First Amendment Girl

a man in a suit and tie is sitting in front of a window and saying nope . don 't like that . ALT: a man in a suit and tie is sitting in front of a window and saying nope . don 't like that .

Has anyone looked at their Medicare accounts recently? Today they want me to verify my identity with either a state ID or Passport, and a current photo. But wait, there's more. I can't just upload photos. I have to allow their software into my phone to take the photos.

Venetian Interior by John Singer Sargent, ca.1880-1882, Carnegie Museum of Art (Pittsburgh, PA)

#ArtHistory #ModernArt #Realism #Impressionism

For more, see: wapo.st/4lfPB1q

Much bigger than Trump's was for his fake assassination attempt

Van Gogh painted it in January 1889, a week after leaving hospital. He had received treatment there after cutting off most of his left ear (shown here as the bandaged right ear because he painted himself in a mirror). This self-mutilation was a desperate act, committed a few weeks earlier, following a heated argument with his fellow painter Paul Gauguin. Van Gogh's fur cap secures his thick bandage and wards off the winter cold. Created in harsh conditions, this self-portrait demonstrates van Gogh's determination to continue painting. Above all, it is Van Gogh's brushwork and powerful handling of color that declare his renewed ambition as a painter.

Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear by Vincent van Gogh, 1889, The Courtauld Institute of Art (London, UK)

#ArtHistory #ModernArt #PostImpressionism

For a comparison of an earlier self-portrait with this one, see www.tiktok.com/t/ZThvLpvRw/

Opal Miners by Jacqueline Hick, 1965, Private Collection

#ArtHistory #ContemporaryArt #SocialRealism #Expressionism

... but only the losers and suckers

The abundant light defines the opulent interior. Two figures occupy the preground: a man in rich, dark robes, and a red fez stands beside an elder in flowing cream garments, leaning on a cane. Intricate tile work adorns a central pillar, its geometric patterns drawing the eye. Smooth brushstrokes render the textures of fabric and polished stone with meticulous care. This refined handling of detail transports the viewer to a specific moment within a carefully constructed rientalist vision. The luminous atmosphere, achieved through careful layering of glazes, imbues the scene with an almost tangible warmth. Decorative grilles and elaborate woodwork suggest an established tradition of craftsmanship. The deep red carpet anchors the figures and guides the viewer's gaze across the polished floor. These elements construct a tableau of piety and learned discourse. The carefully rendered details speak to a fascination with exoticism. Ernst's precise execution constructs a palpable sense of place. "After Prayer" belongs to the broader movement of Eastern European Jewish art that emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This art often focused on depicting the daily lives, religious practices, and struggles of Jewish communities the face of modernization, poverty, and rising antisemitism. It can be seen as a precursor to Social Realism, though it retains a strong emotional and psychological depth. It also aligns with the Expressionist tendencies of the time, particularly in its focus on conveying inner states rather than objective reality.

After Prayer by Rudolf Ernst, 1917, Mathaf Gallery (London, UK)

#ArtHistory #ModernArt #Orientalism

I'm convinced Hegseth is #1 in the World Record Smallest Penis

You can never convince me that Trump doesn't think "They want me to replace x. Who would be worse?"

The diffuse light saturates the scene, an all-encompassing radiance. Figures gather near a sailboat at the water's edge, their forms rendered with broad, energetic strokes. A group of women converses near the foreground; children play, and several men attend to the vessel. The quick application of paint, a visible impression of movement, dissolves solid forms into flickering patches of color. This immediacy captures a moment of leisure, a palpable engagement with the ephemeral pleasure of the sea. The swift articulation of light and shadow over surfaces suggests a world experienced through transient sensation. The scene pulses with the newfound freedom of outdoor observation, a visual testament to a society increasingly embracing recreation. Clouds drift across a vibrant sky, their bulk suggested by rapid, layered brushwork. The sea reflects this dynamic atmosphere, its surface broken by energetic marks. This composition channels the immediacy of modern life, a visual echo of Paris escaping its confines for sunlit excursions.

The Return of the Boating Party by
Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1862, Private Collection

#ArtHistory #ModernArt #Realism #Impressionism

The artwork depicts a seated woman with a contemplative expression. She is dressed in dark, modest clothing with a white headscarf that contrasts with the earthy tones of her outfit. Her hands are gently clasped, resting on her lap, which enhances the serene and introspective mood of the portrait. The background is rendered with loose, expressive strokes, characteristic of the Expressionist style, allowing the viewer to focus on the subject’s facial features and posture. The pastel or soft color palette, combined with bold outlines, gives a sense of depth and texture to the composition.

