Betty's Pub 20.1
Main Menu => BETTY PEARL'S PUB FOR SISSIES => Topic started by: andyg0404 on April 18, 2020, 11:28:32 AM
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Hi,
With no museums to visit there is still art to be seen on the Internet. It’s not the same experience as wandering through the museum or gallery but desperate times call for desperate measures and we have to enjoy what we can, when and where we can. In light of that here are some articles I found enjoyable.
I thought this was a nice collection of wonderful paintings that have gone on the auction block over the years. If you remember, Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire was one of the stars of the Chatsworth exhibit at Sotheby’s I wrote about in the summer last year.
10 Old Masters that changed the art market
https://www.christies.com/features/Old-Masters-that-changed-the-market-8477-1.aspx?sc_lang=en#FID-8477
In the New York Times there was an obituary for an artist I’ve never heard of, Idelle Weber. She was an interesting lady who changed her style in mid-life, moving from pop art to photorealism. For me a little pop art goes a long way, but I do enjoy the photorealist paintings. The article has a number of illustrations of pop art but none of the photo realism, so I’ve linked to a few below, as well as another of her pop art images.
Idelle Weber, Who Stretched the Meaning of Pop Art, Dies at 88
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/07/arts/idelle-weber-dead.html
IDELLE WEBER: "SUNNY". WORKS FROM NEW YORK'S POP ERA
https://i.pinimg.com/564x/7a/5f/81/7a5f81a6b75c9822f3578c338450f421.jpg
Corner Fruit Jungle
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/221520875391731499/
Pink Champale
https://i.pinimg.com/564x/3f/a0/9c/3fa09cb5327cf009c858bde088ebe3dc.jpg
This is wonderful. For those of you who don’t know Banksy, he’s a very famous street artist who hit the big time. He started out painting his artwork on building facades, always keeping an eye out for the police. He built up an enormous following and now his works sell at auction for millions of dollars. One went for $12 million back in October. This article shows how Banksy is spending his time while social distancing. This is a link to the article on the auction sale. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-eu-art-auction/banksys-chimp-depicting-devolved-parliament-sells-for-over-12-million-idUSKBN1WI29Q
Even Banksy, the Elusive Street Artist, Is Stuck Working From Home. See How He Was Reduced to Doing Street Art in His Bathroom
The street artist's latest work gives the public a rare glimpse inside his home.
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/banksy-working-from-home-1835082
This is an obituary of Tom Blackwell, a founding member of the photorealist genre. He’s another artist who I am unfamiliar with but as you can see from the links to two f his images he was certainly a master. At the end of the article is a link to a gallery with several more pictures.
Tom Blackwell, pioneering Photorealist painter, dies at 82
https://artdaily.com/news/122672/Tom-Blackwell--pioneering-Photorealist-painter--dies-at-82
Jaffrey
https://www.meiselgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Blackwell_Jaffrey_1976_oil-on-canvas_websized.jpg
Little Boys Gold Wing
https://www.meiselgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Blackwell_Little_Roys_Gold_Wing_1977_edited_websized.jpg
This is about the fractious relationship between Josephine Hopper and her famous husband Edward. She was an artist in her own right and was famous and well exhibited before Edward had any success. Once he finally gained fame her reputation unfairly dimmed. When she passed away, she bequeathed their paintings to the Whitney museum, which has the largest collection of Hopper memorabilia in the world. The Whitney kept his but loaned out or trashed hers, a situation they surely regret now. The source for the article is a new book that delves into this situation with other artists as well. There’s a four picture slide show at the end of the article.
The woman who made Edward Hopper famous finally seizes the spotlight
https://nypost.com/2020/04/11/woman-who-made-edward-hopper-famous-finally-seizes-the-spotlight/
This has some favorite items in it and it certainly gives us something to look forward to visiting when the rapturous reopening of the Met takes place. Corona willing. The Hokusai is truly magnificent.
To Mark the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s 150th Birthday, Here Are 15 Artworks Symbolizing the Ups and Downs of Each Decade of Its Storied Existence
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/metropolitan-museum-150-years-1834326
And the second painting in this article is another favorite from the Met’s Goya collection.
12 portraits that made art-market history — at Christie’s
https://tinyurl.com/ya6wkk4y
More favorites. Whistler’s Mother was one my earliest art experiences. My brother took me to see it when it visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1964, one year after he took me to see the Mona Lisa on her visit to the Met.
