BIOGRAPHY SPOTLIGHT: MARY CASSATT WRITTEN BY MANU SALUJA

"Denise at her Dressing Table" by Mary Cassatt, 1908-9. Collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Born in 1844 in Allegheny City (now Pittsburgh), Pennsylvania to a banker and well-read mother, the tenacious Cassatt become an artist against her father’s wishes. She defied the law of the day that denied women a formal art education. Traveling in Europe, she gleaned what she could by studying privately with Jean-Leon Gerome, Édouard Frère and Paul Soyer and studying works of the Old Masters. Eager to break new ground, Cassatt was the only American officially accepted into the French “Indépendents” later known as the Impressionists.

The oeuvre of Mary Cassatt (1844-1926), which includes several paintings of mothers and children bathing and snuggling, at first glance seem quotidian and trite depictions of a woman’s “place in the house”. While I always appreciated the mastery of her compositions, I’ve only recently come to connect to the narrative in her work and understand her as a pioneer of feminism within the context of her time.  Cassatt, neither a wife or a mother, was one of the first artists to change the manner in which
 women were portrayed: from passive bystander and subject of the male gaze,
to protagonist. In her paintings and prints, it is women who are the main characters taking center stage and doing the looking.

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART'S PAGE ON MARY CASSATT

As a figurative painter one of my goals is to lend a voice to underrepresented subjects, and change old narratives in how we are perceived.  Cassatt did that for the women of her time and did it masterfully.

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO GO TO MANU SALUJA'S WEBSITE: www.manusaluja.com

"Passage" by Manu Saluja, 30 x 24 in, Oil on Canvas

Reference source:
http://www.fembio.org/english/biography.php/woman/biography/mary-cassatt/
http://racingnelliebly.com/strange_times/mary-cassatt-paved-way-new-woman/

BIOGRAPHY SPOTLIGHT: CECILIA BEAUX WRITTEN BY NANCI FRANCE-VAZ

HISTORICAL WOMEN ARTISTS PROFILED BY CONTEMPORARY WOMEN IN ART

"The Dreamer"by Cecilia Beaux, 1893, Oil, Collection of The Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, OH

Eliza Cecilia Beaux was born on May 1, 1855 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was the youngest daughter of French silk manufacturer Jean Adolphe Beaux and teacher Cecilia Kent Leavitt.  Beaux began attending the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1876, which was then under Thomas Eakins(American 1844-1916). She left the Academy to study privately with William Sartain(American 1843-1924), a friend of Eakins because he had a much gentler approach to teaching. At the age of 32, she decided to train in Paris at the Academie Julian because she felt she needed to advance in her skills. She received weekly critiques from masters such as William Adolphe Bougereau(French 1825-1905) and Tony Robert-Fleury(French 1837-1911). Upon her return to Philadelphia, Beaux she was highly productive and painted over 40 portraits in the “grand manner”. She concentrated solely on her art and thought it best not to marry and chose male relationships that would not sidetrack and threaten her career! She was a highly structured professional and was the first woman to teach Portrait drawing/painting at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts for 20 years. She received many honors, medals and awards and had a major exhibition of 35 paintings at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in 1912. Despite her continuing production and accolades, however, Beaux was working against the current of tastes and trends in art. Cecilia Beaux died at the age of 87 and was quoted as one of the greatest living woman painters and an individualist that flattered but did not falsify her subjects. During her long productive life as an artist, she maintained her personal aesthetic and high standards against all distractions.

CLICK HERE TO GO SEE CECILIA BEAUX'S PAINTING IN THE COLLECTION OF THE SMITHSONIAN COLLECTION OF AMERICAN ART

Nanci france-vaz is a modern imaginative realist that uses classical traditional with modern subject matter. She is well known for her portraits and figures that capture a human presence evoking an emotional response from her viewers.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO NANCI FRANCE-VAZ'S WEBSITE: www.nancifrancevaz.com

Nanci France-Vaz in her New Jersey studio

Reference source https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cecilia_Beaux

BIOGRAPHY SPOTLIGHT: RACHEL RUYSCH WRITTEN BY MITZURA SALGIAN

HISTORICAL WOMEN ARTISTS PROFILED BY WOMEN IN ART

"Bouquet of Flowers"By Rachel Ruysch c1680's, Oil,  Collection of The National Museum of Art, Bucharest, Romania

Born July 3, 1664, in the Hague, to a highly scientific and artistic family, Rachel Ruysch was trained as a botanical artist in her beginnings, then she was apprenticed to Willem van Aelst in Amsterdam, until his death. Ruysch became a successful artist very early and produced a big number of masterpieces in the unique style that she developed, commissioned by international admirers. From 1708 to to 1816, she worked as a court artists in Dusseldorf, to Johann Wilhelm, Elector Palatine. 
Ruysch's flowers are arranged in informal, spontaneous compositions, elaborate beyond what could ever be achieved in nature. Preoccupied with the subtlety of the colors and the extreme realism of the details, exuding a mysterious air of darkness and light, the public instantly identifies with their exquisite freshness and beauty. 
An accomplished artist, Ruysch was also an accomplished mother to her ten children, taking great pride in their upbringing. 
Rachel Ruysch died in 1750, on October 12, in Amsterdam, while her paintings continue to our time to amaze and enchant.

