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Memory: Frida Kahlo: Hand-painted art oil reproduction on c ... Read more

Memory: Frida Kahlo: Hand-painted art oil reproduction on canvas. Memory, 1937 is an oil painting by the Mexican surrealist Frida Kahlo created in the aforementioned year. One of many self-portraits by the esteemed Kahlo, this painting follows suit in her tradition by including her benchmark pursed lips, heavy brow and tightly pulled hair. The painting also includes Kahlo’s habit of painting herself to be hollow, with a hole appearing where her left breast lies. In its place a long beam runs through her, a fairy seated on the end. Kahlo’s garments hang suspended from the sky, her heart torn out and bleeding on the ground below her. Observe the beauty in which Kahlo paints the merging of blood and water on the shore at her feet, the red liquid getting absorbed into the sand as oil might, dark and heavy. Yet despite all of the personal tragedy symbolized around Kahlo, the painting appears to have a noticeably light mood, with a blue sky juxtaposed against Kahlo’s serene yet slightly amused face. Notice how she has no arms in the sleeves hanging at her sides, her limbs instead fastened to the hanging garments as though part of her wardrobe before her body. On her shoe is fastened a main sail and mast, as if the shoe is prepared to take to the ocean. Though her heart remains on the sand at her feet, Memory, 1937 depicts a loosely strung Kahlo whose soul is prepared to take flight altogether. Minimize

Irvington Woods: Albert Bierstadt: Hand-painted art oil rep ... Read more

Irvington Woods: Albert Bierstadt: Hand-painted art oil reproduction on canvas. From New York’s Hudson River Valley comes Irvington Woods, a work of oil that pays homage to master painter Albert Bierstadt’s adoration for the forested land that he studied in. This Romantic oil painting captures a scene typical of those landscapes belonging to the Hudson River and Rocky Mountain Schools which Bierstadt is associated with. The visual center of this piece is classically arranged to direct the eyes into jagged manner through the painting, relying on a series of points. A dirt path running diagonally through the grove of trees carries until it collides with the right border. At that point, a low hanging canopy rising towards the upper middle extremity and coincides with the dividing horizon marked by a distinctly lighter hue of green. Above this the canopy continues rising in a straight line until it hits the upper perimeter of the canvas. This ancient technique is deployed to keep the eye in motion and force a balance to contrast the weight placed by the two dogs in the lower foreground. Bierstadt’s affection for nature and romantically driven plot are apparent in this piece amongst the subjects as well as in the landscape. A master at lighting a scene to the whim of his fancy, Bierstadt depicts an aura of radiance in the wooded area uncommon with most Hudson River paintings of the late nineteenth century. The open, airy grove of this Albert Bierstadt painting depicts a landscape indicating triumph and reverence towards nature versus awe or terror. Notice an exaggerated use of light and the popping effect that exists between shadowy and sun touched areas. We might care to talk of metaphor when scrutinizing the role of the canines. They act as a monument to the roving spirit in mankind that wanders the back hills without owner or care. One dog stands at guard. The other dog sits. It is a touch of Bierstadt’s genius that is shown here. One can see in the positioning of the dogs remarkable restraint and simplicity at work in the mind of Albert Bierstadt. Minimize

The Kiss: Gustav Klimt: Hand-painted art oil reproduction o ... Read more

The Kiss: Gustav Klimt: Hand-painted art oil reproduction on canvas. Austrian Symbolist painter Gustav Klimt painted The Kiss in 1908. This is an oil painting on canvas. Gustav Klimt depicts a male figure and a female figure in close embrace. The Kiss 1908 suggests a mood of supernatural proportion erupting in the space around the pair. The pair is clad in robes of gold, adorned with patches of geometric color. Apparent in the robes of the woman are the famed circles so beloved by fans of Klimt that add texture and mystery to the work. Below them, flowers explode in a springtime pallet while the air rains specks of gold dust over a brown background. The relationship existing between the man and woman in the composition is worth noting. Notice how the man’s neck cranes forward, subserviently bowing down to her even though she is shorter than he. He still stretches to reach the woman who appears to be actually pulling away. On her face is a smug expression of the classic pursed lips so used by Klimt. Likewise, her left hand is clawed in agony, not wrapped around the middle section of the man as it would naturally be inclined to do in a serious embrace. The woman appears more powerful than the striving male who seems to be very edge to the cliff of flowers ending behind her. This could be symbolic of the man’s ignorance to the perilous road that can often follow infatuation, leading to misery. Minimize

