Woman with a Crow

Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881-1973)
Woman with a Crow, 1904
Charcoal, pastel, and watercolor on paper
Toledo Museum of Art 1936.4
Check out the TMA link above, I can't like to the work itself so check under Works on Paper.

I'm back! By both request and need (I really missed this). I do hope I can keep it up! Thanks so much to those who follow the blog and let me know how much they enjoy it. That is exactly what I hoped for when I started it. Yay!

The TMA has an endless array of incredible works of art. Normally I wouldn't be one to pull out a Picasso as being one of the best. Yes, yes too typical I often feel. I adored Picasso when I was in high school, but quickly realized that it wasn't such a stretch to be a fan of Picasso and I distanced myself while I learned and fell in love with a greater world of art. I've come back a bit and discovered so much more than the cubist paintings I spent so much of looking on.

The thing that is incredible about artists like Picasso is their artistic range. Picasso went through many periods in both his art and the world of art he was a part of. This gorgeous drawing/watercolor was made when he was only 23 during what is now considered his blue period (noting not only the more melancholy feeling of the work but also the predominant use of the color). I've seen many a Picasso over the years, but this easily ranks up there as a favorite.

Shy

Shy Look, 2008
Stephen Scott Young
Watercolor on Twinrocker handmade paper
14 1/8 x 14 3/4 inches
Image: adelsongalleries.com

Another find via my daily work, watercolorist, Stephen Scott Young. I didn't put much thought into watercolor paintings for a long time because watercolor is a medium that many beginning painters approach with the thought of it being easier but in reality it is much much more difficult to excel at technically, let alone create unique interesting paintings. (Admittedly, your typical "pretty" watercolor landscapes don't hold much interest for me).

The marked fluidity that is inherent in watercolor is plainly visible here yet there is also an amazing amount of care and restraint in the attention paid to this little girl's face. The strength and tightness in the details of the face, pull your vision inward. I was struck by the girl's expression but am also drawn by the limits in color, the rich, steadiness of the brown and the almost ethereal quality of the white/light pink. Young uses the same colors in the backdrop as he does with the girl yet she does not blend in.

Wood Landscape

Upon this Bank and Shoal of Time
Orit Hofshi
Ink drawing, woodcut and watercolor on pine wood panels and paper, 1068 x 264 cm, 427.2" x 105.6"

Click on the image to see it in a fuller length and more detail. I saw this work in a small exhibition catalog of the work of Orit Hofshi and Nogah Engler at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. Both female Israeli artists, their work is rich and and intricate. Surely, the work of today needs full attention at it's full size, but we'll deal with the extended version on the web. I can't see all of the details so I am not sure if the prints were made from wood to wood or that the woodcuts were printed to paper which was affixed to individual wood panels which were mounted side by side. This creates a beautiful grid effect. The choice of leaving space between each panel allows you to see each panel as its own work in addition to their collaboration as one whole image .I am also not exactly sure about the inclusion of the ink and watercolor but am guessing that it was a simple print transfer with details added with ink and watercolor. One of the great things about printmaking is it's conduciveness to mixed media additions.

Click on the title and you can scroll through the installation process of the work, and get a better idea of it's scale. The combination of sepia and black and white gives varied dimension to the work, moving you from warmth (sepia) to a cooler effect.