Sylvia Spicuzza

"Calla Lily, " Original Watercolor Botanical Drawing signed by Sylvia Spicuzza

circa 1940

Though signed "Yolanda," the artist of this gouache and watercolor painting is unknown. The still life, contained and symmetrical, is dominated by the form of a pear. On either side,...

This still life is an unusual example of Sylvia Spicuzza's work, as most of her most significant output are geometric and biomorphic abstract images. The objects in the image - a sea shell, a pitcher, a heavy necklace - are objects the artist likely had at home and staged for the image. But of particular significance is the insertion of the artist's hand, as though she was reaching into the still life while she was painting. The hand has been a significant symbol of the artist throughout art history as a source of creation: Albrecht Dürer's 'Self Portrait at the Age of Twenty-Eight' (1500) highlights the artist's hand much like traditional images of Christ giving gestures of blessing. Likewise, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner's 'Self Portrait as a Soldier' (1915) shows the artist in military uniform but with a severed hand as a symbol of helplessness during the First World War. Another important comparison, given Spicuzza is a Midwestern artist, is Ivan Albright's magic realist work 'That Which I Should Have Done I Did Not Do (The Door)' at the Art Institute of Chicago. The massive painting...

In the 1960s, Sylvia Spicuzza made several watercolor abstractions with biomorphic qualities like the one presented here. This example takes on the appearance of a flower, while the ...

14.75 x 17.75 inches, artwork 22.88 x 25.75 inches, frame Born in 1908, Sylvia Spicuzza was the daughter of noted painter Francesco Spicuzza. Sylvia devoted herself to teaching art ...

This pastel is part of an ongoing series referred to restless still life in which the artist embodies inanimate objects with a life of their own. It is signed and dated on the bottom...

Watercolor on cardboard, 1902. Lower right monogrammed and dated: R.B.1902. Framed under glass. Dimensions: 22.83 x 16.93 in ( 58 x 43 cm ) Framed: 28.35 x 22.64 in ( 72 x 57,5 cm )

Xiao Wen Xu is a Chinese-born Canadian artist based in Toronto, Canada, Her artistic practice is deeply influenced by her profound appreciation for the natural world. This artwork is...