Born March 30, 1853, Vincent van Gogh lived a tumultuous life full of color, drama, passion, illness and loneliness. In a short period of ten years, Van Gogh made approximately 900 paintings, 36 which were self-portraits. Ahead of his time, he died never knowing the reach of his art and fame. He passed away at 37 after he shot himself (though some scholars believe he was shot by accident).

Many of his paintings became famous after his death. He is famous for bold post-Impressionist style and many are familiar with his sunflowers. However, he created many self-portraits which give a raw glimpse inside his troubled mental state and his unique self-perspective.

Most likely, van Gogh’s self-portraits are depicting the face as it appeared in the mirror he used to reproduce his face, i.e. his right side in the image that is in reality, the left side of his face. Shown above is a rare photograph of van Gogh taken in 1873 when he was 19. At the time he worked for the Goupil & Cie art dealership in the Hague. It is the only know photograph of van Gogh’s face.

Below are a few of his most interesting self-portraits…

Self Portrait, 1889: Believed to be Vincent van Gogh’s Last Self Portrait

Painted only months before his death, it is interesting to note that the background in the painting is reminiscent of Starry Night. Swirling brush strokes, movement and contrast, the background is restless behind the intense stare of Vincent. Attention is focused on his face, his features anxious and stern.

Self Portrait for Paul Gauguin – Confiscated and Sold by the Nazis

Vincent van Gogh, Arles, (1888,) gift; to Paul Gauguin, (1888-1897).

During the Third Reich regime in Germany, Vincent van Gogh paintings were stolen and/or destroyed by German authorities. The self-portrait above that was dedicated to Gaugin, was one of the works branded as Degenerate art by the Nazis, confiscated and sold. The winning bid for this work was $US 40.00 by Dr. Frankfurter.

The Bandaged Ear – Not What It Seems?

Self-portrait with Bandaged Ear, January 1889

Did Van Gogh really cut off his ear in the legendary act of self-harm and present it to a prostitute who is said to have fainted when he handed it to her? Well, a book published in Germany by Hamburg-based historians Hans Kaufmann and Rita Wildegans, argues that Vincent van Gogh may have made up the whole story to protect his friend Gauguin, a keen fencer, who actually lopped it off with a sword during a heated argument. The historians say that the real version of events has never surfaced because the two men both kept a “pact of silence” – Gauguin to avoid prosecution and Van Gogh in an effort trying to keep his friend with whom he was hopelessly infatuated.

This painting is considered one of the most expensive paintings of all time (along with the self-portrait below to his mother). In the late 90s it sold for $90 million in a private sale.

Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat (obverse: The Potato Peeler)

Spending much of his adult life in poverty, van Gogh could not afford to hire models. The above portrait actually consists of two portraits on one canvas. To save money on canvases he would frequently use both sides of the canvas. On the back side is “The Potato Peeler”.

“I purposely bought a good enough mirror to work from myself, for want of a model.”

Birthday Gift for Mother – “Portrait of an Artist Without His Beard”

Portrait de l’Artiste Sans Barbe (Self-portrait without beard), 1889

This painting was Van Gogh’s self-portrait, which he gave to his mother as a birthday gift. Van Gogh painted Self-Portrait without beard just after he had shaved himself.

What made van Gogh’s “Portrait of an Artist Without His Beard” so special was that he painted it for his mother, Anna Cornelia Carbentus van Gogh, for her 70th birthday not long before his suicide in 1890. At the time, van Gogh was ill in Saint Remy, France, and wanted to reassure his mother that he was all right. He painted himself with chiseled features, a clean-shaven face and an intense stare.

The self-portrait is one of the most expensive paintings of all time, selling for $71.5 million in 1998 in New York. At the time, it was the third (or an inflation-adjusted fourth) most expensive painting ever sold.

“I try more and more to be myself, caring relatively little whether people approve or disapprove.”

Vincent van Gogh painted over 30 self-portraits between the years 1886 and 1889. His collection of self-portraits places him among the most prolific self-portraitists of all time.

To see even more of Van Gogh’s portrait, check out the video below.

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Bob Ross paintings have been discovered in a Warehouse in Virginia!

Did you know that Bob Ross painted over 30,000 paintings in his lifetime? However, if you want to buy a Bob Ross (authentic) painting, you can’t. A lot of people have tried. And many of these original paintings have been safely tucked away in boxes, unknown to most.

