Marc Chagall (1887-1985) was born Mooshie Shagal. Shagal is a dialectal, northeastern Yiddish variant of the surname, “Segal”. He was born in Vitbsk, Russian Empire, the oldest of nine children in a close-knit Jewish family. His father was a herring merchant. Chagall began studying painting in 1906. He moved to St. Petersburg in 1907. This period was difficult for Chagall because Jewish residents at the time could only live in St. Petersburg with a permit, and he was jailed for a brief time. He met … Continue reading →

Venus of Urbino, 1538 Tiziano Vicellio Titian Oil on canvas The Venus of Urbino (1538) is an oil painting by the Italian master Titian. It depicts a nude young woman, identified with the goddess Venus, reclining on a couch or bed in the sumptuous surroundings of a Renaissance palace. It hangs in the Galleria degli Uffizi in Florence. The pose is based on Giorgione’s Sleeping Venus (c. 1510), which also is displayed below, but Titian uses more sensuality in comparison to Giorgione’s sublime remoteness. Devoid … Continue reading →

What ever happened to Paul McCartney’s first love ? They had a relationship that lasted five years, but finally ended… Jane Asher’s love of cake making began when she started baking as a child, helping her mother, Margaret, in the kitchen. As a young mom herself, she spent hours making novelty cakes in the shape of animals and fairytale characters for her three children. They were so unusual and good that a friend suggested she try to get a book of her designs published. This … Continue reading →

Two Sisters on the Terrace, 1881 Oil on canvas Art Institute of Chicago Renoir is one of my favorite artists from the impressionist era. It was a tough picking out what would be considered his most classic pieces, but these are my favorites. I love his delicate subjects and beautiful colors. It seems that he was always thinking of springtime, whether it was a bouquet of flowers or a beautiful woman. If I recall correctly, Renoir was the first artist that I chose to do … Continue reading →

From ‘Yellow Submarine’ to the sides of buses, Peter Max’s designs defined the culture of the sixties. Peter Max is a multi-dimensional creative artist. He has worked with oils, acrylics, water colors, finger paints, dyes, pastels, charcoal, pen, multi-colored pencils, etchings, engravings, animation cells, lithographs, serigraphs, silk screens, ceramics, and computer graphics. He loves all media, including mass media as a “canvas” for his creative expression. As in his prolific creative output, Max is as passionate in his creative input. He loves to hear amazing … Continue reading →