A Week of Winsor McCay's Editorial Cartoons for Objectivists, BONUS

Nationality: American

Born-Died: 1869-1934

One more.  While this cartoon is about personal decisions, it perfectly describes national situations as well.

A Week of Winsor McCay's Editorial Cartoons for Objectivists, Day 7

Nationality: American

Born-Died: 1869-1934

Yet another excellent cartoon.

A Week of Winsor McCay's Editorial Cartoons for Objectivists, Day 6

Nationality: American

Born-Died: 1869-1934

Another good one.

A Week of Winsor McCay's Editorial Cartoons for Objectivists, Day 5

Nationality: American

Born-Died: 1869-1934


I think this is about whether to engage in World War I or not.  Uncle Sam here is right--he has plenty of his own work to do.

A Week of Winsor McCay's Editorial Cartoons for Objectivists, Day 4

Nationality: American

Born-Died: 1869-1934

The only thing I don't like about this is the word "conceit" on the figure's shirt on the far right.  I think that comes from an ignorant understanding of self-esteem.  Otherwise though, I love this image.

A Week of Winsor McCay's Editorial Cartoons for Objectivists, Day 3

Nationality: American

Born-Died: 1869-1934

A Week of Winsor McCay's Editorial Cartoons for Objectivists, Day 2

Nationality: American

Born-Died: 1869-1934

A Week of Winsor McCay's Editorial Cartoons for Objectivists, Day 1

Nationality: American
Born-Died: 1869-1934


I found these in two books called "Winsor McCay: Early Works III" and "IX" and they are really great.  I think other Objectivists will enjoy them.  Looking through his work I am very impressed by how  he supported the free market, industry, science, freedom and how anti-religion and superstition he was.  His work is not above criticism however.  He very often cast wealth, money and greed in a negative light while glorifying immoralities such as public education.  In any case, his drawings are fantastic and many of the ideas are too.  I hope you enjoy them as I do!


This first one is AMAZING.

White Artists Painting 25 Beautiful Skin Tones

This post is a response to recent controversies involving the racist professor, Derrick Bell, and numerous discussions I have had with artist-friends of mine regarding the topic of race.  There is a horrible and utterly ignorant view in the minds of many that all white people are automatically racist.  Some even hold that all members of all races are automatically racist--that we are all tainted with the "original sin" of racism from birth.  These are views that only racists can hold and there is no excusing such views under any circumstances.  Lack of education does not make such views "okay" and neither do PhD's.  These days, anti-white views are unfortunately all-too-common in the arts industry.  Such views reveal an ominously "concrete-bound" mentality in a group that prides itself on independent, rational thinking.  I would like to draw attention to this disconnect.

Racism is a concept, and as such it's meaning is communicable and it's application can be appropriate in many contexts independent of historical, cultural and economic factors.  The concept "racist" is appropriately applied to anyone of any race independent of any other factors about his own race.

To contrast the false views above I am posting 25 details of paintings all made by white artists that show an incredible appreciation for--and even love for--skin tone variety.  Many of these paintings are well over 100 years old. The oldest is about 400 years old.

It is more than okay to appreciate these skin tones.  It is more than okay to think, "I love the look of this very dark skin" or "I love the look of this very pale skin" and everything in between.  It is no more necessary to criticize pale skin as "pasty" or "blindingly white" than it is to criticize some other skin-tone for being it's shade. 

I can only hope that this post will help combat those hurtful, irrational and indefensible ideas.

I hope you enjoy these beautiful skin-tones as much as I do!

All the best,
- Justin 

Justin Wisniewski's "Winter"

Nationality: All American

Born-Died: 1978-

Creation Date: 2012

Size: 7 × 5 inch (115.5 x 82.5 cm)

Media: Oil on MDF panel

Location: My studio

99% finished.