So many paintings inspired by Bob Ross – however no originals to be purchased are found.

An adventure by Aaron Byrd trying to buy an original Bob Ross painting led to a discovery. He tired auctions, galleries and online searches to no avail.

His quest led him on a road trip to the company headquarters in Herndon, Virginia. Almost every painting created by Bob Ross are numerically stacked in cardboard boxes; over 1,000 landscapes, snow-capped peaks and happy little trees, all in a warehouse.

At this time none of Bob Ross paintings are for sale.

The video below tells the entire story.

Did you know Bob completed each painting 3 times? One before the show, one during the show and one after.

The Joy of Painting

Bob told the Orlando Sentinel in 1990: “The majority of our audience does not paint, has no desire to paint, will never paint.” Instead, the show’s appeal is more abstract. It’s less about the art lesson, and more about the mood: cozy, nurturing — an audio-visual pat on the back, coaxing the audience to try something new. For 22 minutes, at least, there’s no fear of failure. As Ross used to say, “We don’t make mistakes, we just have happy accidents.”

Everyone can paint!

According to Bob Ross.

All you need is a dream in your heart, and a little practice.

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Dubbed the Annie Liebovitz of her day, Tsuneko Sasamoto, 107 years old upon passing,  was a Centenarian and Japan’s first female photojournalist. She photographed some of Japan’s greatest personalities and historical moments during her 70-year career. Though widely published in Japan, she is a hidden gem for international audiences.

Born in 1914 in Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo, Sasamoto’s father was a kimono dealer. Her life has not been easy. “Originally I wanted to be a painter,” she recalls. “But my father didn’t allow it, saying, ‘It’s not what a woman should be.’ ” She tried college, but dropped out and then pursued illustration and pattern-making; the start of her long love for fashion.

It was a black-and-white film by Man Ray Sasamoto saw with a friend in 1937 that sparked her interest in photography. She went on to start her career as a part-time illustrator on the local news pages in Tokyo Nichinichi Shimbun (now Mainichi Shimbun, one of the newspapers in Japan) .

After working for years, she got promoted to a probationary employee in 1940 when she joined the Photographic Society in Japan, officially became the first female photojournalist in Japan.

Her subjects have ranged from impoverished citizens scratching out a living in the lean postwar years, to student protesters and striking coal miners as the country was taking off economically in the politically tumultuous 1960s. She also documented life in Japan as seen in the photo above Geisha School, 1951.

Up until her death, she was busy giving interviews about her exhibition of selected works, “Hyakusai Ten” (“Centenarian’s Exhibition”), and related book, “Hyakusai no Finder” (“Centenarian’s Finder”). In 2011 she published her own photobook.

The secret to her success and longevity?

You should never become lazy. It’s essential to remain positive about your life and never give up. You need to push yourself and stay aware, so you can move forward. That’s what I want people to know.”

She’s also careful to look after herself, swearing by a glass of red wine every night and a piece of chocolate every day. “I also eat a lot of meat. People often say old people shouldn’t eat meat because it is bad for their health, but that is not true,” she said.

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Before his fame as a comedian he struggled to obtain work and make a name for himself. A natural born comedian he got his lucky break when he was noticed by comedian Rodney Dangerfield, who signed the young comic to open his tour performances.

Fast forward to 1994 when he gained popularity and was cast in the lead roles in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask and Dumb and Dumber. He was at the height of his career and received his first Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor for his work in The Mask.

Seriously? Is this a new role?

Today, Jim Carrey is taking on the artist role as he moves to make his mark in visual arts. However, can we take his work serious? Or perhaps it’s not meant to be serious?

Does his work actually push the boundaries beyond comical into relevant? Relevant beyond the hype of a political agenda and superficiality? Oh, those political agendas… the easy fall back.

Does his work have a plot? Are we laughing yet?

Has he developed an artistic voice beyond social media and beyond playing into popular culture for buzz, likes and Twitter followers? Without his fame and name, could his work as an artist stand on it’s own? Granted, Carrey started art as a therapeutic escape from a painful relationship. Art certainly is a great escape. However on this timeline from art therapy to a new voice of modern art, something was lost. How many Hollywood stars can actually make the leap to relevant artist without the crutch of their name, politics and playing into popular culture?