While a student at the Fine art Art Institute of Bucharest, (my native city), Romania, 
we received an extensive assignment about the Old Dutch Masters painting technique. The learning in theory was to be applied in practice by copying a painting of the period, on site at the National Museum of Art. I went there to choose a painting for my assignment, rather thinking of a village scene by one of the Bruegels as a good possibility. But when I entered that room at the museum, my eye was immediately caught by a big floral painting at the other end. I rushed to it, as I had never before seen such a wonderful painting! Flowers hidden in the darkness of a niche, winding dynamically, a mysterious light hitting a few of them at center stage - and everything painted with a breath-taking realist smoothness allowing the eye to glide freely in any direction on the surface of that wonder! And then,...the name of the artist: Rachel Ruysch, a WOMAN! My admiration ran instantly even deeper, making the Ruysch phenomenon a milestone in my life as a young artist.

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO GO SEE RACHEL RUYSCH'S WORK IN THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF WOMEN IN THE ARTS


Mitzura states " I define my art as Poetic Realism. While fascinated with a multitude of aspects of our lives, from the human figure to the bare abstraction of a mineral formation, I combine my subjects in a new, unique, poetic conjecture. I identified with the Surrealist movement since my early teens and to the present time, with its philosophy, its ludic and oneiric tools of aesthetic exploration, and the assiduous search for the marvelous."

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO GO TO MITZURA SALGIAN'S WEBSITE: www.mitzura.com

"Flora Lineata Atalaria" by Mitzura Salgian 30 x 36 in, Oil

BIOGRAPHY SPOTLIGHT: ELISABETH VIGEE LEBRUN WRIITEN BY NANETTE FLUHR

HISTORICAL WOMEN ARTISTS PROFILED BY WOMEN IN ART

"Madame Grand" by Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun, 1783, Oil, Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC

Élisabeth Louise Vigée-Le Brun (1755-1842)  one of the most important artists of her day, created over 600 works of art in a time when it was not common to be a female artist. She was born in Paris, France on April 16, 1755 and due to her remarkable skills, achieved early success as an artist. Her ability was so impressive that she became the official painter to Queen Marie Antoinette and painted her more than thirty times. In 1783, at the age of 28, she gained admittance into the prestigious and almost entirely all male Academie Royale. In 1789 because of her associations with the queen she had to flee the country for twelve years and traveled throughout Europe painting portraits of aristocrats. She was elected to membership of the academies of Rome and other European countries during this time. Vigee Le Brun continued to support her family and returned home and painted there until her death. 

I admire her strength, persistence and of course her incredible talent that gained her admittance to academies that were closed to most women. She overcame many obstacles and was able create exceptional art and support herself and her family throughout her lifetime. 

I first saw her work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and was moved by her ability to sensitively capture beautiful skin tones and expressions, luminous textures and innovative poses. I had the privilege of painting a replica of her portrait of Madame Grand. This was especially meaningful because she taught herself to paint by copying the paintings of masters especially Peter Paul Rubens. Last year the MET had a major Vigee Le Brun Exhibit. 

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM'S OF ART'S PAGE ON ELISABETH VIGEE LE BRUN


Nanette Fluhr is an award winning classical realist artist who specializes in creating custom portraits. Her work is held in public and private collections worldwide and has been featured in numerous exhibitions.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO NANETTE FLUHR'S WEBSITE www.nanettefluhr.com

"Serinna" by Nanette Fluhr, 20 x16, Oil 

BIOGRAPHY SPOTLIGHT: LEONORA CARRINGTON WRITTEN BY CHANTELL VAN ÉRBE

HISTORICAL WOMEN ARTISTS PROFILED BY CONTEMPORARY WOMEN IN ART

Self-Portrait by Leonora Carrington, ca 1937, oil on canvas, collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC

Leonora Carrington  (6 April 1917 – 25 May 2011) was an English artist, surrealist painter, and novelist. She lived most of her adult life in Mexico City, and was one of the last surviving participants in the Surrealist movement of the 1930s. Carrington was also a founding member of the Women's Liberation Movement in Mexico during the 1970s. 
Carrington stated that: "I painted for myself...I never believed anyone would exhibit or buy my work." She was not interested in the writings of Sigmund Freud, as were other Surrealists in the movement. She instead focused on magical realism and alchemy and used autobiographical detail and symbolism as the subjects of her paintings. Carrington was interested in presenting female sexuality as she experienced it, rather than as that of male surrealists’ characterization of female sexuality. Carrington's work of the 1940s is focused on the underlying theme of women's role in the creative process.

