The art of painting reaches back in time across history, whether used to decorate ancient artifacts or spread across canvases by famous artists. Today, painting still represents one of the highest forms of art, and whether you are a beginner or a seasoned creative, there is always more to learn. That is where My Modern Met Academy comes in.

As an online creative learning platform, we're all about helping all levels of artists reach their potential. And when it comes to painting, we've tapped skilled artists to share their knowledge. From working with acrylics to discovering how to create mixed-media artwork, there's something for everyone.

In every one of our courses, you'll walk step by step through lessons on materials and techniques and then work with the instructors to complete your own paintings. All classes are on-demand, which means that you can start and stop whenever you want and go at your own pace.

Scroll down to see five of our favorite painting courses.

Here are 5 online painting classes from My Modern Met Academy to get started and/or further your skills.

Abstract Realism: Introduction to Mixed Media Painting

In this intermediate mixed-media painting class, artist Dimitra Milan shares techniques to create your own piece of abstract realist art. She will show you step-by-step how to create a canvas in a style she calls “abstract realism.” Start with an abstract background, draw out your subject, and then use acrylics to bring it to life. Once you start, you won't want to stop.

Acrylic Painting Masterclass: Explore Color & Abstract Landscape Painting

Dive into contemporary landscape painting using acrylics with artist Luiza Niechoda. Designed for intermediate learners or intrepid beginners, there's a lot of information packed into this three-hour class. Learn to stretch your own canvas, paint crisp lines, and create a hue matrix that will last for years to come. Then, work with Niechoda to bring everything together and create two abstract landscape paintings.

Dappled Light: Learn Abstract Painting with Acrylics

This abstract painting course uses paint-along lessons to create beautiful art using acrylics. Megan Elizabeth believes that working abstractly can be quite enjoyable and relaxing with the right mentality. Through her course, you will find inspiration in both nature and light and turn them into beautiful art. You will then come away with your very own abstract acrylic painting inspired by dappled light.

Dream Your Own Abstract Acrylic Floral Paintings

Appreciate the beauty of flowers in a whole new way when you learn how to paint them using an abstract style and acrylic pigment. Through in-depth video lessons, Nitika Ale will teach you how to curate inspiration images, break down the essential techniques, and craft your own dreamy floral imagery.

Introduction to Watercolor Painting

Botanical artist Victoria Beyer breaks down everything you need to know about this much-loved medium, from the type of paper to use to different special effects you can achieve.  Discover everything from wet-on-wet to dry brushing and create two watercolor paintings—a landscape and a still life.

My Modern Met Academy: Website | Facebook | Instagram

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Cities take on a whole new personality at night. As the sun sets, a new energy fills the air—a blend of mystery, calm, allure—that daytime just can’t capture. Japanese artist Keita Morimoto brings these moments to life in his stunning paintings, capturing the quiet intensity of cities after dark.

The nomadic artist travels between Toronto and Tokyo, capturing the hidden corners of each city at night. Colors pop, shadows stretch, and streets glow under the warmth of streetlights, neon signs, and vending machines. Even the artist’s mysterious human figures seem to hold secrets in their faces, adding layers of intrigue to each scene.

Each of Morimoto’s paintings, rendered in acrylic and oil on linen, captures dramatic lighting that feels straight out of a scene by Rembrandt or Edward Hopper. The talented artist blends classic painting techniques with his unique style, turning everyday streets into magical worlds that invite viewers to see the beauty in the ordinary.

Morimoto recently released a book of his paintings called Illuminated Solitude. Take a look at some of his latest works below and find more by following Keita Morimoto on Instagram.

Japanese artist Keita Morimoto captures the quiet intensity of cities after dark in his incredible acrylic and oil paintings.

The nomadic artist travels between Toronto and Tokyo, capturing the hidden corners of each city at night.

Colors pop, shadows stretch, and streets glow under the warmth of streetlights, neon signs, and vending machines.

The talented artist turns everyday streets into magical worlds that invite viewers to see the beauty in the ordinary.

Keita Morimoto: Website | Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Keita Morimoto.

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One could say Yoann Bonneville is a portrait artist. But that would hardly encompass everything else that goes on in his artwork. Rather than faithfully representing women's faces, his subjects double as the platform for an experiment in color and shapes. And cleverly, the artist also inserts his initials—YBA—into each composition, innovating how an artist can show ownership over their work with just one look.

Born in 2000, Bonneville launched his career as a self-taught artist after finishing his baccalaureate. His style became sharper a year later when he became known by some galleries and buyers. “The year 2020 marked the beginning of my artistic career, the first year in which my art was born and the first year in which I began to make a living from it,” he tells My Modern Met. “My art has become unique and recognizable thanks to the fragmentation that characterizes my faces, fragmented into the three letters Y, B, and A, or fragmented into my signature. The first fragmented face is called New Hope and was created in 2020, which marked the beginning of my artistic style.”

