Fig Tree Studio

New painting, Black Birds

New painting, Spring. Photo does it no justice.

New painting, April.

"A painting is not a picture of an experience, but is the experience." — Mark Rothko

sought to make paintings that would bring people to tears. “I’m interested only in expressing basic human emotions—tragedy, ecstasy, doom, and so on,” he declared. “And the fact that a lot of people break down and cry when confronted with my pictures shows that I can communicate those basic human emotions….If you…are moved only by their color relationships, then you miss the point.”

Rothko painted to plumb the depths of himself and the human condition. For him, art was a profound form of communication, and art making was a moral act.

[Mark Rothko. "No. 5/No. 22." 1950 (dated on reverse 1949). Oil on canvas. Gift of the artist. © 2020 Kate Rothko Prizel & Christopher Rothko/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo: Noah Kalina]

Pablo Picasso: 5 Facts You Didn't Know About the Famous Artist Everyone knows Picasso was the father of Cubism, but did you know he was once tried in court for allegedly stealing the Mona Lisa?

Born in 1541, Domenikos Theotokopoulos—known by many as —executed at least five paintings of Saint Jerome throughout his lifetime.

In this version, from the last years of El Greco's life, the saint is shown dressed as a cardinal, seated before an open book, indicating his role as translator of the Bible from Greek into Latin in the 5th century.

His pronounced features and long white beard refer to his familiar guise as a penitent, recalling his retreat to the Syrian desert.

Learn more about El Greco on the → met.org/3jaBMAs

🎨 El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos), (Spanish, born Greece 1541–1614). Saint Jerome as Scholar, ca. 1610. On view in Gallery 958.

A Fuller Picture of Artemisia Gentileschi The pioneering painter survived a r**e, but scholars are pushing against the idea that her work was defined by it—and celebrating her rich harnessing of motherhood, passion, and ambition.

*Sees one leaf on the ground.
Happy First Day of Fall! 🍂

"The Four Seasons: Fall," 1894, by Léon Frédéric http://ow.ly/KQ0I30rb6m5

VanGogh Sunflowers!!!🌻🌻🌻 we painted just like him outside in the wind, cloudy, cool weather. My students really are living the artist’s life! 👩🏻‍🎨🖼🌈

A cartoon by Will McPhail.