Mother Knows Best: 6 Famous Artists Whose Dynamic Mothers Became Their Creative Muses
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/artists-whose-mothers-became-their-muses-1830039
Hope these amuse and distract you during your self-enforced isolation.
And here’s a few Flickrs for old time’s sake.
Andy G.
Little Blue Brolita Maid
https://www.flickr.com/photos/tinamartiniweeny/49634144276/
"Let Them Eat Cake!" # 2: Such a Good Girl!!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/rebecca_george/47942026667/
Albumen Filter
https://www.flickr.com/photos/dianne_w/26004709828/
03 So what is thie place then
https://www.flickr.com/photos/savannasteel/49570920158/
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Hi,
Betty, before I begin I noticed a while ago that when I posted the Flickr email, the spaces between the actual Flickrs was eliminated and I had to manually put them back. Just now, when I previewed this email, the spacing for the entire post had been removed and I had to manually put them back in. I don't know if something has changed with the website or it has to do with Word and Microsoft Outlook which is where I prepare the emails but I thought I would mention it to see if you had any ideas. Thanks.
Here are a few more articles to nourish your artistic cultural deprivation.
This is a real treat. Favorite van Gogh paintings as chosen by the curators of 8 museums. They’re all beautiful and it’s hard to choose one over another but if I had to I think I would go along with Christopher Riopelle’s choice of Iris as a favorite.
What’s the Best Painting by van Gogh? Eight Experts Reveal Their Favorite Works
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/artists/vincent-van-gogh-best-paintings-1202684383/
In 2006 the BBC presented a series of 8 one-hour lectures by the English author and art historian Simon Schama in which he spoke about 8 artists, keyed to one of their paintings. The artists are Caravaggio, Bernini, Rembrandt, David, Turner, Van Gogh, Picasso, and Rothko and they’re available on Youtube. I watched the episode on Van Gogh, and it was excellent, the artist is portrayed by the actor Andy Serkis and he does a fine job of depicting the tortured artist. I’ll definitely watch the others, well, maybe not the Rothko.
The Power of Art - Van Gogh
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6M6zJV5TiM
I think the objects shown in this article live up to the title.
A UK Museum Challenged Bored Curators Worldwide to Share the Creepiest Objects in Their Collections. Things Got Really Weird, Fast
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/weirdest-art-yorkshire-museum-1839984
This is a five-minute video about a current exhibition at the Neue Galerie which currently no one can attend. Madame D'Ora was an Austrian photographer who was active for close to 50 years, 1907 to 1955. She photographed artists and did fashion shoots and managed to survive the second World War, after which she needed to start her career again from scratch. She was a very interesting lady and the photographs are outstanding.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlajGnq0Xks
I find articles on this topic fascinating; how through technology paintings can be examined to see through the layers of paint and determine what the painting looked like when the artist finished it thus allowing conservationists to restore it to its original beauty. These two speak about analysis of two Dutch paintings, the first by Margareta Haverman and the second, one of Vermeer’s wonders.
After Three Hundred Years of Fading, a Dutch Masterpiece Is Digitally Restored
https://tinyurl.com/yclk6vkf
The ‘Girl With the Pearl Earring’ Originally Had Eyelashes, Researchers Discover in a Series of New Revelations About Vermeer’s Masterpiece
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/girl-with-the-pearl-earring-eyelashes-1847367
I would imagine most artists begin by depicting their family and this article has wonderful images of artist’s mothers and children, coincidentally by a number of my favorites.
Ahead of Mother’s Day, See Some of the Most Tender Depictions of Mothers and Children Throughout Art History
From Gustav Klimt to Alice Neel, artists have long focused on the subject of mothers.
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/mothers-in-art-history-1832367
Here’s another favorite with some images of his greatest works.
Édouard Manet Is Considered the Father of Modernism. Here Are His Most Famous Works.
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/artists/why-is-edouard-manet-important-1202685425/
And just to keep with the spirit of the board here are a few Flickrs.
