tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38164826279076459352024-03-14T02:49:31.796-04:00ArtSmartTalkArt, Art History, and the Pleasures of the Visual WorldUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger158125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816482627907645935.post-51324969289632484872013-05-07T19:20:00.001-04:002013-05-07T19:20:31.548-04:00Outsider Art - Outside What?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vziuyGvJBf4/UYmLjlSMLgI/AAAAAAAACW4/FNfzuyCfx18/s1600/ButlerDancingHogWhirligig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="288" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vziuyGvJBf4/UYmLjlSMLgI/AAAAAAAACW4/FNfzuyCfx18/s400/ButlerDancingHogWhirligig.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wild Hog Whirligig by David Butler</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Outsider Art is a convenient term, but for whom? Who is 'outside' and why - and what does it mean for the Art?<br />
<a href="http://www.artsmarttalk.com/3/post/2013/05/outsider-art-outside-what.html">http://www.artsmarttalk.com/3/post/2013/05/outsider-art-outside-what.html</a><br />
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A reflection on labels and meaning, prompted by the exhibit<br />
'Great and Mighty Things: Outsider Art from the Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz Collection' at the Philadelphia Museum of ArtUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816482627907645935.post-50565399813323870312013-02-14T07:50:00.000-05:002013-02-14T07:50:01.423-05:00All That Glitters: El Anatsui at the Brooklyn Museum<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OrsO81gpVtI/URzcKG9bxEI/AAAAAAAACUw/wWR-6nmvpFs/s1600/IMG_8789.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OrsO81gpVtI/URzcKG9bxEI/AAAAAAAACUw/wWR-6nmvpFs/s320/IMG_8789.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">El Anatsui at the Brooklyn Museum (photo MMacGregor)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The splendid work of a contemporary wizard, conjuring truth and grace from trash and debris<br />
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<a href="http://www.artsmarttalk.com/3/post/2013/02/all-that-glitters-is-not-gold-el-anatsui-at-the-brooklyn-museum.html">http://www.artsmarttalk.com/3/post/2013/02/all-that-glitters-is-not-gold-el-anatsui-at-the-brooklyn-museum.html</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816482627907645935.post-1471856926814690522013-01-30T19:15:00.001-05:002013-01-30T19:15:10.509-05:00Art Games and Forgeries<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-i3g9PinWfCE/UQm2nlO7GqI/AAAAAAAACUE/g7O9zqxkYKU/s1600/00-intro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-i3g9PinWfCE/UQm2nlO7GqI/AAAAAAAACUE/g7O9zqxkYKU/s320/00-intro.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.artsmarttalk.com/3/post/2013/01/art-games-and-forgeries.html">http://www.artsmarttalk.com/3/post/2013/01/art-games-and-forgeries.html</a><br />
'Legitimate' art and Art Forgery - thoughts on complex games, and on two recent books featuring the art and the schemes of high stakes forgery.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816482627907645935.post-53302070977126761842013-01-17T23:23:00.002-05:002013-01-17T23:27:18.711-05:00Royal Portraits: The Grand and the Odd<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DTHvGHoh6l4/UPjNjFx3t1I/AAAAAAAACTk/QPTaBol3sCs/s1600/Portrait-of-Catherine-Duc-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DTHvGHoh6l4/UPjNjFx3t1I/AAAAAAAACTk/QPTaBol3sCs/s200/Portrait-of-Catherine-Duc-001.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.artsmarttalk.com/3/post/2013/01/royal-portraits-the-grand-and-the-odd.html">www.artsmarttalk.com/3/post/2013/01/royal-portraits-the-grand-and-the-odd</a> <br />
<br />
Royal Portraits in history, and at look at some recent odd and interesting additions to the Windsor family gallery<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816482627907645935.post-25594418006266077332013-01-01T20:02:00.002-05:002013-01-01T20:06:25.152-05:00Matisse: In Search of True Painting & El Anatsui in Chelsea<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j7HuNsTH05g/UOOGI4RrnAI/AAAAAAAACS8/6HhY667GfME/s1600/women-in-blue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j7HuNsTH05g/UOOGI4RrnAI/AAAAAAAACS8/6HhY667GfME/s320/women-in-blue.jpg" width="254" /></a><a href="http://www.artsmarttalk.com/3/post/2013/01/matisse-in-search-of-painting-at-the-met-and-el-anatsui-in-chelsea.html">http://www.artsmarttalk.com/3/post/2013/01/matisse-in-search-of-painting-at-the-met-and-el-anatsui-in-chelsea.html</a><br />
<br />
Matisse is at the Met in New York and he's telling stories. This
major exhibit, full of the pleasure of his art, also delves deep into
his ideas, his process, and into the ways in which great art springs
into being. Through Mar 17 2013<br />
El Anatsui in Chelsea - through Jan 17 2013 <br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wITl2md4GUs/UOOGNxAB8XI/AAAAAAAACTE/WB-SLwNlo54/s1600/IMG_8646.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wITl2md4GUs/UOOGNxAB8XI/AAAAAAAACTE/WB-SLwNlo54/s200/IMG_8646.JPG" width="200" /></a> <br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816482627907645935.post-419846152200691172012-12-14T11:16:00.000-05:002012-12-14T11:16:48.503-05:00State of the Art - Miami and Art Basel<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RGk2yB67PVQ/UMtQbPkgdNI/AAAAAAAACSY/izspIg_R_O8/s1600/BlondHome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RGk2yB67PVQ/UMtQbPkgdNI/AAAAAAAACSY/izspIg_R_O8/s320/BlondHome.jpg" width="248" /></a></div>
Miami and endless Art - here's my take on it (Part 1)<br />
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<a href="http://www.artsmarttalk.com/3/post/2012/12/state-of-the-art-report-from-miamiart-basel.html">http://www.artsmarttalk.com/3/post/2012/12/state-of-the-art-report-from-miamiart-basel.html</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816482627907645935.post-57986693227963070392012-11-16T12:29:00.001-05:002012-11-16T12:31:13.578-05:00Wit, Wisdom, & Charm from Winnie the Pooh<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Uyk68g99mck/UKZ3iS9DQBI/AAAAAAAACRw/CK8TscdqktY/s1600/3065948313_18a474c04d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Uyk68g99mck/UKZ3iS9DQBI/AAAAAAAACRw/CK8TscdqktY/s320/3065948313_18a474c04d.jpg" width="246" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pooh and Piglet: drawing by E.H. Shepard</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Did you ever stop to think, and then forget to start again? Wise words from a very Wise Bear.<br />
More at <a href="http://www.artsmarttalk.com/3/post/2012/11/wisdom-and-wonder-winnie-the-pooh.html">http://www.artsmarttalk.com/3/post/2012/11/wisdom-and-wonder-winnie-the-pooh.html</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816482627907645935.post-85807452384260801962012-10-22T12:16:00.004-04:002012-10-22T12:16:50.320-04:00Soutine in Paris: Order out of Chaos at L'Orangerie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FOSmwu4rlQU/UIVw8MUzu_I/AAAAAAAACRI/akT6z8aApqo/s1600/im122.garcon.etage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FOSmwu4rlQU/UIVw8MUzu_I/AAAAAAAACRI/akT6z8aApqo/s320/im122.garcon.etage.jpg" width="242" /></a></div>
The more you see of Soutine the more intriguing he becomes. From Paris, a review of a show that provides another chance to see the work of this distinctive early 20th c. artist.<br />
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<a href="http://www.artsmarttalk.com/3/post/2012/10/soutine-in-paris-order-and-chaos-at-lorangerie.html">http://www.artsmarttalk.com/3/post/2012/10/soutine-in-paris-order-and-chaos-at-lorangerie.html</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816482627907645935.post-48399915158239962932012-09-15T09:07:00.002-04:002012-09-15T09:07:20.168-04:00Paris On My Mind: Art of a Gilded Age<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-439x520vX1w/UFR79aVuIyI/AAAAAAAACQg/Lt6QST1y0I4/s1600/03.+Beraud,+Jean+-+Dinner+At+Les+Ambassadeurs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-439x520vX1w/UFR79aVuIyI/AAAAAAAACQg/Lt6QST1y0I4/s320/03.+Beraud,+Jean+-+Dinner+At+Les+Ambassadeurs.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
It's always 1889 in Paris.... fixed in our minds, in part by the paintings of an overlooked artist worth knowing for his sly but clear-eyed observations of life in the City of Light. Information included about my Arts Trips to Paris <br />
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<a href="http://www.artsmarttalk.com/3/post/2012/09/paris-on-my-mind-art-of-a-gilded-age.html">http://www.artsmarttalk.com/3/post/2012/09/paris-on-my-mind-art-of-a-gilded-age.html</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816482627907645935.post-89050216947031474202012-09-06T23:31:00.002-04:002012-09-06T23:31:47.305-04:00LIGHT at Longwood Gardens - Magic in the Dark<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pqI7iUMVaU4/UElqZX6J8yI/AAAAAAAACP4/hhBmLD_Cp30/s1600/longwood-bruce-munro-2-680uw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pqI7iUMVaU4/UElqZX6J8yI/AAAAAAAACP4/hhBmLD_Cp30/s320/longwood-bruce-munro-2-680uw.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Magical Longwood Gardens is even more magical with LIGHT by Bruce Munro <br />
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<a href="http://www.artsmarttalk.com/3/post/2012/09/light-at-longwood-gardens.html">http://www.artsmarttalk.com/3/post/2012/09/light-at-longwood-gardens.html</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816482627907645935.post-15961832383890530722012-08-22T11:05:00.002-04:002012-08-22T11:05:31.111-04:00LA Story - Fun, Art, and a Big Yawn<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e2Vnq6qudAo/UDT0zcoEnaI/AAAAAAAACPQ/u9X27dF1YXk/s1600/IMG_7747.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e2Vnq6qudAo/UDT0zcoEnaI/AAAAAAAACPQ/u9X27dF1YXk/s320/IMG_7747.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
