Susan's Museum Experience

2007-07-15T14:07:00.000-07:00

Chaim Soutine 1894-1944

It is not often when I make a connection, but when I do it is a strong force - like being shot from a canon and reaching another destination. The experience is powerful, and a bit overwhelming.

For instance, when I breathe in the smell of the ocean, a warm rush of childhood memories spent on Cape Cod enters my mind, or when I see the color turquoise I am swimming in the crystal clear water of St. John, in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The smell of fresh cut grass brings me to the rolling hills of Kentucky, and the smell of hay delivers me to Shamrock, Texas where the air is fresh and clean, and the only thing that surrounds me is wide open space. When the aroma of coffee fills the air, I am six years old standing on the tips of my toes at the A&P watching the machine grind the coffee beans, while my mom reminds me not to stand too close. I viewed many forms of art at The Met, and I was getting discouraged because I was not able to connect with what I was seeing until I came across Chaim Soutine’s French, born Lithuania, 1893-1943, Little Girl with a Doll, ca. 1919, Oil on canvas.

My initial reaction which I voiced to the stranger standing next to me was what was going on in this little girl’s life that she appeared so distraught? He just looked at me dumbfounded.

I walked within a few inches of the painting, and couldn’t help but notice the little girl’s charcoal, hollow eyes – they were filled with such sadness and despair. Clearly, the painting was of a little girl, she looked impish, although her face portrayed that of an elderly, exhausted woman. I began taking photos, and looked forward to researching the artist Chaim Soutine.

Chaim Soutine was an expressionist painter who was not happy with his works or his life. He did not believe he had talent. He portrayed his own violent emotions in his work using vivid colors and distorted images. His artistic style was mixed with Fauvism and Cubism. This explained what I clearly indicated in his painting A Little Girl with a Doll.

Chaim Soutine was born in Russia near Minsk, Belarus, to an observant Jewish household. He rebelled against his traditional background, and enrolled in classes at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vilnus, Lithuania. A local art patron who admired Chaim’s work sent him to Paris in 1913 where he enrolled at the Ecole des Beaux Arts and worked under Fernand Cormon.

In 1919 Chaim spent time in the town of Ceret, in the Pyrennes Mountains, and began painting landscapes with apocalyptic themes. In Paris he began painting portraits of figures, his favorites being maids, and valets, with a more expressive style. He socialized with great painters such as Jules Pascin, Marc Chagall, and Amedeo Mogdialiani. He roomed with Mogdialiani and was severely distraught when he died in 1920.

Soutine was prone to violent rages, bouts of depression and had attempted suicide. He often destroyed his own works. He was known for his bizarre behaviors; once, he kept an animal carcass in his apartment for his painting Carcass of Beef. Despite his rages and eccentricities, he managed to sell many of his works to Dr. Alfred Barnes an American Collector who helped Soutine’s work find a large audience in the United States.

Many believed Soutine’s best exhibition of his works was in Paris, 1937. Several months after his showing in Paris, France fell under the hands of the Nazis. Soutine fled on foot for his life. He hid and slept in forests while he ate leaves, grass and berries to maintain his strength. Two weeks before the French liberation on August 8, 1944, he died due to complications from surgery on a stomach ulcer.

Sad, and distraught...

Her eyes the color of charcoal, empty and lifeless...

The artist clearly displays his own pain through his subject

The doll she is holding is morbid too...

The image of the little girl's face is distorted

and acts as a mirror for Soutine's own life...

Did this girl exist, or was it a figment of Chaim Soutine's imagination?

And if she did exist, what was her name?

Chaim Soutine, I hope you

and The Little Girl with a Doll

have found peace...

2007-07-08T20:40:00.000-07:00

My last paper will be posted the week of July 9th and it will feature the work of Chaim Soutine. French, born Lithuania, 1893-1943.

2007-07-08T12:12:00.000-07:00

On the sixth day of July, I set sails for The MET.

