Posted on August 14 2015
Photos Carson Hart
Photos Carson Hart
The Enemy of Average! Wild Surfwear- USA Made / Christian Franzen
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Posted on August 11 2015
By Christian Franzen
William Wendt was born on February 20th, 1865 in Bentzen Germany. When Wendt's family moved to Chicago, Illinois in 1880 he began to take an interest in painting. At the age of fifteen Wendt spent much of his time painting outdoors developing his unique landscape approach. During his youth in Chicago he also worked in a factory painting formula pictures; which hated. This lead him to pursue more spontaneity within his own works.
By Christian Franzen
William Wendt was born on February 20th, 1865 in Bentzen Germany. When Wendt's family moved to Chicago, Illinois in 1880 he began to take an interest in painting. At the age of fifteen Wendt spent much of his time painting outdoors developing his unique landscape approach. During his youth in Chicago he also worked in a factory painting formula pictures; which hated. This lead him to pursue more spontaneity within his own works.
Between 1894 and 1896 Wendt took time to travel the United States as well as internationally with his friend George Symons to find scenes for their paintings. After returning he married the sculptress Julia Bracken in 1906. The two of them decided to settle in California that same year. The California landscape proved a perfect environment for Wendt's paintings. He would often hike into remote areas of the California coastal region looking for inspiration.
Wendt's unique take on landscape painting paired beautifully with the rich colors and diverse landscape of California. Being well respected both in California as well as nationally Wendt earned the title "the dean of Southern California artists". In 1911, Wendt was elected the first President of the California Art Club where he oversaw many state wide exhibitions and contests. He showed in major California galleries as well as galleries in Chicago, Boston, and New York until his death in December of 1946.
The Old New World, 1925
The Old New World, 1925
Posted on August 05 2015
By Christian Franzen
Thomas Moran was born in Bolton England on February 12, 1837 to an American family. His family moved back to the United States in the early 1840's and settled in Philadelphia. When he was only a teenager he began an apprenticeship making wood-engravings. During his apprenticeship he grew tired of engraving so he spent more of his time dabbling in watercolor painting . In the mid 1850's he began illustrating for Scattergood and Telfer which just so happened to be one of the companies which he was previously engraving for.
By Christian Franzen
Thomas Moran was born in Bolton England on February 12, 1837 to an American family. His family moved back to the United States in the early 1840's and settled in Philadelphia. When he was only a teenager he began an apprenticeship making wood-engravings. During his apprenticeship he grew tired of engraving so he spent more of his time dabbling in watercolor painting . In the mid 1850's he began illustrating for Scattergood and Telfer which just so happened to be one of the companies which he was previously engraving for.
At this point Moran became a full time painter and began to study with local American painter James Hamilton. While in the tutelage of Hamilton, Moran was exposed to the British painter J. M. W. Turner and in 1862 he traveled to England to see Turner's work. Moran acknowledges that seeing Turner's work had an immense impact on his paintings in regards to composition and color.
In 1871 Moran was asked to accompany the United States Geological Survey Team into the relatively unknown Yellowstone region. During there 40 day expedition visually documented more than 30 areas and kept a sketch book detailing the expeditions progress. Moran's paintings and sketches along with photographs from the expedition helped convince the United States Congress to establish the Yellowstone territory as the nations first National Park in 1872.
The time he spent in Yellowstone had a tremendous impact on Moran as an artist and he returned to the area shortly after to paint the landscapes of the area. This resulted in his first large financial success when the United States Government The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone in 1872 for $10,000. Moran remained a devoted landscape painter and traveled around the United States painting for the majority of his life, but always revisited Yellowstone for several months out of each year. He died in August of 1926 in Santa Barbara, California.
Photos Thomas Green
Posted on July 28 2015
By Christian Franzen
This past weekend I visited the Sawdust Arts and Crafts Festival in Laguna Beach, California. Walking through the aisles of the festival I saw lots of different artists who's work I admired and was able to talk to them about their work as well as their life as an artist. Despite all of the beautiful paintings and pieces at the festival I found the works of cheerful female artist Hedy Buzan to be my favorites.
