Discovering George Grosz

The newly discovered artist I am writing about today is George Grosz. As I have mentioned in previous writings these are not necessarily new artist but are individuals previously unknown to me.  Grosz a German born artist but was also a teacher and lived during the time artists expressed their political feelings through their work.  He taught at the Art Students League in New York.

Because he disliked all forms of dictatorial authority, George Grosz left Germany in 1932 before Hitler took over.  Grosz’s work, Ecce Home, a collection of drawings created in 1923 reflected his responses during World War I.  Some would say that some of his work, although political and satirical, was often demeaning.

George Grosz was influenced by Expressionism and Futurism.  Grosz later changed his style of art and subject matter when he came to America.  After 1933, the styles of his artwork seem to soften.  He mostly painted landscapes and traditional nudes. He exhibited often and opened a studio in his home. 

Jean Simeon Chardin

As I continue to write about new artist I have recently discovered, I decided I would report on a artist that lived many years ago.   Today’s artist is Jean Simeon Chardin.  This great master of still-life painting was born at the start of the 18th century in Paris.   His work was widely distributed and he experienced success due to his work.  He has been influential on several later artists.  

What makes Chardin so interesting is that he was very elusive.   It appears he was well known for his art work but not much was known about his personal life.  Chardin had three biographers following his death but none knew much about the painter’s personality.  He was described as simple, straightforward and hardworking.

It could be said that much of Chardin’s paintings were a lot like his life was described.  His paintings were simple domestic interiors with naturalistic renderings of everyday objects.  Late in life Chardin abandoned paintings and created portraits with pastels. Some believe the self-portraits produced by Chardin before his death provided more insight into the man than all of his biographies combined.