"Set sails" does have a nice tone, but the reality was I departed from the New Haven train station, destination Grand Central, and rode the subway to 86th Street. With a bottled water in hand, and a new pair of Converse sneakers, I walked three blocks to the museum.

My plan was to tour the museum on a weekday rather than a weekend because I thought there would be less people. When I saw the crowds of people, I quickly remembered it was a holiday week. The security guards searched my bag, I purchased a ticket from a young girl who had a lovely smile, - and I was off.

Welcome to The Met!!! Please come with me and you will see some extraordinary art work.

This is The Museum Experience Course, but prior to taking your photography course, I doubt I would have even noticed - but when I saw the light I could hear your voice "it's all about the light."

Fragment of a literary tablet:

beginning and end of "Atrahasis," the Babylonian myth of the great flood

Clay - Mesopotamia, Babylon - Neo-Babylonian period, 7th - 6th century B. C.

The poem "Atrahasis," named after its hero, is an ancient Near Eastern precursor to the biblical story of Noah's ark. The text describes the creation of humankind and a great flood sent down by the god Enlil to destroy the people, who disturbed the gods with their noise. Atrahasis survived the flood by building a large boat.

Now this is History - pretty amazing!!! - See the writing on the tablet.

Bronze rod tripod

Cypriot, Late Bronze Age, ca. 1250-1050 B.C.

From Cyprus - represents some of the finest metal work produced in the eastern Mediterranean at the end of the Late Bronze Age. The decoration is a blend of Mycenaean Greek and Near Eastern elements.

It is hard for me to comprehend that work of this caliber existed during this period.

Henri Matisse (French, 1869-1954) Seated Woman, Back Turned to the Open Window,

ca. 1922, Oil on canvas

Notice the dialgoue between the interior and exterior space, the lively paisley pattern set the stage for the sailboats at sea.

Limestone Geryon

Cypriot, Archaic, 2nd half of the 6th century B.C.

In Greek mythology, Geryon was a three-bodied creature who lived in the West with his dog, a herd of cattle, and a herdsman.

Said to be at the temple at Golgoi...I couldn't tell what this was until I got closer and saw the baby's foot hanging out of the hammock.

Gabriel Orozco Mexican, born 1962

Nina en Homaca (Baby in Hammock), 1999

Silver dye bleach print

A sleeping beauty...Lothar Baumgarten, German, born 1944
Haida Metamorphosis, 1969
Chromogenic print

The artist used pocket mirrors to create the triangular reflections that hover before the objects, though the shapes partially obscure the masks. It is intriguing, and a bit creepy.

Florine Stettheimer, American, 1871-1944

The Cathedrals of Fifth Avenue, 1931-Oil on canvas

Fifth Avenue - New York's shopping mecca

Darling I love you but give me Park Avenue...

Stuart Davis, American, 1892-1984

Percolator

1927-Oil on canvas

This painting was really neat because it deconstructs the rounded, cylindrical forms of an ordinary coffeepot into the Cubist language of flat, overlapping planes and wedges. It was the first time Davis used what he called "color-space" logic - placing colors in such a way as to suggest spatial relationships. Pablo Picasso, Spanish, 1881-1973

Cavalier and a Seated Nude

1967 - Oil on canvas

Sofa, design - Filippo Pelagio Palagi (1775-1860)

Made by Gabriele Capello (1806-1876)

For the King of Sardinia, Carlo Alberto (1798-1849)

Upon viewing the color, fabric, and pattern of the sofa, I knew the owners were royalty. The mahogany and maple is so luxurious!

Brise Fan

Pierced and painted ivory; silk ribbon, metal loop, French, 1830

The fan is delicate, elegant, and feminine. It would compliment any woman's wardrobe. My stomach was empty so I ate lunch in the museum dining gallery. The menu was pricey but the salmon was delicious! During lunch I watched through the glass windows of the museum a homeless man dance, and speak to himself outside on the grass, while the couple sitting next to me laughed, he was their entertainment.

