Author: A Scholarly Skater
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The Milkmaid by Winslow Homer
I think we’ve established my great love of the American Impressionists in recent weeks, so it’s time for something different. Winslow Homer (1836-1910) was a nineteenth-century American painter who worked in a more naturalistic style. He painted many New England landscapes, seascapes, and scenes of rural life.
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Gargoyles and Grotesques of Casa della Vittoria, Turin
This dragon grotesque and his twin live on the Casa della Vittoria in Turin, Italy. The building is also sometimes called Casa dei Draghi, presumably because of decorations like this one. (“Drago” is the Italian work for “dragon”.) I’m having trouble finding out more about the building, on account of the fact that my Italian is currently a bit rusty,…
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Church at Old Lyme by Childe Hassam
Childe Hassam (1859-1935) is one of my most favorite American artists. He is also has the rare distinction of having one of his paintings hang in the Oval Office.
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Gargoyles and Grotesques of Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence
Today’s grotesque came to my attention via Atlas Obscura, a fantastic place to find fun, quirky facts and interesting locations to visit. This little bull figure lives on one side of the cathedral Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, Italy. The church is heavily-laden with sculptural decorations of many styles and subjects, but this bull has a story separate…
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Edith Perry at the Window by Lilla Cabot Perry
American Impressionist Lilla Cabot Perry’s beautiful painting of her daughter sitting by the window.
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Gargoyles and Grotesques of the Anheuser-Busch Brewery, Saint Louis
I don’t come across either gargoyles or grotesques on commercial buildings very often in my research, which is why I so greatly appreciate them on the rare occasions that they do come along. You don’t typically think of history and important architecture when someone mentions the word “Budweiser”, but the Anheuser-Busch Brewery and headquarters in Saint Louis, Missouri is…
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Edwin Booth by John Singer Sargent
This week’s artist, like last week’s, is among the most famous artists in American history. John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) made many of his best-known works, including the scandalous Portrait of Madame X, during the many years in which he lived in Europe, but he was an American-born artist who painted many American subjects throughout his…
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Gargoyles and Grotesques of Chateau de Pierrefonds, France
A crocodile gargoyle on the Chateau de Pierrefonds in France.
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View from Mount Holyoke (The Oxbow) by Thomas Cole
Romanticist and landscape painter Thomas Cole was born in England but came to success in New York in the 1820s. He was a founder of the so-called Hudson River School. View from Mount Holyoke, Northampton, Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm—The Oxbow, is among Cole’s best-known works.
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Gargoyles and Grotesques of the Duomo, Milan
In 2012, Milan’s Duomo came up with a pretty cool fundraising idea. In order to come up with the necessary funds to support restorations efforts, this massive Gothic cathedral decided to put its 135 gargoyles up for adoption. Donors could pick a gargoyle to contribute to, receiving a little name plaque underneath “their” gargoyle. This article on swide.com…
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Nativity by Jean-Baptiste Marie Pierre (December 25th)
The Christmas Day edition of an art history Advent calendar features a Nativity painting by French artist Jean Baptiste Marie Pierre.
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Christmas Eve by Edmund Restein (December 24th)
As soon as I saw this work, I knew I had to feature it today. It’s not just the name that makes it appropriate. It so perfectly captures the spirit of Christmas Eve, at least as I’ve always experienced it – the early darkness, the inviting light from the church windows, and the well-dressed families…
