George Inness is something of an enigma in the history of American art. His contemporaries characterized him—unlike any other nineteenth-century American painter—as “both a poet and a philosopher…who spoke through […]
Katherine Anne Paul
An Original Maker: S.L. Jones
This image of two musicians was created by Shields Landon “S.L.” Jones, an artist from West Virginia. Jones, who was born in 1901, grew up in the rural Southern Appalachians […]
Painting on Stone
This painting shows the birth of Jesus as recounted in the Bible and is a wonderful, small work of art. Let’s focus first on the frame: the scene is surrounded […]
Spotlight on the Collection: July 2018
We know girls are running the world, but who saves it in times of distress? The Hindu goddess Durga, that’s who!
Durga
“Who runs the world? Girls!” Those wise and catchy words from Queen Bae confirm what most of us already know– women are mighty. We know girls are running the world, […]
A Gift Between Friends
At the BMA, Joan Mitchell is best known for her large oil on canvas triptych, Bonjour Julie, but the smaller, more intimate painting currently hanging in the American galleries is also worth getting to know.
The Qilin
In Chinese mythology, the Qilin appears only at the impending arrival or passing of a sage or a great ruler. The animal is a good omen thought to predict prosperity and peace.
Spotlight on the Collection: December 2017
This storage basket is compelling not just for its beautiful design and precise craftsmanship, but because of the artist herself and the context of her life and work.
Spotlight on the Collection: November 2017
This sculpture is featured in the Museum’s current exhibition, Afterlife: Asian Art from the Weldon Collection.
Spotlight on the Collection: October 2017
Georgia O’Keeffe was preoccupied by painting apples in the early 1920s. She painted red and green apples on plates, tables, and fields of color. While some of these images study […]
Spotlight on the Collection: July 2017
Jars decorated with cut out panels filled with landscape pictures are some of the most charming wares of the Joseon period (1392-1910). Court painters were sent to the official kilns […]
Spotlight on the Collection: June 2017
During the 1730s and 1740s, Meissen introduced a series of porcelain figures based on characters of the Commedia dell’arte, a type of traveling theater that originated in Italy. The Commedia […]