Wednesday, October 28, 2009
In Memoriam—Bernie Fuchs
It was with great sadness that we learned of the death in September of Bernie Fuchs, a longtime member of our Guiding Faculty. He was a giant among illustrators, a supremely gifted painter, and a fine teacher. Information on his life and work, along with comments and reflections from the many artists whom he influenced, can be found at the following links:
Westport Now
Today’s Inspiration
Metafilter.com
Friday, October 23, 2009
Hands across the ocean
We’re just back from Japan where, as we do each October, we celebrated the winners of the Art Contest sponsored by our associates, Kodansha Famous Schools (KFS). Each year, KFS invites its current students and alumni to submit their artwork for evaluation by a panel of judges which includes some of Japan’s foremost painters, graphic designers, and cartoonists, along with the supervisors and instructors on the KFS staff. This year, there were 1979 submissions in three categories: Graphic, Painting, and Doga (fantasy illustration, a Japanese genre). There are two top awards or “Grand Prix”: one, given by the US Famous Artists School, is a one-week trip to New York (all expenses paid, including guide/translator, visits to museums and artists studios, etc., as well as side trips to Boston and Washington, DC); the other, given by KFS, is a cash prize. There are a number of other prizes, as well.
This year, the winner of the Famous Artists School Grand Prix is a young woman from the west of Japan, Reiko Kumagai. She’s a talented artist (watch this blog for a copy of her winning painting). What’s more, she speaks very good English, having studied for a year in New Zealand! We’re all looking forward to her visit next April. 
Monday, October 19, 2009
Cezanne in America
What’s that you say? Cezanne never visited the United States? Very true—but like all seminal artists, his influence was strongly felt by early twentieth-century American artists. A current exhibition at the Montclair Art Museum, “Cezanne and American Modernism”, demonstrates convincingly that many American artists sought to emulate Cezanne, especially in terms of a new concept of pictorial space, freed from the constraints of Renaissance perspective. The exhibition doesn’t show the American artists at their best, however, since many works which show a direct legacy from Cezanne indicate that the painters picked up on the more superficial aspects of Cezanne’s work: the simplification of objects and the diagonal brushstrokes.
Cezanne represented different things to different people: he was seen as a materialist, a mystic, a realist, a formalist, a primitive savage, a paragon of European sophistication, and much more. But his position as the bridge between the Impressionist and the Modernists is unquestioned, with his perception of space, use of color, and contrasts of light and shadow. The works on exhibit in this show present a convincing case.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Leonardo da Vinci would have loved this!
A fascinating tale of art history detection is unfolding in Florence, where a lost masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci has been discovered through a combination of luck and high-tech ultramodern techniques. Leonardo, a true Renaissance man who combined a mastery of art with creating inventions that were well ahead of their time, would certainly be fascinated by the story—and by the fact that his masterpiece may well have stood the test of time better than anyone could have guessed. Pictures, diagrams, and discussion can be found on the New York Times blog by John Tierney, TierneyLab.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Painting with a master—Charles Reid
Ever wonder what it would be like, as an art student, to paint alongside your mentor? Add to that experience the joy of on-location painting in the English countryside, and you’ll have an idea of what Mick Carney felt when he took a workshop with FAS Guiding Faculty member Charles Reid in September. You can read all about it here: The Painting Struggle. There are photos too, which will give you a fuller idea of just what Mick experienced in this weeklong workshop with Charles. The first entry on the workshop is dated September 14, so scroll down and read up—you’ll feel as if you’re sitting right beside Mick!
Thursday, October 01, 2009
Another alumna joins our website—Julinya de Vince
As I’ve noted here frequently, we often receive correspondence—both email and the old-fashioned kind—from former students and alumni of the Famous Artists School. We love hearing the real stories of people who developed their talent and passion for art with help from FAS—they’re always inspiring.
The latest addition to our website, Julinya de Vince, is a perfect example. Read the story of her journey from talented young student to prolific international artist and teacher—I’m sure you’ll be inspired, too.
Welcome, Julinya!
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