Showing posts with label artists. Show all posts
Showing posts with label artists. Show all posts
Time is ticking....
This baroque chinoiserie clock from the Getty reminds me that summer is ticking away. I've had so many things going on I've barely had time to write about any of them but look forward to some interesting posts in the near future!
Paris Opera House
One of the things I hope to see while in Paris next week is the Paris opera house by Charles Garnier -especially the ceiling by Chagall (one of my favorite artists!). This sketch by Raoul Dufy depicts the opera house in 1924, long before Chagall started the ceiling - can't you see the similarities? How did he know what was coming?!
The Dufy sketch is part of the Phillips Collection here in DC.
The Dufy sketch is part of the Phillips Collection here in DC.The Phillips Collection
This past weekend I visited the Phillips Collection, a private museum here in Dupont Circle, DC which has an enviable collection of modern masters. Founded in 1921 by Duncan Phillips (a fellow Pittsburgher), the museum remains small but incredibly important. Works by Renoir (seen above), Paul Cezanne (also seen above) and Monet sit alongside very contemporary art. The museum was the first modern art museum in the United States which explains the incredible collection.
I was drawn to the museum for the 'Paint made Flesh' exhibit which I highly recommend! Seen above is the new addition which houses the entrance. It quietly fits onto a small street, respecting the stately townhouses and embassies that are neighbors, just 3 blocks from the metro. 
Here you can see the original structure, a 1897 Georgian revival townhouse which was Duncan's home. After the deaths of his father & brother, Duncan and his mother dedicated the collection to their memory. In 1930 the collection was becoming so large that they moved out of the house and devoted it entirely to the museum.
Above is a work by Paul Gaugin -I just love the colors and besides, the meal just looks delicious. At the top of the post is of course 'Luncheon of the boating party' by Pierre-Auguste Renoir(1880-1881) which Duncan purchased in 1923 -the museum's most well known painting to this day but surely not its finest.
A painting by Chagall (my favorite artist).The museum is known for its unusual approach to displaying the works. The collection is not shown in order by date or artist, but by similarities seen in the works themselves. This makes for a really enjoyable visit (as does the intimate scale of the space). I hope on your next visit to DC you visit the Phillips!
Queen's theater
I came across this delightful sketch by Elizabeth 'Beegle' Duquette of the Queen's theater at the Petit Trianon recently while reading More is More. Both talented artists, I'm amazed at the fascinating life they led. Click on the photos to enlarge and see the details. Have you read the 2 books on Duquette? Enjoy them?
Photograph of the Queen's theater by myself while the drawing is from the book More is MoreAmerican Gothic
American Gothic, by Grant Wood, has always been one of my favorite paintings. Cliche I know, but I just love it. While in Chicago this past weekend I was able to see not only the original painting (1930) in the Chicago Institute of Art, but also a sister work of art from 2005 that mimics it nearby across from the famous Tribune Building.
I recently found out that the painting by Wood depicts a farmer and his DAUGHTER, not his wife like I always assumed, according to his sister Nan. He modeled the pair on his dentist, Dr. Byron McKeeby and sister; people he thought looked like occupants of such a house. The original building was in Eldon, Iowa and was painted from memory. The painting was submitted to the institute in a contest and won first place: $300 and a bronze medal. The museum purchased it shortly afterwards and it became one of the most widely published paintings of all history.
The nearby statue is of fiberglass and was created by J. Seward Johnson (the Johnson & Johnson heir). Measuring in at an impressive 25 feet high, the statue is called 'God Bless America'. Which do you prefer?
Monet at Giverny
Monet created over 250 paintings of the Water lilies or Nympheas at his gardens in Giverny (in Northern France). These paintings always remind me of calm summers, just in time for my yearly pilgrimage to the beach next week!
The gardens of the house he first rented then owned have been open to the public since 1980. I would love to visit while in Paris but I think time is not on our side -next time!
Hamptons Designer Showhouse: Rosemarie Petruzzellis
Two weekends ago I had the pleasure of being invited to attend the grand opening party of the Hamptons Designer showhouse. I jumped at the chance to see the house but also to tour that area of Long Island as I hadn't visited before.
Some amazing decorators were invited to work on the project, as we have all seen many places online, but I thought in the next few posts I'd show some of my favorite areas and details that I happened to notice while there.
