A few Autumnal paintings

OK, so I missed the 2026 Autumnal Equinox by two days, but I can still celebrate. Here are a few paintings of Autumn landscapes, mostly from the 19th century.

You can find many of them larger from this Wikimedia Commons page (scroll down and notice the link to “next page” at bottom).

Others you can look up easily enough.

(Images above, links are to Lines and Colors posts): Albert Bierstadt, Jasper Francis Cropsey, Ekaterina Junge, Frederic Edwin Church, H.A. Brendekilde, George Inness, Isaac Levitan, Claude Monet, Peder Mork Monsted, Alfred Smith, Tadeusz Styka, Frits Thaulow, Walter Moras.

Eye Candy for Today: M.J. Galt pencil portrait

Alex, by M.J. Galt, pencil on paper. I don’t know the size. Link is to image file page on Wikimedia Commons. Original is in the Library of Congress.

There is a character to this drawing, perhaps a feeling of confidence and definitive structure, that make me confident that it is an exacting portrait, an undeniable likeness.

I found the descriptions and accreditation confusing enough that I’m unsure; but I think the subject is the artist’s brother.

The face is both subtly modeled in the areas in light and sharply defined with value contrast on the shadowed side.

The artist...

Julian Merrow-Smith – Postcard from Provence (update)

One of my favorite contemporary painters is a British painter who has been living and painting in the south of France for many years.

In 2005, he became one of the earliest artists to adopt the practice of “Painting a Day”, (perhaps second, not long after the originator of that idea Duane Keiser). This calls for painting a small painting each day and putting it up for auction on his website, Postcard from Provence.

I first encountered his work and posted about him in 2006, and I’ve posted a few times since, but not for a while, so this...

Eye Candy for Today: Thomas Shotter Boys color lithograph

La Ste. Chapelle, Paris, Thomas Shotter Boys, color lithograph, 15 x 12 in. (38 x 29). Link is to the image page on Wikimedia Commons.

Thomas Shotter Boys (1803–1874) was known for his urban and architectural subjects, both in watercolor and in lighographs. Here, in a color lithograph, he highlights the soaring 50 foot high gothic windows of the chapel and its dramatic buttresses.

There is a wonderful contrast between the darker stone of the main structure and the white stone that is apparently either being built or repaired. Look at the subtle change in value between the top...

Eye Candy for Today: Joseph Coomans portrait

Portrait of a Young Woman, Pierre Oliver Joseph Coomans (1816-1871), oil on canvas, 19 x 15 in. (48 x 38 cm). The link is to the Wikimedia Commons page from which you can view or download a large image. The image source is a 2017 Bonham’s auction, so I assume the painting is in a private collection.

Beautifully and delicately rendered, this portrait is an exercise in softly turned transitions, soft edges and carefully controlled color and value relationships.

I love the little splashes of light on her hair and costume, and even on the ends of the eyelashes...

Eye Candy for Today: Vernet’s Hunting in the Pontine Marches

Hunting in the Pontine Marches, Horace Vernet, oil on canvas, 40 x 54 in. (100 x 137 cm), in the collection of the National Galleryy of Art, DC. You can zoom or download a high resolution image from their page.

Every once in a while, I come across a landscape that captures my intention, and look up the artist’s work only to find they are not at all landscape painters, and the painting I’m admiring is an exception.

Such is the case with this painting, and it’s companion piece, Departure for the Hunt in the Pontine Marshes, which I...

Shallow by Alex Andreev

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"Virgo" by Artem Chebokha

OPEN FOR WORK: art.rhads@gmail.com
tutorial about my photoshop technique:
https://artstn.co/m/waxo
Prints:
https://www.artstation.com/rhads/prints

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Dragonwatching 🐉👀 by Daniele Turturici

Toward the end of spring, the ancient dragon Dorain begins his yearly migration to the cooler lands. If you happen to be there at just the right time, you can witness the full spectacle as he crosses the Montyr Mountains. Over the years, dedicated dragonwatchers have mapped out countless viewing spots along the route, always discovering new vantage points to catch a glimpse of this incredible event.

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Dorothea Lange. Tulare County. FSA camp for migrant agricultural...

Dorothea Lange. Tulare County. FSA camp for migrant agricultural workers. Nursery. 1939