a Japanese woodcut of a ...
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Curator's Corner
African American History Month: Grafton Tyler Brown
When we usually read about the Rocky Mountain School of painting, we are presented with artists like Albert Bierstadt (1830–1902), Thomas Hill (1892–1908), and Thomas Moran (1837–192 ...
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Curator's Corner
Gem of the Month: Nan Madol
Because 2019 is well into my eleventh year posting this blog, I’ve decided to initiate a new monthly feature for this year: Gem of the Month. As a fellow art historian, I know all too well their ...
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Curator's Corner
Abstract Expressionist Paul Jenkins
Some art historians, when discussing an artist’s work, will say “oh, but he’s (or she’s) a brilliant colorist!” I’ve never really known when to use that phrase with ...
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Curator's Corner
Contemporary Jewelry Pioneer: Eleanor Moty
On a cold January day, I stop and look at this beautiful brooch by Eleanor Moty and wonder why I haven’t introduced you to her jewelry?! She is a fellow Illinoisan by birth, and actually grew up ...
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