Nick Sarazan

A collection of colorful and full of light almost impressionist style oil paintings with a hint of realistic qualities. Featuring European street life with bars, cafes, bistros and restaurants from France, Spain and other countries. Italian motifs are also included through canals, gondolas and venetian facades. My trademark multiperspective cityscapes. Vibrant colours and the surrealist style collaborate to create a busy yet intimate atmosphere on the canvas. Cities in Morocco, France, Italy and the Greek islands are depicted here.

 News archive:   Newsletter we have received from various art websites.

Quietly, Google Puts History Online

By ERIC PFANNER PARIS — When the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, home to the Dead Sea Scrolls, reopened last year after an extensive renovation, it attracted a million visitors in the first 12 months. When the museum opened an enhanced Web site with newly digitized versions of the scrolls in September, it drew a million virtual visitors in three and a half days.The scrolls, scanned with ultrahigh-resolution imaging technology, have been viewed on the Web from 210 countries — including some, like Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and Syria, that provide few real-world visitors to the Israel Museum.“This is taking the material to an amazing range of audiences,” said James S. Snyder, the museum’s director. “There’s no way we would have had the technical capability to do this on our own.”The digitization of the scrolls was done by Google under a new initiative aimed at demonstrating that the Internet giant’s understanding of culture extends beyond the corporate kind. The Google Cultural Institute plans to make artifacts like the scrolls from museums, archives, universities and other collections around the world — accessible to any Internet user.“We’re building services and tools that help people get culture online, help people preserve it online, promote it online and eventually even create it online,” said Steve Crossan, director of the institute, which is based in Paris

Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh

EDINBURGH.- The Scottish National Portrait Gallery (SNPG), following an ambitious £17.6m restoration project and with an entirely new presentation of its world-famous collection. The project – the first major refurbishment in the Gallery’s 120-year history – has restored much of the architect’s original vision, opening up previously inaccessible parts of the building and increasing the public space by more than 60 percent. It has also added a range of new facilities that will utterly transform visitors’ experience of the Gallery. Entry to the new Portrait Gallery will be completely free.

The SNPG opened in 1889 as the world’s first purpose-built portrait gallery and is now an iconic landmark in the heart of Scotland’s capital. Over the past century, its collection of portraits has grown to become one of the largest and finest in the world, comprising 3,000 paintings and sculptures, 25,000 prints and drawings. This distinctive red sandstone building also houses the national collection of photography with some 38,000 historic and modern photographs. 

Naoto Hattori. Japanese pop surrealism

I’ve been creating the imaginary world within my mind ever since I was a child. My vision is like a dream, where it’s a sweet dream, a nightmare or just a bizarre dream.” Hattori says. Born in Yokohama at 1975, he studied at the School of Visual Arts in New York. His paintings could be mistaken with digital art, but he does a spectacular work with acrylic. A fantastic and prolific imaginary is what we found in his gallery, as he says fruit of a “practice to increase awareness in stream-of-conscious creativity”. And here are some samples.
His work is currently been exhibited on “Les Enfants Terribles”, with Robert Crumb, Ray Caesar, and many others, from September 15 to December 31, 2011, at l’Hôtel de Région Rhône Alpes, Lyon, France.

 
Seven Shows in U.S. and Europe Mark Publication of Catalogue Raisonné

NEW YORK—Numerous fall exhibitions in the U.S. and Europe are dedicated to the artwork of Sam Francis—coinciding with the publication of the Catalogue Raisonné of Canvas and Panel Paintings, 1946–1994, edited by Debra Burchett-Lere, who is the director of the Sam Francis Foundation in Glendale, California. The catalogue was published by the University of California Press, Berkeley.

Nico Delaive, owner of Gallery Delaive in Amsterdam, which had represented the artist in Europe for years and is currently holding its own exhibition (through Dec. 11), said the gallery owns approximately 1,100 paintings and works on paper by the artist, some of which he bought directly from the artist while others were acquired from the artist’s estate and foundation.

Among the reasons why the artist’s prices are lower than those of some other Abstract Expressionist painters, Jonathan Novak explains: “Sam was not part of the New York scene, and he did not get the same attention.” In addition, resolving the estate took ten years, because of disputes over money and artworks between the artist’s numerous ex-wives and children.

