Art Links

revision 04302008-1612

Links to sites not related to art can be found in my Bookmarks.

"Modern art is what happens when painters stop looking at girls and persuade themselves they have a better idea."--John Ciardi

"Why should I paint dead fish, onions, and beer glasses? Girls are so much prettier."--Marie Laurencin

Le Louvre--the official site
Artchive by Mark Harden--includes over 2,300 scans from more than 230 artists
Artcyclopedia by John Malyon--"The Guide to Museum Quality Art on the Internet"
WebMuseum, Paris

Taschen--art book publisher
TeNeuses--art book publisher
Twin Palms--art book publisher

By Chris Witcombe in What is Art? What is an Artist?:

Today the questions What is Art? and What is an Artist? today are not easily answered.

According to William Rubin, director of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, "there is no single definition of art." The art historian Robert Rosenblum believes that "the idea of defining art is so remote [today]" that he doesn't think "anyone would dare to do it."

Philippe de Montebello, director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, states that there is "no consensus about anything today," and the art historian Thomas McEvilley agrees that today "more or less anything can be designated as art."

Arthur Danto, professor of philosophy at Columbia University and art critic of The Nation, believes that today "you can't say something's art or not art anymore. That's all finished." In his book, After the End of Art, Danto argues that after Andy Warhol exhibited simulacra of shipping cartons for Brillo boxes in 1964, anything could be art. Warhol made it no longer possible to distinguish something that is art from something that is not.

What has finished, however, is not artistic production, but a certain way of talking about art. Artists, whoever they are, continue to produce, but we, non-artists, are no longer able to say whether it is art or not. But at the same time, we are no longer comfortable with dismissing it as art because it fails to fit what we think art should be (whatever that is).

We struggle with this because we have been taught that art is important and we're unwilling to face up to the recently revealed insight that art in fact has no "essence." When all is said and done, "art" remains significant to human beings and the idea that now anything can be art, and that no form of art is truer than any other, strikes us as unacceptable.

Chris Witcombe's What is Art? What is an Artist?

Eolake Stobblehouse's WhatMeArtist?--an online course for anybody working creatively

Impressionism

"Admire as much as you can. Most people do not admire enough."--Vincent Van Gogh

"Starry Nights" by Vincent van Gogh Impressionism at WebMuseum, Paris
Impressionism Painters at WebMuseum, Paris

The Vincent van Gogh Information Gallery by David Brooks -- new URL

(See also History of Art for the Photography at NYIP in my Photography Links

Pin-Ups, Cheesecake, & Aviation Nose-Art:

pin-up n.

a. A picture, especially of a sexually attractive person, that is displayed on a wall.
b. A person considered a suitable model for such a picture.

Something intended to be affixed to a wall.

cheese-cake n.

A cake made of sweetened cottage cheese or cream cheese, eggs, milk, sugar, and flavorings.
Informal. Photographs of minimally attired women.

Vintage Pin-Up Art

Cheesecake and the Art of the Pin-up by Jim Burrows
Scandolls Pin-Up Art--"celebrating pop culture images of women"
The Great American Pin-up--"Home of the Greatest Collection of Original Pin-Up Art 1930-70" by Louis K. Meisel
"Painted Ladies"
Jaap van Deijk's Erotic Art Index--with pin-up art and pulp covers
The Pin-Up Page--1940s and '50s Pin-up Girls by B.R. Mercer
Marianne Ohl Phillips' MOP Pin-Up--pin-ups for sale

"An Elvgren model was never portrayed as a femme fatale. She is, rather, the girl next door whose charms are revealed in that fleeting instant when she's been caught unaware in what might be an embarrassing situation. Gusting winds and playful plants grab at her lovely, long legs. She is intruded upon as she takes a bath. Her skirts get caught in elevator doors, hung up on faucets, and entangled with dog leashes. The elements conspire in divesting her of her clothing." -- ScanDolls

The Life and Work of Gil Elvgren presented by Louis K. Meisel
The Peculiar Art of Mr. Frahm at James Likek's Institute of Official Cheer

The Work of Alberto Vargas presented by the San Francisco Art Exchange

Contemporary Pin-Up Art

"I will dedicate all my life, and all my talent, to the most precious creatures in the universe... Women!" -- Carlos Cartagena

Cartagena Fine Art Illustrations

Hubert de Lartigue
Jef Caudle Studio
Pete Tapang at TT Design Studios (gone?)
Harlow Art--"tasteful drawings of feminine beauty" by Kim Harlow
Painted Lady by Jack Henslee
The Fantasy Art of Marcus Gray
The Art of Ken Martin

SeeGuysDolls.com by Guy Powers

American Artists Gallery by eek-sr

(See also Humor & Entertainment for the work of Dean Yeagle and other cartoonists and illustrators.)

Pin-Up Photography, classic and contemporary

Hollywood PinUp classic cheesecake photos, pin-ups, & glamour photos from the 40s, 50s, 60s
André Felix, Photographer--"The King of the Pin-Ups"; photographs
RetroKitten--the online eZine foe classic and contemporary pinup

Aviation Nose Art

BomberGirl by Gregory Davis--"a showcase for aviation nose art"
WWII Nose Art (15 photos)

Disclaimer:

This is a collection of links that I have found useful or interesting, either professionally or personally. It is maintained for my own use, and is subject to change at any time. No claims are made to completeness, accuracy, or competence. No endorsement of any site, individual, product, or corporation is intended. With these caveats, anyone is welcome to browse these links or to use this page.

Attributions:

Starry Nights from The Vincent van Gogh Information Gallery.

Elvgren image from ScanDolls site.

Carlos Cartagena Water Fountain image from the Carlos Cartagena site.