Archives

Millard Sheets, Keyhole Fantasy, Watercolor, George Stern Fine Arts. Click to inquire

While most artworks that we encounter in various art institutions represent familiar forms: people, landscapes, everyday objects, there has always been an underlying tradition in the history of art to depict fantastical, dream-like subjects which sometimes verge on the psychedelic (case in point: Hieronymus Bosch?s Garden of Earthly Delights).

Leonard Baskin, Saint Anthony with the Red Monster, Wood engraving, Denenberg Fine Art. Click to inquire

William Sanderson, Dream Flowers, Oil, David Cook Fine Art. Click to inquire

Gustave Baumann, Monterey Cypress, Woodblock, William A. Karges Fine Art. Click to inquire

A fascination for myths and dreams has always influenced an artist?s narrative and has evolved to include a canvas with unnatural colors and exaggerated forms. Surrealist works, delving into the realm of dreams, produce undulating silhouettes illustrating the the un-illustratable.

Walter Plate, Dream Sequence #V, Oil on canvas. Levis Fine Art. Click to inquire

Douglas Walter Johnson, Strange Dream II, Gouache on paper. Nedra Matteucci Galleries. Click to inquire

While ignoring reality?s proportions, these canvases entertain and perplex. Perhaps visualizing the psyche of their creators, works of the supernatural are the products of an amplified imagination.

Grace Hartigan, The Dream, Oil on canvas, Levis Fine Art. Click to inquire

Bertram Hartman, Exotic Fantasy, Oil on canvas, Abby M Taylor Fine Art. Click to inquire

Henri DeLattre, The Race Between Mac and Zachary Taylor at Hunting Park Course, Philadelphia, July 18, 1849, Oil on canvas, Red Fox Fine Art. Click to inquire

Today’s Kentucky Derby kickoff inspires this post’s horse themed craze. As an American institution dating back to 1875, the fastest two minutes in sports sees majestic thoroughbreds race to a crowd accessorized with wide-brimmed hats. The pomp and circumstance of Southern charm surrounding the first weeks in May seemingly garners more notoriety than the powerhouses gambled on.

Howard Everett Smith, At the Horse Show, Oil on canvas, George Stern Fine Arts. Click to inquire

FADA’s eclectic selection of horse subjects often revolves around the legends of Western steeds, the pre-twentieth century preferred mode of transportation, with cowboys and wagons galore.

Gene Kloss, Buttes of Lukachukai; 28/35, Etching, David Cook Fine Art. Click to inquire

Olaf Wieghorst, Untitled, Cowboy on horseback rifle left arm, Pastel on paper, Thomas Nygard Gallery. Click to inquire

Juxtaposing the roughness of the lawless West, comes refined studies of grazing horses, as seen in Rosa Bonheur’s Horses in a Landscape. Nevertheless, each artist’s representation of the regal animal exudes a gracefulness only befitting today’s races.

Rosa Bonheur, Horse in a Landscape, Oil on canvas, Rehs Galleries. Click to inquire

Todd Reifers, Hay Wagon with Horse Team, Oil on linen, Eckert & Ross Fine Art. Click to inquire

Jim Dine, Primary Ladies, Jonathan Novak Contemporary Art. Click to inquire.

Equally inhabiting its audience’s three dimensional space, sculpture is an art form which demands a viewer’s active participation. In order to grasp the medium, a composition of chiseled physical exertions, viewers must circumnavigate the work. Painting’s rival since the great Renaissance Paragone debate, which pitted the ruggedness of sculptures and their creators against the refined nature of a painter, sculpture’s inheritance of antiquity’s bronze and marble works have influenced artistic conceptions to this day.