I began to wonder what his story was. Was he a father, or someone's brother? Was he once successful, did he ever eat lunch where I sat? Did he have addiction problems or was he mentally ill? Did he ever experience the joy of seeing the wonders that exist at The Met? One never knows one's own fate.

As I walked to the subway, I humbly thanked my higher power for the precious gift I have been given - my life...

Paper Three (3) Surrealism/Dorothea Tanning

2007-06-28T18:11:00.000-07:00

The Yale Art Gallery was not one that I fancied unlike the Wadsworth which was a delightful surprise. I was about to exit the gallery when I saw the piece Reve (Dream) 1944, Dorothea Tanning, American, born 1910, Oil on canvas. It was unusual and amusing. My research led me to discover that Dorothea Tanning is one of the last living members of the Surrealist Movement. Andre Breton, a French poet launched the Surrealist Movement with the publication of his Manifesto of Surrealism, in Paris in 1924. Breton was influenced by the theories of Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis.

Freud identified a deep layer of the human mind where memories and our most basic instincts are stored. He called this the unconscious, since most of the time we are not aware of it. The aim of Surrealism was to reveal the unconscious and reconcile it with rational life. The Surrealists did this in literature as well as art.

Surrealism also aimed at social and political revolution and for a time was affiliated to the Communist party. There was no single style of Surrealist art but two broad types are the oneiric (dream-like) work, and the automatism. Freud believed that dreams revealed the workings of the unconscious, and his famous book The Interpretation of Dreams was central to Surrealism. Automatism was the Surrealist term for Freud's technique of free association, which he also used to reveal the unconscious mind of his patients. Surrealism had a huge influence on art, literature and the cinema as well as on social attitudes and behavior.

Dorothea was the fourth wife to Max Ernst (known to many as “one of the gods”) to Surrealism. Tanning was born in Galesburg, Illinois, August 25, 1910, where she worked as a librarian. In 1930 she briefly studied at the Academy of Fine Art in Chicago, and moved to New York City where she spent her time studying art in galleries and museums.

Dorothea lived in Paris for several years and met Max Ernst (when he was married to Peggy Guggenheim) at the Julien Levy Gallery in New York where many of the Surrealists were exiled during World War II. Dorothea and Max married in 1946. Through her husband she became acquainted with the Surrealists world.

Although she married Max his work had no perceivable influence on her. Dorothea's subjects were mainly figures, interior views, and still life; the mediums oil and watercolor.

Tannings earlier surrealist evocations consisted of perverse children's games and fantasies to experiments with different paintings, and later sculptural approaches. In the late 1930's she painted young women and their sexual fears and fantasies in a hyper-realistic way. Beginning in the 1950's, however, her work became more abstract with sexual and violent images not quite clearly discernable; her involvement with symbolic and dream material has remained constant.

Despite the well-known photograph of Tanning and Ernst in Arizona, they spent much of their time in France from the late 1940s until his death. She is consequently much better known in Europe than in the U.S., though she is finally beginning to be as well known in her native country as in her adopted one.

Dorothea Tanning had her first one-woman exhibition at the Julien Levy Gallery in 1944.

Dorothea Tanning
American, born 1910
Reve (Dream)
1944 - Oil on canvas

Mini purses in a shell...

Notice how some purses are open while are others shut

Some purses contain money while others are empty

Some purses have smoke coming out of them while others have fire

And the one purse outside of the shell

contains something other than money...

Are those pebbles?

And if you look closely there is one that is not a purse, but an outline of a purse.

Unique best describes Dorothea Tanning.

Paper Number Two (2)

2007-06-24T18:48:00.000-07:00

One of the advantages of working at a college is the summer hours so this past Friday I spent the day at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, CT. I had no idea a museum of this caliber existed in Hartford never mind the fact that it is the home to nearly 50,000 works of art spanning 5,000 years. The collections include Renaissance and Baroque paintings, Mediterranean antiques, seventeenth-century American furniture and decorative arts, textiles and costumes, Meissen porcelain, African-American art and artifacts, American landscapes, European and American impressionist paintings, and modern and contemporary art.