Bonneville usually creates portraits of ordinary people, which is a purposeful choice. “I like that observers can imagine what they want and interpret the works in their own way, without giving the observers an imposed reading and understanding,” he says. Some of the faces are based on photos that he reworks during the sketching process. “Then I create my own colors, shading, background, light, fragmentation. In 2025, I also plan to take photos of models myself to go a little further in my compositions.”

Since he has worked on both large and small canvases, Bonneville sees the merits and pitfalls of each. “I like to work on canvas, on skateboards, on wood, on cardboard, and in all formats,” Bonneville shares. “What I like is to go from a very large format where we have the sensations of al fresco with ample movements using a lot of paint, then move on to a small format which takes up a much calmer work, then I like to come back to a large format to find this frenzy, movements, and painting, much more physical.”

Bonneville's use of color is one of the most striking elements of his pieces, and it's something he hopes to continue experimenting with further. “I actually really like working with color, even if I’m also thinking of developing a series in black and white,” the artist says. “The train of color interests me a lot, mainly in relation to the almost infinite mixture of shades that we can obtain and put side by side, know how to create contrasts, find which color to put next to another so that both exist or how to make one color take over the others, it's this whole chromatic range and this research around colors and light and shading that fascinates me.”

Ultimately, beyond what's in front of them, Bonneville hopes his viewers interpret his work as they wish, so in the end, they will take away what they need from his work. “I make my art without trying to please, without trying to make fashionable works,” he concludes. “Then people like it, others don't, and that's what interests me too, so I simply let people interpret my work and retain what they want or don't want to retain.”

To stay up to date with the artist, follow Bonneville on Instagram.

Artist Yoann Bonneville experiments with the portrait genre to create vibrant pieces full of color and graffiti-inspired motifs.

Cleverly, the artist also inserts his initials—YBA—into each composition, innovating how an artist can show ownership over their work with just one look.

“I like that observers can imagine what they want and interpret the works in their own way, without giving the observers an imposed reading and understanding,” he says.

“I like to work on canvas, on skateboards, on wood, on cardboard, and in all formats,” Bonneville shares.

“I make my art without trying to please, without trying to make fashionable works,” he concludes. “Then people like it, others don't, and that's what interests me too, so I simply let people interpret my work and retain what they want or don't want to retain.”

Yoann Bonneville: Website | Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Yoann Bonneville. Quotes were translated from French and edited for length & clarity.

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Henri Matisse in Venice (1948), captured by Michel Sima. (Courtesy Estate Michel Sima)
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Above all else, the renowned artist Henri Matisse is perhaps best known for his exceptional command over color. In fact, he once claimed that “one tone alone is only one color,” while “two tones are a chord,” one that defines life itself. Now, his unique journey across color and form is captured in a major exhibition at the Fondation Beyeler in Switzerland.

Inspired by Charles Baudelaire’s famous poem Invitation to Voyage and on view until January 26, 2025, Matisse: Invitation to Voyage is the first retrospective on the artist in the German-speaking world in nearly 20 years. This monumental moment is reflected in the ambitious scope of the exhibition, which catalogs the entirety of Matisse’s six-decade career.

What distinguishes Invitation to Voyage from previous retrospectives is its focus on travel. This motif is not only physical but also imaginative, highlighting Matisse’s literal travels across the world as well as those through various styles, palettes, and moods.

The exhibition showcases everything from Matisse’s early, Fauvist, and experimental artworks to his sensual, Nice-period paintings and his legendary cut-outs, all while emphasizing his creative growth across these time periods. It also demonstrates Matisse’s relationship to place, and how his visits to Italy, Spain, Russia, Morocco, the United States, and Tahiti renewed and informed his artistic vision.

Figure décorative sur fond ornemental, for example, captures Matisse’s fascination with Orientalism, a common theme for European modernists during the early 20th century. Luxe, calme et volupté, one of Matisse’s earlier artworks, similarly reveals artistic trends from the time, being rendered in a Pointillist style.

Beyond this impressive range, Invitation to Voyage incorporates a multimedia component. Animated historical photographs, wall panels, and films offer further insight into Matisse’s travels, studios, and creative processes, enhancing audience engagement. A comprehensive catalog accompanies the exhibition as well, compiling essays and artworks in a colorful layout.

“When you have worked for a long time in the same milieu,” Matisse once claimed, “it is useful … to stop the usual mental routine and take a voyage.” Invitation to Voyage proves how beneficial these moments of travel were for Matisse, and their tremendous impact upon his work.

To learn more about the exhibition and plan your own visit, check out the Fondation Beyeler website.

A new Matisse retrospective at the Fondation Beyeler in Switzerland catalogs the iconic artist's six-decade career.

