February 13 is the birthday of the great Russian bass FEODOR CHALIAPIN (1873-1938).

Chaliapin possessed "a deep and expressive bass voice, he enjoyed an important international career at major opera houses and is often credited with establishing the tradition of naturalistic acting in his chosen art form ... Chaliapin made one sound film for the director G. W. Pabst, the 1933 Don Quixote ... not a version of the Massenet opera but a dramatic adaptation of Miguel de Cervantes' novel, with music and songs by Jacques Ibert." (Wikipedia)

February 13 is the birthday of American artist GRANT WOOD (1891-1942).

The Iowa-born Wood was one of three artists in the American regionalist movement, along with John Steuart Curry and Thomas Hart Benton. Wood's most famous painting is the iconic "American Gothic."

"Wood's inspiration came from Eldon, southern Iowa, where a cottage designed in the Gothic Revival style with an upper window in the shape of a medieval pointed arch provided the background and also the painting's title. Wood decided to paint the house along with 'the kind of people I fancied should live in that house.' The painting shows a farmer standing beside his spinster daughter, figures modeled by the artist's sister, Nan (1900–1990), and his dentist. Wood's sister insisted that the painting depicts the farmer's daughter and not wife, disliking suggestions it was the farmer's wife, since that would mean that she looks older than Wood's sister preferred to think of herself. The dentist, Dr. Byron McKeeby (1867–1950), was from Cedar Rapids. The woman is dressed in a dark print apron mimicking 19th-century Americana with a cameo brooch. The couple are in the traditional roles of men and women, the man's pitchfork symbolizing hard labor.

The compositional severity and detailed technique derive from Northern Renaissance paintings, which Grant had looked at during three visits to Europe; after this he became increasingly aware of the Midwest's own legacy, which also informs the work. It is a key image of Regionalism." (Wikipedia)

To see examples of Wood’s art, CLICK HERE.

February 13 is the birthday of Austrian artist ERNST FUCHS (1930-2015).

Fuchs "was an Austrian painter, draftsman, printmaker, sculptor, architect, stage designer, composer, poet, singer and one of the founders of the Vienna School of Fantastic Realism . . . In 1956, he converted to Roman Catholicism (his mother had him baptized during the war in order to save him from being sent to a concentration camp). In 1957, he entered the Dormition Abbey on Mount Zion where he began work on his monumental Last Supper and devoted himself to producing small-sized paintings on religious themes such as Moses and the Burning Bush, culminating in a commission to paint three altar paintings on parchment, the cycle of the Mysteries of the Holy Rosary . . . From 1974, he became involved in designing stage sets and costumes for the operas of Mozart and Richard Wagner including Die Zauberflöte, Parsifal, and Lohengrin." (Wikipedia)

To see examples of Fuchs’ art, CLICK HERE.

Happy Birthday, JOYCE DIDONATO!! The Prairie Village, Kansas-born mezzo-soprano is 56-years-old today.

"I know that every time I step on the stage it's a real gift, so I try not to take it for granted, and I try to make it an experience that the public can really participate in."

Joyce "has performed operas and concert works spanning from the 19th-century Romantic era to those by Handel and Mozart.

Educated at Wichita State University and the Academy of Vocal Arts, DiDonato began her career in mid-1990s, participating in young artist programs of several opera companies, most notably Houston Grand Opera. Since then, she began having engagements across the United States and Europe. She made debuts at La Scala in Rossini's La Cenerentola in the 2000/01 season, the Royal Opera in Janáček's The Cunning Little Vixen in 2003, and the Metropolitan Opera as Cherubino in Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro in the 2005/06 season. She has performed in world premieres of several operas, such as Michael Daugherty's Jackie O (1997), Mark Adamo's Little Women (1999/2000), Jake Heggie's Great Scott (2015), and Kevin Puts's The Hours (2022).

DiDonato has won multiple awards including the 2012, 2016 and 2020 Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Solo." (Wikipedia)

On February 13, 2000, the day after Charles Schulz died, the last original "Peanuts" comic strip appeared in newspapers.