Chances are that among the homes you have visited, you haven't been in one with a cow painting. In an age where color and originality trump perfection, the cow is not a favorite subject for wall art. In the 19th Century, at the height of the cow painting craze, prices reflected the number of cows … Continue reading Howe Now Brown Cow: A Second Look at Cow Paintings
During the visit to the Art Institute of Chicago, Geo and I were surprised to see an important piece of work by a painter we love: Henry Ward Ranger's "Brooklyn Bridge". It was more surprising that the painting was hung in the 20th century American Decorative Art gallery, a long narrow corridor on the second … Continue reading Ranger’s Brooklyn Bridge
In this series, Geo and I will list some of the interesting items that we have found in auctions, antique shops or eBay. We neither own the items and in most cases don't have the capability of examining the items in person. It mainly serves as an inventory record of what interest us (not necessarily … Continue reading A Gaggle of Interests – Sept 13, 2009
"High Bridge" by Henry Ward Ranger, c 1905, Metropolitan Museum of Art The last visit to the Luce Center of visible storage at the Met proved to be a fruitful one. It was there that I saw Henry Ward Ranger's "High Bridge" in person. This is a picture that I have seen in the book … Continue reading At the door front of Impressionism
It is rare to find the sketchbooks of a major artists because in the past some sold piece by piece to reap the profit. I am not sure how the auction house dated the works. His contact with Hague School artists began in the 1880's and it was during that period that he experimented with different techniques in watercolors and did critics with other peer fellows. Nevertheless, the group of 5 sketchbooks will made an important addition to art institute or serious collectors in Old Lyme School or American tonalism.
The Rago Gallery and Skinner Auctioneer both had their fine art auctions on Friday. The results were solid, with a high percentage of lots sold, although the final hammer prices of the majority were closer to the low estimation. However, the featured lots (a crayon and ink on paper by Picasso, a pen and ink … Continue reading Auction Brief – at Rago and Skinner
Most Chinese of my generation have an inexplicable profound love of Monet and his impressionism fellows. When Internet was not available in most of China in the late early 1990’s, Western Art seldom reached the public outside the major art institutes. Among the few magazines for English language education, quite a few chose famous artworks … Continue reading Bye, Claude
Urban Art & Antiques 