News Item #4- "Catching up with Mr. Time" by Harry J. Weil

http://www.artnews.com/2013/04/09/catching-up-with-time-mag-top-portraitist/

In this article, Weil talks about Boris Chaliapin, an artist for Time magazine in the 1960's where his realistic style was known. He was called "Mr. Time" because of his covers on the magazine and his style stayed the same throughout different movements. Weil also gave a little information on his Russian background as well as his studies in art in Russia and Paris. He was an important part of America because he painted people who influenced America during that period. The preferred use of photographs at the end of his career instead of original art changed the magazine and had less work from Chaliapin. I thought his work was so good because of the realism he portrayed in his work and the people were seen everywhere in America at the time so Time magazine did well in hiring him to do work for them.

News Item #3- "Garry Winogrand: Rolls of a Lifetime" by Hilarie M. Sheets

http://www.artnews.com/2013/03/27/garry-winogrand-retrospective/

In this article, Sheets talks about the photographer Garry Winogrand, who even after death is referred as the "central photographer of his generation". He would take pictures of the crowded streets of New York in 1960's and show the life of America. After his death from cancer at the age of 56, he left behind unprocessed work. His friend, Leo Rubinfien, is editing his mentor's work which is 6,600 rolls that haven't been viewed. Rubinfien talks about Winogrand's creative process and how he wants to edit them the way he would have done them had he still been alive. I thought that this was very respectful and it shows the love he had for his friend and his respects to his works. John Szarkowski, photography curator at Museum of Modern Art says that during his final years Winogrand works was weak which Rubinfien defends it by saying the mix of beauty and ugliness is complex.

News Item #2- "The Exhibitions That Changed Art History" by Barbara Pollack

http://www.artnews.com/2013/04/17/exhibitions-that-changed-art-history/

In this article, Pollack discusses Bruce Altshuler, author of Biennials and Beyond: Exhibitions that Made Art History: 1962-2002, and history of exhibitions that Altshuler deemed the top 25 most influential exhibitions. He was interested in how an art show could symbolize a significant movement in the art world. This book had more documentations than his previous book because as technology bettered so did methods on preserving. I thought it was interesting that he had to pick ones that were showing different movements and I know that if I were in his position it would be difficult to pick only 25 of them. From his experience as a director at the New York University's museum-studies program, I believe that he would know what he was doing. His book also covers movements in Asia, Africa, and Latin America which were good to include because it shows variety and different influence that helped change the art world.

News Item #1- "The Woman Behind Michelangelo's Cleopatra" by William E. Wallace

http://www.artnews.com/2013/04/10/behind-michelangelos-cleopatra/

This article discusses a "hideous drawing" that Michelangelo, where the woman has buck teeth, gaping mouth, cross-eyed, possibly could have drawn it centuries ago. It is later revealed that the back of it has a beautifully drawn Cleopatra with a snake encircling her neck which is why they accepted it in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Michelangelo gave it to his new friend and admirer, Tommaso de' Cavalieri, in 1532. Many connoisseurs rejected this work because it was too hideous to be his work and thought it to be Cavalieri's work. They explained that back then, the student would draw something and Michelangelo would show his pupil what it should like. I liked that Michelangelo did it the opposite of what people were doing, in this way he showed ugliness in good light by having it on the recto side. The historians believe that M.A. might have gotten inspiration for the Cleopatra from all the places Cavalieri and him went together. I thought it was good that they showed the possibilities of influences during that period.

Image #6- "Zebra" by Robert Doesburg

I found this on Pinterest via saatchionline.com. I chose this piece because of the different shapes Doesburg creates with his brush stroke and his use of color clashing to make it a very together piece. I liked that the piece is created in  half-red, half-blue colors then combines them in the face of the zebra. The use of lines horizontal to vertical stripes makes this pattern feel to the piece. I also thought that the background along with one of the layers of the zebra does not have the lined brush strokes because the contrast helps with the idea of pattern which shows some abstract art influence. Doesburg's other oil paintings play with color a lot, they also have a mystical quality to them that this piece has. It could be part of what the artist was influenced from in the Netherlands and was trying to portray in this work.

Image #5- "Twilight I" by Anna Bocek

I found this on Pinterest yet again. I was interesting in this oil painting because of the expressions that she portrayed in the piece as well as the different blues and grays in it. I like the way Bocek keeps her brush strokes block-looking into the background as well as the making of the woman, it makes her piece more put-together. Closer to the woman's face, there are thinner strokes that make the bottom curls more prominent. Anna Bocek's other works show this prominent brush strokes technique. I think coming from Poland, she uses her techniques in a 'posing' kind of way which shows the fashion of the culture.

Image #4- "Windswept" by Linzi Lynn

I found this piece on Pinterest. I chose it because it kind of reminded me of fire-the way it has different colors as well as the use of the lights in piece. Lynn's use of color to shows her skills in value, how she is able to transfer all the colors and make it look realistic in where she puts her colors. Her other works also have a bright color scheme to them. I believe that she has that background because of the place she works and/or resides- Los Angeles, California. You can tell by the variety in colors that she puts her culture into her works.