The current exhibitions on view are the Connecticut Contemporary which features over 100 works by local, talented artists, Picasso to Pop: Aspects of Modern Art, Faith and Fortune: Five Centuries of European Masterworks, and For the Love of the Game, Race and Sport in America.

I was about to enter a section of the museum when from the corner of my eye I saw this luminescent color of blue, and knew instantly it was the work of Maxfield Parrish. As a young girl Ansel Adams and Maxfield Parrish were my introduction to the art world. Maxfield Parrish was one of America’s most beloved artists who worked during the “Golden Age of American Illustration". He was known to many Americans as the common man’s Rembrandt.

During his lifetime he achieved artistic renowned critical acclaim, and continues to hold the attention of audiences today. His work has been reproduced in calendars, books, advertisements, art prints, and magazines. Maxfield's murals and paintings utilized a unique juxtaposition of designed elements, luminescent colors, photorealistic subjects and romantic images of far-away, fantasy places. In the 1920’s Maxfield Parrish was so popular with the American people one out of four homes had his work hanging on their wall. Even today there is a high demand for his art prints which indicates America’s fondness for his work.

At Haverford College he studied architecture, and then dropped out to study painting. While living with his dad in Gloucester, Massachusetts he painted his first serious work, 'Moonrise', and simultaneously enrolled at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art. At the Academy he became interested with the work of Howard Pyle and audited Pyle's first classes in illustration. Parrish realized that the use of historic subject matter captured the sentiments of the print audience.

Parrish attended a class at Yale where Jay Hambidge, a historian-illustrator lectured on a composition called “dynamic symmetry”– this system offered a formula for reproducing natural proportions in their works. This symmetry later became a major part of his art. In fact, all of his works are based around this technique. First, he did montage layouts which he would then paint. The final execution was almost etching-like, precisely articulated with romantic images of far-away fantasy places. The colors that appear in Parrish's works are so bold even today cobalt blue is referred to as "Parrish blue.”

Maxfield Parrish
American, 1870-1966
Study for Old Glen Mill, c. 1932 The colors are brillantly bright!

A peaceful place far-away... Serentiy...

Magical...

Wonderous...

A place to just be... Elegant...

Maxfield Parrish, there's only one... Thank you for joining me on this magical journey, until we meet again, I wish you peace...

Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art

2007-06-24T12:07:00.000-07:00

Hello, and welcome to the Wadsworth Antheneum Museum of Art, located in Hartford, CT. Please follow me, and you will see a collection of wonderful treasures...

I took seventy five (75) photos - here are a few for you...

Tray, English, 1662 - Silk, satin-weave foundation over iron wire; embroidery in silk, raised work technique; glass beadwork; silk ribbons The Costume and Textile Purchase Fund

Crucifixion, French, 16th century, Leonard Limousin, I. c. 1505-1575/1577, Enamel on copper

Such vibrant colors!!!

Daniel Maclise, Irish, 1806-1870, The Disenchantment of Bottom, 1832, Oil on canvas

"Fairy Painting" was a category of painting in 19th century England, and this was one of the earliest works in the genre.

Georgia O'Keeffe, American, 1887-1986, The Lawrence Tree, 1929, Oil on canvas

Georgia's career was launched in New York by Alfred Stieglitz, the photographer who she eventually married.

Childe Hassam, American, 1859-1935, Nymph of the Siren's Grotto, 1909, Oil on canvas Paul Gauguin, French, 1843-1903, Nirvana: Portrait of Meyer de Haan, c. 1889-1890, Oil and turpentine on silk

Meyer de Haan was a Dutch artist and one of the leading spokesmen of the Synthesist movement whose goals were the simplification of visual experience and an emphasis on symbolic content in painting.

