Artist Names: Dutch Golden Age

Hallo, lezers!

Today's post is another installment in Artist Names, this time focusing on the Dutch Golden Age! In the seventeenth century, the Dutch Republic (now more or less the Netherlands) had entered a time of prosperity, leading to increases in cultural wealth. Artists and artisans flourished during this time, and some of the most iconic paintings were created during this century.

Again, there are a lot of old white men listed, and one white woman. Tell me what other eras, places, and people you'd like me to focus on for this series!

Pieter Claesz
A painter of still lifes, Pieter Claesz focused on portrayed light and texture in the most realistic way possible. Reflections and symbols are also a large part of his work - he followed the ideals of the Vanitas movement, which sought to remind the wealthy Dutch people that material prosperity could not compare to spiritual riches. The name Pieter is the Dutch form of Peter, from the Greek meaning "rock". Pieter is in the top 100 names in the Netherlands, and could be a cool ancestral honorific. Otherwise, the spelling might confuse native English speakers.

Aelbert Jacobsz Cuyp
Coming from a family of artists, Aelbert Cuyp was a leading painter in Dutch landscapes. He also focused on illustrating light, but sought to portray natural exterior light rather than interior light. Interestingly, his involvement with the Calvinist Church seems to have halted his career: the superficiality of art was not a spiritual ideal. Aelbert and Jacobsz are the Dutch cognates of Albert and Jacob. Jacob is obviously popular in the US, but Albert has also been trending up recently due to the retro trends and its many namesakes!

Carel Pietersz Fabritius
A pupil of Rembrandt, Carel Fabritius developed a lighter, more unique style than many of his colleagues before his untimely death in a neighborhood explosion. Only a handful of his paintings survived. One such painting (The Goldfinch, above) gained publicity recently when a fictional book about the painting topped the bestseller list in 2013 (it's excellent and I highly recommend it). The name Carel is a variation of Charles, and sounds a bit like the feminine Carol. However, I think Carel, nickname Cary, could be a nice alternative to Cory or Charlie!

Judith Jans Leyster
One of the few notable female names that survived history, Judith Leyster was known for her upbeat portrait paintings. Her work was ascribed to male artist Frans Hals for years until proven hers. She was greatly involved in the artist community during her life, and collaborated with many. The name Judith, after declining for decades, has recently begun to rise again. The name means "woman from Judea", and is mentioned in the Bible and Torah. The nickname Jude is a nice upgrade from dated Judy, and could be perfect for a strong little one!

Rembrandt van Rijn
Arguably the most important artist in Dutch history, Rembrandt van Rijn is well-known today for his paintings and etchings. Rembrandt himself identified his goal to produce "the greatest and most natural movement" on canvas, and his many landscapes, portraits, and etchings show his desire for naturalism. While the name Rembrandt is pretty much only associated with the artist, there were 5 Rembrandt's born in the US in 2011, and 10 born in 2013. I think the name would make an excellent middle name - as a first it would be heck to live up to!

Johannes Vermeer
Famous for Girl with a Pearl Earring, Johannes Vermeer was not much of a success during his lifetime. He made few paintings and little money - only recently has much of his life and work come to light. Vermeer focused on domestic interior scenes, which makes sense, being that he had an extensive family - his ten children were named Maertge, Elisabeth, Cornelia, Aleydis, Beatrix, Johannes, Gertruyd, Franciscus, Catharina, and Ignatius. The name Johannes lives on in the US through John, and I personally think the names of his children are more unusual and interesting!

Tell me your favorite names in the comments!

Artist Names: Abstract Expressionism

Hello, readers!

On this lovely Friday, we have our next installment of the Artist Names series! Click the link for past posts on some of my favorite artists. Today we'll be focusing on relatively the same era as Pop Art, but a different style entirely - Abstract Expressionism!

My favorite Rothko, "No. 14, 1960", currently at the SFMOMA!

Emphasizing the process over the result, abstract expressionism sought to illustrate the inner mind of the artist, and of man itself. Rejecting conventional forms and subjects, their art was radical and innovative for its time. Today, many abstract expressionist paintings are denigrated - "my kid could do that!" - but the ideas, training, and work behind the canvas prove historically important. 

*Disclaimer - a lot of old white guys (and one white woman) below! *

Mark Rothko (Markus Yakovlevich Rotkovich)
Known for his striking, vibrant canvases, Mark Rothko sought to express grandiose ideas of feeling, philosophy and mythology through his use of color. He was known as a revolutionary, politically and artistically, and his art continues to make waves today. Mark, of course, was a majorly popular name throughout the twentieth century, but in this age of uniqueness, I think Rothko could be a contender. The origin meaning seems to be "red", but any more definitive data would be welcome! Rothko fits in with the ends-in-O trend, and sounds quite a bit like rising star Rosco.

