Tessera

Laura JG

@laurajg.bsky.social

Artist, art history, deconstructing. The banner is one of my artworks, created on my iPad using the Sketch Club app, with my Apple Pencil in hand. http://laurajeannegrimes.com

1660 Posts871 Follower 183 Folgt

Laura JG @laurajg.bsky.social · yesterday

If you are familiar with his later work, this painting will surprise you. By Piet Mondriaan (1872-1944), Still life with oranges, ca. 1900, oil on canvas, 46 x 30 cm, photo: Christie’s Amsterdam, 1 Dec 1999. #arthistory #painting #oilpainting #mondrian #stilllifepainting #art

A painting of four oranges, with white plate with a decorative blue design on its side behind them.

Laura JG @laurajg.bsky.social · 3d ago

In the blazing hot month of August, let’s look at the color orange: by Frederic Leighton (1830–1896), Flaming June, 1895, oil on canvas, 46.8 × 46.8 inches (119.1 × 119.1 cm), Museo de Arte de Ponce, in in Ponce, Puerto Rico. #arthistory #painting #oilpainting

From the museum: “In Flaming June, Leighton depicts a sleeping female figure, curled up under a cascade of orange drapery. This type of subject was used by Leighton frequently as an invitation for introspection, a figural representation of the unconscious mind.”

From another institution, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York: “Leighton maintained that the woman’s circular pose originated with a tired model in his studio, but it is not a position that any person could hold for long, not even his favorite professional models, Dorothy Dene and Mary Lloyd. (Both may have sat for Flaming June.) Showing off his ability to depict complicated poses, Leighton choreographed an arrangement that could exist only on canvas. The woman curls in on herself, her limbs folded and flexed in intertwined angles. To achieve this spiraling effect, Leighton manipulated the figure’s proportions, most noticeably the woman’s elongated thigh, and granted her a contortionist’s flexibility. He aimed to astonish and convince with his painterly sleight of hand: a body seen through translucent, clinging fabric, the anatomy and flesh rendered with brushwork so delicate that we are beguiled into accepting the illusion.”

Laura JG @laurajg.bsky.social · 4d ago

By Winold Reiss, 1886-1953. Girl with Blanket, 1925. Pastel and Conté crayon on illustration board. Private Collection. #arthistory #art #portrait #pastel

From Joanne B. Mulcahy, Hyperallergic, August 25, 2022: 'Reiss's portrait "Harlem Girl with Blanket" (ca. 1925) depicts a young Black woman draped with a bright yellow Indian blanket. The cultural mix, the girl's realistic features and natural hairstyle, fused into one complex visual statement of American identity," both multifaceted and distinctly modern.’

Laura JG @laurajg.bsky.social · 5d ago

By African-American artist Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859-1937), Daniel in the Lions' Den (1907-1918), oil on paper mounted on canvas, LACMA Los Angeles County Museum of Art. More info in ALT. #arthistory #blackartist #blackart #painting #oilpainting #blackhistory #art

From LACMA Untamed, January 4, 2017: “Henry Ossawa Tanner became known for his quiet, subtle depictions of Biblical stories. Where his contemporaries and forbearers often created dramatic scenes of similar subject matters, Tanner’s work tells a different story.

Daniel in the Lions’ Den offers a quiet, contemplative moment in an otherwise terrifying scene. Daniel, a Jewish prophet persecuted for his faith, was sent to certain death in a den of wild lions. His captors discovered him alive and unharmed the next day. A shaft of light illuminates the center of the scene, but Daniel’s face is obscured. He and the lions are cloaked in a blue-green shadow. The focus, rather than on Daniel’s face, is drawn to his bound hands and the face of a docile lion, the only things illuminated in this work.

Tanner’s calm interpretation of the story of Daniel conveys a man of faith, secure in and protected by his belief, not one fervently praying in fear. The subtlety of the painting conveys Daniel’s humanity and his faith on the same level, showing him alone but accompanied by the almost heavenly beam of light.”

