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El Greco Biography

El Greco Biography

Alina    2018-09-15 14:05:06    painters biographies   

Architect, Painter, Sculptor (c. 1541–1614)

El Greco was a Greek artist whose painting and sculpture helped define the Spanish Renaissance and influence various movements to come.

Synopsis

El Greco was born around 1541 in Crete, which was then part of the Republic of Venice. In his mid-twenties, he traveled to Venice and studied under Titian, who was the most renowned painter of his day. Around age 35, he moved to Toledo, Spain, where he lived and worked for the rest of his life, producing his best-known paintings. His works from this period are seen as precursors of both Expressionism and Cubism. He is remembered chiefly for his elongated, tortured figures, often religious in nature, the style of which baffled his contemporaries but helped establish his reputation in the years to come.

Early Years: Venice and Rome

El Greco was born Domenikos Theotokopoulos on the island of Crete, which was at the time a Venetian possession. Around age 20, somewhere between 1560 and 1565, El Greco (which means “The Greek”) went to Venice to study and found himself under the tutelage of Titian, the greatest painter of the time. Under Titian, El Greco began mastering the fundamental aspects of Renaissance painting—e.g., perspective, constructing figures, and staging detailed narrative scenes (a prime example of his work from this period is The Miracle of Christ Healing the Blind).

El Greco moved to Rome from Venice after a time, remaining from 1570 to 1576, staying initially in the palace of Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, one of the most influential and wealthy individuals in Rome. In 1572, El Greco joined the painters’ academy and established a studio, but success would prove elusive (El Greco had criticized Michelangelo’s artistic abilities, which likely led to him being ostracized by the Roman art establishment), and he left Rome for Spain in 1576.

Finding a Foothold: Toledo, Spain

In Madrid, El Greco tried to secure royal patronage from King Philip II, but to no avail, so he moved on to Toledo, where he finally began to find the success history would remember and where he would paint his masterpieces.

In Toledo, El Greco met Diego de Castilla, the dean of the Toledo Cathedral, who commissioned El Greco to paint a group of works for the altar of the church of Santo Domingo el Antiguo (such as The Trinity and The Assumption of the Virgin, both 1579). Castilla also facilitated the commission of The Disrobing of Christ (1579), and these paintings would become some of El Greco’s most accomplished masterworks. (Unfortunately, the price El Greco demanded for The Disrobing of Christ led to a dispute, and he never received another comparable commission from Castilla again.)

Regardless of where commissions now came from, El Greco embarked on a wildly successful career in Toledo and produced such landmark works as St. Sebastian (1578), St. Peter in Tears (1582) and The Burial of Count Orgaz (1588). The Burial of Count Orgaz, especially, encapsulates El Greco’s art in that it depicts a visionary experience, transcending the known and revealing that which exists in the spiritual imagination. One of El Greco’s most celebrated works, it features a dichotomy of heaven and earth, the burial and the spiritual world waiting above, and it took his artistic vision beyond what he had previously been able to accomplish.

Another notable work from this period is View of Toledo (1597), which is considered the first landscape in Spanish art. It is also is one of the only, if not the only, surviving landscape done by El Greco, who rarely strayed from religious subjects and portraits.

Later Years and Legacy

El Greco’s later works are marked by exaggerated, and often distorted, figures, stretching beyond the realities of the human body (which is what modern viewers generally have found so appealing). Among them are The Adoration of the Shepherds (1599), Concert of Angels (1610), and The Opening of the Fifth Seal (completed in 1614). Fifth Seal in particular went on to spark great debate, as it has been suggested that it was an influence on Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, often considered the first cubist painting.

El Greco’s effect on Picasso’s evolution is just one thread of his influence. The twisting figures and brash, unreal colors that form the very foundation of El Greco’s art influenced scores of artists, from the cubists following Picasso to the German expressionists to the abstract impressionists after them. His work also inspired those outside the realm of painting, such as writers Rainer Maria Rilke and Nikos Kazantzakis. El Greco died on April 7, 1614, unappreciated in his time, with the art world waiting 250 years before embracing his status as a master.

