INFLUENCES OF MATISSE THE WORD ‘DECORATIVE’ is no longer used as freely as it once was in finding fault with works of pictorial art. Too much of the best art of our time was criticized, when first seen, for being too “decorative”. Matisse’s art in particular was criticized for that and it continued to be criticized for that. But if the word is now largely … Continue reading INFLUENCES OF MATISSE by Clement Greenberg

In front of or surrounded by one of Bill Viola’s videotapes or video/sound installa- tions, most viewers stand transfixed. In Five Angels for the Millennium (2001), we watch scenes of a figure ascending and descending into a pool of water at night; in The Crossing (1996), installed in a darkened gallery, we see a two-sided projection of a solitary man striding forward from a distance. … Continue reading Bill Viola

THE MOST VIVID SENSE I ever had of a literal connectedness with the past in art was when some years ago I was looking at a beautiful fresco by Piero della Francesca in a little chapel in Monterchi, Italy. It shows the Madonna stepping from a tent. Her hand is on her belly, indicating she is with child; on each side of her an angel … Continue reading REFLECTIONS ON MASTERPIECES by Jules Olitski

Women in Art Throughout the centuries, women have been involved in making art, whether as creators and innovators of new forms of artistic expression, patrons, collectors, sources of inspiration, or significant contributors as art historians and critics. Women have been and continue to be integral to the institution of art, but despite being engaged with the art world in every way, many women artists have … Continue reading A Brief History of Women in Art