Photos of the Day: Cape Cod Cottage

October 2013, Wellfleet, MA

Artists Cottage/Gallery/Display of the Prettiest Mermaid's Purse EVER

New York, I Could Kiss You!

 Spotted off the High Line, New York City, Monday, June 16, 2013

 The City is more colorful that you think. It's just a matter of perspective and knowing where to look.

Retroblogging: Chicago Trip 2012, Art Institute

 

Georgia O'Keeffe
American, 1887-1986

Sky Above Clouds IV, 1965

Oil on canvas
243.8 x 731.5 cm (96 x 288 in.)
Restricted gift of the Paul and Gabriella Rosenbaum Foundation; gift of Georgia O'Keeffe, 1983.821
© The Art Institute of Chicago

Retroblogging: Chicago Trip 2012, Art Institute

 And you thought YOUR family was funny looking!

These characters just cracked me up.

William Bonnell was ahead of the anime crazy, but they totally would be adopted by some Japanese fans now.

William Bonham, March 4, 1825
Oil on panel
30.5 x 24.9 cm (12 x 9 13/16 in.)
Inscribed on reverse: "William Bonnell/Pin/March 4th/1825/Portrait of Wm Bonham/ Painted at the age of 38 years"

(Note: there may be an "x" after "Pin" but it is hard to see.)
Estate of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, 1980.739



 


Mrs. William Bonham (Ann Warford), March 6, 1825
Oil on panel
30.5 x 24.9 cm (12 x 9 13/16 in.)
Inscribed on reverse: "William Bonnell/Pinxt/March 6th 1825"
Estate of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, 1980.740
 

J. Ellis Bonham, March 5, 1825
Oil on panel
30.5 x 24.9 cm (12 x 9 13/16 in.)
Inscribed on reverse: "William Bonnell/Pinxt/March 5th 1825"

Also on back is a pencil sketch of the work painted on front.
Estate of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, 1980.741

Retroblogging: Chicago Trip 2012, Art Institute

Once of the things I liked most about the Art Institute was that the size of the museum was manageable. While Kari and I didn't get through everything, we got through a lot. The crowds were also not overwhelming, for the most part*, and we were able to linger and study and to see how the museum had acquired and displayed works that tied together. Like this study, for a much larger, more famous work.

 Georges Seurat
French, 1859-1891

Oil Sketch for "La Grande Jatte", 1884

Oil on panel
6 1/8 x 9 9/16 in. (15.5 x 24.3 cm)
Gift of Mary and Leigh Block, 1981.15

de Hauke 93

Georges Seurat
French, 1859-1891

A Sunday on La Grande Jatte -- 1884, 1884–86

Oil on canvas
81 3/4 x 121 1/4 in. (207.5 x 308.1 cm)
Inscribed at lower right: Seurat
Helen Birch Bartlett Memorial Collection, 1926.224

de Hauke 162

It's amazing to finally see of these works in person and to be able to zoom in on details. Like these frisky friends. Did you know there was a monkey in this painting? Bottom right corner at the bustled lady's feet in the shade? See.

Also, there's a border painted onto the painting - a layering of the colors, which you can finally notice when you are about a foot from the actual work.

Of course you have to be able to get close enough to the piece to study it, and it helps if it's a wall-sized canvas.

*I never did get close enough to American Gothic to really experience that work. Somebody had parked themselves right in front of it! And then there were crowds around him. I bought a postcard.

Retroblogging: Chicago Trip 2012, Art Institute

Juxtaposition: 

Is it me, or does some curator have a weird sense of humor? 

Art Institute of Chicago, January 2012

I think it's just me.

Sadly, for this Halloween, the one on the left doesn't seem to be on display anymore.

