Whiteley picture sells for $1.1 million

A Brett Whiteley painting creep over the million-dollar mark at auction last night to become the first artwork to be sold for seven figures in Australia this year.

The late painter's large The Sunrise, Japanese: Good Morning! Just made the price to estimate of $1.1 million to $1.4 million set by auctioneer Menzies Art Brands and went to an undisclosed phone bidder for a hammer price of $1.1 million after moderate bidding at the Kensington auction.

There was keen interest in the sale amid signs that confidence has begun returning to a subdued art market that has had a distinct require of top-end works on offer this year.

The Sunrise, Japanese, painted in 1988, was part of a collection of paintings being sold by the millionaire Tasmanian mathematician and art collector David Walsh. It was finally bought for $764,500 (including buyer's premium) in September 2004.

Husain's art fetched $582,500 at Sotheby's

The highest price was achieved by V S Gaitonde's untitled, who was chased by four clients and sold to a telephone bidder for US $602,500.

The second highest price went to Tyeb Mehta for "And behind me Desolation," which goes for US $350,000 followed by Husain's painting.

"The sale, which exceed the pre-sale estimate and was 90.9 per cent sold by value, confirms the growing confidence in the Indian market. We saw international bidding and buying, mainly from private collectors, with a invigorated presence from our trade clients," said Zara Porter-Hill, Head of Indian and Southeast Asian Art at Sotheby.

The Art Auction House sold 70 per cent of their plenty at the Asian sale. Additionally, in all three of their 2009 sales over 50 per cent of the plenty sold reached prices above the high pre-sale estimate.

The buyers were mostly Indian and US private clients and one European.

The rising paintings of Roman Empire

The expansion of the Roman Empire two millennia ago fuel a boom in culture and art, explored in an upcoming exhibition here spotlighting painting from the past.

This period - from the empire's birth, with the arrival of Julius Caesar in 46 BC, through its growth into a vast colonial power - was a time of vigorous cultural development that laid the foundational groundwork for future generations of Western artists. Landscapes, still life’s, portraits, myth and religion are all depict in the paintings, which come in a variety of forms, from large-scale frescos to miniature paintings on wood, to stonework decorative patterns and complete friezes.

The paintings almost all come from prestigious institutions, including the British Museum in London, the Vatican Museum and the Louvre in Paris, where, say organizers, they are all too often overlooked among a wealth of other Ancient Roman treasures. This exhibition aims to restore appreciation for a few of these magnificent pieces, not only as generic representations of Ancient Roman art, but also as beautiful paintings in their own right.

Bangalore artist create paintings with charcoal and thread in minutes

Anjula Prem Kumar of Bangalore is no common artist. She creates wonderful and eye-catching paintings from thread and charcoal on canvas and with her fingers on sprinkled sand, within minutes.

Give her music of her choice and a little string of thread and charcoal, and Anjula is ready with a painting in three to four minutes.

The thread and charcoal, she says, help her speed up her work and also maintain the viewer’s interest especially during painting demonstrations.

"I thought when you want to complete a picture, if you prolong it for a long time people lose interest when they are seeing it. So I thought I could use thread which is still faster, that is the only reason I started with the thread, and that gives me a really good finish and I enjoy doing it with thread," said Anjula.

A new hidden layer establish on an old painting

A Brazilian art restorer has exposed a new layer hidden in a centuries-old painting of the Greek God of fertility Priapus, by French artist Nicolas Poussin - the deity's erect penis.
"They hid the phallus of Priapus. It's what we call adjustment for modesty, and it's not uncommon," said Regina Pinto Moreira, quoted in Tuesday's version of the Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper. She suspects the cover-up was completed in conservative Catholic Spain in the 18th century.

Moreira, who worked as a master art restorer at the Louvre in Paris for some 30 years, spent eight months alongside two French experts restore Poussin's large 1634-1638 painting "Hymenaios Disguised as a Woman During an Offering to Priapus."