Strangely enough, but as is often the case, my favorite rooms weren't the grand spaces on the main ground floor done by the big names, but rather the smaller rooms located on the 2nd floor and the lower level (where the best of the best work had been done in my opinion).
Two of the first smaller rooms which blew me away were the 'his' and 'hers' dressing rooms (closets really) which had been taken on by the decorative artist Rosemarie Petruzzellis of The Paint Palette.
I believe I may have actually seen Rosemarie at the opening party over drinks on the pool deck as I saw someone in eye-catching pants painted EXACTLY like the bright green Lady's dressing room, but I was distracted by seeing my friend Emily Eerdmans whom I spent the majority of the evening talking with because as we all know, she is so unbelievably interesting and distracting!
If one can't have fun in their private closet at their beach house, where can you really let loose? I love this wild abandon on the walls both in the 'his' and the 'her' dressing areas.
The rooms were decorated as if in use, with clothes tossed around (much like my own closet!), you half expected the bathing suit and towels strewn about to be wet. I imagine she raided her own closet as well as her husband's in furnishing the clothing!
The bright orange wall color in 'his' closet is grounded against a dark ground with a green stripe (much like faux panels) which would really help to cheerfully wake you up while dressing in the morning -I love painted 'architecture' like this.
No detail was left untouched, even the door stop to the 'his' closet is a cute cast iron dog. Who wouldn't love a dressing area like either of these!Rosemarie can be reached via facebook under the name of 'the-paint-palette' or at paintpalette2k @ yahoo . com
Miraculous Artistry
This carved wood relief at the Getty really took my breath away. Full sized and carved from a block of limewood by Aubert-Henri-Joseph Parent in Paris, 1789, the thickness of each petal and leaf is the real-life equivalent. You can practically smell the lilac!
The lower half is unfortunately as realistic, ahhhh snakes! This allegory, as so much else at the Getty from the time period, portrays the birds (aristocracy) protecting their feathered nests from the snakes (revolutionaries). I suppose we know who won and now we enjoy the fruits of the snakes' labor as so many of the aristocrat's belongings are now in the hands of museums such as the Getty; very...mixed...feelings.Paul Gauguin ceramics
While at the Chicago Institute of Art, I came across a piece that was surprising to me: A ceramic vessel by Paul Gauguin. Yes, THAT Paul Gauguin: the post-impressionist with the colorful exotic paintings based in Polynesia. I had no idea he was so prolific!
The vessel is of course of a young Polynesian girl or 'Leda and the Swan' (from Greek mythology) as it is entitled, and was made in 1887/88. The girl hugging the swan makes up the body while the swan's neck makes a clever handle. Really magnificent! 
The Institute is one of my favorite museums because they pair not just paintings of similar time periods, but they give you the whole perspective with furniture, ceramics and even lighting fixtures of the time period. This vessel was in the same room as a number of Gauguin's works. The building has a new wing by one of my favorite architects, Renzo Piano and I will talk more about that soon!
and again - pictures by my iphone (which I think I'm giving up on and returning despite the great camera quality!)
Millennium Park continued
Adjacent to the Pritzger Pavilion, by Frank Gehry,are 2 other interesting pieces of sculpture that really capture 2 different styles of monuments.
The first is a very classical structure, the Millennium Monument in Wrigley Square. It is a slightly smaller version of a Greek (doric) styled monument, designed by Edward Bennett, (who also designed the famous Buckingham Fountain nearby) which stood nearby from 1917 till 1953. I love classical structures like these, but sadly it was the emptiest part of the whole park.
The Cloud-gate, lovingly nicknamed the bean for obvious reasons, was immensly more popular. I could see why: totally interactive, people loved to look at their own reflections 'carnival style' and walk in, around and under it. 
The sculpture sits in the AT&T plaza section: built of polished steel, it weighs in at 110 TONS! The heavy work was the first installation by artist Anish Kapoor in the United States and cost upwards of $23 million -about 5 times more than the classical Millenium monument! It is meant to depict a drop of mercury right before impact with the ground. The sculpture was hand polished on site after delivery to hide the weld-lines. They did a good job because it is amazingly PERFECT (although it could do with a good washing with windex!). You can easily see why this is the most popular piece in the park! If you plan a trip to Chicago (and you must!) plan to visit the Millennium Park!