Report from LA - fun Farmer's Market but a letdown on the Art Side of things<br />
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<a href="http://www.artsmarttalk.com/3/post/2012/08/la-story-fun-art-and-a-big-yawn.html">http://www.artsmarttalk.com/3/post/2012/08/la-story-fun-art-and-a-big-yawn.html</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816482627907645935.post-70635281416843621292012-08-13T15:48:00.002-04:002012-08-13T15:51:22.606-04:00Three Visions of Heaven - Southern California Design<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bEbA-4YJ1wQ/UClZeTxO-VI/AAAAAAAACOo/Q5DDvRUEhU8/s1600/IMG_7662.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bEbA-4YJ1wQ/UClZeTxO-VI/AAAAAAAACOo/Q5DDvRUEhU8/s320/IMG_7662.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
What's your California Dream? Take your pick among these three answers to a perfect climate.<br />
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Design and architecture with an eye to history, tradition, and innovation.<br />
<a href="http://www.artsmarttalk.com/3/post/2012/08/3-visions-of-heaven-southern-california-design.html">http://www.artsmarttalk.com/3/post/2012/08/3-visions-of-heaven-southern-california-design.html</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816482627907645935.post-81602345095958600992012-07-28T19:22:00.001-04:002012-07-28T19:22:52.870-04:00Subway Series for Design - Wendy and Cloud City<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a4lxE-AS3xY/UBR0Nkll8lI/AAAAAAAACNM/xbzE5s-InMo/s1600/IMG_7528.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a4lxE-AS3xY/UBR0Nkll8lI/AAAAAAAACNM/xbzE5s-InMo/s320/IMG_7528.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.artsmarttalk.com/3/post/2012/07/design-subway-series-cloud-city-at-the-met-wendy-at-ps-1.html">http://www.artsmarttalk.com/3/post/2012/07/design-subway-series-cloud-city-at-the-met-wendy-at-ps-1.html</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816482627907645935.post-62598925367677607872012-07-19T20:21:00.002-04:002012-07-19T20:22:03.841-04:00Painting Rome with Kelly Medford<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CQEi-TQ730Q/UAikewmZ03I/AAAAAAAACNA/ggBLcayQz1k/s1600/afternoon-in-the-courtyard-garbatella.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CQEi-TQ730Q/UAikewmZ03I/AAAAAAAACNA/ggBLcayQz1k/s320/afternoon-in-the-courtyard-garbatella.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.artsmarttalk.com/3/post/2012/07/painting-rome-with-kelly-medford.html">http://www.artsmarttalk.com/3/post/2012/07/painting-rome-with-kelly-medford.html</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816482627907645935.post-88428966842518967482012-07-13T16:23:00.001-04:002012-07-13T16:24:20.593-04:00George Bellows at the National Gallery<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4kdTq0BS4QU/UACDx-Ky0jI/AAAAAAAACM0/QoVlZ463ZMY/s1600/bellows_42_kids.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="137" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4kdTq0BS4QU/UACDx-Ky0jI/AAAAAAAACM0/QoVlZ463ZMY/s200/bellows_42_kids.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.artsmarttalk.com/3/post/2012/07/george-bellows-at-the-national-gallery.html">http://www.artsmarttalk.com/3/post/2012/07/george-bellows-at-the-national-gallery.html</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816482627907645935.post-46572516250251606572012-07-03T13:09:00.000-04:002012-07-03T13:09:15.267-04:00Long May it Wave - the Language of Flags<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cARPPxfppNI/T_MlRuqI-CI/AAAAAAAACLw/ABRromPq_U0/s1600/Johns50%27s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cJ8RXjMLKKc/T_MlT-wf_wI/AAAAAAAACMQ/2OH-C1dTxu8/s1600/Rockwell-Miss-Liberty1943.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cJ8RXjMLKKc/T_MlT-wf_wI/AAAAAAAACMQ/2OH-C1dTxu8/s320/Rockwell-Miss-Liberty1943.jpg" width="241" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FSx6b0HBMM4/T_MlSAPomAI/AAAAAAAACL4/olCpiBmDxYU/s1600/MonetrueMontorgueil1878.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FSx6b0HBMM4/T_MlSAPomAI/AAAAAAAACL4/olCpiBmDxYU/s320/MonetrueMontorgueil1878.jpg" width="195" /></a>The 4th of July - in my historic Philadelphia neighborhood where the 4th of July was invented, just about every house has a flag flying. There will be parades this week all over the country, with lots of flag waving to stir the excitement. Flags send a lot of messages; they're a whole human language system with layers of emotional nuance and significance. They can be symbols of good or evil, partly depending on who is defining the use, and partly what side you're on. The American flag is beautiful - classic in its design of red, blue and white, and its pattern of stars and stripes - and beautiful for associations with all the good things about this country. Even if Americans don't believe all those things (or worry about them), most love their flag and what it stands for. Of course we're not alone - every country has a flag - many are red, white and blue in some combination and many have stars and stripes of some sort - and most people rally to the <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8PvEmUc16Uc/T_MlVZ0Kb7I/AAAAAAAACMg/-NfZ4XemY5E/s1600/Siena-Palio002.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8PvEmUc16Uc/T_MlVZ0Kb7I/AAAAAAAACMg/-NfZ4XemY5E/s200/Siena-Palio002.jpg" width="200" /></a>symbolism of their national flag. That's the point of those bits of cloth and color. Flags, a supremely visual language, can help walk us through history, telling us about attitudes and values at different times and places. Leaving out some of the darker possibilities, here are a few artist comments on life over the last hundred years or so, annotated with flags. Monet's flurry of flags in his <i>Rue Montorgueil: Festival of June 30, 1878</i> is pure spirit and <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rtfBsn57RRQ/T_MlSSxRd-I/AAAAAAAACMA/B0eT1YQsD54/s1600/Piazza-Of-St-Marks-Aka-The-Piazza-Flags-Venice1898.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rtfBsn57RRQ/T_MlSSxRd-I/AAAAAAAACMA/B0eT1YQsD54/s320/Piazza-Of-St-Marks-Aka-The-Piazza-Flags-Venice1898.jpg" width="281" /></a>celebration, painted the year of the grand Exposition Universelle in Paris. The world was either in or watching Paris, the head of the Statue of Liberty was on display prior to moving (with the body) to the U. S., and it was a great time to strengthen French pride and loyalty, just years after a humiliating military defeat. It looks like July 14th, Bastille Day, but that holiday wasn't declared until 2 years later. Italy is an old hand at flags - the bright beautiful display of banners at the Palio in Siena each year are the legacy of pre-national Italy, when every city state and even families had their own flag to rally around. The tradition likely dates back even further to Roman times, when there were team colors for chariot racing and other aspects of Roman life. The American artist Maurice Prendergast, on vacation in Italy, painted giant green, white and red flags flying in St. Mark's Piazza, Venice; it makes a pretty composition, but it also makes a statement. In 1898 Italy was still going through the growing pains of a new country and hadn't settled on a final flag. Those here appear to be a variant <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g2-i82_YAjM/T_MlSzm1IXI/AAAAAAAACMI/Aiq9XASmBzI/s1600/james-ensor-entry-of-christ-into-brussels-1888.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g2-i82_YAjM/T_MlSzm1IXI/AAAAAAAACMI/Aiq9XASmBzI/s320/james-ensor-entry-of-christ-into-brussels-1888.jpg" width="320" /></a>of Sardinian design - the modern Italian tricolor was only adopted in the 1940's. James Ensor <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-toY-GwUSfgs/T_MlUttgh7I/AAAAAAAACMY/u8fgihipeeg/s1600/RockwellRosie1943.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-toY-GwUSfgs/T_MlUttgh7I/AAAAAAAACMY/u8fgihipeeg/s320/RockwellRosie1943.jpg" width="248" /></a>includes a number of indeterminate flags in his epic <i>Entry of Christ into Brussels</i> from 1888. Contrary to Prendergast's mildly observed scene, Ensor's work is a cry of protest against the modern crush of inhumanity - he turns the shorthand of a flag-waving parade into a mindless mob. By contrast Norman Rockwell - to some the name itself is shorthand for unquestioning patriotism, though Rockwell is far subtler and more interesting - uses the American flag to rally national pride <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cARPPxfppNI/T_MlRuqI-CI/AAAAAAAACLw/ABRromPq_U0/s1600/Johns50%27s.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cARPPxfppNI/T_MlRuqI-CI/AAAAAAAACLw/ABRromPq_U0/s320/Johns50%27s.jpg" width="320" /></a>during the difficult WWII year of 1943, cheering the nation up along the way with his good-natured love of detail and fun. Probably no artist, certainly no living artist, is more associated with the flag than Jasper Johns. Post-WWII, freedom safely snatched from the jaws of evil, it was a time when an artist could take license with the sacred national symbol and get away with it - shocking to some, but Johns also made us SEE the flag in a new way, as an object, a design, a work of art. His pencil rendition from the 50's is brave and beautiful, speaking a language all its own. Happy 4th of July!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816482627907645935.post-57221930016710753442012-06-27T13:57:00.001-04:002012-06-27T13:57:02.646-04:00Rockwell Kent - Art, Nature, and the Common Man<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DCx8jbJ_C_0/T-tHINwLDOI/AAAAAAAACLE/dBINU5gatok/s1600/home_port1931.