My Ten Favorite Works of Art

One site that I go to occasionally to get ideas about writing is Daydraming on Paper. Clicking on the "inspire me" button pops up a "Random Inspiration".

I went over there today and got the title of this post.

So, here goes:

Doc's 10 Favorite Works of Art
Note: I am going to respect the copyrights of the artists/owners of these works, but will try to post links so you can see them. Also, these are presented in no particular order.

1. Dale Chihuly: Icicle Creek Chandelier. This amazing outdoor glass "chandelier" has a heated armature, so that when it snows, the piece can be heated to create real icicles. Breathtaking outdoor grand scale piece from the artist who revived the studio glass movement.

2. Claude Monet: San Giorgio Maggiore at Dusk. This is the painting that Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo wrangle over in "The Thomas Crown Affair". I am a total sucker for the Impressionists, and the colors in this painting warms my soul.

3. Vincent van Gogh: Starry Night. The swirling brush strokes and deep blues of this masterwork are mesmerizing.

4. Alexander Calder: Red Lily Pads. This massive mobile is at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. I love all of Calder's mobiles. The kinetic impression you get, even when they are not moving, is wonderful.

5. Auguste Rodin: Le Penseur (The Thinker). This piece was originally imagined as part of a larger work. I love bronzes, especially when displayed outside to let nature take its course.

6. M. C. Escher: Three Spheres II. Not one of the most famous Eschers, but certainly not an obscure one. The mathematical precision of his work is amazing. The shadows and the transparency of the left sphere are amazing.

7. Edward Hopper: Nighthawks. At the Art Institute of Chicago. A modern classic. Very mainstream, but it works for me. I can look at that scene and feel that mood.

8. Giovanni Bellini: Feast of the Gods. Great stories behind this work. Started by Bellini, and at least two other artists (Dosso Dossi and Titian) subsequently worked on this. The first painting I ever studied scientifically. See this site for info about the investigations.

9. Diego Rivera: Detroit Industry. At my hometown museum, the Detroit Institute of Arts. Huge, bold, colorful, intricate.

10. Dominick Labino: Vitrana. To see this piece, click on the link, then mouse over the square above the box labelled "Asian Art". (Check out the others too!) This piece is at my other hometown museum, the Toledo Museum of Art, where I learned to blow glass and appreciate glass art. A huge installation, probably 10-15 feet square. It sums up what fasinates me about glass: the heft, the colors, the texture, and the labor of its creation.