Portrait of Lydia Delectorskaya, the Artist's Secretary: He ... Read more

Portrait of Lydia Delectorskaya, the Artist's Secretary: Henri Matisse: Hand-painted art oil reproduction on canvas. In 1947, Henri Matisse was taking his art to new and unexpected places. He had undergone a bout with cancer in 1941 and, after healing, had found his artistic vision awakened and changed. Matisse moved from portraying representational forms to dealing in complete abstraction, letting color, line and contrast do the talking. In "Portrait of Lydia Delectorskaya, the Artist's Secretary," Matisse puts these theories to use on a standard portrait. A woman looks out on the viewer, framed by a red background. Her hair is rendered in two tones of green, half in shadow and half in light. This placement of light and shadow is reversed in the figure's face: half is in a blue shadow and half in bright yellow. Her features are rendered geometrically: her hairline forms a pyramid. The angles of her blouse and her shoulders contain yet more triangles. The brushstrokes are heavy and easily seen in "Portrait of Lydia Delectorskaya, the Artist's Secretary," giving the painting a sense of movement and urgency. Lydia Delectorskaya cared for Matisse, and modeled for him, during his struggle with cancer and his subsequent artistic rebirth. Her expression in this painting is caring and open, while remaining enigmatic. "Portrait of Lydia Delectorskaya, the Artist's Secretary," is an abstract painting, in that there is no attempt to paint the model realistically, however it is obvious that the model and the artist cared for one another. The emotion truly does peek through. Minimize

Danae: Gustav Klimt: Hand-painted art oil reproduction on c ... Read more

Danae: Gustav Klimt: Hand-painted art oil reproduction on canvas. Danae, an oil painting completed by Austrian artist Gustav Klimt in 1908, explores the racier side of this symbolist painter. Klimt, who is known for his erotic images of dominant females, displays this in the manner that his red headed nude appears in Danae. The woman appears to sleep, though only at first glance does she appear to be beautiful in nature. Take heed of her curled, claw like hand gesture and the manner in which her grotesquely large thigh extends up to meet her sleeping head. The decision to leave the second leg out of the Danae only adds to the mystery behind this terrifically sublime painting. Despite the appearance of beauty in the woman there appears to be a sense of inherent evil possessing the sleeping body of this woman. When combined with the purple and gold dcor, Klimt succeeds in taking the viewer out of the realm of normalcy and rendering his artwork into something more powerful and otherwordly. The femme-fatale subject of Klimts work, sometimes described metaphorically, takes the shape of a human being here to convey the artists viewpoint. Notice the repetition of circles and the way that colors react against each other. There is a relatively small amount of blending but instead a system of lines governing the edges of Klimts forms. The blending can be witnessed at best in the red cheeks of the woman and also on the shadow beneath her breast. Minimize

Upwards: Wassily Kandinsky: Hand-painted art oil reproducti ... Read more

Upwards: Wassily Kandinsky: Hand-painted art oil reproduction on canvas. Upwards 1929 was painted by Russian Abstract Expressionist Wassily Kandinsky in the aforementioned year. It is a work of oil on cardboard measuring seventy by forty-nine centimeters. This painting exhumes a confident and steady tone certain to arouse feelings of profundity in all who gaze upon its didactic approach abstract thinking. The painting clearly emphasizes the feeling of taking place in the sky, highlighted by the appearance of motion existing in the split and shifting circle. Kandinsky’s toned down pallet places greater emphasis on form and movement in this painting, reducing the tones to dulled down blues, a mellow orange and an off white. There is a strong linear drive governing the structural quality with a vertical axis running directly through the center of the canvas. In addition, there is a replication of another axis in the upper right region of the canvas that was included with the intention of serving as a visual reminder of the concept of structural balance and upward motion. Kandinsky’s approach to this painting, as with most of his abstract pieces, is to let the viewer take the pilot’s seat and steer the painting into whatever direction they should so choose. Upwards 1929 is a paradigm of independent thought and growth inviting new deliberation of form apart from premeditated meaning already given by most artists in a finished piece. Upwards 1929 entreats you look at the world differently after viewing it. Minimize

In Blue: Wassily Kandinsky: Hand-painted art oil reproducti ... Read more

In Blue: Wassily Kandinsky: Hand-painted art oil reproduction on canvas. Russian Abstract Expressionist Wassily Kandinsky of the German Bauhaus painted In Blue in the year 1924. In Blue is a galvanizing display of power and contrast. It is an electric current, a war of attrition between bent and unbent line. Notice the positioning of the large triangle, convoluted with a maelstrom of geometric shapes. Adjacent to the large triangle a glowing red circle pushes inward, breaching the hypotenuse. Yet, through the entire clutter of shapes and color, the mess appears beautiful. Its colors are complimentary and are equally balanced. Kandinsky’s use of ambiguity with the depicted forms are meant to heighten his philosophy that color and shape in art are meant to be exploited in order to form a closer path to the audience. Here symbolic barriers between the piece of art and its viewer are torn down. Kandinsky’s colors In Blue flood the canvas and act as nothing more than variable sequences of two and three dimensional shapes that create complex patterns. There becomes no need to show anything moe to the audience other than possibility of more creation stemming from the artist. These paintings breed independent abstract thought for their purity and genius. The pieces beg to be mentally rearranged hours after staring at. Take heed of Kandinsky’s use of line in this picture as translucent shapes give way to new layers of possibility and interpretation. Minimize