By Christian Franzen
This past weekend I visited the Sawdust Arts and Crafts Festival in Laguna Beach, California. Walking through the aisles of the festival I saw lots of different artists who's work I admired and was able to talk to them about their work as well as their life as an artist. Despite all of the beautiful paintings and pieces at the festival I found the works of cheerful female artist Hedy Buzan to be my favorites.
Hedy was born in Laguna Beach, California and exposed to its rich artistic community at a young age. She went on to attend the University of California, Santa Cruz to receive her BFA (Bachelors of Fine Arts) credential. Once out of college Hedy worked printing Lithographs for herself and other artists in the Santa Cruz area before joining the Peace Corps where she served in the West Indies. Her time in the Peace Core led her to pursue a job teaching drawing at the Edna Manley School of Art in Kingston, Jamaica. After spending several years abroad Hedy returned to the United States to receive her MFA (Masters of Fine Arts) at the George Washington University. Today Hedy is faculty at Saddleback Community College where she teaches several art classes in addition to spending many hours painting away in her Laguna Beach studio.
Hedy's work initially attracted me with her bold use of color and dramatic brush work. She really builds up the saturation of her blues and other various colors depending on the piece which i think is really special. Upon closer inspection and learning where Hedy studied I also really appreciate how many of her works pay tribute to the bay area painters of the mid 20th century and the "California Style" of painting. Check out her website at Hedybuzan.com
Posted on July 22 2015
By Christian Franzen
Bruce Nauman was born on December 6th 1941 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Nauman was part of a new generation of artists who work consisted of many different types of media from Sculpture and drawing to neon and video. Growing up Nauman's father was an engineer for General Electric and taught him a lot about construction and the inner workings of technology at a young age. After high school he went on to study mathematics as well as physics at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He then decided to study art at the University California, Davis where he initially studied painting but then turned fully to sculpture and performance art.
By Christian Franzen
Bruce Nauman was born on December 6th 1941 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Nauman was part of a new generation of artists who work consisted of many different types of media from Sculpture and drawing to neon and video. Growing up Nauman's father was an engineer for General Electric and taught him a lot about construction and the inner workings of technology at a young age. After high school he went on to study mathematics as well as physics at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He then decided to study art at the University California, Davis where he initially studied painting but then turned fully to sculpture and performance art.
Graduating Davis with his MFA in sculpture he taught at the San Francisco Art Institute for two years while also securing a studio and signing with the dealer Leo Castelli. While working in his studio in the Mission District of San Francisco he had a strange epiphany that led to a new way of making and viewing art; "If I was an artist and i was in the studio, then whatever I was doing in the studio must be art". This view held by a handful of other artists led to the new concept that art is more about the activity or action of doing the task than the final product. Nauman began making videos of himself exploring these actions in the studio to push to potential of what art could be. He also began working with Neon signs which he became known for in the late 1960's. These neon works dealt with conveying moods through words and light, and also emphasized Nauman's interest on exploring language in playful and mischievous ways in his work.
In the early 1970's Nauman began constructing claustrophobic tight spaces and rooms that were to be entered by viewers to evoke feeling of being lost or encaged. This physiological series led him into working from his own dreams and in the 1980's he worked on a series he titled Dream Passage. This series dealt with the obscurity of dreams with underlying psycho sexual undertones and Fruedian Concepts.
From the 1980's up to the present Nauman has dealt with sculpture and video. The artists has also developed disturbing physiological themes into his work by incorporating disturbing images and body parts into his work. Now living in Pasadena, California Nauman is still producing art in various media and exhibiting shows throughout Los Angeles and New York.
