Erte - In The Arctic Sea

Erte bronze sculptures, paintings, and other famous artwork have come to represent an artist, a style, and two distinct periods in American history. Considered the founder of the art deco movement and the 1920 and 1930s and the father of the art deco resurgence of the 1960s, Erte art experienced two distinct periods of widespread critical acclaim and public appreciation. Famous for his iconic drawings, paintings, etchings, prints, and bronze sculptures, Erte was a master of many mediums.

One of Erte’s most famous works is his Arctic Sea. This image was captured as a famous Erte painting as well as a bronze sculpture. It depicts a beautiful woman standing with her lower body draped in a cloak that appears to be a wave. On her head is the tip of the wave to one side is an extravagant head piece that appears jeweled. Its position and shape harkens images of a sail. The woman’s neck is draped in beautiful necklace. In images where her face can be seen, she has a serious, stern expression.

Erte’s Arctic Sea is so famous because it clearly shows the roots of Erte’s fashion design background. Erte’s work in fashion launched his artistic career. The artist began working with Harper’s Bazaar magazine in 1913. During his career, he designed over 240 covers and also worked with other popular magazines of the times including Vogue and Cosmopolitan. He went on to create costumes for Broadway actresses and dancers. His fashion sensibility, known as art deco, went on to influence fashion, art, and architecture. It defined the year in which he first began his career, and later came into popularity again through an art deco resurgence movement in the 1960s lead by the artist himself. The way the woman in Erte’s famous image Arctic Sea is pictured captures this art deco style and design sensibility perfectly. The way she holds the draped fabric over her lower body like a wave and the use of her extravagant headpiece as a sail shows that Erte is confident in his ability to manipulate fashion and design for his desired artistic outcome. The long lines and beautiful fashion element highlight the artistry that defined Erte throughout his long career.

Arctic Sea’s popularity is perhaps catapulted because it was an image that resurfaced throughout Erte’s career. Appearing first in 1925 in an Erte Painting, the image would be reproduced in other paintings, sculptures, and prints throughout his prolific career. The last incarnation was in an Erte bronze sculpture created in 1988, two years prior to the artist’s death.

Erte’s Artic Sea has become so iconic because it is quintessentially Erte. It defines the artist and his career. The widespread use of the image throughout his career, from the early stages to near his death, shows that it serves as a symbol he kept coming back to. Its use in many forms, for Erte paintings to prints to paintings also shows the wide range the artist had. It also perfectly captures Erte’s background in fashion and the art deco style for which he is famous for creating. Because of this, Erte’s Arctic Sea has become a perfect representation of the artist and has gone on to become one of his most popular works as a result.

Peter Max - An Artist With Great Versatility

The diversity among Peter Max's art has made him one of the most famous and celebrity modern artists. Max's highly varied artistic history includes a number of different subject material, mediums, and historical contexts. While Peter Max art runs the gamut, his work has several permanently defining features that help juxtapose his diversity and still give him a signature as an artist. Despite what medium, what time period, and what subject a Max work is from it is easily recognizable for art collectors and art critics alike as a Peter Max piece. This signature has helped him be successful in multiple modes and has yielded his reputation as an extremely diverse artist.

His diversity is perhaps best epitomized by his varying roles as an artist during different time periods. Max began the poster craze of the 1960s. With his psychedelic posters in vibrant colors, he became the father of the countercultural movement of the time. While his early art represented the psyche of the 1960s, his later art would go on take on a much different role within pop culture. Much of Peter Max's work during the 1980s, 90s, and 2000s was known for its patriotism. The Liberty Head series are among the most famous of All Peter Max paintings. Max's original art pieces including 44 Obamas and 100 Clintons also demonstrate his art's new patriotic tone. Perhaps most indicative of his patriotic art were the revolutionary portraits he painted after the September Eleventh attacks of every fire fighter who lost their life. It was not only the subject matter that varied through this dramatic change in Peter Max Art, but it was also the emphasis. Peter Max's 1960 psychedelic poster work was focused on the future and space, things larger than himself. His later art of the 1980s and on emphasized more tangible qualities and the way things are in the present. Max's original art also progressed in medium as he grew as an artist. He combined his print making experience with his painting experience to make a significant contribution of original art known under the "mixed media" category since it combines different artistic mediums into one.

