Maria Blanchard: A Testament to Strength and Determination

Maria Blanchard - Naturaleza Muerta-Composicion - 1916-17 (click photo for larger image)Spanish Cubist Maria Blanchard (1881-1932) suffered numerous disabilities and was unable to walk. But she managed to rise above her physical limitations--and studied under some of the finest painters of her age. She exhibited in Paris in 1920, and by 1921 her paintings were in great demand. It was only the economic crises that followed that led to her commissions drying up. She remains one of the finest painters of her day.

Francis Picabia - An Explorer

Francis Picabia - Hera, c. 1929, oil on cardboard, 105 × 75 cm. - Private collectionThere are some artists who prefer to remain working in those styles for which they’re best known--while others continue to explore new approaches and evolve stylistically over the course of their careers. French painter Francis Picabia (1879-1953) was an artist who enjoyed experimentation, and is therefore associated with the Modern movements of Cubism, Orphism, Abstract Art, Dada, and Surrealism--among others.

American Proto-Pop Artist Stuart Davis

Stuart Davis, The Mellow Pad - 1945-51 - Oil on canvas, 26 x 42 in; Brooklyn Museum, New York (click photo for larger image)Stuart Davis  (1894-1964, New York, New York) was an American abstract artist whose idiosyncratic Cubist paintings of urban scenes anticipated the use of commercial art and advertising by the Pop artists of the 1960s. He was heavily influenced by the Synthetic Cubism of the early Modern period--but interpreted that visual language in unique ways. Davis’ works are characterized by wit and joy, which provided a sharp (and to some, welcome) contrast to the melodrama of Abstract Expressionism.

The Movement of Picasso

Pablo Picasso The Old Fisherman (Salmereon) 1895, Museu de Montserrat, Barcelona

Whenever I revisit the works of Pablo Picasso I discover new aspects and elements to his art and am in awe of his perpetual evolution. In surveys of Modern Art, I tell students that the broadest, most well-known movements within the period are Fauvism, Cubism, Expressionism, Dada, Surrealism, and Picasso. He cannot be categorized--and he influenced virtually all of his contemporaries, as well as the artists of later generations. His influence continues to be felt today One of my favorite class exercises is to show slides of 8 or 10 paintings--none of them with captions underneath--and ask students to try and name the artists who created these works. They come up with all kinds of answers. But...the answer is that all of the paintings I show were created by Picasso. Who would have thought--for example--that the painting shown here is a Picasso?