Claes Oldenburg, Double Nose/Purse/Punching Bag/Ashtray, Mixed media, Wooster Projects. Click to inquire

Lucy Agid, Ovation, Bronze, George Stern Fine Arts. Click to inquire

As seen in Jim Dine’s Primary Ladies (Jonathan Novak Contemporary Art), the contemporary artist has appropriated the famed Venus de Milo (Louvre Museum) in his colorful figures. Nonetheless, sculpture does not have to be figural at all, seen in the minimal strips of metal found in Harry Bertoia’s philosophical Sonambient Maquette, or perhaps the playful works of Claes Oldenburg.

Louise Nevelson, Transparent Sculpture, Mixed media, Timothy Yarger Fine Art. Click to inquire

Jose de Creeft, Hen, 1972, Marble, Levis Fine Art, Inc. Click to inquire

FADA‘s collection of sculptures reflects the energy of the medium in its various forms and its development throughout the history of art.

Harry Bertoia, Sonambient Maquette, 1975, Beryllium, copper and brass, Abby M Taylor Fine Art. Click to inquire

FADA‘s inventory of works supplements the history of art with its range of mediums and styles. Whilst showcasing masterworks from throughout the centuries, FADA‘s collection of up and coming contemporary artists highlight continuities and changes in the art world. While inheriting rich and innovative styles, contemporary artists must also entertain their audience with new techniques in artistic execution, as seen in Lee U Fan’s work which uses pigment suspended in glue.

U Fan Lee, From Line, Pigment suspended in glue on canvas, 45.5cm x 52.8cm, 1982. PYO Gallery LA. Click to inquire

Rusty Scruby, Horizon, Photographic reconstruction, 24″ x 24″, 2009. PYO Gallery LA. Click to inquire

Often delving into projects reflective of modern technical innovations-as seen in video installation art, contemporary artists have created work which lives beyond the canvas, seen in the street work art of Mr. Brainwash.

David Datuna, Nostalgia for Warhol, 2014, Mixed Media Wall Sculpture Installation, 40 x 30 x 5 inches each. Contessa Gallery. Click to inquire

However, contemporary artists also embrace traditional mediums:a new (and revamped) kinship to realism as seen in “Subway” by Tom Pfannerstill, who shockingly presents a crushed up Subway cup, which is actually acrylic painted on wood. As the art world is becoming more global and accessible, modern art evades specific cultural or temporal restrictions with its universal subject matters.

Tom Pfannerstill, Subway, 2005, Acrylic on wood, 6-1/2? x 5-1/4? / 16.5 x 13.3 cm. Jonathan Novak Contemporary Art. Click to inquire

Aron Wiesenfeld (b. 1972), Vigil 3, Charcoal on paper. Arcadia Contemporary. Click to inquire

Emil Kosa Jr., Taylor’s Ranch, Oil on masonite, George Stern Fine Arts. Click to inquire

While our November 1st post delved into the superstitions and bad luck surrounding the festivities of Halloween, upcoming celebrations for Saint Patrick’s Day inspires this green infused post befitting the luck of the Irish. The four leaf clover, with its green color denoting a tranquility and lushness ripe within the vegetal charm, is tooted around city parades as a badge of good luck.

Pancho Luna, Green, Mixed media, 2014, Timothy Yarger Fine Art. Click to inquire

Michael Loew, I Want You Green, Oil on canvas, Vincent Vallarino Fine Art. Click to inquire

As the charm has inspired the holiday’s palette, this post showcases a melange of green accents found in pastoral scenes to abstract compositions. Shades of green decorate California Impressionist landscape works while blocks of bright greens entertain works on paper. The color green is ripe with spring and summer nostagia-this post, FADA‘s welcome to warmer weather!

Donald Sultan, Green Trumpet March 17, 2008, Aquatint, Leslie Sacks Contemporary. Click to inquire

Amelia Pel?ez, Mujer en Verde (Woman in Green), Oil on canvas, Cernuda Arte. Click to inquire

Frank Townsend Hutchens, By the River, Oil on canvas, Redfern Gallery. Click to inquire

Andy Warhol, Bananas, Polaroid, Eckert Fine Art Gallery and Art Consulting. Click to inquire

The next time we drool over our Instagram feeds of artfully presented savories and sweets, perhaps we won’t feel so bad with our overindulgence, as capturing the perfect foodie shot is nothing new in the history of art. A previous blog post Still Lives of Instagram, showcased the parallels between Instagram and the rich history of Still lives: both which transform mundane everyday life into something magnificent through masterful technique or colorful photographic lenses.