A large number of paintings appeared on the market over a short period of time in order for the artist’s heirs to pay the estate tax—Francis died with little cash on hand. This resulted in depressed prices, dealers say. “There was too much of Sam’s work on the market for a time, and people thought that the supply would never end,” said Novak. It was only after the estate was settled and the foundation was established “that people realized that all the art was gone. Everything now is on the secondary market, and the prices have been rising ever since,” Novak said. The foundation has relatively few works and does not make sales.

Work by Francis has frequently appeared at major auctions. The highest auction price to date is $6.4 million (estimate: $3 million/5 million) for the oil Middle Blue, 1957, sold at Christie’s in the spring of 2010.

Willem de Kooning at the Museum of Modern Art 

Some artists stagger under the weight of a retrospective, their work appearing too stylized, repetitive, and familiar. But not Willem de Kooning. With his paintings, drawings, sculptures, and prints all together and splendidly installed in MoMA’s spacious galleries, what becomes apparent is not only the works’ strong formal qualities but also the sense of warmth they convey and their ability to communicate directly with the viewer. Beyond that, we detect an emotionalism that is neither corny nor sentimental. Much of this comes as a surprise.

The show, de Kooning’s first full-scale retrospective, which will not travel, has been brilliantly curated by John Elderfield, the museum’s chief curator emeritus of painting and sculpture. What is clear throughout is de Kooning’s big visual vocabulary, constituting his own clearly expressed language—a European-American blend. And all the elements, like his dance between abstraction and figuration, continuously worked in concert.

The show begins with the early, and de rigueur, academic works, made between 1916 and ’26, when de Kooning moved to the United States. We see the adept student playing in the fields of art history, from 17th-century Dutch still-life painting to the work of Miró, Matisse, Braque, and Picasso.

But it’s the last section that’s so problematic for many—the simplified linear paintings made between 1983 and ’87, as de Kooning suffered the effects of Alzheimer’s disease. These works are a fitting conclusion to the retrospective, as the finely limned compositions attain the quality of delicate skeletons, extreme distillations, of all the earlier works. The Cat’s Meow (1987) is indeed the last word—at least almost.

CHRISTMAS CRAFT MARKET AT ARTSHED

Artshed have been busy with preparations for our Christmas Craft Market, which will be held Saturday 17th – Sunday 18th December (10 – 5pm). We have a real treat planned for you all, combining gorgeous
handmade craft, fine jewellery and other bespoke gift ideas with a delicious selection of complimentary festive food and beverages. It is also the perfect time to come and explore the new range of courses we
will be offering for the New Year, and see the fascinating work that has taken place at Artshed these past few months. It’s a fun filled and an exciting time as we approach the
festive season. We are now stocking a beautiful array of handmade Christmas decorations. You will be sure to find some festive necessities you won’t want to leave without. If you are looking for an original gift idea, we have a lovely selection of work that has been created by our tutors and students.
Alternatively, why not purchase a gift voucher? These are available and can be purchased online. Brilliant when trying to choose between our new range of extensive courses.

WEEK INTENSIVE POTTERY- INTERMEDIATE / BEGINNERS 

This course covers the various hand construction processes, from thumb and coil pots to slab work. Exploring surface decoration, include using oxides, stains and glazes. Lessons are tutor lead
however also allow freedom for personal projects.

WEEK MOSAIC COURSE

Learn how to make mosaics in just 6 weeks. Develop your skills by creating your own fabulous, unique mosaic. No previous experience needed. Come as a complete beginner or as an enthusiastic improver,
you will be delighted by the results.

BANGLES AND DANGLES

This is a full day for those who have experienced a little bit of jewellery construction. The day will consist of making a selection of silver bangles. You will have a choice of materials from sterling silver sheet and wire, so there will be a certain amount of design planning involved. The bangles will be entirely of your own concepts but we will be encouraging the use of all the materials included, and the addition of charms and beads if required.

