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Russ’s Art Talks: “Acrobats”, Victor Vasnetsov

Russ’s Art Talks: “Acrobats”, Victor Vasnetsov

For a long while (for those who haven’t followed me for that long), I would do weekly art blogs about paintings that I was inspired by. Works by artists who are now among my favorites, like Caspar David Friedrich, Arnold Bocklin, Thomas Cole, and many others. You can see the original set gathered here. Between […]
Sep. 8, 2011
Graphic Design and Art: My cover for A Gathering of Crows

Graphic Design and Art: My cover for A Gathering of Crows

Some time ago, I discussed the genesis of the cover art that I created for Maelstrom’s edition of author Brian Keene’s A Gathering of Crows (check it out here!). For that article, I talked about the content of the art, what it meant for the book, and in general the idea behind what’s going on […]
Jan. 18, 2011
Russ’ Art Blog: Daguerre’s “Ruined Gothic Colonnade”

Russ’ Art Blog: Daguerre’s “Ruined Gothic Colonnade”

It combines textures, architectures and seemingly a whole new world, and it caught my eye immediately.
Mar. 3, 2010
Russ’ Art Blog: Mount Etna from Taormina

Russ’ Art Blog: Mount Etna from Taormina

Imagine then how absolutely amazing it was for me to walk into the Thomas Cole Room at the Wadsworth Atheneum
Feb. 17, 2010
Russ’ Art Blog: The Dream of Ossian

Russ’ Art Blog: The Dream of Ossian

Thanks to the holiday season, I haven't really been able to do much at all, let alone an art blog.
Jan. 7, 2010
Russ’ Art Blog: The Young Lady with the Shiner

Russ’ Art Blog: The Young Lady with the Shiner

One of the nice things about being in an art museum is the chance to take in a surprise painting, one that you didn't expect to see.
Dec. 15, 2009
Russ’ Art Blog: The Apotheosis of War

Russ’ Art Blog: The Apotheosis of War

Vereshchagin etched the phrase, "Dedicated to all great conquerors, past, present and future" into the frame of the work
Dec. 2, 2009
Russ’ Art Blog: Found Drowned

Russ’ Art Blog: Found Drowned

Continuing on my art posts of really happy, joyous images (reference: sarcasm), here is Vasily Perov’s Found Drowned (1867, Oil on canvas, 27″ x 42″). I’ve had a bookmark for it for awhile, and I think it’s an interesting piece. I think it’s one of those pieces that has a story behind it, but still […]
Nov. 5, 2009
Russ’ Art Blog: The Last Muster

Russ’ Art Blog: The Last Muster

Sir Hubert von Herkomer's The Last Muster, a great example of realism and an almost illustrative idea
Oct. 28, 2009
Russ’s Art Blog: A Wolf Had Not Been Seen in Salem for Thirty Years

Russ’s Art Blog: A Wolf Had Not Been Seen in Salem for Thirty Years

I've been thinking of trying out one of Howard Pyle's works for some time, but they're kind of difficult to come by online.
Oct. 13, 2009
Russ’ Art Blog: The Plague of Rome

Russ’ Art Blog: The Plague of Rome

  I’m all about cheery pics tonight, the other two I was thinking of were pretty dark too.  Something in the air maybe? This is Jules Elie Delaunay’s Plague in Rome (1869, Oil on canvas, 52″ x 69″), also known as The Angel of Death. I might be wrong, but this isn’t the happiest of […]
Sep. 27, 2009
Russ’ Art Blog: Death on a Pale Horse

Russ’ Art Blog: Death on a Pale Horse

Though J.M.W. Turner's technique is certainly evident here, the tone of the piece isn't one I expected.
Aug. 30, 2009
Russ’s Art Blog: “Pushkin’s Farewell to the Sea”

Russ’s Art Blog: “Pushkin’s Farewell to the Sea”

  Ok, so it’s been a little while since the last one of these art blogs. I’ll see if I can’t post a few more of them, and without the 4 months between them. Above is Ivan Aivazovsky and Ilya Repin’s Pushkin’s Farewell to the Sea (1887, Oil on canvas), one that caught my eye […]
Jul. 29, 2009
Russ’s Art Blog: Vedder – The Questioner of the Sphinx

Russ’s Art Blog: Vedder – The Questioner of the Sphinx

I've run across a number of Elihu Vedder's pieces before, and this one is one of my favorites. This is Vedder's, The Questioner of the Sphinx, a piece that for me is always inspiring.
Apr. 16, 2009
Russ’s Art Blog: Bierstadt, and seeing it in person

Russ’s Art Blog: Bierstadt, and seeing it in person

I've seen many Bierstadt works in art books (and a handful in person), and I think he had a real knack for capturing the feel of the wild.
Apr. 8, 2009
Russ’s Art Blog: Resistance, or The Black Idol

Russ’s Art Blog: Resistance, or The Black Idol

This is Frantisek Kupka's Resistance, or The Black Idol, which despite it's fairly simplistic idea is still a striking piece.
Mar. 25, 2009
Russ’s Art Blog: And the sea gave up the dead

Russ’s Art Blog: And the sea gave up the dead

This is Lord Frederick Leighton's "And the sea gave up the dead which were in it", a piece that caught my eye when I was looking for something else (which is often the case).
Mar. 18, 2009
Russ’s Art Blog: N.C. Wyeth, Gunfight

Russ’s Art Blog: N.C. Wyeth, Gunfight

This is N.C. Wyeth's Gunfight (1916. Oil on canvas, 34" x 25"), a piece that really caught my eye when we were going through the museum.
Mar. 11, 2009
Russ’s Art Blog: Frederic Edwin Church, The Icebergs