Today, while much of his artwork continues with his patriotic focus, he has also focused on pursuing new interests in his work. As the world's most notable pop artist, he has stayed true to his name in recent years through Original Artwork capturing famous people and events. The most famous of these include his paintings of Taylor Swift, Willie Nelson, Shaquille O'Neil, the 1994 FIFA World Cup, and the Super bowl. His interest in World Peace and the environment has been revealed in famous Peter Max art including his famous Without Border and Day Dream.

His artwork has changed dramatically over the course of his dynamic career. However, he has become and remains so famous because no matter how often or how significantly his work changes, it is still always iconic Peter Max. The ability for Max to make his work recognizable has created the artistic identity that he has held. His use of vivid colors, bold yet fluid lines carefully used and spaced apart all give him an artistic style that has outlasted the changes in medium, subject, focus, and time. His subject matter is also always positive, upbeat, and optimistic. Even if what he is painting and how he is panting changes, Peter Max art remains iconic and true to the ever true to the reputation as the pop artist he has become.

Famous Artists and Paintings

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Eternal Paintings of Erte

Romain de Tirtoff, better known as Erte, had a long and illustrious career that transformed both the art fashion industry in which he produced fine original artwork for as well as the broader culture of the time of his widespread popularity.  Erte original artwork experienced two distinct periods of great cultural appreciation and popularity- the first during the 1920s with his introduction of his art deco styling that would later go on to define the generation, and later in the 1960s as he introduced art deco resurgences which modified his earlier aesthetic theme.

Erte first became famous in the 1920s and early 1930s for his work as a fashion designer.  He designed over 240 covers for Harper’s Bazaar during his career working for them.  Today, these covers remain highly collectible for fashion aficionados and art collectors alike. His covers reflect a high end fashion design eye and convey the art deco aesthetic for which Erte is credited for creating.  Some of Erte’s most famous covers include the June 1933 cover which portrays a tan, tall, thin woman lounging on the beach in a swimsuit, and his November 1920 cover which depicts a ballerina with a flamboyant skirt in red and yellow.

Erte’s most famous and best known piece of original artwork is his Symphony in Black.  Depicting a tall, slender woman painted in black, dressed in avant guard fashion and holding a dog by a leash, the Erte original painting has been reproduced in various paintings, sculptures, and prints since the time it was created.  This image remains so iconic due to its artistic value and sleek lines as well as its fashion forward attitude and its ability to capture the essence of the era in which it was created.  Today, serigraphs and prints of this image likely remain Erte’s most collectible artistic work.  A number of other Erte Paintings have also become quite collectible and famous due to their originality, skill, and ability to capture the ideology of a generation. 

While most Erte paintings focus of the female form, one of his more famous paintings The Wave emphasizes the organic water form of sweeping ocean waves.  While it does portray a woman, she is on the exterior or the round work and small in scale comparison to the waves themselves. Although this work does not focus on a woman and there are no clothes depicted, Erte’s eye for fashion still remains paramount.  The painting demonstrates the same art deco aesthetic as his fashion works and still has a very fashion forward quality about it, even without the use of garments.  Other Erte paintings, however, do focus on fashion as the key ingredient.  Famous works including A Queen, the Woman & the Devil, Aphrodite, Cirse, and Flames of Love all highlight the fashion design itself.

Equally famous to Erte painting are Erte bronze sculptures.  These original bronze sculptures most often depict a sensuous and elegant female form with beautiful draped clothes.  Erte’s eye for details and art deco fashion aesthetic are played a defining roll in his sculptress.  His original sculptures are often have a whimsical and flamboyant quality, echoing his fashion designers for the stage and his work for the top fashion magazines during his early career.  Erte’s most famous bronze sculptures include Le Belle du Nuit, an evening in 1921, an evening in 1922, The Mermaid, Venus, Femme De Luxe, Daydreams, and Moonlight. 

