L'Espressionismo astratto di Andrew Wyeth

Andrew Wyeth (1917-2009) è stato uno dei più celebri ed amati pittori realisti e regionalisti Statunitensi del Novecento.

È stato talvolta indicato con l'appellativo di "pittore della gente" a motivo della sua popolarità tra il pubblico americano.

Mentre il grande pubblico lo ha sempre adorato per la sua capacità di parlare direttamente al cuore delle persone, la critica modernista dell'epoca lo ha spesso accusato di essere troppo tradizionale o puramente un "illustratore".

Ciononostante, ha ricevuto le massime onorificenze statunitensi, tra cui la Presidential Medal of Freedom nel 1963 e la Congressional Gold Medal nel 1988.

Liseth Visser, 1960 | Classical Realist painter

Dutch artist Liseth Visser a.k.a. ElisabethV paints her pictures in a classic realistic way using oils.

She paints on panels and works both on a commission and non-commission basis.

She uses a traditional labour-intensive technique with under-layers, under-paintings and lots of (half) transparent to create softness, depth and glow within the final layers, this to achieve a natural and realistic skin tone in a poetic ambiance.

Eric Casey Baugh, 1984 | Impressionistic Realism painter

Eric Casey Baugh is an acclaimed American contemporary artist known for his cinematic figurative oil paintings and atmospheric charcoal drawings.

His work bridges the gap between traditional realism and hyper-modern, narrative-driven impressionism.

His signature style blends strict anatomical accuracy with dreamlike, blurred, and atmospheric backdrops.

Born in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, Eric Casey Baugh’s earliest art instruction came around the age of four from his father and aunt who were artists by hobby.

Paul Knight, 1965 | Realist painter

Paul Knight was born and lives in Nottinghamshire, England.

In 2007 he renewed his interest in art, and after a period of two years decided to pursue art education by enrolling in a Fine Art degree course at Nottingham University.

He continues to work on the degree course, and while taking a break from it, he has set up a small drawing workshop.

This has driven him in the direction of developing a traditional method of cast and still life work that incorporates modern concepts.

Paul is very interested in modern American artists who show a resurgence into Realism.

Jean Abrie, 1962 | Figurative / Wildlife painter

South African painter Jean Abrie was born in the former Eastern Transvaal and in his early years grew up in Zimbabwe.

There he developed a great love for wildlife.

Upon returning to South African he completed his secondary schooling and graduated at the University of Pretoria.

Jean prefers to work in oils and capture the many facets and mystical qualities of African wilderness in a photo realistic style on large canvasses.

Hanan Milner, 1949 | Figurative painter

Hanan Milner was born in Lithuania, former USSR and immigrated to Israel in 1964.

In his youth he studied at Renanim and Telma Yellin art schools in Tel Aviv and at the Bezalel Academy of Art in Jerusalem.

He also learned from the famous Austrian artist Ernst Fuchs.

From the beginning, Milner painted in a realistic style in oils, water and acrylic.

Lea Reinhart | Still life painter

Lea Reinhart (Brno 1877 - 1970 Vienna) was an Austrian painter, known for Miniatures and still life painting.

She presumably studied at the Vienna Art School for Women under guidance of the Viennese painters Robert Scheffer and Adalbert Franz Seligman.

Her miniatures and still life paintings enjoy great popularity.

Vasily Polenov | Woman walking in a forest park, 1883

Vasily Dmitrievich Polenov / Васи́лий Дми́триевич Поле́нов (1844-1927) was born in Saint-Petersburg.

His family placed great emphasis on the importance of art and culture.

Indeed his father, Dmitri Vassilievitch Polenov (1806-1872) was a connoisseur of the artistic world, and his mother, Maria Alexeievna Voeïkova (1816-1895) a gifted portraitist of the Brullov school.

He spent his childhood in Saint-Petersburg, a major cultural center and Carely, in the Olonentsky countryside.

Classical Realism by William Whitaker Jr.

American painter William Whitaker Jr. (1943-2018) is an artist who has been at the forefront of painting's representational revival during recent years.

The only son of an artist father, William Whitaker Jr. grew up in the special world of the working artist.

He had access to the finest art materials and was painting in watercolor and oil at the age of six.

His fondest early memories are of the sights sounds and smells of the art studio.

Whitaker loves to paint from life in an old fashioned studio.

Everett Shinn | Ashcan School painter

Everett Shinn (1876-1953), a painter, illustrator, designer and playwright who was best known for his images of the theater, was born in New Jersey in 1876.

He studied industrial design in Philadelphia from 1888-1890, and in 1893, he enrolled in the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.

At the same time, Shinn supported himself as an artist-reporter for the Philadelphia Press, where he became friends with William Glackens, George Luks and John Sloan, whose style of urban realism influenced Shinn to depict the bleaker aspects of city life.

