Eye Candy for Today: early paleo illustration by Henry De la Beche
Duria Antiquior by Henry De la Beche, watercolor. Link is to Wikimedia Commons page from which you can access a larger image.
Very often, scientists have had a secondary role as illustrators, enabling them to visualize the subjects of their investigations.
In this watercolor, early 19th century geologist Henry De la Beche paints his interpretations of fossils, then recently discovered by pioneering paleontologist Mary Anning in the region of Dorset in southwest England.
Though likely somewhat misinterpreted and odd looking by modern scientific standards, these creatures are surely no more bizarre then our more modern approximations of their appearance.
I don’t know the size...
Ferdinand Keller
When I first came across the work of German painter Fredinand Keller, who was active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, I was immediately struck by the obvious influence of Swiss Symbolist Arnold Böcklin.
Oddly, in what scant biographical information I can find on Keller, there is rarely mention of his overt admiration for Böcklin. The influence is not only glaring for me, but one of Kellers most commonly reproduced paintings is titled Böcklin’s Tomb (images above, top).
Though there are certainly stand out exceptions, the majority of Keller’s paintings that I can find on the internet share that brooding...
Warm Winter by Alex Andreev
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Eye Candy for Today: Stanistaw Mastowski watercolor landscape
Marsh Landscape by Stanisław Mastowski, watercolor, roughly 6 x 18″ (15 x 46 cm), in the collection of the National Museum in Cracow, Poland.
The link is to the image page on Wikimedia Commons, from which you can access the large version of the image. I recommend it; the crops I’ve shown here don’t give an adequate feeling for the scope of the painting.
In the large version of the image, we can also see the artist has used two pieces of paper put together to accomplish the desired proportion.
In this seemingly simple scene of a flat march landscape, Mastowski has extended...
Missile Gap by Alex Andreev
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Sleep by Alex Andreev
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David Hohn
David Hohn is an illustrator living and working in Portland, Oregon. His works have a lively, energetic character that lends itself well to children’s book illustration.
With a generally bright palette, nicely stylized drawing and a sure sense of value and atmosphere, he conjures scenes from stories both classic and modern.
His website includes a portfolio of work, a range of his book covers and a selection of his illustrations available as prints.
Summer at the beach with Joaquin Sorolla
Spanish Painter Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida, who was active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, loved to paint at the beach in his native city, Valencia. At times, he would set up a kind of wind and sun break with sheets strung between poles arranged as walls on three sides of his easel.
Here’s an array of Sorolla’s sun-drenched beach scenes (by no means comprehensive) to start off the summer.
These images came from a variety of sources. Rather than trying to give you links, I’ll just suggest you search Wikimedia Commons, Google or Bing images.
While in most places along...
Eye Candy for Today: Hal Foster Prince Valiant comics panel
I place comics artist Hal Foster, creator, author and artist of the early to mid 20th century Prince Valiant newspaper comic strip, among the greatest pen and ink artists of the last two centuries
The Prince Valiant strip in its heyday was given a full comics section page. Here, in a single panel from a multi-panel page, we have a dramatic example of his skill, not only in draftsmanship and rendering, but in economy of notation.
At bottom we see an indication of how this panel would have appeared printed in a color Sunday comics section, with stark complimentary colors adding to...
Infiltration by Alex Andreev
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