Russ’s Art Blog: Frederic Edwin Church, The Icebergs

This is Frederic Edwin Church's The Icebergs, and you may be reminded of Dan Simmon's recent book The Terror.
Feb. 26, 2009
Russ’s Art Blog: Edd Cartier, Unknown Fantasy Fiction

Russ’s Art Blog: Edd Cartier, Unknown Fantasy Fiction

This is Edd Cartier's cover for Unknown Fantasy Fiction, December 1939, and is a striking piece in both execution and in idea.
Feb. 18, 2009
Russ’ art blog: Ivan Shishkin’s Rain in the Oak Grove

Russ’ art blog: Ivan Shishkin’s Rain in the Oak Grove

I was actually doing some searching for a few pieces by Vasily Vereshchagin, and I decided to look around a bit at some of the other Russian artists.
Feb. 5, 2009
Russ’ first new art blog of 2009: The Captive

Russ’ first new art blog of 2009: The Captive

It's been awhile since I've written an art blog, which I've done off and on for a few years. I usually discuss a piece of art, almost always one that I like myself, and give the world my thoughts on it.
Jan. 29, 2009
Russ’s Art Blog: Seeing it in real life – Pollice Verso

Russ’s Art Blog: Seeing it in real life – Pollice Verso

I don’t get to art museums and galleries enough, but it can really give you a different impression of a piece of art.  In this case, last week I was at the Phoenix Art Museum and saw the piece here, Pollice Verso (Thumbs Down) by Jean Leon Gerome (oil, 1872, 38″ x 59″). First off, […]
Mar. 5, 2008
Russ’s Art Blog: The Blind Girl

Russ’s Art Blog: The Blind Girl

We’re back on a single piece of art this week (since I couldn’t decide on a different topic), this time it’s John Everett Millais’ The Blind Girl (Oil on canvas, 1854-1856, 32 1/2″ x 24 1/2″). It’s one of those pieces where the title really does impact what you see in the image, or at […]
Feb. 19, 2008
Russ’s Art Blog: Artist Gregory Manchess

Russ’s Art Blog: Artist Gregory Manchess

This week, I’m talking about artist Gregory Manchess (www.manchess.com), one of those artists who seems to be able to fit into any genre. Whether it’s work for movies or television, books or magazines, or even just fine art, Manchess has a great ability to capture different ideas in interesting and exciting ways. If you happen […]
Feb. 12, 2008
Russ’s Art Blog: War on the Tiger

Russ’s Art Blog: War on the Tiger

This week we’re back to a piece of art, in this case Franklin Booth’s War on the Tiger (ink, 1908). I’m a huge fan of ink and engraved works, and Booth was a master of the pen.  He is one of the most influential ink artists ever, and his techniques and styles can easily be […]
Jan. 29, 2008
Russ’s Art Blog: Artist Michael Deas

Russ’s Art Blog: Artist Michael Deas

As I mentioned last week, I’m hoping to change things up a little with the art blogs, and offer more than just a “piece of the week”.  I’ll be featuring artists sometimes that you may be familiar with, if not in name than in work. This week, I’m going to talk about Michael Deas (www.michaeldeas.com), […]
Jan. 8, 2008
This Week’s Art: The Duel After the Masquerade

This Week’s Art: The Duel After the Masquerade

This is Jean-Léon Gérôme’s The Duel After the Masquerade (1857, Oil, 20″ x 28″), a piece I came across when I was actually looking for another of his works (this one, which may come up again in the future).  It struck me as an interesting piece, and a much different palette than many of Gérôme’s […]
Aug. 13, 2007
This Week’s Art: Expulsion – Moon and Firelight

This Week’s Art: Expulsion – Moon and Firelight

This is Thomas Cole’s Expulsion – Moon and Firelight (1828, Oil on canvas, 35 7/8 in x 47 7/8 in), one of those pieces that I find very inspiring.  It’s a bit different than the images by Cole that I normally cite (like his Course of the Empire series, check out http://www.swarthmore.edu/Humanities/kjohnso1/colecourse.html), but it’s an […]
Jul. 2, 2007
This Week’s Art: Remington’s Moonlight, Wolf

This Week’s Art: Remington’s Moonlight, Wolf

This is Frederic Remington’s Moonlight, Wolf, (1909; oil on canvas, 20 1/16 x 26 in), a bit of a different image from the typical Remington western art you’d see. Much of the effect had to do with Remington’s life.  Many of his western works appeared before the Spanish-American War, and after he became an artist […]
Jun. 25, 2007
This Week’s Art: Still Waters

This Week’s Art: Still Waters

This is Rob Gonsalves’ Still Waters, truly an impressive piece of art.  It’s one of the most interesting styles I’ve seen, and it’s fascinating to look at. I’ve always loved the unique visions of artists like Magritte and Escher, who seem to be able to easily twist reality and yet keep beauty intact. Gonsalves has […]
Jun. 11, 2007
This Week’s Art: Schinkel-Medieval

This Week’s Art: Schinkel-Medieval

In many a year ago, I was an architectural engineering student.  I loved architecture, but I grew to hate number crunching (which is why I’m a silly artist-type now).  But I still appreciate architecture, and this piece is a fantastic view of it. This is Karl Friedrich Schinkel’s Medieval Town by Water (1813, oil, 94 […]
May. 21, 2007
This Week’s Art: Arnold Böcklin

This Week’s Art: Arnold Böcklin

Here’s another week of art commentary, please let me know your thoughts on the art or other comments, and I will be posting this on my MySpace as well. This is Arnold Bocklin’s Self-portrait with Death Playing the Fiddle (oil on canvas, 1872). I like alot of Bocklin’s work, and I’m becoming a big fan […]
Apr. 29, 2007