Point of Advantage: Shopify: Hand-painted art oil reproduct ... Read more

Point of Advantage: Shopify: Hand-painted art oil reproduction on canvas. From London comes Coign of Vantage, a painting by the late Victorian artist Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema. The painting was completed in1895 at the artist’s home in England following a trip to Paris. Coign of Vantage is a small work with a breadth of roughly twenty-five centimeters. Its height measures at almost eighteen. The small size of this rectangular piece provides an interesting perspective for the viewer who is allowed to peek just over the small island below the head of the woman who is peering over the side. They are quite a distance above the ocean. This painting acts as an invitation for the viewer to sit on the ledge with the ladies and enjoy the coign, or projecting corner and the view of the ship below. Created in oil, this piece rings true to Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema’s style of painting classical scenes. This piece is classically arranged with the forms guiding the eye from the head of the dark panther statue down through the two women and finally hurtling over the edge through the eyes of the one woman who is seen peering down. The bodies are arranged to flow in a zig-zagging pattern up through the painting as well. The subjects in this painting are designed to interact harmoniously with their surroundings. The hint of this painting is that the extent of these subjects’ troubles begin and end with the sublime expanse of air and water around them. They seem to be content with their fawning and gazing and the result is the feeling of a daydream in antiquity. Minimize

A Wood Auction: Vincent van Gogh: Hand-painted art oil repr ... Read more

A Wood Auction: Vincent van Gogh: Hand-painted art oil reproduction on canvas. Own A Wood Auction by Vincent Van Gogh when you buy from our online store at CheapOilPainting.com. We carry paintings from the Post-Impressionism era including other types of paintings from Vincent Van Gogh. Decorate your house, save money when you order from CheapOilPainting.com. Be the owner of the famous A Wood Auction and visit CheapOilPainting.com for gift ideas and prices you can’t resist. Minimize

Roots: Frida Kahlo: Hand-painted art oil reproduction on ca ... Read more

Roots: Frida Kahlo: Hand-painted art oil reproduction on canvas. Frida Kahlo painted Roots in the year 1943. Roots, oil painting, depicts the artist Kahlo lying on her side. She is dressed in complimentary yellow in relation to the green vegetation growing about her. Her long black hair hangs loosely from her head, her lips traditionally pursed beneath a heavy brow of black. Celebreated as a Surrealist for her ability to transcend the ornery limitations of everyday life and create a dreamscape for the viewer on the canvas, Kahlo’s self portraits are arguably not only the most dramatic but the most revealing in art history. In this example, Kahlo’s body is deprived of separation from the earth, the vines growing into her but also revealing through the window in her midsection that she is as simple as the vine itself. There is no substance to her in this painting beyond her life as a plant and this is what makes Roots so tremendously surreal. Yet, the artist seems at home here. Despite her stern expression she does not appear to be struggling and one could say that it is the most natural and serene position that Kahlo can be seen depicted in. Roots appears to show no sign of struggling or strife but instead shows Kahlo as one with nature, interwoven with the vegetation and existing in a daytime field peacefully and without any sign of torment. Minimize

Farbstudie Quadrate: Wassily Kandinsky: Hand-painted art oi ... Read more

Farbstudie Quadrate: Wassily Kandinsky: Hand-painted art oil reproduction on canvas. Farbstudie Quadrate 1913 was painted by the great Russian Abstract Expressionist Wassily Kandinsky. The painting is a series of twelve squares, each containing their own microcosm of colorful circles. Within the circles color spirals inward as a bulls eye, creating an effect that keeps the eye focused inadvertently on every one at the same time. Kandinsky does this by using complimentary colors. Color appears to connect with adjacent boxes. For instance, in the lower right region the outermost bulls-eye bleeds into the background behind the green circle. It is a small trick but extremely powerful. Kandinsky’s wish was not to find any meaning or logic in the circles of Farbstudie 1913 but rather treat them as individual color studies meant to reach the viewer on an emotional level separate from meaning. Expressionism, an early modern movement, relied heavily on color and form in hopes of liberating the world from the prospect that those who are not privy to the secrets of art cannot enjoy it. By merely looking at this piece the viewer is engaging it at the fullest level for no one can look at this piece and feel nothing. Within the boundaries of Farbstudie 1913 are fiery, electric reds, cool hues of blue and smart balances of green. The colors compliment each other and still manage to clash in certain areas. For this reason Kandinsky’s name has endured making him one of the greatest masters of color the world has seen. Minimize

