Category Archives: art

WHAT’S THE BEST COLOR FOR A PAINTING?

Posted on October 16, 2013 by Philip

WHAT’S THE BEST COLOR FOR A PAINTING? Grayson Perry in the Financial Times (October 12-13) says that, in the opinion of Philip Hook (who works for Sotheby’s), red paintings will always sell best, followed by white, blue, yellow, green and … Continue reading →

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PORTRAITS AS WELL AS LANDSCAPES ARE OUT OF FASHION.

Posted on October 16, 2013 by Philip

PORTRAITS AS WELL AS LANDSCAPES ARE OUT OF FASHION. I posted here about Jackie Wullschlager’s observation in the Financial Times in 2009 that: “Landscape in 20th and 21st century art is less than unfashionable––it has dropped off the radar screen.” … Continue reading →

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ANOTHER THEORY—PEOPLE WHO SMILE CAN’T BE TRUSTED.

Posted on October 11, 2013 by Philip

ANOTHER THEORY—PEOPLE WHO SMILE CAN’T BE TRUSTED. Meyer and Jeeves give a different answer to the question. Meyer quotes Jeeves: “By the 17th century in Europe,…it was a well-established fact that the only people who smiled broadly, in life and … Continue reading →

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THE THEORY THAT SMILES WERE DIFFICULT FOR THE ARTIST.

Posted on October 10, 2013 by Philip

THE THEORY THAT SMILES WERE DIFFICULT FOR THE ARTIST. Another theory, which I have always subscribed to, is simply that a smile is difficult to maintain for more than a few moments, a problem for posing for early photographs and … Continue reading →

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WHY ARE THERE SO FEW SMILES IN OLD PHOTOGRAPHS? THE BAD TEETH THEORY.

Posted on October 9, 2013 by Philip

WHY ARE THERE SO FEW SMILES IN OLD PHOTOGRAPHS? Robinson Meyer in this article in the Atlantic asks: “Why Didn’t People Smile in Old Portraits?” I posed the question to Mary Jane, and she said that she had always thought … Continue reading →

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PENN AND TELLER LOOK AT VERMEER.

Posted on September 10, 2013 by Philip

PENN AND TELLER LOOK AT VERMEER. This analysis of the chandelier in Jan van Eyck’s Portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini and his Wife shows how contentious is the issue of whether Vermeer and other old masters used scientific instruments in their … Continue reading →

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TIM JENISON PAINTS A VERMEER.

Posted on September 9, 2013 by Philip

TIM JENISON PAINTS A VERMEER. In the movie Penn and Teller show how Penn’s friend Tim Jenison reproduced Vermeer’s The Music Lesson. Jenison had never painted before. However, he was an expert in computer graphics and digital video. This gave … Continue reading →

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THE HOCKNEY-FALCO THESIS—HOW THE OLD MASTERS DID IT.

Posted on September 8, 2013 by Philip

THE HOCKNEY-FALCO THESIS—HOW THE OLD MASTERS DID IT. A new movie has been a hit at the Toronto International Film Festival. In the movie, Penn and Teller support the Hockney-Falco thesis. I posted here about David Hockney’s observation that: ““drawing … Continue reading →

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LIGHT VERSE—CLERIHEWS.

Posted on August 11, 2013 by Philip

LIGHT VERSE—CLERIHEWS. Just as lyric poetry has its forms, such as the sonnet, so also does light verse have its forms. The clerihew was named after E.C. Bentley (Edmund Clerihew Bentley) and was invented by Bentley. (Bentley was also the … Continue reading →

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HOW “THE BEDROOM AT ARLES” HAS CHANGED.

Posted on July 9, 2013 by Philip

HOW “THE BEDROOM AT ARLES” HAS CHANGED. Letter 705 from Van Gogh’s Letters describes the colors that Van Gogh saw and painted: “The walls are of a pale violet. The floor — is of red tiles. The bedstead and the … Continue reading →

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