Russell Drysdale

Happy Birthday Russell Drysdale!! Born in Sussex, England in 1912, Russell Drysdale relocated to Australia with his family when he was 11 years old. He began studying to become an artist at age 20 in Melbourne as well as traveling to Europe. Poor eyesight did not deter Drysdale, even though he was nearly blind in one eye. His style became stark landscapes with spare, gangly figures. The Cricketers is one example of his eerie depictions of Australian outback with three boys playing against the apparently vacant, deserted buildings. It has been described as the “most important and famous Australian artwork of the 20th century.”

Emile-Othon Friesz

Happy Birthday Emile-Othon Friesz!! Born in 1879, in France, Frieze was educated at the urging of his parents at Ecoles des Beaux-Arts in Le Havre, and then on scholarship at Ecoles Nationale Superiuere Beaux-Arts in Paris. His lifelong friend Raoul Dufy accompanied him in his studies at both institutions. He worked in the Fauvist style, influenced by Pisarro, among others. Later he taught at several academies in Paris and Scandinavia. His work gradually became more traditional when compared to his earlier boldly colorful Fauvist paintings.

H. R. Giger

Happy Birthday H. R. Giger!! Swiss Giger was born in 1940 to a chemist. He studied industrial design and architecture at the School of Applied Arts in Zurich. He began working in pen and ink drawings and oil painting, publishing his first poster in 1969. His work is surrealistic and he has published several books, the most popular being Necronimocon, which became the visual basis for the movie Alien. Giger designed the main character, earning the Oscar for Best Visual Effects in 1980. He went on to design for Poltergeist II, Alien 3, Species, etc. He currently lives with his wife in Zurich and works in film, set design and sculpture.

Fernand Leger

Happy Birthday Fernand Leger!! French artist born in 1881, Leger studied art at Ecoles des Arts Decoratifs and Academie Julian. He became one of the three major Cubist painters with Picasso and Braque. His work contrasted human forms with machines. He gradually moved away from abstraction and began painting simple forms in bold bright colors. European art was introduced to the American public in 1913 at the Armory Show where he was a major success. Following World War II, Leger settled in New York where he taught at Yale, but returned to Paris to open an academy. The painting I have included today is titled The City, with Leger attempting to depict the shallow crowded space of a city.

Cubism can be thought of as the beginnings of abstract art. Originated by Picasso and Braque, natural or inanimate objects are faceted into geometric shapes, losing nearly all resemblance to reality. Multiple views are shown in an effort to depict the object, scene, etc. in entirety.

Alvar Aalto

Happy Birthday Alvar Aalto!! Born in Finland in 1898, Aalto made important contributions to modern architecture and design. He studied in Finland at the Helsinki University of Technology. Aalto was fascinated with the Cubist work of Braque and Picasso and his love of painting influenced his architectural work. He was married to architect Aino Marsio and they worked in partnership until her death in 1949. The pair designed not only the structure, but also the furnishing and details of the buildings. His work has a wide span, from city planning to furniture, glassware and painting. His lines were clean and his designs include large voids of soothing empty space. The Baker House at MIT (Massachusetts) is included here.

Michelangelo Cerquozzi

Happy Birthday Michelangelo Cerquozzi!! Italian born in 1602, the Baroque painter lived and worked in Rome. Although he is best known for his small genre scenes, especially battles, he did paint mythological scenes as well as still life works such as the one pictured below. His friend, Dutchman Pieter van Laer was also a painter of everyday peasant life and a great influence on Cerquozzi. It is reported that he had a fascination with foreign residents of Rome, especially the Spanish that led to connections and commissions for his work.

Takashi Murakami

Happy Birthday Takashi Murakami!! Born in 1963, in Japan, Takashi Murakama’s birthday is today. After studying art at Tokyo National University of Fine Art and Music, Murakami pursued traditional Japanese art, but then after realizing the public’s fascination with anime and manga, he turned to contemporary art. He created a style called “Superflat” which transforms items of interest to the popular culture into monumental sculpture and murals. The style involves graphic images depicted with flat planes of color. His fantasy world includes mushroom cartoon characters such as those in Smooth Nightmare, below, whom some speculate may represent the meaninglessness of existence.

Anime-Japanese animation

Manga-Japanese comics and print cartoons spanning a wide subject range including romance, horror, sports, drama, history, etc.