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Al Held Biography

Al Held Biography

Alina    2018-09-14 14:05:22    painters biographies   

Educator, Painter (1928–2005)

Painter, Al Held was know for his painting complex cube-like structures in the 1960s, and his precise and brightly colored geometric forms in the 1980s.

Synopsis

Painter Al Held was born in New York City. During the 1950s painted in the abstract expressionist manner. From 1960 he adopted a more geometric style, painting complex cube-like structures with heavy impasto paint. In the 1980s he turned to acrylic paints, rendering precise and brightly coloured geometric forms in a deep perspectival space.

Profile

Painter, born in New York City, USA. He studied at the Art Students' League in New York and in Paris, then returned to New York, and during the 1950s painted in the abstract expressionist manner. From 1960 he adopted a more geometric style, painting complex cube-like structures with heavy impasto paint. In the 1980s he turned to acrylic paints, rendering precise and brightly coloured geometric forms in a deep perspectival space.

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Al Hirschfeld Biography

Al Hirschfeld Biography

Alina    2018-09-13 14:05:00    painters biographies   

Sculptor, Painter, Illustrator (1903–2003)

Al Hirschfeld is known for his stylish caricatures in the New York Times over many decades (beginning 1929) portraying show-business personalities.

Synopsis

Caricaturist Al Hirshfield was born June 21, 1903, in St. Louis, Mo. He studied art in Europe and traveled in East Asia, where Japanese and Javanese art influenced his graphic style. He was especially known for his stylish caricatures in the New York Times over many decades (beginning 1929) portraying show-business personalities. Hirschfeld also illustrated many books.

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David Hockney Biography

David Hockney Biography

Alina    2018-09-12 14:05:00    painters biographies   

Painter, Photographer (1937–)

Known for his photo collages and paintings of Los Angeles swimming pools, David Hockney is considered one of the most influential British artists of the 20th century.

Synopsis

Born in Bradford, England, in 1937, David Hockney attended art school in London before moving to Los Angeles in the 1960s. There, he painted his famous swimming pool paintings. In the 1970s, Hockney began working in photography, creating photo collages he called joiners. He continues to create and exhibit art, and in 2011 he was voted the most influential British artist of the 20th century.

Early Life and Education

David Hockney was born in Bradford, England, on July 9, 1937. He loved books and was interested in art from an early age, admiring Picasso, Matisse and Fragonard. His parents encouraged their son’s artistic exploration, and gave him the freedom to doodle and daydream.

Hockney attended the Bradford College of Art from 1953 to 1957. Then, because he was a conscientious objector to military service, he spent two years working in hospitals to fulfill his national service requirement. In 1959, he entered graduate school at the Royal College of Art in London alongside other young artists such as Peter Blake and Allen Jones, and he experimented with different forms, including abstract expressionism. He did well as a student, and his paintings won prizes and were purchased for private collections.

Early Work

Hockney’s early paintings incorporated his literary leanings, and he used fragments of poems and quotations from Walt Whitman in his work. This practice, and paintings such as We Two Boys Clinging Together, which he created in 1961, were the first nods to his homosexuality in his art.

Because he frequently went to the movies with his father as a child, Hockney once quipped that he was raised in both Bradford and Hollywood. He was drawn to the light and the heat of California, and first visited Los Angeles in 1963. He officially moved there in 1966. The swimming pools of L.A. were one of his favorite subjects, and he became known for large, iconic works such as A Bigger Splash. His expressionistic style evolved, and by the 1970s, he was considered more of a realist.