Andy G.
https://bit.ly/34GPIvP Here we provide the crossdressing accessories for you.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/185233804@N02/49783320191/
Feminisation - in gentle stages
https://www.flickr.com/photos/julieb85/49505655367/
Have a nice Evening
https://www.flickr.com/photos/149954333@N07/49600911818/
Stefania Visconti
https://www.flickr.com/photos/stefaniavisconti/49662220636/
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I'm not sure I understand. You're copy & pasting emails directly into your posts? Depending on the format, the spaces may not copy through or be recognized. We've had that problem before when people copy & paste stories from some formats at our story board.
If I need to prepare a statement or post offline before posting, I just use an ordinary .txt document made with notepad, or wordpad. Spaces, links, & everything else copies & pastes to any other format without a problem (most of the time). That's important to me because if I'm writing or editing scripts & code for a computer, server, or web page, a missing space can cause it to fail.
Also emails are blocked from posting because every spambot, scammer, & hacker on the planet is attracted by the "at" sign as email addresses to be exploited. A single "at" sign in a post will attract thousands of them.
Do not use the "at" sign. I post my mail like this: admin"at"unclegadget.com
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Hi Betty,
I generally create my longer posts in a Word document. Once I finish the Word document I open a blank email and paste the contents into that. Then when I have enough content, I copy it from the open email to the board. It's the procedure I've always used and this was the first time the entire post lost the spacing. It's no big deal and it could very well be due to changes to my system from updates. I just wondered if anything had changed on your end and it appears not.
Thanks for getting back to me.
Andy G.
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Our top 3 web servers just updated to the newest versions myPHP & mySQL databases a few weeks ago. The character coding for spaces on some formats designed for older databases may not be compatible. Because I've always used ordinary notepad, or wordpad .txt documents for simple forum posts & coding on servers it always worked fine on everything because they don't use any strange exclusively Microsoft, Explorer, or Edge coding.
Most web servers run on Linux, which don't natively support .doc MS word documents or their weird character coding anyway.
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Hi,
To begin, we have two articles on strong women, Dora Maar, one of Picasso’s lovers and Georgia O’Keeffe. The first article is an excerpt from a current book on Maar’s life. The author bid and won an old address book on the auction site. When he received it and started going through it he found it was filled with famous painters and poets. Using the Internet and a French telephone book he tracked down the people in it and determined that the book had belonged to Dora Maar. It’s a real coup. I found his research fascinating. The article about O’Keeffe is a short biography.
A Vintage Hermès Address Book Bought on eBay Listed the Home Addresses of Dozens of Art Historical Legends. It Turned Out to Be Dora Maar’s
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/finding-dora-maar-excerpt-1854561
How Georgia O’Keeffe Became One of the Most Celebrated American Artists of the 20th-Century
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/artists/georgia-okeeffe-life-career-1202686688/
This is really worthwhile; it’s an exhibit from the Ashmolean Museum in Britain. I would have loved to walk through the galleries to view these paintings and drawings, but this is the next best thing. Especially as even if we weren’t in lockdown I wouldn’t have made it overseas. If it wasn’t for the closing of the museum we wouldn’t have this opportunity. There’s an introductory 7-minute video which at the end has a link to a shorter video about a previous exhibition, his self-portraits.
YOUNG REMBRANDT
https://www.ashmolean.org/youngrembrandt#widget-id-1964241
This is an exhibit I would have visited, the gallery is on 57th Street, just off 5th Avenue. It’s for the painter Joseph McGurl, a contemporary Luminist realist landscape painter. This is the definition of Luminism from Wikipedia, “Luminism is an American landscape painting style of the 1850s to 1870s, characterized by effects of light in landscape, through the use of aerial perspective and the concealment of visible brushstrokes. Luminist landscapes emphasize tranquility, and often depict calm, reflective water and a soft, hazy sky.” These paintings are bright and colorful and definitely reflect a serene image.
https://www.cavaliergalleries.com/exhibition/178/exhibition_works/7846
Well, this is certainly different. And I’m definitely jealous.
Penguins Visit Nelson-Atkins Ahead of Kansas City Zoo Opening
https://youtu.be/zOqUoo96ssQ
I didn’t know a lot about Giorgio de Chirico but I’ve always enjoyed his colorful paintings. The article below is a good precis about him and his styles. His paintings remind me somewhat of Magritte’s surrealistic paintings although de Chirico was not a Surrealist. He appears to have served as an inspiration to Magritte who was brought to tears upon seeing a reproduction of his painting, "The Song of Love", in 1922. https://www.moma.org/collection/works/80419 At least that’s what it says on Wikipedia. The entry goes on to say that in lean times Magritte forged paintings by him to supplement his income. This excerpt discusses that.