Jackson Pollock (Paul Jackson Pollock)
One of the most famous artists of the Abstract Expressionists, Jackson Pollock today is known for the style of drip painting, or splattering rather than swiping paint across a canvas. His desire to show action, emotion, and especially aggression, comes out in frenzied lines and curves of color. The name Jackson today is at #17 in the US - hardly a new choice - but could be an accessible way to honor the influential artist. Being that his last name sounds a bit like a slur, I'd avoid putting Pollock on a birth certificate.

Willem de Kooning
Combining multiple styles of painting into a radical individualized style, Willem de Kooning was known for his abstract works and portraits of women, created throughout his career. His art focused very much on movement and process, often leaving the finished product with an unfinished feel. As for his name: de Kooning might be a bit strong on paper, but I think Willem is an excellent choice. It's close enough to William or Liam to fit in, but definitely stands on its own. Many people today will recognize it through actor Willem Dafoe.

Arshile Gorky (Vostanik Manoug Adoian)
Arshile Gorky was a major founder of the Abstract Expressionist movement, and excelled in conveying the emotional context of his art. A survivor of the Armenian genocide, an immigrant to the US in the 1940's, an avant-garde artist: his experiences were captured and illuminated in his paintings. He picked his name to sound like a Georgian noble - I haven't been able to find any background on Arshile or Archil - and both his chosen name and his birth name might have issues in translating to the US. His daughters are Maro and Natasha, both excellent choices.

Lee Krasner (Lena "Lenore" Krassner)
One of the few women prominent in this movement, Lee Krasner's oeuvre varied greatly in style throughout her life. She took inspiration from all kinds of artists and artistic movements, working extensively in collage, painting, and drawing. She is one of only four women to have had a retrospective at the MOMA (as of 2008). Born Lena, a name that's recently been trending up, she was also known as Lenore or Lee during her life. I think that after years of Ashley, Hailey, and Emily, going back to the basics of Lee would be unique and innovative.

What are your favorites? Any artists I'm missing? Tell me in the comments!

Artist Names: Pop Artists

Hello, readers!

I'm continuing my series on Artist Names - click the link for past posts - and today we'll be looking at another one of my favorite periods, Pop Art!

Pop art came out of the increasing materialism and industrialization in the 1950's and 1960's in postwar Europe and the United States. Faced with the rise of graphic design and advertising, artists asked the question, "what is art?" This style of art ranged from paintings to collages to sculpture, with no singular style winning out; this wide variety of aesthetics is part of the reason I like the period so much! And while I myself am an Andy Warhol junkie, I'll be trying to include a few different artists of the era. 

*Disclaimer - as in the rest of lauded Western art history, there is a disproportionate amount of old white men below. Just warning you.*

Andy Warhol (Andrew Warhola)

Arguably the most well known artist on this list, Andy Warhol was known for both his art and avant-garde lifestyle (I've read three books on him, and each is more surprising than the last). His Campbell's Soup Cans and colorful Marilyn's are recognized today - UniQlo recently came out with a clothing line based on his work. As for his name - while I generally prefer the longer versions of names with nickname options, I think Andy works well on its own. And any little one would be happy to share the moniker with Andy from Toy Story! Warhol, on the other hand, is a bit too aggressive for a first name, so if you must use it, keep it in the middle. 

Jasper Johns

I've reviewed the name Jasper before, but it's nice to look at it through a new lens. Artist Jasper Johns is known for his colorful prints and paintings, especially Three Flags, 1958. Like Warhol, he used popular iconography of the time, but turned it on its head, making the viewer think about the icon itself. The name Jasper is currently at #218, and trending upwards quickly. I think it's a great alternative to overused Jason and ghost-themed Casper. The name means "bringer of treasure" - not a bad definition for an artist!

David Hockney

Having attended David Hockney's retrospective at the deYoung Museum in San Francisco a few years back, his art is fresh in my mind: bright colors, intense portraits, and striking landscapes. He began with painting, but now makes art on his iPad (Google some of his work!) David, of course, is a classic name with a long history. Hockney, however, doesn't have an established presence in naming - yet. It's similarities to Henry, Hadley, or Harvey make it a sound worth pursuing, and it feels positively English. It also has never made a recorded list, so it's very unique as a first name!

