Artists

TroysArt list of history’s 10 Most Shocking Paintings, and why.

: Artists : Written by Troy Broussard : 08-07-2023

Torso Series (Victor Hugo), Warhol, public domain.

How can a painting shock the viewer? How can anyone be scandalized by a picture hanging on a gallery wall? The answers cannot be strictly based on nudity–artists have painted and sculpted nudes for thousands of years and, academically, every artist begins with a nude model. Art becomes controversial when it challenges the viewer’s expectations. Considering controversial art through the ages, I have composed the TroysArt list of history’s 10 most shocking paintings. Olympia, 1863, by Edouard Manet One of the world’s best and most beloved paintings, Edouard Manet’s Olympia caused the biggest art scandal of the 19th Century. …continue reading

Everything you need to know about Vincent van Gogh

: Artists, Destinations, Galleries & Museums : Written by Troy Broussard : 04-26-2019

Vincent’s self-portraits have established him as one of the most famous faces in history. Self Portrait, 1887, oil on cardboard.

Most people whom I know have a favorite artist. And there are dozens of artists that I adore, even crave. I love Eduard Manet for his strong color and composition; I love John Singer Sargent for his scale and painterly brushwork; but above all, I love Vincent van Gogh for his ebullient colors, skewed perspectives, and life story. So imagine my excitement when I heard that an assemblage of 50 paintings by van Gogh would be exhibited in Houston–and only in Houston. This TroysArt post is not only about Vincent van Gogh: His Life in Art at the Museum of …continue reading

A Painting Party with John Palmer

: Artists, Entertainment : Written by Troy Broussard : 06-03-2016

John Palmer directs Shannon Watson & Cody Soutar during the Painting Party.

Regular TroysArt readers know how much I adore the blending of art, food, and booze—so it should come as no surprise that I must rave about the June Painting Party with John Palmer. I have known John Palmer since his first showings. (In fact, in the late 90s when I was the designer responsible for the restoration and conversion of the old Southern Pacific Building in downtown Houston into Bayou Lofts, I commissioned some large paintings by John for the lobby.) Since then I have come to know that anyone who loves art loves John; and anyone who loves a fun guy especially loves this one. John …continue reading

Artists in Black History Month

: Artists : Written by Troy Broussard : 02-10-2016

William Tolliver, “The Runner”, courtesy of the Zigler Art Museum.

(As we all know, February is Black History Month. This post is a simplified and revised version of a feature article that I wrote about artists in Black History Month for the Lake Charles American Press; it was published with my byline on February 3, 2008. A version was also published on my original TroysArt blog February 2008. Photographic images were provided courtesy of the Zigler Art Museum in Jennings, Louisiana. Also, please recognize that art historians often use the description Black American in defining the group apart from Caucasians. This term embraces those of African, Caribbean, and Creole decent. While the inclusion …continue reading

The revered Rothko Chapel

: Artists, Destinations, Galleries & Museums : Written by Troy Broussard : 06-08-2015

Photo by Hickey-Robertson, the Rothko Chapel, Houston.

One of the first attractions I heard about when I moved to Houston was the highly revered Rothko Chapel. But back in 1987 I regrettably knew little about Mark Rothko; I was green enough to stick in the ground and grow. I studied up on Rothko a bit and looked forward to the excursion. So imagine my chagrin when, for the first time, I walked into this esteemed sanctuary and wondered where all the paintings were. But I did find the paintings, they were right in front of my face, and I have been back for many visits… “But nobody …continue reading

Naked & Afraid’s Billy Berger, and my new Cufflinks

: Artists, Entertainment : Written by Troy Broussard : 04-23-2015

Custom sterling & mahogany obsidian cufflinks with points by Naked & Afraid's Billy Berger.

Have you seen Discovery Channel’s hit show Naked & Afraid? And are you wondering what Naked & Afraid star Billy Berger has to do with my newest pair of cufflinks? To enlighten unaware TroysArt readers, Naked & Afraid is a reality TV show that matches two specialists in the art of survival, a man and a woman, who meet in a Godforsaken hellhole and are given the task of surviving for 21 days, naked. The participants disrobe, meet, get down to the almost impossible task of finding potable water, food, and shelter before making a journey to an extraction point where they are rescued. …continue reading

Two Guys and Rothko

: Artists, TroysArt : Written by Troy Broussard : 04-16-2015

Orange, Red, Yellow by Mark Rothko, 1961, sold in 2013 for $87 million, fair use via Wikipedia.org

Not long ago I was talking to Michael Anderson who now lives in San Francisco, whom TroysArt also refers to as Manderson. Manderson and I used to paint together and actually had a few public exhibitions of our work such as Two Guys Painting at the Lowell Collins Gallery. Our shtick was to both undertake the same still life, landscape, or sitter with the outcomes, as interpreted through two different artistic minds, displayed side by side. It was, to say the least, a fascinating experiment. At any rate he was telling me about his idea to do a painting as an …continue reading

John Singer Sargent painted her Strapless

: Artists, Literature : Written by Troy Broussard : 03-04-2015

Unfinished version of Madame X by John Singer Sargent [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

What does it take to scandalize someone today? Kim Kardashian has her big ugly ass plastered across magazine covers; every Hollywood starlet trying to stay relevant promotes a sex tape; Bill Clinton had sex with an intern in the Oval Office; but for a 23 year-old socialite in 1884 Paris all it took was for John Singer Sargent to paint her Strapless! Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau was the “it girl” of Paris during the late 19th Century. A wealthy Creole from Louisiana, she was considered one of the most elegant and beautiful women in France; a celebrated personality, she powdered her …continue reading

The Rubens are Spectacular in Houston

: Artists, Galleries & Museums : Written by Troy Broussard : 02-19-2015

Given 100 people picked at random, I would venture to guess that you’d be lucky to find one who could identify a painting by Peter Paul Rubens. But I would also venture to guess that a good number of those would indeed recognize the name of Rubens as an important artist. We on the Gulf Coast now have an opportunity to brush up on our Baroque because the Rubens are spectacular at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. Sir Peter Paul Rubens (June 28, 1577 – May 30, 1640) was a Flemish painter known for his extravagant Baroque style. Most of …continue reading

Artist Amos Kennedy—you never know where he might pop-up

: Artists : Written by Troy Broussard : 02-12-2015

I received a notice from Facebook friend the other day announcing a pop-up art sale at Koelsch Haus Gallery in Houston. A pop-up art sale? Of course I was intrigued. So when I arrived Franny Koelsch greeted me at the door and thanked me for attending. I told her that I had to attend, that I’d never been to a pop-up art sale before. To which she answered that she’d never had one before. When I walked into the main gallery the artist was sitting at a table stacked with cardboard posters. He was wearing blue denim overalls with a …continue reading