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_wks_EuwOi8/T-tHH-BWxbI/AAAAAAAACK8/5VbZ4qKX0SQ/s1600/Godspeed1931.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_wks_EuwOi8/T-tHH-BWxbI/AAAAAAAACK8/5VbZ4qKX0SQ/s320/Godspeed1931.jpg" width="320" /></a>Rockwell Kent was both a perfect creature of his time and a complete original. His brawny broad shouldered Art Deco illustrations are firmly planted in early 20th America, when books and print served as potent messengers of cultural meaning, capable of the sharp sting of reproach as well as the fine pleasure of a literate, well-composed page. He is one of a number of American artists, including some of those I wrote about two posts ago, who give us a clear picture of a very particular time. But on the other hand, there is only one Rockwell Kent, the fearless adventurer who stalked the wild <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pgZ9rEj_6w0/T-tHJM65jJI/AAAAAAAACLM/LL-nP_GEEAY/s1600/kent2.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pgZ9rEj_6w0/T-tHJM65jJI/AAAAAAAACLM/LL-nP_GEEAY/s320/kent2.jpg" width="224" /></a>places of the earth in sturdy boots, a pen and notebook ever at hand. Perhaps best known for his stellar pen and ink illustrations for the celebrated Lakeside Press edition of Moby Dick (1930) Kent needed no paltry <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DCx8jbJ_C_0/T-tHINwLDOI/AAAAAAAACLE/dBINU5gatok/s1600/home_port1931.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DCx8jbJ_C_0/T-tHINwLDOI/AAAAAAAACLE/dBINU5gatok/s200/home_port1931.jpg" width="200" /></a>second-hand references for his churning waves, high seas, and angry nature - he'd been there. The list is long and impressive - Greenland (where he was shipwrecked and lived for some time) Tierra del Fuego, Alaska, Newfoundland, an island off the Maine coast - and the wilds of the Adirondack Mountains, his stateside home for many years. Kent walked another tightrope of sorts in his career and life, moving from 'society illustrations' for Vanity Fair (he signed them Hogarth Jr., a nod to William Hogarth, the sly 18th c. English artist and satirist) and sleek ads for a luxury boat <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5BjBlqC6wwY/T-tHA2lHrNI/AAAAAAAACKk/smSeqjSCyrs/s1600/HogarthJr.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="143" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5BjBlqC6wwY/T-tHA2lHrNI/AAAAAAAACKk/smSeqjSCyrs/s200/HogarthJr.jpg" width="200" /></a>manufacturer, to high-toned book commissions, and finally to crisply critical social commentary that aligned with his deeply-held belief in the rights of the common man. 'Workers of the World Unite' and 'Wake Up America' both in a show at the Philadelphia Museum, are good examples of how he could temper his message <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JmNuDQ4WmR8/T-tHLvc0F8I/AAAAAAAACLU/L7AlSOouGbE/s1600/VoyagingSP.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JmNuDQ4WmR8/T-tHLvc0F8I/AAAAAAAACLU/L7AlSOouGbE/s200/VoyagingSP.jpg" width="195" /></a>from urgent to subtle. He was a gifted writer too, who put his experiences and his philosophies into words as well as pictures - like his art, his books are a slightly dated but <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AzCaqK3pBm8/T-tHHaj3sMI/AAAAAAAACK0/7G5NUACuwD8/s1600/280261555501-5.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AzCaqK3pBm8/T-tHHaj3sMI/AAAAAAAACK0/7G5NUACuwD8/s320/280261555501-5.jpg" width="320" /></a>earnest, authentic record of a fascinating period of time from a singular perspective. A passage from his book Voyaging spells out his identity:<em> "it the reality of mountains and plains, the sea and the
unfathomable heavens, unchangingly forever dominating man, cradling him
in that remote hour of his awakening into consciousness, forever
smiling, brooding, thundering upon him, that have imposed their nature
upon man and made him what he is." </em><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iiO48fjSZUM/T-tHMMY4p9I/AAAAAAAACLc/YbNfUYnjBo4/s1600/WorkersoftheWorldUnite1937.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iiO48fjSZUM/T-tHMMY4p9I/AAAAAAAACLc/YbNfUYnjBo4/s320/WorkersoftheWorldUnite1937.jpg" width="234" /></a></div>
Along with many other creative intellectuals, Kent put time into the Communist Party in the hopes that it would provide a better answer, and inevitably his involvement led to clashes with Joe McCarthy and his committee. It also, however, led to remarkable honors and actions. Kent, the first American artist to show his work in the U.S.S.R., was awarded a Lenin Peace <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-th0T7FEex5o/T-tHMfNqtII/AAAAAAAACLk/P5YYFEJxKL0/s1600/wake_up_america.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-th0T7FEex5o/T-tHMfNqtII/AAAAAAAACLk/P5YYFEJxKL0/s1600/wake_up_america.jpg" /></a>Prize; he donated the money to help women and children in both Vietnams during the Vietnam War years. Kent's brand of bold outspoken courage in art and life, put to the service of big ideas and a greater good, is a bit thin on the ground these days - it would be nice to see more of it in our moment. Rockwell Kent would have no trouble recognizing that help is needed right now for the poor, the needy and the hardworking common 'man.'<br />
<br />
<i>The Philadelphia Museum</i> is currently showing <b>Rockwell Kent - Voyager: An Artist’s Journey in Prints, Drawings, and Illustrated Books</b>. Through July 29, 2012. The show is organized by Kent's longtime friend Carl Zigrosser, who was the founding curator of the museum's department of prints and drawings. The show includes a range of work, including woodcuts, pen and ink drawings, pencil sketches, lithography (a self-portrait with the stone that made the print is fascinating) and watercolors.<br />
<a href="http://www.philamuseum.org/exhibitions/760.html">http://www.philamuseum.org/exhibitions/760.html</a><br />
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<em><br /></em>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816482627907645935.post-32810285506267438742012-06-21T11:47:00.001-04:002012-06-21T11:47:38.984-04:00Maurice Sendak - The Work of a Lifetime<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2YWF39a8lVU/T-M_kMmv48I/AAAAAAAACKY/PhxM-ZaiV7E/s1600/wildthings.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2YWF39a8lVU/T-M_kMmv48I/AAAAAAAACKY/PhxM-ZaiV7E/s320/wildthings.jpg" width="314" /></a>Childhood was very good to Maurice Sendak - not his own so
much, but the childhood he gave to others. His books opened up new worlds for
children. Though it was sad to lose him last month, he left a great deal -
great in all senses - not a bad way to go at 83. Many of the children that were
his first audience are now grey-haired<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UM5exSpViBA/T-M-2jP17xI/AAAAAAAACJQ/waFsZvxPqdQ/s1600/2cm689.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a> grandparents, but I’ll bet a little boy
named Max, dressed in a wolf suit, still lives in their hearts. <i>Where the Wild
Things Are</i> came out in 1963, the same year Sylvia <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UM5exSpViBA/T-M-2jP17xI/AAAAAAAACJQ/waFsZvxPqdQ/s1600/2cm689.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>Plath’s <i>The Bell Jar</i> and
Betty <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UM5exSpViBA/T-M-2jP17xI/AAAAAAAACJQ/waFsZvxPqdQ/s1600/2cm689.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UM5exSpViBA/T-M-2jP17xI/AAAAAAAACJQ/waFsZvxPqdQ/s320/2cm689.jpg" width="258" /></a>Friedan’s <i>The Feminine Mystique</i> were published. As much as the others
<i>Where the Wild Things Are</i> caused an uproar – it was a time when the future was
challenging an outmoded mindset with a dose of hard reality. Librarians and
teachers vilified Sendak’s book, calling it dark and too frightening for
children, but the kids knew better, recognizing in the simple story of a child
struggling to control his own wild impulses the basic truth that childhood is,
in fact, darker and more frightening than adults own up to once they’re past
it. Sendak had a gift for taking childhood seriously – I’d call it his greatest
strength. Too many well-intentioned kid’s book authors think children and their
state of being are ‘cute.’ Sendak never made that mistake. His own
well-documented childhood in a family of Holocaust survivors (along with
ever-present specters of his family’s victims) gave him a front row seat on
dark and frightening, but combined with the <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FHH9RxZJooA/T-M-9xb6BmI/AAAAAAAACJ4/KgRt-xQgMq0/s1600/beatrix_potter_page.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FHH9RxZJooA/T-M-9xb6BmI/AAAAAAAACJ4/KgRt-xQgMq0/s320/beatrix_potter_page.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_aMP9cbYeJA/T-M-80WQxaI/AAAAAAAACJo/-sm41iK9k2I/s1600/BookNonsense_Lear.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_aMP9cbYeJA/T-M-80WQxaI/AAAAAAAACJo/-sm41iK9k2I/s200/BookNonsense_Lear.jpg" width="167" /></a>ebullient humor and spirit ever
present in his work, his was a powerful, compelling vision. What isn’t always mentioned
with Maurice Sendak is how steeped he was in the traditions of children’s
illustrations – he was an original with a beautifully unique voice, but like
all great artists, he had a profound knowledge of and respect for his craft and
his predecessors. In <i>The Juniper Tree</i>, a collection of Grimm’s Tales (1974)
Sendak went directly to the source with a meticulous technique based on
European, especially German, engraving techniques. <i>The Juniper Tree</i> is a tour
de force of children’s illustration, very different from the bolder linear