Removing layers of dust, dirt and paint specks that accumulated over more than three centuries cost 150,000 euros (213,000 dollars). The artwork will be put on exhibit at Sao Paulo's grand Museo de Art (MASP) on September 8.

Giant Tangka paintings on display

Tangka painting has a long history in the Tibet Autonomous Region; first appear about 13-hundred years ago. Today, the ancient artistic traditions still fascinate people from home and abroad. This week in Beijing, a Tangka painting of extraordinary size was unveiled.

At the exhibition entitled the Ethnic Artistic Treasures of the Chinese Nation, a giant tangka painting measures 13-by-1.3-meters is astounding visitors. The work is an description of the life and teachings of Gautama Buddha, the founder of the Buddhist religion. In all, the painting contains a whole of 34 stories and more than two-thousand characters.

Tangka, or Tibetan Buddhist story painting, is an attractive element of the Tibet culture. Tangka paintings are formed on rolls of silk or satin and depict Tibetan anecdotes or folk customs and images of the Buddha. It's an art handed down over a thousand years, and is listed as a division of China's Cultural Heritage. It features strict composition and detailed depiction. Besides Buddhist themes, Tangka paintings also a customs, feature history, and legendary figures of Tibet.

Painting the city walls with colourful and attractive themes

Film posters and ugly graffiti bother you? It is all about to change as city roads will undergo a makeover with vibrant colors and themes. The BBMP’s initiative to add color and make the walls in the city look more lively and attractive has just begun.

Individuals and companies have already come forward to help the Palike build this initiative a success.

After initiate the project of painting the city walls with colourful themes, ideas and educative material, the Palike is now approaching five-star hotels and IT companies to come forward and continue this spree.

The BBMP has earmarked the idea of painting city walls with colourful motifs and designs on selected roads and locality. Pictures of murals, animals, folk art and designs inspired from the nature would be painted on these walls.

According to BBMP sources, the first phase of this project will different artists from the city and opportunity to make the roadside walls their canvas.

Plein air paintings in idaho

Plein-air painting, which is painting in the open air, is a admired activity in Idaho because the surroundings offered by the state's beautiful topography lend themselves to be captured by artists. For the sixth year, the Plein Air Painters of Idaho will flock to south of Stanley, Redfish Lake, for the Redfish Plein Air Paint-Out on Tuesday, Aug. 31, through Friday, Sept. 4. A reception and show will be held at Redfish Lake cottage on Thursday, Sept. 3, and will feature works for sale.
Redfish Lake as well as the surrounding Stanley Basin, Sawtooth Valley and Salmon River, suggest spectacular mountain scenery that painters will capture throughout the week.

Ketchum artist Deanna Shrell is a Redfish Plein Air Paint-Out regular and part of the Plein Air Painters of Idaho. She was recognized for "Best Landscape" in the sixth annual Art Museum of Eastern Idaho displays "Idaho Paints Idaho" earlier this year.

Realism art in painting

Realist art adopts the approach of portraying subjects in as straightforward manner as possible, without idealizing them and without follow the rules of formal theory. Realism first appeared in art of the 18th century, however, the great Realist era was the mid-19th century, as artists becomes disillusioned with the Salon system and the influence of the Academies.

What kind of differences are there between the realistic and the classical painting?

1) Figuratively, the classical image is music based on notation; the realistic Painting is music without notation knowledge.

2) Technique. Everything in the classical Painting is finishing stage by stage in accordance with laws which were not invented by the author. The realistic Painting is created in one layer, "alla prima." There can be several layers but only because the author does not have time to complete the picture "in the wet".

3) Plot. In the classical Painting the plot is constructing in accordance with the classical composition laws. The realistic Painting school does borrow something from the classical school but there is no composition law as such: there are as many laws as there are in realistic artists.

