Old Masters

Milton Avery created a unique blend of figuration, abstraction, and color wizardry that influenced generations of artists who came after him. By John Dorfman Milton Avery (1885–1965) was a man of few words. He would go whole days without saying anything, until his wife, the painter Sally Michel Avery, would finally get him to speak….

Sean Scully’s painting takes geometric abstraction into a realm that is both emotional and philosophical. By Rebecca Allan Painting is a mercurial discipline. Creating a work of art from the combination and manipulation of pigments, liquid binders, and tools manipulated by the hand to metaphorically convey an idea, memory or a place is a slippery…

In Florence, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see Donatello’s greatest works together reveals the power and influence of the Renaissance sculptor’s innovations. By John Dorfman Donatello may well be one of the most radical artists of all time. Virtually single-handedly, he reinvented sculpture in the early 15th century, making it a thoroughly three-dimensional, vital art form….

Jack Wright’s abstract paintings open a portal into a realm of inner vision and beatific light. By John Dorfman Jack Wright’s studio in the hills of northern California’s Marin County had a such a beautiful view that he had to slather a window with white paint to block the distraction. That’s because Wright was painting…

The legendary glass art of Venice made a deep impression on American painters and collectors during the Belle Epoque. By Rebecca Allan Reflected, refracted, and poured, light is at the core of our capacity to perceive color, form, and space. These evanescent elements, present in glass objects, beckoned American artists and other visitors to Venice…

An innovative exhibition reveals the complex ways in which indigenous Mexicans redefined themselves and preserved their culture after the disaster of the Spanish conquest. By John Dorfman On August 13, 1521, the last Aztec ruler of Mexico, Cuauhtemoc, was captured by the Spaniards under Hernán Cortés, and the last defenders of the capital of Tenochtitlan…

From New York to Monhegan Island, Lynne Drexler stayed true to her artistic inspirations—abstraction, music, and nature. By John Dorfman Many modern artists have perceived deep connections between visual art and music and have even tried to express these in their work. But how many actually brought a portable lap-sized desk to the opera or…

The sculptor and interdisciplinary artist Harry Bertoia manipulated form, space, and metal to create a unique and lasting version of Modernism. By Sarah E. Fensom The Italian-born American artist Harry Bertoia entered into the midcentury modern design pantheon with his Diamond Chair. The famous design incorporates a bent wire-mesh grid in the form of a…

Far from being a Romantic dreamer, J.M.W. Turner had a lively interest in technology and politics that profoundly informed his work. By John Dorfman J.M.W. Turner is often spoken of as “modern” before the fact, because he seemed to flirt with abstraction, especially in his late works. But there’s another reason why the early-19th-century English…