Nicolai Fechin

Russian painter and draftsman Nicolai Fechin.  I love his vision of the human face and body.  His work is so full of love and grit.  To me these are painfully beautiful pictures.

A portrait of Boris Karloff.  That's right, from the Frankenstein movie. 

Sara Sniderhan

(I don't know why blogger insists on all of this being underlined, but I can't get it off.) My friend Sara Sniderhan's show at Ingram gallery will open this Thursday.  If you're anywhere near Toronto this is a must-see.  I met Sara at the Weekend With the Masters in San Diego.  She was the other scholarship winner and I was blown away when she showed me her work on her phone.  She is a cool person, an amazing painter, and best of all her last name rhymes with Spider-Man.  I wish I could be there but if you make it to the show take pictures and say hi to Sara for me.

Happy 172nd to Auguste Rodin!

Yes, this is a blog about painting, but Rodin is such an influence on so many of us that I thought we should celebrate.  Here are some of my favorites.  Honestly it's hard for me to find the original sculptures vs. figurine copies on the internet, so I'm only posting a few here.

There is a slim chance that you might be familiar with this one.

Here is an actual film of Rodin working in his studio. What a treat.

Alex Kanevsky

Thinking of Alex Kanevsky tonight.  I have no idea how he builds these paintings, and that fascinates me.  In interviews he claims not to really be interested in inventing any new kind of technique.

Herbert James Draper

Herbert James Draper, a photo by hauk sven on Flickr.

Vittorio Gussoni (Milano, 1893 - San Remo, 1968)

I became curious about this painter after seeing this painting posted on facebook.  This was the only painting I liked, but I thought it was pretty bold and interesting.  I was disappointed to see the rest.  Maybe this one was a success because he wasn't bothered having to paint the face.

Fernand le Quesne

Fernand le Quesne, a photo by hauk sven on Flickr.

La Prima Vera, 1897

Govert Flinck (Kleve, 1615 - 1660, Amsterdam)

Govert Flinck (Kleve, 1615 - 1660, Amsterdam), a photo by Hans Ollermann on Flickr.