Gustave Caillebotte

French, 1848-1894

Calf's Head and Ox Tongue, c. 1882

Oil on canvas

29 x 21 in. (73 x 54 cm)

Major Acquisitions Centennial Endowment, 1999.561

Pierre-Auguste Renoir
French, 1841–1919

Jean Renoir Sewing, c. 1899

Oil on canvas
21 3/4 x 18 1/4 in. (55.4 x 46.5 cm)
Mr. and Mrs. Martin A. Ryerson Collection, 1937.1027

Retroblogging: Chicago Trip 2012, Art Institute

Art Institute of Chicago, January 2012

Jackson Pollock
American, 1912–1956

Greyed Rainbow, 1953

Oil on linen
182.9 x 244.2 cm (72 x 96 1/8 in.), unframed
Signed and dated: recto: "Jackson Pollock 53" (bottom right in black paint); verso: "Jackson Pollock / 53" (upper left in black paint)
Gift of Society for Contemporary American Art, 1955.494

© 2012 Pollock-Krasner Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York 

For more information, click here.

Retroblogging: Chicago Trip 2012, Art Institute

I am so far behind on blogging on things, thanks to the business/busy-ness of my life, that I STILL haven't blogged about my epic Mid-Western/Chicago trip in January to see Kari and her Krew. So I'm just going to have to do things out of order.

We're going to focus on the Art Institute outing with Kari for a while, and highlight some of the works that jumped out at me for one reason or another. Where ever possible I've tried to get the information from the Art Institute's website so I can remember who made the work and learn more about it. It's in no particular period/acquisition/importance order. I'm just going to post as they come up, though some of the more macabre *might* show up around Halloween. Just 'cause.

The Art Institute of Chicago Main Entrance, c. January 2012

My gal Kari, also c. January 2012! (in the bathroom, sorry about that!)

We wandered, we talked, we pondered, we poked, we pretended, we pretensed. It was super fun, although by mid-afternoon our back hurt from all the stuff we were carrying and our legs/feet hurt too. I documented ... So I'm not in the photos ... Cause I'm smart like that!

Vincent van Gogh
Dutch, 1853-1890

The Bedroom, 1889

Oil on canvas
29 x 36 5/8 in. (73.6 x 92.3 cm)
Helen Birch Bartlett Memorial Collection, 1926.417

Edward Hopper
American, 1882–1967

Nighthawks
1942
Oil on canvas
84.1 x 152.4 cm (33 1/8 x 60 in.)
s.l.r. Edward Hopper
Friends of American Art Collection, 1942.51

Frank Lloyd Wright
American, 1867-1959
Avery Coonley Playhouse: Triptych Window, 1912
Clear and colored leaded glass in oak frames
Center panel: 35 1/4 x 43 in. (89.5 x 109.2 cm)
Two side panels: 36 x 7 3/4 in. (91.4 x 19.7 cm) (each)
Restricted gift of Dr. and Mrs. Edwin J. DeCosta and the Walter E. Heller Foundation, 1986.88
© 2012 Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Pierre-Auguste Renoir
French, 1841-1919

Woman at the Piano, 1875/76

Oil on canvas
36 5/8 x 29 1/2 in. (93.2 x 74.2 cm)
Inscribed at lower left: Renoir
Mr. and Mrs. Martin A. Ryerson Collection, 1937.1025

Vincent van Gogh
Dutch, 1853-1890

Self-Portrait, 1887

Oil on artist's board, mounted on cradled panel
16 1/8 x 13 1/4 in. (41 x 32.5 cm)
Joseph Winterbotham Collection, 1954.326
Unknown 20,

Claude Monet
French, 1840-1926

Houses of Parliament, London, 1900–01

Oil on canvas
31 7/8 x 36 1/4 in. (81 x 92 cm)
Inscribed at lower right: Claude Monet
Mr. and Mrs. Martin A. Ryerson Collection, 1933.1164

  
India
Tamil Nadu, Nagapattinam

Buddha Seated in Meditation (Dhyanamudra),
Chola period, c. 12th century
Granite
160.0 x 120.2 x 56.3 cm (63 x 47 5/16 x 22 3/16 in.)
Restricted gift of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Andrew Brown, 1964.556





Felix Gonzalez-Torres
American, born Cuba, 1957–1996
"Untitled" (Golden), 1995
Strands of beads and hanging device
Dimensions vary with installation
The Art Institute of Chicago, through prior gift of Adeline Yates; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, through prior gifts of J. D. Zellerbach, Gardner Dailey, and an anonymous donor; and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, through prior gift of Solomon R. Guggenheim; partial gift of Andrea Rosen, in honor of Felix Gonzalez-Torres, 2008.400
© 1995 The Felix Gonzalez-Torres Foundation.