Justin Wisniewski's "Woman"

Nationality: All American

Born/Died: 1978

Creation Date: 2007

Size: 11 x 9 in. (27.9 x 22.9 cm)

Media: Oil on sandpaper

Location: Private Collection

Oil Sketch

"Qianlong Emperor" by Unknown Artist

Nationality: Chinese
Media: Ink(?)  on paper
Location: The Palace Museum, Beijing, China

Johannes Vermeer's "Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid"

Nationality: Dutch
Born-Died: 1632-1675
Creation Date: c. 1670-71
Size: 28.4 × 23.4 inch (72.2× 59.5 cm)
Media: Oil on canvas
Location: The National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, Ireland
I confess that I have never seen this painting before.

Henry Raeburn's "Portrait of Master George John Fraser of Reelig"

Nationality: Scottish
Born-Died: 1756-1823Media: Oil on canvas
Location: Private Collection

Justin Wisniewski's "Ayn Rand"

Nationality: All American
Born-Died: 1978-

Creation Date: 2011

Size: 7.5 x 10.5 inch (19.05 x 26.67 cm)

Media: Charcoal and gouache on watercolor paper

Location: Collection of the artist, USA

This drawing is currently for sale on eBay starting at only $49.99 or you can buy it now for only $99.99! 

John Michael Wright's "Mrs. Salesbury with her Grandchildren"

Nationality: English-Scottish
Born/Died: 1617-1694
Creation Date: c. 1676
Size: 88 in. (129.5 x 133.6 cm)
Media: Oil on canvas
Location: The Tate Collection, London, UK

I can only guess what she's going to do with those children! Happy Halloween!

Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, Donatello

I was chatting with a friend about which of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' namesake was the best artist--I found it challenging to say. Which do you like best? Which do you like least? With this in mind, I thought it would be fun to show my favorite piece by each of these artists (in no particular order.)

Raphael's La Fornarina

Nationality: Italian
Born/Died: 1483-1520

Creation Date: 1518-1519
Size: 33 in × 24 in. (85× 60 cm)
Media: Oil on panel
Location: Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica, Palazzo Barberini, Rome, Italy

(This picture doesn't do this painting justice)



Michelangelo's Lybian Sybil

Nationality: Italian
Born/Died: 1475-1564

Creation Date: 1508–1512
Media: Frescoe
Location: Sistine Chapel, Vatican City, Rome, Italy



Donatello's St. Mark

Nationality: Italian
Born/Died: 1386-1466

Creation Date: 1411–1413
Size: 93 in. (236 cm)
Media: Marble
Location: Orsanmichele, Florence, Italy



Leonardo's Lady with an Ermine

Nationality: Italian
Born/Died: 1452-1519

Creation Date: 1489-1490
Size: 21 in × 15 in. (54× 39 cm)
Media: Oil on panel
Location: Czartoryski Museum, Kraków, Poland

Adolphe Mouron Cassandre's "Nord Express"

Nationality: Ukrainian-French
Born/Died: 1901-1968

Creation Date: 1927
Size: 41.375 x 29.5 in. (105.09 x 74.93 cm)
Media: Color Lithograph
Location: Minneapolis Institute of the Arts, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

Xavier-Alphonse Monchablon's "Victor Hugo"

Nationality: French
Born/Died: 1835-1907

Creation Date: 1883
Size: 54 x 25.25 x 37 in. (14.2 × 10.2 cm)
Media: Photogravure of an Engraving (?)

So awesome. You can buy prints of this image on eBay for very little money.

Cor Blok's Illustrations for "Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit"

Nationality: Dutch
Cor Blok is an artist that many other Objectivists might not like, which is understandable. I think his work is very charming and despite the lack of rendering in his work I can see that consideration was put into the shape and color relationships. Although I enjoy many of his paintings I don't think he is a great artist. Unfortunately, I have never been able to find out much about him and a Wikipedia article for him is definitely overdue.

Another reason that I really like his work is that although his paintings look vaguely like Eastern European folk art, many of them are actually illustrations for J.R.R. Tolkein's Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit--which are books that I love. Most fantasy illustrators do not employ such a loud style so his work is a little bit refreshing to me in that regard. Because of his strange style it is not always immediately apparent which scenes from the stories are being depicted. I think it's fun to look at them carefully and to try to guess what scenes from the story are being illustrated. Can you guess which scenes are which?