“In 1946, renouncing the violence and pessimism of his earlier work, he joined several other Belgian artists in signing the manifesto Surrealism in Full Sunlight. During 1947–48, Magritte's "Vache period," he painted in a provocative and crude Fauve style. During this time, Magritte supported himself through the production of fake Picassos, Braques, and de Chiricos—a fraudulent repertoire he was later to expand into the printing of forged banknotes during the lean postwar period. This venture was undertaken alongside his brother Paul and fellow Surrealist and "surrogate son" Marcel Mariën, to whom had fallen the task of selling the forgeries. At the end of 1948, Magritte returned to the style and themes of his pre-war surrealistic art.”
Giorgio de Chirico: How the Godfather of Surrealism Crafted His Mysterious Cityscapes
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/artists/giorgio-de-chirico-why-is-he-famous-1202687371/
In a recent email I linked to Manet’s greatest paintings. This is a link to a current auction of a painting he did when he was 21 years old and still a student. It’s a copy of a self-portrait by Fra Filippo Lippi. The second link is, I believe, the original.
https://tinyurl.com/ycnvdrsq
https://i.pinimg.com/564x/f1/d0/af/f1d0af092cab542d769bb7741cb9ee8b.jpg
This article may be about a macabre topic although during our plague year perhaps not; nevertheless it’s another opportunity to see great art.
Near-Death Self-Portraits: Edvard Munch, van Gogh, and More Confront Mortality
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/artists/self-portraits-death-edvard-munch-van-gogh-1202686935/
Here’s more great art. The first painting which is owned by the Met is by Monet and for the longest time hanging next to it was a similar image by the artist which Oracle founder Larry Ellison had allowed the Met to exhibit on long term loan. The Met was very disappointed when he took it back and sold it at auction. They had rather hoped he would bequeath it to them. You can see it here.
Claude Monet (French, 1840–1926). Adolphe Monet (1800–1871) Reading in a Garden, 1867. Oil on canvas. Lent by Lawrence J. Ellison https://tinyurl.com/ycslenhd
You’ll see a number of these paintings are in private hands, the unhappy result of these high dollar auctions.
10 of the best Impressionist paintings sold at Christie’s
From a Degas that went for £180 in 1892 to a Monet that fetched £40 million in 2008 — a selection of masterpieces by some of painting’s greatest innovators
https://tinyurl.com/y9nxvgc5
In 2006 the BBC presented a series of 8 one-hour lectures by the English author and art historian Simon Schama in which he spoke about 8 artists, keyed to one of their paintings. The artists are Caravaggio, Bernini, Rembrandt, David, Turner, Van Gogh, Picasso, and Rothko and they’re available on Youtube. So far, I’ve watched the episodes on Van Gogh and Rembrandt and they were both very good. Van Gogh is portrayed by the actor Andy Serkis and he does a fine job depicting the tortured artist. This is a link to all 8 videos https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJsjdX3foufhEHhOM9xxINIOb6YC1fds-
And here are direct links to those I’ve viewed.
The Power of Art - Van Gogh
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6M6zJV5TiM
The Power of Art: Rembrandt
https://tinyurl.com/y8patl3w
This is a slide show on Youtube of a publication from Ronin Gallery with about 50 illustrations of Hokusai’s woodblock prints. Some beautiful Japanese art for us to enjoy until the galleries reopen. Be sure to go to full screen
HOKUSAI: Great Art, Small Sizes: Early Works
https://issuu.com/roningallerynyc/docs/web-finalhokusabook
More video from the Met’s Costume Institute
About Time: Fashion and Duration (Extended Exhibition Preview) | Met Fashion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVHyyjvBvaI&feature=youtu.be
This is an article on Picasso’s war time epic, Guernica. It was painted during the Spanish Civil war and sent on tour for a time before going to MOMA at Picasso’s request for safeguarding during WW II. It was returned to Spain in 1982 where it remains. In the deep recesses of my mind I think I saw it when it was at MOMA but it left well before I started visiting the museums again so if I did it must have been when I was a child, perhaps a class trip.