Laura JG @laurajg.bsky.social · 6d ago

My theme for July is Freedom: by Dorothea Lange (1895-1965), Ex-Slave with a Long Memory, Alabama, 1937, photograph, this image from Christie’s New York, October 7, 2011. #photography #PhotographyHistory #blackhistory #freedom

From Artchive: “The artwork depicts an elderly African American woman, presumably an ex-slave, clad in traditional work attire, including a headscarf, a striped apron, and a long-sleeved shirt beneath a worn jacket. She holds a stick or cane firmly with both hands, suggesting a sense of resilience and strength. The woman’s weathered face, adorned with hoop earrings, is expressive and bears witness to the hardships endured over years of toil. The background is blurred, insinuating a rural setting, which further emphasizes the isolation and stark reality of her life. Lange’s photograph captures not just a moment, but a story of endurance, suffering, and the profound depth of human memory etched in the woman’s demeanor.”

Laura JG @laurajg.bsky.social · last wk.

Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890), The Prison Courtyard (after Gustave Doré), 1890, oil on canvas, 31.4x25.1 inches (80x64 cm), Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts. #arthistory #painting #oilpainting #vangogh #prison

A painting of a group of men walking in a circle in a small paved courtyard walled in by brick buildings. The men wear hats, except for one man who may represent Vincent. At the lower right three men, one in a uniform and two in suits and hats, observe. Very somber depiction. From HSE University, Moscow: “Vincent van Gogh painted The Prison Courtyard in 1890, inspired by an engraving by French illustrator Gustave Doré. In February 1890, Van Gogh was staying at the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum, where he had no opportunity to paint from life…

When examining Van Gogh's painting, one can notice a pair of butterflies fluttering against the prison wall. For the artist, they may have symbolized hope for liberation…

When painting this work, Van Gogh primarily used blue paint. The artist was known for his fondness for cool blue, which he combined with warm yellow to convey his inner state. The clash of these two colors also symbolizes the inner conflict that marked Van Gogh’s life—between hope and despair, joy and sorrow. The artist often used blue for his self-portraits. Through blue and its many shades, he sought to understand himself as a person and as an individual.”

Laura JG @laurajg.bsky.social · last wk.

Betye Saar, Artist Who Upended Black Stereotypes, Dies at 99 www.nytimes.com/2026/07/27/a...

Betye Saar, Artist Who Upended Black Stereotypes, Dies at 99 (Gift Article)

Working with dolls, family photographs, fabric scraps and other found objects, she became a leading figure in assemblage art.

nytimes.com

Laura JG @laurajg.bsky.social · last wk.

By Daniël van Heil (1604-1664), The aftermath of a battle in a town ravaged by fire, probably during the Sack of Antwerp (also known as the Spanish Fury) during the 80 Years War with Spain, oil on panel, photo: Sotheby’s London, March/April 2023. More in ALT. #arthistory #painting #oilpainting

A painting depicting a huge fire at night, engulfing buildings. At the extreme lower part of the painting, people are walking, running, some carrying bundles or having a loaded cart. Some people are lying on the ground. A few people are observing.

The artist is thought to be a pupil of Crayer. He usually painted historical scenes and landscapes, and was particularly known for his motifs of burning cities. Here he is probably depicting The Sack of Antwerp, during the 80 Years War. From Google Arts & Culture: “The Sack of Antwerp, often known as the Spanish Fury at Antwerp, was an episode of the Eighty Years' War. It is the greatest massacre in Belgian history.

On 4 November 1576, mutinying Spanish tercios of the Army of Flanders began the sack of Antwerp, leading to three days of horror among the population of the city, which was the cultural, economic and financial center of the Low Countries. The savagery of the sack led the provinces of the Low Countries to unite against the Spanish crown. The devastation also caused Antwerp's decline as the leading city in the region and paved the way for Amsterdam's rise.”

Laura JG @laurajg.bsky.social · last wk.