Barton S. Hays Peaches & Grapes, Oil on canvas. Eckert and Ross Fine Art. Click to inquire

The representation of food is integral within the whole genre of painting. Our appreciation for the art of food, whether reflected in our modern day craze for cronuts, is similarly inspired by works of art, where artists magnify the texture and color of their foodie subjects into seemingly tangible and tantalizing appetizers.

Luigi Benedicenti, Meringhe II, Jonathan Novak Contemporary Art. Click to inquire

It only seems normal that artists were just as obsessive over food as we are today.

Ben Schonzeit. Cake Slices. Acrylic on canvas. Jonathan Novak Contemporary Art. Click to inquire

You can start drooling.

Todd M. Casey, Mojito, Oil on panel. Rehs Galleries. Click to inquire

Fernando Botero, Still Life With Fruits, Oil on canvas. Rosenbaum Contemporary Gallery. Click to inquire

Robert Cottingham, Art, Lithograph. Eckert Fine Art Gallery + Art Consulting. Click to inquire

The inclusion of text within an artwork can jarringly disrupt our attention away from pictorial representations. In its blend of multiple artistic forms, artwork with text provokes its viewers in its ciphers. Notoriously ambiguous, these messages often delightfully juxtapose their accompanying images, as in early 20th century collages, represented in this post by DADA artist Marcel Duchamp. In this form, the artwork seemingly teases its audience in its overt randomness.

Marcel Duchamp, Pasadena Art Museum. Eckert Fine Art Gallery + Art Consulting. Click to inquire

However, the use of text in works of art can capture its audience’s serious attention in profoundly poetic pieces, as illuminated by Edward Ruscha, whose stark use of blocked letters dominate canvases in their simplicity.

Edward Ruscha, Desert Gravure. Jonathan Novak Contemporary Art. Click to inquire

Ed Ruscha, Los Francisco San Angeles (Melrose/Market), 2001, Etching. Leslie Sacks Contemporary. Click to inquire

In a modern world filled with advertising catch phrases, the abundance of text-based canvases sinuously complements our everyday interaction with words. However, these canvas’ unfinished sentences ultimately challenge our perception of a word’s meaning in a new artistic context.

Raymond Pettibon, Untitled (Snap…), from Plots on Loan I, 2000, Lithograph. Leslie Sacks Contemporary. Click to inquire

Robert Cottingham, Aqua Star, Oil silkscreen on canvas. Rosenbaum Contemporary Gallery. Click to inquire

Andy Warhol, Van Heusen. Jonathan Novak Contemporary Art. Click to inquire

Robert Indiana, Book of Love, Silkscreen, 1996. Rosenbaum Contemporary Gallery. Click to inquire

Although the shortest month of the year, February lays claim to Valentine’s Day, a month filled to the brim with chocolates, flowers, and amorous messages. While (most) people await its official recognition in February, #love shows no preference for a particular day, month or year. Similarly, its formulation in art encompasses an immense subject range, from mythologically inspired dramas in seventeenth century Baroque works, to playful representations of aristocratic trysts in Rococo France.

Narcisse Virgile Diaz de la Pe?a, Venus and Adonis, Oil on canvas. Schiller and Bodo European Paintings. Click to inquire

The subject of #Love, whether grandly rendered in lush, pink tones with which the word is so closely associated with, or simplified to text, as in Robert Indiana?s famous series, is so easily recognizable to its audience-although responses may vary!

