A Scholarly Skater
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Gargoyles and Grotesques of Wells Cathedral, Somerset, UK
Two weeks ago, I talked about the mouth puller grotesque and how common he can be in Gothic architecture. The grotesque above belongs to a related type – the thorn puller, who struggles to pull a thorn or some other painful irritant out of his foot. The thorn puller appears in many different churches and may…
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Gargoyles and Grotesques: Onigawara
Relief-carved demon faces on the ends of ridge beams in traditional Japanese architecture, onigawara are fantastic examples of grotesques outside medieval Europe.
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Sunlight on the Coast by Winslow Homer
I featured another painting by Winslow Homer a few weeks ago, but today is his birthday, so it would be just wrong to not acknowledge it. This work is very different in tone from “The Milkmaid”, although the actual style of painting is quite similar. Homer is well-known for his seascapes, many of them painted…
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Gargoyles and Grotesques of Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland, England
This rather distressed-looking grotesque lives on Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland, England. He sticks out his tongue and pokes at something inside his mouth, as though he’s having some dental problems. I can’t help but feel a little sorry for this odd little dude. He belongs to a subset of gargoyles and grotesques known as “mouth pullers”…
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The Gross Clinic by Thomas Eakins
The controversy surrounding the career of American realist painter Thomas Eakins (1844-1916) is perfectly encapsulated by his great painting The Gross Clinic. The Philadelphia-born Eakins loved naturalistic detail and was a strong advocate for the use of nude models in artists’ education
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Gargoyles and Grotesques of The Britannia (527 West 110th Street), NYC
The early-twentieth century Britannia apartment building on West 110th Street in New York City counts among its residents not just one or two, but at least six grotesques. The 1909 building by Waid & Willauer architects was hailed in its day for its welcoming and “homelike” aesthetic.(1) Accordingly, its grotesques are supposed to represent aspects of…
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Gargoyles and Grotesques of Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai
The Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus is a railway station in Mumbai, India. Formerly called the Victoria Terminus, it was designed by Frederick William Stevens and constructed between 1878 and 1888, during British colonial rule of India.(1) The building is Victorian Gothic in style but also clearly reflects some characteristics of native Indian architectural traditions. According to UNESCO’s website…
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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.