“Acanthes,” 1953. Fondation Beyeler, Riehen/Basel, Beyeler Collection. (Photo: Robert Bayer)

“Baigneuses à la tortue,” 1907-08. Saint Louis Art Museum, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Pulitzer Jr. (Photo: Saint Louis Art Museum)

“Composition à la croix rouge,” 1947. Private collection. (Photo: Robert Bayer)

“Intérieur au rideau égyptien,” 1948. The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC, acquired 1950. (Photo: The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC)

On view until January 26, 2025, Invitation to Voyage explores the impact of travel on Matisse's artwork.

“Nu bleu, la grenouille,” 1952. Fondation Beyeler, Riehen/Basel, Beyeler Collection. (Photo: Robert Bayer)

“La grande robe bleue et mimosas,” 1937. Philadelphia Museum of Art, gift of Mrs. John Wintersteen, 1956. (Photo: Philadelphia Museum of Art)

“Nu bleu I,” 1952. Fondation Beyeler, Riehen/Basel, Beyeler Collection. (Photo: Robert Bayer)

“Figure décorative sur fond ornemental,” 1925/26. Musée national d'art moderne, Centre Pompidou, Paris, state purchase 1938. (Photo: Centre Pompidou)

“Poissons rouges et sculpture,” 1912. The Museum of Modern Art, gift of Mr. and Mrs. John Hay Whitney, 1955. (Photo: The Museum of Modern Art, New York/Scala)

“La fenêtre ouverte, Collioure,” 1905. National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, collection of Mr. and Mrs. John Hay Whitney, 1998. (Photo: National Gallery of Art, Washington)

The exhibition showcases everything from the artist's early work to his legendary cut-outs from the 1940s and 50s.

“Intérieur à la fougère noire,” 1948. Fondation Beyeler, Riehen/Basel, Beyeler Collection. (Photo: Robert Bayer)

“Nu bleu aux bas verts,” 1952. Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris. (Photo: Primae / Louis Bourjac)

“Intérieur au phonographe,” 1924. Pinacoteca Agnelli, Turin. (Photo: Pinacoteca Giovanni e Marella Agnelli, Turin)

“Intérieur, bocal de poissons rouges,” 1914. Musée national d'art Modern, Centre Pompidou, Paris. (Photo: Centre Pompidou)

“Grand nu couché (Nu rose),” 1935. The Baltimore Museum of Art, The Cone Collection. (Photo: Mitro Hood)

Invitation to Voyage also catalogs his travels to Italy, Spain, Russia, Morocco, the United States, and Tahiti.

“Intérieur rouge, nature morte sur table bleue,” 1947. Düsseldorf, purchased 1964. (Photo: bpk / Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen)

“L'Asie,” 1946. Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth. (Photo: Kimbell Art Museum)

“Luxe, calme et volupté,” 1904. Musée national d'art modern, Centre Pompidou, Paris. (Photo: RMN-Grand Palais / Hervé Lewandowski)

“Nature morte aux orange,” 1912. Musée national Picasso-Paris. (Photo: RMN-Grand Palais / Mathieu Rabeau)

Exhibition Information:
Matisse — Invitation to the Voyage
September 22, 2024 – January 26, 2025
Fondation Beyeler name in Riehen, Switzerland
Baselstrasse 101
CH-4125 Riehen/Basel

Fondation Beyeler: Website | Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Fondation Beyeler.

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“Inhale,” oil on canvas.

For Japanese artist Miho Hirano, boundaries are designed to be breached. No matter how disparate, the elements in her artwork serve as complements rather than contrasts to one another.

Hirano’s latest solo exhibition, Boundary, perfectly captures this impulse. It is primarily concerned with the relationship between life and death. These forces, however, aren’t illustrated in competition, but instead as intimately connected.

“I have become aware that death is always nearby, as expressed in such inextricably linked phrases as ‘life and death have each other’s backs’ or ‘life and death are next door,’ ” Hirano tells My Modern Met.

What Hirano’s artwork seeks, then, is a “contact point,” one that can be expressed in a single, unified image.

“By depicting the ‘borderline’ between life and death, I thought it would be possible to express the danger and at the same time the ‘contact point’ where the living and the dead touch each other with their souls and have a dialogue,” Hirano explains.

Given these intentions, it’s unsurprising that Hirano achieves such compelling canvases. Inhale, for instance, depicts a woman with her head nearly swallowed by water, her hair snaking across the glossy surface. Goldfish circle her even above the water, as if reminding her that, in only a few moments, she, too, can and will be submerged.

Peaceful Time offers a similar narrative, portraying another woman floating through water with swarming fish. In both artworks, water fulfills the function of a “contact point,” recalling life, death, and rebirth all at once.

Flowers also figure strongly in the exhibition. When combined with the sensuality of Hirano’s painted women, the flowers become far more delicate and almost transcendent. Like water, they’re precarious symbols, reflecting their dual roles as celebratory and funereal.

“I wanted to use the language of flowers to convey a more detailed message,” Hirano says, “while the femininity of the works are an expression of my own thoughts and awareness as a woman.”

