Author: Ava Ash-Waichulis

The Psychology of Empathy in Visual Perception Image shown: Berthe Morisot, The Cradle, 1872, France (DETAIL) Empathy is frequently referenced in art discussions as an emotional connection that arises when an image resonates with the viewer. While often treated as a vague or ineffable experience, psychological research defines empathy in more specific terms. It consists of distinct cognitive and affective components. Cognitive empathy refers to the ability to understand another person’s mental or emotional state. Affective empathy involves internally sharing or mirroring aspects of that state (Decety & Jackson, 2004). Both components contribute to how viewers perceive and respond to…

Attentiveness, Restraint, and the Visual Structure of Care in Seventeenth-Century Dutch Painting (Image shown: Pieter de Hooch, The Bedroom, c.1658 (DETAIL) Painting Compassion in Seventeenth-Century Dutch Interiors In the seventeenth-century Dutch Republic, painters developed a visual language closely attuned to the rhythms and responsibilities of everyday life. Within what might be called a tender genre of painting, artists turned away from heroic or monumental narratives to examine scenes of domestic care. Through controlled gesture, calibrated light, and carefully structured space, they presented compassion not as an abstract virtue, but as a visible and practiced condition shaped by daily attention. These…

How ÀNI Art Academies Support Global Visual Traditions Through Empirically Structured Learning Across the history of Western art education, the word classical has often been associated with a narrow set of stylistic references, such as Greco-Roman sculpture or Renaissance proportion systems. As a result, the phrase classical training is frequently interpreted as belonging to a particular European lineage. This assumption can limit the broader meaning of structured skill development and can obscure what truly underlies effective representational training. ÀNI Art Academies do not root their instruction in historical styles or inherited aesthetic traditions. The curriculum is guided by perceptual science,…

How material diversity grew from the movement of pigments and the cultures of art they influenced. Color, in its earliest form, was not an abstraction but a record. It is a trace of human movement pressed into earth and stone. Long before painters spoke of hue and harmony, color lived as mineral, insect, plant, and soil. When we follow the story of pigments, we inherit a map of global entanglements: geology converging with trade, empire shaped by imagination. Every brilliant blue or deep crimson on a Renaissance panel bears witness to journeys across mountains, deserts, and oceans, centuries before the…

For centuries, the formation of an artist was not an isolated pursuit but a communal journey, one shaped as much by relationships and social contracts as by skill acquisition. Long before contemporary art schools or university-based programs, apprenticeship and journeymanship structured not only the passage of technical knowledge but also the evolution of artistic identity within a community. These frameworks, rooted in medieval guilds and enduring workshop (atelier) practices, continue to reverberate today. This article traces the evolution of these models of artistic community, from their origins in medieval Europe to their contemporary counterparts, showing how structures of mentorship, collaboration,…

“An artist is above all a human being, profoundly human to the core. If the artist can’t feel everything that humanity feels… he must not dare to call himself an artist.” — Diego Rivera Public art has long been a mirror for community life. It is sometimes aspirational, sometimes confrontational, but always reflective of the people who live among it. Nowhere is this legacy more vividly painted than in the murals of Diego Rivera, the 20th-century Mexican master who transformed blank walls into canvases of revolution, labor, and national identity. But Rivera’s spirit did not vanish with the conclusion of…

In an art studio setting, critique can often feel like a high-wire act. To be most productive, it often calls for a complex balance of openness and discernment, combined with honesty and kindness. At its best, critique isn’t a threat but rather a lifeline. It is not about tearing down but about building up. It offers a vital framework for growth, and most importantly, it is a communal act rooted in dialogue, trust, and the shared belief that we rise highest when we rise together. In a thriving educational environment, critique is more than a single moment. It is an…

Artist Mark McDermott continues to gain recognition on the national stage! His oil painting Old School (Oil on Panel, 9×12″) has been juried into the Salmagundi Club’s Fall Painting, Sculpture & Graphics Exhibition in New York City—one of the Club’s longest-running juried showcases, featuring works from leading contemporary realist and representational artists across the country. Earlier this year, the same painting earned First Place in the Richeson Small Works Show, underscoring McDermott’s precision and sensitivity in small-format composition. Old School reflects his command of form and atmosphere, qualities that continue to define his contribution to today’s realist tradition. To see…