Tag Archives: artist

Meet Bricktop, International Star

Posted on February 13, 2024 by Lynn

Born in West Virginia in 1894, Ada “Bricktop” Smith gained her nickname because of her red hair. Her family soon moved to Chicago, a center of African American culture, where she started performing full time at age sixteen.  She didn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Alice Neel’s Older Women

Posted on September 18, 2023 by Lynn

Due to family responsibilities, I’m limited in my travel these days.  Therefore I’m especially grateful when the art comes to me.  A show of the work of the famous American painter Alice Neel (1900-1984) recently opened at the Orange County … Continue reading →

Posted in 1950s | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Willa Cather’s Portrait

Posted on May 5, 2023 by Lynn

In 1923 when American writer Willa Cather was fifty, the Omaha Society of Fine Arts from her home state of Nebraska put together $1000 to commission a portrait for the Omaha Public Library. By then, she was already famous, with … Continue reading →

Posted in 1920s | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Gertrude Stein’s Philosophy of Dress

Posted on February 12, 2023 by Lynn

Not long ago I picked up a copy of Ernest Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast, a memoir of his early years in Paris.  It includes long accounts of his contact with Gertrude Stein, who helped him establish himself during the 1920s. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1930s | Tagged , | 5 Comments

Barbara Carrasco’s Censored Mural

Posted on September 25, 2022 by Lynn

California has the reputation of a progressive blue state, but that hasn’t always been the case.  As recently as 1981, the Los Angeles Community Rehabilitation Agency commissioned mural artist Barbara Carrasco to create a work to commemorate the 200th anniversary … Continue reading →

Posted in 1980s, 2020s | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

A Faith Ringgold Retrospective

Posted on February 18, 2022 by Lynn

Aren’t there times when you wished you lived in New York City?  I wish I were there now to see the Faith Ringgold retrospective at the New Museum.  It is the first comprehensive US retrospective of her work, beginning with … Continue reading →

Posted in 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990, 2000s, 2010s, 2020s | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Yolanda Lopez’s Grandmother

Posted on September 9, 2021 by Lynn

Well known Chicana artist Yolanda Lopez died recently, bringing her unapologetically political art back into view.  One of her most famous works is a triptych of herself, her mother, and her grandmother as contemporary versions of the Virgin of Guadalupe, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1970s | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Aminah Robinson–Life into Art

Posted on February 27, 2021 by Lynn

This stunning piece is a good introduction into the work of Columbus, Ohio artist Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson (1940-2015).  Using the materials of daily life—paper, pencils, fabric, trim, and buttons, she creates stunning compositions.  The mixed media creation above serves … Continue reading →

Posted in 2000s, 2010s | Tagged , , | 1 Comment