Taken in its entirety, Hirano’s exhibition plays with expectations, blending naturalistic and organic imagery to reveal a range of possible interpretations. Boundary is now on view at Corey Helford Gallery in Los Angeles until January 25, 2025.

Japanese artist Miho Hirano's new solo exhibition at Corey Helford Gallery explores the precarious relationship between life and death.

“Peaceful Time,” oil on canvas.

“Together Forever,” oil on canvas.

“Charms,” oil on canvas.

Boundary, on view until January 25, 2025, showcases Hirano's exceptional ability in uniting disparate and competing elements through her delicate compositions.

“Compassion,” oil on canvas.

“Deceive Myself,” oil on canvas.

“Distant Loved One,” oil on canvas.

Hirano often incorporates naturalistic imagery, such as flowers, water, and animals.

“Girl's Mind 1,” oil on canvas.

“Sleep of Oblivion,” oil on canvas.

“You're a Light in My Heart,” oil on canvas.

Exhibition Information:
Miho Hirano
Boundary
December 14, 2024–January 25, 2025
Corey Helford Gallery in Los Angeles, USA
571 S Anderson St

Miho Hirano: Website | Instagram
Corey Helford Gallery: Website | Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Miho Hirano. Quotes have been edited for length and clarity.

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“Light in the Forest,” 2020 (courtesy of the artist and Winfield Gallery).

For California-based artist Holly Lane, the picture frame is far from superfluous. Instead, the frame assumes an essential role, serving not just as a border around her paintings but also as an inseparable part of them.

Though evolving throughout her multi-decade career, Lane’s fascination with the frame began as an art undergraduate at San Jose State University in the mid-1980s. She often found herself questioning the relationship between an artwork and its frame, and why the latter was consistently designed to be inconspicuous. Lane’s solution was at once simple and radical: create a frame as grand as the painting it surrounds.

Since then, Lane’s practice has been defined by a symbiosis between picture and frame. Her intricate frames teem with rich ornamentation and organic forms, perfectly complementing her paintings chronicling the natural world and animal kingdom.

Twenty-five of Lane’s carved frame paintings are currently on view in an exhibition at New Museum Los Gatos (NUMU). Open until January 12, 2025, the exhibition titled Not Enough Time to Love the World explores the artist’s core interests, including mythology, climate change, and environmental sanctity, all while showcasing how she has reconceptualized the frame.

My Modern Met had the chance to speak with Holly Lane about her creative process, thematic underpinnings, and NUMU exhibition. Read on for our exclusive interview with the artist.

Holly Lane creating “Gentle Muse” (2010)

What originally sparked your fascination with the frame?

While an undergraduate in painting I began thinking about frames. I was reading philosopher Jacques Derrida’s analysis of how conceptual frames often subconsciously precondition our perception of what is at the center.

A factor I was considering at that time was if a painting had a frame at all, it was a thin line, serving as protection for the art, and as a conceptual dividing line. The frame was a demarcation line that indicated that all that was within was art—the frame itself, and all that was outside the frame was not art. A good frame was to be inconspicuous.

While pondering the nature of frames, I found some illuminated manuscripts in the San Jose State University library and saw how the scrolling borders visually commented on the text.  Sometimes the borders had naughty creatures spoofing the text, even mooning the text—that was my moment of epiphany. I realized that a frame could be many things: it could be a commentary, an informing context, and a conceptual or formal elaboration. It could also embody ancillary ideas, it could be a shelter, it could be an environment, it could be like a body that houses and expresses the mind, and many other rich permutations.

From that point I began to create pieces that fused frame and painting, with some pieces having doors that open and close over paintings to suggest contingency, potentiality, future, past, or cause and effect.

“Cottonwood Moon,” 2023 (Photo: Courtesy of the artist and Winfield Gallery)

Why does it feel significant to achieve a symbiosis between frame and painting?

By making a frame that is one with the work I hope to eliminate a sense of border, of outside and inside. In doing so, I seek to address two spatial modes of aesthetic perception.

To experience the space of a painting we project our minds into it and, because of this, I see the pictorial space as a mind space. On the other hand, the spatial qualities of sculpture exist in our own physical space—we walk around it, proportion our bodies to it—so in part, sculpture is apprehended or “seen” by the body. By fusing sculptural frames with pictorial images, I hope to address both these modes of human aesthetic perception.

Furthermore, I use architectural forms in the frame because architecture is a human construct that encodes our needs, intentions, and predilections. These architectural frames are a stand-in for the human mind, culture, and consciousness. By placing nature inside an architectural frame, I show nature as held within our minds. Climate change calls us to re-envision nature from one of utility to intimacy and even sanctity, so placing nature within sacred architecture reframes nature as a sacred place.

“Not Enough Time to Love the World,” 2022 (Photo: Courtesy of the artist and Winfield Gallery)

What is your process in creating your intricate frames?  

