Adorning the lower section of the southeast pillar of the Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile, (facing Avenue de Champs-Élysées) is a sculptured high relief, executed by Jean-Pierre Cortot depicting Napoléon. In it Napoléon is crowned by Victory wearing antique vestments pressing a sword against his chest. In the background, to the right is a profiled kneeling man symbolizing a prisoner enchained […]
View post →A few weeks ago I spent a night in Paris. Here is a drawing of the very French waitress that served me dinner. Greg Betza ©2015
View post →Greg’s post this week on the Tour Du France reminded me of that trip abroad together. This was a drawing I had done entering the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles. The wonder, the enormity of it all was intense. It was the symbol of royal absolutism and the embodiment of classical French art. […]
View post →A little art LIFE LESSON 101: Don’t ever let “the no paper excuse” ever slow you down. Above is a drawing (or two) done in the PlayBill at a recent concert in Lincoln Center. Did you know even Picasso, “the man himself” drew on toilet paper when he couldn’t find paper? Yep, desperate times call […]
View post →There has been a lot of marine talk in the house lately. Crabs, mermaids and the like. I also happen to be returning to a project I started last year for two shows. The sketch above is another in the series of alien species, this one for mute swans. —Dominick
View post →I think that was the last time I just forgot about it all, and yet it was all right there. The hardest part is losing yourself when you are surrounded by so much.—Dominick
View post →I’ve always loved working with watercolor. Here is a reportage painting made while sitting in the gardens at the Palace of Versailles in France. It’s an amazing place. ©2012 Greg Betza
View post →A few years ago I found myself on a train in France, on my way to Chartres. I knew nothing of where I was headed. I brought a little reading with me to get familiar and have something to connect with when I arrived. One of the passages I read mentioned fields of gold and […]
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