Farmhouses in Watercolor and Oil

Corman Farmhouse (1976), Corman

I'm inspired to write about buildings rendered in watercolor after my brother sent this painting of a farm where his wife's stepmother's family lived in the 1970s. The artist is Mereda Smith Corman, who was an art teacher at Kennett High School in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. She married John Wilson Corman in 1926 and died in 1993. What I love about this painting is the detail of the windows of the farmhouse, the warm shades of golden brown in the sky and grass, and the treatment of the snow in the trees. It feels like a scene that might have been depicted in a Currier and Ives hand-painted lithograph.

The Old Farmhouse

Here's The Old Farmhouse by Currier and Ives. Note how the color of the sky reflects in the snow in the foreground at the bottom, much like Corman's golden brown in the painting above. Even the composition is similar.

Farmhouse in Provence (1888), Van Gogh

While Van Gogh's colors are much more vibrant and brighter than the above farmhouse paintings, he has included a winding rock wall, which for me ties back to the wall in Corman's work. The person walking on the grassy hillside reminds me of Christina's World by Andrew Wyeth. I'm particularly attracted to the turbulent cyan sky! The angles of the twisting wall, the road, and the grassy border drawing my eye towards the welcoming gate.

Wyeth Tribute (2005), Thompson

I've blogged about the above Van Gogh and Andrew Wyeth's Christina's World in another post. I was impressed by this photograph by Alex Thompson of the (Christina) Olson house in South Cushing, Maine. The photo is more vibrant and the buildings much closer than in the Wyeth painting. Not nearly as dramatic as the painting!

Spring Blossom, Hogerwaard

Dutch impressionist, Frans Hogerwaard painted this beautiful farmhouse. His style is reminiscent of Van Gogh, Monet, and sometimes Edward Hopper when melancholy figures are included. The black outlines in Fin tragique remind me of the art of German Expressionist, Max Beckmann. Instead of black, the impressionists often used purple so as not to clash with the more muted or pastel colors.

A Farm in the Snow, Apol

I'm a sucker for wintry landscapes that include snow, like Louis Apol's A Farm in the Snow. This oil on panel paintings has almost a watercolor feel, and again the background color of the sky is mimicked in the water in the foreground. The white of the snow looks straight out of the tube against the rest of the muted colors.

Farmyard in the Snow, van Soest

Another Dutch Impressionist, Louis van Soest, also painted winter scenes. The trees are reminiscent of those painted by Andrew Wyeth. It's difficult to tell what the golden brown area is atop the snowbank below the trees. My impression is that it is a line of cows. Perhaps they're haybales? What do you think?

Farm Near Duivendrecht (1916), Mondrian

I found this somewhat rare landscape by Piet Mondrian with a farmhouse and its reflection. The scene takes place at twilight, so it is rather dark, with much of the lighter color in the sunsetting sky. The interwoven branches of the overlapping trees apply an unusually high focus, almost obscuring the house. The grey mound in the water is also weird!

This beautiful watercolor rendering of a farmhouse is by Canadian artist, Ben Babelowsky. The red brick building is complemented by the green painted trim. Again, I love the snow gently blanketing the scene.

Home in Manchester, Moses

Anna Mary Robertson "Grandma" Moses began painting later in life and was labeled a 'primitive' artist. Her paintings are characterized by shapes filled in with solid colors and her buildings lack proper perspective. Her designs could have been executed in needlepoint or quilting. Another primitive artist, Warren Kimble, painted Nellie's Barn, which I blogged about in June 2021 in my post entitled, Farms and Barns by Famous Artists.

Long Island Farmhouses (1862), Mount

American genre painter, William Sidney Mount painted from what he saw in Long Island New York observing his relatives' farm, and capturing this pastoral scene in Springtime. It seems like an early morning scene, though the turbulent sky may reflect the turmoil of the Civil War during which it was painted. Once again, the dark sky and shadowy foreground frame the picture.

The Farm (1920-22), Miró

I'm finishing with The Farm by Spanish Surrealist, Joan Miró, who painted this memory of his childhood home in Mont-Roig, Catalonia. With lots of symbolism and the precision of Cubism, Miró has created a dreamlike collage full of nearly every farm-related object he could cram into the painting. It's like Grandma Moses on Steroids! I would love to see this work in person and study each and every element.

