The lines of a life Michael Bell grew up in Lyndhurst, New Jersey, spending much of his early years in and around New York City. His hands first learned the weight of a brush under the guidance of his maternal grandmother, Violet Vallery, a self-taught artist. By the age of five, he was already participating in juried exhibitions. This early immersion in the physical act of making art shaped a practice that would later bridge the gap…
Scroll through Michael Bell's working life — artwork by artwork, chapter by chapter — from the earliest dated work to the last. Each thumbnail is pinned at its exact year on the gold axis.
The ribbon is divided into shaded bands, one per career chapter. Each chapter groups Michael Bell's works by their historical period — early training, mature practice, final years.
Every thumbnail is pinned at its precise creation year. A thin gold thread drops from the image to its exact point on the axis. Larger frames mark the artist's masterpieces by rank.
The gradient bar beneath the axis shifts colour as the dominant art movement changes over time — from the warm golds of the early period through the deeper tones of maturity. It fills progressively as you scroll.