Bavarian Landscape: Albert Bierstadt: Hand-painted art oil ... Read more

Bavarian Landscape: Albert Bierstadt: Hand-painted art oil reproduction on canvas. From the rolling hills of painter Albert Bierstadt's native Germany comes Bavarian Landscape by the Romantic landscape artist Albert Bierstadt. Bierstadt’s use of color in this painting serves as a method of creating a sense of power and feeling of expanse much greater than the small farm from which the observer gazes out over. In the foreground, two cows stand opposite from two humans. This in turn balances the canvas, placing equal weight on both human and animal subjects and thereby diminishing the house built by the hands of man situated in the background. The Romantic focuses on the natural landscape of this painting, noticing the gentle shift of light falling in from the open clouds and blue sky before the hatched roof or wooden cart. Bierstadt’s technique can be witnessed in the way that the artist positioned the cattle to direct the eye to the right of the canvas along the path. From there the eye is supposed to travel along the golden field where it eventually connects with the row of trees and moves right again towards the house. From there lies only sky to gaze upon, with two birds emerging from the heavens in the upper middle section. The birds are meant to symbolize the amount of space existing outside of this canvas, the sky meant to be a window into the limitless space surrounding this small farm scene. To the right of the house also appears the rolling tops of distant mountains, also adding to the sublime notion of there being much more to this painting than originally meets the eye. Minimize

Rocky Mountains: Albert Bierstadt: Hand-painted art oil rep ... Read more

Rocky Mountains: Albert Bierstadt: Hand-painted art oil reproduction on canvas. Rocky Mountains is an oil painting created in 1866 by German-American Romantic painter Albert Bierstadt of the Rocky Mountain and Hudson River Schools. This piece, done in oil, was created around the time of one of the artist’s many trips painting the American West. A Romantic painting, this painting works to display first and foremost the sublime power and inspiring size of one of America’s greatest mountain ranges. Similarly to many Romantic works, there are no humans in this picture. The subjects pictured here are a group of deer at the bank of a body of water. They appear docile and radiant in their innocence, giving this painting a feeling of clean heartedness and primitive beauty without the insertion of humans or anything made by human hands. The oil used in this painting fills the canvas with rich color that would not be fully achievable with any other type of paint and the effect is a view of the snow tipped peaks of the Rockies behind a hazy cloud. Another trademark common to many works by Bierstadt appears in the lower right hand corner where a section of earth juts out and provides a visual “end” to the painting. On the left side, for instance, the water merely keeps going until the border giving the impression that more water will follow. On the right, the dark earth serves as both a cropping tool and the invitation to imagine the rest of the park unfolding behind the viewer, placing them in the heart of this painting. Minimize

The Bodmer Oak, Fontainebleau Forest: Claude Monet: Hand-pa ... Read more

The Bodmer Oak, Fontainebleau Forest: Claude Monet: Hand-painted art oil reproduction on canvas. Claude Monet is well known for his Impressionist paintings, images dominated by bright swaths of color with an emphasis on light over realism. However, before Monet began painting in this style, he was an accomplished landscape painter, able to depict scenes with accuracy and delicacy. In "The Bodmer Oak, Fountainbleau Forest," Monet is painting in a very precise, accurate style. The center of the image is dominated by a large, dark tree with deep black braches spreading to either side. The bark is rendered with amazing detail, complete with knots and stripes. Trees stretch to the distance in the background, in bright colors of green and yellow. The carpet of the leaves on the ground shows the beginning of Monet's movement to an Impressionistic style, as spots of bright color intermingle with darker colors. No individual leaves are depicted. The color of the leaves is more paramount than their shapes. "The Bodmer Oak, Fountainbleau Forest" contains a slash in the upper right corner of the canvas. Experts say Money likely did this himself, in order to keep his landlord from repossessing it as payment for rent. It's easy to see why Monet would protect this painting. "The Bodmer Oak, Fountainbleu Forest" is a technically perfect, realistic, peaceful painting, done early in Monet's career. Minimize