By Cuban-American artist Edel Rodriguez (b. 1971), illustration for the article “Grounds for Detention,” about detained asylum seekers, victims, of human trafficking, legal permanent residents, and even veterans of our U.S. wars, Santa Clara Magazine, Spring 2018. #illustration #ICE #immigration

An illustration depicting several faces behind a chain-link fence, palette of black, white, and orange

Laura JG @laurajg.bsky.social · last wk.

The year 1939. Two German-Jewish refugee children look out the porthole of the ocean liner St. Louis. Turned away from the US, Canada & Cuba, the ship had returned to Europe. Of the 908 refugees on board, 254 died in concentration camps. Photo: Gerry Cranham/Getty Images. #photography #refugees

Two children gaze out of a porthole. Both rest a cheek on one hand. These 2 children survived, liberated with their parents from the Westerbork transit camp in 1945.

Laura JG @laurajg.bsky.social · 2w ago

By Winslow Homer (1836–1910), Dressing for the Carnival, 1877, oil on canvas, 20 x 30 inches (50.8 x 76.2 cm), The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. The painting’s original title: Sketch—4th of July in Virginia. More in ALT. #arthistory #painting #oilpainting #americanhistory #art

A painting of a multi-generational group of African Americans, 19th century. Two women are helping a man put on some kind of colorful carnival costume. From the museum: “In this painting Homer evoked the dislocation and endurance of African American culture that is a legacy of slavery—specifically the Jonkonnu festival, rooted in the culture of the British West Indies and celebrated by enslaved people in Virginia and North Carolina. After the Civil War, aspects were incorporated into Independence Day events. The painting’s original title was Sketch—4th of July in Virginia. The theme of freedom was particularly relevant in 1877, when Black Americans saw an end to their brief experience of full civil rights after federal troops withdrew completely from the South.”

Laura JG @laurajg.bsky.social · 2w ago

Photograph (ambrotype) of an African-American woman, 1860’s, in the collection of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. #vintagephotography #PhotographyHistory #BlackHistory #civilwar

From the museum: “The woman pictured in this ambrotype is believed to be a washerwoman for Union troops quartered outside Richmond, Virginia. There is a hand-painted flag on her dress. Whether it was her choice to include this symbol of freedom, in unknown. It is espcially curious as she was denied many rights due to her gender and race. However, as a washerwoman for the Union Army, one was required to be approved by the quartermaster with a letter of good character. The importance of a clean uniform was such that a soldier's pay might be docked if the washerwomen was not paid. Additioanlly[sic], she would have had to supply her own pots, soaps, and other tools for her trade, which meant that she was also something of a business woman.”

Laura JG @laurajg.bsky.social · 2w ago

By African-American artist Augusta Savage (1892-1962), "Lift Every Voice and Sing, installed at the 1939 World's Fair in NYC. Savage had no room to store it, and it was smashed by bulldozers during the fair’s cleanup despite its popularity. 😢 #art #blackart #blackartist #womanartist #BlackHistory

The 16 foot tall sculpture depicts 12 Black singers, who represent the strings on a harp, fronted by a Black man holding a sheet of music. "Lift Every Voice and Sing, lyrics by James Weldon Johnson (1871–1938), music by his brother J. Rosamond Johnson (1873–1954). This hymn has become known as The Negro National Anthem. It begins: “Lift every voice and sing, 'Til earth and heaven ring, Ring with the harmonies of Liberty; Let our rejoicing rise High as the list'ning skies, Let it resound loud as the rolling sea. Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us, Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us; Facing the rising sun of our new day begun, Let us march on 'til victory is won.”

