Undergrowth With Two Figures

Vincent Van Gogh, 1890

A month or so ago I visited the Philadelphia Museum of Art and saw their Van Gogh exhibit. This painting was part of the collection, and I had never seen it before. It's so awesome!

Owls

Louis Wain, 1892

Lady with an Ermine

Leonardo da Vinci, 1490

Frank Cowper

Vanity, 1907


La Belle Dame Sans Merci, 1926


Fair Rosamund and Eleanor, 1920


The Four Queens Find Lancelot Sleeping, 1954

Frank Cowper was a British artist during the early 1900s. He came to be known as "the Last Pre-Raphaelite" because his depictions of religious, historical, and literary scenes echo the style of early Christian art, before the artist Raphael. I admire his meticulous hand. He certainly knew how to make magic with paint.

The Day After

Edvard Munch, 1894

Beardsley

Aubrey Beardsley is one of my all-time favorite artists. I admire his attention to detail, and his love for simplicity. His work isn't overcomplicated with color. Its strength is in the delicate style and heavy contrast. Although Beardsley died young, at the age of 25, he created a significant amount of illustrations, and is a total legend of the artistic world today. He continues to inspire all avenues of art, and like this will live on forever through present and future artists' work.

La Femme Dans La Décoration Moderne

Julius Klinger, 1902

Louis Icart

Cigarette Memories


Le Lis


Waltz Echoes


Human Grenade, 1917

Louis Icart was a French illustrator who created most of his art during the Art Deco period of the 1920s and 30s. He fought in World War I, and used his desire to create as a way of escape. I like his style, it is very elegant and free.

The Barnes Foundation

The Peasants by Picasso, 1906


The Postman (Joseph-Étienne Roulin) by Van Gogh, 1889

I visited The Barnes Foundation last Friday. These are a few of the paintings that I liked from the collection. It's amazing the amount of art that Dr. Barnes collected, and from a lot of artistic legends none the less. I'm glad that I got the chance to go before the paintings are moved into the city. You can see Dr. Barnes' full collection of paintings online at The Barnes Foundation website.

barnesfoundation.org

Edmund Dulac

Dulac was a French illustrator during the early 20th century. I love his charming illustrative style and the earthy tones he uses.

Ernst Haeckel

(Photograph by Nicola Perscheid)

Ernst Haeckel was a German biologist, philosopher, and naturalist during the 19th century. His love for nature led him to discovered thousands of new species of life. He created amazing illustrations of these species, and they have been compiled into a book entitled Artforms of Nature.

Lotus Lilies

Charles Courtney Curran, 1888. What a magical place.

Herodias

Robert Anning Bell

Zdzisław Beksiński

Beksiński was an artist from Poland who created imagery that came to be known as fantastic realism. He is one of my new favorite artists. I am amazed. I love his dark ethereality. When talking about his art, he had said, "We all see death before our eyes. I am not an exception. Personally, I am more afraid of dying than death itself. This is not a fear of emptiness but of suffering, and this is what I am most afraid of." Sadly, it's ironic because I found out that he was murdered in 2005.

Rest in peace, my friend.
beksinski.pi

Massacre at Chios

Eugène Delacroix, 1824

This is an amazing painting. The emotion, color, contrast, and various interactions creates a dynamic composition. I love the overall golden tone to this. Delacroix is certainly a master with paint.

Anti-Dürer

Anatoly Fomenko, 1975

Margaret MacDonald Mackintosh

O Ye that Walk in Willow Wood, 1903


1915


The White Rose and the Red Rose, 1902


The Opera of the Sea, 1902

Lately, I've been looking for a lot of art-nouveau-esque pieces for inspiration, and on my searches I discovered Margaret Mackintosh. Apparently, her style falls under the "Glasgow Style" which predates and influenced the art nouveau style. She used all different mediums, and even worked with metal panels. I like her work a lot, it's all very elegant and ethereal. I love the gypsy cover. Even though it is unfinished, it is lovely. When I saw it, it instantly made me think of the song Spanish Harlem Incident by Bob Dylan...

Gypsy gal, the hands of Harlem
Cannot hold you to its heat
Your temperature’s too hot for taming
Your flaming feet are burnin' up the street
I am homeless, come and take me
Into reach of your rattling drums
Let me know, babe, all about my fortune
Down along my restless palms...

That song is filled with beautiful poetry. But anyway, that's a side note. Not enough sleep and too much caffeine is making my mind ramble a bit. Check out more of Margaret Mackintosh's work here.

Wing of a Blue Roller

Albrecht Dürer, 1512

Warwick Goble

Jewel in Hand


Meeting the Jellyfish


The Mermaid and the Dragon


Zenobia, Queen of Palmyra


Six Swans


The Iron Stove

Warwick Goble was a Victorian illustrator who created illustrations for children's books. I like his work a lot. It is very inspiring to my illustrative style. He really captures the fantasy and enchanting nature of these fairy tale stories.

goble.artpassions.net