Henri de Toulouse - Lautrec, French, 1864-1901, Jane Avril Leaving the Moulin Rouge, 1892, Gouache on board - Jane Avril star attraction, but off stage she is shown thoughtful and isolated, a melancholy figure.

Bath Tub - Roman, 100 B.C. - 100 A.D. Red Egyptian Porphyry Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo, Italian, Venetian, 1727-1804, The Building of the Trojan Horse, c. 1773-74, Oil on canvas

A classic... Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, Italian, Roman school, 1571-1610, Saint Francis of Assisi in Ecstasy, c. 1594, Oil on canvas

St. Francis of Assisi, founder of the Franciscan order, died in 1226, and was canonized just two years later. One of the miracles most commonly associated with his life is his assumption of the Stigmata, the wounds that Christ recieved during the Crucifixion.

The Cabinet - see description belowCabinet

Flemish, mid-17th century

Ebony, tortoise, shell, ivory, gilt metal

The Cabinet was decorated in the workshop of Frans Francken the Younger, (1581-1642). The double doors reveal scenes of Noah and the ark and the construction of the Tower of Babel, while the hinged lid is decorated with a scene of Cain killing Abel. Thomas W. Dewing, American, 1851-1938, The Days, 1884-1886, Oil on canvas

Soft, and elegant...

Theodore Robinson, American, 1852-189, Beacon Street, Boston, 1884, Oil on canvas

Diego Rivera Mexican, 1886-1957. Girl with a Mask, 1939, Oil on canvas I hope you enjoyed viewing the latest collections, and hope to see you again soon.

Susan

Paper Number One (1)

2007-06-24T09:00:00.000-07:00

My family is from Massachusetts, and they reside within close proximity to Boston. Although I have lived in CT for a few years, I am a Bostonian - born and bred. Yes, I am biased, I believe Boston is a wonderful city. It has everything: history, culture, art, architecture, the marathon, sports teams (yes, the Red Sox), the Harbor, Aquarium, Science Museum, Quincy Market, Faneuil Hall, the Public Gardens, Newbury Street, Cambridge, the Charles, the Pops, and so much more. With its New England charm and European flair, “there’s no place like home.”

Boston has some of the best schools in the country: MIT, Wellesley, Smith, and Harvard (to name a few). The rivalry between Harvard and Yale continues so when my husband and I went to the Yale Center for British Art I wasn’t expecting much - to my surprise the exhibitions were great.

I was immediately drawn to John Frederick Lewis, 1805 – 1876, “And the prayer of faith shall save the sick” (Epistle of James, 5:15) oil on plywood panel, 1872, the colors in his painting were magnificent. Red, turquoise, orange, yellow, blue, violet and green - they were so vibrant they jumped out from the frame. I was also intrigued by the work of Frank Auerbach, born in 1931, oil on board, ca 1955. His portraits were of his friends, and their expressions were of utter despair and emptiness, his work is dark, disturbing, and hauntingly beautiful.

And then “it” happened. I was in awe of a painting by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1836-1893, oil on canvas, ca. 1884 and the title: Evening Glow. I was mesmerized by the “light” in the painting. As I moved closer my eyes filled with tears, and I felt pure inner-peace, heavenly-like. I felt the presence of my mother, as though she was hugging me (she is deceased). My husband asked if I was alright, I answered yes, and proceeded to immerse myself in this painting.

Prior to becoming an aesthetic artist, John Atkinson Grimshaw worked as a railway clerk. In 1836 he was born in Leeds, and was the son of Arthur E. Grimshaw a policeman. His parents were opposed to his decision to make art his career. John was influenced by the Pre-Raphaelites, and he created vivid, highly finished landscapes. He slowly developed his own distinctive style, and subject matter. He became a consummate painter of twilight, night time, and autumnal scenes. John spent vacations in Scarborough, and many of his pictures were created there.