Breton by Zinaida Serebriakova, 1935, Private Collection (?)

#ArtHistory #ModernArt #Expressionism

Mujer con calabaza by Saturnino Herran, 1917, Museo Colección Blaisten (National Autonomous University of Mexico,Mexico City, Mexico)

#ArtHistory #ModernArt #ArtNouveau

I swear I'm reliving the 70s, but this isn't as much fun

This piece showcases Fish’s ability to capture the intricacies of light and its play on transparent and reflective surfaces. In this vivid composition, the artwork depicts a series of Kraft brand salad dressing bottles intricately rendered with rich color and meticulous attention to detail. The line-up of bottles features various labels and caps, each one displaying its unique graphics and text. The transparency of the glass containers reveals the textures of the salad dressings inside, with the artist skillfully depicting the suspension of herbs and spices in the viscous liquids. The bottles are set against a vibrant green background that serves to emphasize the luminosity and clarity of the glass and its contents. The painting employs a dynamic range of colors, emphasizing the yellows and greens within the dressings, as well as capturing the distortion of the background as seen through the curved surfaces of the bottles. Fish’s technique creates a lifelike appearance that encourages the viewer to appreciate the commonplace beauty in everyday objects. The intricate reflections and refractions of light make the bottles appear almost tactile.

Kraft Salad Dressing by Janet Fish, 1973, Mount Holyoak College Art Museum (South Hadley, Massachusetts)

#ArtHistory #ContemporaryArt #ContemporaryRealism

Self Portrait in a Straw Hat is a signed copy by the artist of a very popular self-portrait that she painted in 1782 and which is now in the collection of the baronne Edmond de Rothschild. The pose is deliberately modeled on Rubens’s Portrait of Susanna Lunden (?) (also in the National Gallery’s collection), which was formerly but incorrectly known as Le Chapeau de Paille (The Straw Hat). Vigée Le Brun offers us a highly calculated image in which she explicitly associates herself with a great artist and his sitter. Looking at us directly with an open expression as she holds the tools of her profession (a palette and brushes), she presents herself as an elegant society lady and as an accomplished professional artist. By posing outdoors – and not, for example, in a studio – she replicates the contrasting light effects in Rubens’s portrait by combining ordinary daylight with direct sunlight.

Self Portrait in a Straw Hat by
Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, 1782, The National Gallery (London, UK)

#ArtHistory #HighRococo #FrenchRococo

For more, see: youtu.be/sqhrpkhX2uA?...

The illustrations for The Tailor of Gloucester, her second and favourite book, were drawn in Gloucester and the country round about, the story being based on an actual Gloucestershire story that she heard while staying with a cousin near Stroud. The fabrics in the watercolors are said to have been taken from fabrics in the Victoria & Albert Museum. The book was first privately printed, in a limited edition of 400 copies, in 1902; Frederick Warne & Co. published their first edition in 1903. D. Billington, Managing Director of Frederick Warne & Co., stated: ‘Regarding the 22 original illustrations held in your Gallery, these are the same drawings from which we originally made the blocks in our 1903 first edition. Only two of these were used in the 1902 edition, and these appear on pages 40 and 43 of the present (1958) edition (letter of 28 January 1959). In addition, the ninth illustration was used only in the 1902 edition. There are seven further plates in the Warne edition, the drawings for which are not at the Tate Gallery.

Frontispiece. The Tailor Mouse by HelenBeatrix Potter, 1902, Tate Britain (London)

#ArtHistory #ModernArt #ArtNouveau #Illustration

Morning Mist by Kazuo Nakamura, 1951, Art Canada Institute (Toronto)

#ArtHistory #ModernArt #AbstractExpressionism #PaintersEleven

For more see, www.aci-iac.ca/art-books/ka...

"Emigrants Crossing the Plains" offers a sweeping and romantic vision of the westward migration and the diverse nature of the frontier. Bierstadt, a German-born American painter associated with the Hudson River School, was renowned for his grand, dramatic landscapes that captured both the beauty and the myth of the American West. Through works like this, he not only documented the nation's expansion but also shaped how generations would imagine the frontier experience.

