Jon Demartin

Frank J. Reilly was noted as "the No. 1 art teacher in America." Reilly is known for developing a means of organizing the palette. His value studies and chroma organization are still taught as the primary methods of oil paint organization. Reilly studied with Frank DuMond at the Art Students League of New York. He taught at the Grand Central School of Art, The Art Students League of New York and other art schools as well as establishing his own art school. Reilly was the main influence on George Passantino. He is credited with the mosaic mural in The Bronx High School of Science's front lobby. Reilly's influence continues today through the teaching and art of Michael Aviano and Jack Faragasso as well as their students Jon deMartin and Graydon Parrish. The Legacy of Frank J. Reilly by Jack Faragasso, from LINEA Journal of the Art Students League, Summer 2006, stated that one of the most maligned and misunderstood artist instructors of the Art Students League was the late Frank J. Reilly.  Mr. Reilly was a feisty Irish-American endowed with great energy and charisma. He inspired fanatic devotion and loyalty from his students. His classes were always jam-packed morning, afternoon and night. On his off days he would drive to the League's studios in Woodstock, New York to teach landscape and outdoor figure painting. Somehow he found time to do illustrations, write articles on art, conceive and work on murals and do an occasional fine art easel painting. Married but childless, Mr. Reilly regarded his pupils as his family and sought to relate to them as such. He sought to give them the best training possible, and in order to introduce them to the art world, arranged contests with national magazines, paperback publishers, and even Portraits, Inc.

Painting is an art form that has spanned innumerable cultures, with artists using the medium to tell stories, explore and communicate ideas and express themselves. To bring abstract paintings, landscape paintings, still-life paintings and other original paintings into your home is to celebrate and share in the long tradition of this discipline.

When we look at paintings, particularly those that originated in the past, we learn about history, other cultures and countries of the world. Like every other work of art, paintings — whether they are contemporary creations or works that were made during the 19th century — can often help us clearly see and understand the world around us in a meaningful and interesting way.

Cave walls were the canvases for what were arguably the world’s first landscape paintings, which depict natural scenery through art. Portrait paintings and drawings, which, along with sculpture, were how someone’s appearance was recorded prior to the advent of photography, are at least as old as Ancient Egypt. In the Netherlands, landscapes were a major theme for painters as early as the 1500s. Later, artists in Greece, Rome and elsewhere created vast wall paintings to decorate stately homes, churches and tombs.

Today, creating a wall of art is a wonderful way to enhance your space, showcase beautiful pieces and tie an interior design together.

No matter your preference, whether you favor Post-Impressionist paintings, animal paintings, Surrealism, Pop art or another movement or specific period, arranging art on a blank wall allows you to evoke emotions in a room while also showing off your tastes and interests. A symmetrical wall arrangement may comprise a grid of four to six pieces or, for an odd number of works, a horizontal row. Asymmetrical arrangements, which may be small clusters of art or large, salon-style gallery walls, have a more collected and eclectic feel.

Download the 1stDibs app, which includes a handy “View on Wall” feature that allows you to see how a particular artwork will look on a particular wall, and read about how to arrange wall art. And if you’re searching for the perfect palette for your interior design project, what better place to turn than to the art world’s masters of color? 

On 1stDibs, you’ll find an expansive collection of paintings and other fine art for your home or office. Browse abstract paintings, portrait paintings, paintings by emerging artists and more today.