In the mid 1880’s he had a London Studio and painted nocturnal harbor and dockside pictures as well. His commercial success warranted him to purchase Knostrop Hall on the outskirts of the city. Rumor was he was a friend of Whistler. His paintings consisted of interiors, portraits, and fairy pictures, but his most accomplished pictures were of attractive sophisticated young women in opulent interiors.

In the early 1890s John’s style shifted in a new direction, showing Sand, Sea, Summer, and Fantasy of 1892, and At Anchor 1893. His formal style of painting was moving toward a freer, flowing, less informal style - perhaps influenced by Whistler. Unfortunately, this change of direction came to a halt when John Atkinson Grimshaw died of cancer in 1893.

My mother and I spent autumn afternoons (her favorite time of year) walking around Beacon Hill, sharing our lives with each other, as mothers and daughters often do. Ironic that she passed away on a warm, glowing autumn day.

John Atkinson Grimshaw and his painting Evening Glow reminded me of a precious gift, my mother's love.

Magical days,

and mystical ones...

Golden days...

and days to treasure...

Feel the warmth, of love around you

and embrace the life

you have been given.

Peace...

The Bruce Museum

2007-06-18T14:37:00.000-07:00

At first glance the building gives an image of strength and power, with a contemporary twist - I was intriqued to see the exhibitions. If you park in the lower tier like I did, the stairs provide a great workout...let's go and explore...

The front of the museum is impressive.

As you enter you are greeted by a display of several books that are on sale - don't you just love consumerism?

2007-06-18T10:34:00.000-07:00

In the beginning...

The women at the desk were lovely and informative - the security guard was nasty - self-importance is a major trait in lower-Fairfield County which I find amusing...I lived in New Canaan, CT for several years, the Bostonian Snob in me wanted to say: "get over yourself" :) ...okay let's see the first exhibition which is:

Fakes and Forgeries: The Art of Deception Exhibition
Examples of Western paintings, sculpture, and decorative arts that are imposters including some of the rarest, and most famous decpetive works.

Probably the work of Alfred Andre (French, 1839-1919)
The Last Supper
Plaque, painted enamel on copper, partly gilt
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of George Blumenthal, 1941
This painted enamel plaque with gilt details was atributed to the atelier of Jean Penicaud I, an artist who worked in enamel in sixteenth-century Limoges in France. Conservator and forger Alfred Andre restored the authentic Penicaud enamel, and someone in his studio copied the original. I was attracted to this because of the marvelous colors, and it was The Last Supper.

Luigi Parmiggiani (Italian, 1860-c.1932)
St. Michael and the Dragon

Made of parcel gilt silver with semi-precious stones, shows the archangel St. Michael battling the dragon of the Apocalypse. In 2006 The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, bought it for its permanent collection, feels that it is clearly based on a medieval prototype although no such elegant example in silver is known. The sculpture is an excellent example of the historicizing taste of its era. Luigi Parmiggiani, a well-known anarchist and forger, sold precious works in the medieval style to both the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum. Great shield - I want it.

Girl Skipping Rope Bank

Cast Iron with Polychrome

Designer: Philadelphia: James H. Brown

Manufacturer: Cromwell, CT - J. and E. Stevens Company

April 15, 1890

Originally created in brass by the designer, a mold of the original was made from which the cast copies were produced. The Stevens Company was noted for its cast iron toys and in the 1870's became the world's largest producer of mechanical banks.

John Myatt, in the manner of Joan Miro (Spanish, 1893-1983)

Harlequin Disturbs Sleeping Fish 2007

Mixed media on paper

Courtesy John Myatt

A decade of forging paintings and serving prison time, John Myatt continues to produce works of other artists. He sells his work legitimately, and the backs of his works bear the inscription: "Genuine Fake".

Probably Brigido Lara (Mexican, c. 1940) in the manner of the Late Classic period, 600-900 A.D.