Emigrants Crossing the Plains by Albert Bierstadt, 1867, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum (Oklahoma City, OK)

#ArtHistory #Romanticism #HudsonRiverSchool

*written about it

2015: Obama signs the Iran Nuclear Deal ( Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)). It was a landmark agreement signed in July 2015 by Iran and the P5+1 (USA, UK, France, Germany, Russia, China) + EU.

2018: Trump pulls us out of it

2026:

He rarely has an Hour 3 plan beyond this: if he's not immediately declared a hero, he denies any knowledge. He didn't know about anything, he didn't know anyone involved, and it's Obama's fault

I know! It took my breath away, yet I could find nothing written about beyond passing mentions in articles about the artist.

Blue Dancer by Gino Severini, 1912, Gianni Mattioli Collection, on long term loan to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection (Venice, Italy)

#ArtHistory #ModernArt #Futurism

He always looks like a member of Hitler Youth to me

I'll say again, I really think Trump has no idea how to win the Nobel Peace Prize

“603A Sunset,” created by Hundertwasser in 1966, is a notable woodcut artwork. As part of the “Nana Hyaku Mizu” series, this figurative piece embodies elements of the Transautomatism art movement, a distinctive genre championed by Hundertwasser. The artwork depicts an abstract yet vibrant interpretation of a sunset, captured through a symphony of bold colors and undulating lines. Central to the composition is the radiant sun, rendered in luminous shades of yellow, enveloped by a complex series of concentric curves in hues of red, green, and blue. These lines cascade in waves, creating a dynamic ripple effect that extends throughout the piece, evoking the transient beauty of a sunset. The lower portion features geometric shapes reminiscent of buildings, bathed in warm tones of brown, gold, and green. An eclectic mix of angular forms and organic curves, the design achieves a harmonious balance between nature and the built environment, reflective of Hundertwasser’s characteristic style and his overarching philosophy that blurs the lines between art, architecture, and nature. The presence of traditional Japanese seals and characters further enriches the cultural and artistic tapestry of this esteemed work.

603A Sunset by Friedensreich Hundertwasser, 1967, Private Collections

#ArtHistory #ContemporaryArt #Transautomatism

In the winter of 1884-85, Homer traveled from his home in Maine to the Bahamas, creating a series of illustrations for Century Magazine that capture the dazzling light and color of the Caribbean islands. His watercolors depicted the architecture, the islands’ residents, flora and fauna, and natural features of the landscape. Glass Window Bridge, pictured here, was a naturally formed stone arch on the island of Eleuthera. Peering through its “window,” visitors see the deep blue expanse of what is likely the Atlantic Ocean to the northwest and the turquoise waters of the Bight of Eleuthera to the southeast. Homer deftly paints the effect of sunlight on the facets of stone, framing the distant view, which includes a boat. Over the last century, intense storms have eroded the stone that Homer saw on his visit, and the space is now spanned by a concrete bridge with a roadway.

Glass Windows, Bahamas by Winslow Homer, c. 1885, Brooklyn Museum (New York)

#ArtHistory #ModernArt #Realism

Three men stand around a saddled horse, seemingly engaged in conversation, likely discussing the potential purchase of the horse. The setting appears to be a rural, possibly western, environment characterized by the sandy ground and rustic buildings in the background, with additional horses visible in the distance. The warm, vibrant colors and the use of light and shadow are indicative of the Impressionist style, adding a sense of realism and immediacy to the scene. The men’s attire and the overall composition reflect the authenticity and essence of life in the American West during that era.

Buying Polo Ponies in the West by Frederic Remington, 1905, Private Collection

#ArtHistory #ModernArt #Impressionism #AmericanImpressionism

Chueh's images have been praised for their juxtaposition of cuteness with the macabre. "Traditionally, the sublime is described as the beautiful tinged with pain," said Steppling gallery director Sheila Dollente. "Chueh pares that idea to a single spare image borne by figures reminiscent of the soft, innocent stuffed animals of childhood. His paintings are at once intriguing, puzzling, friendly and sorrowful." His paintings and illustrations are noted for bringing together influences as diverse as Mark Rothko and Sanrio. Chueh draws inspiration from deeply personal experiences and pop culture, and has created works that stem from the intolerance he experiences as a Chinese-American.

Bear in Mind by Luke Chueh, 2006

#ArtHistory #ContemporaryArt #LowBrowArt

Also the cover of the artist's book, "Bearing the Unbearable"