drawings in <i>Where the Wild Things Are</i> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MUN4fxKFsVs/T-M_ANBwrEI/AAAAAAAACKA/KgEOQsBstSQ/s1600/CRane1883.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MUN4fxKFsVs/T-M_ANBwrEI/AAAAAAAACKA/KgEOQsBstSQ/s320/CRane1883.jpg" width="202" /></a>and <i>In the Night Kitchen</i>, but with
Sendak’s signature faces, <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jx5iJTdPbnQ/T-M-9D7F2gI/AAAAAAAACJw/eXbsir6XAM4/s1600/alicehattertea.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jx5iJTdPbnQ/T-M-9D7F2gI/AAAAAAAACJw/eXbsir6XAM4/s200/alicehattertea.png" width="200" /></a>expressions, and gestures – deeply thought, a bit
troubling, and humorous, all at the same moment. The German connection in
Sendak’s work has been clearly noted, but there is plenty more from the broad
field of fine children’s illustration. Beatrix Potter’s anthropomorphic
animals, full of charm but no squishy sentimentality, John Tenniel’s seriously,
delightfully kooky world <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GpkOAFdAbjE/T-M-3s0OaPI/AAAAAAAACJY/dhcNevclRBE/s1600/6a014e5fb9e8aa970c015392dff187970b-800wi.gif" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GpkOAFdAbjE/T-M-3s0OaPI/AAAAAAAACJY/dhcNevclRBE/s320/6a014e5fb9e8aa970c015392dff187970b-800wi.gif" width="220" /></a>in <i>Alice in Wonderland</i>, Walter Crane’s gorgeous
command of line and composition,
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Edward Lear’s goofy playful illustrated verses </span>
– and plenty more, including Fritz Eichenberg,
an older <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GpkOAFdAbjE/T-M-3s0OaPI/AAAAAAAACJY/dhcNevclRBE/s1600/6a014e5fb9e8aa970c015392dff187970b-800wi.gif" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>contemporary. As a young illustrator Sendak must have been well aware
of Eichenberg, who fled Germany ahead of the Nazi’s in the 30’s and built a
significant career as a teacher and illustrator in New York. Eichenberg’s dark
brooding illustrations for <i>Jane Eyre</i> and <i>Wuthering Heights</i> are one of my most
enduring childhood memories – when I encountered the edition as an adult I felt
the shock of recognition of a long-lost friend. Sendak <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CLUNWU_uj7o/T-M_iYqZXEI/AAAAAAAACKQ/_7iIxW7x8Ic/s1600/kitchensendak4.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CLUNWU_uj7o/T-M_iYqZXEI/AAAAAAAACKQ/_7iIxW7x8Ic/s320/kitchensendak4.jpg" width="320" /></a>and Eichenberg were, in
some senses, kindred souls, each a master with an affinity for craft and fine
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careful work in illustration, divided and united by a common history. Sendak’s path
led him to lighter ground where his sense of play had full rein, not only in
books but in theatre and opera design. Spend some time with <i>Where the Wild
Things Are</i> and <i>In the Night Kitchen</i> and you’ll see that Sendak was always a set
designer – his books unfold with all the drama of a well-made play. He never
shortchanged children – he gave them the best, and his best was magnificent. The
work of a lifetime, and lifetimes before him, is in every line he drew. </div>
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At The Rosenbach Museum in Philadelphia "Maurice Sendak: A Legacy" Through May 26, 2013 </div>
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https://www.rosenbach.org/learn/exhibitions/maurice-sendak-legacy</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816482627907645935.post-68822584438043966232012-06-14T11:25:00.000-04:002012-06-14T13:32:41.232-04:00Grit and Revolution: The Ashcan School<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vuPfOUxcyPg/T9oATKdVWFI/AAAAAAAACI0/p785Mo9iTio/s1600/TOT20100405-matisse.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vuPfOUxcyPg/T9oATKdVWFI/AAAAAAAACI0/p785Mo9iTio/s200/TOT20100405-matisse.jpg" width="163" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--u7tjS_809g/T9oACh4WN_I/AAAAAAAACIE/rkfZXe5m6P4/s1600/bellows_stag.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--u7tjS_809g/T9oACh4WN_I/AAAAAAAACIE/rkfZXe5m6P4/s320/bellows_stag.jpg" width="320" /></a>Isn't it funny how so many art movements are named by snarky insults? The 'Impressionists', The 'Fauves', even the Gothic style - these were not terms of endearment but put-downs from critics who clearly thought they knew what was 'art' and what was not. 'The Ashcan School' is another example, this time from early 20th century America. In the context of a time when so much artistic fur was flying in Europe <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zVlBaGRPA5g/T9oAOXdCbmI/AAAAAAAACIk/5KLhS4Yk29s/s1600/Sloanmcsorleys_bar-mhardin1912.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zVlBaGRPA5g/T9oAOXdCbmI/AAAAAAAACIk/5KLhS4Yk29s/s320/Sloanmcsorleys_bar-mhardin1912.jpg" width="320" /></a>(Cubism, Surrealism, Picasso, Matisse, etc.) the work of the Ashcan School can seem a bit tame and stodgy, but these artists were also revolutionaries, rebelling against conservative American tastes - which were at least, if not more, conservative than traditional tastes in Europe. In 1913 the famous Armory Show was mounted in New York, bringing the first taste of avant-garde art to the U.S. The Armory Show, an earthquake that shook expectations and assumptions to their foundations, was recognized as a colossal event but one that was shocking, even dangerous. The New York Tribune called it “A Remarkable Affair Despite Some Freakish Absurdities.” It is said that notices were posted warning pregnant women away for fear they would miscarry, and when the show moved to Chicago, Matisse was given a mock trial on charges of 'artistic murder, pictorial arson, artistic rapine, total degeneracy of color, criminal misuse of line,' found guilty, and sentenced to die. Organized by American painters eager to bring the excitement of Modern Art closer to home, the <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hkt9upU2Ees/T9oAV56XbnI/AAAAAAAACI8/LnuPqY9wfuU/s1600/300px-John_French_Sloan_Studio.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hkt9upU2Ees/T9oAV56XbnI/AAAAAAAACI8/LnuPqY9wfuU/s1600/300px-John_French_Sloan_Studio.jpg" /></a>Armory show included a healthy number of forward-looking Americans, foremost among them the artists who would come to be known as The Ashcan School. A first American volley against the strict traditions of the National Academy was the 1908 show in New York by The Eight, a group of <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cXHqCXkcSHc/T9oARAUp7wI/AAAAAAAACIs/jhxpbkEajis/s1600/williamglackenswashsquareS1910.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cXHqCXkcSHc/T9oARAUp7wI/AAAAAAAACIs/jhxpbkEajis/s320/williamglackenswashsquareS1910.jpg" width="320" /></a>painters circled around the charismatic teacher/painter Robert Henri. It was their only group showing - the circle then expanded, with one result being the group that came to be known as The Ashcan School. As you might guess by the name, these painters, including Henri, George Bellows, John <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fqWw5Ibu7bI/T9oAH-L1UtI/AAAAAAAACIU/qOGAJfeupz4/s1600/NightimeBuyingandSellingonallenstreetgeorgeluks1905.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fqWw5Ibu7bI/T9oAH-L1UtI/AAAAAAAACIU/qOGAJfeupz4/s320/NightimeBuyingandSellingonallenstreetgeorgeluks1905.jpg" width="320" /></a>Sloan, George Luks and Everett Shinn, concerned themselves not with idealized beauty, but with a realistic perspective on the gritty life of New York's poorer neighborhoods and rich colorful streets. Many of them had backgrounds as newspaper illustrators so there is an element of reportage in the work of the Ashcan School, <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W86lv99PnOA/T9oAkmtLYtI/AAAAAAAACJE/UD8HHSGEfec/s1600/Bellows_CliffDwellers.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="303" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W86lv99PnOA/T9oAkmtLYtI/AAAAAAAACJE/UD8HHSGEfec/s320/Bellows_CliffDwellers.jpg" width="320" /></a>along with an acceptance, even celebration of human nature in its most banal and ordinary forms. There's more than a bit of Bruegel in the Ashcan School, coupled with the lush expressive brushwork of Frans Hals and Velasquez - no accident. These painters were sophisticated and knowledgeable and most had spent time traveling and studying in Europe. Notable works include Bellow's mighty <i>Stag at Sharkey's</i> (1909) his marvelously detailed <i>Cliff Dwellers</i> (1913), George Luks's <i>Nighttime Buying and Selling on Allen Street</i> (1905), George Bellow's <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EarGOuHfFx0/T9oAFjIHhpI/AAAAAAAACIM/iNhogUvR7yU/s1600/H-DutchGirlinWhite1907.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EarGOuHfFx0/T9oAFjIHhpI/AAAAAAAACIM/iNhogUvR7yU/s200/H-DutchGirlinWhite1907.jpg" width="168" /></a><i>Washington Square South</i> (1910) and John Sloan's <i>McSorley's Bar</i> (1912.) Robert Henri, for being such an inspiration, is better known for portraits - he's a marvelous painter whose brushwork and handling of paint is simply delicious. He did quite a few portraits of children, especially on his travels. This lovely example is from a stay in Holland in 1907.<br />
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The National Gallery in Washington has just opened a show of the work of George Bellows - I hear it's wonderful and can't wait to see it! <a href="http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/bellowsinfo.shtm">http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/bellowsinfo.shtm</a><br />
The newly re-opened Barnes Collection in Philadelphia includes many works of William Glackens and examples from some of the other Ashcan painters. <br />
