March 2018 Art News
Court painters from the Mughal empire in India created detailed portraits of some of the most powerful and wealthy figures of the 17th century. These paintings traveled to Europe through trade, where their fine lines and majestic subjects inspired artists like Rembrandt. Learn how the Mughal painters employed a variety of natural pigments in their brilliantly colored images of emperors and elites.
This video accompanies the exhibition "Rembrandt and the Inspiration of India" (March 13, 2018 – June 24, 2018) at the Getty Museum.
Currently at Carl Hammer Gallery, Vivarium is Mary Lou Zelazny’s immersive exploration of surreal plantlife. Zelazny combines painting and collage in striking, dreamlike images of technicolor trees and zebra-striped bouquets. At first glance, what seems to be merely exuberant plein air studies and still-lives, are revealed upon closer examination to be surreal and mysterious reconfigurations. Zelazny reimagines flora, creating new and unusual botanical studies collaged from monoprints.
The Case for Museums | The Art Assignment | PBS Digital Studios
The powerful and privileged have hoarded precious artifacts in museums for centuries, and it's only recently that these treasures were made available to the rest of us. What purpose did museums serve? And why does every city have one today?
In Chris Schanck’s solo exhibition at Friedman Benda, furniture seems capable of taking on a life of its own. The show's title, ‘Unhomely’, warns us not to get too comfortable. The play on 'home' and 'homely' advises us to look beyond the beautiful exteriors of the objects that inhabit our homes. While Schanck’s sculptural furniture could be reassuring objects of convenience, its otherworldly forms suggest it might have its own plans once we turn our backs.
Discover Picasso’s pivotal year of wonder, Van Gogh’s love of Japanese art, and Tacita Dean’s examination of portraiture in our list of this month’s top exhibitions.
Bernard Cohen is a British artist whose paintings tell stories about everyday existence and experience. Often described as an abstract artist, he explains why he does not consider his paintings to be abstract.
At his home in London, he shows us his sketchbooks and talks about the importance of drawing as a lifelong activity. He explains how he uses his drawings as a way of going back in time, often using a drawing from an old sketchbook as the starting point for a new painting.