Knigin 1967

Michael Knigin, painter, printmaker, muralist, photographer, and teacher, was born in Brooklyn, New York on December 9, 1942. He received his BFA in 1966 from the Tyler School of Art, Temple University in Philadelphia. In 1964 he was awarded a Ford Foundation Grant, which enabled him to study printmaking at the Tamarind Lithography Workshop and collaborate with Rufino Tamayo. Knigin was a full professor at the Pratt Graphic Center in Manhattan between 1967 and 2003. From 1968 through 1972, he also co-owned and directed the Chiron Press where he worked with Andy Warhol, Louise Nevelson, Kenneth Noland, Larry Poons, and Tom Wesselman. In 1974, he served as Art and Technical Director of the Burston Graphics Art Centre in Jerusalem. In 1988, Knigin was appointed to the NASA Art Team and was sent to the Kennedy Space Center to visually interpret the launch of the space shuttle Discovery. In 1991, Nasa recalled him to interpret the touchdown of the space shuttle Atlantis. Knigin's works were exhibited widely and are in numerous permanent collections including the Albright-Knox Museum, Brooklyn Museum, Carnegie Mellon Institute, Cooper Hewitt Museum, Library of Congress, McNay Museum, Mexico City Museum of Modern Art, Portland Museum of Art, Smithsonian Museum of American Art, Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Worchester Museum of Art. With Murray Zimiles, Knigin co-authored The Technique of Fine Art Lithography in 1969, and Contemporary Lithographic Workshops around the World in 1974. Michael J. Knigin died on January 19, 2011.

Revitalize your interiors — introduce drawings and watercolor paintings to your home to evoke emotions, stir conversation and show off your personality and elevated taste.

Drawing is often considered one of the world’s oldest art forms, with historians pointing to cave art as evidence. In fact, a cave in South Africa, home to Stone Age–era artists, houses artwork that is believed to be around 73,000 years old. It has indeed been argued that cave walls were the canvases for early watercolorists as well as for landscape painters in general, who endeavor to depict and elevate natural scenery through their works of art.

The supplies and methods used by artists and illustrators to create drawings and paintings have evolved over the years, and so too have the intentions. Artists can use their drawing and painting talents to observe and capture a moment, to explore or communicate ideas and convey or evoke emotion. No matter if an artist is working in charcoal or in watercolor and has chosen to portray the marvels of the pure human form, to create realistic depictions of animals in their natural habitats or perhaps to forge a new path that references the long history of abstract visual art, adding a drawing or watercolor painting to your living room or dining room that speaks to you will in turn speak to your guests and conjure stimulating energy in your space.

When you introduce a new piece of art into a common area of your home — a figurative painting by Italian watercolorist Mino Maccari or a colorful still life, such as a detailed botanical work by Deborah Eddy — you’re bringing in textures that can add visual weight to your interior design. You’ll also be creating a much-needed focal point that can instantly guide an eye toward a designated space, particularly in a room that sees a lot of foot traffic.

When you’re shopping for new visual art, whether it’s for your apartment or weekend house, remember to choose something that resonates. It doesn’t always need to make you happy, but you should at least enjoy its energy. On 1stDibs, browse a wide-ranging collection of drawings and watercolor paintings and find out how to arrange wall art when you’re ready to hang your new works.