Renoir, Monet, Manet, and Pissaro, are among the greatest artists of all time. Known as Impressionist painters, their art was and remains one of a kind.

The art of Impressionism immersed during the late 1800s in France. It is the style in which an artist will paint an image from a glimpse or a quick glance. Impressionism can be explained as either a subject matter or the painting technique. Landscapes and scenery were painted in bright, pure colors were typical. Impressionists often painted their paintings outdoors rather indoors in a studio. With obvious rapid brushstrokes often visible, the paintings made an impression, hence the "Impressionism" period.

Some of the greatest Impressionist artists were Claude Monet, Edouard Manet, Camille Pissaro, Alfred Sistley, Berthe Morisot and Pierre Auguste Renoir from France where this style evolved.

Claude Monet enjoyed painting landscapes in subtle colors, whereas Edouard Manet fancied common objects, not scenery. Alfred Sisley liked to paint river scenes and the countryside, but Berthe Morisot enjoyed painting common women doing chores. However, a pioneer in the style, Pierre A. Renoir loved to paint the feminine beauty and women in the nude.

Of all the greats, Monet and Renoir were probably the best known. Monet has always been considered the founding father of the impressionist style. He was known as the most prolific in the genre. Renoir's impressionist nudes were his signature images with details that were suggested in brushed color, allowing the subject to blend with the surroundings as opposed to the vibrant crisp modern art of today.

One of Monet's most famous paintings and my personal favorites is the Water Lily Pond from 1899. The blues and purple blend beautifully in the greens making this a picturesque painting.

Renoir's is best known for the Bathers of 1887, of three nude women bathing in beautiful scenery, and the Umbrellas, from 1883, showing the faces of three simple women in a crowded street on a rainy day. Both simple paintings, but each made a bold statement.

To see some examples of Impressionism art, visit us at http://www.fulcrumgallery.com/c7769/impressionism.htm. 

If you want your home to have a modern appeal with bold prints and intriguing patterns, you should be looking to all the new styles and colors available in abstract art. Whether your home is completely contemporary or has traditional accents, abstract art will definitely bring a splash of color to your living room, bathroom, bedroom, and kitchen. Consider these tips when you are planning to hang up abstract prints.

Make it Match Your Room

Your abstract piece should definitely match up to the styling of whichever room you decide to hang it in. If you have bright room, bring out its colors even more by hanging up an abstract art bursting with a variety of hues. Landscape No. 21 by Arthur Bernard mixes blue, white, red, and orange to create an interesting dreamy style, perfect for a light colored room. If you have a neutral toned room, you can spruce it up with a simple one or two colored abstract art, making it the focal point.

Create a Mini Gallery

If you have a large boring wall that you want to give personality, make an abstract art gallery. Have a big painting at the center of your gallery and hang up smaller art pieces around it. This will drawn in your guest’s eyes and definitely will garner many compliments. You can creatively do this by purchasing a photo collage frame that lives up to the abstract style.

Proportionate to Room

The size of your paintings should be proportionate to the space in the room. If the room is small, get medium sized to small prints to fill up an empty space. 8x20 pieces are the perfect selection for a guest room or bathroom. If the art is for the living room and you have plenty of space above the mantel, a 26x36 is an adequate size.

If you would love to fill up your home with a touch of modernism, check out our abstract art. We have a wide range of abstract circles, modern floral graphics and pop art to fulfill your artistic needs.

What better to add color to your home than the work of an artist known for his masterful use of color? We're speaking, of course, of Henri Matisse.

Born the oldest son of a wealthy grain merchant, Henri began his career not on in art, but rather in Paris studying law and working as a court administrator. Hardly the stuff of creativity! However, strange as it may seem, it was a bout of appendicitis that changed the course of his life and the history of art.

Recovering in the hospital in 1889, his mother brought him a box of art supplies, advising him to listen to his emotions rather than follow the "rules" of art. He later said, 

“From the moment I held the box of colors in my hands, I knew this was my life. I threw myself into it like a beast that plunges towards the thing it loves.”

Although his father was severely disappointed, nothing could prevent him from going after the "kind of paradise" that he had discovered in the ability to create art. And so he returned to Paris, this time to study art, immersing himself in the work of others, even going into debt purchasing the work of those he admired.

Whether being entranced by the exotic colors of the abstract La Danseuse Creole or feeling the exhilarating freedom of Dance, the work of Henri Matisse is sure to fill you with the same love of colors and feeling of having found paradise that the artist himself felt.

Themed areas and rooms are the perfect way to show off your own personal sense of style and innovation. From a nautical theme to a safari theme; one of the best ways to create a themed decor idea is with scenic photography.

For instance, a nautical theme consists of many ideas such as beach photography, boats and oceans. A colorful fine art print of a pristine beach sets the mood and you can add decorations that fit in with this theme such as seashells, anchors and boats. Add a pastel painted wall in blue or green to complete the look or you can choose white walls and add in black and white photography that sets a more subdued mood.

For a safari themed room, animals prints are perfect for your bedding and the look won't be complete without animal photography such as the colorful African Elephants Sparring or the stunning black and white Amboseli Elephants by Jorge Llovet.

For a game room or den, you may enjoy a vintage look and vintage photography looks are an addition that adds to your theme. You can choose from sports prints, celebrities or timeless shots such as Kissing the War Goodbye, VJ Day, Times Square, August 14, 1945. For this look, photography in black and white or sephia work best to create the right mood but the choice is yours.

