Two weeks ago I visited the New Britain Museum of American Art to see their Elizabeth Gage exhibit. After the dizzying glory of stunning jewelry, I took a turn around the permanent collection and was reminded of many American artists I admire. Carole‘s prompt to share ten American artists or paintings I liked is perfectly timed! Here’s a short list, in no particular order (not all of them are in the museum’s collection!).
John Singer Sargent: Oh, the stories his portraits tell!
Andrew Wyeth: so many of his paintings leave me feeling serene.
Willem de Kooning: his work scares me a little, like art should at times.
Linda Jean Fisher: Linda Jean’s work is incredible. Her dedication and precision amaze me.
Jackson Pollock: what he does to make chaos visual rocks my world. I get lost when I look at his paintings in person.
Michael Patterson: Michael’s style, so full of motion and great character development, transports me to the scenes he portrays.
Cy Twombly: the curves, the colors, the letters. Swoon!
Sol LeWitt: this conceptual artist’s work made me understand line in a way I never had before. Plus he was a Yankee, just like me!
Mark Rothko: just as Sol LeWitt made me understand line, Rothko taught me how color can come to life.
Cindy Sherman: Her portraits provoke me!
How about you? Who are some of your favorite American artists?
I was too lazy to leave links on mine – I’m glad you took the time to include them on yours so I can learn about some of these new-to-me artists.
Thank you for artist info. and lots of artists that are new to me. And that Elizabeth Gage jewelry! If only I could commission her to make me a crown!
Fascinating! I need to see Jackson Pollack’s art in person.
Oh! Mark Rothco! (I forgot about him when I was writing my post. . . ) So love his work. There are so many wonderful, fabulous American artists that it’s just so hard to limit yourself to just 10. Great list, Beverly.
I did learn about a few new artists here – thank you for the links and the diverse list. American art may be relatively new, but wow! there is so much!