In the sixth century, as the Roman Empire collapsed China was cultivating its arts with Imperial support.  Xie He had just compiled a comprehensive collection of  Chinese artists which included a criteria for making and judging paintings. His instructions advised … Continued

Whenever an artist moves paint onto a surface in pursuit of an idea, they are abstracting. No one paints trees; we paint symbols, schema and illusions which conjure trees in a beholder.  Artists set expectations so that illusions can be … Continued

Turning the pages of art history back to the 1860’s brings us to the time of  professional travel painting.  Artists traveled to unfamiliar locations and captured a sense of place for a curious public. Often the paintings were commissioned by … Continued

In 1845 William Parson looked through the world’s  biggest telescope, then in Ireland.  He found and illustrated a spiral nebula, as he called it (example 1). Later we would recognize this as another galaxy.  In 1845 the idea of multiple … Continued

Among Painters who enjoyed winter we have examples from Pieter Bruegel to Claude Monet to Winslow Homer.   Homer’s windy studio on Prouts Neck, Maine was so cold the ice in his water bucket froze if it sat more than 4 … Continued

Painting Flowers has an extraordinary history. For millennia Chinese artists used floral subjects to decorate ceramics, textiles, and paintings. Eventually Europeans would catch up. Caravaggio presented an early isolated basket of flowers. By 1600 Jan Brueghel the Elder made images … Continued