Ancient Egyptian painting techniques

Ancient Egyptian paintings survive due to the tremendously dry climate. The ancient Egyptians created paintings to make the afterlife of the deceased a enjoyable place. As a result, beautiful paintings were created. The themes included journey through the afterworld or their defensive deities introducing the deceased to the gods of the underworld. Some examples of such paintings are paintings of warriors and Osiris. Some tomb paintings explain activities that the deceased were involved in when they were alive and wished to carry on doing for eternity.

Egyptian paintings are painted in such a technique to show a profile view and a side view of the animal or person. For example, the painting to the accurate shows the head from a profile view and the body from a frontal view. Their main colors were red, black, blue, gold, and green.

Finger painting way into world record

Thousands of children are probable to descend on Belfast Zoo on Thursday, all eager to get their hands dirty.

Hope that they will be able to paint their way into the Guinness Book of World Records with the world's largest finger painting.

To succeed their canvas has to be bigger than the present record holder, a 2,000 square metre painting made in Austria in 2007.

The record attempt is being staged by NICMA - the Childminding Association as one part of its 25th anniversary celebrations.

Two thousand canvasses will be painted then sewn jointly. Depicting a house, NICMA hope it will symbolize the home-based care offered by childminders.

Michael Jackson portrait fetched $1 million

A Michael Jackson portrait by Andy Warhol fetched more than $1 million at an East Hampton in New York gallery, according to one of the gallery’s owners.

Vered Gallery sold the 1984 painting to a “speculator,” said Janet Lehr and a gallery partner. She declined to recognize the buyer, specify how much he paid or whom he bought it from.

On May 13, the similar painting sold for $278,500 at a Sotheby’s auction in New York.

Lehr said she expects the man who bought it from the gallery to dispatch it back to the gallery to resell.

Results of light paintings

Light painting by moving the camera is also called camera painting, is the antithesis of traditional photography. At night, or in a dark room, the camera could be taken off the tripod and used like a paintbrush. An example is using the night sky as the canvas, the camera as the brush and cityscapes (among other light sources) as the palette. Putting energy into moving the camera by stroking lights, creating patterns and laying down backgrounds can create abstract artistic images. Also known as "Camera Toss."

Making a light painting does not necessarily need to be done in a dark room or at night. Sometimes using artificial light, like LEDs and mobile phones, or through the limited sunlight beaming in a curtained room makes a shadowing effect. Using a mirror creates a double image, which adds up to a more inspired result.

Vermeer’s painting in New York

The painting will be exposed as part of an exhibition on the 17th-century Dutch artist at The Metropolitan Museum of Art next month.

The Milkmaid, dating from 1658, shows a milkmaid in a blue and yellow color dress pouring milk from a jug into a bowl.

The painting is being loaned to the New York gallery on next month by Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum. It was final seen in the US at the 1939 World's Fair, in New York.

Five other works by Vermeer from the galleries own collection will also go on display, as well as works by other Dutch painters.

Along with Rembrandt and Frans Hals, Vermeer is considering as one of the greatest Dutch artists, however only 36 of his paintings survive today. The exhibition opens on September 10 and runs until November 29.

Matte painting

A matte painting is a painted representation of a landscape, set, or distant location that allows filmmakers to make the illusion of an environment that would otherwise be too expensive to build or visit. Previously, matte painters and film technicians have used various techniques to combine a matte-painted image with live-action footage. At its best, depending on the skill levels of the artists and technicians, the effects is “seamless” and create environments that would otherwise be impossible to film.

Traditional matte paintings were still in utilize, but more frequently in conjunction with digital compositing. Paint has now been superseded by digital images formed using photo references, 3-D models, and drawing tablets. Matte painters combine their digitally matte painted textures within computer-generated 3-D environments, allowing for 3-D camera movement. Speedier computer processing times continue to modify and expand matte painting technologies and techniques.

Paintings renew power

Hyderabad:A painting and essay writing competition for schoolchildren was held at the Jawahar Bal Bhavan in Public Gardens on august 11th to create awareness among them about renewable energy sources.