Artists Born Under Virgo or Libra

Chrysanthemums (1874-6), Tissot

To start posting for the month of September let's look at artists born under the Zodiac signs of Virgo (Aug 23rd thru Sept 22nd) and Libra (Sept 23rd thru Oct 23rd). Virgo artists are hardworking, intelligent, and adventurous, having traits including rational thinking, problem-solving, and an adventurous spirit. Libras, unlike other introverted, unsociable artists, are social butterflies who are outgoing and charming. Libras also have great taste in art and fashion.

French artist, James Tissot (1836-1902), born (in October) under the sign of Libra, painted Chrysanthemums, shown here as the floral symbol for the sign Virgo. Tissot was a friend and mentor of Edgar Degas.

VIRGOS

Thunderstorm (1948), Grandma Moses

One of the most famous American artists born (September 7th) under Virgo is Grandma Moses (1860-1961). She appears in my January 2021 post entitled, Master Artists -- Inspired Late Bloomers and Resilient, Active Seniors. She turned to painting when arthritis kept her from doing her elaborate needlework, but she kept her 'primitive' style. Teachers may use her work as an inspiration for a lesson about the elements of a landscape for younger children. Older children will need to learn the principles of perspective and proportion, not present in her work, for learning about space.

Constellations (1938), Hans Arp

German-French Sculptor, painter, poet, Jeans Hans Arp (1886-1966) was born September 15th. His Constellations linoleum cut is reminiscent of the biomorphic shapes used by (Capricorn) Henri Matisse. Years ago when I taught my daughter in her 6th-grade classroom, my students traced a Matisse shape and were asked to design a composition around it.

Mecklenburg Autumn (1979), Bearden

American artist Romare Bearden (1911-1988), born September 2nd, is famous for collages using photographs and painted paper in a style derived from Cubism. His work also depicts American black culture like his colleague, Jacob Lawrence. Another great artist for studying the art of collage would be American painter, (Libra) Robert Rauschenberg. I use collage for doing wrapping paper self-portraits, which could also be inspired by portrait artists: Amedeo Modigliani, Gilbert Stuart and Sir Joshua Reynolds.

The Migration Series (1941),
Jacob Lawrence

Felix (inspired by N.C. Wyeth)

In 2017 I visited the Seattle Art Museum and saw the exhibit, Jacob Lawrence: The Migration Series. Born September 7th, 1917, his work chronicled the migration of African Americans from the rural South to the industrious North in the decades following World War I.

Here's a project inspired by N.C. Wyeth that was designed to demonstrate the concept of movement. It would also work for a lesson about Jacob Lawrence. The challenge is cutting out the figures, so this lesson works best with 5th- or 6th-graders.

LIBRAS

Medusa (1597), Caravaggio

My first Libra artist is the controversial Italian painter, Caravaggio (1573-1610), born September 28th. He appeared in my March 2020 post entitled, Artist Frenemies - Friendships, Rivalries, and Competition, about his feud with artist Giovanni. Libras are supposedly non-confrontational although I imagine that Caravaggio exhibited the extremely emotional side of the sign. I've seen his artwork in several museums, but it may be somewhat inappropriate for younger viewers.

The Raft of Medusa (1819), Géricault 

This next artist is French painter and lithographer, Théodore Géricault (1791-1824), born September 26th. His epic masterpiece, The Raft of Medusa (1819), is often compared to Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People (1839). Both are good examples of Romanticism, a movement characterized by intense emotion. A young Delacroix (Taurus) actually posed as one of the dying figures on the raft!

No. 1 (Royal Red and Blue)
(1954), Mark Rothko

Libra Mark Rothko (1903-1970), was an American artist, born September 25th, who was famous for his abstract color field paintings designed to evoke emotion from viewers. While initially studying Architecture in college we did many color studies in order to explore color combinations and the optical effect of placing them adjacent to each other. Another Libra artist whose work I don't claim to understand is Robert Rauschenberg. His three-panel White Painting (1951) is particularly unusual and rather uninspiring!

I focus a lot on art history and researching various artists to add interest to my art lessons. And it's important to find inspiration when creating art! I hope this group of artists inspires you to create your own artwork or delve deeper into learning about these artists and their art movements and styles.