In addition to pools, Hockney painted the interiors and exteriors of California homes. In 1970, this led to the creation of his first “joiner,” an assemblage of Polaroid photos laid out in a grid. Although this medium would become one his claims to fame, he stumbled upon it by accident. While working on a painting of a Los Angeles living room, he took a series of photos for his own reference, and fixed them together so he could paint from the image. When he finished, however, he recognized the collage as an art form unto itself, and began to create more.

Hockney was an adept photographer, and he began working with photography more extensively. By the mid 1970s, he had all but abandoned painting in favor of projects involving photography, lithographs, and set and costume design for the ballet, opera and theater.

Later Work

In the late 1980s, Hockney returned to painting, primarily painting seascapes, flowers and portraits of loved ones. He also began incorporating technology in his art, creating his first homemade prints on a photocopier in 1986. The marriage of art and technology became an ongoing fascination—he used laser fax machines and laser printers in 1990, and in 2009 he started using the Brushes app on iPhones and iPads to create paintings. A 2011 exhibit at the Royal Museum of Ontario showcased 100 of these paintings.

In a 2011 poll of more than 1,000 British artists, Hockney was voted the most influential British artist of all time. He continues to paint and exhibit, and advocates for funding for the arts.

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Hans Hofmann Biography

Hans Hofmann Biography

Alina    2018-09-11 14:05:00    painters biographies   

Painter, Educator (1880–1966)

German painter Hans Hofmann was an influential 20th century art teacher whose work paved the way for abstract expressionism.

Synopsis

Born in Weissenberg, Germany, on March 21, 1880, painter Hans Hofmann is regarded today one of the most influential art teachers of the 20th century. His work, which paved the way for abstract expressionism, includes the famous painting "Spring" (1940). Hofmann died on February 17, 1966, in New York City.

Early Life and Career

Born Johann Georg Albert Hofmann in Weissenberg, Bavaria, Germany, on March 21, 1880, Hans Hofmann spent his early years in Munich. After first focusing on math and science, Hofmann discovered a passion for art. He moved to Paris in 1904 with the help of an art patron. There, Hofmann studied at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière and the Académie Colarossi.

Hofmann immersed himself in Paris's thriving art scene, meeting such artists as Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse and Georges Braque. He also became friends with Robert Delaunay. During this period, the work Hofmann created followed the leading avant-garde movement of the time—cubism. In 1910, Hofmann had his first solo show in Berlin.

Living back in Germany at the start of World War I, Hofmann was excused from military service because of an earlier respiratory condition. Unable to return to France during the war, he opened an art school in Munich in 1915. Over the years, Hofmann earned a stellar reputation as an instructor of art. Worth Ryder, a former student, invited Hofmann to teach in the United States for the summer of 1930. Germany's changing political climate made Hofmann decide to permanently settle in the United States in 1932.

Educator and Artist

Hofmann based himself in New York City, where he worked as an instructor at the Art Students League before establishing his own school in the city. In 1934, Hofmann began a summer program in Provincetown, Massachusetts. In addition to teaching, Hofmann also continued to make his own art, producing "Spring"—a notable work that was created by dripping and splashing paint onto a canvas—in 1940.

Becoming known for his abstract paintings, Hofmann landed a solo exhibition at Peggy Guggenheim's Art of This Century gallery in 1944. In 1957, his work was the subject of a retrospective showing at New York's Whitney Museum of American Art. The next year, Hofmann retired from teaching in order to focus on creating art.

Hofmann was selected to represent the United States at the Venice Biennale in 1960, alongside Philip Guston, Franz Kline and Theodore Roszak. By then, he was considered a leading abstract expressionist who created vivid and inventive paintings. In 1963, the Museum of Modern Art mounted a major exhibition of his work.

Personal Life

Hofmann became an American citizen in 1941. His first wife, Maria "Miz" Wolfegg, whom he had married in 1924, passed away in 1963. Two years later, Hofmann married Renate Schmitz, who served as a muse for many of his final works. At the age of 85, Hofmann died on February 17, 1966, at his New York City home.

