Art Reflection – de La Tour Georges de La Tour (1593-1652) was a French painter in the Baroque style. He is known for the simplicity and stillness he implies with an almost geometric treatment of his subjects. As with many artists, he painted this scene with his times in mind. The dress and position of his subjects, the infant’s swaddling …

Art Reflection – Bonnell Seeing Shepherds is an impressionistic work by contemporary artist, Daniel Bonnell (1955). In this piece Bonnell shows us how he imagines Luke 2:13-14, the breaking in of a multitude of angels on a peaceful, familiar night for these keepers of the flock. With complimentary colors in tints and shades, with light and darkness, this artist creates depth …

Art Reflection – Melchers This painting of the birth we now await was created by Julius Garibaldi Melchers (1860-1932), who is considered an American Master. He was the son of German immigrants who settled in Detroit. His father was a wood sculptor best known for making church furniture and cigar store statutes. Melchers left Michigan at age 17, returning to …

Art Reflection – Tanner This painting by African-American artist Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859-1937) depicts a scene often imagined as we begin the Advent season. Tanner was born in Pittsburgh and was the son of an AME minister. Always interested in religious subjects, he travelled to Egypt and Palestine and painted this perspective on Gabriel’s visit to Mary upon his return …

Art Reflection – Whistler James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834-1903) was an American born artist who spent most of his life and career in Europe living mainly in the United Kingdom. He was the oldest child in his family and his mother had hoped he would be a minister. He showed early talent in art. He became a painter and was …

Art Reflection – Hawkins William Hawkins was a self-taught, African American artist from Kentucky.  He moved to Columbus, Ohio, at age 21. He painted cityscapes and fantastic animals in Columbus using photographs and illustrations as a starting point. He used scavenged materials, often painting on wood he found on construction sites. He sometimes framed his art by nailing pieces of …

Art Reflection – Adams Ansel Adams, regarded by environmentalists as a national treasure, was born in San Francisco 1902. He joined the Sierra Club in 1919. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1980. In between he created stunning images in black and white helping us to see the wild beauty of nature. He spoke of the loss of …

Art Reflection – Cranach the Elder As Reformation Sunday approaches, what better art selection than a portrait of Martin Luther whose 95 theses nailed to the door of the church in Wittenberg, Germany on October 31, 1517, ignited the Protestant Reformation? This artist, Lucas Cranach the Elder, was a portrait painter of the classical style. He and all portrait artists …

Art Reflection – Benton Thomas Hart Benton (1889-1975) was born in Kansas City, Missouri. He was part of the Regionalist Art Movement, painting scenes of life in the Midwest after receiving his art training at the Art Institute in Chicago. This crowded composition is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan. Instruments of Power is an abstracted …

Art Reflection – Arp Hans Arp (1886-1966) was a German-French painter, sculptor, and poet. He was a member of the Dada Art Movement of abstract art. He was fascinated by the possibilities of adding an element of chance to the artmaking process. He used unusual techniques like randomly dropping the pieces of a collage and gluing the pieces down wherever …