Roy Fox Lichtenstein 

Famous for his larger than life comic-style paintings, Lichtenstein also worked with the idea of pop art as parody, transforming popular images into fine art for audiences. His style is prominent today in clothing, copycat art, and design - and some great Halloween costumes come from his paintings! I'll put aside the classic Roy and difficult Lichtenstein in favor of his middle name - Fox. Fox has been growing in popularity since 1995 - there were 163 boy and 7 girl Fox's born in 2014. I suspect it's also used as a middle name more often. I personally love the name for its associations with Fox Mulder of The X-Files, and it fits in with nature name trends. 

Wayne Thiebaud

Thiebaud's vibrant paintings of gumball machines, hot dogs, and even Superman, catch every viewer's eye - my favorites of his are housed at the de Young Museum and SFMOMA in San Francisco. Another artist of mass culture, his works feel less overt with their subjects, and more interested in engaging audiences. Now, onto his name - Wayne is still too mid-century to return (and on a more personal note, there's an unscientific study relating the name to criminal propensity). Thiebaud, however, is related to the Shakespearean Tybalt - a definite possibility. It means "from bold people", and has the cute nickname Ty. Other variants allow for the nickname Theo!

What do you think of these names? Tell me in the comments!

Artist Names: Post-Impressionists

Salut, mes lecteurs!

Allow me once again to indulge myself in the names of (primarily European) artists! If you're interested in more of the series, check out Impressionist Names and Italian Renaissance Names.

Today we'll be looking at the Post-Impressionists!

This style emerged as a reaction to Impressionism - while the Impressionists pioneered "natural" light and painting from life, the Post-Impressionists chose to pursue "art for art's sake" and experiment with color, painting styles, abstraction, and distortion. Disclaimer - a lot of my personal favorite artists are in this category, so be ready for some overexcited adulation.

Paul Cézanne
Considered the link between the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists, Paul Cézanne was incredibly influential to later artists and was arguably the father of Cubism. His paintings play with form and perspective, distorting their subjects in the name of visibility. As for his name - Paul is a common, established English choice already. Cézanne, on the other hand, is a hardly-used possibility; the two-syllable sound and -an ending make it accessible, but it's less pretentious than Picasso or Matisse. The last time it was recorded by the SSA was in 2000 - 7 girls were named Cézanne that year.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec-Monfa)
One of my absolute favorite artists, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec made a name for himself by painting the beautiful underworld of Paris' Montmartre neighborhood. Prostitutes, dancers, famous Parisians and other artists provided the content for his work, and his posters for the Moulin Rouge are still popular today. While the equivalent Henry is well-known and in wide use, I think Toulouse has the ability to enter the name scene - it's also an underused place name.

Vincent van Gogh (Vincent Willem van Gogh)
Possibly the most famous artist on this list, Vincent van Gogh's tragic life and numerous works of art have made their way through the zeitgeist tenfold. Who hasn't seen a print of Starry Night, or Sunflowers, or his self-portraits? (With and without his ear). The name Vincent has stayed strong at the bottom of the top 100 for over 100 years - it means "conquering". Trivia - his siblings were Theo, Cornelis, Anna, Elisabeth, and Willemina.

Henri Rousseau (Henri Julien Félix Rousseau)
While he is well-known for his intricate and colorful jungle paintings, Henri Rousseau never actually visited a jungle. His legacy as an influence on avant-garde artists is still felt today - his art inspired the animation style of the children's film, Madagascar. I think his middle names hold the most promise for use today - Julian (English spelling) is at #47 and Felix is at #267 in the US. The names mean "youthful" and "fortunate", respectively.

Paul Gauguin (Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin)
Another Post-impressionist artist whose work with color is popular today, Paul Gauguin is also known for his Tahitian paintings. He is one of the fathers of Symbolism and Primitivism in art, which is controversial, but still influential. For the life of me, I can't recommend Eugene or Gauguin as names, so let me include the names of his family members: wife, Mette-Sophie, and children Émile, Aline, Clovis, Jean René, and Paul Rollon.

Georges-Pierre Seurat
The artist of the painting at the top of the post, Georges Seurat was a pioneer in pointillism - painting small dots of color next to one another to achieve a larger effect. While he only lived to 31, the paintings created during his life were influential for later artists interested in color, mathematical painting, and chromoluminarism. His last name, Seurat, isn't too far off from top 1000 favorites Montserrat and Monserrat - a definite possibility.

Which names are your favorites? Is there another artistic era you'd like me to focus on? Tell me in the comments!

Artist Names: Impressionists

Bonjour, mes amis!

A few weeks ago, we hung out in Florence with the Italian Renaissance artists. Today, we're off to Paris with the Impressionists!

The Impressionist period arguably began what we call "modern art", or art for art's sake. They were concerned with how to paint what the eyes see - blurriness, light, movement, etc. Today, their paintings are very popular, but when the paintings debuted, the response was controversial.

