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Society perpetuates the idea that talent among artists is purely an intrinsic trait – either one has it, or one does not – and everything comes easily for the talented because they were born with their skill. Unfortunately, it follows that with this view of talent, effort is not required to make a work of art, and therefore, as David Bayles and Ted Orland said in their book Art & Fear, “the better the artwork, the easier it would have been to make.” But the truth is, art is hard.

Many favorite 19th century artists at some point in their careers provided illustrations to the then-burgeoning field of publishing. As Modern Art took power over the art establishment in the 20th century, and the old guard fell out of favor, it was the illustrators who upheld the ideals and training of the previous generation of Representational artists.

Candice Bohannon, "Long Valley," oil on mounted linen, 33 x 33 ½ inches. This painting was tragically lost in a gallery fire in NY in 2016.

Which top-level artists are offering classes in your area?

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Once the American painter Charles Courtney Curran (1861-1942) joined the Cragsmoor Art Colony in 1903, he found the theme which would dominate his artwork for the remainder of his life.

With his social commentary, "Parade" (1972), Harvey Dinnerstein sought to emulate the grand allegorical paintings of the Renaissance, but from the viewpoint of a Naturalist.

Vlaho Bukovac, the talented Croatian artist too-little known in the West, offered aspiring artists some of his thoughts on painting, including the quote, "However difficult it is to start a picture, it is still more difficult to stop at the right time."

Julio Reyes' "Long Shadows," (oil on aluminum panel, 13 x 24 in.)

In the 1960s, a gallery tried to give away Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema's painting "The Finding of Moses," but no one wanted it. When the painting was offered by Sotheby's in 2010, it sold for nearly thirty-six million dollars - more than seven times its pre-sale estimate. This made it the current record holder for the sale of a Victorian painting at auction.

Jeremy Lipking, "Shadow Juniper," oil on linen, 20 x 30 in.

Which colors were most popular among late 19th century French artists?

Advice on painting the snowy landscape from American artist, Aldro T. Hibbard.