Have you ever seen a painting that simply refused to be ignored, inspiring you to think deeply about life and the way it should be lived? For me, one of these paintings is The Execution of Lady Jane Grey, by Paul Delaroche. You see, in 1833 when this oil painting was completed, painters the […]
Read more "“The Execution of Lady Jane Grey” and Living a Vibrant Life"“Painting is complete as a distraction. I know of nothing which, without exhausting the body, more entirely absorbs the mind. Whatever the worries of the hour or the threats of the future, once the picture has begun to flow along, there is no room for them in the mental screen.” Winston Churchill – “Painting as […]
Read more "The Beautiful Distraction of Painting"The “Back to School” season is in full swing! Grocery stores are packed to the brim with school supplies, students are arming themselves with new clothes, new backpacks, and new hairstyles, and next week most of them will be back in the classroom. I still remember my first day of Kindergarten like it was […]
Read more "Sending God Back to School With Your Children…"There is a Thomas Kinkeade gallery near our home, and my wife and I often stop in to gaze at the beautiful paintings. My favorite has always been one entitled In the Woods, which depicts a peaceful little cabin nestled deep in the woods surrounded by tall trees and a bubbling stream. Each time […]
Read more "Finding God in the Smoky Mountains"Take a moment to gaze at this painting and try to answer this question: “What is this piece of art about?” Stumped? Don’t feel bad…ever since Jackson Pollock painted Autumn Rhythm (No. 30) in 1950, people have been scratching their heads in wonder. Abstract painting is an acquired taste, and this classic example will either […]
Read more "Bottling Abstract Concepts – Pollock’s “Autumn Rhythm”"“You’re blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by God. You’re blessed when you follow his directions, doing your best to find him. That’s right – you don’t go off on your own; you walk straight along the road he set. You, God, prescribed the right way to live; now […]
Read more "Monet, Sailboats, and Staying On Course"“Right from the beginning, I always strived to capture everything I saw as completely as possible.” Norman Rockwell Saying Grace, Norman Rockwell (1959) The sun always seems to brighten on Sunday mornings, and in spite of the dreary rain, today was no exception. Mid-morning sunshine filtered through the worn and dirty glass of the […]
Read more "Norman Rockwell’s “Saying Grace”: A Glimpse Into America’s Past…and Future"My absolute favorite style of painting is Impressionism, which developed in Paris during the 19th century. The invention of the photograph threatened to leave many painters penniless, since the camera was able to capture any image more realistically than a painter could do on canvas. Finally, several Parisian artists simply gave up on trying to […]
Read more "Impressionism: A Beautiful Painting, A Grotesque Life"Yanse is the Chinese word for “color.” In its most ancient meaning, the word was translated “color in the face,” or “passion and desire.” During the Tang Dynasty, however, it began to refer to colors of all kinds. I became fascinated with Chinese art during college, when I spent two summers teaching English in Mainland […]
Read more "Y: “Yanse” – The Cultural Significance of Color"“Action is the foundational key to all success.” Pablo Picasso Picasso’s Guernica, painted in 1937, was not popular during its first exhibit but has since gained worldwide renown as an International Symbol of Peace. The painting is named after Guernica, a Spanish town in Basque Country which served as the northern center of the […]
Read more "P: Pablo Picasso on the Painful Path to Peace"
The Artistic Christian 