From Whistler to Warhol, Famous Artists Paint Their Mothers, Part One of Two.

In honor of Mother's Day this coming Sunday, I thought I'd share with you several portraits of the female forebearers of various respected and well-known painters. The portraits range from the 15th century to the present* - excluding paintings of The Madonna, arguably the most famous of all mothers.

Most artists, at one time or another, have painted a portrait of the woman from whose womb they sprang. Some are flattering, some are not and others are very personal or intimate -- yet all are an homage to the parent whose role we celebrate this Sunday, May 8th.

There are so many, I'm breaking this up into two posts. Today I am featuring paintings of artists' mothers prior to the 20th century and tomorrow I will be featuring Part Two, more recent homages to Mom by such artists as Hopper, Dali, Hockney, and Warhol.

A good place to start would be with the world's most well-known "Mother" artwork, that of by James McNeill Whistler, painted in 1871:

above: James McNeill Whistler, Whistler's Mother 1871, Musée d'Orsay, Paris

The following portraits are presented in chronological order from the earliest to the most recent. While it's true that many of these artists painted multiple sittings of their mothers (e.g. Lautrec, Cassat, and Cezanne), I chose to share those I found to be the most compelling.

Albrecht Durer, portrait of Barbara Durere, the artist's mother, 1490:

Guido Reni, Portrait of the Artist's Mother, 1612:

Rembrandt, Portrait of the Artist's Mother, 1630:

Sir Thomas Lawrence, Portrait (sketch) of Lucy Lawrence, the Artist's mother, 1797:

Alfred Rethel, portrait of the Artist's Mother, 1836:

Camille Corot, Madame Corot, the Artist's Mother, Born Marie-Francoise Oberson, 1838:

Pierre Renoir, Portrait of the Artist's Mother, 1860:

Paul Cezanne, Portrait of the Artist's Mother, 1866-67:

Mary Cassat, the Artist's Mother reading Le Figaro, 1878:

Edouard Manet, Mother in the garden at Bellevue, 1880:
Georges Seurat, Aquatint of the artist's mother, 1883:

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Countess Adele Zoe de Toulouse Lautrec, The Artist's Mother, 1883:

Vincent Van Gogh, Portrait of the Artist's Mother, October, 1888:

Paul Gauguin, Portrait of Aline Gauguin, 1890:

Pablo Picasso, Portrait of the Artist's Mother, 1896:

Edvard Much, The Dead Mother (the artist's mother died when he was five from tuberculosis), 1899:

*You will note there are very few, if any, portraits artist's mothers in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries because so much art at that time was dominated by religious paintings and portraits commissioned by the wealthy.


PART TWO TOMORROW
Be sure to stop by tomorrow to see Part Two, 20th and 21st century artists like Edward Hopper, Andy Warhol, and David Hockney's portraits of their mothers.

Hyper Realistic Paintings of Vintage Board Games; Tape, Tears and All.

At first glance, these look like vintage board games one might find on ebay, complete with frayed corners and masking tape holding them together. But look a little closer and you'll see that they are the impressive photo realistic paintings of Missouri based artist Tim Liddy.




Using oil paints and enamel Tim recreates nostalgic Parker Brothers and Milton Bradley board games- some of which are no longer made and others that are still family favorites, on copper.

















Tim will take commissions as well. The prices for these works vary from $3,000 to $11,000 + depending upon size.

Tim Liddy

Nostalgia On Canvas. Allan Innman Paints Childhood Toys.

above: Full Metal Jacket, oil on canvas

If toys from your childhood like Mr. Potato Head, plastic Cowboys and Indians, Lego®s, Strawberry Shortcake, Play•Doh and View-Masters take you back, the paintings of Allan Innman will be like a trip down memory lane.


above: Dump Truck, oil on canvas, mounted on board

Rendered in oils and acrylics, Allan paints classic toys from the 70s and 80s in a realism style, capturing their colors and spirit. From Gumby and Pokey to Talking Teddy Ruxpin, his collection of works called "Back In The Day" will have yearning to bring out that Susie Bake Oven or indulge in some paste-eating.

Here are a few of my favorites.

Blue Play Doh:

Turnin' The Corner:

Here's Looking At You Kid (Lego Minifig):

Legos:

Lime Chiffon At Charmkin's Flower Mill:

Cowboys and Indians:

Sunday Afternoon Nap (Teddy Ruxpin)and Pretty Pony:

Tater Head:

The View Master:

Gumby and Pokey:

Assorted Toys:


In the artist's own words:

I was born and raised in Oxford, Mississippi. In May 2006, I graduated with a BFA degree in Graphic Design from The University of Mississippi. I currently work for the University of Mississippi Department of Art as the Visual Resources Specialist maintaining the slide library and digital image library.


above: Allan in his studio

My interest in art extends to all sorts of different mediums. In the past, I have pursued design, printmaking, and painting. My current series of paintings focuses on the idea of evoking nostalgia through childhood toys.

Allan is also an accomplished landscape painter and works in mixed media as well. See all of his work here.