“Caravaggesque” at The MET

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“The greatest French follower of Caravaggio (1571–1610), Valentin de Boulogne (1591–1632) was also one of the outstanding artists in 17th-century Europe.” This exhibition brings together 45 of his paintings.

“Although he is not well known to the general public, Valentin has long been admired by those with a passion for Caravaggesque painting. His work was a reference point for the great realists of the 19th century, from Courbet to Manet, and his startlingly vibrant staging of dramatic events and the deep humanity of his figures, who seem touched by a pervasive melancholy, make his work unforgettable.”

Valentin de Boulogne: Beyond Caravaggio

Until January 16, 2017

The Metropolitan Museum of Art 5th Ave and 86 Street, NYC

 (Image: “Saint John the Baptist”, ca. 1613–14, Oil on canvas Valentin de Boulogne, French)

BTW – Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio’s work, is often described as “Baroque”. Ok. I just describe him as vibrant, passionate, fierce. One of my favorites.    

 

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Kehinde Wiley at SAM!

The Seattle Art Museum presents: Kehinde Wiley: A New Republic

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“Kehinde Wiley is one of the leading American artists to emerge in the last decade and he has been ingeniously reworking the grand portraiture traditions. Since ancient times the portrait has been tied to the representation of power, and in European courts and churches, artists and their patrons developed a complex repository of postures and poses and refined a symbolic language… Wiley’s portraits are highly stylized and staged, and draw attention to the dialectic between a history of aristocratic representation and the portrait as a statement of power and the individual’s sense of empowerment.”

Kehinde Wiley: A New Republic

Seattle Art Museum – Until May 8 2016

(Image: Saint John the Baptist in the Wilderness (detail), 2013, Kehinde Wiley)

 

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Reginald Marsh

Reginald Marsh

American artist, Reginald Marsh (1898-1954), painted New York City life of the 1920s and ‘30s. He was part of the “Social Realism” movement of the time.

Not all of Marsh’s paintings are quite so colorful, he gravitated toward regular people in the streets, at the burlesque, on the subway. His concentration on common, everyday scenes are reflective of his concerns for the lives of the average man and woman.

 

 

Mark Rothko: A Retrospective

“Mark Rothko: A Retrospective” at MFA Houston:

mark rothko at mfah, no 9 1948

“Across a career spanning the most troubled years of the 20th century, Rothko (1903–1970) explored the tragic and the sublime, and his canvases remain a testament to the deep humanism he brought to modern painting. This definitive retrospective comprises more than 50 paintings that trace the artist’s full career arc, highlighting milestones in the development of his signature style.”

“Long recognized as among the foremost figures of the Abstract Expressionist vanguard, Mark Rothko embraced the possibility of beauty in pure abstraction with a painterly eloquence that gave a new voice to American art.”

Mark Rothko: A Retrospective

Until Jan 24, 2016

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

1001 Bissonnet St, Houston, TX

(Image: “No. 9”, 1948, Mark Rothko)

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Sargent At The MET

Sargent MET 2“Throughout his career, the celebrated American painter John Singer Sargent (1856–1925) created exceptional portraits of artists, writers, actors, dancers, and musicians, many of whom were his close friends.”

Sargent: Portraits of Artists and Friends brings together about ninety of the artist’s paintings and drawings of members of his impressive artistic circle. The individuals seen through Sargent’s eyes represent a range of leading figures in the creative arts of the time such as artists Claude Monet and Auguste Rodin, writers Robert Louis Stevenson and Henry James, and the actor Ellen Terry, among others.”

 

Sargent: Portraits of Artists and Friends

Until October 4, 2015

The Metropolitan Museum of Art
5th Ave and 86 Street, NYC

(Image: “Madame X, 1884”)

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