Artwork Beyond Bullshit

A true work of art spans popularity, time and trends. Most artists avoided the spotlight. Their work transcended all the bullshit.

Jim Carrey the comedian is awesome. However as the artist, are we convinced that he will make the cut, that he will go on to the next act. Is he playing his art cards based on political popularity and not independence? True artistic talent is the relevant… that changes lives, perceptions, and makes a statement that spans time, popular culture and space.

Can the performer become a relevant artist? Or is the art a performance?

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Presidential Portraits – The Obama’s Portraits Unveiled

The Obama’s official portraits were unveiled on Monday, February 12th 2018. These portraits will reside at the nation’s only complete collection of presidential portraits outside the White House, the exhibition in the Smithsonian Institution.

The exhibition tells the American story through the presidents who have shaped history. Beginning with President George H. W. Bush, the National Portrait Gallery initiated a process by which the museum would commission a portrait of each president.

Presidents select their artist of choice. This amazing opportunity for the selected portrait artists will bring a new level of visibility to their work.

The Obama’s selected Kehinde Wiley, a Yale University-trained painter.

Artist Kehinde Wiley

Wiley style often references Old Masters paintings for the pose of the figure. His paintings often blur the boundaries between traditional and contemporary modes of representation. Rendered in a realistic mode—while making references to specific Old Master paintings—Wiley creates a fusion of period styles, ranging from French Rococo, Islamic architecture and West African textile design to urban hip hop. His work is large, bright and vibrant with splashes of bold colors and contrasts.

Wiley earned his BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute in 1999 and his MFA from Yale University, School of Art in 2001.

Artist Amy Sherald

For her painting, Michelle Obama chose Baltimore-based artist Amy Sherald. Sherald is another African-American artist known for her unique style utilizing grey scale and and contrasting colors.

She is best known for her portrait paintings that address social justice, as well as her choice of subjects, which are drawn from outside of the art historical narrative. Through her work, she takes a closer look at the way people construct and perform their identities in response to political, social, and cultural expectations.

“I paint American people, and I tell American stories through the paintings I create,” Sherald said at the unveiling ceremony. “Once my paintings are complete, the model no longer lives in the painting as themselves. I see something bigger, more symbolic, an archetype.”

From Traditional to Modern

The media for presidential imagery has ranged everywhere from the traditional oil-on-canvas and marble to cotton handkerchiefs and sewing-box lids, and the Gallery houses a richly varied array of presidential likenesses.

The first painter to paint a presidential portrait was Gilbert Stuart and his portrait of George Washington painted in 1797.

Sources
http://npg.si.edu/portraits/collection-highlights/presidential-portraits
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kehinde_Wiley
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amy_Sherald

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On November 15th, 2017, the painting which once sold at auction in 1958 for just £45, which is an equivalent to $90, smashes records at Christie’s in a historic bidding match. It was estimated for $100 million and soared to 450.3 Million. It is believed that this is the most ever paid for an artwork.

According to Artnews:
“It was purchased by a client on the phone with department head Alex Rotter after a 19-minute session that involved five bidders, four on the phone and one in the room.‭”

The bids came from every part of the world.

Who bought Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi? The Saudi Arabian crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman is the new owner.

Speculations abounded regarding the purchase on the last privately owned da Vinci. News broke on Dec. 7th 2017,  from the Louvre Abu Dhabi, saying that the newly inaugurated Emirati museum was going to display the painting. The Louvre Abu Dhabi revealed that it had actually acquire the work through Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism, though it is still unclear how the acquisition was made and what connection it has to Prince Mohammed. According to ArtNews,  “The Saudi Arabian embassy in America said that Prince Bader has been a supporter of the Louvre Abu Dhabi, and that on November 8, at the Louvre’s opening ceremony, the Department of Culture and Tourism approached the prince and asked him to act as an “intermediary purchaser.” The statement does not mention Prince Mohammed, the piece’s true buyer.”

Who is Mohammad Bin Salman Al Saud?

Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud  also known as MBS, is the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, also serving as First Deputy Prime Minister, President of the Council for Economic and Development Affairs and Minister of Defense—currently the world’s youngest office holder. Few people outside Saudi Arabia had heard of Prince Mohammed bin Salman before his father became king in 2015. But since then, the 32-year-old has become the most influential figure in the world’s leading oil exporter. 

Known to be a fan of the arts, he used a proxy to buy the masterpiece.

