How Can Learning To Paint Good Basic Watercolors Avoid Heartache?

Having been recently criticized for an incredibly simple 2 stage learn how to paint watercolors course, I have to admit that the critic was absolutely correct… The course is too simple for a beginner who expects a painting course to show them how to paint landscapes, still-life pictures, portraits and technical subjects. It is far simpler because it was aimed at artists who wanted to learn how to paint without the pressures of learning to draw. There are 2 reasons why you should go back beyond... Read more »

The Statue of David by Michelangelo

The Statue of David was sculpted during a three year period beginning in 1501 by the artist Michelangelo. The subject of the work is the Biblical King David in the moment that he makes the decision to fight Goliath. The seventeen foot tall statue became the symbol of defending the civic liberties of the Florentine Republic, an area surrounded by more powerful states and the powerful Medici family. The sculpture originally stood outside the seat of government in Florence, the Palazzo della Signoria.... Read more »

The Paradoxical Art of M.C. Escher

M.C. Escher was a graphic artist renowned for his lithographs, mezzotints and woodcuts inspired by mathematics. Born in 1898, his first remarkable work came in 1937 with the print Still Life and Street, a piece that utilized the play on perspective that would become known as “impossible reality”. The edge of the desk in the foreground continues deep into the drawing and melds into a street and books sitting on it seem to be leaning against the buildings behind them. An instantly recognizable... Read more »

The Origin of Rodin’s The Thinker

The Thinker, a marble and bronze sculpture created by Auguste Rodin, is a widely recognizable work of art. The subject is a man in a seated position, leaning forward so that his elbows rest on his knee and his hand tucked under his chin for a look of contemplation. He is thought to be thinking about his internal struggles- a fact that makes him a symbol of philosophy. The image, and name, of this work of art have so entered the public consciousness that even those who have no knowledge of the artistic... Read more »

An Introduction to the Abstract Artistic Movement

Abstract art is traditionally defined as being those pieces that do not represent objects in a realistic way, relying instead on colors and form.. The subject of the art piece can be somewhat based on a realistic object in so far as it is recognizable but there will be obvious stylistic devices used. It could be argued that abstract art is the oldest movement on Earth, since cave drawings were abstracted versions of daily life. Constructivism brought the abstract theory from paintings to sculptures... Read more »

An Introduction to Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa

The Mona Lisa is one of the must studied and celebrated works of art in existence. It currently hangs in the Louvre in Paris under the title Portrait of Lisa Gherardini, wife of Francesco del Giocondo. The painting was started in 1502 by legendary artist Leonardo da Vinci but was not completed until 1519. The true identity of the woman pictured in the painting was not cemented until 2005, when a University of Heidelberg expert discovered a note that identified her as being Lisa del Giocondo. The... Read more »

The Sexual (And Non Sexual) Aspects of the Kama Sutra

The Kama Sutra is an ancient text, originally written in Sanskrit, that has become very closely associated with the sexual aspects of tantra- rightly or wrongly. There are thirty six chapters in the book, organized into seven parts. The Introductory section includes a description of the book’s contents, an explanation of the three priorities and aims of life, how to acquire knowledge and the proper conduct for a “well-bred townsman”. There are also notes on “intermediaries”... Read more »

The Statue of Aphrodite of Cnidus

It is believed that the Aphrodite of Cnidus, created by Greek artist Praxiteles in the 4th Century BC, was the first statue to feature a life sized nude female. The statue depicted Aphrodite preparing for her virginity restoring bath. A drapery is being dropped by the left hand and the other hand covers her genitals. The statue was a masterpiece in its realistic construction and daring sexuality. The story goes that the residents of Kos commissioned an Aphrodite statue from the artist, who created... Read more »

The Finest Opera and Dance Make Their Appearances at the Detroit Opera House

With superb acoustics and an orchestra pit large enough to accommodate 100 musicians, the restored 1922 Detroit Opera House is home of the Michigan Opera Theatre, producer of grand opera and dance productions. The Opera House, designed by C. Howard Crane, who also designed other Detroit theaters such as the DSO’s Orchestra Hall and Fox Theater, was originally known as the Capitol Theater, and was among the first of several performance venues built around Detroit’s Grand Circus Park. At... Read more »

DIA: Beacon of Detroit Culture for More Than a Century

Located in the heart of Detroit’s Cultural Center and founded in 1885, the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) began its life on Jefferson Avenue in Detroit, but due to its rapidly expanding collection, moved to a larger site in 1927. The Beaux-Arts building, designed by Paul Cret, was referred to as “the temple of art.” Over the years, expansion and renovations created what is today one of the largest, most significant collections in the United States, ranging from prehistory through... Read more »