CHIFFON NECKLACES, BEAD AND CHARM

This is a full day workshop showing you how to design and build a collection of jewellery using a wide range of mixed media. The main component being chiffon, but with beads and felt decorations, you will
also use wire, seed beads charms, seed beads, chain and fixings. All materials are included along with a light lunch.

BUTTONS, BEADS AND BROOCHES 

Learn how to make ceramic buttons, beads, brooches and buckles, using porcelain and earthenware paper clay. This workshop will make a large selection of buttons, beads pendants etc using the wide selection of
relief pattern makers, cutters and delicate glazes, including lustres. This is a comprehensive day will teach you how to manipulate the clay, form it, shape it, add embellishments and decorate with colour. All
materials are included along with a light lunch.

Exhibition Garden Of Eden – Andrzej Maciejewski – CAC Gallery

Society has created a naïve approach to nature, glorifying its fertility and opulence while at the same time trying to harness and enslave it. The fruits and vegetables in the supermarkets are a very good example, the way they are numbered and labeled, certified and standardized by the industry. 21st century society has created a new “Garden of Eden”, where everything looks perfect and flawless but many things, like the taste, the exceptionality and often even the humanity, have been lost during the process.

“Their presence on my table no longer depends on where I live, on weather’s graciousness or on my year long efforts.”

“Garden of Eden” and features 24 color still-life photographs, taken with 4×5 view camera. The still life compositions on display are highly realistic, full of beauty and abundance, commonly associated with the gifts of nature they portray. Photographed in a manner inspired by the old Dutch masters of painting like, Michelangelo Caravaggio, Henri Fantin Latour, and Louis Melendez. Emphasizing the contrast between what the gifts of nature used to be and what they have now become through the manipulation of man.

 From Impressionism to Modernism: The Chester Dale Collection

Chester Dale’s magnificent bequest to the National Gallery of Art in 1962 included a generous endowment as well as one of America’s most important collections of French painting from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This special exhibition, the first in 45 years to explore the extraordinary legacy left to the nation by this passionate collector, features some 83 of his finest French and American paintings.Among the masterpieces on view are Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot’s Forest of Fontainebleau (1834), Auguste Renoir’s A Girl with a Watering Can (1876), Mary Cassatt’s Boating Party (1893/1894), Edouard Manet’s Old Musician (1862), Pablo Picasso’s Family of Saltimbanques (1905), and George Bellows’ Blue Morning (1909). Other artists represented include Paul Cezanne, Edgar Degas, Vincent van Gogh, Henri Matisse, Amedeo Modigliani, and Claude Monet.Dale was an astute businessman who made his fortune on Wall Street in the bond market. He thrived on forging deals and translated much of this energy and talent into his art collecting. He served on the board of the National Gallery of Art from 1943 and as president from 1955 until his death in 1962. Portraits of Dale by Salvador Dali and Diego Rivera are included in the show, along with portraits of Dale’s wife Maud (who greatly influenced his interest in art) painted by George Bellows and Fernand Leger.

The National Gallery in London is to take action against the resale of tickets for its “blockbuster” Leonardo da Vinci exhibition.

The gallery said tickets that have been resold will be cancelled without refund and holders refused admission. The £16 exhibition tickets are now being resold on eBay and Viagogo for up to £400.  “We are obviously very disappointed at the resale of these tickets for profit,” a spokeswoman said. “The resale of tickets for the Leonardo da Vinci exhibition is against the terms and conditions of their sale and this information is printed on the tickets. “Our website clearly states: ‘Tickets that have been resold will be cancelled without refund and admission will be refused to the bearer.’”The spokeswoman said the gallery was contacting companies and websites that were accommodating ticket resales, requesting that they “stop immediately”. She declined to comment on which methods were being used to identify resold tickets, but said it was the first time the gallery had taken such measures.  Ed Parkinson, director of Viagogo, described demand for the tickets as “unprecedented”. He said: “Terms and conditions that aim to prevent people reselling tickets are unfair – if someone has paid for a ticket they can no longer use, they have the right to recoup their cost

Andy Warhol is an art-world colossus.