<a href="http://www.barnesfoundation.org/collections/art-collection/collection-search">http://www.barnesfoundation.org/collections/art-collection/collection-search</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816482627907645935.post-5857710561087061502012-06-05T13:32:00.000-04:002012-06-05T13:32:27.524-04:00Brave New Grayson Perry - Hip Hip!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nx67Ybk7fkk/T84_RZXmm5I/AAAAAAAACHA/yOtvyfaNw_U/s1600/Grayson%252BPerry%252Bport%252Beliot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nx67Ybk7fkk/T84_RZXmm5I/AAAAAAAACHA/yOtvyfaNw_U/s320/Grayson%252BPerry%252Bport%252Beliot.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nx67Ybk7fkk/T84_RZXmm5I/AAAAAAAACHA/yOtvyfaNw_U/s1600/Grayson%252BPerry%252Bport%252Beliot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o4R9g_y8080/T85CD1Wub3I/AAAAAAAACH4/JjlMGUXwlnA/s1600/grayson-perry-us-against-us-2004.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o4R9g_y8080/T85CD1Wub3I/AAAAAAAACH4/JjlMGUXwlnA/s320/grayson-perry-us-against-us-2004.jpg" width="215" /></a>Hip hip and cheerio to the Queen and all that - you may think that
England is the last bastion of <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6BFr2xvWPQI/T84_NTL8W1I/AAAAAAAACGw/1XRelIS-vjw/s1600/grayson-560-14998.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6BFr2xvWPQI/T84_NTL8W1I/AAAAAAAACGw/1XRelIS-vjw/s200/grayson-560-14998.jpg" width="200" /></a>conservative tradition, but not when it
comes to the Arts. The US caved long ago to conservative interests in terms of major public funding and awards, but the Turner Prize, awarded each year to a British artist under 50, reminds us that energy, spirit and imagination should be celebrated, even if you don't like it or agree with it. In 2003 the Turner Prize was awarded to Grayson Perry, described by Wikipedia as 'an English artist, known mainly for his ceramic vases and cross-dressing.' I recently heard Grayson Perry on a BBC podcast about traditions and was so struck by his interesting remarks that I had to find out more about him - and discovered a <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WLuLa7QzH7w/T84_V-P9WHI/AAAAAAAACHg/hjXfJubQQDI/s1600/perry1b.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WLuLa7QzH7w/T84_V-P9WHI/AAAAAAAACHg/hjXfJubQQDI/s1600/perry1b.jpg" /></a>whole new world. I can't believe I've missed him until now - he's no shrinking violet. He's flamboyant and outspoken, he's a new member of the <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tQ928eVy2eA/T84_VMA3OoI/AAAAAAAACHY/tFtADsfBSmQ/s1600/perry1a.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tQ928eVy2eA/T84_VMA3OoI/AAAAAAAACHY/tFtADsfBSmQ/s320/perry1a.jpg" width="236" /></a>Royal Academy, and he just had a big show at the British Museum called <i>The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman</i>. Part of his contribution to the Traditions discussion was a comment about liking to work with mediums that require skill and relate to age-old processes, not only ceramics but lately also tapestry. In his ceramics he sticks with traditional forms such as standing vases reminiscent of Greek amphora; he claims to like lulling people into a feeling of security with forms they think they recognize and with expectations of reassuring patterns - flowers or a simple landscape - and then hitting them over the head with his <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--mizs_Xn_1o/T84_YfOPlLI/AAAAAAAACHo/8X1iqSyIERw/s1600/Grayson-Perry-RA1.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--mizs_Xn_1o/T84_YfOPlLI/AAAAAAAACHo/8X1iqSyIERw/s200/Grayson-Perry-RA1.jpg" width="200" /></a>intricately drawn decorations <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VzsSaObi6e8/T84_rZ1IF0I/AAAAAAAACHw/TGO4RNpj1zc/s1600/grayson_perry_vase3.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="174" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VzsSaObi6e8/T84_rZ1IF0I/AAAAAAAACHw/TGO4RNpj1zc/s320/grayson_perry_vase3.jpg" width="320" /></a>full of wit, puns, historical references and social comment. He says he has little use for the post-Duchamp conceptual idea of art - it's art if I say it's art - so goes out of his way to make his life as well as his art an exercise in complicated, elaborate craftsmanship. And he's having a great deal of fun doing it - he seems a bit like Cindy Sherman with a sense of humor. I've always on the lookout for great use of <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bbb4_5P70P8/T84_OA_T7WI/AAAAAAAACG4/6mtTR44FCpU/s1600/grayson-perry-puntersinthesnow-1999.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bbb4_5P70P8/T84_OA_T7WI/AAAAAAAACG4/6mtTR44FCpU/s320/grayson-perry-puntersinthesnow-1999.jpg" width="199" /></a>drawing and here's a wonderful example of a good hand, plus mind and heart working together to create a sum much greater than the parts. An instant favorite for me is his <i>Punters in the Snow</i> - a witty homage to Bruegel's elegiac 16th century painting <i>Hunters in the Snow</i>. Seeing his work I was reminded of Shakespeare's line from The Tempest:<i> O brave new world That has such people in't</i>!<br />
I found visuals and interesting information and about Grayson Perry on several blogs including these:<br />
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<a href="http://thissydneylife.wordpress.com/tag/grayson-perry/">http://thissydneylife.wordpress.com/tag/grayson-perry/</a></div>
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<a href="http://thecourseofempire.blogspot.com/2012/04/grayson-perry.html">http://thecourseofempire.blogspot.com/2012/04/grayson-perry.html</a></div>
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<a href="http://normsonline.wordpress.com/2012/01/06/grayson-perry-tomb-of-the-unknown-craftsman/">http://normsonline.wordpress.com/2012/01/06/grayson-perry-tomb-of-the-unknown-craftsman/</a></div>
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and a longer article on the Royal Academy website</div>
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<a href="http://www.royalacademy.org.uk/ra-magazine/autumn-2011/fantasy-factory,298,RAMA.html">http://www.royalacademy.org.uk/ra-magazine/autumn-2011/fantasy-factory,298,RAMA.html</a></div>
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<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816482627907645935.post-24285264789014639712012-05-25T11:22:00.000-04:002012-05-25T11:33:35.267-04:00Trending towards the Warm - Surtex and Letterpress Printing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Y9O9RwXfKWI/T7-ctqjv-vI/AAAAAAAACFo/8IJ7BNFr_Bk/s1600/IMG_7409.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Y9O9RwXfKWI/T7-ctqjv-vI/AAAAAAAACFo/8IJ7BNFr_Bk/s320/IMG_7409.jpg" width="240" /></a>In anything to do with design for commercial purposes TRENDS is the big word - what's not just new, but what will be new and important in the upcoming year or season. I spent a couple of days at the big Art and Design trade shows in New York this week - Surtex for licensing design and The National Stationery Show for - yes - stationery, etc. I was there because my art was there - at Surtex with my agent Montage Licensing. It was a great opportunity to meet people and get ideas - and of course, to hear about what's trending for 2013. Some of it seemed obvious - concern with green products, soothing colors and textures to combat the anxiety of this troubled world - but it was also interesting to have the perceptions coming from professional trend readers. More creativity, more <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LRQDLeisoDY/T7-cqwYcebI/AAAAAAAACFg/20sWMwQyvNk/s1600/420857_10150598601613209_168423098208_9070621_1655285581_n.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LRQDLeisoDY/T7-cqwYcebI/AAAAAAAACFg/20sWMwQyvNk/s320/420857_10150598601613209_168423098208_9070621_1655285581_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>home craftiness, warmer, more personal environments - one predicted a backing away from sterile, cold minimalism with a consequent move to home spaces where we can cuddle, grow plants even in urban settings, and make things with our hands. It may sound like the 60's, but it looks really new and fresh - the standards for quality are a lot <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HZlTFmWFFc4/T7-jTTLXBZI/AAAAAAAACGc/drnaK5sTSUY/s1600/OwlBowerbox.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HZlTFmWFFc4/T7-jTTLXBZI/AAAAAAAACGc/drnaK5sTSUY/s1600/OwlBowerbox.jpg" /></a>higher now. Roaming the vast Javits Center where the shows took place, I found a lot of evidence to back up this trend - in the licensing show a nice shift towards more drawing, breaking the recent monopoly of flat Photoshop patterning (especially nice for me, as my work is all about drawing - though I use Photoshop and love it!) and a lot of quirky, personal fun in the work of many artists. A big trend, right in line with the prediction, was all over the stationery show - letterpress printing! It's hard to get much more hands on than printing cards and notes one at a time with hand-cut plates and hand-set type on a simple platen press. I once had one of these when I was a small-time limited edition publisher - my partner and I set our own type, I cut wood engravings for illustrations, and we turned out - slowly - some very beautiful things. It was a treat to see so much <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yZOA7eL5i2w/T7-cww-QqAI/AAAAAAAACGA/_ED_yGwwmMY/s1600/IMG_7413.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yZOA7eL5i2w/T7-cww-QqAI/AAAAAAAACGA/_ED_yGwwmMY/s200/IMG_7413.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ehp777wosyA/T7-cuYss6eI/AAAAAAAACFw/QARx7S18HN8/s1600/IMG_7410.