In the 17th Century hyper realism took over in Spanish Religious art, most of the Spanish artists such as Gregorio Fernández went through great pains to create a flesh like rendering of the dead Jesus. An interesting development from religious devotion in art.

In the face of a difficult economic climate, the art handling industry has found itself to be an unlikely counter-economy. While expecting to have a rough year like many other industries, art moving and storage companies were surprised when they saw a boost in their yearly sales. MFA, a New York based art handling company, has seen their sales climb more than 20 percent over last year.

Yesterday, on October 7th as the Art Prize was celebrating the 2009 Art Prize winners the area restaurants in Grand Rapids extended their happy hours. Let's see who became the winners.

Bob Dylan, considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th Century, will be exhibiting his recent paintings at Denmark's National Gallery.

Adelaide is about to launch the state's first Body Painting Championships. Gratton has demonstrated his style through turning a model into a golden Oscar statue.

An art exhibition of Armenian Artist Minas containing more than 100 pictures will open in Italy.

Did Michelangelo make the painting of "The Torment of St. Anthony" which has recently been in the news? Writers contemporary with Michelangelo indicate he made a painting of the subject when he was around 12 or 13, and an apprentice in that artist Ghirlandaio's workshop, but it's never been agreed that this painting is the one Michelangelo made. For color photos, including excellent details, see the website of The New York Times, May 12, 2009.

Kimbell Art art museum acquires the earliest known work of Michelangelo Buonarroti The Torment of Saint Anthony.

Rene Magritte was a Surrealist painter who was born in Belgium in 1898. In his paintings he wanted people to look at ordinary things in different ways. He sometimes painted objects in places were they didn’t usually belong, like in Time Transfixed in which a train is coming out of a fireplace.

Even works of art that appear relatively innocuous can cause huge controversy and have political repercussions. Take two different cases that have rocked Australia in the past year. The first involved renowned Australian photographer Bill Henson. In late May, the opening of his new exhibition in Sydney was cancelled after complaints that it included pictures of naked underage children.

Tacoma Art Museum’s exhibition What Is a Trade? Donald Fels and Signboard Painters of South India presents sixteen large-scale paintings that explore trade and globalization in India. Fels’ conceptual starting point for this exhibition was Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama’s 1498 voyage to Malabar, India, in search of a direct sea route for the spice trade.

The Denver Art Museum announced the joint acquisition of Cowboy Singing, an 1892 painting by renowned American painter Thomas Eakins. The Museum is partnering with the Denver-based Anschutz Collection to purchase the work from the Philadelphia Museum of Art. In addition to Cowboy Singing, the DAM will independently acquire two sketches related to Eakins' 1888 painting Cowboys in the Badlands. The three new works will be on view at the Denver Art Museum immediately.