The Seine at Bougival in the Evening: Claude Monet: Hand-pa ... Read more

The Seine at Bougival in the Evening: Claude Monet: Hand-painted art oil reproduction on canvas. Claude Monet wrote, “For me, a landscape does not exist in its own right, since its appearance changes at every moment; but the surrounding atmosphere brings it to life - the light and the air which vary continually. For me, it is only the surrounding atmosphere which gives subjects their true value" (source: http://thinkexist.com/quotes/claude_monet). Sunrise and sunset are the two times of day when the light is the most variable, and the moment is the most fleeting. Perhaps this is the reason that so many of Monet's paintings depict sunrises or sunsets. In "The Seine at Bougival in the Evening," nearly half of the canvas is taken up with a sky lit up with the sunset. The color choices are bold, including yellow, red, orange and pink. No distinguishable clouds are shown. Rather, the colors are placed next to one another quickly, with visible brush strokes. The sky is reflected in the river below, which is one of Monet's favorite techniques, but the center of the river remains a ribbon of blue with no other color visible. Riding this yellow wave of reflection, two people sit in their boat, holding fishing poles. The buildings of the town behind them are rendered quickly, in dashes of blue and white. "The Seine at Bougival in the Evening" does manage to capture a town, and its fisherman, at an exact moment during a sunset. Minimize

Harmonie Tranguille: Wassily Kandinsky: Hand-painted art oi ... Read more

Harmonie Tranguille: Wassily Kandinsky: Hand-painted art oil reproduction on canvas. Harmonie Tranguille was painted by Russian Abstract Expressionist Wassily Kandinsky in the year 1924. It is a playful painting, with jubilant colors expressing a warm, ecstatic quality. This painting is light and balanced in terms of geometric consistency. Like many of Kandinsky’s abstract pieces, there is an important relationship between loose and grounded pieces at work. For instance the rectangles at the bottom left appear stacked while above circles float about. Lines intersect one another and reconnect to others, allowing for new shapes and new possibilities to open when looking at it. The intention of Kandinsky in Harmonie Tranguille is to speak primarily through color and line in this piece in the hopes that they will combine to create a new language for his audience to appreciate the simplicity of these patterns and to then begin to see them in every day life. The beauty of an abstract painting is that it provides fodder for independent abstract thought and a hope that by changing the way that individuals look at the world it can be of use to society. While at first the shapes appear to be a giant random mess of clutter, in fact they are very neat and reduced to their essential qualities. This painting is above all else functional in that every line and box is necessary. There is nothing extraneous or ostentatious exerting unnecessary pressure on the composition in Harmonie Tranguille. Minimize

Grove of Olive Trees in Bordighera: Claude Monet: Hand-pain ... Read more

Grove of Olive Trees in Bordighera: Claude Monet: Hand-painted art oil reproduction on canvas. Claude Monet wrote, " You'll understand, I'm sure that I'm chasing the merest sliver of color. It's my own fault. I want to grasp the intangible. It's terrible how the light runs out. Color, any color, lasts a second, sometimes 3 or 4 minutes at most" (source: http://quote.robertgenn.com/auth_search.php?authid=299). This is truly the Impressionist painter's challenge: To paint a moment, to capture the light, before it fades and is lost. Monet would tackle this challenge repeatedly during his long painting career. In "Grove of Olive Trees in Bordighera," the viewer seems to be standing in the middle of a path of red earth. The light is dim, but the path glows with warm earth tones, shot through with speckles of green grass. The olive trees are wonderfully gnarled and twisted, stretching up to the sky in buckling, swaying shapes. The tops of the trees extend off the canvas, giving the viewer the impression of staying underneath a dense canopy of leaves. The leaves themselves are just barely suggested with swabs of green, blue and grey. Brush strokes vary between long, vertical strokes and small circular strokes. It's difficult to tell where the leaves stop and the sky behind begins. "Grove of Olive Trees in Bordighera" gives the impression that it was painted very quickly, in rapidly fading light. Minimize

Mill: Piet Mondrian: Hand-painted art oil reproduction on c ... Read more

Mill: Piet Mondrian: Hand-painted art oil reproduction on canvas. In "Mill" Piet Mondrian paints his homeland in a loving, realistic style. Mondrian was introduced to painting at a young age by his uncle Fritz Mondriaan, who often took Piet with him when he painted scenes along the river Gein. "Mill" is split in half. The top portion of the painting shows one of the area's omnipresent windmills, arrested in the act of spinning. The base of the mill is shown, while the top is out of our view. The sky is rendered in varying colors of blue, shot through with clouds. A bright white picket fence runs across the canvas, stretching to the right. The left of the canvas is taken up with a bright green hedge. A small dock runs down to the river below. The bottom half of the canvas is taken up with the river, containing a perfectly executed mirror image of the scene shown at the top of the painting. Lilly pads dot the river, creating visual interest and highlighting the fact that this is a reflection in water. Mondrian would move away from realistic paintings in his later career, moving toward images of complete abstraction of grids and colors. But in "Mill," we see the artist lovingly painting a scene from his homeland in a realistic, colorful, playful style. Minimize

