Dorian Grey? Not in this attic

Note: This is a W.A.R. Post. What is it good for? ….Worth Another Blog) They say women are vain – but when it comes to artists it seems that men never get tired of looking at their own reflection – and painting them.  Van Gogh was one of the most prolific self-portrait artists, (and one of

Happy Birthday Egon Schiele!

Today is the birthday of Austrian Expressionist Egon Schiele (b. 1890 – 1918).  Schiele was a protégé of Gustave Klimt and is also associated with the art nouveau movement.  His expressive use of line indicates his substantial  talent.   Shieles’ figures are often twisted and distorted.  They are sinewy, sexually posed and very often disturbing.  Schiele attended the Vienna School of

Behind the paint ‘A Tale of Two Chairs’

I’ve just put a poem on my other blog Bookstains, using Vincent Van Gogh‘s very famous chair to illustrate it.  A recent (virtual) trip to the Van Gogh Museum (see this post) gave me the opportunity of seeing his paintings up close.  I have seen Van Gogh’s chair before in The National Gallery London –

Another Poetry Challenge!

A lot of people go on to my other blog ‘Bookstains’ looking for something to see.  I’ve been putting my own poetry and book reviews on there and just linking to it.  Now I am going to host my poetry challenges on there too!  The Vincent Van Gogh poetry challenge was a real success and all the entries

But I could have told you Vincent – It’s your Birthday!

Today is the birthday of Vincent Van Gogh.  It’s a pity the man never lived to enjoy his fame.   Much has already been written about him already.  Van Gogh was an enigma, born miles before his time.  I think this is where the idea of the starving artist came from: the tortured soul suffering for his