Shadows
I apologize for the lack of posts lately; I've had some technical difficulties and a rather full work life keeping me otherwise occupied. Before I was entirely forgotten, I wanted to just post a few photos of this marvelous malachite urn at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Probaly the most fascinating thing about it, other than that emerald green color, are the shadows created from the lighting. Two points to be made here: sometimes the affect of an object is more important than its existence and if you look past the obvious, sometimes you find something even more interesting. I'll be back soon!A miniature world
In the recent NYT magazine, did you notice the little piece on Ji Lee's parallel worlds? The very talented graduate of Parsons is currently the creative director of the google lab but his other passion is the 'empty' space all around us.
You know what I mean by that? Well -the pictures probably make it pretty clear -but ceilings and backs of business cards are 2 things he mentioned in the article. He sees these areas in our modern world as yet another great place to express yourself. 
In one of these miniature rooms for instance, he has placed a tiny guitar and Jimi Hendrix posters to express the inner rockstar of the client. What a charming idea, don't you think? The idea of anything in miniature generally will gain my support: so cute!
His idea of this parallel universe going on amongst our daily lives is also a pretty interesting one. Remember the children's book, the borrowers, by Mary Norton: Tiny little people stealing small items from us all and living their lives behind our very walls? That notion always intrigued me. If not behind our walls, why not on our blank white gypsum board ceilings which no one seems to notice in our modern age.
I remember years ago seeing an article about an older woman who collected miniatures (or doll house furniture, whichever you prefer to call it) and arranged rooms on her bookshelves in her living room: LOVE that idea. I think we all like to play god on some level and be the master of a smaller universe. Why not take after Ji Lee and place them on your ceiling?
All photos from BOOOOOOOOMDancing in the streets
A lot of life was just added to New York Avenue here in DC recently thanks to the National Museum of Women in the Arts.
A series of sculpture exhibits is planned in the upcoming 5 years for a rather soul-less section of New York Avenue right downtown near the White House (between 12 and 13th streets). The first artist selected for the series is Niki de Saint Phalle, best known for her Stravinsky Fountain in front of the Pompidou Center in Paris.
Her large and colorful sculptures bring a smile to the face of everyone who sees them. The expressions they evoke are of pure joy and exuberance, just what dreary downtown needs sometimes! Even while taking these pictures, I got a lot of comments on how great they were.
The sculptures are in stark contrast to much of the art that is featured throughout the city: overwhelmingly traditional and much of it very staid and seriously themed.
The purpose of the exhibit is to bring the museum into the streets and the community. I think it will also bring some attention to NMWA which I have to admit I've never visited, despite living a mere 3 blocks away!
Saint Phalle liked to challenge the notion of what fine art is, and these pieces are no exception. Whimsical yet still monumental, I would imagine a lot of people enjoy these pieces a lot more than they would a trip to their local museum (or so they would think). Art is to be enjoyed, and these are undoubtably joyful!
They celebrate women, children, cultural diversity and love. I think we can all get behind those subjects.
Every 1 to 3 years, the installation will be changed out, but I hope this one remains longer rather than not. Even the signage for Saint Phalle is fun!
Do you have a favorite local statue or exhibit to bring a smile to your face everyday? I would love to hear about it!
Her large and colorful sculptures bring a smile to the face of everyone who sees them. The expressions they evoke are of pure joy and exuberance, just what dreary downtown needs sometimes! Even while taking these pictures, I got a lot of comments on how great they were.
The sculptures are in stark contrast to much of the art that is featured throughout the city: overwhelmingly traditional and much of it very staid and seriously themed.
The purpose of the exhibit is to bring the museum into the streets and the community. I think it will also bring some attention to NMWA which I have to admit I've never visited, despite living a mere 3 blocks away!
Saint Phalle liked to challenge the notion of what fine art is, and these pieces are no exception. Whimsical yet still monumental, I would imagine a lot of people enjoy these pieces a lot more than they would a trip to their local museum (or so they would think). Art is to be enjoyed, and these are undoubtably joyful!
They celebrate women, children, cultural diversity and love. I think we can all get behind those subjects.Every 1 to 3 years, the installation will be changed out, but I hope this one remains longer rather than not. Even the signage for Saint Phalle is fun!Do you have a favorite local statue or exhibit to bring a smile to your face everyday? I would love to hear about it!
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