We wanted to stop where and sit and maybe get a cuppa, but these architecturally interesting chairs didn't look comfortable.

And I didn't know how to break in, sneak these out, and then ship them home without getting smashed to bits.




To be continued.

Spotted on the Streets: What is Art?

I finally got to break away from my desks, my computers, my office, and my Attic, and spent a recent gloriously warm Indian Summer Saturday roaming the City with friends. I forgot to warn them that I've been using my walking tours to discover "art" in the odd nooks and crannies along the way. With thanks to my wandering buddies for the "Wait, I just want to ..." and the odd snapping of photos.

You have to remember to pin down the little unexpected moments when you find them ... say in Chelsea.

It's so easy to walk right on by the little educational moments the City has to offer. What looks like graffiti or layers and layers of stickers on the ubiquitous utility boxes or construction scaffolding could be important learning opportunities.

I want to add these as avatars for this blog, for example, because ... well. Do I really need to explain why?

Spotted on the Upper West Side

Or about The Shushing Librarian?

Spotted in Chelsea or between 21st-14th Streets/9th - 5th

 You have to keep your eyes open for the magic (tilt your head), or take the moment to adjust your preconceptions, and puzzle out the true meanings. The one on the right took us a moment, because we had this stuck in our heads.

This is only a piece of the whole mural which took up the side of the building. We had to guess that it was for a business, and by golly ... we were right. A little tiny, Mom&Pop-esque neighborhood institution of a hardware store. I should have popped across the street to get the whole mural, but alas. 

 The whole side of the building is in contrast to this little door jamb at street level on 14th Street. The Aliens are among us, and they have their own hipsters. I blew this up, so you can see the imagery hovering above the Men in White.

I wish it was still light at night for the evening "rush" walk back to the train. I bet the seasonal weather would keep people off the streets so I could take more photos.

Retroblogging: Chicago Trip 2012, Art Institute

Art Institute of Chicago, January 2012

Can you spot my favorite part of this artwork?

Happy Father's Day 2012

Painting by Auntie Nettie c. 3rd Grade 1980-1981

Even though the dad in this drawing is not the blonde/silver haired kayaking fox that's my pop, I couldn't think of a better picture to post for Father's Day.

Thanks for instilling a love of the water in all your kids.

Hope you can get out on the lake soon.

xo,
me
your favorite daughter in the whole widest world

Photo of the Day: And all you need is

Spotted during Summer Streets, August 20, 2011

Summer Fridays/Weekends 2010 - Part Five

Despite the ravages to my system that have been ongoing since early June, I have still been determined to go out and enjoy my summer Fridays and weekends. Whether that meant enjoying the view out the train window as I travelled through Westchester to the doctors office yet again, being awestruck at the forcefulness of Mother Nature's wrath on the forest near Caramoor, or enjoying a rare, humidity-free, evening concert by Christopher O'Riley in the Spanish Courtyard, I've been busy.

Luckily my friend Christine and I did manage to find a date when her busy Festival schedule was clear so we could head to The Metropolitan Museum to see the exhibition called American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity.

I think Christine and I have known each other too long. We hadn't discussed wardrobe, but I found myself grinning when I came around the corner at Grand Central to see her in a white dress. Why? Because I was wearing a black dress. We hadn't even planned it. We're of the school of thought that you still make an effort to dress appropriately when visiting cultural institutions, whether it be a concert or a museum. Plus, we were going to see some fancy dresses, so why not respect the art we were going to see?

