David Hockney

David Hockney - The Road to York through Sledmere, 1997 oil on canvas, 48x60 in.British artist David Hockney (born 1937) was one of the major contributors to the Pop Art movement of the 1960s, and is highly regarded today as one of the most important and influential artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. Hockney’s work is imbued with his interest in light, and with a frank realism the derives from Pop Art. He is internationally known as a painter, draftsman, printmaker, photographer, and stage designer.

Duggie Fields - “A Maximalist”

Duggie Fields - Self-Portrait (click photo for larger image)Duggied Fields - First Family - Paintings (click photo for larger image)Multi-talented artist British artist Duggie Fields was born in Tidworth, England, in 1945. He spent his youth in the English countryside with his family, then briefly studied architecture at Regent Street Polytechnic.

In 1964, Duggie studied at the Chelsea School of Art for four years, before leaving, in 1968, on a scholarship that brought him to the USA.

Duggie’s work certainly is well placed in the realm of Pop Art, alongside such masters as Andy Warhol and Roy Lictenstein, although Duggie’s art is sometimes referred to as “post pop”. His work embodies an enormous range of iconographical and thematic influences, ranging from the traditional to kitsch. Everything intersects beautifully in his work--which Duggie refers to as “maximalist”.

Take a magical journey through this fascinating artist’s wonders on his website. Duggie Fields lives and work in London. His art is featured in a variety of contexts and venues internationally.

Oldřich Kulhánek - An Artist of Conviction

The design for the current Czech banknotes and postage stamps created by Oldřich Kulhánek

Oldřich Kulhánek - Job No. 2 - Lithograph - 2003 (click photo for larger image)

“My opinion, my conviction, is that in his work an artist should give an account of himself, and of the time and place he inhabits.”

These were words spoken by Czech artist Oldřich Kulhánek (1940-2013) He was arrested by the Secret Police and imprisoned for 'defamation of the allied socialist states' in 1972. His distorted portrait of Stalin and other graphics were considered 'ideologically dangerous.' Kulhánek’s art always directly addressed his word, and challenged the harsh injustices of his culture. We lost this renowned artist this past January. However, his images live on--partly because of the design for the current Czech banknotes and postage stamps.

Anselm Kiefer - Confronting Culture

Anselm Kiefer - Resurrexit - 1973 - Oil, acrylic, and charcoal on burlap, 290 x 180 cm (114 3/16 x 70 7/8 in) - Collection Sanders, Amsterdam (click photo for larger image)German artist Anselm Kiefer (born 1945) is an internationally known painter, photographer, and sculptor, who was among the first artists to unflinchingly address issues of Germany’s more recent past--the rise of Nazism. Kiefer studied with Joseph Beuys and Peter Dreher during the 1970s. His works incorporate materials such as straw, ash, clay, lead, and shellac. 

Museum Unveils Disputed Painting Not Seen in Decades

“Chris Martin, left, and Brian Eyler of the Nevada Museum of Art prepare to hang 'Study by Candlelight', an image whose authorship has been debated for decades. Was it painted by Van Gogh or not? That question inspired the museum's current main exhibition featuring the painting.” (Photo: Marilyn Newton, Reno, Nev., Gazette-Journal)

“The struggle over authorship — and the experts, egos, politics and commerce that come into play — is the subject of A Real Van Gogh? An Unsolved Art World Mystery, a new exhibition that opens Saturday and runs through Aug. 25 at the Nevada Museum of Art.”

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