Emil Bisttram

My new recently discovered artist today is Emil Bisttram. Bisttram was born in Hungry and moved to America in 1895. This artist is most noted for his work created in Santa Fe, and Taos, New Mexico. Bisttram is also credited with being one of the founding members of the Transcendental Painting Group.




Early in his career, Bisttram’s began working with spiritual, scientific, and philosophical themes. Some of his abstract creations involved the use of dynamic symmetry. He later combined this work with various spiritual systems.



Many believe Metropolis to be one of the most significant paintings by Emil Bisttram before he moved to New Mexico. The Metropolis is a large vertical oil painting on canvas.  In this painting, Bisttram used dynamic symmetry.  He included tall triangular buildings in this spectacular painting that represented skyscrapers in New York .



Emil Bisttram was thought to have played a significant role in the development of modernist forms in American art.

Frank Owen Gehry - Architect Designer

Frank Owen Gehry is another great artist I discovered while looking through an exhibition catalog.    This American artist is probably better known for being an architect.  Gehry was extremely creative and used his talents to develop innovative designs.

American architect, Frank Gehry worked with the Formica Corporation in using a new product similar to an earlier Formica called ColorCore. As Gehry experimented with this material he developed something that looked like fish scales.  Later he created lamps in the shape of a fish using this material.  From this discovery he designed Fish Lamp, 1983.

His most important commission was for the fish sculpture created for the Barcelona Olympics in 1992.   This sculpture developed from Gehry's work with the Fish Lamp.  You can also find an installation by Frank Owen Gehry at the Walker Art Center.

Architect, designer, artist, all are words that describe Frank Owen Gehry.  What makes Gehry stand out from many other architects is his design work and artistic  innovations using man-made materials.

Andre Demain - Man of Color

This article continues with my series of artists newly discovered.   The artist chosen for today’s article is Andre Derain.    As previously mentioned these are not necessarily new artist but are individuals previously unknown to me.    Andre Derain was born in Paris and lived from 1880 to 1954.

Although Derain was not as popular,  he is closely associated with Matisse.  Drain was part of the group led by Matisse Fauves.  The Fauvism movement was introduced in 1905 when a group of artists exhibited in a salon.   The work by these artists was new and different for the time and received a great deal of public criticism.  Derain like Matisse was influenced by Cezanne and Gauguin. 

What is interesting about Andre Derain is that he has been given little credit for the Fauvism movement.  Matisse is thought of more closely with this movement.  Derain’s work, however, was more Fauvist before Matisse’s.   He was also an early Cubist.

Derain’s best work was landscapes.  One of his famous paintings, “Big Ben”, depicts how the artist used bright clashing colors with expressive brushstrokes to distort reality.  The painting was created in 1905.  Derain’s work in his later years was influenced by the Old Masters and was not as exciting or colorful.