01 Painting, PORTRAIT OF A LADY, with Footnotes. #74

Jirí Kolár (1914 - 2002)

Four portraits, dated 1969

Oil on canvas

130 x 94 cm

Private collection

Jiří Kolář  (24 September 1914, Protivín – 11 August 2002, Prague) was a Czech poet, writer, painter and translator. His work included both literary and visual art.

Kolář was born in Protivín on September 29, 1914 in a working-class environment. He trained early in life as a cabinet maker. He later changed trades several times, working as a construction worker, security guard, and bartender, among other jobs. In 1943 he became a full-time writer while living and working in Kladno. He moved to the capital Prague in 1945 to work as an editor of the publishing house Družstvo Dílo. Kolář joined the Communist Party in 1945 but left the Party the same year. Because of his critical stance towards the regime he was not allowed to publish after communists took control in Czechoslovakia in 1948. When in 1952 police found his manuscript, Prométheova játra, he was arrested and spent several months in prison. 

Kolář was one of a group of several artists who met and discussed in Café Slavia, both during the period leading up to the Prague Spring when the communist regime grew more permissive, and in the period of normalization after the Prague Spring.

The failure of the Prague Spring in 1968 brought Kolář and his work into disrepute again. In 1970 cerebral apoplexy stiffened his right arm. While on a scholarship to West Berlin, the government decided to force him to emigrate; he was therefore not allowed to return home. From 1980 on he lived in Paris. After 1989 he visited his homeland more and more often. In 1999 Kolář injured his spine and he spent his last years in a Prague hospital. More on Jiří Kolář

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01 Painting, PORTRAIT OF A LADY, with Footnotes. #73

MILTON GREENE (American, 1922-1985)

Marilyn Monroe, from the 'Hooker' Sitting, Los Angeles, 1956

Dye-transfer

13-3/8 x 13-5/8 inches (34.0 x 34.7 cm)

Private collection

Marilyn Monroe, original name Norma Jeane Mortenson, later called Norma Jeane Baker, Jeane sometimes spelled Jean, (born June 1, 1926, Los Angeles, California, U.S.—died August 5, 1962, Los Angeles), American actress who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s.

Her mother was frequently confined in an asylum, and Norma Jeane was reared by 12 successive sets of foster parents and, for a time, in an orphanage. In 1942 she married a fellow worker in an aircraft factory, but they divorced soon after World War II. She became a popular photographer’s model and in 1946 signed a short-term contract with Twentieth Century-Fox, taking as her screen name Marilyn Monroe. After a few brief appearances in movies made by the Fox and Columbia studios, she was again unemployed, and she returned to modeling for photographers. 

In 1950 Monroe played a small uncredited role in The Asphalt Jungle that reaped a mountain of fan mail. An appearance in All About Eve (1950) won her another contract from Fox and much recognition. She advanced to star billing on the strength of her studio-fostered image as a “love goddess.” In 1954 she married baseball star Joe DiMaggio.

Monroe studied with Lee Strasberg at the Actors’ Studio in New York City, and began to emerge as a talented comedian. In 1956 she married playwright Arthur Miller and briefly retired from moviemaking. She won critical acclaim for the first time as a serious actress for Some Like It Hot (1959). Her last role, in The Misfits (1961), was written by Miller, whom she had divorced the year before.

In 1962 Monroe began filming the comedy Something’s Got to Give. However, she was frequently absent from the set because of illnesses In June Monroe was fired from the film. Although she was later rehired, work never resumed. After several months as a virtual recluse, Monroe died from an overdose of sleeping pills in her Los Angeles home. Her death was ruled a “probable suicide,” though conspiracy theories persisted. More on Marilyn Monroe

Milton Greene was born in New York City in 1922. As one of the most celebrated photographers of the past century he began his artistic career at the early age of fourteen. He received a scholarship to Pratt Institute, but he decided to follow his passion for photography instead. Although he was the chosen photographer of Marilyn Monroe, developing repute for celebrity portraiture, Greene began his career in fashion photography. he quickly immersed himself in the art world, assisting various photojournalists and honing his knowledge and creative skillset. By the age of twenty-three, Greene was known as “Color Photography’s Wonder Boy.” 

It was his amiable nature that influenced his mastery of celebrity portraiture, as he had a talent for directing his subjects in a way that evoked their specific qualities and characteristics, enabling him to perfectly capture their natural personas. Consequently, he developed close relationships with his subjects, most famous for which is his friendship with Marilyn Monroe. Greene and Monroe formed their own company in 1956, the Marilyn Monroe Productions, with which they produced The Prince and the Showgirl and Bus Stop. Greene took innumerable photo sessions with her, one of his most famous being the Black Sitting, capturing Monroe unlike any other artist, showing her truly legendary spirt. They held such an endearing friendship that Monroe entrusted Greene with her biography, entitled My Story.

Greene’s artistic career as a most-loved photographer gained him several honors and awards for his work, including ones from the Art Director’s Club of New York and the American Institute of Graphic Arts. Milton Greene passed away in 1985. More on Milton Greene

Please visit my other blogs: Art Collector, Mythology, Marine Art, Portrait of a Lady, The Orientalist, Art of the Nude and The Canals of Venice, Middle East Artists, 365 Saints, 365 Days, and Biblical Icons, also visit my Boards on Pinterest

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01 Paintings, PORTRAIT OF A LADY, with Footnotes. #72

Christian Guémy, aka C215 (b 1973)

Untitled, c. 2014

Spray paint and acrylic on panel

118 x 80 cm - 46 1/2 x 31 1/2 in.

Private collection

Christian Guémy, aka C215, French, b. 1973, is one of the most talented and ubiquitous stencil artists working today. He is known for creating site-specific works that reflect the local community, especially the individuals most often neglected by society. Portraying his subjects with respect and sensitivity, he uses his street practice to draw attention to the marginalized and disempowered. He typically works with a restricted color palette, masterfully manipulating the subtleties of light and shadow to capture details usually lost in stencil work. The distinctive style of his street stencils—known the world over—translates fluidly into gallery pieces that often incorporate found objects to retain their urban aesthetic. Beyond his extensive street practice, C215 has exhibited in numerous international fairs and galleries, including Banksy’s Cans Festival and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Rome. More on Christian Guémy, aka C215

Please visit my other blogs: Art Collector, Mythology, Marine Art, Portrait of a Lady, The Orientalist, Art of the Nude and The Canals of Venice, And visit my Boards on Pinterest

Images are copyright of their respective owners, assignees or others. Some Images may be subject to copyright

I don't own any of these images - credit is always given when due unless it is unknown to me. if I post your images without your permission, please tell me.

I do not sell art, art prints, framed posters or reproductions. Ads are shown only to compensate the hosting expenses.

If you enjoyed this post, please share with friends and family.

Thank you for visiting my blog and also for liking its posts and pages.