I discovered Leonora Carrington at a later age, via her progressive, surrealist book entitled The Hearing Trumpet. Her reflection of memory and proclivity towards symbolism are what magnetically drew me to her work. Leonora handled each piece of art as if it were a high ritual, rife with cloaked meaningful metaphors. She nurtured her creativity not unlike a child. Her artistic sorcery continues to move me and never falls short on reexamination.

Click HERE TO GO TO THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART'S PAGE ON LEONORA CARRINGTON


Chantell Van Erbé, is a contemporary mixed media artist, working in the genre of intuitive realism. Her method is instinctual with themes that are highly imaginative. She often employs bold colors and emotive themes in a passionate manner.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO CHANTELL VAN ERBE'S INSTAGRAM PAGE

"A Homecoming" by Chantell Van Erbe, 24 x 19, colored pencil on paper

Reference source https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonora_Carrington

BIOGRAPHY SPOTLIGHT: JUDITH LEYSTER WRITTEN BY ALEXANDRA TYNG

HISTORICAL WOMEN ARTISTS PROFILED BY CONTEMPORARY WOMEN IN ART

"The Young Flute Player" by Judith Leyster, 1635, Nationalmuseum (National Gallery of Sweden)

Judith Leyster (1609-1660) was born in Haarlem to parents in the textile industry. Her father later owned a brewery and the family name, which means “lodestar,” came from the name of their business. The first apparent reference to Leyster appears in Ampzing’s 1628 edition of Description and Praise of the City of Haarlem in Holland: “*see here another who paints with a good, keen sense.” This would indeed have been a compliment to a 19-year-old Leyster. Her early paintings closely resembled those of Frans Hals, but there is no documented evidence that she studied with Hals. In 1634 Leyster was admitted to the Haarlem’s Guild of St. Luke, a necessary step for establishing herself as a professional painter in her own right. She married another painter, Jan Molenaer, and they had four children, two whom survived them. Although we know little of Leyster’s work after her marriage, her reputation remained excellent, so it is possible that she continued to produce a considerable number of paintings, and that most of her later work has yet to be rediscovered through reattribution. For example, her painting The Jolly Toper was first assumed to be by Frans Hals and was purchased as such by the Rijksmuseum in 1897; in 1927 it was reattributed to Leyster and its value dropped. 

My favorite painting by Leyster is The Young Flute Player (1635 ). When I first saw it I was smitten with the luminosity on the figure and wall, the boy’s expression, and the arrangement of elements in the composition. Leyster’s genre paintings contain quiet passages of color alongside areas of more energetic brushwork, her colors are subtle, the light glows. Leyster stands out as one of my favorites of the 17th Century Dutch painters.

Reference sources: 

Well, James and Pieter Biesboer, eds.
Judith Leyster: A Dutch Master and Her World

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judith_Leyster

CLICK HERE TO SEE JUDITH LEYSTER'S PAINTING IN THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART IN WASHINGTON, DC

Alexandra Tyng is a realist painter whose method combines traditional methods with a contemporary viewpoint. Her website is:
www.alexandratyng.com

CLICK HERE TO VISIT ALEXANDRA TYNG'S WEBSITE

"Scavengers" by Alexandra Tyng, 60 x 60 in

BIOGRAPHY SPOTLIGHT: ROSALBA CARRIERA WRITTEN BY JANET COOK

HISTORICAL WOMEN ARTISTS PROFILED BY CONTEMPORARY WOMEN IN ART 

"Self-portrait Holding A Portrait Of Her Sister", Rosalba Carriera, c1715, pastel, Uffizi Gallery, Florence Italy

Rosalba Carriera (roh-ZAHL-bah kah-ree-AY-rah Italian, 1673 –1757)

Was the first internationally known pastel artist and is credited with elevating pastel in to an acceptable medium for professional portraiture during early to mid 18th century. Born in Venice, she established a reputation for excellence in pastel portraiture and was aided in her business by her two sisters.  
She spent much of her life fulfilling commissions for patrons at the courts in Europe and while working in France was commissioned to paint all the royalty and nobility from the King and Regent down.  In 1720/1 she was elected to the French Academy by acclamation.  Today, she is regarded by historians to have had a significant influence for many women artists that came after her including Catherine Read (Scottish 1723-1778), Adélaïde Labille-Guiard(French 1749-1803) and Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun (French 1755-1842)

I am inspired by Rosalba primarily because her artistic and financial success was something of an anomaly in the 18th Century; she ran her own business, employed her family, and distinguished herself as a portrait  painter using a medium which up until then was not particularly popular. Quite an accomplishment even by today's standards.

I saw her work in the Uffizi Gallery in 2007.  Here is a link:

CLICK HERE TO VISIT ROSALBA CARRIERA IN THE COLLECTION OF THE UFFIZI

Janet A Cook is contemporary figurative artist working in a variety of mediums.  She exhibits her work thru Dacia Gallery in NYC and shows all over the world. 
Here is a link to her website www.janetAcook.com:
CLICK HERE TO GO TO JANET A. COOK'S WEBSITE

"Post Op" by Janet A Cook, Pastel on paper, 26 x19 in