More than 300 students from 100 schools in the city participated in the competition organized together by the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Non-Conventional Energy Development Corporation of AP (NEDCAP) and Confederation of Voluntary Associations (COVA).

The winners will be awarded prizes by Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy on August 20, the birthday of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, which is celebrated each year as ‘Renewable Energy Day’.

Mona Lisa smile on after Russian teacup attack

An "unhinged" Russian woman threw a teacup at the world's most famous painting, Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa," but it emerges unscathed due to its bullet-proof glass cover, the Louvre museum said on Tuesday.

"The young women take a cup out of her bag and throw it over the heads of other people who were looking at the painting. The cup cracked on the bullet-proof glass which was a little bit scratched," a spokesman said.

The Louvre, the biggest art museum in the world, has thousands of paintings, but most of the millions of guests a year make a bee-line for the Mona Lisa, known in France as La Joconde.
The 500-year-old painting was stolen in 1911 from the Louvre but was returned two years later after an Italian was under arrest for its theft.

It was doused with acid by a vandal in 1956 and later the same year a Bolivian injured it again by throwing a rock at it.

StraightForward paintings of ordinary American peoples

'Painting the People," an exhibition of American art created mainly in the first half of the 20th century, could eagerly be titled "Painting for People." It's a show that generate good feelings about art, about humanity, and even, to a degree, about American culture.

These 44 paintings, on view at the James A. Michener Art Museum, address for antimodernism. They're nativist not only in subject matter, in the way they portray ordinary peoples, but also in their reliance on the belief that, after the hugely influential Armory show in 1913, some American artists rejected Europe as a basis of inspiration.

"Painting the People" is, for the most part, narrative, realist, and uncomplicated. The images that don't need to be deconstructed or puzzled out. They're paintings "for people" in the sense that specialized knowledge or art experience isn't necessary to enjoy them.

Michael Jackson painting, last sold for $2.1 million in 1990

The owner of a long-hidden painting of Michael Jackson, reputed to be the only portrait he ever posed for, say they are trying to sell it amid the renewed interest after his death. The painting, last sold in 1990 for $2.1 million, was brought out of storage at New Jersey warehouse recently and put on exhibit in a Harlem car showroom.

The 50-by-40-inch painting, called “The Book,” was done in 1990 by an Australian artist, Brett-Livingstone Strong, who was a good friend of Mr. Jackson and shared his taste for slightly fantastical style of life and dress.

The painting is owned by two toy inventors, Marty Abrams and John Gentilly, who established the painting in 1992 from a Japanese businessman who had bought it to make good on a debt he owed the inventors.

Currently, the painting is being displayed at the Dancy-Power Automotive at Lenox Avenue and West 129th in Harlem, selected in part because it is owned by a friend of Mr. Abrams and also because it is near the Apollo Theater, where the Jackson 5 won an amateur night competition in 1967.

Chinese prehistoric traditional painting

Traditional Chinese painting dates back to the Neolithic period about 6,000 years ago. The excavated colored pottery with painted human faces, fish, deer and frogs indicates that the Chinese began painting as far back as the Neolithic period. Over the centuries, the growth of Chinese painting unavoidably reflected the change of time and social conditions.

In its earliest stage, Chinese prehistoric paintings were closely associated to other primitive crafts, such as pottery, bronzeware, carved jade and lacquer.

Following the introduction of Buddhism to China during the first century from India, and the carvings on grottoes and temple building that ensue, the art of painting religious murals slowly gained prominence.

China plunged into a situation of divided states from the third to the sixth century, where incessant wars and succession of dynasties sharpened the thinking of Chinese artists which, in turn, promoted the development of art. Grotto murals, stone carvings, wall murals in tomb chambers, brick carvings and lacquer paintings flourished in a period deemed very important to the development of traditional Chinese painting.