painting
The Mona Lisa Curse
July 14, 2010 - 4:34pm | MelvixA documentary about the commercialization of the art world by Robert Hughes. 12 parts.
Check it Out: Creations by Kai Margarida-Ramirez de Arellano
May 19, 2010 - 9:29am | Cristy
Angel Zarraga
May 17, 2010 - 1:50pm | Melvix
Las Futbolistas - Angel Zarraga
I saw this painting in the modern art museum in Mexico City a couple years ago. I stood there and stared at it for a long time, looked at everthing else in the wing, came back and looked at it again. Everything about this painting seemed perfect to me. The color of the jerseys. The brush strokes on the women's arms and legs. Next time I go to Mexico City I'll probably go back to look at it again.
Unfortunately you can't see its finer points in this tiny reproduction (snagged from here), but you can kind of get an idea of what the painting is about.
Here's another Zarraga that gets more (undeserved) attention on the web:
Self portrait with model
Bernard Fleetwood-Walker
May 13, 2010 - 5:52pm | Melvix
Amity (1933). An interesting commentary on this painting. Bernard Fleetwood Walker's web site contains a huge, annotated catalog of his work.
Kitchen scene/ En la Cocina
April 15, 2010 - 11:32am | Cristy
Kitchen scene Taos, New Mexico. Lee Russell, 1939
During the Depression the Farm Security Administration assembled a team of photographers for the federally sponsored Farm Security Administration documentation project (for example, Dorothea Lange). Another member of the team was Lee Russell who worked extensively in New Mexico, from Taos to Pie Town. More FSA photos here and here.
Much of the work of New Mexico artist Edward Gonzales focuses on nostalgic scenes of daily life and Hispanic cultural traditions in New Mexico. I thought that stove looked familiar! 
En la Cocina, Edward Gonzales
Julio Romero de Torres
March 28, 2010 - 10:20am | Cristy
La Chiquita Piconera by Julio Romero de Torres, Spanish artist (b. 1874 - d. 1930)
This is one of Romero de Torres' most famous paintings and was featured an a 5 peseta Spanish stamp (and often copied.) Julio Romero de Torres was a big deal--he and his art were on the 1950s era 100 peseta bill and there is a popular folk song about him. Unfortunately, there are no books in English on Romero de Torres but you can see more of his work here, here and here.
La Fuensanta (the work featured on the 100 peseta note)
The model in both paintings above is María Teresa López. She began modeling for him as a child and by 14 Julio was obsessed with his "muse". María was bitter about how modeling and being in such famous paintings ruined her life. No one ever believed that she was not the artist's lover. Her first marriage lasted 2 years and ended badly. Her husband tried to prostitue her and when she resisted he beat her. She never remarried. (Story with quotes en español.)
Lisa Schmidt
March 22, 2010 - 9:43am | Melvix
Esther Pearl Watson
March 1, 2010 - 9:49am | Melvix
Esther Pearl Watson's "Before the Landlord Finds Us." I love everything about this painting.