In the Foothills: Albert Bierstadt: Hand-painted art oil re ... Read more

In the Foothills: Albert Bierstadt: Hand-painted art oil reproduction on canvas. In German-American Romantic artist Albert Bierstadt’s 1861 painting In the Foothills, the viewer is taken on a unique journey into a singularly human setting. The singularity of this piece is that it depicts, in the foreground, a hut built by and inhabited with humans. Unlike most of Bierstadt’s work, which focuses on landscapes apart from the human element of nature, this small oil on board offers a peek into daily life in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in the second half of the nineteenth century. Never one abandon his Romantic roots even when depicting structures built by men, it is apparent that this painting is visually arranged by first thrusting a moderate size house at the eyes of the observer. Next, a second house sits just to the left in the middle ground, separated by a fence and noticeably smaller than the fist. In line with these first two houses sits a structure at the top of a large hill, though it is unclear whether the structure is of natural or un natural creation. The point here is that as large and structurally sound the houses are, they are still smaller and more fragile than the most common hill behind them. It should be noted too that based on the title of this painting, that hill is but a stepping stone when compared to the mountains close at hand. This is Romanticism at its finest, most sublime quality. Minimize

Westminster Bridge, London, with the Lord Mayor's Processio ... Read more

Westminster Bridge, London, with the Lord Mayor's Procession on the Thames: Giovanni Antonio Canaletto: Hand-painted art oil reproduction on canvas. Giovanni Antonio Canaletto had a successful painting career in Venice. His paintings of landscapes were prized by tourists, souvenir hunting, and Canaletto enjoyed creating the images. The war of the Austrian Succession meant, however, that fewer tourists were coming to Venice, and Giovanni Antonio Canaletto had to move on. The artist chose London, and began painting his trademark landscapes there. Critics have noted that these show an idealized London: There is no smog and no rain, for example. But modern audiences love these paintings for their use of light, and for their sense of joy. In this painting, Westminster Bridge, London, with the Lord Mayor's Procession on the Thames, Canaletto shows us a river bursting with boats of all sizes, from large vessels carrying many people, to smaller boats holding just one or two. Some boats hold lines of rowers, all shown working in unison to propel the boats. Colored flags on the boats contrast beautifully with the grey waters below. The Westminster Bridge was relatively new when this painting was made, and is shown in bright detail here. The river recedes into the vanishing point in the distance, echoed by one small plume of grey smoke from the city. The sky above is rendered in brilliant, beautiful blue with fluffy white clouds. Canaletto seems comfortable and playful here, in his new home. Minimize

The Rocks: Vincent van Gogh: Hand-painted art oil reproduct ... Read more

The Rocks: Vincent van Gogh: Hand-painted art oil reproduction on canvas. In this Vincent van Gogh painting, The Rocks, the artist depicts a tree climbing out of the rocks, reaching to the sun. The tone of the paint is autumnal, as the bushes below are bright orange, the sky a dull brown and the grasses deepening to a dark olive green. The brush strokes here are lightning fast. Vincent van Gogh was known to work very quickly, painting as fast as possible when inspiration struck. As he said in a letter to Emile Bertrand: "I have sometimes worked excessively fast. Is it a fault? I can't help it. For instance, I painted a size 30 canvas, the “Summer Evening” at a single sitting. Take it up again? Impossible. Destroy it? Why should I! You see, I went out to do it expressly while the mistral was raging. Aren't we seeking intensity of thought rather than tranquility of touch? But under the given conditions of working spontaneously, on the spot, and given the character of it, is a calm, well-regulated touch always possible? Goodness gracious - as little, it seems to me, as during an assault in a fencing match" (source: http://www.webexhibits.org/vangogh/letter/18/B09.htm?qp=health.fatigue). In this painting, the base of the tree is drawn with one quick zigzag of gray paint, applied heavily. The grass and rushes are merely suggested, with bright daubs of paint. And the rocks themselves are also quickly executed with gray. Minimize

The Broken Column: Frida Kahlo: Hand-painted art oil reprod ... Read more

The Broken Column: Frida Kahlo: Hand-painted art oil reproduction on canvas. The Broken Column is a self portrait painted by Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. The painting, oil on canvas, was completed in the year 1944 and measures four hundred by three hundred-five millimeters. A surrealist masterpiece, The Broken Column depicts the artist’s semi-naked torso, a column of the classical style depicted running from her chin to her belly. It is symbolically shattered, describing her reality of conflicting identities and separate lives spent living in the same body. That is, her prosperous life as a medical student and her fragmented existence occurring after her terrible accident aboard a trolley car. Tears flow from the face whose expression is absent and forlorn, her lips pursed and her chin resting on the crumbling column. Notice the beauty that resides in her body and face in comparison to the horrendous catastrophe occurring constantly in her midsection. Her image is forever immortalized and beloved as a pillar of strength on a modern world torn with strife, in a state of constant crumble but never completely in ruins. Frida’s image exists to remind us all of the strength required to persevere through periods of tribulation however long and difficult they might seem. Observe the nails sticking into her every section, yet there is no blood shone on her stark white garments. The Broken Column’s indelible power comes from the rawest of ingredients sacred to an artist, tragedy turned into art. Minimize