Laura JG @laurajg.bsky.social · 2w ago

“The Course of Empire: Destruction,” 1836, by Thomas Cole (1801-1848), oil on canvas, 39 1/4 × 63 1/2 inches (99.7 × 161.3 cm), collection of The New York Historical. #arthistory #painting #oilpainting

From the museum: ‘On August 30, 1836 the artist wrote to his friend and fellow artist Asher B. Durand "I have been engaged in Sacking & Burning a city ever since I saw you & am well nigh tired of such horrid work." The vainglorious city that Cole depicted in The Consummation of Empire has fallen to a savage enemy, and the critic for the New-York Mirror lauded Cole's critique of imperial rule, agreeing with the artist's depiction that "[s]uch is the merited downfall of all the empires which the earth has heretofore known." Instead of the statue of Minerva, goddess of wisdom, that kept watch over The Consummation of Empire, a headless colossal figure taken from the Louvre's Borghese Warrior witnesses the rapacious acts of the invading army. Cole was likely influenced by the English painter John Martin's panoramic scenes of apocalyptic disaster, and he no doubt knew that his depiction would bring to mind the terror and destruction wrought in New York by the Great Fire of 1835. Unlike the other paintings, here Cole's signature is audaciously large and carved in slashing letters, almost like an act of vandalism, on the pedestal of the ruined statue at the right.’

Laura JG @laurajg.bsky.social · 2w ago

By Adam Zyglis, “Peeling Paint,” June 25, 2026, the Buffalo News, ©️Adam Zyglis.

A cartoon portrait of Donald Trump, the skin of his face peeling off in strips, revealing a clown face beneath.

Laura JG @laurajg.bsky.social · 2w ago

By Holocaust survivor Samuel Bak (born 1933), Elegy III, 1997, oil on canvas, 47 1⁄4 × 50 1⁄4 inches, private collection, ©️Samuel Bak. #arthistory #painting #oilpainting #HolocaustRemembrance #holocaustsurvivor The painting references the engraving Melencolia I, by Albrecht Dürer.

An artwork. At the lower right a sad angel sits. On the broken wall beside him, a depiction of a boy, on what looks like various flat metal panels tacked up. His hands, raised up, look like they both have nail holes in the palms. He has a cap on his head and a yellow Star of David on his jacket. His shoes are depicted as statuary on a plinth.

Laura JG @laurajg.bsky.social · 2w ago

By Timothy Schmalz (born 1969), Let the Oppressed Go Free, bronze, 22.5-feet long, 3.5-tons. From EWTN News: “The sculpture is a representation of St. Bakhita lifting up the underground and letting the oppressed go free,” the Canadian artist explained. #sculpture #bronzesculpture #humantrafficking

The full length sculpture. From EWTN News: ‘The work’s title is taken from the Book of Isaiah, chapter 58. “Is this not, rather, the fast that I choose: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; Setting free the oppressed, breaking off every yoke?” the prophet says in the sixth verse.

“The sculpture is a representation of St. Bakhita lifting up the underground and letting the oppressed go free,” the Canadian artist explained.

St. Bakhita “is a Sudanese saint who was a slave in a previous century,” he said, so with this artwork, “you have a former slave from the previous century freeing the slaves of contemporary times.”’

A detail of the sculpture, focused on a group in the front. From EWTN News: ‘The work’s title is taken from the Book of Isaiah, chapter 58. “Is this not, rather, the fast that I choose: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; Setting free the oppressed, breaking off every yoke?” the prophet says in the sixth verse.

“The sculpture is a representation of St. Bakhita lifting up the underground and letting the oppressed go free,” the Canadian artist explained.

St. Bakhita “is a Sudanese saint who was a slave in a previous century,” he said, so with this artwork, “you have a former slave from the previous century freeing the slaves of contemporary times.”

Laura JG @laurajg.bsky.social · 3w ago

By Banksy (born 1974), Love Is In The Air, 2006, spray paint and oil on linen, 91.5 by 91.5 cm. 36 by 36 inches, photo: Sotheby’s New York, 12 May 2021. #art #banksy #protestart #resist #protest

“I like to think I have the guts to stand up anonymously in a Western democracy and call for things no-one else believes in – like peace and justice and freedom.” ~ Banksy, “Banksy, Wall and Piece.”