I have two simultaneous threads of visual ideas going on in my sketchbook, both for paintings and their frame body/extrapolation. This stage is fluid with interchanges, additions, and subtractions going on in my sketchbook.

When I decide on a frame body and the painting, I make full-size drawings on graph paper for the frame, keeping in mind the dialogue and inter-relations with the painting. I also take measurements off the precise full-scale drawings to get the proper amount of wood (primarily basswood) and to plan the carving.

After the carving, I create line drawings, value drawings, and color studies for the painting, modifying the painting if needed to be in conversation with the frame body.

“Wading Through Amber,” 2020 (Photo: Courtesy of the artist and Winfield Gallery)

“Companions, The Three Graces,” 2021 (Photo: Patrick Tregenza, courtesy of the artist and Winfield Gallery)

How do you decide which details to incorporate in your frames?   

I think about gravity, weight, proportion, balance, extension, expansion, implied movement, coherence, pattern rhythms, counter point, texture, smoothness, and shape rhyming, among other features, for the frame shapes and carving details. I usually incorporate natural forms with architectural forms, alluding to how the human-built world is entwined with the natural world.

“We Shall Rise,” 2024 (Photo: Courtesy of the artist and Winfield Gallery)

What was the experience in mounting the exhibition Not Enough Time to Love the World at NUMU?  

It took two years of steadily working with guest curator Helaine Glick, from proposal to opening reception. Helaine applied her many years of museum experience to shaping the proposal and working with my gallery, Winfield Gallery, of Carmel, CA, and New Museum of Los Gatos.

Once the proposal was accepted by NUMU, Helaine guided every detail. For instance, she took my artist’s statements and streamlined them for the wall text. She also coordinated with NUMU’s director of exhibitions and collections, Cristiano Colantoni, on the gorgeous installation and lighting he designed.

After the opening guest curator, Helaine, NUMU, and Winfield Gallery have supported every special event and ensuing press opportunity. It has been a wonderful experience.

Image from Holly Lane's “Not Enough Time to Love the World” exhibition (Photo: Rutvik Katkoriya)

Image from Holly Lane's “Not Enough Time to Love the World” exhibition (Photo: Rutvik Katkoriya)

How is the exhibition representative of your practice and multi-decade career?

The NUMU exhibition comprises 25 works selected from my last 14 years of creation, representing my latest frame of mind.

Earlier in my creative life, I sometimes included human figures in the landscape, rethinking myths that involve women—like Eve and Fortuna—from a women’s perspective, in an effort to show backstories. Unfortunately, we could not gather enough of these works from around the country for this exhibition.

I’m looking forward to revisiting Fortuna, the capricious ancient Roman goddess of fortune and luck. She enables me to indulge my sense of humor.

“Eudaimonia and the Four Pillars of the Sky,” 2010 (Photo: Courtesy of the artist)

What are some of your favorite artworks featured within the exhibition and why?

The classification of favorites is tricky. Picking a favorite artwork would be like asking a jill (a mother possum) which of her 10 joeys (baby possums) clinging to her back is her favorite.

That said, there are some works in this exhibition that currently cling especially tightly to my mind. That magnetism, however, is not due to a valuation or ranking on my part—it’s because they have aspects that I would like to develop in different ways in the future.

I feel that the bulbous vine-wrapped “vase” that supports Cottonwood Moon and the painting’s mesh of branches and leaves—which are organically logical, but at first appear to be a jumbled tangle—have more potential, both sculpturally and pictorially. In addition, I would like to achieve the height, delicacy, and use of space in Eudaimonia and the Four Pillars of the Sky in another pure sculpture.

These are just a few qualities I’d like to explore more in future works. When each work is completed, I sit with it, learn from it, allow it to guide me toward new potentials.  Being an artist is the most connected and expansive work I have ever been a part of. It is limitless.

Holly Lane: Website | Facebook
New Museum Los Gatos: Website | Instagram | Facebook

My Modern Met received permission to feature images from New Museum Los Gatos and Holly Lane. Interview has been edited for length and clarity.

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Since 2018, Belgian artist Antoine Roegiers has been crafting an ever-evolving story through his ongoing series of oil paintings. His non-linear, visual narratives delve into the absurdities of modern life, portraying a world where nature reclaims its space through catastrophic forest fires.

Roegiers’ surreal, apocalyptic scenes come alive through his signature motifs: fire, stray dogs, masks, crows, and dense forests. Each painting captures a haunting blend of horror and serenity, depicting a world where life endures amidst fiery destruction. In some works, hybrid figures—half-man, half-beast—emerge, seemingly dancing and commanding the flames, adding to the otherworldly chaos.

In his latest works, Roegiers introduces trumpet-playing masked figures, representing the “grotesque resurgence of humanity.” Roegiers tells My Modern Met, “These figures, evocative of James Ensor’s eerie musicians, blind to the world’s deteriorating state.” He also paints eclipses in the bleak, gray skies, which he says serve “as a reminder of our insignificance, mere specks of confetti in the vast expanse of the universe.”

