Art Reflection – Hockney David Hockney is a Pop Art artist. He was born in Britain in 1937 and trained in London. He moved from Yorkshire to California in 1964 and swimming pools captured his imagination. He saw pools as iconic to the artificial California lifestyle and landscape and the anonymous fun he observed. Hockney carried this anonymity to new …

Art Reflection – O’Keeffe Georgia O’Keeffe, like many artists, fell in love with a place and offered visual explanations of meaning and value from there. O’Keeffe fell in love with the natural environs of the American Southwest and most especially New Mexico which she first saw in 1919. After many visits, she made her permanent home in Abiquiu near Sante …

Art Reflection – Constable John Constable (1776-1837) was an English landscape artist. He painted in the Romantic tradition and gave us some of the most popular and valuable pieces of British art, though as with many artists, he was not financially successful during his lifetime. In his landscapes, he included breathtaking skies. To perfect these he did 100 sketches en plein …

Art Reflection – Gauguin Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) spent some of his career as an Impressionist, painting en plein air and abstracting his works with the effect of light on color. He later became dissatisfied with this approach and moved into other abstractions. Our work today is an example of his Synthetism abstraction. Here he did not paint natural views but gave …

Art Reflection – Baumann Grandma Battin’s Garden is a beautiful summer scene by Gustave Baumann. This artist was born in Magdeburg, Germany, in 1881. He immigrated to America and after some time in the Midwest moved to New Mexico in 1919. He was in love with the beauty of his new home and captured his love in woodcuts and color prints …

Art Reflection – Wong This delicate watercolor represents the profound story of a talented artist. Tyrus Wong (1910-2016) came to America from China with his father when he was nine. They were separated for a time on Angel Island when they arrived. Tyrus was alone and afraid and doubted whether America was really the “Gim San,” the Golden Mountain, of …

Art Reflection – Poussin Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665) was a major artist of the French Classical Movement. He painted from classic literature and the Bible. He is lauded for his precise technique, his rich colors and, in other works, the direct drama he adds to his canvases. This piece is instead a moment of peace and beauty beyond circumstance. The imprisoned …

Art Reflection – Manet Welcome to an outdoor concert that may be a felt experience for you! Here Edouard Manet (1832-1883) shows us a glimpse of modern life in London in the 1800’s that is, beyond the period details, reminiscent of life in 2023! Have you been to a concert at the Botanic Gardens recently? Manet, a French and renowned …

Art Reflection – Chagall Marc Chagall (1887-1985) was born in Russia. He was Jewish and painted his prayers of gratitude for his surroundings. In 1910 he moved to Paris. Chagall seemed to fall in love with the energy of that city just as he had loved the simplicity of his Russian village. He painted these locations in a similar fashion. …

Art Reflection -Rivera Diego Rivera (1886-1957) remains a prominent artist of Mexico most known for his murals themed in protest and social justice issues. His compositions were often filled with symbols of industry over and against the workers who were commodified for profit. This piece is part of a mural in the main headquarters of the Secretariat of Public Education …