Art Kaleidoscope

Self-portrait with owl. 1911. Dutch painter Jan Mankes

Dutch painter Jan Mankes(15 August 1889 – 23 April 1920, Eerbeek)
For his short life (he died of tuberculosis at the age of 30) Mankes has created a priceless collection of 200 paintings, 100 drawings and 50 prints. Jan Mankes led a quiet life in a self-chosen isolation in De Knipe, Friesland, far from the cultural capitals of Europe. The talented artist had a reputation as an ascetic. His paintings included self-portraits, landscapes, flora and fauna studies. Artworks of Mankes are mostly exhibited in the Scheringa Museum of Realism, the Museum of Modern Art Arnhem and Museum Belvedere Heerenveen, in his native Netherlands.
Born into the family of tax inspector, he went to high school in Meppel in 1902, but in 1903 his father received a new assignment, and the family moved to Delft. In 1904 Mankes studiesd at artist Jan Schouten’s workshop in Delft. In his spare time he learned the art of stained glass at Hermanus Veldhuis’ (1878-1954) workshop, and serves as an assistant in his work. There is evidence that Mankes participated in the restoration of stained glass in St. John’s Church in Gouda.
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Flower composition. Metal art by Junko Mori

Metal art by Junko Mori resembles delicate glass creations in the Art Nouveau style. Japanese artist Junko Mori was born in Yokohama, Japan in 1974. She graduated from the University of Arts in Tokyo in 1997 and defended her bachelor’s degree in three-dimensional design. Mori then worked as a welder at the plant for one year. From 1998 to 2000 she studied at the Camberwell College of Art in London, where she received her second bachelor’s degree.
The artist’s statement – “The uncontrollable beauty is the core of my concept”. The assembling of forged and cast metal is the key to Junko Mori’s work, whether mild steel or almost pure silver. Her observations of tree and plant matter are the driving force behind many of her sculptures which vary in scale from small objects in precious metal through to fairly massive welded steel works of art.
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Portrait of William III of England, aged 10, in a flower garland decorated with symbols of the House of Orange. Musée des Beaux-Arts, Lyon. Dutch painter Jan Davidszoon de Heem

Dutch painter Jan Davidszoon de Heem
Representative of Dutch and Flemish Baroque painting, Jan Davidszoon de Heem (b. 1606, Utrecht, d. 1684, Antwerpen) studied first under his father David de Heem the Elder (1570–1631). Also, under Balthasar van der Ast. Considered one of the greatest painters of his time, he was well paid and a portrait of Prince William III surrounded by a cartouche of flowers and fruit was sold for 2000 guilders. Noteworthy, it was one of the highest prices ever paid for a painting during the Dutch Golden Age.
His sons worked together with him in his workshop on the commissions for new paintings. He retouched their work and put his signature on the paintings.
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Glass bottles filled with unique Sandpainting by Andrew Clemens (January 29, 1857 – May 14, 1894)

Sandpainting by Andrew Clemens and John Adams
Sold for $5–7 in the 19th century, their paintings now reach 40-50 thousand dollars at auctions. Iowa sand artists Andrew Clemens and John Adams, became famous for their unique sandpainting. To create such painting the artists inserted the presorted grains of sand into small glass drug bottles using a homemade tools formed out of hickory sticks and florists wire. John Adams was a railroad man, who lived just upriver from and became familiar with Clemens. Unlike Clemens, he attempted complex landscapes.
Andrew Clemens was born in Dubuque, Iowa, on January 29, 1857. At a young age Andrew suffered encephalitis which caused his lifelong deafness. He attended the Iowa State School for the Deaf and Dumb. Clemens would collect naturally colored grains of sand at Pictured Rocks, where sandstone was naturally colored by iron and mineral staining. Clemens separated the sand grains into piles, by color, and used them to form the basis for his art.
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Japanese motif. Painting by Mongolian artist Zayasaikhan Sambuu (Zaya)

Mongolian artist Zayasaikhan Sambuu
Born in a small town of Baatsagaan (Southern Mongolia) in 1975, Sambuu is a talented young artist. In the teenage years Zaya, inspired by portraits of Buddhist gods, as well as freedom of religion, deepened into Buddhism. Aged 15, he decided to become a monk. However, after studying Tibetan religious texts for two years, he realized that art attracts him more than religion. As a result, aged 17, Zaya entered the Soyol Fine Art College in Ulan Bator. After graduating from college, he went on to study at the Mongolian State University of Culture and Arts, from which he graduated in 2002.
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Blonde girl. Gold leaf oil painting by Brad Kunkle, American artist

Gold leaf oil painting by Brad Kunkle
Born in Lehighton, Pennsylvania in 1978, talented American artist Kunkle has a BFA in painting from Kutztown University. As an artist living and working in New York City, Brad Kunkle creates extraordinary paintings using oils in combination with gold and silver leaf. The result is simply stunning, described as a dreamy photo-realistic. These paintings are embellished with genuine gold and silver leaf, which reflects light in a room differently than paint. Therefore, they can appear contrastive and unique when the point of view or source of light has changed. You can currently see some of Kunkle’s newest works on his website.
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Papel Picado work by Mexican self-taught artist Margarita Fick. Incredible art of papercutting

Incredible art of papercutting
Undoubtedly, the first who cut paper were the Chinese, just because they invented paper. The art of paper cutting later spread to other parts and regions of the world influenced by their own cultural styles.
Meanwhile, all the beautiful paper cut works of art featured in this post belong to different contemporary authors. In particular, talented and skillful artists Aoyama Hina (Japan), Bovey Lee (China), Elisabeth Bottesi – Fisch (Switzerland), Hunter Stabler (USA), Karen Bit Vejle (Norway), Tomoko Shioyasu (Japan), Ueli Hofer (Switzerland) and many others. I hope they can conquer your hearts the same as they conquered mine.
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