A declaration: Lawrence Alma-Tadema: Hand-painted art oil r ... Read more

A declaration: Lawrence Alma-Tadema: Hand-painted art oil reproduction on canvas. The watercolor A Declaration was one of six works painted by Victorian artist Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema during the winter and spring of the year 1879. This painting, which hangs in the British Museum of London, is true to Alma-Tadema’s style of painting classical themes. As beautiful as the water is behind the seated pair on the marble bench, the two are arranged in such a way so as to keep the eye of the viewer fixated on them. This takes away the attention from the sea where relatively little is happening and instead puts the two people directly in the spotlight. It is for this reason that the woman is not seated closer to the man. His body weight is leaning towards her, and she is positioned at an angle which leads the eye of the observer back towards them where it is trapped by the floor and descending staircase. Equally as impressive is Alma-Tadema’s ability to render classical architecture in his favor, constructing the bench as he needs to for the sake of keeping the viewer’s eye where it needs to be. In the middle ground, on the second bench there is a sharp contrast between warm and light colors, with the dark cloaked man surrounded by tones of bright and muted white and blue. The use of orange in the female’s hair is used for the sake of making it “pop”, or stand out dramatically when placed against its opposite color, blue. The entire painting is governed by thin lines delicately held in place and given life through its guiding color. It is for this reason that this piece carries a whimsical mood of antiquity. Even the darkest tones cannot feel oppressive when placed around such a multitude of light coloring. Minimize

Improvisation 7: Wassily Kandinsky: Hand-painted art oil re ... Read more

Improvisation 7: Wassily Kandinsky: Hand-painted art oil reproduction on canvas. Improvisation 7 is a painting by the Modern Russian Abstract-Expressionist Wassily Kandinsky. It is a work of oil on canvas and was painted in the year 1910. Improvisation 7 sees Kandinsky bury his adored color beneath a heavy black line that governs the picture by breaking it into various sections. The effect is not altogether unlike that of wrought iron in the molding of stained glass. The black line in Improvisation 7 allows each colorful section to flourish independently. In addition, the lines create geometric patterns. Color in this painting does not blend so much as it rests on top of each other. In certain areas such as the stretch of green at the bottom of the canvas the yellow paint rests firmly on top, creating a “popping” effect. This painting’s glory can be found in the energy, or the emotion one feels when gazing at it. It is not merely art for art’s sake, and it is not meant to be studied too deeply. Rather, Kandinsky invites you to measure your own reaction when looking at it in hopes that it will spark a feeling of life within all of his viewers. That is the highest goal of Abstract Expressionism and is the reason why it is still studied in the pages of art history today. In a world that is changing rapidly, color is a constant that is always prevalent and can always be identified with on some level. Minimize

On the Saco: Albert Bierstadt: Hand-painted art oil reprodu ... Read more

On the Saco: Albert Bierstadt: Hand-painted art oil reproduction on canvas. On the Saco takes the viewer into an autumn scene in New England along the banks of the Saco River. German-American Romanticist and landscape painter Albert Bierstadt of the Hudson River and Rocky Mountain Schools painted this scene in oil. It measures forty two by thirty inches. This Romantic painting captures all of the vibrant colors of an autumn spectrum in New England, heightened by the artist’s trademark reflection on the river. Cows laze about drinking water in the shallow bank indicating its slow moving quality. The eye is meant to travel down the wide river and wind up at the base of the dark looming mountains. What appears to be a serene and peaceful scene is held in check by the inclusion of the darkness filling the upper left corner foretelling the coming of a long New England autumn’s eve. This contrasts nicely when compared to the brightness occurring in the well lit upper right corner. In the background looms even an even darker mass of mountains that hang about and cast a sublime feeling to this majestic landscape. As with most Romantic paintings, Bierstadt chooses to leave the human element out of this painting and replace it with subjects of the bovine nature. Its effect is a heightened sense of the power and beauty inherent in nature apart from the role of humans. Minimize