Large Standing Figure

Believed by scholars to be a ceramic sculpture represented Cihuateoti, an ancient goddess of woman who die in childbirth, assumed that it originated in south-central Veracruz in Mexico. Experts believe this is not a remnant of an ancient civilization but, rather a modern work in an ancient style probably by Brigido Lara.

Recumbent Ibex

Black limestone

Brooklyn Museum, Anonymous Gift

Persian sculpture of a recumbent ibex in black limestone imitates the Achaemenian period. It was exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art when its authenticity was questioned - Technical analysis declared it a fake.

Unknown artist, in the manner of Andy Warhol

(American, 1930-1987)

Campbell Soup Cans

after Warhol's originals of 1962

Synthetic polymer on six canvases

FBI, New York Office, Major Theft SquadThe second exhibition was the:

The Bruce Museum - A Century of Change Exhibition

This exhibition showcases the Museum's nearly 100-year old history with photographs, decorative arts, sculptures, and natural history objects.

Frederick Childe Hassam (American, 1859-1935)

The Mill Pond, Cos Cob, 1902 Oil on canvas Anonymous Gift

Urn, International Centre Piece, 1900

Irish, Belleek Pottery - Parian porcelain

Gift of Mrs. Horace V. Steadman

Originally, it was made for a table in a castle hall, today there are only three of them left intact.

I found this piece to be exquisite. Such detail!!!

It is so regal looking...

Jivaro Tsantsa

Shaur Indians

Ecuadorian and Peruvian Amazon, early 20th century- Gift of Mrs. Edward F. Smith, 1957

Purchased in Lima, Peru by Mr. Edward F. Smith.

After the ceremonial uses of the warfare trophies, the Jivaro Indians discarded or sold the tsantsa, or shrunken heads, as tourist trade items. This was wild!!!

John Frederick Kensett (American, 1816-1872)

Fourteen Mile Island, Lake George, 19th Century

Oil on canvas

Gift of George Norris Morgan - in memory of Ethel Boies Morgan, 1946

Early Morning in Connectituct, 1940

Oil on canvas

Museum purchase in memory of Eugene Gee Swartz, 1996

Matilda Browne (American, 1869-1947)

August Morning, c. 1919

Oil on canvas

Museum purchase 1919

The Permanent Exhibitions included: Changes in Our Land, The Mineral Gallery, and The Woodland Diorama - I had no desire to see stuffed animals, or minerals (I had my own collection as a kid) and as far as Changes in Our Land, I recently watched Al Gore's documentary.

I hope you enjoyed yourself...onward and upward to The MET and Wadsworth.

The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum

2007-06-17T14:45:00.000-07:00

Although I found the structure of the building striking, and the acres of lush, green, grass inviting, the current exhibitions I did not like. Yes, they were unique and interesting, but I do not prefer this type of art.

Larry Adlrich was a well-known fashion designer who had a passion for art. Originally, he purchased the building for his own collection of art, but it was incorporated as a non-profit. In 1964 the museum opened as one of the country's first museums devoted exclusively to the exhibition of contemporary art.
Welcome, and please come in.

Entrance...

Sleek and sensuous brick wall

Taken inside looking out into the courtyard

Interesting sculpture

Same sculpture just "filled the frame" And here we are greeted by the first exhibition...

Arturo Herrera used a Renaissance technique called pouncing to tranfer his designs from paper to the gallery wall. He worked off a huge paper sketch (cartoon), and punched holes through the paper against the wall. He then patted the cartoon with small fabric sacks filled with dry colored pigments, which left a pattern of spots and dots on the wall's surface. Jessica Hough, the curatorial director stated, "The result will be a complex drawing of knotted dwarfs, complete with pick axes and gemstones, composed of dots of several colors." In the Renaissance a pounce drawing is the starting point for an oil painting or fresco, but Arturo uses the technique to create a contemporary flair.