Ricardo Celma, 1975 | Magical realism painter

Ricardo Celma is considered one of the greatest references of contemporary realism.

His work has a mix of influences, are present the elements of Baroque, Flemish painting, Magical realism and hyperrealism.

Ricardo Celma was born in Buenos Aires.

His artistic vocation showed up at the early age of 5 when he started attending to an art workshop and he continued to do so for 20 years.

Miomir Badžić (?-2000) | Ballet dancers

Miomir Badžić was an Serbian artist, known for working in classical and realistic style.

Miomir Badžić, an exceptionally talented painter, masterfully expressed his artistic vision.

He was known for his outstanding paintings of ballerinas, historical motifs, replicas of old masters, landscapes and portraits.

With his skill, Badžić created masterpieces and left an indelible mark on the world of painting.

He devotedly created in Belgrade until the last day of his life, and his art and legacy remain immortal, although he unfortunately left us in 2020.

Jeffrey T. Larson, 1962 | Classical Realist painter

Jeffrey T. Larson was born in Two Harbors, Minnesota and grew up in the Twin Cities.

At the age of seventeen he began his classical studies with traditional atelier training under Richard Lack at the Atelier Lack in Minneapolis, MN.

Following his four- year training at Atelier Lack (1980-1984), Larson studied the work of the masters in the United States and abroad.

Édouard Manet Quotes: "Black is not a color"

• Everything is mere appearance, the pleasures of a passing hour, a midsummer night's dream. Only painting, the reflection of a reflection - but the reflection, too, of eternity - can record some of the glitter of this mirage.

• A painter can say all he wants to with fruit or flowers or even clouds.

• A good painting is true to itself.

• In una figura, cercate la grande luce e la grande ombra, il resto verrà da sé.

David Gray, 1970 | Classical Realist painter

David's Gray signature style reveals a personal and contemporary expression of beauty and order which pays homage to the Classical Tradition in its craftsmanship.

Collectors of David's work often relate that his painting provoke a sense of peace, stillness, or a contemplative mood.

His award winning works have been covered by major art publications including Southwest Art, Art of the West, and American Art Collector.

Rosmery Mamani Ventura, 1985 | Pastel painter

Rosmery Mamani Ventura is an award winning hyperrealistic pastel artists from Bolivia.

She was born in Omasuyos, near Lake Titicaca where she lived until 1998.

At 14 she migrated from her rural Aymara indigenous community to the city of El Alto to work as a maid, a move that brought excitement, but also struggle.

Despite the hardships, that move was also the first step toward discovering her talent as an artist.

Jan Bogaerts (Dutch, 1878-1962)

Johannes Jacobus Maria (Jan) Bogaerts was an artist from Netherlands.

Born in the Dutch city of 's-Hertogenbosch, in the province of North Brabant, Bogaerts attended the Koninklijke School voor Nuttige en Beeldende Kunsten in his birth city between 1893 and 1899.

He spent four years working in the studio of the fin-de siècle artist Antoon van Welie (1866-1956) and also received tutelage from him at the Den Bosch academy from 1897 until 1899.

Under his influence, Bogaerts painted figures, portraits, landscapes, parks, gardens and castle grounds in a symbolistical manner.

Rob Hefferan, 1967 | Moonlight Lovers

Rob Hefferan is an exceptionally talented figurative artist.

His varied body of work celebrates the joyous and multifaceted forms that human beings express with limitless imagination and wit.

Rob captures the personality of each of his subjects with honesty, integrity and above all, a sacred appreciation for the unique spirit embodied within us all.

His heartfelt response to humanity is woven into the very fabric of each outstanding portrait, earning him the reputation of one of the finest contemporary realists of his generation.

Happy Birthday Édouard Manet!

It’s Édouard Manet’s birthday - born on this day - January 23, 1832. To this day, Manet is still considered to be the father of Modernism.

Édouard Manet -the eldest son of an official in the French Ministry of Justice- had early hopes of becoming a naval officer. After twice failing the training school's entrance exam, the teenager instead went to Paris to pursue a career in the arts. There he studied with Thomas Couture and diligently copied works at the Musée du Louvre.

The biennial (and later, annual) Parisian Salons were considered the most expedient way for an artist to make himself known to the public, and Manet submitted paintings to Salon juries throughout his career. In 1861, at the age of twenty-nine, he was awarded the Salon's honorable mention for The Spanish Singer.

Vasily Polenov (1844-1927)

Vasily Dmitrievich Polenov /Васи́лий Дми́триевич Поле́нов was a Russian landscape painter associated with the Peredvizhniki movement of realist artists.

His contemporaries would call him the "Knight of Beauty" as he embodied both European and Russian traditions of painting.

His vision of life was summarized as following: "Art should promote happiness and joy".

As a painter and a humanist, he would truly believe in the civilizing mission of Art, Culture and Education.