All posts by Rosie Lesso

French Fauvist painter André Derain was a true pioneer in early 20th century painting, paving the way for abstraction with his dazzling, experimental use of colour. Vibrant, electrifying shades of crimson like Cherry appeared in many of his most celebrated, early career paintings, transforming the French landscape into fiery fields of electrifying light. He said,…

The French intimist painter Edouard Vuillard made a career out of observing the quietest and most intimate moments of his life, which he painted with soft, warm hues like Mocha Mousse, a subtle beige tinged with hints of dusty rose. Sometimes he highlighted these hues with vivid accents of bright colour, creating a dazzling visual…

While her name is synonymous with daring, abstract flower paintings, the great American 20th century painter Georgia O’Keeffe spent the later years of her life painting the dry, barren and wide-open landscape of New Mexico, a place she came to call home after escaping from the bustling metropolis of New York. The pale, parched pink…

During the artist’s so-called Berkeley years, from 1953-1966, American painter Richard Diebenkorn captured the fresh, invigorating air of California with his own inimitable brand of intuitive brushstrokes and playfully vibrant colour schemes. Throughout these years the oceanic blue of Blue Bonnet Linen was a recurring feature in his art, whether depicting ocean views seen from…

In the eerily quiet world of Andrew Wyeth, warm, rustic shades of brown like Chocolate Linen play a pivotal role, colouring broken tree stumps, shadowy interiors, or mounds of dry, crumbling earth. His barren, haunting paintings captured the raw and honest simplicity of his home town in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, and his summer home in…

Bold, vibrant colours are a defining feature in the art of British abstract painter Sir Howard Hodgkin (1932-2017), a powerful means of conveying his innermost memories and emotions. “Don’t paint the thing itself,” he wrote, “paint the effect it produces.” He often brought dazzling shades of red like Firecracker Red into his paintings, laid liberally…