Census Paints Picture of America's Artists

He had an intuitive grasp of fluid dynamics: study

(NEWSER) - The work of Jackson Pollock has been, and will continue to be, a divisive style of abstract painting inspiring to some and endlessly confusing to others. This might not help the latter camp: A physicist, a mathematician, and an art historian teamed up to analyze Pollack's trademark drips and splatters and found that he was taking advantage of principles of fluid dynamics years before physicists themselves were studying the field, reports Wired . Pollock, for example, experimented with coiling, the way fluids fold into themselves, and purposely sought unique types of paints and mixtures to get the look he wanted. More»

Once-criticized American artist ended up among the greats

(NEWSER) - Cy Twombly, a renowned abstract painter once slammed by critics, has died at 83 in Rome. No cause has been given, though the American artist had cancer, the New York Times reports. Twombly’s work, full of scribbles and scratches, at first earned him harsh words from art critics. But he largely ignored them and kept to himself, and by the 1990s was established as one of the top American abstract painters of the 20th century. More»

Aussie Aelita Andre wows gallery director

(NEWSER) - A 4-year-old girl has just launched her own art exhibit at a Manhattan gallery. Aelita Andre , the daughter of two artists, is "special in that she really knows what she's doing. She understands color, composition, texture," says gallery director Angela Di Bello, who notes she's spotted hints of abstract expressionism as well as surrealism in the little Aussie's art. Aelita's "style" and consistency among her paintings particularly sets her work apart, Di Bello tells the BBC . More»

British artist's exhibit got much hype, but only because he's famous, say critics

(NEWSER) - “Bad boy of British art" Damien Hirst decided to put his headline-grabbing, conceptual art projects aside and return to painting. Critics, however, are not impressed with the exhibition of 25 new paintings, which opened today:

• “There are many painters in evening classes much worse than Hirst,” writes Tom Lubbock in the Independent. “On the other hand, you'd find quite a few who were better, too. To try to be accurate: Hirst, as a painter, is at about the level of a not-very-promising, first-year art student.”

(NEWSER) - The National Endowment for the Arts recently encouraged artists to create works that focus on “health care, energy and environment, safety and security, education, community renewal”—a disturbing step away from the its actual mandate, filmmaker Patrick Courrielche writes for Big Hollywood. “Artists shouldn’t be used as tools of the state to help create a climate amenable to their positions,” he says. More»