In one particular painting, Roegiers paints himself into the scene, laying on the fire-scorched ground. “I wanted to reintroduce people into my story to express my own despair at the madness of society, the helplessness that often engulfs us,” Roegiers explains. “In La mélancolie du déserteur— a self-portrait—I depict a disoriented figure, unsure of how to handle the boldness of his departure from the collective.”

Roegiers recently showcased his work for the first time at The Great Parade exhibition, which was on view at Galerie Templon in Paris.

Belgian artist Antoine Roegiers tells a surreal, evolving story through his ongoing series of oil paintings.

He explores the absurdities of modern life in a world where nature fights back with devastating forest fires.

In some works, hybrid figures—half-man, half-beast—emerge, seemingly dancing and commanding the flames, adding to the otherworldly chaos.

Dogs and masks are common motifs in Roegiers's work, provoking reflection on the contemporary world.

In this piece, Roegiers represents his own feelings of helplessness by painting himself into the scene, laying on the fire-scorched ground.

In other works, Roegiers introduces trumpet-playing masked figures, representing the “grotesque resurgence of humanity.”

Each painting captures a haunting blend of horror and serenity, depicting a world where life endures amidst fiery destruction.

Antoine Roegiers: Website | Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Antoine Roegiers.

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“Weaver”
This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase, My Modern Met may earn an affiliate commission. Please read our disclosure for more info.

An artist’s command over their canvas is best reflected through the details they choose to omit. Restraint is an artistic skill, as much as it’s an exercise in intentionality and storytelling. Artist Hieu Nguyen has been searching for this “intentional minimalism” in recent years, and, if his evocative watercolors are any indication, it seems like he’s found it.

Nguyen, who also goes by kelogsloops, is best known for his astounding watercolor compositions, replete with vivid details, rich colors, and dynamic movement. He often depicts fantastical themes, creating distinct scenes reminiscent of dreams.

“Throughout my artistic journey, I’ve often attempted portrayals of dreams and how they might be visually depicted,” Nguyen tells My Modern Met. “I find them such an interesting topic. They’re a shared universal experience yet fleeting, unique, and filled with more questions than answers.”

Images range from flying through the sky to strolling through the woods with massive animals, but never at the expense of clarity. Each watercolor maintains an impressive integrity and control, showcasing only the best elements in order to capture the artist’s vision. This precision is especially remarkable given Nguyen’s preferred medium. Unlike oil or acrylic paint, watercolor is permanent, with each stroke remaining visible on the canvas. This is also the reason why Nguyen initially felt intimidated by it.

“Originally, I preferred working in digital art and, funnily enough, I hated traditional painting media,” the artist admits. “I was especially terrified of watercolor—it was hard to control, permanent, and felt like painting with chaos.”

A high school art class, however, forced Nguyen to experiment with traditional media, much to his frustration. It eventually sparked an attraction to watercolor. “Over time, I began to appreciate abandoning the control and perfectionism that I loved in my digital art processes, and began embracing the chaos and falling in love with the way the paint and watercolors took on a life of their own.”

As with any passion, Nguyen’s relationship with watercolor developed gradually. At first, he experimented with what he describes as “vivid reds, bright blues, and patterns and textures scattered across the page.” Refining emerged as he gained confidence in watercolor, leading him to focus on “design elements [that] guide the viewer’s eye and shape the composition.”

Now, Nguyen finds himself inspired by Yoshitaka Amano and Shaun Tan, whose works possess a “quiet minimalism” that he has tried to capture in his own process.

“I’ve become fascinated by how [Amano and Tan’s] works invite viewers to explore every nook and cranny of the canvas, searching for hidden hints and clues,” Nguyen explains. “Despite their simplicity, their compositions feel deliberate and thought-provoking, forcing viewers to pause and reflect.”

Delicate, luminous, and meticulously layered, Nguyen’s watercolors have captivated countless art enthusiasts, earning him a following of over 1.4 million users on Instagram.

“Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of having an online audience and community to share my work with,” Nguyen reflects. “Every once in a while, I’ll receive a letter, a comment, or an email that chokes me up: a story about how my work has impacted someone—whether it’s how they resonate deeply with a concept of mine or how my story has inspired them to pick up a paintbrush and start their own journey.”

That popularity has also allowed Nguyen to share his art beyond the confines of a digital space. Through his online shop, Nguyen not only sells prints of his artworks, but also immersive puzzles, playmats, and pins. In February 2025, Nguyen will even be publishing a monograph.

“It’s been an incredibly long and intense process,” the artist admits. “Simon, the manager of the book publishing company, 3dtotal, actually reached out and pitched the book project about as far back as 2018. While I was super excited, the book never followed through because I think deep down I didn’t feel like I was ready.”

By late 2023, Nguyen finally agreed to publish The Art of Kelogsloops: From Sketch to Finish with 3dtotal. The book catalogs his watercolor sketchbooks, in-depth tutorials, and his creative journey from past to present.

