On a hot summer day when I was a boy of twelve, our pick-up baseball game in Forest Park was rained out in the third inning. Seeking quick shelter until our moms could come later at the appointed time to … read more >

“My drawings don’t start with a ‘beautiful mark’,” writes Kentridge: “It has to be a mark of something out there in the world. It doesn’t have to be an accurate drawing, but it has to stand for an observation, not … read more >

My first awareness of the French artist Pierre Bonnard (1867-1947) was when I was a student in the fifties. I first saw only his elegant graphic art, which was how he made his living in his early years, just like … read more >

The drawings of August Rodin (1840-1917) have always been fascinating to me because they have a special power of observation that I associate with other great sculptors like Henry Moore, or Alberto Giacometti, or Giacamo Manzu. In fact, I often … read more >

Today while studying the “June Clouds” I suddenly saw the cobalt sky behind and above the clouds (in my inner eye) into a beautiful blue dome, with a huge cloud above it, from behind which gold yellow light poured downward … read more >

As is well known, Picasso’s core inspiration was rooted in sexual energy, especially women’s bodies. At the same time, his daring explorations into what we later called cubism was compatible with his interest in African masks, shapes and colors, that … read more >

Some few years ago at the Metropolitan Museum in New York, I saw these ink line drawings of Henri Matisse (French; 1869-1954), in which he explored the Slavic blouse patterns used in his painting The Dream (ca. 1940). I had … read more >

For many years I have studied, admired, contemplated this fresco. I visited it almost weekly in 1958 when I lived in Florence. Since that time I have included it in my art talks because of its delicate and timeless balance … read more >

Lucien Freud (1922-2011) was widely considered the pre-eminent British artist of modern times. The grandson of Sigmund Freud, he was noted (not surprisingly) for the intense psychological penetration of his portraits, models and even animals. Freud after some years of … read more >

For those who are not familiar with the monotype process, a word of explanation. Monotype has come to refer to a work of art made by drawing or painting with printer’s inks (often diluted) onto a metal or plastic printing … read more >