Art Reflection – John Constable John Constable was one of the best known landscape artists of his time. He painted the places he loved in the countryside and along the coast of England.  This piece is one of many cloud studies he painted. The low horizon line lifts our eyes skyward to the grand, realistic portrayal of clouds and gulls. …

Art Reflection – Shelley Rotner I looked at election art this week. There were many wonderful graphics. Each was simple, colorful and purposeful but not quite what I wanted to share with you. Then I came across a book while working on another project. It was delightful and powerful and entitled Shades of People. This book expresses a message of diversity …

Art Reflection – Lozano-Hemmer Border Tuner, 2019  | Rafael Lozano-Hemmer I must admit to you that on Friday, October 2, I had a time when I nearly lost all perspective on life and faith under the weight of our country’s long list of catastrophes. I think many of us have had these times lately. And then art saved me. Specifically, …

Art Reflection – Breonna Taylor Mural Community Mural, Metro Park Basketball Court, Annapolis, Maryland |  July 4, 2020 This mural of and for Breonna Taylor was created by many through the Future History Now organization.  It measures 7,000 square feet. Every inch of this tribute was painted by artists who prayed for justice with paint and brushes. This ariel view …

Art Reflection – Kandinsky Composition V, 1911 | Wassily Kandinsky Wassily Kandinsky was born in Moscow in 1866. He was a pioneer of abstract art. This work is the one of ten compositions he painted between 1910 and 1939. His art is akin to the works of Russian composer, Rachmaninoff.  Both filled their creations with emotion, intuitive and poetic. Their …

Art Reflection – Crowe Slaves Waiting for Sale in Virginia, 1852-1853 | Eyre Crowe Each time I look at this work, I can feel my heart breaking. This view of the domestic slave trade in Virginia was painted by the British artist, Eyre Crowe.  Crowe came to America as an artistic assistant to the novelist, William Makepeace Thackeray. I have …

Art Reflection – Braque Landscape at La Ciotat, 1907 | George Braque This beautiful, fanciful landscape by George Braque is an example of Fauvism with bright colors in unique places.  George Braque is most known for developing Cubism with Picasso but his landscapes are so worth viewing. One might see in this work dusk on a fall day with trees …

Art Reflection – Renoir The Garden in Cagnes | Renoir, 1908 This painting by Renoir is one of his more impressionistic works. It is a soft depiction of a garden with hard edges blurred in quick, confident brushwork. It feels both visually familiar and out of focus in the true sense of Impressionism. Notice again how light and shadow infuse …

Art Reflection – Rothko Blue Divided by Blue | Mark Rothko, 1966 Mark Rothko was a pioneering artist of the 20th century. Born in Latvia, he moved to New York City and became a prominent member of the New York School in the late 1940’s. He with several artists including Clyfford Still developed a new movement within Abstract Expressionism. It is …

Art Reflection – Caillebotte The Floor Scrapers  |  Gustave Caillebotte, 1875 The Floor Scrapers is a masterwork by the French Impressionist, Gustave Caillebotte. It hangs in the Musee d’Orsay in Paris. This beautiful, monochromatic work of light and detail rests on the backs of the essential workers of the day. Try to imagine first, the force needed to scrape layers of …