Coronation of the Virgin Fra Angelico The Louvre, Paris I discovered the work of Fra Angelico for myself. What I love about his paintings are his choice of colors. I love the blue and peachy shades he uses in his paintings. Most Renaissance paintings have mostly reds and golds, but I love Angelico’s soothing blue shades in his work, and they seem to be in many of his paintings. I love Renaissance art and I find it to be a refreshing way of seeing it. … Continue reading →

The Dead Sea scrolls (click to enlarge) consist of roughly 1000 documents, including texts from the Hebrew Bible, discovered between 1947 and 1979 in eleven caves in and around the Wadi Qumran (near the ruins of the ancient settlement of Khirbet Qumran, on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea) in the West Bank. The texts are of great religious and historical significance, as they include practically the only known surviving copies of Biblical documents made before 100 AD, and preserve evidence of considerable diversity … Continue reading →

The Dancers (I) Oil on canvas Henri Matisse The Museum of Modorn Art New York City The highlights of what I saw: French painter Henri Matisse (1869 – 1954) is best known for his paintings and collages, and as the founder of Fauvism, a style of painting that focused on using color to express emotion, rather than represent the actual/natural colors of the subject of the painting. Matisse’s fame and significance in modern art is probably only matched by his good friend and rival, Pablo … Continue reading →

The Ambassadors Hans Holbein (German), 1533 Oil on canvas (see below for larger version) When I first saw this painting, I thought, “Here’s a Renaissance painting you don’t see everyday.” I think this painting has just as much mystery to it than the Mona Lisa, and it doesn’t get any attention at all. In 1533 artisan Hans Holbein painted “The Ambassadors” (see below for a larger version of the painting), a portrait of Jean de Dinteville and Georges de Selves of Henry VIII’s court. Holbein … Continue reading →

Opus 217. Against the Enamel of a Background Rhythmic with Beats and Angles, Tones, and Tints, Portrait of M. Félix Fénéon in 1890. By Paul Signac I thought this painting (and the long title) was so unusual for 1890, that I thought I might feature it for Art Sunday. It recently was on exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. I couldn’t find much information on it specifically, except that Felix Feneon was a much feared French art critic, but here … Continue reading →