Martin Johnson Heade - Landscape Artist of Light and Salt Marshes

A well-established Wisconsin neurosurgeon, Dr. Melissa Macias emphasizes an individualized approach to treating patients with complex cranial and spine disorders. Community focused, Dr. Melissa Macias contributes to the Wisconsin Humane Society and is a member of the Milwaukee Art Museum.

A current exhibit, "Nature and Opulence: The Art of Martin Johnson Heade,” focuses on a late 19th century American artist whose work featured flat, empty salt marshes. This focus contrasted sharply with the larger-than-life tableaus such as Niagara Falls and the Rockies popular among his art world contemporaries.

In the absence of dramatic natural features such as towering trees and crashing waves, Heade relied on a subtle use of light to guide the viewer’s gaze and achieve emotional impact. His innovative techniques included the addition of water directly on the canvas, as well as the scraping of paint from the canvas. 

A perfectionist by nature, Heade worked on a number of his paintings for years and even decades. Always one to march to his own drum, he made comments such as "I am no bootlicker to the rich” that reduced his standing in the commission-focused art market and led to his relative critical neglect following his death.