Art Reflection – Melchers This painting of the birth we now await was created by Julius Garibaldi Melchers (1860-1932), who is considered an American Master. He was the son of German immigrants who settled in Detroit. His father was a wood sculptor best known for making church furniture and cigar store statutes. Melchers left Michigan at age 17, returning to …

Art Reflection – Tanner This painting by African-American artist Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859-1937) depicts a scene often imagined as we begin the Advent season. Tanner was born in Pittsburgh and was the son of an AME minister. Always interested in religious subjects, he travelled to Egypt and Palestine and painted this perspective on Gabriel’s visit to Mary upon his return …

Art Reflection – Whistler James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834-1903) was an American born artist who spent most of his life and career in Europe living mainly in the United Kingdom. He was the oldest child in his family and his mother had hoped he would be a minister. He showed early talent in art. He became a painter and was …

Art Reflection – Hawkins William Hawkins was a self-taught, African American artist from Kentucky.  He moved to Columbus, Ohio, at age 21. He painted cityscapes and fantastic animals in Columbus using photographs and illustrations as a starting point. He used scavenged materials, often painting on wood he found on construction sites. He sometimes framed his art by nailing pieces of …

Art Reflection – Adams Ansel Adams, regarded by environmentalists as a national treasure, was born in San Francisco 1902. He joined the Sierra Club in 1919. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1980. In between he created stunning images in black and white helping us to see the wild beauty of nature. He spoke of the loss of …

Art Reflection – Cranach the Elder As Reformation Sunday approaches, what better art selection than a portrait of Martin Luther whose 95 theses nailed to the door of the church in Wittenberg, Germany on October 31, 1517, ignited the Protestant Reformation? This artist, Lucas Cranach the Elder, was a portrait painter of the classical style. He and all portrait artists …

Art Reflection – Benton Thomas Hart Benton (1889-1975) was born in Kansas City, Missouri. He was part of the Regionalist Art Movement, painting scenes of life in the Midwest after receiving his art training at the Art Institute in Chicago. This crowded composition is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan. Instruments of Power is an abstracted …

Art Reflection – Arp Hans Arp (1886-1966) was a German-French painter, sculptor, and poet. He was a member of the Dada Art Movement of abstract art. He was fascinated by the possibilities of adding an element of chance to the artmaking process. He used unusual techniques like randomly dropping the pieces of a collage and gluing the pieces down wherever …

Art Reflection – Monet In 1893 French Impressionist Claude Monet bought land with a pond near his home in Giverny. He imagined it would be a venue rich in motifs for his art. What he imagined was realized in the water lily series. Monet did more than 250 paintings of water lilies, most during the last 30 years of his …

Art Reflection – Ancher Anna Ancher (1859-1935) was born in Skagen in north Denmark. Her artistic talent was noticed early in her life. She became part of the Skagen Art Colony painting in the Impressionism and Realism styles. Anna is known for capturing the transience of light in interior spaces and also did several stunning outdoor works. In this painting …