From the catalogue note: “Love is in the Air is a quintessential Banksy painting: instantly recognizable, the image has become synonymous with the artist’s indelible graphic style, wry humor and galvanizing political commentary. Banksy’s subject adopts the archetypal pose of civic unrest, preparing to hurl a brick or bomb towards an unseen foe, however the artist replaces his projectile with a bunch of flowers, disarming this image of violent unrest to create a work that is both a call for change and advocation of peace.”

Laura JG @laurajg.bsky.social · 3w ago

By African-American artist Charles White (1918–1979), General Moses and Sojourner Truth, 1954, carbon pencil, white chalk, & graphite pencil, Blanton Museum of Art, The University of Texas at Austin, ©The Charles White Archives. #arthistory #blackart #blackartist #BlackHistory #drawing

Laura JG @laurajg.bsky.social · 3w ago

By Georges Jules Victor Clairin (1843-1919), Sarah Bernhardt as Liberty, 1902, pastel on paper laid down on canvas, 26 3/4 by 35 inches (67.9 by 88.9 cm), photo: Sotheby’s New York, January 2023. #arthistory #painting #oilpainting

Excerpt from the catalogue note: “This fiery almost mythical scene casts Bernhardt as wide-eyed personification of Liberty, flanked by the years 1789 and 1793, marking the beginning and end of the French Revolution, and holding a crown strewn with red, white, and blue ribbons, the three colors of the French flag. The standing figures that line her path at left are cloaked and wearing wigs, suggesting they are members of the legislative body, while corpses lie behind her at right and spirit-like figures stretch skyward.”

Laura JG @laurajg.bsky.social · 3w ago

Photography history: by Lewis Wickes Hine (1874–1940), who took thousands of photos of immigrants newly arrived on Ellis Island. “Jewish Grandmother – Ellis Island, 1926.” More info in ALT. #photography #vintagephotography #immigration

From the New York Public Library: “For Hine, the new immigrants were not a faceless mass, but rather, vital individuals captured in real situations of life. Without depriving them of their personalities, he presented them as a group, thus amplifying the social message he aimed to deliver... “So this is America,” wrote Hine on the accompanying note card, as if reading the woman’s thoughts. He continued: “This Jewish grandmother’s face is filled with awe and hope, as she looks towards the land for which her people have gained, and to which they have given so much.“‘

Laura JG @laurajg.bsky.social · 3w ago

A messy sketch for a messy day, experimenting with a palette. Self-Portrait, drawn freehand on my iPad Pro using the SketchClub app. #digitalart #ipadart #artapp #drawingapp

Self portrait of a silver haired white woman, chest up, using a palette with some white skin flesh tones.

Laura JG @laurajg.bsky.social · 3w ago

The artist known as Banksy, “Flag Man,“ 2026, fiberglass or resin, Waterloo Place, London. Given its placement near monuments to Britain’s past Imperialism, it seems a comment on the blindness of unquestioning nationalism. Could fit in a lot of places, including Washington DC. #art #protest #statue

A statue of a man walking, carrying a flag upraised. The flag has blown across his face, making it impossible to see where he is going. Photo from Wikipedia user APK.

Laura JG @laurajg.bsky.social · 3w ago

A just for fun sketch for today of Batgirl. Based on a photo provided by the subject on the Museum by Sktchy app. Drawn freehand on my iPad Pro using the SketchClub app. About three hours of work total. #digitalart #ipadart #artapp #drawingapp #sketchclubapp #art

An artwork depicting Batgirl from the shoulders up. Behind her we see the Bat signal.

Laura JG @laurajg.bsky.social · 3w ago

Thomas Stuart Smith (1815–1869), The Pipe of Freedom, 1869, oil on canvas, The Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum. A copy of the Emancipation Proclamation pasted on the wall partially covers an advertisement for a slave auction. Freedom has replaced bondage. #arthistory #freedom #liberty

From the museum: ‘The Pipe of Freedom was painted in 1869 by Thomas Stuart Smith – the founder of what is today the Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum. A prolific artist and abolitionist, there are three surviving portraits of black men by Stuart Smith in our collection.