The History of Salvator Mundi (Savior of the World)

Salvator Mundi (Savior of the World) dates from around 1500 – 1506 and measures measures 45×65 cm (26×18 inches). It’s a fairly newly discovered Masterpiece and was authenticated in 2005. It was presumed to have been destroyed when all traces of the work was lost until 1900 at which time Sir Frederick Cook acquired the painting. The painting sustained several over-paint jobs over the years that obscured its true identity and its authorship by Leonardo forgotten.

Not knowing the painting was an original by Leonardo, Cook’s descendants sold the painting at auction in 1958 for just £45 which is an equivalent to $90.

In 2005, the painting was acquired from an American estate and brought to a consortium of art dealers and a New York art historian and private dealer named Robert Simon for study.

Salvator Mundi Before Restoration

The Masterpiece had been heavily overpainted, which makes it look like a copy. It was dark and gloomy and had been cleaned many times in the past by people who didn’t know better. Once a restorer put artificial resin on it, which had turned gray, it had to be removed painstakingly. After an extensive conservation treatment by New York-based conservator Dianne Dwyer Modestini, the painting was examined by a series of international scholars.

After the restoration was completed, which took almost a year, a consensus was reached that the Salvator Mundi was in fact the original by Leonardo da Vinci.

There are currently some 15 authenticated Leonardo da Vinci paintings in the world. But they are difficult to attribute, because da Vinci often left his works unfinished.

The last painting by Leonardo da Vinci to be discovered was the “Benois Madonna” in 1909.

Read More on Leonardo da Vinci & Million Dollar Collector’s

da Vinci – More than a painter: military engineering, weapons design, architecture, and even canal building! Find out more

da Vinci – The Mona Lisa Smile – Is This Why She Was Smiling? Find out here

Find out who some of the most famous art collectors are in the world. Will one of these collectors own the renowned da Vinci? See who they are

Million Dollar Faces – Famous Self-portraits: van Gogh “Portrait of an Artist Without his Beard” sells for 71.5 million. Read more

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Some saw all, some saw it obscured. However, for the following designers & artists, the Solar Eclipse of 2017 was a source of visual inspiration and exciting poster design that documented the event.

Check out our curated list of the most interesting and creative posters expressing the American solar eclipse.

Poster sources: Anderson Design Group, Tyler Nordgren, Willamette University & Unknown.

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Milton Glaser live a long and creative life, and died at the age of 91. He emerged as a prolific purveyor of visual culture in the 1960s. Glaser’s brand of graphic design distinctively captured the spirit of the psychedelic sixties. Bob Dylan, The Rolling stones, and The Beatles were all packaged in concert poster and vinyl records with Glaser’s groovy blend of comic book colors and clear-cut images. Glaser’s catalogue of designs certainly convey a Warholesque blending of abstract expressionism with everyday items and the icons of the time. Similar to Andy Warhol, Glaser redefined the Western conception of Popular Art that appealed to the media culture. Graphic design emerged as a standard of twentieth century art due to Glaser’s contribution to advertising popular culture. However, to exemplify the lingering influence of Glaser’s work within the frame of modern culture, his biography will be slightly explored.

Born in the late 1920s in New York City, Glaser graduated from the Cooper Union institute with a degree in graphic design and paved his way as an illustrator during the rise of television culture in the 1950s. Glaser co-founded Push Pin Studios with a group of his fellow Cooper Union graduates and experimentally changed the scope of both graphic design and visual art.

From Bob Dylan to I love New York

Essentially, Glaser sought to redefine the breadth of Modern Art during his early period. Glaser translated the burgeoning counterculture as his fame increased throughout the 1960s. Glaser’s technique of superimposing, or layering, smooth figures with a palette of dynamic colors was famously distinguished in his 1966 print of Bob Dylan. Referred by the Smithsonian as the ‘Sign of the Times,’ Glaser captures the enigmatic persona of Bob Dylan with the blush of psychedelic curls that contrasts his opaque outline. Glaser generated great success after his Dylan portrait was laminated on the cover of his greatest hits compilation, which sold more than six million copies. Glaser’s celebrity heightened as he was contracted to create logos such as the I Heart New York design.