Photos Thomas Green
Posted on July 14 2015
Frederick Frieseke was born in Owosso, Michigan on April 7th 1874. Frederick's mother Eva died when he was only six; consequently he and his father moved to Jacksonville Florida where his father began a brick manufacturing businesses. The death of Frederick's mother caused him to alienate himself in school and other social settings so instead of taking interest in team sports at a young age he developed a love of the arts. His family urged him to pursue his artistic passions at a young age and took Frederick to the 1893 World's Colombian Exposition in Chicago which fully inspired him to pursue the life of an artist.
By Christian Franzen
Frederick Frieseke was born in Owosso, Michigan on April 7th 1874. Frederick's mother Eva died when he was only six; consequently he and his father moved to Jacksonville Florida where his father began a brick manufacturing businesses. The death of Frederick's mother caused him to alienate himself in school and other social settings so instead of taking interest in team sports at a young age he developed a love of the arts. His family urged him to pursue his artistic passions at a young age and took Frederick to the 1893 World's Colombian Exposition in Chicago which fully inspired him to pursue the life of an artist.
Frederick graduated Owosso High School in 1893 and continued his education at the Art Institute of Chicago. Finishing at the Art Institute he decided to move to New York to further his education at the Arts Student League. During his years in New York he worked for the New York Times as a cartoonist to get himself through school.
In 1898 Frederick moved to France where he would reside for the remainder of his life. He Studied painting at the Académie Julian in Paris under Jean- Paul Laurens while also studying at there Académie Carmen. Despite all of Frederick's formal education he still referred to himself as a self taught artist feeling that he learned more in his independent study than in his schooling.
In 1899 his work was exhibited in the Salon of the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Frederick's time spent in France is very visible in his art. Before moving to France the artist used a much more conservative palet. During his years at the French Académie his work hit a new direction in composition and after his schooling Frederick spent a lot of time living within Impressionist artist colonies which totally radicalized his palette with new vibrant colors. Despite being labeled as an impressionist many of Frederick's paintings bridge the gap between impressionism and post impressionism or "decorative impressions". Influences of Bonnard and Gauguin are extremely apparent in Frederick's use of color, space, and pattern. Frederick became obsessed with rendering sunlight and shadow as well as the female nude. He began to exclusively paint female nudes preferably outside in condition with stimulating lighting.
In 1899 his work was exhibited in the Salon of the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Frederick's time spent in France is very visible in his art. Before moving to France the artist used a much more conservative palet. During his years at the French Académie his work hit a new direction in composition and after his schooling Frederick spent a lot of time living within Impressionist artist colonies which totally radicalized his palette with new vibrant colors. Despite being labeled as an impressionist many of Frederick's paintings bridge the gap between impressionism and post impressionism or "decorative impressions". Influences of Bonnard and Gauguin are extremely apparent in Frederick's use of color, space, and pattern. Frederick became obsessed with rendering sunlight and shadow as well as the female nude. He began to exclusively paint female nudes preferably outside in condition with stimulating lighting.
Perhaps one of his greatest achievements was when he left the Salon of the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts in 1923 and co-founded the Salon des Tuileries. He continued to paint into his old age living in Northern France and died in his Normandy home on August 24th 1939.
Cherry Blossoms (1913)
Photos Thomas Green
Posted on July 07 2015
Roberto Montenegro was born on February 19th 1885 in Guadalajara Mexico. Art historians know little about his childhood but his first introduction to painting occurred in the Guadalajara School for Boys. Montenegro became fascinated with painting and the use of colors which implored him to explore the arts further. This exploration led him to Italian Felix Bernardelli's school of painting that he had just opened in Guadalajara. Bernardelli educated the young Montenegro in classic Italian Portraiture and introduced him to the vast array of European styles that were previously unknown to him. Montenegro left Guadalajara in 1903 to study architecture in Mexico City. In a twist of events he ended up studying drawing at the Academy of San Carlos where he
was able to meet many of the up and coming artists of the time such as Diego Rivera and Angel Zárraga. After studying at the Academy for 3 years in 1906 both Diego Rivera
and Montenegro were the finalists in a class wide contest to go to Europe; decided by a coin toss Montenegro won and was awarded the trip.