David Davidovich Burliuk, Lovers at Santa Monica Bluff, Watercolor on paper. Vallejo Maritime Gallery. Click to inquire

Edouard Toudouze, A Romantic Rendezvous, Oil on panel. Rehs Galleries. Click to inquire

It’s one of the most universal sensations, a driving force behind our favorite songs, books and the whimsical works of art in FADA‘s own collection.

Ellwood Graham, Romance, Oil on canvas, c.1940. Trotter Galleries. Click to inquire

George Bellows, Amour from Men Like Gods , Lithograph in black on wove paper. Denenberg Fine Arts. Click to inquire

Louis Oscar Griffith, Spring Romance , Oil on canvas mounted on board. Eckert & Ross Fine Art. Click to inquire

Edward S. Goldman?s Stripes in Motion (Acrylic on board) is hypnotizing with its vibrating stripes moving throughout the canvas. David Cook Fine Art. Click to inquire

The ability to depict movement within a work of art, seized through hurried strokes and unfinished gestures, relies on exaggeration. It also is a phenomenon that has revitalized artists’ philosophies and techniques, perhaps best visualized by Picasso and Braque’s Cubist works. Their images sought to capture both time and space through visual deconstructruction, a pictorial attempt at three dimensionality.

Keith Haring free standing aluminum work, Untitled (Three Dancing Figures), utilizes his signature lunging figures. Rosenbaum Contemporary Gallery. Click to inquire

Abstract works, exemplified by Sonia Delaunay, reject pictorial representation in favor of colors and shapes, creating illusions of movement in its hypnotic execution. Despite these avant-garde methods, other artists have isolated the idea of movement through subject matters which simply embody action.

Edward Borein?s ink on paper Untitled (Six in Hand) of galloping horses reduces their rapid movement with impulsive lines. David Cook Fine Art. Click to inquire

Sonia Delaunay?s tapestry, Petite automne, exudes Orphism principles in its strong colors and geometric shapes. Jane Kahan Gallery. Click to inquire

Dancers and horses easily capture an audience’s ideas on movement, now imagined in artworks of elongated and elegant gestures. Movement in art, whether represented through color or figures, adds a dynamism to the still canvas and challenges an artist’s restriction to the flat surface.

Ignacio Guibert Amor?s Untitled (Dancers), 1972 smooth contours synchronizes the movement of the work?s dancers. David Cook Fine Art. Click to inquire

Hari Kidd?s Oil on board Traffic Stop is energized by its jazzy background with flowing silhouettes that move throughout the canvas. David Dike Fine Art. Click to inquire

Michael Naranjo?s bronze sculpture, Santa Clara Ram Dancer, suspends the dancer to the tips of their toes in this work of deep introspection. Nedra Matteucci Galleries. Click to inquire

Kawase Hasui, Beautiful moonlit night & stars – Miyajima Series: Souvenirs of Travel – 3rd series, Woodblock print. Douglas Frazer Fine Art. Click to inquire

Night and Day: natural tellers of time with their own distinct characteristics and associations- which seemingly contrast and balance each other. As integral and inevitable parts of our daily lives, it is no wonder that the night sky and rising sun are backdrops in many works of art.

Robert Gniewek, Majestic Grill #5. Jonathan Novak Contemporary Art. Click to inquire

However, they nonetheless enhance the mood of a painting, piercing rays of sunlight immediately illuminate the canvas in a sort of jovial manner, while the ominous depiction of a black sky conjures mystery. The beginnings and endings of each day hold prophetic meaning: much of which artists expound upon in presenting their work through the specific color palettes of a sunrise or in the still hours of darkness.

John Joseph Enneking, Venice at Night, ca. 1874, Questroyal Fine Art. Click to inquire

Charles Rollo Peters, Mt. Tamalpais, Belvedere, Oil on board. George Stern Fine Arts. Click to inquire

These sublime backdrops often amaze with expressive brushwork filling the sky, capable of inspiring viewers in its simplicity.