Artists Take A Seat: Paintings Of Chairs by 5 Different Artists.

The subject of 'chairs' for painters is clearly a popular one. Be them industrial, traditional, mid-century modern or ethereal, they dominate many a painters' canvas.

Going back to such masters as Sargent, Van Gogh and Matisse as well as contemporary masters like David Hockney, the 'chair' has been a constant source of study.


Above: Chair by William Singer Sargent


Above: Chair With Peaches (or Lorain Chair), Henri Matisse


Above: Van Gogh's ubiquitous chair


Above: David Hockney's Chair painting

There are so many talented contemporary artists who paint chairs as subjects, it was hard to choose whose work to share with you.

For this particular post, I've showcased some prolific contemporary realists and their chair paintings.

Like the previous post on swimming pools, I love the the fact that these chairs are not occupied by people. It makes the actual chair the figure in the painting, personifying it in such a manner that a human presence would only fight with the content.

I hope you enjoy the following works by Ada Sadler, Karen Hollingsworth, James Shilaimon, Christopher Stott and Matt Condron.


Ada Sadler
Some of Ada Sadler's beautifully rendered work:









Karen Hollingsworth
Karen Hollingsworth's elegant, ethereal and lonely chairs:










Above: Karen Hollingsworth

James Shilaimon
Below are some of James Shilaimon's breezy and inviting chair paintings:













Christopher Stott
The technically superb work of Christopher Stott:















Above: Christopher Stott

Matt Condron
And lastly, Matt Condron's work, evocative of middle America's waiting rooms, bus terminals and laundromats:
















Have a thing for chairs? Then these may interest you:


Above: Tashen's book on Chairs
Buy it here.


Above: Vitra's Chair Poster

Buy the Vitra Chair Poster here.

Vitra's Miniature Chair Collection. All available designs can be bought by clicking the link below:
Available for purchase here.

JC Penney's "Heart", a commercial earning much deserved praise

Given that I have been in advertising for over 20 years I am always reluctant to include any form of it on my blog --call it a reluctance to mix business with pleasure.

Nevertheless, I cannot ignore this charming, beautifully produced, strategically sound spot by Saatchi & Saatchi NY for JC Penney named "Heart". Every time it airs, I find myself in rapt attention at the well-cast leads, the inventive effects and the universal appeal of the subject matter.

Clearly, I am not alone since it has been repeatedly tagged a 'favorite'on you tube many times along with 'making of' videos, etc.

Please enjoy:

The Commercial (:60 second cut)

i

The making of:



Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi, NY
copywriter: Craig Love
art director: Shayne Millington,
agency producer: Zamile Vilakaz
Director: Dougal Wilson
Creative Directors: Kerry Kennan and Michael Long

Levis Taps Damien Hirst For New Warhol Factory X Jeans

Levi Strauss & Co. is ready to unveil their latest work of wearable art: the first image of Damien Hirst's jeans for Levi's. The Tate Gallery Turner Prize-winning British artist Damien Hirst of the formaldehyde-preserved animals and diamond-encrusted skull designed a collection as part of The Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, known as Warhol Factory X Levi's Damien Hirst.

"From Damien Hirst, to Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat, among countless others, each of these spirited luminaries wore the Original 501 jean as the ultimate "blank canvas" for self-expression and individuality, said Levi's vice president of marketing, Robert Cameron. "In celebration of this, we are both thrilled and honored for our continued partnership with the The Andy Warhol Foundation and to have a creative leader such as Damien Hirst bring his unique perspective to our iconic 501 jean."




The jeans will be unveiled during New York's Spring 2008 Fashion Week at a runway show at the Gagosian gallery in Chelsea and the line will arrive in stores in January as part of the 2008 season and will feature both men's and women's selections. And it looks like life really does imitate art: Hirst's black jeans get an evening-appropriate boost from the mini rhinestone skull embellishment adorning them.

Damien Hirst -


Hirst, whose artwork includes an actual human skull studded with diamonds, will be lending his talents to Levi Strauss. The artist will be working with the denim giant on 2008 collection of the San Francisco company's Warhol Factory X Levi's label.

Hirst is best known for his Natural History series, where he preserves dead animals in formaldehyde and presents them as art.

Launched in 2006, the Warhol Factory X Levi's label paid tribute to the pop-culture art made famous by the late American artist Andy Warhol. Priced between $190-$250 for jeans and $80-$300 for tops, the said collection is only available at such high-end stores as Barneys New York, Fred Segal and American Rag.



Update: since this post, there have been developments with the Warhol factory X Levi's products, including a store and a limited edition book, read all about it over at notcot.org.