For the next several years Montenegro would travel around Europe studying on his school grant. He began in Spain where he studied at the Academy of San Fernando then traveled to Paris. He stayed in Paris for three years (1907-1910) where he met and studied with the emerging cubist artists Picasso and Braque. At the end of his travels he went to Italy where he studied many of the paintings he learned about during his youth at Bernardelli's school.
In 1910 he returned to Mexico briefly but returned to Paris in 1913 to study at the Ecole Nationale supériure des Beaux-Arts. However, WWI erupted in 1914 sending Montenegro to Spain where he made a living by painting murals and fishing.
In 1921 Montenegro moved back to Mexico for good surrounding himself with a large circle of fellow Mexican Artists. After the Mexican Revolution the new movement of dramatic Mexican Murals was born. Montenegro was one of the figures that spear headed this movement along with his art school friend Diego Rivera. Montenegro created giant murals depicting scenes of Mexican heritage and pop culture of the time but at the height of the Muralist movement he fell from popularity because his murals where not as dramatic in contrast with his contemporaries. He continued to paint smaller murals and commissions and even illustrate a number of books and publications until his death in October of 1968. To this day Montenegro remains a popular icon of the Muralist movement and a symbol of traditional Mexican Folk Art which he strongly advocated towards the end of his life.
By Christian Franzen
Photos Thomas Green
Posted on June 30 2015
Angel Zárraga was born August 16th 1886 in Victoria de Durango, Mexico. He was born the son of prominent Mexican physician and was exposed to the science of anatomy at a young age. Zárraga traveled with his father in his teenage years allowing him to study art at several different institutions across Mexico including the Escuela Nacional Preparatoria in Mexico City. Due to his superior knowledge of anatomy and the human body Zárraga was able to create figurative scenes much more complex than his classmates.
In 1904 Zárraga was able to travel across Europe to study free from the American influence that was so prevalent in Mexico. He visited Spain, France, Italy, and studied at the Royal Academy for Arts in Belgium. While in Italy he took great interest in the works of Giotto and th old masters of the Renaissance. This influence is greatly noticeable in his earlier works and compositions.
He was admitted to the Salon at the Piazzale Donatello, Florence in 1909 and impressed the critics with his unique twist on classical motifs with influence of his Mexican heritage. In 1911 he moved to France for good and fell in love with the work of Cézanne. His work began to shift towards figurative abstraction the longer he lived and studied in France. He painted several murals at the Château de Vert-Cœr and the Citè Internationale Universitaire de Paris. Zárraga was also chosen to decorate the Mexican embassy in Paris. Sadly due to the collapse of the art market preceding WWII he lost his patrons and was forced to return home to Mexico where he lived painting murals until his death in 1946.
By Christian Franzen
Angel Zárraga was born August 16th 1886 in Victoria de Durango, Mexico. He was born the son of prominent Mexican physician and was exposed to the science of anatomy at a young age. Zárraga traveled with his father in his teenage years allowing him to study art at several different institutions across Mexico including the Escuela Nacional Preparatoria in Mexico City. Due to his superior knowledge of anatomy and the human body Zárraga was able to create figurative scenes much more complex than his classmates.
In 1904 Zárraga was able to travel across Europe to study free from the American influence that was so prevalent in Mexico. He visited Spain, France, Italy, and studied at the Royal Academy for Arts in Belgium. While in Italy he took great interest in the works of Giotto and th old masters of the Renaissance. This influence is greatly noticeable in his earlier works and compositions.
He was admitted to the Salon at the Piazzale Donatello, Florence in 1909 and impressed the critics with his unique twist on classical motifs with influence of his Mexican heritage. In 1911 he moved to France for good and fell in love with the work of Cézanne. His work began to shift towards figurative abstraction the longer he lived and studied in France. He painted several murals at the Château de Vert-Cœr and the Citè Internationale Universitaire de Paris. Zárraga was also chosen to decorate the Mexican embassy in Paris. Sadly due to the collapse of the art market preceding WWII he lost his patrons and was forced to return home to Mexico where he lived painting murals until his death in 1946.
