Author: Maria Lang

July 25 is the birthday of Maxfield Parrish from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Featured here is his illustration, “Cadmus Sowing the Dragon’s Teeth,” from the Greek myth. Parrish was particularly known for the vibrant colors he used in his artwork, and the hue “Parrish blue” was even named … Continue readingCadmus Sowing the Dragon’s Teeth by Maxfield Parrish

“Joan of Arc,” by Alphonse Mucha. Mucha was originally from the Austrian Empire (now the Czech Republic) and studied in Paris. He became successful with his illustrations after producing a poster for a play featuring Sarah Bernhardt, the most famous Parisian actress at the time.

Alexander Calder of Pennsylvania was born on July 22 in 1898. He is the inventor of the mobile, a type of installation art which is widely displayed in a variety of settings–from art museums to children’s bedrooms. Like many other potential artists, he did not originally … Continue readingThe Mobile by Alexander Calder

“The Ballet Class” by Edgar Degas, who was born on July 19 in 1834 in Paris. Degas had a passion for history and yearned to bring it alive in his art. However, through the years his interest shifted to the lives of people living in his … Continue readingThe Ballet Class by Edgar Degas

July 18 is the birthday of Hyacinthe Rigaud of Perpignon. This is his “Gaspard de Gueidan playing the musette” (Gaspard de Gueidan en joueur de musette, 1738) Rigaud was trained as a taylor in his father’s shop but later grew to love painting.  

Rembrandt is arguably one of the greatest and most influential painters. One of his marks is the surreal light which emanates from holy characters in his art, a light which appears natural in the painting but sets the subject apart as supernatural at the same … Continue readingThe Archangel Leaving the Family of Tobias by Rembrandt

Gustav Klimt of Austria was born on July 14 in 1862. This is his “Adele Bloch-Bauer’s Portrait.” The woman was a wealthy Jewish Viennese patron and close friend of Klimt. The painting was seized by the Nazis and called “The Woman in Gold” so that its … Continue readingAdele Bloch-Bauer’s Portrait by Gustav Klimt

“Christina’s World” by Andrew Wyeth of Pennsylvania. This painting depicts a young woman who has suffered from polio, crawling across a field. Wyeth wanted to communicate that to experience the world after such a loss could still be glorious. He said, “The challenge to me … Continue readingChristina’s World by Andrew Wyeth

Starting on July 10, we started sharing with you the work of an artist whose birthday it is! What better way to celebrate their lives and legacies? “Symphony in White No. 2” is by James Abbott McNeill Whistler, whose birthday was that day. He was born in … Continue readingSymphony in White No. 2 by James Abbott McNeill Whistler