Artists' Beards, Mustaches, and Facial Hair

LAA Pitcher, Archie Bradley

I've been noticing the wild and often untamed facial hair of Major League Baseball of late while watching the Seattle Mariners on TV. Pitchers are known to 'paint' the corners of the strike zone. One of the more tamed beards belongs to Los Angeles Angels pitcher, Archie Bradley. It would fall into the category of a Garibaldi beard, after the famous Italian General Giuseppe Garibaldi.

LAA Outfielder, Brandon Marsh

LAA Outfielder, Brandon Marsh's is the polar opposite, including more of a Forest Gump look. 

Portrait of a Man in Red Chalk
(Early 1500s), da Vinci

It reminds me of portraits of old masters like Leonardo da Vinci and the statue of Michelangelo's Moses.

Impressionist, Camille Pissarro

M's Pitcher, Sergio Romo

Seattle Mariners pitcher, Sergio Romo's beard is also impressive, reminding me of Impressionists Camille Pissarro and Claude Monet, though opposite in color, like that of St. Nicholas. Romo's beard would be that of a Garibaldi style if it was less than 8 inches in length.

Autumn (1573), Arcimboldo

Artist, Giuseppe Arcimboldo's Autumn (1573) is a portrait of a man comprised of fruits and vegetables, including a beard made out of wheat.

Self-Portrait with Sunflower (~1633), Van Dyck

The van dyke style of beard popular in the 17th century was named after Flemish painter Anthony Van Dyck. Unlike the goatee, a van dyke is often pointed and also includes a mustache. You may remember the actor, Monte Woolley, from the 1942 movie The Man Who Came to Dinner co-starring Bette Davis. He also played an eccentric writer in The Bishop's Wife (1947) opposite David Niven and Cary Grant. Let's not forget General Armstrong Custer and KFC's iconic Colonel Sanders.

Dali Photographic Closeup

Often, it's the mustache that stands out most among the wearers of facial hair. One of the most iconic belongs to Spanish Surrealist Salvador Dali. I enjoy teaching about contrast and opposite colors to elementary school students using Dali's Persistence of Memory (1931). He was as eccentric as his unusual paintings, keeping an ocelot as a pet, and focusing on Sigmund Freud and his study of dreams. Perhaps he should have spent more time taming those bushy eyebrows!

Portrait of Joseph Roulin (1889), Van Gogh

Vincent Van Gogh and other artists painted portraits of men sporting muttonchops. This style of beard often leaves the chin area without hair and the mustache area also shaven. Hugh Jackman's X-Men character, Wolverine sports such a beard sans mustache. Such split beards are known as French forks.

Self Portrait Dedicated to
Dr. Eloesser (1940), Frida Kahlo

Another of my favorites is Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo, famous for her somewhat unique and iconic unibrow. Nowadays, even men will groom their eyebrows -- some may refer to them as 'metrosexuals'. Back in the day, when men let their beards grow wild, they also let their eyebrows and ear and nose hairs go untrimmed. In my opinion, if you're going to bother to precisely trim a mustache, goatee, or van dyke style beard, then you should also pay attention to those other wild areas. I'll forgive those who grow full beards as long as they occasionally trim them and always keep them void of food remnants!

Kenneth Branagh

David Suchet

Another mustache example is that of Agatha Christie's character, Hercule Poirot. I've been watching reruns of the 1989 TV series starring David Suchet as Poirot. His signature stache looks fake and almost plastic. The more recent Murder on the Orient Express (2017) and Death on the Nile (2022) films, starring Kenneth Branagh as the famous sleuth, created a much more believable, even spectacular, layered mustache, complete with soul patch.

(Apparently, Poirot's stache is meant to cover up scars from lacerations he suffered during a WWI explosion.)

Master Artists -- Inspired Late Bloomers and Resilient, Active Seniors

Now that I'm retired and in my 60s, I have begun to rejuvenate my career by turning my attention to artful endeavors. For Christmas this year I got a portable easel and plan to do some Plein-air painting when the weather turns warmer. In honor of my own birthday, here are some of my favorite artists whose careers lasted well past retirement age (if that's a thing).

