Art is the Solution

The Changeling Source: Art Institute of Chicago  Swiss artist Henry Fuseli can best be described as a painter of horror. Although his work encompassed a variety of topics, his most memorable pieces touch on the liminal space between ordinary life and the world of supernatural horrors. Fuseli’s art revels in the weird and dramatic, and The Changeling certainly fits that description. The drawing depicts a common piece of European folklore: the changeling. According to legend, a changeling is a fairy child who is left in place of a human infant. The Changeling depicts one such moment of exchange. Here, we can see two women kneeling over a crib containing a fairy child. Their faces betray their horror as they realize that their charge has been abducted. In the background, a fairy can be seen flying out the window with the human child in tow. The entirety of this simple story is rendered in monochrome gray wash and graphite. It is direct and to the point, but powerful. In my opinion, ...

Don Quixote Source: pablopicasso.org The other day I wrote about a painting by Pablo Picasso that I don’t particularly care for, so today I wanted to show you a piece of art by Picasso that I actually do like: Don Quixote . This simple drawing is one of the most iconic images in Picasso’s oeuvre. In fact, I’m sure everyone reading this blog post has seen it before; it’s everywhere! Over the years, this drawing has become one of the quintessential symbols of Spain. It depicts Don Quixote de la Mancha— the eponymous character of Miguel de Cervantes’ famous novel—his horse and squire Sancho Panza. Windmills churn in the background, a reference to Don Quixote’s famous joust with the windmills, which he believed to be giants. Picasso created it for a French magazine, which featured the drawing on their cover in honor of the anniversary of the novel. Picasso was an incredibly prolific artist; in fact, he is estimated to have produced about 50,000 pieces of art during his lifetime. So, wh...

I am Still Learning Source:  Museo Nacional del Prado Today, I want to return to the work of my favorite artist, Francisco Goya. Although Goya’s most famous work is frequently dark and satirical, I want to show you something more positive today. I am Still Learning is a drawing that dates from the end of Goya’s life. It depicts an old man with a bushy beard hobbling along with the help of two canes. Above the drawing is Goya’s caption: Aun Aprendo ( I am Still Learning ). The Museo Prado, which owns the drawing, describes it as “a symbolic self-portrait expressive of the unwavering desire for personal development that led him to continue to set down his new ideas.” Although Goya suffered tremendously during the last years of his life, he was a prolific and creative artist until his death. This was in keeping with the enlightenment ideals that he espoused, which centered around the pursuit of knowledge as a means of improvement. Although there are other, darker interpr...