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ehp777wosyA/T7-cuYss6eI/AAAAAAAACFw/QARx7S18HN8/s320/IMG_7410.JPG" width="320" /></a>letterpress printing at the show and really exciting to meet the crop of printers, many of them young, enterprising women with a love of the tactile, graphic possibilities and of the messy process itself! Allison Baer of The Lettuce Press, from Portland, Oregon, had a charming booth with tiny plants sprinkled around to accent her clean clever designs - we laughed about the 'clean' nature of the graphics, as she is covered in printer's ink when her work is in process. She draws the art and has it cut into plastic plates, then prints each card one at a time. She also pointed out the deep print of her impressions on the rich thick paper she uses, citing it as a signature of 'new' letterpress that stands in contrast to flat featureless mechanical printing or digital text. Next door to her booth, Emily Harris of The Victory Special Press creates designs using antique wood type, another variation on the <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V7M-jkkRqIA/T7-cypL_ONI/AAAAAAAACGI/6VWytKRu0s0/s1600/IMG_7415.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V7M-jkkRqIA/T7-cypL_ONI/AAAAAAAACGI/6VWytKRu0s0/s200/IMG_7415.jpg" width="150" /></a>new/historical approach. A number of the letterpress printers were showing together under the umbrella of Ladies of Letterpress, an international group <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BrV_E1pYSDA/T7-cvRrFPoI/AAAAAAAACF4/skK4f5Q4P7w/s1600/IMG_7412.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BrV_E1pYSDA/T7-cvRrFPoI/AAAAAAAACF4/skK4f5Q4P7w/s320/IMG_7412.JPG" width="320" /></a>that cites 'non-competitive community' as one of their principles. Their corner was a model of that principle, and it was buzzing with activity. <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7KE2iNPXJcU/T7-c0ZMJG_I/AAAAAAAACGQ/GikimlDo2hc/s1600/Orange-grey-all-four-3.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7KE2iNPXJcU/T7-c0ZMJG_I/AAAAAAAACGQ/GikimlDo2hc/s200/Orange-grey-all-four-3.jpg" width="200" /></a>There were 10 different distinctive styles on display - Rondi Vasquez of SixPenny Press does strong abstract designs, Val of Bowerbox Press frames her iconic owls in simple effective arrangements, Donatella Madrigal of Tella Press uses a mix of type and graphics - but the medium gave the booth a unified aesthetic that was very pleasing. Each printer was on hand to explain her particular methods and ideas and each was an articulate and charming spokesperson. In the midst of this gigantic trade fair the warmth and personal nature of these women and their work could be a compelling argument for a trend towards a more helpful, cooperative world at large.</div>
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<i>Thanks to the artists for images from their website. Photos
from Surtex and The National Stationery Show by Marilyn MacGregor</i></div>
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<a href="http://www.lettucepress.com/">http://www.lettucepress.com/</a></div>
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<a href="http://ladiesofletterpress.ning.com/">http://ladiesofletterpress.ning.com/</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.bowerbox.com/abouttemp.html">http://www.bowerbox.com/abouttemp.html</a></div>
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(video clip with working press)</div>
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<a href="http://www.sixpenny-press.com/">http://www.sixpenny-press.com/</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.tellapress.com/">http://www.tellapress.com/</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816482627907645935.post-55397181424307399152012-05-18T22:59:00.000-04:002012-05-19T12:34:09.455-04:00The Barnes Collection: Old, New, Improved<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3OiggzMmW2o/T7cKrgACUoI/AAAAAAAACFM/drRIqXjk2DU/s1600/IMG_7350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lb5vELQxMaI/T7cKF6ytdcI/AAAAAAAACEc/_2M4Lh-DxIw/s1600/Barnes2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lb5vELQxMaI/T7cKF6ytdcI/AAAAAAAACEc/_2M4Lh-DxIw/s320/Barnes2.jpg" width="240" /></a>The reviews are coming thick and fast, so let me add my thoughts, fresh from a first peak at the Barnes Collection in its transplanted natural habitat. All that glorious (and some not so glorious) art is in back in place in the familiar yellow-<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3OiggzMmW2o/T7cKrgACUoI/AAAAAAAACFM/drRIqXjk2DU/s1600/IMG_7350.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3OiggzMmW2o/T7cKrgACUoI/AAAAAAAACFM/drRIqXjk2DU/s200/IMG_7350.jpg" width="150" /></a>walled galleries, sacrosanct arrangements intact, in the center of Philadelphia. The official opening this weekend will bring crowds streaming through the doors. The press opening gave me an idea of what that will be like - after my small group tour of the building a few weeks ago (see the archives for the post), the bustling multitude of reporters, journalists and cameras was a bit overwhelming - a relative tidal wave. But how great to see the new spaces in full use - animated conversations, people chatting over lunch on the terrace, exchanges of <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CREkpWDXwcg/T7cKtWS1j1I/AAAAAAAACFU/dK1g3YJ8Zhc/s1600/IMG_7376.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CREkpWDXwcg/T7cKtWS1j1I/AAAAAAAACFU/dK1g3YJ8Zhc/s320/IMG_7376.jpg" width="240" /></a>admiration or puzzlement about the hanging of the art in the rooms. I especially enjoyed a discussion between two newcomers to the Barnes - one from England, one from <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OG0YxPEV0G4/T7cKHLZ3kTI/AAAAAAAACEk/5qUFinNB1No/s1600/IMG_7338.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OG0YxPEV0G4/T7cKHLZ3kTI/AAAAAAAACEk/5qUFinNB1No/s200/IMG_7338.jpg" width="150" /></a>France - trying to figure out how on earth a museum could possibly hang art from three different centuries on one wall. They might not have hit on the answer, but they had zeroed in on the Barnes way of doing things. If you were worried about the move, rest easy - you'll find the galleries with their jumbles of great masterpieces, slight or more subtle works, ancient metal craft, wooden spoons and tin kettles intact and just as amazing, breathtaking, and sometimes infuriating as ever - but improved. Better light makes everything fresher and easier to see - thanks mainly to good design decisions, new <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lC33byHx7_M/T7cKH-qZLFI/AAAAAAAACEs/EpVKY7Fe3_U/s1600/IMG_7339.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lC33byHx7_M/T7cKH-qZLFI/AAAAAAAACEs/EpVKY7Fe3_U/s200/IMG_7339.jpg" width="150" /></a>technology and slightly higher ceilings. Dr. Barnes has in no way been left behind; he is still at your <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dDvS0KMRbS0/T7cKNfHJ0oI/AAAAAAAACE8/_U1rMImcuMA/s1600/IMG_7345.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dDvS0KMRbS0/T7cKNfHJ0oI/AAAAAAAACE8/_U1rMImcuMA/s200/IMG_7345.jpg" width="150" /></a>side every step of the way through the rooms (now fitted with simple benches and very helpful brochures) poking and prodding at you to look, really look at the art. You can almost hear him: 'Stop relying on labels or dim memories from art history classes! Pay attention!" There's a slightly musty, hallowed aura that clings to the yellow burlap walls he specified for the Merion galleries (recreated almost exactly), but Dr. Barnes was way ahead of his time. He called his system 'scientific' - the empirical evidence of color, form, composition, subject, <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k5L0mxYpuoM/T7cKYOAFSBI/AAAAAAAACFE/wqlv4PAA2qA/s1600/IMG_7346.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k5L0mxYpuoM/T7cKYOAFSBI/AAAAAAAACFE/wqlv4PAA2qA/s200/IMG_7346.jpg" width="150" /></a>and other formal considerations - but it is also very contemporary in the shunning of a conventional academic hierarchy increasingly out of step with our Post-Modern culture of diversity and mixed voices. At the Barnes you remember - Dr. Barnes commands you to notice - 'Pay attention!' - that art has the power to startle, to shock, to hit you with force in the eye, head, and gut. You'll never see it all at this <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mJvUQzIUZow/T7cKDzhe_4I/AAAAAAAACEU/_Cyx0SINYBY/s1600/Barnes1.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mJvUQzIUZow/T7cKDzhe_4I/AAAAAAAACEU/_Cyx0SINYBY/s200/Barnes1.jpg" width="150" /></a>spectacular new addition to Philadelphia's museums - there will always be something you missed, some new puzzle to figure out, some new combination or perspective. You'll need - and want - to come back again and again. (And how nice that you'll <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hPRHrvIn1qY/T7cKKmJo3jI/AAAAAAAACE0/1ulsVhBLz_E/s1600/IMG_7389.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hPRHrvIn1qY/T7cKKmJo3jI/AAAAAAAACE0/1ulsVhBLz_E/s320/IMG_7389.JPG" width="320" /></a>now be able to relax with a cup of coffee in the downstairs public lounge!) This move was a struggle on many fronts, but it's a great time for the great Barnes Collection to emerge from the lovely Beaux Arts cocoon of the Merion Building and come fully into view by a much wider world in its sleek, elegant new home. <br />
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<a href="http://www.barnesfoundation.org/">http://www.barnesfoundation.org/</a><br />
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Photos by Marilyn MacGregor<br />
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<i>Don't miss the fascinating exhibit in the new temporary
gallery. 'Ensembles' illuminates Dr. Barnes' life, philosophy and quirky
personality in a wonderful display of correspondence with artists and dealers,
photos of his family (including the most beloved member, his dog) and