Redefining the Elusive Boundaries of What Constitutes Art

Much in the same way Andy Warhol melded the conventions of high art with popular culture, Glaser expanded the possibilities for graphic designers to infiltrate the economics of the media. Glaser received the National Medal of Arts in 2009, which informs his legacy of pushing the envelope with redefining the elusive boundaries of what constitutes art. Essentially, the twentieth century Postmodern Art movement- which employs techniques such as juxtaposing high culture with low culture, minimal design elements, and collaging different art forms- owes a debt to Glaser for establishing the medium of graphic design within the sphere of Postmodernism.

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Circus Posters & Advertising – Set the Expectation for the Ringling Brothers Circus

When it all began, before the Internet and social media, expectation and promotion for the circus was set with stunning posters that depicted circus acts, animals, oddities, clowns and more. These visuals were installed and promoted weeks ahead of the show and were often the first form of communications. The posters set the stage for excitement and anticipation as bold colorful graphics expressing the awe and excitement of the circus were placed in store windows, telephone poles and billboard signs.

Circus Advertising was a challenge before the media, as we know it today. The circus owner had to create a bold brand and also stir an excitement that no one could miss. These visuals and graphics had to have a WOW impact like no other!

Often these advertisements only ran for a day. Everything hinged on the design of circus poster. Throughout the circus decades there have been dozens upon dozens of unique circus poster designs. Here are a few of our favorites.

Charles Livingston Bull

One of most memorable designs ever produced as a circus poster design was that of a ferocious leaping tiger for Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey combined Shows. The poster was designed by Illustrator Charles Livingston Bull in 1915 and used continuously to 1928.

Edward Potthast

Equestrian acts were a big draw for circuses and in 1920, Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Combined Shows featured “Chariot Race” on this poster designed by significant 19th-century American artist Edward Potthast.

Take a look at more unique Barnum and Bailey Vintage Circus Posters!

Circus Animals Illustrated

THE LARGEST GORILLA EVER EXHIBITED
Gargantua was one of the most famous headliners in the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. He was born in the jungles of the Congo in 1929.

Circus Performer’s

Child Protege
Mr. Mistin Jr. was a child prodigy on the xylophone who performed for RB in the early ’50’s.

Clowns

And what is a circus without clowns!

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The first American woman to achieve prominence as a graphic designer and Art Nouveau, Ethel Reed was a strikingly attractive woman who gained notoriety at the young age of 18 for her creativity as a graphic designer, although she seemingly vanished into thin air at the age of 24 after moving to Europe following a broken engagement. During the brief period she was known for her artistic talents, she was reportedly the brightest shining star in Boston’s artistic community in the late 1800s.

Born in Newburyport, Massachusetts in 1874, Ethel and her mother encountered many struggles following the death of her father, Edward, when Ethel was still a young girl. Self-taught for the most part, Ethel studied for a brief time at the Cowles Art School after moving to Boston with her mother in 1890, where she apprenticed as a painter of miniatures. Before she reached the age of 20, Ethel became the most famous female artist in America, not only for her creativity and reputation as an illustrator in the Art Nouveau style, but her evocative personality as well.

What happened when Ethel disappeared after her failed engagement to Philip Hale? According to the New England Historical Society, Ethel and her mother sailed to Europe on vacation. Up until 1898, Ethel completed a few commissions for The Yellow Book, an avant-garde British publication co-edited by Aubrey Beardsley. After Ethel and her mother headed to Europe, most never knew what had happened to the graphic designer and artist. According to a book written by William Peterson and published just four years ago, Ethel had two children during numerous relationships with her lovers, then tied the knot with Arthur Warwick, an English army officer. Once this marriage crumbled, Ethel allegedly became addicted to alcohol and drugs, and died when she was just in her mid-30s after living her final years in poverty.

One of the most prolific artists and designers of her time despite her young age, Ethel created numerous illustrations, important book posters, and endpapers using a style that was rooted in Art Nouveau, a style characterized by the organic line forms of the late 1800s. In fact, over a two-year time period Ethel Reed produced more than 25 posters which earned her international recognition during the poster craze. Her lively art poster images contributed to the success and popularity of posters that were enthusiastically sought by collectors.

As difficult as it still is today for women to excel in the art and design field, Ethel Reed was a woman far ahead of her time and today has a significant collection of her posters and other work displayed at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Women’s History Month is a celebration of women’s contributions to culture, history, and society; how tragic that Ethel Reed’s artistic potential was seemingly overtaken by the many demons of her private life.

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