“While it was incredibly exciting to be presented with such an awesome opportunity, it was an emotional roller coaster (in a good way) to dig up old things and reflect on the journey that got me to where I am today. It was a little painful to relive the memories of disappointment but equally revitalizing to remember the wins and incredible experiences I’d almost forgotten about entirely.”

Along with his extensive portfolio, merch, and audience, Nguyen’s monograph is a testament to his determination in pursuing art as a career. “I think if you asked younger me if he thought I’d ever become an artist, let alone write a book, he’d call you crazy,” Nguyen says. “I wrote this book both as a letter to my younger self, but also as a way to show people out there the journey from being a kid who dreamt of a career in the arts.”

After years of accumulating these accomplishments, what else is there for Nyugen to do? It turns out there’s quite a bit on the artist’s agenda: releasing another merch collection; creating more Magic the Gathering cards; and exhibiting artwork in galleries again. What excites Nyugen the most, however, is teaching workshops.

“In recent years, I’ve been putting a lot of energy towards teaching classes,” Nyugen said. “I designed a small watercolor portrait workshop course and have refined it over the past two years, finally to a point where I feel confident and proud enough to start teaching it in cities around the world.”

Beginning in 2025, Nyugen plans to teach these workshops in cities across Australia, with the intention of bringing the courses to New York, Los Angeles, and other major destinations in the future. The dream, Nyugen explains, is to embark on a “kelogs world tour.”

In discussing his favorite parts about being an artist, Nyugen recalled a special moment in which a girl, also of a migrant Vietnamese-Australian background, approached him. She talked about how she had similar experiences and deeply resonated with his journey.

“Sure, I get to paint and have the privilege of saying my job is to make pretty pictures,” Nyugen said, “but this is my favorite part.”

“We’ve been fans of kelogsloops for almost a decade here at My Modern Met,” says Eugene Kim, Co-founder and Editor-in-chief of My Modern Met. “His gorgeous watercolor paintings are absolutely breathtaking, along with his beautiful style and incredible technique. I was fortunate to meet Heiu in Istanbul for Refik Anadol’s Inner Portrait event and a lucky group of us spent a few days exploring the city. I can tell you firsthand how humble, funny, and talented he is. We are beyond honored to feature Hieu’s work and call him a My Modern Met friend.”

The Art of Kelogsloops: From Sketch to Finish is now available to pre-order via Bookshop and 3dtotalShop. To explore more stunning watercolors, products featuring them, and upcoming artist workshops, visit Hieu Nyugen’s website.

Artist Hieu Nguyen, also known as kelogsloops, creates stunning watercolors teeming with color, intricate details, and emotion.

“Utopia Sprawl”

“Dusk”

“Hiding Place”

“Pink”

Nguyen often prefers fantastical themes, incorporating dream-like imagery throughout his artwork.

“Something Found”

“Passengers”

“Nine”

“Mystic Remora”

The artist showcases an incredible command over his medium, creating compositions that are intentional, detailed, and vivid.

“Hide and Seek”

“Heavens”

“In Harmony”

“Lovers (Yellow)”

Nguyen's book, The Art of Kelogsloops, is publishing in February 2025, cataloging an expansive selection of his watercolors and sketchbooks.

“The Art of Kelogsloops: From Sketch to Finish,” February 2025 (3dtotal)

“The Art of Kelogsloops: From Sketch to Finish,” February 2025 (3dtotal)

“The Art of Kelogsloops: From Sketch to Finish,” February 2025 (3dtotal)

Nguyen also sells prints, pins, puzzles, and play mats on his website, offering multiple ways to bring his stunning watercolors into your home.

Kelogsloops: Website | Instagram | Facebook

My Modern Met received permission to feature images by Hieu Nguyen.

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Spanish artist Joaquín Sorolla wasn’t aware that he’d paint a sought-after masterpiece during his visit to Paris between 1889 and 1890. He also wasn’t aware that the work, titled Paris Boulevard (1890), would eventually be declared missing for more than a century.

Primarily lauded for his sprawling seascapes, idyllic beach scenes, and astounding mastery of light, Sorolla didn’t often veer toward moodier compositions as he did in Paris Boulevard. The painting depicts a bistro on the corner of a bustling Parisian street and is steeped in darker, cooler tones to reflect the dying sunlight. Sorolla even included a subtle self-portrait within the artwork: he holds a cigar while seated beside a soldier at one of the café’s tables.

When he returned to Spain in 1890, Sorolla showcased Paris Boulevard at the National Exhibition and, shortly thereafter, sold the painting to a private collector. Upon its purchase, the painting vanished and its provenance became murky.

“All the experts thought it had disappeared,” Ana de la Cueva, the president of Spain’s national heritage institution, told Antena 3 TV, “but a feat of investigation turned up some most unexpected results.”