Claude Monet (Oscar-Claude Monet)
Possibly the most famous of the Impressionists, his "Impression, Sunrise" is what gave the movement its name. Claude Monet was active in the art world for over 60 years, producing hundreds of paintings. Among the popular include his water lily series and the haystack series. Claude is a bit dated, but the name Monet has been recorded by the SSA since the 1950's - 35 baby Monet's were born last year. Trivia: his two sons were named Jean and Michel, and his step-children were named Blanche (who married his son Jean), Germaine, Suzanne, Marthe, Jean-Pierre, and Jacques.

Auguste Renoir (Pierre-Auguste Renoir)
While Monet's art focused a lot on landscapes, Auguste Renoir's focused on people - especially women. His portraits are incredibly beautiful, and show the personality of their subjects well. Renoir himself made thousands of paintings, which are on view worldwide. The last name Renoir doesn't have quite the draw of Monet as a first option, but the name Auguste is a cute, less-popular way to get to the nickname Auggie. Auguste, also used for girls, means "venerable".

Mary Cassatt
One of the few female artists working during this time, Mary Cassatt is known for her paintings of the private lives of families, especially mothers and children. She was born in the United States but spent much of her career in France, working alongside other Impressionist artists, including her close friend Edgar Degas. The name Mary has a rich history and classic feel, but I think Cassatt is a viable modern option. It's unisex, allows for the nicknames Cass or Cassie, and has a trendy -tt ending. Choosing a name that honors an early female artist would pave the way for a creative life!

Edgar Degas (Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas)
Known for his paintings of dancers, Edgar Degas' artwork can be seen today in dance performance venues around the world. But his art shows a kind of experimentation with color and angles not normally associated with "high art". The last name Degas, like Renoir, is a little removed to be considered as a first name, but might work as a middle. Edgar is a quaint alternative to Edward, but keeps the nickname Eddie. It means, loosely translated, "wealthy spearman", and is currently at #300 in the US lists (compared to Edward at #160).

Camille Pissarro (Jacob Abraham Camille Pissarro)
An artist central to the community of Impressionist painters, Camille Pissarro was influential to many later artists. His subjects included mostly landscapes and portraits of the "common people", and today his legacy is that of an accomplished "father" and teacher. Pissarro isn't great as a first name (look at the first syllable) but Camille for a boy is rarely heard in the US. It might be a nice option next to Cameron or Camden, though. Trivia: while Pissarro had eight children, I was only able to find the names of his five sons: Lucien, Georges Henri Manzana, Ludovic Rodo, Félix, and Paul-Emile.

Berthe Morisot (Berthe Marie Pauline Morisot)
Like Mary Cassatt, Berthe Morisot was one of the few female artists working at this time, and she was also known for her portraits of women. She was also a model for some of the other Impressionist artists, and married the brother of Édouard Manet. The name Morisot sounds a bit like Morrissey or Morrison - not unusable for a little one. Berthe, on the other hand, is a bit hard to pronounce for English speakers - "Bayrt" - and corresponds to the unseemly Bertha. Her siblings' names were also unusual: Yves, Edma, and Tiburce.

Any artists that I missed? What names do you like? Tell me in the comments!

The Dinner Party, by Judy Chicago

In the hopes that I'll soon start a series focusing on the names of artists, this Friday is brought to you by Judy Chicago's The Dinner Party. It's generally considered the first large-scale feminist art installation in the Western world.

The Dinner Party is composed of a large triangular table with settings for 39 mythical and historical influential women, with the names of 999 other famous women inscribed on inner tiles.

Learn more about the work here: The Dinner Party

Wing I: From Prehistory to the Roman Empire

Primordial Goddess
Fertile Goddess
Ishtar
Kali
Snake Goddess
Sophia
Amazon
Hatshepsut
Judith
Sappho
Aspasia
Boadicea
Hypatia

Wing II: From the Beginnings of Christianity to the Reformation

Marcella
Saint Bridget
Theodora
Hrosvitha
Trotula
Eleanor of Aquitaine
Hildegarde of Bingen
Petronilla de Meath
Christine de Pisan
Isabella d'Este
Elizabeth I
Artemisia Gentileschi
Anna van Schurman

Wing III: From the American to the Women's Revolution

Anne Hutchinson
Sacajawea
Caroline Herschel
Mary Wollstonecraft
Sojourner Truth
Susan B. Anthony
Elizabeth Blackwell
Emily Dickinson
Ethel Smyth
Margaret Sanger
Natalie Barney
Virginia Woolf
Georgia O'Keeffe