Debi Shapiro: The Eternal Flower Season

 

 It's such a beautiful time in the PNW! The riotous colors of blooms and blossoms makes the spirits rise in the body. To capture that feeling and be able to enjoy it beyond Spring are the works of the botanical photographer, Debi Shapiro. 

 

 

 

 

Shapiro trained as a fashion and beauty photographer. It was the inspiration of 17th Century floral artists and the large, single bloom paintings of Georgia O' Keeffe that led her to own evolution to floral photography.

  

 

 

Another consideration in Shapiro's draw to flora was the knowledge of how fleeting the moments were from budding hope to withering away. It gave meaning to the phrase, "the journey of the transformation of life." This meant that capturing the height of astonishing beauty became an event to be recorded permanently. 

 

 

Shapiro's floral portraits are so detailed and are featured against a black background reminiscent of the 17th Century oil paintings that first inspired her. You can see more of her works in her recently published book, "Beauty in Bloom,"with over 200 floral images.

Parth Kothekar: Papercutter of Unlimited Subjects

Born and raised in Gujarat, India, Parth Kothekar found his talent for sketching did not suit the teachings in art school where 3-D was stressed, while his interest was in 2-D art.With time and experimentation, his sketches led to papercutting.

 

 

 

Using only a surgical knife and a single sheet of paper, he found his medium by 2010. Three years later, he would have his first exhibition of 100 pieces! What an impressive amount of production in only 3 years. 

It was at his exhibition at Kanoria Centre for Arts in Ahmedabad that would provide the recognition he needed to encourage his efforts as an artist and to consider when he was doing as more than a hobby.

 

Kothekar's first attempts at the business of art did bring up some of the pitfalls leading to financial troubles. However, his determination to continue his passion for papercut, meant he worked to make even finer and more intricate works.This dedication to do more and better led to his success.

He also found challenges in working in different sizes. His papercuts range from so small that they fit in a hand to very large. It's not only his size variations, but also his subjects. 

 

 

Kothekar finds challenges in the intricacies of an Escher, East Indian motifs, 3-d works, portraits and, yes, even Harry Potter. (In writing this blog, it was difficult among so many choices to highlight examples of the broad scope of his works.) You can also view his processes in a few videos.

 

.

 

  

Jean-François Millet: Artist of the Peasants

 Along with many 19th century Russian artists, Jean-Francois Millet (1814-1875) found much inspiration from the life of the peasants in the French village where he was born.

 

 

Although Millet was the oldest and expected to work on the family farm in a time when family labor made the difference in survival or not. Yet, his father recognized his son's talent and sent him to Cherbourg to study art. He initial attempts to exhibit his art in Paris were unsuccessful and he settled away from Paris in Barbizon - a small hamlet.

 

 

It was in Barbizon where he turned to the peasant lifestyle that would give him recognition as an artist and criticism as a Socialist. It was also the place where he and Rousseau founded the Barbizon School - dedicated to the art of Realism and Natural landscapes. (The school existed from 1830-1870. The biggest impact was to put nature ahead of historical paintings.)

 

 

 

During those years in Barbizon, Millet gained international status with such paintings as "The Gleaners" and the commission by an American of "The Angelus." 

 

The American did not take the painting. Upon Millet's death, the painting went to a bidding war auction and ultimately this paintings of humility sold for 800,000 gold francs! The irony being not only the contrast of the painted scene and the price paid, but also that Millet's family, left poor by his death, received none of the money.  This disparity led to a law in France known as "droit de suite." This law, now in several EU countries, allows for the artists or heirs to receive a fee on the resale of the work. 

 

Fascinating how an artist, who painted the hard and humble lives of the peasants, led to political criticism and capitalist greed. It was a glimpse into the future of art as it moved away
from patronage to market forces.

Anna Alma-Tadema: The Art of the Details

 

There are artists, especially pencil or charcoal artists, with the most amazing portraits done in great and astonishing detail. Minute detail in painting is not as common these days as it was pre-photography days. In those days, patronage required that the artist paint the riches of the patrons.

With the advent of photography, artists were free to paint in more abstract ways. Yet, there were a certain number of artists, who were trained in the importance of detail and remained highly regarded. One such artist was Anna Alma-Tadema (1867-1943) (Self-portrait on left)

Anna was raised in a family of artists. Her father, Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, shared with her his love and success in detail painting. He went about decorating their home as a Roman villa, which offered much detail for Anna to paint. 

She was so good in her use of watercolor, goache and graphite recreating these sumptious rooms that by age 18, she was exhibiting professionally. She also painted flowers, portraits and buildings - always with an eye to detail.

Anna was a suffragette who never married. Her dedication was to her art and her family. She continued to exhibit her work for 40 years (1885-1928) in the most prestigous venues. By the time her father died, the market for such detailed art had collapsed.. She eked out a living after 1928, but those works are unknown. 

Morris Graves: Mysticism & Asian Aesthetics

 

It was an assignment in an art class to report on a dead 20th century Northwest artist who was accomplished enough to have a body of work and have been known in their lifetime. That's how I came to find out about Morris Graves (1910-2001).

