My first reference is: Manet, and the American Civil War. The book details the many paintings of Manet, during the Civil War era. Looking at this book has allowed me to break down these paintings, and apply the many nuances of the Manet’s work, to apply to my own paintings. These things include technique, content, composition, color, and many other things. Reading how these different elements come together to depict the subject/s, or create a message, can help me explore my own techniques of doing the same thing.

My second reference is the Art Story website, which provides a timeline, and photos of an artists work. This resource is useful because it easily allows me to contextualize the many works I observe. This further helps me investigate the story behind many famous paintings, including their inspiration, date, and location. With this information I can better decide what I should paint, my reference, and the menaing behind my paintings.

https://www.theartstory.org/artist/cole-thomas/artworks/