Kevin Roche

 Happy Birthday Kevin Roche!! Irish-American architect, Kevin Roche, was born in 1922. Born in Dublin, Ireland, Roche earned his architectural degree from the National University of Ireland. In 1948 he came to America where he eventually established his architectural firm, with John Dinkeloo, still in existence today. He became known for his incredible work with glass. I am including the National Convention Center, Dublin, here today.

Vieira da Silva

 Happy Birthday Maria Vieira da Silva!! This painter from Portugal was born in 1908. After moving to Paris, she studied sculpture, painting, and engraving. Her work is filled with intricate patterns and faceted shapes. Her forms seem to be architectural, creating dreamlike cityscapes. She was married to artist Arpad Szenes from Hungary and lived in Brazil during WWII. Following the war they returned to Paris where she became a French citizen.

Alessandro Longhi

 Happy Birthday Alessandro Longhi!! Appropriate to write about an Italian painter since I am currently in Venice! Longhi was born in 1733 in Venice and his father, Pietro, was a painter also. Alessandro studied with his father and became a portrait painter. He was best known for his paintings of royalty and important figures. He painted full length figures in flamboyant costumes such as the one pictured here today, Jacopo Gradenigo. Longhi also created etchings and evidently knew of Rembrandt's techniques which he also employed.

Julia Margaret Cameron

Happy Birthday Julia Margaret Cameron!! English photographer was born in 1815, in Calcutta, India. She decided to pursue photography after receiving a camera as a gift. She specialized in portraits and began by photographing her friends. Some of her work imitated Pre-Raphaelite paintings. Although some criticized her technical skill her work is highly regarded. I fell in love with innocent beauty of her Red and White Roses (1865) a photograph of two sisters, Kate and Elizabeth Keown.

Andre Derain

 Happy Birthday Andre Derain!! This French painter was born in 1880. Working together the summer of 1905, the younger Derain and Matisse conceived the artistic style “Fauvism” meaning “wild” . It was just that, wild color taking Post-impressionism several steps further, and relying heavily on Seurat and Van Gogh. Gradually Derain's work became more somber, though, his compositions tightened up and his work evolved into a poetic stillness. Cezanne's influence is evident in a (later) still life included here today.

Michael Peter Ancher

 Happy Birthday Michael Peter Ancher!! Born in 1849, in Denmark, Ancher was an Impressionist. Regarded one of Denmark's premier artists, he painted fishermen and scenes from the Danish Port Skagen. He studied at the Royal Danish School of Art and eventually moved to Skagen where a community of artists was developing. He married an artist and their home has been opened to the public and made a museum featuring work by the Skagen Group.

Sir John Everett Millais

Happy Birthday Sir John Everett Millais!! Born in 1829, this English painter was a contemporary of John Abbott McNeill Whistler. The two worked so closely in style it is difficult to distinguish between their paintings. Millais was the founder of what came to be known as the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, so called because they rejected the poses and academic handling of subjects particularly by Raphael, seeking instead, the exquisite detail and brilliant color of Italian and Flemish art. Millais was known for his extreme naturalistic detail, evident in the painting Autumn Leaves included here today.