Lucian Freud, noted British artist, dies

Published on July 21, 2011

Lucian Freud, one of Britain's most noted artists, has died at the age of 88.

R.B. Kitaj—an appreciation

By Tom L. Freudenheim
Published on December 27, 2007

R.B. Kitaj -- an appreciation

Life, liberty and the pursuit of beautiful language

By Peter L. Rothholz
Published on December 20, 2007

For most of his 92 years, artist Sam Fink has been obsessed with the pursuit of freedom and the beauty of language. Even though he is a painter, he calls language "the highest form of art, higher even than painting and music."

Schnabel dives into another mind with a visual poem

By Tom Freudenheim
Published on November 29, 2007

I don't recall anyone ever classifying Schnabel as a "Jewish artist" -- even if his mother was a Hadassah president and his father an active member of B'nai B'rith. Unlike the parody of pushy Jewish parents aiming their son at medical school, Schnabel says that his parents encouraged him to do anything he wanted -- which may explain a kind of restlessness as an artist that sometimes feels like a lack of focus, and an oeuvre of uneven quality and interest. But if the result is a work of art as accomplished as Schnabel's latest film, then such antsy-ness is laudable.

Artist-Writer Maira Kalman creates illustrated memoir

By Robert David Jaffee
Published on October 25, 2007

Desperate times forged painter’s creative legacy

By Tom Tugend
Published on April 12, 2007

Charlotte Salomon perished in Auschwitz at the age of 26, but the astonishing legacy she left behind will be celebrated this month in an exhibition and on stage.

MLK Observances; Beethoven @ LACMA; Alpha Dog Rising

By Keren Engelberg
Published on January 11, 2007

Calendar

7 Days in the Arts

By Keren Engelberg
Published on July 26, 2006

7 Days in the Arts

Artists Dream in a Golden Age

By Sarah Price Brown
Published on June 29, 2006

"It's like a temple," the painter says of his artist's studio.

A lonely temple, that is.

"I'm the rabbi and congregation all in one," he says with a laugh.

An Artistic Homage to Big Brother

By Naomi Pfefferman
Published on January 29, 2004

Not many artists begin an ambitious new series at 76, but Arnold Mesches did just that after receiving a large box stuffed with FBI documents in 1999. It had taken the Jewish American painter three years and dozens of letters to obtain the 760-page dossier, his FBI file from 1945 to 1972. The papers -- obtained under the Freedom of Information Act -- chronicle his left-wing activities from the Communist red scare of the 1950s to the Vietnam War era.

7 Days In Arts

Published on October 9, 2003

7 Days In The Arts

Searching for Cohens

By Keren Engelberg
Published on August 29, 2002

When Andrea Kalinowski was a little girl in Montreal, her father had an unusual ritual. Any time the family stopped in a little roadside town, he would find a phone book and search for Cohens. He would inevitably get excited when he found even one, amazed and proud that his people were everywhere.

However, Kalinowski was more skeptical about her connectedness to Judaism. "What really turned me off from Judaism was that it was difficult to be Jewish," she said.

An Artist Suggests ‘New Meaning’

By Charlene Freadman Kahn
Published on May 24, 2001

Art and culture should be a more important priority in the Jewish community agenda, internationally acclaimed painter and printmaker Ruth Weisberg told graduates of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) in her May 14 commencement address at the Los Angeles campus.

Dining With Cannibals

By Naomi Pfefferman
Published on April 12, 2001

The documentary, "Keep the River on Your Right: A Modern Cannibal Tale," began when artist David Shapiro found a box of old books jutting out of a pile of garbage on Avenue B in Manhattan's East Village.

Deconstructing Harry

By Michael Aushenker
Published on January 18, 2001

When Harry Blitzstein decided to open up his Blitzstein Museum of Art (facetiously subtitled "Formerly Moe's Meat Market"), the neighboring merchants on Fairfax Avenue had a unanimous reaction. "They thought I was just kidding," the painter said.

Potent Portraits

By Naomi Pfefferman
Published on September 28, 2000

Jill Poyourow's preoccupation with portraits began amid the savory smell of soup in her grandmother's kitchen. There hung an intriguing photograph of her grandma's grandfather, who had cared for her from infancy after her own mother abandoned her to come to America. The 1910 picture revealed a devout-looking man with a long, flowing white beard, seated with his right hand resting on an open book. In the shadows, Poyourow could barely make out his worn shoes.

Two Artists at One With Nature

By Michael Aushenker
Published on August 24, 2000

Sculptress Harriet Zeitlin and painter Pat Berger share a lot in common. Friends for many decades, both artists have worked for more than 50 years, have had extensive teaching experience, were active in organizations championing artists' rights in the 1970s, lost their husbands in the 1990s. They even own terriers (Pilot and Dori, respectively).

Last Man Painting

By Michael Aushenker
Published on April 27, 2000

A Swedish art critic once coined a term for his style: "psychological realism." As far as Aron knows, "I'm the only psychological realist out there," he says with a laugh. With his art, Aron always intends to "capture their character other than what they're doing."