Here are my personal favorite entries of the year.

Dewdrops and Decay

Frills and Frivolity

Flowing Folds

Strands of Expression

Traces of Ink

Sometimes it seems as though modern art is only catching up to some of fantastical shapes, colors, and patterns in nature, especially those in the vivid world of of sea creatures. They seamlessly combine appearance and function in ways that baffle and amaze the modern scientist and artist to create displays that we could only hope to imagine.

Be sure to listen to David Gallo’s talk on some of these creatures!

Sites to visit:

Sea Photos

J.Lambus Photography

“…in our so very civilized society it is necessary for me to live the life of a savage.

— Gustave Courbet

Courbet’s body of work may seem haphazard, and it is hard to pinpoint a particular theme among the landscapes, seascapes, portraits, and erotic imagery. He did, however, approach painting with the same forcefulness that characterized his radical social ideals, and his wish to promote a more Realistic approach to representation. Perhaps his depictions of the sea are not the most literal interpretations of his craving for scandal, but they do embody the innovative quality of his ideas when applied to painting.

The texture of the paint speaks for itself, as the wild brush-and-palette-knife strokes form the turbulent sea of the Normandy coast. It is, perhaps, too gratuitous and irrelevant to immediately attribute his inspiration to Japanese prints based on likeness alone, as Courbet’s masterful savagery was entirely his own.

Willem Claeszoon Heda was one of the first Dutch artists who focused his body of work entirely on still life, though luscious fruit and flowers were not part of his repertoire. Instead, there is an eerie sense of dishevelment in his paintings, as the tablecloths and napkins seem to be thrown carelessly together, the food is half-eaten, and the silverware lies upturned. From a modern perspective, our first reaction is to wonder why the scene was left in this chaotic state and to search for a contextual meaning. Looking at the objects themselves, however, suggests that they were meant to represent an artificial and metaphorical vision of reality, prompting an intellectual and moral interpretation of the upheaval and decay. At the same time, the shiny surfaces of the silverware, folds of cloth, and cups of water allowed Heda to show off his skill in rendering light and reflections.

This sense of decay could also be hidden in a luscious arrangement. An opened oyster, unraveled lemon peel, and slightly tipped plate in Pieter de Ring’s Still Life with a Golden Goblet are surrounded by the saturated hues of moist grapes and a red lobster. It is almost impossible to spot any imperfection in Coenraat Roepel’s Still Life with Fruit , until one notices that the leaves of the gleaming peaches are punctured by tiny holes and moths float against a dark background.

The upper-middle class public who commissioned these works would have considered these still lifes as concentrated representations of the luxury they strived for and dreamed about. Ambrosius Bosschaert’s Still Life with Fruit and Flowers depicts peaches and grapes, which were hard to come by in the northern climate, as well as an imported Chinese porcelain vase with expensive roses and tulips. As if to remind the viewer that this kind of extravagance was not only unattainable but also transient, insects conspicuously mingle throughout the scene.

Site to visit:

Truike Verdegaal

Feathers, porcelain tea sets, and mannequins dressed in lace are an integral part of a white christmas in New York, as the Bergdorf Goodman window displays satisfy the yearly craving for holiday eye candy. Soak up all of the glittery details, but don’t linger too long in the 5th avenue rush and bitter cold. There will always be next year, of course.

More images of the christmas windows on my flikcr page.

Site to visit:

www.shorpy.com

Plodding through snowy slush in New York will never compare to driving along the Amalfi coast, but there are a few places right here in the city that can recreate the authentic southern-Italian flavors. Tribeca’s Capri Cafe offers perfectly cooked pasta, whether it’s olive-infused or just covered in tomato sauce and cheese, and other dishes that are delicious in their simplicity. The desert, of course, doesn’t disappoint, as the cannoli had a delicate lemon flavor to it and the tiramisu reminded me of the one I had in a small restaurant in Trastevere. The owner himself is from Capri and will help cook the food, creating a tiny corner of Italy in the city.

During the Italian Renaissance, lapis lazuli was alluring not only for the intensity of its pigment but also for its rarity and high price. Extracting the ultramarine pigment is a lengthy and complex process that was developed in the thirteenth century, and involves combining the ground stone with wax, oils, and resins before wrapping the mixture in cloth and placing it in another chemical solution. A conspicuous and striking sign of wealth, lapis lazuli was used in Giotto’s fresco cycle in the Scrovegni Chapel, a private chapel for a moneylender of the time.

Thin layers of light-upon-dark glaze form the main figure of Gainsborough’s The Blue Boy, the silken folds and creases a reference to the artist’s admiration for van Dyck. Gainsborough had studied the Flemish artist’s techniques, gestures, and colors, and applied them to his own portraits, perhaps, as a response to Joshua Reynolds’ subversive criticism of his work.

Site to visit:

www.brianskerry.com

Eugene Galien-Laloue is famous for his picturesque gouaches of Paris that capture daily life with a casual and unassuming sense of composition and viewpoint. He is the casual observer on his bicycle with sketchbook in hand, appreciating all buildings, cafes, and sidewalks as only a true Parisian can. His work, along with other painters of the Paris street scene, were well-known and sought after at the time. The camera had not yet been able to fully represent movement, so many, especially foreigners, were eager to satisfy their taste for this mysterious and glamorous city.

A view of the Opera House, Paris by Georges Stein perfectly captures that feeling of standing in the middle of a busy city square. The massive buildings surround you, people walk in a hurried pace, and the glassy rain makes everything all the more clear to you, the still and silent observer.

Edouard Cortès also favors the watery luminesce of autumn rain, that glorious moment before the sun sets and the street lamps and cafes emanate a warm glow. Perhaps he depicts Paris at its finest and most serene, giving the viewer a sense of belonging to a leisurely-strolling crowd.

Camille Pissarro didn’t particularly enjoy painting his birds-eye view scenes of wide boulevards, but they were exactly what his art dealer and the bourgeois public wanted. He was fond of depicting peasant life, so painting from the windows of expensive hotels in order to please the Parisian socialites he didn’t like was somewhat humiliating and frustrating. At the time, the ones who appreciated the art of the Impressionists were not peasants, unfortunately, and Pissarro had to earn a living somehow.

The 17th century Spanish court was beginning to show signs of decay. It was in serious financial trouble, sometimes not being able to pay the cooks or buy enough firewood, and yet had to maintain a semblance of the lavishness it was reputed for. Philip IV had no male heir, so his daughters, The Infanta Margarita Teresa and her sister, were his only hope of continuing the royal line. As the court painter, Velasquez sought to immortalize this delicate atmosphere, relying on the King’s support and enthusiasm for fine art.

Philip was the only one who would have seen Velasquez’s paintings, so it’s not surprising that many of his works are portraits of the Infanta, as she was virtually the only symbol of hope the king had. At the same time, Velasquez depicts a kind of doll-like fragility in her rigid stance and ambiguous expression that seems to mirror the unpredictability of her future and the one of the Spanish court. The thin, almost translucent layers of brushstrokes give her an ethereal quality that reveals Velasquez’s impeccable technical skills as well as his subtle and intellectual approach to painting.

Site to visit:

Kristin and Kayla

Mark Laita has done some of the most spectacular photography for ad campaigns, and his personal portfolio applies the same kind of bold, graphic approach to create striking glimpses of nature, animals, and human bodies. He effortlessly finds visual vignettes in the curves of butterfly wings, wisps of leaves, and reptilian tails. Dramatic lighting and saturated color give the photographs a painterly quality, making them even more convincing in a keenly aesthetic sense.