PAINTINGS are pictures made of paint. Anything painted on anything is a painting….all the way back to the scribblings of the “cave men” way back in the neolithic age on the walls of Altamira and Lascaux…in Spain and Southern France about 25,000 years ago.
Albrecht Dürer Shaped My Sensibility I was 17 or so in 1971, 500 years exactly after the birth of Albrecht Dürer. I grew up in Mount Vernon, a small town named after George Washington’s [...]
In My Own Back Yard I am particularly fond of the East Wing of the National Gallery of Art, which is a 33 minute walk from my front door. Essentially it is in “my own back yard.” The [...]
In the Best Bookstore in the World As you all know from my last commentary I am in Love with Estonia. There are many reasons. One is that the best bookstore in the world is in Tallinn, and Sondra [...]
Ten Days in Tallinn Sondra and I were in Estonia for ten days at the end of our European Tour. Tallinn is one of our favorite cities in Europe, mainly because it has preserved its “Olde [...]
A Day in Ghent We went to Ghent last Monday with Geert and Fabienne, our close friends here in Belgium. To say it was a “lovely day” is an understatement of huge proportions. The [...]
What I Love About Vermeer We started our European tour in Amsterdam. We arrived there two weeks ago, and I cannot remember an easier hop over the great water to Europe. We were met by our friend [...]
A Master of a Different Medium I was never into Andrew Wyeth, any more than I aspired toward Norman Rockwell. Neither formed my standard in art toward whom I would copy and emulate. Rockwell was [...]
My artistic lineage I am in the artistic lineage of this man—Philip Guston. I must say, “I own it.” He was my “teacher’s teacher.” Philip was a Jew. My teacher, [...]
Marjorie Merriweather Post (March 15, 1887 – September 12, 1973) was an American businesswoman, socialite, and philanthropist. She was also the owner of General Foods [...]
What was missing? Today I sauntered over to the National Gallery of Art to see the current exhibition, “SARGENT AND SPAIN.” I absolutely love Sargent. He is one of the greatest [...]