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Winslow Homer Biography

Winslow Homer Biography

Alina    2018-09-10 14:05:04    painters biographies   

Painter (1836–1910)

Winslow Homer was a painter whose works, particularly those on marine subjects, are among the most powerful of late 19th-century American art.

Synopsis

In 1860, Winslow Homer exhibited his first paintings at the National Academy of Design in New York. From the late 1870s, Homer began to devote his summers exclusively to direct painting from nature in watercolor. After 1883, the sea became the dominant theme in his work, and by the 1890s he had become generally recognized as one of the leading American painters.

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Edward Hopper Biography

Edward Hopper Biography

Alina    2018-09-09 14:05:12    painters biographies   

Painter, Artist (1882–1967)

Artist Edward Hopper was the painter behind the iconic late-night diner scene Nighthawks (1942), among other celebrated works.

Synopsis

Born in 1882, Edward Hopper trained as an illustrator and devoted much of his early career to advertising and etchings. Influenced by the Ashcan School and taking up residence in New York City, Hopper began to paint the commonplaces of urban life with still, anonymous figures, and compositions that evoke a sense of loneliness. His famous works include House by the Railroad (1925), Automat (1927) and the iconic Nighthawks (1942). Hopper died in 1967.

Early Life by the Hudson

Edward Hopper was born on July 22, 1882, in Nyack, New York, a small shipbuilding community on the Hudson River. The younger of two children in an educated middle-class family, Hopper was encouraged in his intellectual and artistic pursuits and by the age of 5 was already exhibiting a natural talent. He continued to develop his abilities during grammar school and high school, working in a range of media and forming an early love for impressionism and pastoral subject matter. Among his earliest signed works is an 1895 oil painting of a rowboat. Before deciding to pursue his future in fine art, Hopper imagined a career as a nautical architect.

After graduating in 1899, Hopper briefly participated in a correspondence course in illustration before enrolling at the New York School of Art and Design, where he studied with teachers such as impressionist William Merritt Chase and Robert Henri of the so-called Ashcan School, a movement that stressed realism in both form and content.

Darkness and Light

Having completed his studies, in 1905 Hopper found work as an illustrator for an advertising agency. Although he found the work creatively stifling and unfulfilling, it would be the primary means by which he would support himself while continuing to create his own art. He was also able to make several trips abroad—to Paris in 1906, 1909 and 1910 as well as Spain in 1910—experiences that proved pivotal in the shaping of his personal style. Despite the rising popularity of such abstract movements as cubism and fauvism in Europe, Hopper was most taken by the works of the impressionists, particularly those of Claude Monet and Edouard Manet, whose use of light would have a lasting influence on Hopper’s art. Some works from this period include his Bridge in Paris (1906), Louvre and Boat Landing (1907) and Summer Interior (1909).

Back in the United States, Hopper returned to his illustration career but also began to exhibit his own art as well. He was part of the Exhibition of Independent Artists in 1910 and the international Armory Show of 1913, during which he sold his first painting, Sailing (1911), displayed alongside works by Paul Gaugin, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Paul Cézanne, Edgar Degas and many others. That same year, Hopper moved to an apartment on Washington Square in New York City’s Greenwich Village, where he would live and work for most of his life.

Wife and Muse

Around this time, the statuesque Hopper (he stood 6'5") began making regular summer trips to New England, whose picturesque landscapes provided ample subject matter for his impressionist-influenced paintings. Examples of this include Squam Light (1912) and Road in Maine (1914). But despite a flourishing career as an illustrator, during the 1910s Hopper struggled to find any real interest in his own art. However, with the arrival of the new decade came a reversal of fortune. In 1920, at age 37, Hopper was given his first one-man show, held at the Whitney Studio Club and arranged by art collector and patron Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney. The collection primarily featured Hopper’s paintings of Paris.