By Christian Franzen
Photos Thomas Green
Posted on June 23 2015
Norman Lewis was born July 23, 1909 in Harlem, New York. At a young age Lewis took interest in painting and had obtained an extensive collection of art history books by the time he was a teenager. Prominent sculptor Augusta Savage had an impact on Lewis's young art career as a mentor. Savage let him use open studio space where she taught at Harlem Art Center. In addition Savage helped guide the young Lewis, who had not had received any form of artistic education following grade school. In the late 1920's and early 1930's Lewis worked for the government WPA program with many other artists of the time to create large public murals. Lewis's career as an artist really began in 1933 when he received recognition for his figurative works such as Meeting Place. He continued to paint figuratively through the 1930's depicting scenes from his life in New York from jazz music and human interaction to Police brutality.
After World War II Lewis's work became increasingly abstract. His work departed from figuration into abstraction due to the racial discrimination Lewis experienced during the war and his overall disillusionment with America. Lewis felt as though art was at a point where a painting didn't possess the power to change anything; so Lewis felt that the artist should focus his energy solely towards aesthetic skill. His painting Migrating Birds won the Popular Prize at the Carnegie Museum in the 1955 Carnegie International Exhibit. The New York Herald- Tribute called the painting "one of the most significant of all events of the 1955 art year". Despite his numerous gallery contracts and countless awards Lewis's work did not sell as well as many of the other Abstract Expressionists of the time so he relied on teaching to support himself and his family. He won many awards throughout his career but perhaps the greatest was in 1975 when he received a Guggenheim Fellowship. He died rather unexpectedly in August of 1979 in Harlem, New York.
By Christian Franzen
"Hence We Come"
Posted on June 16 2015
Under Greenberg's guidance and his own personal interests Bush began to work in Color Field painting style and became closely connected with the movement. The group Painters Eleven disbanded in 1960 and Bush moved on to become the most successful of the group. He became one of Canada's most prominent artists of the period. In 1976 the Art Gallery of Ontario held a giant retrospective of his work. Sadly he died the following year on January 24th of 1977.
By Christian Franzen
Jack Bush was born on March 20th 1909 in Toronto, Canada. When he was a boy he apprenticed for Adam Sheriff Scott and Edmond Dyonnet, both of whom were influential Canadian painters. As his pursuit of art continued he began to work in the commercial art business while studying art at Ontario College of Art. During his young painting career Bush was not exposed to European influences unlike many other artist's of the time. This was due inpart from the American Abstract movement's takeover of the New York art scene. Seeing the works of the Abstract Expressionist painters greatly influenced Bush's painting development.
After finishing school and trying to pursue being an artist Bush developed his style as a more abstract approach. He was greatly influenced by the American painters of the time. In the 1950's he became part of a group named Painters Eleven. The group consisted of other Canadian painters who dealt with abstraction in their work. The group held many exhibitions around Canada. Though these shows American Art critic Clement Greenberg was exposed to Bush's work. Greenberg was highly critical and became a mentor figure to Bush. Greenberg helped Bush dial in his painting approach.
Under Greenberg's guidance and his own personal interests Bush began to work in Color Field painting style and became closely connected with the movement. The group Painters Eleven disbanded in 1960 and Bush moved on to become the most successful of the group. He became one of Canada's most prominent artists of the period. In 1976 the Art Gallery of Ontario held a giant retrospective of his work. Sadly he died the following year on January 24th of 1977.
