William Holman Hunt

I have been working my way through The Two Paths by John Ruskin.  Ruskin speaks of William Holman Hunt being the greatest colorist.  I recently posted about a Hunt work being sold by the Delaware Art Museum and the scandal that caused.

William Holman Hunt, Isabella and the Pot of Basil, private collection

You can see a collection of William Holman Hunt's works in the ARC Museum here.  I found his use of soft color in his portrait of Miss Gladys M. interesting:

Miss Gladys M., William Holman Hunt, Museo de Arte (Ponce, Puerto Rico)

The pastel colors are soft and appealing, and remind me of something that belongs on a nursery wall.  It speaks of the gentle embrace of a mother.  This painting however is not one of my favorites, as I think the color is a bit too sweet and I think his edges are too universally sharp and that distracts me from the appreciation of his use of color.  I will address his use of edges in an upcoming post.

I do like Hunt's use of color better in Isabella and the Pot of Basil above.  The richness of the blues, golds, and rusts works very well with the subject matter.  That may just be personal preference though, I happen to like that color combination.  Maybe that is what Ruskin is referring too when he says that Hunt is the best colorist, his consistent use of an appropriate color palette matched with the subject?

William Holman Hunt

Yikes

I am thinking of taking another pilgrimage to the The Metropolitan Museum of Art.  I was looking around at their website and blogs and found this macabre instrument.

Lyre. Central Africa, 19th century. Human skull, antelope horn, skin, gut, hair; L. 36.5 cm, W. 14 cm, D. 13 cm. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, The Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments, 1889 (89.4.1268)

It is not on exhibit at the Met, just held in their collections.  Apparently instruments made of human or animal skulls were also used in Tibet in meditation on the impermanence of life.

This is of course similar to Dutch vanitas paintings, which also focus on the fleeting meaninglessness of life.

Adriaen van Utrecht (1599-1652), Vanitas - Still Life with Bouquet and Skull

These paintings often incorporate symbols to get their point across, including skulls, broken eggs, cut or decaying flowers, money, dead animals or skins, etc.

The Rhetoric of Perspective: Realism and Illusionism in Seventeenth-Century Dutch Still-Life Painting
Still Life and Trade in the Dutch Golden Age

Painting New England

My work will appear in Painting New England, a group show at Patricia Hutton Galleries in Doylestown, PA from June to August.

Maine Cove, 30 x 14 inches, oil on linen, courtesy Patricia Hutton Galleries, copyright Jaime Cooper

I saw this view driving along the coast of Maine a few years ago and painted it when I returned.

Follow Up on Christie's Art Auction

I recently posted about an art auction at Christie's.  One of the headlining works, William Holman Hunt's Isabella and the Pot of Basil was sold by the Delaware Art Museum.

William Holman Hunt, Isabella and the Pot of Basil, private collection

This is a smaller version of the original painting held by the Laing Art Gallery.  The Delaware Art Museum lost its accreditation because of the sale.  Museums do have to sell art occasionally to stay open, but this is very frowned upon in the art museum community.  An interesting view into the economics of art.  Should a museum be "allowed" to sell a work to fund itself?  Is there a difference if the work was purchased by the museum or donated to the museum?

The Association of Art Museum Directors released the following statement:

"With this sale, the museum is treating its works from its collection as disposable assets, rather than irreplaceable cultural heritage that it holds in trust for people now and in the future," the AAMD, representing 242 members in North America, said in a statement. "It is also sending a clear signal to its audiences that private support is unnecessary, since it can always sell additional items from its collection to cover its costs."

But what if the private support is not there and the choice is to sell a work or close?  By selling a major work a museum may be undercutting its very attendance and mission.  It is not an easy answer.

William Holman Hunt: Painter, Painting, Paint
The Pre-Raphaelites: Their Lives and Works
The Pre-Raphaelites: From Rossetti to Ruskin

Art Scammers

I just received a nice email from a man apparently moving to Germany and wanting to decorate his house.  He named a few of my pieces from my website.  Something did strike me as just a bit off though.  I did a google search and lo and behold his name and email appear on a list of known art scammers.  She has some excellent information in the link, I highly recommend everyone read it.

Update:  8 other artists from the gallery that represents me, Patricia Hutton Galleries, were also contacted.

Why Martian Sunsets are Blue

In continuing celebration of Independence Day, here is a video of a Martian sunset taken by the Mars Rover Opportunity.



Here is an article about why Martian sunsets are blue (and why Earth sunsets are red).  I am so pleased to be alive during an era when we can watch video of a Martian sunset.  It is interesting to think about what that would do to the lighting in landscape paintings on Mars.

Independence Day

WWII Nurse, Jaime Cooper, copyright Jaime Cooper

In tribute to all those who have fought and died for freedom.

A New Portrait Sketch

This is my most recent portrait sketch.  I was really attracted to the model because of her hopeful, whimsical expression, which I tried to capture here.

Hope, Jaime Cooper, 12 x 16 in., oil on linen, copyright Jaime Cooper

Ligonier Art Walk

Our next Ligonier Art Walk will be Saturday November 1.  The theme will be Ligonier Art Walk presents:  the Affordable Art Stroll.  All of the galleries around town will be open with new shows and events.  I will be hosting a Student Art Show for all of my current private art students.  I will again be presenting a live oil portrait painting demo during the evening.  More information later.  For all my students, start thinking about what you may want to submit to the art show.

Impasto

Yesterday I talked about Delacroix's use of red.  This reminded me of a similarity that I was struck by when I viewed his work in person.  I have been talking to my students recently about the use of impasto. When I saw Delacroix's work I was fascinated by his use of it.  It created movement and vibration which I don't think is possible to attain by other means.  It also reminded me of Steve Huston's work which I was fortunate enough to be able to see at the Eleanor Ettinger Gallery in New York. 

Straight Shot, Steve Huston, copyright Steve Huston 2014

See all those little motion and speed lines?  Look at how much movement and excitement that creates.  It looks like they are actually moving.  Compare that to this piece by George Bellows:

George Bellows Boxers

There is still a lot of excitement and dynamism, but it looks like a still frame from a movie.  It looks like the figures were captured and frozen.  Steve Huston's work looks like they are actually continuing their motion.