Thunderstorm (1948), Grandma Moses

Perhaps the most famous late bloomer was American Folk Artist, Anna Mary Robertson "Grandma" Moses (1860-1961), although I am less familiar with her actual work. She began her career painting in her late seventies and continued painting and exhibiting her work until the ripe old age of 101. Originally, her work was needlework pictures of life on the farm until arthritis made her try painting. Also known as a primitive artist her work lacked perspective and proportion.

Many of the great master artists I've blogged about lived well into their 70s, 80s, and 90s, remaining artistically active into their old age. Some of their best and most recognizable works came out of a desire to continue making art even as their ability to see or hold a paintbrush diminished. I particularly admire Henri Matisse for his innovative use of paper cutouts in his later Fauvist compositions.

Self-Portrait Between the
Clock and the Bed (1941),
Edvard Munch (at ~78)

Jean-Baptiste-Siméon
Chardin (Cover)

Author, Thomas Dormandy wrote Old Masters: Great Artists in Old Age, including such well-known artists as Matisse and Monet (1840-1926). The book depicts Chardin (1699-1779) on the front and Munch (1863-1944) on the back cover.

Self-Portrait in the Garden, Ekely (1942), Munch

I prefer his later incognito self-portrait (a landscape) to his Van Gogh-like bedroom scene (above). I know it's weird that I'm comparing Munch to Van Gogh, but the use of yellow and blue is at least reminiscent of Van Gogh's bedroom. I also find it amusing that Munch is standing rather straight and his head is aligned with the face of the grandfather clock. His bed looks like a hospital bed; no surprise since he painted a lot of people on their deathbeds.

I recently watched a series of YouTube videos about Monet with my daughter. For my birthday, we intend to participate in a virtual tour of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. We also watched the 2017 animated movie, Loving Vincent, in which the young son of a postmaster delivers a letter from Van Gogh (addressed to his now-dead brother Theo) to his friend, Dr. Paul Gachet. During his travels, he investigates the circumstances of Vincent's death. The present-day images are in color using backgrounds painted in Van Gogh's style, while the flashback scenes are in black-and-white. I highly recommend watching this wonderful film with its 65,000 frames.

Some artists who died young, such as Vincent Van Gogh and Jackson Pollock, never experienced old age, though their lives were full of struggle -- mental illness for Van Gogh and alcoholism for Pollock. 

Rembrandt Self-Portrait (1669)

Rembrandt struggled with poverty throughout his life, resorting to painting over 75 self-portraits, including in 1669 at age 63 just prior to his death. 

Taken from the Hindustan Times,
Illustrated by Biswajit Debnath

Edouard Manet only lived to be 51. Renoir made it to 78. Several octogenarian artists -- Degas (83), Matisse (84), Bellini and Monet (86), Titian (88), and Michelangelo (89) -- created art up until their deaths. Incredibly, Picasso (91), Bourgeois, and O'Keeffe (98) remained active in their nineties.

Dancers (1900), Edgar Degas

At the age of 50, Edgar Degas abandoned his typical subjects to study the female figure and painted primarily nudes and ballet dancers until 1912, when his studio was disbanded just 5 years prior to his death. His later works included sculpture and pastel paintings. The underpainting of his Dancers gives it a creepy, almost voyeuristic quality, though the colors blend well into the composition.

Apollo (1953), Henri Matisse

I consider myself lucky to have visited the Matisse Museum in Nice, France in 2011. While on our Baltics cruise in June 2017, we also visited the Moderna Museet in Stockholm Sweden. The star of the show was this large composition by Henri Matisse using his famous cutout shapes, created one year prior to his death.

Nymphéas et Pont Japonais
(1920-24) Monet

The Japanese Bridge
(1896), Monet

You're likely familiar with his Water Lilies series, a subject which appeared in 250 paintings for the last 30 years of Monet's life. Compare his earlier paintings of the Japanese bridge with his final versions painted a few years before his death.

Monet's eyesight was nearly gone but he still managed to leave a lasting impression.

The Beyond (1972), Georgia O'Keeffe

Let's end this post with a look at two of the final works of Georgia O'Keeffe. Although she died in 1986, her final unassisted work was in 1972 when she was going blind due to macular degeneration.

Sky Above Clouds (1965), O'Keeffe

She painted other scenes I'll call, skyscapes, like this one in 1965. I wonder how many other artists are inspired by flights on an airplane like Ms. O'Keeffe upon her return to New Mexico from her world travels.