collaborators, memorabilia (a bottle of Agyrol among other things.) His
caustic, cranky, very lively sense of humor comes across best in letters he
wrote rejecting the efforts of the 'high and mighty' to gain admission to see
his pictures. Artists and manual laborers had much less trouble. We can all be
glad we don't have to ask his personal permission to enter the Barnes, but he
can be happy - I hope - that so many more 'common folk' can now be enriched by
his art.</i><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Read my article about the Barnes opening in the Broad Street Review</i></span></b><br />
<a href="http://www.broadstreetreview.com/index.php/main/article/the_new_barnes_worth_the_wait"><u><b>http://www.broadstreetreview.com/index.php/main/article/the_new_barnes_worth_the_wait </b></u></a><i><br /></i></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816482627907645935.post-60419298282486740872012-05-09T19:12:00.003-04:002012-05-09T19:44:08.097-04:00Many Moons, Super and Otherwise - a Tribute<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f3lTT6nBnQI/T6r2Qah0TlI/AAAAAAAACC8/a_CAMbeWo5k/s1600/Blakethe-wandering-moon-1820.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f3lTT6nBnQI/T6r2Qah0TlI/AAAAAAAACC8/a_CAMbeWo5k/s320/Blakethe-wandering-moon-1820.jpg" width="248" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">William Blake: The Wandering Moon 1820</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RLBneFWSEKs/T6r2SpKbp4I/AAAAAAAACDQ/6hWe1iGxGwc/s1600/Dresdenalmost-full-moon-risenAFPRobertMichael.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="151" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RLBneFWSEKs/T6r2SpKbp4I/AAAAAAAACDQ/6hWe1iGxGwc/s200/Dresdenalmost-full-moon-risenAFPRobertMichael.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">May 5 2012 (AFP Photo Robert Michael)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2kSCgojlN_s/T6r2TJEuqoI/AAAAAAAACDk/M8IAB4e3N1w/s1600/Hiroshigesaruwaka.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2kSCgojlN_s/T6r2TJEuqoI/AAAAAAAACDk/M8IAB4e3N1w/s200/Hiroshigesaruwaka.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hiroshige Saruwaka </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ibc7MuZGrmA/T6r2UAmWsoI/AAAAAAAACD0/PdLGlZ75SEQ/s1600/LandscapeWheatSheavesRisingMoon1889.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="157" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ibc7MuZGrmA/T6r2UAmWsoI/AAAAAAAACD0/PdLGlZ75SEQ/s200/LandscapeWheatSheavesRisingMoon1889.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Van Gogh: Wheat Sheaves and Rising Moon 1889</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QY6dEhChosM/T6r2R_QOZAI/AAAAAAAACDM/9VbwA9JNeOs/s1600/Dove-MeandtheMoon1937.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="221" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QY6dEhChosM/T6r2R_QOZAI/AAAAAAAACDM/9VbwA9JNeOs/s320/Dove-MeandtheMoon1937.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arthur Dove: Me and the Moon 1937</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-68l3shNBtGw/T6r2TR-Yn8I/AAAAAAAACDs/mWKgsgc1doA/s1600/HomerKissingtheMOON1904.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="154" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-68l3shNBtGw/T6r2TR-Yn8I/AAAAAAAACDs/mWKgsgc1doA/s200/HomerKissingtheMOON1904.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Winslow Homer: Kissing the Moon 1904</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qt80towWitg/T6r2S-qc9TI/AAAAAAAACDc/V5Ybf1JuXEY/s1600/HarvestMoonSamPalmer.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="163" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qt80towWitg/T6r2S-qc9TI/AAAAAAAACDc/V5Ybf1JuXEY/s200/HarvestMoonSamPalmer.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Samuel Palmer: Harvest Moon 19th c</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Sqv54Rbr7bQ/T6r2PB2GT3I/AAAAAAAACC0/yD_0GZc7XRs/s1600/Basquiat%252BCadillac%252BMoon%252B1981.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="190" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Sqv54Rbr7bQ/T6r2PB2GT3I/AAAAAAAACC0/yD_0GZc7XRs/s200/Basquiat%252BCadillac%252BMoon%252B1981.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Basquiat: Cadillac Moon 1981</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5jPr3N8ZSF4/T6r2RCSVJxI/AAAAAAAACDE/FmZjcdmy384/s1600/CreationofMasterofJeandemandeville1360-79.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5jPr3N8ZSF4/T6r2RCSVJxI/AAAAAAAACDE/FmZjcdmy384/s200/CreationofMasterofJeandemandeville1360-79.jpg" width="195" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Creation of the Sun and Moon 13th c</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XXICxdB0Ucc/T6r5FkX9XRI/AAAAAAAACEE/_pG8H1Ro19I/s1600/PaulKleefireatFullMoon1933.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="153" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XXICxdB0Ucc/T6r5FkX9XRI/AAAAAAAACEE/_pG8H1Ro19I/s200/PaulKleefireatFullMoon1933.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paul Klee: Fire at Full Moon 1933</td></tr>
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Myth met reality this week when we were treated to the phenomenon of a 'supermoon'- technically known as a perigree full moon for its proximity to the earth. The photos from all over the world are spectacular - this eye-popping example is from Dresden, Germany (AFP photo by Robert Michael) I'm a big fan of the moon (I'm hardly unique - you probably are too) for its often startling beauty and the magical nature of its perceived changes. Human may have trod on the surface, planting flags and leaving dusty footprints, but when that silvery ball or sliver hangs up there among the stars on a dark night, it's easy to understand why humans have always found it a source of mystery and power, for good and for bad. The full moon can bring riches and cure warts, but it can also drive you mad. A full moon is always an event - with our scientific mindsets we understand the movement of the tides, the moon's relation to the sun and earth, etc., and watch it simply for the pleasure it brings - but in a more agricultural time and place it signaled essential steps in the growing year. The names of the full moons for Native Americans identify expectations - Full Hunger Moon in February, Full Worm Moon in March when the ground starts to warm and life begins to reappear, Full Corn Moon in September commonly known as the Harvest Moon, which marks the harvest and signals the Autumn equinox. I hope you got to see this month's 'supermoon' - I watched it with friends in NW Connecticut as it emerged dramatically from behind a thick bank of clouds and rose until the sky glowed silver - so beautiful! Many artists have tried their luck at catching moonbeams - in tribute to the moon, here is a selection from various times and places.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816482627907645935.post-46821284228508824702012-05-03T11:36:00.000-04:002012-05-03T12:07:58.392-04:00Two Good Stories: Soutine and the Barnes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ljCyM_QN2W4/T6KlY2uf_5I/AAAAAAAACCo/btbppOQrolI/s1600/medium_Soutine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ljCyM_QN2W4/T6KlY2uf_5I/AAAAAAAACCo/btbppOQrolI/s1600/medium_Soutine.jpg" /></a></div>
I'm now teaching a class I'm calling 'Midnights in Paris' (thanks to Woody Allen for the idea) which looks at the 'fantasy' eras of French art and history. The first in the series, the early 20th century, includes an artist we'll be seeing more of once the Barnes Collection reopens later this month. <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WhTtUjCwuKA/T6KlYP4TtHI/AAAAAAAACCY/rHYRcFnzdys/s1600/Soutine_LandscapeAtCagnes1923.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WhTtUjCwuKA/T6KlYP4TtHI/AAAAAAAACCY/rHYRcFnzdys/s320/Soutine_LandscapeAtCagnes1923.JPG" width="320" /></a> Chaim Soutine is the artist, and his story with Dr. Barnes makes a good headline: Starving Russian Artist Saved from Misery and Oblivion by famed American Millionaire Art Collector. The full story, of course, has a bit more to it. Soutine, born in a small Russian village in 1893, was beaten up at age 13 for breaking strict Jewish rules by drawing his rabbi - after weeks in the hospital he took the 25 rubles awarded as damages and got out of town - first to art classes in Minsk, and then to the art mecca of the time - Paris. For 10 years he lived hand to mouth in a series of creaky artist studios in Montparnasse, where he became close friends with other artists, especially Modigliani. His first art dealer, Leopold Zborowski, supported him after a fashion without much real success in selling his work - until the fateful day in 1922, when Dr. Barnes walked into the gallery run by Paul <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nVGOL-TwqSg/T6KlUuG1sEI/AAAAAAAACCA/Qj6KfL1m5SM/s1600/3619487128_6779a2759c.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nVGOL-TwqSg/T6KlUuG1sEI/AAAAAAAACCA/Qj6KfL1m5SM/s320/3619487128_6779a2759c.jpg" width="222" /></a>Guillaume (a garage mechanic who rose to be a celebrated art dealer and collector) and noticed a small painting of an unlikely subject - a pastry cook. An introduction to Zborowski, a trip to Soutine's studio, and <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o-BcKNAfwQY/T6KlXq1i6YI/AAAAAAAACCQ/3NYJT-h3ofI/s1600/Soutine_Chaim-The_Table1919.