At the first glance The Pipe of Freedom shines with the warmth of the colours and the relaxed stance of the man in the foreground. His red paisley shawl wraps him in a contentment reflected in the half smile on his lips as he lights the long-stemmed clay pipe. But even the choice of the subject was unusual – at this time black people were more often painted as servants. A closer look at the background also hints that this picture is more than just a simple portrait - it is a political statement too.

The brick wall behind the man is covered with posters, including a yellow one publicising the sale of slaves. This has been covered by a copy of Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, which declared in 1863 "that all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free."‘

Laura JG @laurajg.bsky.social · 3w ago

Photography history: by Matt Herron (1931–2020), “Bobby Simmons on the Selma to Montgomery March, Alabama,” 1965, gelatin silver print, this print in the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia. More info in ALT. #CivilRights #VotingRights #protest #resist #photography #BlackHistory

A black and white photo of a young man from the chest up with the word Vote written across his forehead. He had put zinc oxide on his face, and then wrote thru it, possibly with his finger, to write the word. He wears overalls and a striped shirt. From Herron’s obituary in the New York Times: ‘In an oral history, Mr. Herron recalled the civil rights movement as a difficult but also a magical time. “We embraced each other,” he said. “We sang freedom songs together. We wept together. It was the only time in my life that I lived in what I consider a truly integrated society, where there were no barriers.” “I was photographing things that I wanted to photograph,” he added. “I was trying to bring to life a political movement which eventually transformed the country.”’

Laura JG @laurajg.bsky.social · 4w ago

Post a random photo. No explanation. (No explanation besides alt)

From the Museo degli Innocenti in Florence, Italy. The Ospedale degli Innocenti (Hospital of the Innocents). The is one of Andrea Della Robbia's terracotta babies in swaddling clothes which decorated the outside of the building but have been since moved inside the museum. This was a “foundling home.” Most of the children were not actually orphans, they were left by mothers who couldn’t care for them due to poverty. Also, some mistresses of important men would leave their babies that the man did not want acknowledged.

Mickey’s in Cognitive Decline@mickeybiz.bsky.social · 4w ago

Post a random photo. No explanation. (No explanation besides alt)

Laura JG @laurajg.bsky.social · 4w ago

By Evelyn Rumsey Cary (1855-1924), Woman’s Suffrage, 1905, oil on canvas, 40-7/8 x 23-5 inches (103.8 x 60 cm), collection of The Wolfsonian–Florida International University. Suffrage: “the right to vote.” #arthistory #womenartists #womanartist #painting #oilpainting #VotingRights #suffragehistory

Description from Swann Galleries, December 16, 2009: “Evoking a passage from Proverbs 31:31, the sinuous Art Nouveau image portrays a woman literally growing forth from her roots in the ground, an organic part of the earth, with leaves and fruit blossoming from her fingertips. It is an elegant and thoughtful visual analogy to both woman as Earth Goddess and producer. This image was so popular it appeared on flyers, pamphlets and other Suffragist collateral material.” The quote beneath the woman is Proverbs 31:31 (KJV): “Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.”

The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, passed in 1920, guarantees women the right to vote. However neither men nor women of color had that guarantee until the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Laura JG @laurajg.bsky.social · 4w ago

By Bernard Partridge (1861-1945), principal cartoonist for Punch Magazine, “The Majesty of the Law, Votes for Women, Hunger Strikes,” printed in Punch Magazine, March 5, 1913. #art #arthistory #suffragette #womenssuffrage #votingrights #illustration #illustrationhistory

From Punch: “Justice is blindfolded and her sword is wrapped in a 'Hunger Strike' cloth as buildings burn in the background.”

Laura JG @laurajg.bsky.social · 4w ago

My latest sketch: Black Beret, based on a photo reference posted by the subject on the Museum by Sktchy app. Drawn freehand on my iPad Pro using the SketchClub app. About 3 hours work. #digitalart #ipadart #artapp #drawingapp

A portrait of a somewhat androgynous person wearing a black beret, dark blue sunglasses, turtleneck, and jacket.