Three years later, while summering in Massachusetts, Hopper became reacquainted with Josephine Nivison, a former classmate of his who was herself a fairly successful painter. The two were married in 1924 and quickly became inseparable, often working together and influencing each other’s styles. Josephine also jealously insisted that she be the sole model for any future paintings featuring women and so inhabits much of Hopper’s work from that time forward. 

(Later information from Josephine's diaries presented by art scholar Gail Levin in the 1995 book Edward Hopper: An Intimate Biography presented the marriage as becoming highly dysfunctional and marked by abuse from Hopper, though another couple who knew the two challenged such claims.)

Josephine was instrumental in Hopper’s transition from oils to watercolors and shared her art-world connections with him. These connections soon led to a one-man exhibition for Hopper at the Rehn Gallery, during which all of his watercolors were sold. The success of the show allowed Hopper to quit his illustration work for good and marked the beginning of a lifelong association between Hopper and the Rehn.

Sought After Art and 'Nighthawks'

At last able to support himself with his art, during the second half of his life Hopper produced his greatest, most lasting work, painting side by side with Josephine at their Washington Square studio or on one of their frequent trips to New England or abroad. His work from this period frequently indicates their location, whether it is the quiet image of the lighthouse at Cape Elizabeth, Maine, in his The Lighthouse at Two Lights (1929) or the lonely woman sitting in his New York City Automat (1927), which he first exhibited at his second show at the Rehn. He sold so many paintings at the show that he was unable to exhibit for some time afterward until he had produced enough new work.

Another notable work from this era is his 1925 painting of a Victorian mansion beside a railroad track titled House by the Railroad, which in 1930 was the first painting acquired by the newly formed Museum of Modern Art in New York. Further indicating the esteem in which the museum held Hopper’s work, he was given a one-man retrospective there three years later.

But despite this overwhelming success, some of Hopper’s finest work was still to come. In 1939 he completed New York Movie, which pictures a young female usher standing alone in a theater lobby, lost in thought. In January 1942 he completed what is his best-known painting, Nighthawks, featuring three patrons and a waiter sitting inside a brightly lit diner on a quiet, empty street. With its stark composition, masterful use of light and mysterious narrative quality, Nighthawks arguably stands as Hopper’s most representative work. It was purchased almost immediately by the Art Institute of Chicago, where it remains on display to the present day.

Accolades in Later Years

With the rise of abstract expressionism near the middle of the 20th century, Hopper’s popularity waned. In spite of this, he continued to create quality work and receive critical acclaim. In 1950 he was honored with a retrospective at the Whitney Museum of American Art, and in 1952 he was chosen to represent the United States in the Venice Biennale International Art Exhibition. Several years later he was the subject of a Time magazine cover story, and in 1961 Jacqueline Kennedy chose his work House of Squam Light, Cape Ann to be displayed in the White House. 

Although his gradually failing health slowed Hopper’s productivity during this time, works such as Hotel Window (1955), New York Office (1963) and Sun in an Empty Room (1963) all display his characteristic themes, moods and ability to convey stillness. He died on May 15, 1967, at his Washington Square home in New York City at the age of 84, and was buried in his hometown of Nyack. Josephine died less than a year later and bequeathed both his work and hers to the Whitney Museum.

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Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres Biography

Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres Biography

Alina    2018-09-08 14:05:05    painters biographies   

Painter (1780–1867)

Jean August Dominique Ingres was a French painter of the Neoclassical period. He is famous for his society portraits and female nudes.

Synopsis

Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres aws born on August 29, 1780, in Montauban, France. He became one of the most revered neo-classicist painters of his era. He is known for his mythological studies ("Jupiter and Thetis," "Oedipus and the Sphinx") as well as evocative nudes and portraiture work ("Madame Rivière"). Head of the École des Beaux-Arts and later Rome's French Academy, he died on January 14, 1867.

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Contact

Alina Sluchinskaya, 41100 Shostka, Sumy region, Ukraine
Website: www.alina-arts-gallery.com
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