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o-BcKNAfwQY/T6KlXq1i6YI/AAAAAAAACCQ/3NYJT-h3ofI/s320/Soutine_Chaim-The_Table1919.jpg" width="320" /></a>Barnes snaps up the whole lot of Soutine's work - some say 60 paintings, some say 100 - for a total of $3000. As far as Soutine was concerned, this was the treasury of Midas - as soon as Barnes left the premises, Soutine closed the door, hailed a cab and had the driver take him to Nice on the French Riviera, 200 miles away. It was a true turning point - the infusion of cash and belief in his work may even have saved a starving artist's life. Soutine returned to Paris and built on his success; his work began selling, he acquired a new apartment and studio, nice clothes (it is said that he became a 'dandy' in elegant shirts and silk ties) and wealthy patrons. Rollercoaster years followed, with health problems and an ornery disposition causing problems - and then came the Nazi occupation of Paris. Soutine, a Jew, fled Paris and when he tried to return was refused. He made it back at the very end of his life, assisted by Marie-Berthe Aurenche, the ex-wife of Max Ernst, and died in a Paris hospital. <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Jl0fda74UjM/T6KlYlZsYxI/AAAAAAAACCg/jg-mNbNKPaE/s1600/img_bio_chaim_soutine.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Jl0fda74UjM/T6KlYlZsYxI/AAAAAAAACCg/jg-mNbNKPaE/s320/img_bio_chaim_soutine.jpg" width="177" /></a>His 1943 funeral at the Montparnasse cemetery - 'on a sunny day' according to Marie-Berthe - was small and quiet, but Picasso was there to pay his last respects. The US, thanks to Dr. Barnes, is the place to see the best of Soutine's work. Though sometimes classed as an Expressionist, his quirky, <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uxJZfmkutOA/T6KlU5DvOFI/AAAAAAAACCI/QyKyqrUuZAQ/s1600/carcass-2.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uxJZfmkutOA/T6KlU5DvOFI/AAAAAAAACCI/QyKyqrUuZAQ/s320/carcass-2.jpg" width="239" /></a>animated swirly style is unique. The charming and the grotesque balance precariously in his saturated compositions, whether the subject is landscape or still life, raw carcass (a favorite) or portraits of friends and patrons. Barnes's recognition of the unknown Soutine is, for me, one of the signatures of his own extraordinary story: the confidence and exceptional eye signaled by the purchase make this landmark collection significant for more than the fantastic array of works alone. <span style="font-size: small;"> </span>It marks a symbiosis between art and collector that is rare at any age.<br />
<i>In 2006 one of Soutine's carcass paintings 'La Boeuf Ecorche' sold for $13.8 Million. </i><br />
<i>Paintings shown are representative of Soutine's work, not necessarily those in the Barnes Collection.</i><br />
<a href="http://www.barnesfoundation.org/collections/art-collection/artist/51/chaim-soutine">http://www.barnesfoundation.org/collections/art-collection/artist/51/chaim-soutine</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3816482627907645935.post-31143747051745748512012-04-24T13:17:00.001-04:002012-04-24T13:19:02.206-04:00Art - Fine and Online - Etsy, FAA, Behance, Spoonflower<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zoz3cprQhR8/T5bcj7x5NwI/AAAAAAAACBg/0lVifmrYzI0/s1600/il_570xN.229302166.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zoz3cprQhR8/T5bcj7x5NwI/AAAAAAAACBg/0lVifmrYzI0/s320/il_570xN.229302166.jpg" width="217" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_73205343">Sally Mara Bee Buzz </a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/SallyMaraArt?ref=seller_info">on Etsy</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a8j5ulr8b6A/T5bcko4_JkI/AAAAAAAACBo/kc1nPHqeRZc/s1600/il_570xN.324084456.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a8j5ulr8b6A/T5bcko4_JkI/AAAAAAAACBo/kc1nPHqeRZc/s200/il_570xN.324084456.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/96278651/print-giclee-8x11-red-turquoise-green">Anna Gonzalez on Etsy</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Gl3GtlsFzl8/T5bclYuka1I/AAAAAAAACBw/O4H8oqQ-lms/s1600/il_570xN.330020429.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="247" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Gl3GtlsFzl8/T5bclYuka1I/AAAAAAAACBw/O4H8oqQ-lms/s320/il_570xN.330020429.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/97880402/a-big-bouquet-of-pink-and-red-tulips">Marilyn MacGregor on Etsy </a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jCWaBh_5cMc/T5bcl07y6FI/AAAAAAAACB4/ujRy056PGaw/s1600/lady-blue-p-maure-bausch.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="261" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jCWaBh_5cMc/T5bcl07y6FI/AAAAAAAACB4/ujRy056PGaw/s320/lady-blue-p-maure-bausch.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://fineartamerica.com/products/lady-blue-p-maure-bausch-art-print.html">P Maure Bausch on FAA</a></td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--NUONLgrwl0/T5bchSvE1oI/AAAAAAAACBY/_H4zeNeZEpc/s1600/d34125a88a51c1aef4bc6f8a7fc9e442.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--NUONLgrwl0/T5bchSvE1oI/AAAAAAAACBY/_H4zeNeZEpc/s320/d34125a88a51c1aef4bc6f8a7fc9e442.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.behance.net/gallery/Original-Smarts-1-42/2092800">Eric Hancock on Behance</a></td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WfDKtx_FR6g/T5bcgxFYQmI/AAAAAAAACBQ/4K-Wy5eHiGU/s1600/cestlaviv_poppies_sfFA_shop_preview.png" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="274" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WfDKtx_FR6g/T5bcgxFYQmI/AAAAAAAACBQ/4K-Wy5eHiGU/s320/cestlaviv_poppies_sfFA_shop_preview.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/cestlaviv">Cestlaviv - Vivian Ducas on Spoonflower</a></td></tr>
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It's not that hard to call yourself an artist - the word has become almost meaningless. <i>Being</i> an artist, however, is still not easy, and making a living as one is as tricky as it's ever been - maybe more so. Galleries are invaluable - as in Philadelphia's Old City area, good galleries and dealers can center the energy of a lively, thriving arts community and provide vital community spaces. It can be tough, though, for an artist to find the right one or to find one at all. But thanks to the technology we all love/hate, there are lots of opportunities for artists - and for viewers and collectors - that didn't exist before. So this blog post is dedicated to working artists who engage with the promise and potential of online galleries as the newest way to get their work noticed and, with luck, sold. A disclaimer: I'm on that list. I'm a believer in social media as a living community, and in the opportunities made available by online art spaces - my participation is a vote for these avenues as a good thing for human and arts interactions. You probably know the biggest of these sites - <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/MacGregorArt"><i>Etsy</i></a>. Etsy, which got started in 2005 (it has a Wikipedia page, surely a mark of success!) is well-known as the go-to site for charmingly hand-crafted home decor, clothing, kid's stuff and objets in general. It also allows vintage sellers and craft suppliers. What you may not know is that there are a lot of very good artists on Etsy, often successful illustrators or gallery artists who like having a way to sell lower cost prints or even originals direct from their studios. <a href="http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/marilyn-macgregor.html"><i>Fine Art America</i></a> is another big site, one that is more focused on 'fine art.' There's a lot of very amateur and questionable work to sort through, unfortunately, but it's worthwhile taking a careful look - you can find truly 'fine' artists on FAA offering their work as low priced prints and cards. <a href="http://www.behance.net/"><i>Behance</i></a> is another quality online portfolio site, this time geared towards illustrators and graphic artists - some really amazing things. Some of the work is for sale, or you can find links to where you can purchase prints. Major illustrators and designers show their work on Behance - as with all these sites, you can show your appreciation for impressive skill and imagination with a comment or a click on a button. Recently I've been working with an agent (<a href="http://www.montagelicensing.com/">Montage Licensing</a>) on designs and illustration work for the Art Licensing field, including paper, textile, and other uses - in the course of learning more about this field I've discovered another fun site where you can find original art, this time fabric designs. It's called <a href="http://www.spoonflower.com/welcome"><i>Spoonflower</i></a> - browse through an abundance of original designs by real artists and purchase fabric for a pillow or a complete overhaul of your upholstery! Most artists by nature are multi-taskers. These sites are a few of the ways that they can show their work in more than one dimension and for multiple purposes. It's a huge opportunity for buyers too. It may take a little patience to sort through and find favorites, but life is like that - it's nothing new - and it can be fun and very rewarding. You'll be looking at art and artists from all over the world. (Anna Gonzalez - at the top of the page - lives in the Canary Islands) I've included some examples from each of these sites, chosen almost at random in a search for high quality and my own taste, with links to the work on the sites (click on the captions). I've also included my links - please take a look and leave me a comment or a click! <br />
<a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/MacGregorArt"><u>http://www.etsy.com/shop/MacGregorArt</u></a><br />
<a href="http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/marilyn-macgregor.html"><u>http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/marilyn-macgregor.html</u></a><br />
<u><a href="http://www.marilynmacgregor.com/">http://www.marilynmacgregor.com/ </a></u><br />
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<a href="http://www.behance.net/marilynmacgregor/frame"><u>http://www.behance.net/marilynmacgregor/frame</u></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0