Painting

Known for his giant hyper-realist paintings of faces, Close kept painting even after a stroke left him partially paralyzed. Close died Aug. 19. Originally broadcast in 1998.

New York City is home to more paintings by Johannes Vermeer -- eight -- than any other city. And until mid-January, it's playing host to one more: the world-renowned Girl with a Pearl Earring. Critic Lloyd Schwartz says, since the painting's 1994 restoration, "It's even more breathtaking than I remembered."

Claes Oldenburg is one of the best-known American pop artists. Critic Lloyd Schwartz found himself not alone in enjoying the current Oldenburg exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art, which continues through Aug. 5.

French artist Henri Matisse is probably best known for his decorative and colorful paintings, especially nudes and still lifes. But a show at the Museum of Modern Art, called "Matisse: Radical Invention," deals with a more experimental period in Matisse's life. Critic Lloyd Schwartz says the show allows viewers to see Matisse's growth as an artist.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews two art shows of important 17th century painters: one by the Dutch painter Pieter de Hooch at the Wadsworth Athenaeum in Hartford thru March 14th, and a Caravaggio exhibit at Boston College through May 24th.

Critic Lloyd Schwartz comments on his visit to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts to see "Monet in the 20th Century" - the largest exhibit ever assembled of Monet's late paintings done in the last 25 years of his life. Boston is the only American city to be showing the exhibit. (It runs thru December 27th and then goes to London).

Sister Wendy Beckett is a member of the Notre Dame order, a teaching order of nuns and a celebrity. In 1980 she began the serious study of art, and since has written a number of books on the subject and hosted the popular PBS series "Sister Wendy's Odyssey" and "Sister Wendy's Grand Tour." This week PBS begins airing her newest 10-part series, "Sister Wendy's Story of Painting." There's a companion book (published by DK Publishing)

For over thirty years, Dine's work has been collected and exhibited internationally. Dine has lived and worked all over the world, including New York, London, Vermont, Salzburg, Paris, and Berlin. An exhibit of his work, "North" recently opened at Pace Wildenstein in New York. This collection consists of nine large paintings of crows, hearts, owls, and skulls which Dine made in Berlin and New York.

Mull became known for his performance as the anchor man on "Weekend Update," the news parody on Saturday Night Live," and as talk show host for late night show "Fernwood Tonight." He recently released his book Paintings, Drawings and Words. It provides not only a generous survey of his enigmatic art works, but the process by which he creates them. Mull is presently a regular on the TV sitcom "Roseanne."

Salle's new movie "Search and Destroy" is an adaptation of the Howard Korder play. The film stars Griffin Dunne, Dennis Hopper, Christopher Walken, John Turturro, and Rosanna Arquette. The executive producer is Martin Scorsese. Salle's work as an artist prompted this quote by the New York Times, "one of the most thoughtful, gifted, and curious artists of his generation."

Rock historian Ed Ward reflects on the Beatles' original bass player, Stu Stutcliff, who died of a brain tumor in 1962.

Musa Mayer's memoir explores her relationship with her father, painter Philip Guston. Mayer and Guston were close; she says she was his confident. But Mayer didn't really know who he was as a person until she interviewed family members after Gunston's death.

Don Glen Vilet is a painter who recorded experimental, blues-inflected music under under the name Captain Beefheart. Rock historian Ed Ward says that, while Beefheart was never a commercial success, his influence can be heard in everything from pop to heavy metal.

Book critic John Leonard reviews the novelist's new book, about historical figures who live in contemporary times. Leonard says what could have been a thoughtful meditation on the role of art in society instead turns into a narrative mess.

Guitarist Ron Wood. He spent 12 years as a member of the Rolling Stones, seven years with Rod Stewart's Faces and five years with The Jeff Beck Group. A book of his paintings and drawings has just been published. It's titled Ron Wood by Ron Wood: The Works.

Ralph Bakshi, who did the animation work for the cult hits "Fritz The Cat," and "Heavy Traffic." He's turned his attention away from animation to concentrate on oil painting.

Jamie Wyeth's grandfather, N.C. Wyeth was an illustrator; his father is the renowned realist painter Andrew Wyeth. The youngest Wyeth tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross about the various ways he honed his craft -- without a formal art school education.

Painter and sculptor Red Grooms returns to Fresh Air to discuss how he made it as an artist in New York City, and how urban landscapes inform his work.

Since establishing himself as a creative force at the age of 23, painter Frank Stella has explored several different styles and techniques. Among his most famous and controversial works are his black paintings.