Yale Center for British Art

Before arriving to the center, my husband and I went to Atticus for lunch - we enjoyed their delicious black bean soup, and a nutrious sandwich. The weather was cloudy and damp so we both agreed it was a good day to go.

It was quiet inside, and as you can see from the photos there weren't many people.

We were greeted by a bio on The Founder, Paul Mellon.

By the look on their faces, it appears it wasn't just cloudy outside...

I was drawn to this because of the magnificent colors...
John Frederick Lewis, 1805-1876
"And the prayer of faith shall save the sick"

(Epistle of James, 5:15) Oil on plywood panel, 1872 Leon Kossoff, Born 1926
Seated Figure Oil on canvas, 1960
Lent from a private collection

The crown of thorns and the cloak reminded me of an image of Jesus Christ.

Frank Auerbach, Born 1931- Portrait of Leon Kossoff

Oil on board, ca. 1955

Lent from a private collection

I was drawn to this because it is disturbing...despair and darkness...a face behind a face...
Henry Wallis, 1830 - 1916
The Death of Chatterton Oil on panel, ca. 1856

Paul Mellon Collection

There was so much "light" around him but he chose suicide - perhaps the open window symbolizes that he was free at last...
Student Exhibition: Joseph Wright and The Spectacle of Science
This reminded me that we never stop learning - both the young and old are engaged in the experiment.

The Prisoner - Alone, isolated, lifeless

Thomas Rowlandson (1756-1827)
A Worn-out Debauchee, ca. 1790-95
Known as "Old Q"

In eighteenth century parlance the "debauchee" was wholly abandoned to the pursuit of sensual pleasure, inhabiting a totally different league of immortality from the merely occasional debaucher. If I saw "Old Q" today, I would think he was a drag queen...
William Blake (1757-1827) Jerusalem: The Emanation of the Giant Albion, 1804-20

Plate: 25: "And there was heard a great lamenting in Beulah"

Relief etching printed in orange,

with pen and ink, watercolor, and

gold, on wove paper.

The fall of man, represented by Albion, and his ultimate redemption.

Jacques Le Moyne De Morgues (ca. 1533-1588)

A Young Daughter of the Picts, ca. 1585

Watercolor and gouache, touched with gold, on parchment.

The Pictish illustration was intended to remind readers that early natives of the British Isles existed in a savage state similar to natives in the Americas.

I was attracted to this piece because of the woman's strength and pride of who she was.
Louis Kahn

The architect of the center. I took this photo because when you attend a play, the audience sees only the finished production, and the stars (hopefully) will receive great reviews, but rarely does the audience know, or can comprehend all the blood, sweat, and tears that go on behind the scenes - just like Louis Kahn, I am sure the opening of the center got rave reviews, but no one really knew what it took to put it all together than Louis Kahn.
John Flaxman (1755-1826) The Creation of the Heavens, ca. 1790-94

Pen and gray ink and gray wash on laid paper

The Creation of the Heavens was inspired by Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel image of God creating the heavens.
Luigi Balugani (1737-1770)
Fennec (Fennecus verdus), ca. 1767-70

Watercolor

I found this creature to be very peculiar looking - a cross between a lynx and hyena. William Turner of Oxford (1789-1862)

Donati's Comet, 1859

Watercolor and gouache over graphite on wove paper

There is something magical about a comet. John Martin, 1789-1854

The Deluge

Oil On Canvas, 1834

According to the Book of Genesis, man showed such wickedness after Adam that God repented of the whole of Creation and sent an enormous flood, destroying every living thing on earth but spared Noah and his family, whom God instructed to build an ark.

Thanks for viewing my trip to the Yale Center for British Art, I hope you enjoyed the selection.