Leroy Neiman – Life of An Artist

Leroy Neiman is one of the most famous American artists of all time.  He is considered the first sports artists in the world.  His subject matter choices including capturing iconic sporting events and famous individuals along with his unique vibrantly colorful and semi-abstracted style have come to define his career.

Born in 1921 in St. Paul, Minnesota, Leroy Neiman went on to fight the Second World War, Neiman returned home and began studying art at the Art Institute of Chicago. He taught there for ten years early in his career.  In 1954, Neiman began his career with Playboy as a contributing artist which would give him his first taste of artistic notoriety.  It was not until 1960 when Leroy Neiman began traveling to document sporting events and leisure activities including the World Series, the Kentucky Derby, boxing championship, Formula One races, the Masters Golf tournament, Wimbledon, and many more that he really developed into an iconic painter.  He also began painting famous for painting entertainers and musicians, both living and dead, and his coverage of major events and individuals made his paintings and his artistic style famous.

In addition to painting sporting and leisure events, Neiman also paints scenic views and architecture, most famously including the Brooklyn Bridge in New York where he now calls home, and the Arc de Triomphe in Paris where he spent time living previously.  Leroy Neiman paintings also depict animals and lifestyle scenes which most famously include casino and jazz scenes. 

Often considered to have an outrageous and flamboyant personality, Neiman’s personality has been polarizing throughout his career.  There is no doubt that his ability to promote himself and stand out has only added to his popularity and made him into an iconic artist.  His image and personality only have helped to foster his art career and made his work and image even more iconic than they might be otherwise.

Leroy Neiman originals have become so collectible for multiple reasons. First, his art captures a subject matter that most people find interesting and can relate to.  The sports world is endlessly popular around the world, and his role as the first artist to capture that has made his work a must have for many high end collectors and art museums. Since he paints live at many sporting events, millions of people around the world have been able to see the camera capture him working live.  An insight into that fascinating process which collectors are often excluded from has only added to his perceived accessibility and drastically increased the popularity of Neiman paintings.   Additionally, his semi-abstracted and colorful style stands out and instantly brands all of his work.  Leroy Neiman paintings have a style uniquely their own and his artistic signature has made him one of the most identifiable artists of the twentieth century.

Leroy Neiman is still living today and resides in New York City.  He is still producing original art, and he creates between three and six paintings per year.  Many say he is the most popular living artist in the United Sates.  Leroy Neiman paintings reside museums all over the world and is currently in the process of assembling his archives for the Smithsonian is Washington D.C. 

Yankel Ginzburg- Life of an Artist

Yankel Ginzburg is a world renowned and sought after artist due to both his skill and versatility. His skill in a wide range of mediums including paintings, sculptures, and tapestries has gained him respect from critics, peers, and collectors alike.  Born in Kazakhstan in 1945, he moved to Israel at age 9 where he later developed his passion for painting.  Beginning at a young age, he pursued an education in art and sold his first painting at nineteen. After that time, Yankel Ginzburg traveled back and forth between the United States and Israel to sell his art.  From that point in his career, his popularity continued to grow steadily.  Soon, he began setting up one man shows all over the world.  He has been commissioned by a number of world governments and organizations to produce special works of art in a variety of styles and mediums.  His work is now showcased in museums all over the world and he has grown to become one of the most iconic and respected artists of the twentieth century.