No matter what type of theme you choose, it won't be complete without the perfect wall hanging to complete your design. You can be as bold as you like or as subtle; you'll always find scenic photography that blends in perfectly with your aesthetic.

Perhaps you can feel it in the air—or see it in the strong spring winds making the trees dance outside your window. Spring is not far away. Soon it will be warm enough to open your windows to let in all that fresh spring air—and perhaps contemplate that dreaded spring cleaning.

With all the freshness in the air, why not freshen up one or more rooms of your home with some fresh spring art? We think that landscapes are perfect for spring, as they connects us with that enticing outdoor spring weather. Here are some ideas for bringing the outdoors in with our extensive collection of landscape art.

• Take a virtual stroll in one of our spring landscapes. There are literally dozens to choose from, ranging from the traditional Springtime Valley to the more unusual desert scene of Superstition Sunset in March.
• Hang a traditional spring landscape in your home to evoke that classical feeling in your most elegant room. We have many to choose from, ranging from Monet and Van Gogh to Diane Romanello and many more.
• Take yourself outdoors with a virtual picnic. In our Spring Landscapes collection you will find many pictorial picnics, including a picnic by the sea, a picnic beside a river, and a picnic in a park, all waiting to inspire you to create a spring picnic of your own.
• Or perhaps you wish to take yourself a bit further away, with a landscape evoking your favorite escape from spring allergies. We have lots of beautiful beach and tropical landscapes to choose from.
• In the same way that spring can be coy and teasing, here one day and buried back under winter the next, you might choose one of our more abstract landscapes, that suggests spring without being so obvious about it. We suggest giving Still Waters or Ambergris a try.

Whatever your favorite style or topic, our landscape art is sure to inspire you, so take some time to enjoy wandering through our spring landscapes!

Everyone's heard of him, and everyone wants one of his masterpieces. Pablo Picasso is the most famous artists of the twentieth century. Born and baptized as Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Martyr Patricio Clito Ruíz y Picasso, he was better known as Picasso. Picasso was known for his creations of Century Art.

He made a name for himself very early on in his life. Born in 1881, Picasso started painting before the age of ten. His talent was rare and pure. He had numerous masterpieces, as early as 1901 to the 1950s.

One of my favorite of his pieces, is the Blue Nude. It compliments any room in your home. It was one of his earlier pieces, painted in the early 1900s after the tragic death of a good friend, Casagemas. As a way of mourning, this was one of the paintings during what they called his Blue period. Looking at the paitning, you realize the depth of his pain, the rawness of this mourning, and his talent with the use and shading of only one color - blue.

Folllowing his Blue period, he has a Rose period, during which he painted with more colorful tones like orange and pink, quite the opposite to the cool blues from his previous Blue period.

Picasso once said, "Colors, like features, follow the changes of the emotions.” This rang true with his paintings.

To view more of Pablo Picasso's works of art from the Blue or Rose period, or any other masterpieces of his lifetime, visit us at www.fulcrumgallery.com.

Which piece and from what period is your favorite?

Happy Birthday, Michelangelo! As sculptor, painter, architect, poet and engineer, Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, (6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564) stands as the archetype of the Renaissance genius, with a talent that transcends time and continues to influence and inspire contemporary artists. In May of 1508, Michelangelo accepted a commission from Pope Julius II to paint the Vatican's Sistine Chapel ceiling. Using the centuries-old technique of fresco, Michelangelo worked at a feverish pace under exceptionally adverse conditions. Completed four years later in 1512, the ceiling marked the summit of the artist's career as a painter and sealed his reputation as the greatest painter of the High Renaissance.

"The Creation of Adam" is perhaps the most enduring of Michelangelo's paintings. Almost five centuries later this image remains prevalent and is still being used in adverting and on posters and T-shirts. This is particularly true of the detail that shows the two hands as they reach towards each other, tantalizingly close, almost touching. The panel illustrates the moment when life is instilled in Abam by God. Michelangelo has placed the central focus upon the hands of Zgod and of Adam, not just by the placement of the figures, but also by the two outstretched arms. Adam, who is only half-sitting up against the mountainside, seems weak and lanquid, with his arm resting upon one bent knee as if it is too heavy for him to hold up without some support. The hand is limp, the fingers are drooping as if they are without energy, awaiting the vital spark of life. 

FulcrumGallery.com is happy to introduce the art of new artist Veruca Salt to you this week!

 The artist puts her own spin on bus roll destinations within the US and around the world, and offers other various topics in the same bus roll style.   The Wine List Series is quickly becoming one of our most talked about artwork lines for the new year, and Veruca has just started on a series of foreign language images including the themes of Peace and Love, with more on the way soon!

 Veruca Salt’s word art is available in the traditional bus roll style, and square formats to complement rooms of any size or style.  These pieces look great framed, but in our opinion, canvas is the way to go to really show this art off in style.  With our gallery wrap option, the background image will wrap around the sides of the piece, with the text always staying featured on the front.  You can see that Veruca has designed some of these pieces with that in mind and the colored border shown on some pieces will wrap around the sides for a great painted effect.  You can also order any piece with black or white sides.  Use the “See It Framed” or “See It on Canvas” buttons to see all of the options available, and you can always give us a call at 800-644-1278 if you have any questions on how to best customize your piece.

Be sure to check our website for regular updates and additions to this great new line at http://fulcrumgallery.com.  And if you have any suggestion or requests for future word art pieces from this artist, please don’t hesitate to ask us at support@fulcrumgallery.com.