He was native Northwesterner (Fox Valley, Oregon) and a born artist. His parents had no idea what to do with the little artist. They were sure his fate was to be penniless.

 

Lacking guidance, Graves wasn't sure of his direction either, so at age 18 he joined the Merchant Marines. A voyage through the Orient would prove to be one of the most profound influences on his art.

In spite of being largely self taught, at age 23 he won first prize at the NW Annual Show held at the Seattle Art Museum. (By age 26, Morris had his first one-person show at that museum.)

 

 From 1935 to 1954, Seattle had an informal art community. The artists group included Graves, Mark Tobey (who influenced Pollock), Kenneth Callahan and Guy Anderson. Together, these four artists heavily influenced each other, so that they were referred to as the "Northwest School of Masters." During this time, Life magazine placed the four on the cover of an issue with the title: "The Mystic Painters of the Northwest." 

 

They were called mystic painters because they all sought understanding of themselves and their relation to the cosmos including Eastern concepts of consciousness and creation. Graves studied and used Taoist, Buddhist and East Indian symbolism in his paintings.

Throughout his lifetime, Morris would produce art that was sparse and beautifully illuminated. This is where viewing his art provides so much more than a photo.  (Quite a few pieces of his art are in the collection of the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art located on the University of Oregon campus and the Morris Graves Museum of Art, Eureka, CA)

 

 

 

At the end of this life, he requested a painting titled, "Triumph" be brought to him. He looked at it and saw not tulips, but angels rising to the heavens and so he, too, departed. To the end of life, Morris saw and created mystic symbolism.  

 

 

Muller Frères: From Art Nouveau to Art Deco

 Last week, the post was about Émile Gallé, an artist, designer and innovator in the time of Art Nouveau. He trained many who want to intern in the art of glass. Amongst these interns were the members of the Muller family.

Muller siblings were many, lead by Henri Muller, who left Gallé with 4 of his brothers to start a glass company of their own. In time, they were joined by a sister and 3 more brothers to make "Muller Frères" a family glass business.

At first, with the influence of their mentor, they designed Art Nouveau glass items. In time, with the beginning of the Art Deco era in the 1920 to 1930s, they created electric light sconces, desk lamps and overhead lighting along with vases and other furnishings. However, they're best remembered for their lamps and chandeliers.

With the start of WW1 and the death of a brother, the business was shut down. The siblings came back together after the war. The family team would go on to great success through the 1920s. Alas, the Great Depression would hit their business hard and the factory stopped production in 1933. 

One thing that's important in writing this blog is to try to give a sense of the artists' body of work.In addition their original Art Deco lighting designs, I've included a few of their gorgeous vases.    

 

Émile Gallé: The Forgotten Art Nouveau Master

 

 

Art Nouveau was at its peak from 1890-1910. The style reigned in art, architecture, furniture and even clothing. It was a means of bringing nature, especially abstract versions of plants and floral, into sinuous and flowing motifs. One of the art forms that thrived during that time was glass as a medium. It lead to a resurgence of stained glass as well as appreciation for blown glass and molded glass.

There are some names known for the beauty and innovation of their glass works such as Lalique and Tiffany. Yet, there were others who created equally beautiful glass objects, but whose names have not continued into the 20th century and beyond. Among that group is Émile Gallé (1846-1904), This is in spite of his reputation as one of the most innovative Art Nouveau glass designers.  

Gallé's innovations included such techniques as glass marquetry and patinated glass (the latter technique he patented).

He also experimented with inorganic compounds and metals to create new colors - many adopted into common usage by other glass makers.

 

His glass works were considered to be the finest glassware on the market with their beautiful forms, rich color and inspired decoration. Today, if you are in Nancy, France, be sure to view the 400 pieces of his glass works and ceramics at the Musée de l'École de Nancy.

 

 

 

One last thing: Gallé's talent wasn't limited to glass, he also created beauty in ceramics and furniture. Perhaps topics for another time... Next week: His interns who became famous for Art Deco glass works.           

 

 

 

Dmitry Kustanovich: Melding Techniques to Create New

 

The art of Dmitry Kustanovich (1970-) brings to mind the techniques of Van Gogh, as a Post-Impressionist with his use of impasto to create a 3-D effect. Yet, there's also the melding with Pointillism more reminiscent of Seurat or Signac with their daubs. Add to all that, a dynamic sense of movement or immediacy and you have a skilled contemporary artist.

 

 

 

 

A Belarusian by birth, Kustanovich trained in art in his homeland and in Russia. He currently lives in St. Petersburg, where in 2009, he opened the Kustanovich's Gallery as a cultural center. There, evening events include music, creative expression and the artist himself teaching master classes in art. 

 

Getting back to his technique, he is considered to be an originator of not only the amalgam of techniques, but also to accomplish them using palette knives instead of brushes. As he states on why he prefers palette knives, his reply is:

 

 

I model the space with the palette knife expressing its to-day state, its momentous, its current minute. This is my technique. It is emotional. It has its own philosophy. The world expressed through it is manifolded. It is different.

 

All of his originality, combined with recognizable techniques and subjects means that 100 galleries have featured his works over the past 30 years... even in his flora!