Author: A Scholarly Skater
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An Epiphany about Gargoyles
When I was in New York City for the Winter Antiques Show (subject of my most recent marathon post), I decided to engage in a little gargoyle hunt on my way to and from the Armory. I looked up at each building I passed in hopes of seeing little faces peering back at me from on…
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A Visitor’s Guide to the Winter Antiques Show
This is an exciting time of year. No, not because of my birthday, though it was that last week as well. The end of January and beginning of February mark the annual Winter Antiques Show, which this year ran from January 24th to February 2nd. For those of you who don’t know, the Winter Antiques…
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Snow in New York, the Contemporary Version
Since my post about Guy C. Wiggins, I have started discovering snowy New York cityscapes by other painters. Here are two contemporary artists who share Wiggins’s love of New York in the wintertime: Mark Daly (b. 1956) describes himself is an American Impressionist. He primarily paints landscapes set throughout the country and sometimes overseas as…
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Snow falls softly on the city: the paintings of Guy C. Wiggins
In late 2020, Questroyal Fine Art, one of the best galleries for American paintings, asked me to write a guest post for its blog. I chose to talk about the gallery’s recent acquisition – a New York City snow scene called Winter at 57th St and 5th Avenue by Guy C. Wiggins. I love Wiggins’s…
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Anna Hyatt Huntington’s Joan of Arc
The story of Anna Hyatt Huntington’s Joan of Arc, a monumental bronze equestrian sculpture in Riverside Park, New York City.
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An Old Dutch Skating Painting
A pair of paintings from the Rijksmuseum collection show the popularity of outdoor ice skating in the history of the Netherlands.
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A Selection of Watercolors by John Singer Sargent
In addition to his portraits, John Singer Sargent painted many, many watercolors. They often depicted landscapes and other scenes he had observed during his travels in Europe, America, and the Middle East.
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Dancers and Skaters by Renoir
A selection of beautiful paintings by Pierre Auguste Renoir – all depicting my two favorite things, ice skating and dancing.
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Fry versus Sargent
Many people are huge fans of John Singer Sargent, but British painter and art theorist Roger Fry wasn’t one of them.
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Epic Bookstores and Libraries
Presenting sixteen libraries and sixteen bookstores you have to see before you die. How amazing are these places? They are all so incredible that I tried to write more about them, but I couldn’t pick just a few to talk about. I could barely even figure out which ones I should include photos of. I…
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A grotesque for the National Guard
I saw this rather dignified-looking lion on the exterior of the National Guard armory where I attended a trade show a few days ago. He and his brother (not pictured) seem to keep watch and maintain order in the no parking zone below.
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Glamour, Modernism, and the City that Never Sleeps: Art Deco in 1920s New York
“New York is an Art Deco city – indeed, the Deco city […] The Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, and Rockefeller Center were crowning achievements of the late 1920s and early 1930s, and remain the dominant celebrities of the midtown skyline. Deco lobbies, theatres, jazz bars, restaurants, and details also hide and surprise at eye…
