Harry Benson's "James Brown" Photo

Get On Up, the new biopic of James Brown starring Chadwick Boseman, is out on August 1st, and we hear that famed photographer Harry Benson is making a cameo!

One of his photos, that is! This iconic photo of James Brown is reportedly the opening shot of the film:

Harry Benson, James Brown, Atlanta 1979

“In Augusta, to photograph James Brown, these pictures were taken when he suggested we go for a ride. He told me he would show me ‘his town.’ So we jumped into an old car and drove around. He would stop the car when he saw someone sitting in their yard, run up, do the split, yell out, ‘I feel good,’ and jump back in the car and drive off. It was all so spontaneous and hilarious, and it took the onlookers by such surprise. Brown was a fun-loving character and a good sport.”  (Harry Benson: Photographs, published by powerHouse Books)

This photo is on view at Project 3W57.

Important Maritime Artists: Alfred Thompson Bricher

The next artist we are featuring from the Important Marine and Maritime Show is Alfred Thompson Bricher (1837 – 1908). Active in the later 19th century, Bricher is known for his Luminist work. Bricher was a New Englander through-and-through, as he was born in New Hampshire and grew up in Massachusetts. Most of his works are seascapes of the East Coast.

He is most known for his association with the Luminists. Luminism was an American style that was an offshoot of the Hudson River School in the 1850s to the 1970s. It is most often characterized by the atmospheric elements of a landscape, often a hazy sky over a body of water. These paintings often instill a sense of tranquility. The brushstrokes are not visible, but precise and hidden. 

Alfred Thompson Bricher, New England Beach Scene, watercolor on paper

Artist news!

This week is all about videos, it seems!

We introduced you to Carole A. Feuerman a couple weeks ago, but this video biography gives you a more in-depth look at the artist and her work. These close-up shots show you just how incredibly detailed her pieces are:

Video Biography About Artist Carole Feuerman from Carole Feuerman on Vimeo.


Next up is Donald Martiny, who discusses his work in this video. Martiny is currently exhibited at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art in Indiana until August 24th.

Donald Martiny Discusses his Artwork at FWMoA from FWMoA Education on Vimeo.

Lastly, is a video from Bradley Hart, with a new painting titled, "POP."

Important Maritime Artists: Reynolds Beal and Edward J. Holsag

The Important Marine & Maritime Paintings Show is on view now in Nantucket for the length of the summer. This exhibition represents some of the best and most renowned historical marine painters, as well as established contemporary artists.

Maritime and marine painting were particularly popular genres beginning in the 17^th century. These paintings depict ships at sea, often including human figures. They can also be purely seascapes, incorporating the water, sky, and the shoreline.

To give you more background on the show, we'll highlight a few of the major artists included in this show!

One great American landscape painter was Reynolds Beal, known for his contributions to American Impressionism.The American Impressionists followed the French masters and used very visible and thick brushstrokes in their landscapes. Beal studied with the one of the most important artists of this movement, William Merritt Chase. Beal's work is characterized by these brushstrokes, and their bright, intense colors.

Reynolds Beal, Gloucester Harbor, 1917, oil on board

A contemporary of Beal, Edward J. Holslag, created similar Impressionist works around the same time. He was a student of John LaFarge, an important French artist for the stained glass medium. Holslag was itinerat, always traveling around Europe and the United States. He is best known for a mural he painted in the Congress Hotel in Chicago in 1917. Similar to Beal, his paintings are have the characteristic Impressionist brushstrokes. Also like Beal, he painted Gloucester Harbor:

Edward J. Holslag, Gloucester Harbor, 1919, oil on canvas

The exhibition runs until September in Nantucket.

Important Maritime Painting: Platt Powell Ryder

One of our featured paintings as part of the Important Marine & Maritime Paintings Exhibit  is a work by Platt Powell Ryder.

The Welcome Step, painted in 1883, is a piece of Nantucket maritime history. The scene depicts the home of Charles Myrick, captain of the Nantucket coastal trading vessel Abel Hoyt in the 1850s. Here, Myrick is returning home presumably after a voyage. 

Captain Myrick was first painted by Eastman Johnson in 1873 and again in 1880.  Platt Powell Ryder, like Eastman Johnson, turned to Nantucket interiors and its elderly whaling and seafaring men in the 1880s as they had become nostalgic symbols of Nantucket’s golden past by then. In “The Welcome Step,” Ryder concentrates on the commonplace incidents of everyday life such as a wife with dinner ready awaiting her husband’s return home. The painting skillfully conveys the message of delight using atmospheric lighting.  Mrs. Myrick is pictured in sharp focus looking pleased and ready to serve the soup at a dinner table composed as a beautiful still life.  The fire light gives the viewer the time of the narrative, evening.  The Captain appears out of the shadows with a paper and market basket over his arm. Ryder’s careful observation and skill integrate the whole into a cohesive painting. 

Platt Powell Ryder, The Welcome Step, 1883, oil on canvas, 28 x 36 inches

Platt Powell Ryder was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1821.  He was a founding member of the Brooklyn Academy of Design, as he made his home in Brooklyn with a studio in New York.  Ryder’s family moved to New Orleans in the 1820’s which meant that Ryder studied art in New Orleans(1830s-1840s) then in Europe (1854-18570 and again in Paris with the famous figure painter Bonnat (1869).  Ryder began exhibiting at the National Academy of Design, New York in 1850 and was elected an Associate by 1868. The Brooklyn Museum, Yale University Art Gallery, and the Terra Museum of American Art have genre paintings by Ryder in their collections. 

Think Big Instagram Contest!

Do You Think Big? Prove it!

The Official Rules of the Think Big Instagram Contest:

Take a picture of and/or with “Think Big” OR “Perspective” – both sculptures are in Union Square, NYC. It can be inspirational, funny, artsy, however you want to portray Think Big (Note: DO NOT put anything on the sculpture you cannot remove! No graffiti or markings of any kind. We're not kidding around.) Caption your photo with #DoYouThinkBig. You MUST use this hashtag or we can’t find you!

The contest BEGINS: JULY 8, 2014

The contest ENDS: AUGUST 26, 2014

After August 26th, we will pick the winner – This is based on the personal opinion of Cavalier Galleries, who we think posted the best picture. The number of Likes you get may influence us, but this is NOT a numbers game!

THE PRIZE

You will receive a hand-drawn, signed illustration from Jim Rennert!

AND

A 5 x 7 fine art photograph from artist Debranne Cingari of the iconic Flatiron Building (valued at $375)!

Terms and Conditions:

1.       By entering this contest, you are consenting the use of your photos/Instagram account in any publicity carried  out by Cavalier Galleries, including our social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) and our    blog. The winner’s name may also appear.

2.       Inappropriate, obscene, hateful, or dangerous content is not permitted and will be reported as such.

3.       The post must be captioned with the hashtag #doyouthinkbig.

4.       Your account must be PUBLIC.

5.       You can enter as many times as you like.

6.       There is no fee for entering.

7.       The prize is non-transferable or redeemable for cash.

8.       Judging begins immediately after the contest ends. The winner will be notified via Instagram. Please allow time for the prize to be delivered.

We are so happy that Think Big has already gained so much love on Instagram, and we are super excited to see more! Now get gramming!