Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema - A Reading from Homer

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Inspired by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema - A Reading from Homer

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Lawrence Alma-Tadema was one of the principal classical-subject painters of the nineteenth century. He became famous for his depictions of the luxury and decadence of the Greek and Roman Empire, with languorous figures set in fabulous marbled Interiors. He was born in the Netherlands as Laurens Tadema, but he emigrated to England in 1870. When he tried to make his niche in the art world, he changed the spelling of his first name to the more English “Lawrence”. He included his middle name “Alma” as part of his surname, so he would be listed amongst the “A’s” in exhibi-tion catalogues.

His meticulous archaeological research into Roman architecture, led to his paintings being used as source material by Hollywood directors in such films as: “Ben Hur”, “Cleopatra” and “Gladiator”. For “The Ten Commandments” Cecil B. DeMille would customarily spread out prints of Alma-Tadema paintings to indicate to his set designers the look he wanted to achieve.

He became one of the wealthiest painters of the 19th century. He was even knighted in 1899. But like so many great painters his work was mostly ignored after his death. His painterly prowess was not reestablished until fifty years later. One of his most celebrated paintings “the Finding of Moses” was sold in 1960 for $400, the same painting sold for $36,000,000 at Sotheby’s in 2010. If you bought $400 of Apple stock in 1980 it would

only be worth $280,000 today.

To see original: http://bit.ly/3HzGnhe

The Cradle

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Inspired by: Berthe Morisot  -  The Cradle

Berthe Morisot was the only female painter who took part in the first Impressionist exhibition in Nadar’s studio, in 1874. She exhibited pastel and watercolor works and four paintings, including “The Cradle”. It depicts her sister Edna watching her sleeping daughter Blanche. It's Morisot’s first painting depicting motherhood, which would later be one of her favorite subjects. Berthe built strong friendships with other painters and writers. Monet and the poet Mallarmé were buddies. Renoir was also a loyal companion, and only one month younger. Édouard Manet, spent a great deal of time with Morisot. He painted her 12 times. They often painted together, but Berthe was seen as Manet’s student. Manet was happy with this idea, but it angered Berthe.
Years later she would marry Eugène Manet, Edouard’s brother. Morisot was barred
from a formal arts education, because of her gender. For this reason, she was almost self-taught, making studies of old master paintings at the Louvre. she rarely painted outdoors like the other Impressionists. It was a practice which invited scandal. At that time, women were expected to leave home with a chaperone. For this reason, she was relegated to painting in the homes of the wealthy. Although the critics liked her, Morisot’s gender played a role in how she was perceived. They used terms like “flirtatious” and “charming” to describe her work. Like other women of her time, she could not have a real career. Painting was considered just another female leisure activity, and as a woman, she was seen as an amateur. Morisot was well aware of her skills. She suffered in silence and spoke with her brush.

To see original painting:  https://bit.ly/4ms05uS

Winslow Homer - The Fog Warning

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Homer lived in Boston until his early twenties. He was mostly self-taught. His mother, a gifted watercolorist, got him started. After a short apprenticeship with a commercial lithographer, he began his career in illustration. For the next twenty years, he made his living working for magazines like Harper’s Weekly. He subsequently picked up a paint brush. His love was oils, but his watercolors were cheaper, they sold well, and brought him greater recognition.
He loved the ocean, and in the 1880s, he moved to Prouts Neck on the coast of Maine. It was here that he began to paint his water scenes. He not only painted the sea itself, but pitted "man against the elements" to show how powerful the water could be. He later stopped painting human figures all together and just focused on the sea. Today, Homer is known as the foremost American marine painter.
This painting was inspired by a trip to the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, Canada. There, aboard fishing vessels, he watched men, cast adrift on the open sea, take their chance with the waves and weather. To see the original painting:   https://bit.ly/4hSO2DK

Mary Stevenson Cassatt - The Tea

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Mary Stevenson Cassatt - The Tea

Tea parties were a real thing back in the day. Starting with Victorians, the afternoon tea was a daily event in any respectable well-off family. The fashion quickly spread all over Europe, and reached the US, during its Gilded Age (the period from the 1870s to about 1900). Here affluent families used teas as debutante parties.

Mary Cassatt was a great admirer of Edgar Degas. Both artists had a long period of collaboration. Cassatt said: "How well I remember seeing for the first-time Degas' pastels in the window of a picture dealer. I would flatten my nose against the window and absorb all I could of his art." Degas would help Cassatt get models for her work. Here one of those models was the woman sitting with Cassatt’s sister Lydia.

Tahitian Women on the Beach - Paul Gaugin

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Inspired by Paul Gaugin - Tahitian Women on the Beach

Born in Peru, he emigrated to France, and secured a job as a stockbroker in Paris. He did quite well as a broker. By the age of 31 he was pulling down 30,000 Francs a year, the equivalent of about $150,000 today. At the age of 35 he gave it all up to be a painter. This new job was not a success, so in 1891 he left his wife and five children and headed for Tahiti. He stayed there for ten years, returning once to try to sell his work and raise capital to return. His life in Tahiti was tempestuous. He married three times, all teenage island girls (13 and 14). This was considered a marriageable age in the Tahitian culture, but in western culture it is considered pedophilia. Gaugin was not the only French colonist that took advantage of the Tahitians desire for status or financial gain. These weddings were not legally binding and all three of his wives eventually left him. Gaugin used his wives for the models in countless paintings. The model for both of the women in this painting is Teha’amana, his first Tahitian muse, lover and eventually wife.

In 1901 when he became seriously ill with syphilis and in trouble with the French authorities, he left town. Alone and impoverished, Gauguin died of a stroke in the Marquesas Islands on May 8, 1903. He has been championed and reviled by art history. His painting was magnificent, but his lifestyle seems unacceptable.

If you would like to see the original painting: bit.ly/43HIFQS