At Sotheby’s last night, Francis Bacon’s Triptych (above) broke all contemporary art records when it sold for $86.3 million. Bacon was a self-taught English painter who died in 1992. Triptych, a large-scale masterpiece depicting the legend of Prometheus, was painted in 1976, and, like his 1953 Man with Dog (below), exemplifies his dark, angst-ridden style.
Read more about Sotheby’s recession-proof contemporary art sale in Carol Vogel NYT’s story.
Galgos (Spanish Greyhounds)
Actually, nothing about these sleek handcrafted works of dog art is scrappy except for the fact that São Paulo artist Ted Benvenuti uses certifiably reforested Brazilian bentwood and carpentry shop leftovers to create them.
Rottweiler
Labrador Retriever
Beyond their beauty, I love their individuality. Like every dog I’ve ever met, their personalities are utterly distinct, even when comparing works within the same breed, like the Basset Hounds below. Simply gorgeous!
Basset Hound No. 1
Basset Hound No. 2
Basset Hound No. 3
Basset Hound No. 4
Available exclusively at Conceito Firma Casa. See more of Benvenuti’s work here.
Via Cool Hunting.
Moving Into Spring
Not really. Jennifer Kirk Hamilton is actually a S.C based, award winning, neo-expressionist painter. Her latest works are inspired by her two dogs and I think they are remarkable for many reasons. I love her colors and the energy she captures in this series. But mainly, I love that she looks at dogs as dogs.
Bad Little Dog
Many dog artists, myself included, obsess about getting our subjects’ faces just right. We want that joyful, playful, adoring expression we see when we look into our dogs’ eyes. But doesn’t that make the work more about us? Like Narcissus and his pool, we want our dog’s full attention if we are going to do his portrait. Right?
For Kirk Hamilton, it’s not about the dogs; it’s about the walk. About being a silent observer as her boys investigate the world around them, oblivious to her. Primal and curious, completely in the moment, exploring anew the path they take every day. What an amazing way to capture them while at the same time allowing them to be free, walking off her canvas, not staying put. How beautifully she reminds us that having a dog does not make us "owners." It makes us part of the pack.
Not Again Pooh
Mysique
Journeyman
Mystery of the New
Visit her website to learn more.
I’m running late for a meeting this morning. Feeling like this amazing painting Running Dog by Sixty Minute Artist Jerry Lebo, whose very cool blog is devoted to artistic discipline and striving to “turn consistent effort into something worth looking at.”
Check back later. I have lots to tell you about the Ladies Biz Meetup I went to last night hosted by the fabulous Grace Bonney of Design*Sponge. It was terrific!
I think Tillamook Cheddar, a Jack Russell from Brooklyn, is the perfect dog artist to feature on Valentine's Day. First, of course, because of her vivid heart shaped pendant that has become her signature piece, but more importantly because her work is illustrative of true passion. I've always felt that the Victorian cutesy aesthetic that coats Valentine's Day is just plain corny, especially as it's morphed into the Hallmark-Teddy- Bear-industrial-complex aesthetic of today. It's not sexy or romantic or remotely interesting. And it's certainly not passionate, like Tillie's work.
Tillie expresses her artistic sensibilities with the help of her assistant F. Bowman Hastie III, who assembles a touch-sensitive recording device by affixing pigment-coated vellum to a sheet of lithograph paper backed by mat board. Then, Tillie takes the "canvas" in her mouth and uses her teeth and paws to scratch sweeping lines and intersections with a ritualistic intensity, sometimes to the point of nearly destroying her creation. The finished piece is reminiscent of the Art Brut (art of the insane) movement in 1940s France when "artists drew entirely on their own resources, rather than on the stereotypes of classical or fashionable art." Tillie's art is all heart. What could be more perfect for today?
Here are some of my favorite Tillies:
Read about Tillie's evolution as an artist and then a mom (she had six pups) in her biography Portrait Of The Dog As A Young Artist
P.S. Tillie also creates sculptures that I love because they are reminiscent of Darby's artwork. I considered placing this photo at the top of this post with the title "Happy Valentine's Day! Eat Your Heart Out." It sounded a bit too cynical, so I didn't. Have a great day!
Emily Wagner has been a child TV star, a club hopping teen, an art student, an Ivy Leaguer, a white female rapper, a DJ, a hip hop promoter, and a screenwriter. Now, she is a working actress (paramedic Doris Pickman on “ER” and star of her brother’s film “The Talent Given Us”), a mother, a yoga-dance teacher, a blogger, and last but c-e-r-t-a-i-n-l-y not least a dog artist! (And a certified Diva.) Emily, I’m in awe…and a little exhausted. Love your work!