The most collectible of all Yankel Ginzburg art are his paintings.  Since the artist considered himself a painter first who moved into other mediums his paintings have remained some of his most collectible works.  Yankel Ginzburg paintings are famous for their innovation, excellent craftsmanship, and vivid and realistic use of color.  While Yankel Ginzburg paintings and sculptures demonstrate a mastery of classic technique, he also pushes the envelope through his innovative and at times surreal designs, showing three dimensional, intentionally distorted, or partially abstracted images.  This has created a unique signature that all Yankel Ginzburg art shares.  At the same time that Yankel Ginzburg demonstrates immense range through his mastery of varied mediums, he also show great range through his mastery or varied styles.  He can create more lift like works of art along with very abstracted work.  Despite this vast range and variances throughout all of his work, Yankel Ginzburg paintings, sculptures, and tapestries all showcase his unique style and have a signature that is unique to the artist.  Any art collector or critic can easily identify his work through his stylistic hallmarks despite his immense range in style, medium, and technique. 

Yankel Ginzburg art consistently demonstrates a great cultural awareness.  While religious themes played a major role in his early work, he has expanded the social consciousness of his work through his development as an artist. He now emphasizes religion, cultural development, and peace through his art.  Yankel Ginzburg’s famous“Freedom Road” Tapestry which is displayed in the United States Holocaust Museum is a prime example of the artist’s ability to inject social awareness into his art.  He also was the first Israeli artist to have an exhibit in Cairo, Egypt.   Yankel Ginzburg’s social and political passion have influenced his works of art and added to his unique artist’s signature.

Yankel Ginzburg has shown himself to be a unique and multi-talented artist.  Yankel Ginzburg art is extremely popular and collectible due to his great skill and extreme diversity in mediums and techniques. 

Erte- An Iconic Artist

Erte is one of the most iconic artists of the twentieth century.  Born of French heritage in Russia in 1907 under the name Romain de Tirtoff, he later became known by Erte, based off of the French pronunciation of his initials- R.T.  It is believed he went by this pseudonym to avoid disgracing his family.  His family came from a long line of nobility and pursuing a career in art was not considering in line with the family’s reputation at the time.  Despite beginning in a career he one thought would bring shame on his family’s name, eventually Erte’s would go to have a long and successful career, becoming one of the most famous painters, designers, and sculptors of the twentieth century.  Erte bronze sculpture and painting would become among the world’s most collected works of art and he would go on to create a revolutionary and unique style that would forever be tired to his work and represent the artistic preferences of his entire era. 

Today, Erte is most famous for his beautiful fashion designs which launched his artistic career.  Erte began working with Harper’s Bazaar magazine in 1913.  This work would ultimately propel him into one of the most notable fashion designers of his time.  Throughout his carrier, Erte went on to create more than 240 covers for the magazine.  He also designed for other popular fashion magazines including Cosmopolitan and Vogue during the same period.  Erte also created notable fashion designs for famous dancers and Broadway actresses. Erte art is considered a quintessential example of art deco style which he is credited for creating during this time.  This style would go on to define the aesthetic of the entire era.  It would go on to influence the world of art, architecture, and fashion.  His paintings remain popular today for their iconic representation of the era.  Erte paintings of the 1920s and 1930s were famous for his innovative ideas and his flamboyant artistic style.  

Later in his carrier, Erte diversified greatly and became known for a wider range of art that would propel him to greater and more widespread recognition.  In the 1960s, Erte created a series of lithographs and sculptures.  This art was reminiscent of his earlier fashion design work and completed in very much the same style.  Because his new recalled the artistic leanings of the 1920s and 30s, it would later become known as art deco revival since these new Erte paintings and sculptures harkened back to the art deco movement which Erte is crediting for creating.  

Because they are so collectible and unique, Erte bronze sculptures have become extremely collectible.  Their art deco style which they were created in remains iconic and popular today.  Erte bronze sculptures and paintings can be found in some of the world’s most famous museum- including the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. and Victoria and Albert Museum in London.  

Erte had a long and illustrious career, continuing to produce art into his 90s.  His artistic style was so revolutionary that he experienced multiple periods of widespread critical acclaim both during the invention of the art deco style in the 1920s and 1930 and later during the art deco resurgence he created in the 1960s. Erte paintings and bronze sculptures remain extremely popular and collectible today due to their pioneering style.