Paris Boulevard was ultimately discovered to still be in the possession of the family who originally bought it in the 19th century. The remarkable painting is now one of 77 on display in a new solo exhibition by permission of the owners.

The exhibition, titled Sorolla, One Hundred Years of Modernity, traces the creative evolution of Sorolla across his career. It also marks the first time that Paris Boulevard has ever been exhibited publicly.

“The panoramic composition of [Paris Boulevard]—which is very photographic and which doesn’t worry about the figures who are cut off at each end—really grabs your attention and gives it a freshness that’s a taste of what Sorolla would go on to do more emphatically,” Blanca Pons-Sorolla, the exhibition’s curator and the artist’s great-granddaughter, says.

Sorolla, One Hundred Years of Modernity is currently on view at the Galería de las Colecciones Reales until February 16, 2025. To learn more about the exhibition, visit the Galería de las Colecciones Reales website.

Joaquín Sorolla’s Paris Boulevard painting has resurfaced after vanishing in 1890 and is now being shown publicly for the first time.

 

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Paris Boulevard is one of 77 other Sorolla paintings featured in a solo exhibition at the Galería de las Colecciones Reales in Spain.

 

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Sorolla was lauded for his stunning and idyllic beach scenes, cementing him as an iconic Spanish Impressionist.

Joaquín Sorolla, “Chicos en la playa” (“Boys on the Beach”), 1910. Oil on canvas (Photo: Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid, via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)

Joaquín Sorolla, “La playa de Valencia” (“The Beach at Valencia”), 1908. Oil on canvas (Photo: Christie's via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)

Joaquín Sorolla, “Strolling Along the Seashore,” 1909. Oil on canvas (Photo: Google Cultural Institute via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)

The rediscovery of Paris Boulevard by Joaquín Sorolla marks an exciting moment in art history and sheds light upon his earlier work completed in the 19th century.

Photograph of the Spanish artist Joaquín Sorolla by Gertrude Käsebier, ca. 1908 (Photo: Philadelphia Museum of Art, via Wikimedia Commons)

Exhibition information:
Sorolla, One Hundred Years of Modernity
October 17, 2024–February 16, 2025
Galería de las Colecciones Reales in Madrid, Spain
C. de Bailén, s/n, Centro, 28013

Galería de las Colecciones Reales: Website | Instagram | TikTok

Sources: Sorolla, one hundred years of modernity; Un ‘juego de espías' permite exponer en Madrid un cuadro de Sorolla nunca visto desde 1890: “Nos dieron 2 o 3 pistas”

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READ: Spanish Painting Hidden for 140 Years Is Now on Public View for the First Time Ever

Artist Luiza Niechoda is known for her unique, pixelated landscape paintings, which combine sharp geometry with the softness of nature. In her newest series, Nocturnes, she takes her work to another level by creating evocative night scenes illuminated by moonlight. These rich oil paintings almost appear to glow, as Niechoda takes us from the forest to the sea.

Inspired by the “comforting solitude at night,” Niechoda incorporates great depth into these pieces. Though their color palettes are dark, she clearly defines the different gradations of color that make up the landscape. But achieving this final look wasn't easy.

“I’ve used burnt umber to tone the hues down, and burnt umber dries to a matte finish,” she explains, “which in turn causes dark areas of the painting to look very dull. If you paint one piece in multiple sessions, you have to oil out these sunken-in spots to bring the saturation back so you can see the values properly. It always happened to my paintings, but none had this much darkness in them. The extra work at the beginning of each painting session definitely tested my patience.”

Niechoda's meticulous attention to detail is part of what makes her art so unique, and it's also what makes her an excellent teacher. In her Acrylic Painting Masterclass for My Modern Met Academy, Niechoda not only shares how she works with color and creates the crisp edges on her lines, but she even teaches you how to stretch your own canvas.

The three-hour online course is a wonderful way to expand your idea of landscape and abstract painting. And though she doesn't tackle evening landscapes in her online course, the artist does leave you with enough tools to get you started on your own artistic adventure.

As for this series, Niechoda hopes that it helps capture that special “night feeling” that occurs when the sun sets. “You know when you're outside, and it’s dark—everything's so still and peaceful, and you’re overwhelmed by nostalgia and wonder?” she muses. “That’s what I was trying to capture—those moments where the world feels calm, and you feel connected to something bigger.”

Follow more of Niechoda's work on Instagram and sign up for her painting course on My Modern Met Academy.

Artist Luiza Niechoda is known for her unique, pixelated landscape paintings and recently completed a series of nighttime oil paintings.

The Nocturnes glow under the moonlight that shines through in each scene.

Taking you from the forest to the sea, the paintings were inspired by the “comforting solitude at night.”

“That’s what I was trying to capture—those moments where the world feels calm, and you feel connected to something bigger.”

Luiza Niechoda: Website | Facebook | Instagram

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READ: Moody Geometric Landscape Paintings Appear To Glow in the Moonlight