From INTELLIGENT LIFE magazine, November/December 2011First Open Sale at Christie’s in New York, has a startling view of American art history. “Nothing good was made in the 19th century, nothing really good was made in the 18th century and American art in the 20th century for the first three, four or five decades was very elitist.”There was, in this view, no American Titian or Picasso, Raphael or Matisse. And then, suddenly, on July 9th 1962, there was. That was the date of the first solo show by Andy Warhol, the 33-year-old son of Slovakian immigrants. It was at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles and it consisted of a series of 32 paintings of Campbell’s Soup Cans, one for each flavour—beef, clam chowder, cheddar cheese, etc. The response was underwhelming. Five sold for $100 each, but the gallery owner bought them back to keep the series intact.Warhol is now the god of contemporary art. He is indeed, it is said, the “American Picasso” or, if you prefer, the art market’s one-man Dow Jones. In 2010 his work sold for a total of $313m and accounted for 17% of all contemporary auction sales. This was a 229% increase on the previous year—nothing bounced out of recession quite like a Warhol. But perhaps the most significant figure is the rise in his average auction prices between 1985 and the end of 2010: 3,400%. The contemporary-art market as a whole rose by about half that, the Dow by about a fifth. “Warhol is the backbone of any auction of post-war contemporary art,” says Christopher Gaillard, president of the art consultants Gurr Johns. “He is the great moneymaker.”

Juan Laurent’s Vision of Spain

November 7-December 30, 2011
Juan Laurent (1816-1886) is a preeminent figure in the history of Spanish photography. The Gallery’s department of image collections presents a selection of 23 rare albumen photographs and two albums by Laurent and his company, with particular focus on his photographs of Spanish art and architecture. Through the successful commercialization of Laurent’s excellent archive of photographs of historic monuments and city views, as well as through his reproductions of works of art from the Museo del Prado and the Royal Palace in Madrid, Laurent became the most important and recognizable trade photographer in 19th-century Spain. His city views include Toledo, Segovia, Salamanca

The National Gallery, Trafalgar Square London 

One of the bggist collections of Western European paintings in the world. Collection of over 2,300 masterpieces,  painting from the 13th to the 19th centuries. On permanent exhibition paintings of Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste, Renoir, Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, John Constable, W. Turner, Canaletto, William Hogarth, Paul Cézanne, Vincent van Gogh.

The New York Times, Art and Culture.

News and reviews from the arts to movies. Articles about theater, television, music, design, actors and actresses, the Oscars, Grammy and Emmy Awards. You can access newspaper content online. Articles about Contemporary artists, paintings, international exibitions, photography. Articles on Art and disign, music and dance

The Art Newspaper

Very good source of material about art, grate addition to online newspaper is video news, now you can watch video topics news and features, view artists interviews and their art work , discussions collectors, video clips about art fairs and gallery exhibitions . News articles and critics reviews.

Christie’s

Christie’s is an international company that offers art auctions and private sales to clients around the globe. Founded in 1766 by James Christie. Art work for sale, painting, sculptures, antiquity, unique art items, you name it, all for sale.

Chicago Art Magazine

Basically it is Chicago art Guide on line. What is on offer here, Chicago art news, resent photo galleries, random gallery spot light, very helpful art map and data base artists and galleries. Articles and critics review.

Art Review

Good site where you can view digital copy of magazine. Search archives, features, reviews and subscribe. Also there is AR live with audio, first view, news, project space and video. In network section you can join blog and discussion groups, set up profile, artwork.

Artwork

It is free UK based art news paper. News on art shows, gallery exhibitions, museums of art, contemporary artists in Britain. Very good section Artwork Guide, will help you to find what is on in galleries around UK. You can also view on line current and past issues of Artwork.

Artnews

The most widely read art magazine in the world. Topics, comprehensive art news, investigations of artworks, current trend in art, profiles of artists, sculptors, galleries museums. Art on the market. Looking at the art in general. Art reviews and art publications and books.

Artist Daily

On this site, Critics review of major exhibitions from around the world. Topics on gallery exhibitions events, museums, artists, photographers and architecture. There is image gallery, comments section where you can leave your review.

Art in America

On this site articles and reviews on variety of mediums and styles, paintings, sculpture, installation, photography and video, abstract art, surrealism, expressionism, impressionism, modern, contemporary,