Improvisation 11: Wassily Kandinsky: Hand-painted art oil r ... Read more

Improvisation 11: Wassily Kandinsky: Hand-painted art oil reproduction on canvas. Wassily Kandinsky’s Improvisation 11 was painted in 1910, one year before his involvement with the famous exhibition Der Blaue Reiter (“The Blue Rider”). Improvisation 11 promotes Kandinsky’s opinion that color acts as an x-variable in a painting. Color has the ability to manipulate a composition and create a piece of art that can connect deeply with its viewer. Improvisation 11 creates tension through a seemingly reckless display of color and form that co-exists in an exciting and vigorous piece. While the figure in the lower right corner appears to be a dog, and could very well be due to the artist’s love of painting animals, it was not Kandinsky’s intention to draw attention to its meaning but rather its relationship in the larger context of the painting. The shape has been rendered to exploit its color and form. It is separated from the yellow background by a heavy black line that is characteristic in most of Kandinsky’s work. Notice the exaggerated yellow triangle at the visual center of this painting. Its demand for attention in turn elicits more yellow to jump off of the canvas. A streak crosses the center of the painting to the right of the yellow triangle and is broken into strips by heavy black lines similar to the wrought iron barriers one would find in a stain glass piece. There is a strong separation of colors in this painting allowing each to hold its own important place on the canvas. Minimize

Mother and Child: Gustav Klimt: Hand-painted art oil reprod ... Read more

Mother and Child: Gustav Klimt: Hand-painted art oil reproduction on canvas. Mother and Child was completed in 1910 by Austrian artist Gustav Klimt. A darker composition by the Symbolist painter widely known for his involvement in the Viennese Secession of 1897, Mother and Child is a remarkably personal exploration by the artist. Klimt depicts a powerful image of a female in this painting as he does in most of his work. Visually, Mother and Child displays remarkable contrast between the bodies cloaked in surrounding darkness and the stark white faces of the mother and her two children. Klimt takes the three figures out of their normal surroundings and places them directly in the shadows of nature, amidst a constant earthy tone bearing course brush strokes throughout the painting. The faces, meanwhile are detailed and touched with subtle hints of red in the lips and cheeks of the children. Metaphorically this painting might act as a place of refuge for a viewer. Klimt was well practiced in creating realms where his observers could turn to in an effort to flee a world run by constant struggle for survival. It is the invitation of the artist, therefore to enter this painting as the child would into the lap of the mother and embrace, at least for the time spent gazing at it, an opportunity to dwell in the comfort of warmth and darkness that Klimts masterpiece Mother and Child offers. Minimize

Olevano: Albert Bierstadt: Hand-painted art oil reproductio ... Read more

Olevano: Albert Bierstadt: Hand-painted art oil reproduction on canvas. From painter Albert Bierstadt’s collection of mountainous Italian paintings comes Olevano, a work of oil depicting this small town in the province of Pavia This landscape painting, a smaller work measuring roughly twenty-six by twenty inches differs slightly from most works by Bierstadt in that it depicts human achievement and construction in the buildings of the middle ground of this painting. Most Romantic art shuns human industry and progress, instead focusing on the majestic qualities and power of natural landscape. This painting, relying on a light source from the bright day time sun, still pays homage to this notion by displaying the mountains in the background dwarfing the village and thereby creating a sense of supreme dominance over the tiny buildings of men. Much attention is paid to the brush and trees in the foreground, giving a sense of fertility and growth to the region independent of the town. Nature takes its own path in this Bierstadt painting and even though it was completed on a different continent it still adheres to Bierstadt’s principles and philosophy. What appears out of place here are the rooftops and walls, as if even the most beautiful building can not match the beauty of even the lowliest flower or blade of grass. This painting, a true beauty of original work, offers a pristine view of an Italian landscape and provides a testimony to the mastery displayed by the painter Albert Bierstadt. Minimize

Divided: Wassily Kandinsky: Hand-painted art oil reproducti ... Read more

Divided: Wassily Kandinsky: Hand-painted art oil reproduction on canvas. Wassily Kandinsky’s 1928 painting Divided is a celebration of the power manifested in the form of bisection. This watercolor and ink piece feels like two paintings on the same canvas due to the gargantuan line running from top to bottom in the composition. On the left a background of green plays host to a vertical rectangle, also divided down the middle into two sections of eight for a total of sixteen boxes. Above, a series of interwoven circles rests in sharp contrast to the domination of straight lines and hard angles at work on both sides. The background of the right side of Divided, for that matter, is covered in red and fades to white as does the green on the left. This side is a celebration of line but also includes a sharp juxtaposition of a curved lines against the unbending triangle that rests below the pentagon near the bottom of the right side. Kandinsky plays to the geometric observer in this piece, transforming his canvas into a visual playground where his audience might delight freely in the shapes depicted. As always with Abstract Expressionism, however, it is important to look for aesthetic qualities before symbolic meaning lest deeper symbolic meaning occur than originally intended. Divided is a testament to Kandinsky’s ever searching artistic vocabulary for expressing himself through geometric sequence and sagacity of color. Minimize