On our way to that special exhibition, we got sidetracked into the Picasso retrospective. Much of the art on display was unfamiliar to us, although I was familiar with the Harlequins and the portrait of Gertrude Stein. We also saw the Picasso that had recently been repaired after an altercation with a patron, now displayed under glass. The linoleum lithographs were wonderful, although you did have to wonder about Picasso's perceptions of women in his later years.

Here's my one decent photo of Christine in front of a lithograph. While you could take photos in the Picasso exhibit, I wanted to experience the art, not document the art to experience later.

After marvelling over the craftsmen(woman's?)ship of the dresses from the Costume Institute (no photos allowed there -- but check out the YouTube clip in the link above), we found our way upstairs to the Big Bambu installation. It was disgustingly hot and humid heading up the stairs to the roof, and the bright sun was unrelenting. However, under the shade of the bamboo it was quite refreshing, especially with our over-priced, but much needed beverages and salty snacks. We snagged a bench and admired the views of Central Park.

Apparently you can have a guided tour on the top of the installation (via these stairs -- Stairway to Heaven anyone?), but there are limited tickets and you have to be at the Met at a certain time to line up to get them. Maybe later and not in a dress and sandals ....

After we came down from our bamboo high, we wandered around various exhibitions, looked at European masterpieces, mocked the fashion choices of our fellow museum goers*, took in Italian sketches, gossiped, were almost stampeded by a herd of Italian testosterone-filled teenagers, had pity for hard-working security guards who had to constantly police the "no-photos" policies, marvelled at the wealth of people who could afford porches and courtyards like these,

roamed through the Byzantium, Greek, and Roman eras looking at the craft and artwork of millenia past, with a sidetrack through King Tut's burial goods in Egypt, and finished by wading through a lobby full of tourists to get to the ever-important gift shops.

We were wise to start early and to narrow our exhibit preferences because by early Sunday afternoon, as the heavens opened and the rains came through the City, the Museum more closely resembled an international airport terminal than an institution dedicated to art. We escaped onto East 85th Street before the deluge started and wandered around the East Side for some lunch and some people watching.

[*Ladies, please take Christine's advice. If you are wearing a white dress and rain is in the forecast, buy AND CARRY an umbrella. Like she did. Because she is smart. Or wear black and have a slicker, like me! Don't hope that you can make it to the subway, home, or an awning before it starts to rain. The Upper East Side is no place for a wet dress contest. All of the patrons at our diner felt bad for you, but really -- it's New York in the summer and we've had storms like every day. How did you not know it was going to rain! (And yes, your dress was as see-through as you thought it was.)]

I was envious of the owners of this brownstone. This climbing vine was so beautiful in the rain, though you just can't tell from my photos.

I need to spend more time exploring the streets around the Museum. You can see hints of the Gilded Age of New York. Just check out this apothecary shop. The best part were the roundels in the arched windows that swivelled open for circulation.

The day was also filled with other fleeting "only in New York moments" that I experienced but didn't photograph: from looking up at the corner of 82nd and Museum Mile to see one of the famous red-tail hawks circling around his/her swanky NYC nest, to crossing paths with a celebrity and her family and friends en route to somewhere on a Sunday morning while Christine and I tried to cross the street, to me heading down to my train in Grand Central at the end of the day to see a bridal couple walking up past the Oyster Bar with their wedding photographer. Many "congratulations" rang out through the tunnel for the happy couple while other commuters and tourists looked on nonchalantly. I'm just glad they were taking pictures at that location and time on a Sunday and not in the middle of a week-day evening rush hour. The contrast between the bride's white ball gown and the beige terrazzo and the brick/cobblestones of the Oyster Bar Passageway must have looked even better on film than it did in real life.

It's always fun spending time with Christine and seeing priceless pieces of art. However, I do have to say that it's always the unexpected and the odd little things that crack me up when we are together.

Things like this, which I call

Priceless Impressionist Masterpieces vs. Aging Dude Trying Too Hard

*Dude. Here's a hint. If your shirt says it, then there's no way you actually are a Prepster. Sorry.