Take a class with SAL – anywhere! See those little horns at the top of Moses’ head? It’s a bit of a misunderstanding. In the old Latin Vulgate Bible, they used the term “cornuta facies” which can be translated either as “horned face” or “radiant face” to describe how Moses’ looked after he chatted with …

Take a class with SAL – anywhere! If yesterday’s post sparked any pilgrimage plans, you may want to put another pin in the map. This from a reader: “Even though Julius II is buried in St. Peter’s basilica, the tomb is not there. The tomb was completed many years after his death and can be …

Take a class with SAL – anywhere! Previously, I posted funerary art from the 3rd through the 6th centuries. This post veers far out of that time range, but the unfinished Atlas Slave came up in discussion during today’s figure sculpture class. I got excited to share, so here they are. In 1505, Michelangelo was …

After posting the Japanese funerary artworks of Haniwa from the 3rd through the 6th centuries, I was curious what other cultures around the world were making for funerary art at that time. First I posted Haniwa, then I posted Roman Catacomb frescoes, and today I have ceramic figurines from ancient China. These ceramic attendants were …

Every time I write a V. Note, I get ideas for five more. Then I spend the next month driving myself crazy because I don’t make time to write again. I’m sure all of you can relate to the constant vigilance it takes to make time for creating. In the previous post I talked about …

Haniwa are unglazed terracotta clay figures that were placed on and around Japanese tombs. The word “haniwa” is a combination of two Japanese words: “hani” (meaning “circle”) and “wa” (meaning “ring” or “circle”). When first created, haniwa were made in various cylindrical shapes. Later they became more elaborate, featuring sculptures of warriors, shamanic women, attendants, …

Designed by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, the Statue of Liberty is in the Neoclassical style. Neoclassical figures generally convey a sense of calm and restraint. Emotional expression is often subdued, reflecting the stoicism and rationality associated with classical Greek and Roman ideals. When viewed from below, the Statue of Liberty has a different expression than when …

Take a class with SAL – anywhere! Salman Toor, born in 1983, is an American painter raised in Pakistan. He creates paintings that depict the imagined lives of young gay men, often of Asian descent. His artwork explores various themes, including the treatment of brown men, the experiences of young people in public and private …

UNDERESTIMATING THE TRANSLATION. When I look at a painting made by observation I can’t help but assume that the artist painted what they saw in front of them, more or less. If their marks are colorful angled palette knife shapes as they are in Tina Kraft’s plein air painting above, I assume they pulled the …