Arturo Herrera Exhibition: Castles, Dwarfs, and Happychaps

1998 - 2006

Arturo uses various fragments of well-known imagery in his work

Keep in Touch, Set #3, 2004

Mixed Media on Paper

Two
Keep in Touch, Set #3, 2004

Mixed Media on Paper

Three

He borrows generically-familiar figures from coloring booksArturo Herrera

Keep in Touch Set #3, 2004

Mixed media on paper

Group of 13

Keep in Touch, Set #3, 2004

Mixed Media on Paper

Six

And uses characters from animated films as well as landscapes from children's books. Herrera was born in Caracus, Venezuela, and at present lives in Berlin and New York. He has had solo exhibitions through out the country.

W(E)AVE Exhibition

Elana Herzog 2006

Multi-panel installation composed of cotton chenille bedspreads and staples on drywall mounted on plywood, 2" x 4" wood framing, drywall, specified paint

Michael Schumacher 2006

Eleven channel generative sound installation for

pre-recorded and synthesized sound sources

Elana Herzog (visual artist) uses fabrics that are generally found in a home (bedspreads, carpets, quilts, blankets) Michael Schumacher (sound artist) found many of the sounds in this installation in Herzog's studio (drilling, sweeping, stapling, and even her dog, Tanner, chewing on a scrap of wood). These two artists realized their works were in the use of found materials, so they collaborated by weaving the elements of fabric and sound.

As you view the various fabric images,

the sounds of stapling, drilling,

and sweeping are playing in the background...

As I mentioned prior, the current exhibitions did not spark any flames for me - so my excursion to The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum has come to an end. Until we meet again.

Yale Center for British Art

2007-06-13T13:46:00.001-07:00

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.

2007-06-10T22:56:00.000-07:00

I hope you enjoyed the selection I displayed from the Yale University Art Gallery - stay tuned for the Yale Center for British Art.

The Entombment of Christ

2007-06-10T22:53:00.000-07:00

Taddeo Gaddi
Italian, Florence ca. 1300 - 1366

Such sorrow and rightly so

Electric Chair

2007-06-10T22:50:00.001-07:00

Andy Warhol

American, 1928-1987

Andy Warhol certaintly marched to his own drum.

The Peaceable Kingdom

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Edward Hicks 1780 - 1849

We can only hope for a Peaceable Kingdom.

Such soothing colors

Ball Wall Clock

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Ball Wall Clock

Model no. 4755, designed 1947

George Nelson Associates

Howard Miller Clock Company

This caught my eye because my parents had one in their home. Having no traditional clock face and numbers, the clocks were considered radically modern.

Reve (Dream)

2007-06-10T22:25:00.000-07:00

Doretha Tanning

American, born 1910

When I saw several pocketbooks inside the shells, and then read the title Reve (Dream) I couldn't help but smirk...

Was Doretha dreaming of lots of loot?

Mother and Child (First Steps)

2007-06-10T22:19:00.000-07:00

Pablo Picasso

Spanish, 1881 - 1973

1943

South Asian Art

2007-06-10T22:12:00.000-07:00

Footprints of the Buddha (Buddhapada)
Ancient Gandhara Kushan period (ca. late 1st - early 4th century C.E.)

Asian Art

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Inro with Stylized Characters of Prosperity and Longevity

Japanese, Edo period (1615 - 1868)

19th century

Responding to Kahn: A Sculptural Conversation

2007-06-10T21:51:00.000-07:00

Christian Boltanski

La fete de Pourim, 1988

The hollow eyes, the lights shining on the faces, and the biscuit tins that look like a prison wall represents Nazi Germany - very disturbing.

Yale University Art Gallery

2007-06-10T21:06:00.001-07:00

Prior, I posted I was going to the Metropolitan Museum of Art this weekend - instead, I found myself in the company of my husband, and visiting the

Yale University Art Gallery and the

Yale Center for British Art. I must say I was pleasantly surprised when I entered the gallery. In front of me, was a world of paintings, sculptures, and photography from all periods – accompanied by glorious colors, textures, shapes, and sizes.