By Christian Franzen
Photos Thomas Green
Posted on June 09 2015
Photos Jessie Stopnik
Photos Jessie Stopnik
Posted on June 06 2015
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Posted on June 02 2015
Adolph Gottlieb was born on March 14th in 1903 in New York City. He attended high school at the Art Students League of New York for one year (1920-1921) before deciding to leave school and work his way to Europe on a merchant ship. In Europe traveled through Germany and France for a year. While in France he lived in Paris for six months. During his stay in Paris he visited the Louvre Museum everyday and snuck into classes at the Académie. Gottlieb then took a second year abroad and traveled through Austria, Czechoslovakia, and other countries in central Europe. Returning home to New York City two years later he was one of the best traveled artists in the city. Upon his return home Gottlieb studied at the Parsons School of Design along with Cooper Union.
Gottlieb was a member of the first generation abstract expressionists school that took over New York in the early 20th century. He had his first solo show at the Dudensing in New York city in 1930. In 1937 Gottlieb moved to Arizona. While in Arizona his approach shifted from an impressionistic style to a more surrealism style combined with a formal abstraction. Returning to New York a year later his new direction was received rather poorly and he was annexed for a short period of time for being too abstract.
Beginning to take interest in the subconscious and human communication Gottlieb began painting pictograph type paintings inspired by Native American art and art of the Near East. These works were very basic elemental paintings trying to achieve a meaning within the viewer. The basic forms used in the paintings were not observed by Gottlieb but derived completely form his subconscious. This subconscious imagery led into the painting of imaginary landscapes and then finally to Gottlieb's "Burst" approach.
In the 1960's Gottlieb began painting large bursts of color inter tangled with arranged linear masses in different ways, reminiscent of landscaper paintings. This new body of work of his became known at the "Burst" series. In this series color and symbolism became even more important to the artist. In 1967, in the middle of getting his body of work ready for his exhibit at the Whitney and Guggenheim museum he began small sculptural experiments. These small sculptures launched him into a 1 year sculpture frenzy saying it made him feel like a newly realized artist. After that one year he had 42 large scale finished sculptures, lost his luster for sculpture and returned to his "Burst" paintings.
Gottlieb remained to work on his paintings through the 1960's and became the first American Artists to win the Gran Premio of the São Paulo award in Brazil. In 1968 both the Guggenheim and the Whitney museums held massive retrospectives for the artist including his paintings and sculptures. In 1970 he suffered from a stroke leaving him partially paralyzed but he still continued to make art until his death in March of 1974.
By Christian Franzen
Gottlieb was a member of the first generation abstract expressionists school that took over New York in the early 20th century. He had his first solo show at the Dudensing in New York city in 1930. In 1937 Gottlieb moved to Arizona. While in Arizona his approach shifted from an impressionistic style to a more surrealism style combined with a formal abstraction. Returning to New York a year later his new direction was received rather poorly and he was annexed for a short period of time for being too abstract.
Beginning to take interest in the subconscious and human communication Gottlieb began painting pictograph type paintings inspired by Native American art and art of the Near East. These works were very basic elemental paintings trying to achieve a meaning within the viewer. The basic forms used in the paintings were not observed by Gottlieb but derived completely form his subconscious. This subconscious imagery led into the painting of imaginary landscapes and then finally to Gottlieb's "Burst" approach.
In the 1960's Gottlieb began painting large bursts of color inter tangled with arranged linear masses in different ways, reminiscent of landscaper paintings. This new body of work of his became known at the "Burst" series. In this series color and symbolism became even more important to the artist. In 1967, in the middle of getting his body of work ready for his exhibit at the Whitney and Guggenheim museum he began small sculptural experiments. These small sculptures launched him into a 1 year sculpture frenzy saying it made him feel like a newly realized artist. After that one year he had 42 large scale finished sculptures, lost his luster for sculpture and returned to his "Burst" paintings.
Gottlieb remained to work on his paintings through the 1960's and became the first American Artists to win the Gran Premio of the São Paulo award in Brazil. In 1968 both the Guggenheim and the Whitney museums held massive retrospectives for the artist including his paintings and sculptures. In 1970 he suffered from a stroke leaving him partially paralyzed but he still continued to make art until his death in March of 1974.
By Christian Franzen
Photos Thomas Green