How Picasso’s Famed Mural ‘Guernica’ Became a Poignant Political Symbol for Activists Around the World
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/artists/picasso-guernica-exhibitions-anti-war-symbol-1202686074/
Banksy continues in the news with his donation of the painting illustrated in the article. It’s unusual as he generally does street art and prints. It’s a wonderful black and white image with just a touch of color and to me is evocative of something Norman Rockwell might have painted if he was alive today.
Banksy Donates New Artwork Celebrating Health Care Workers to British Hospital
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/banksy-southampton-general-hospital-game-changer-1202686284/
I’m including this as not only does it have great art, it has great beards. I’ve had a beard for more than 40 years but I am the first to admit it is a very unprepossessing one. I originally grew it to look older as I had a real baby face which I somehow think no longer exists. One of my favorite stories is one my former employer and friend Bob told me about a man he worked with for many years. That man also had a beard and one day decided to shave it leaving just the mustache. He went into work the next day expecting a big reaction but not one person commented on it. Finally, he asked one of them if he noticed anything different about him. The reply was, Oh, you grew a mustache. Talk about deflation.
Working on Your Quarantine #BeardGoals? Here’s Some Masterful Facial Hair From Art History to Inspire You
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/quarantine-beards-1849284
And this final piece speaks of what we are all experiencing nowadays, living apart and how artists have sometimes chosen to do so in search of their artistic muse. For each artist there are also links to works of theirs which are worthwhile exploring.
A kind of freedom’: 10 artists who found inspiration in isolation
https://www.christies.com/features/10-artists-who-thrived-in-isolation-10424-1.aspx?sc_lang=en#FID-10424
And here are a few Flickrs just to keep my hand in.
Andy G.
tumblr-ozsoke6umg1wylbauo3-1280
https://www.flickr.com/photos/driftwooduk/49594615768/
CX1208R08R
https://www.flickr.com/photos/124832568@N08/49659964192/
img1580159480430
https://www.flickr.com/photos/15948924@N06/49451841496/
Reporting for duty
https://www.flickr.com/photos/28906392@N08/49650155126/
scan0017
https://www.flickr.com/photos/60660709@N04/8664637094/
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Hi,
Here’s another smorgasbord of art articles and videos which I hope you will enjoy.
With New York City starting to reopen non-essential services, my dentist has reopened her office and I have an appointment for next Wednesday. Being a procrastinator, I put off seeing her for months and then just when I decided I really needed to go the shutdown began and I couldn’t. When we emailed to set up the appointment, I told her I looked forward to seeing her again although I didn’t look forward to the procedures I expect to be undergoing. I have nightmares about it. She’s married to a dentist and has two adult boys, both in dental school. She’s been my dentist for probably 40 years. One morning I arrived at her office before she did and as she entered and saw me she turned to the young man behind her, who was one of her sons and said, I’ve known Andy longer than I’ve known you. I’m a little leery of traveling on the bus into the Port Authority but there is no way I will ever drive in the City again unless it’s really an emergency. Haven’t been on a bus in 2 ½ months and I’m concerned about traveling in what under normal circumstances is rush hour but I have no recourse if I want to do this and I do. I’m overdue for my annual physical and I’m waiting for my doctor to announce he is seeing all patients again. I also wouldn’t mind getting my hair cut as it’s been close to 8 months but I can live with that. My hair is much thinner and grows more slowly so it doesn’t look like it would have 50 years ago. If there’s a breeze when I’m walking I also start to resemble the mad Professor. I’m curious to see if the coffee kiosks have returned as I’ve missed my big round cinnamon buns which I would treat myself to when I went into Manhattan.
Ah well, this is what passes for my social life nowadays.
This is a really elaborate Rube Goldberg contraption which must have taken many hours to set up.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1265549656597069825
This is a nice little three-minute video that shows highlights of an upcoming online auction of drawings.
The Artist’s Sketchbook: Where Inspiration Finds Form
An Insight into the Intimate Thoughts of Degas, Le Corbusier and other 20th Century Greats
https://tinyurl.com/y8lemqs9
This is a link to all the items in the auction.
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2020/the-artists-sketchbook-where-inspiration-finds-form?locale=en
This is from the Met, another three-minute video, although it’s actually a slideshow of still photographs of the artist Kehinde Wiley walking through the American wing of the Met while looking at paintings by John Singer Sargent and providing commentary.
This is a link to Wikipedia’s bio of Wiley. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kehinde_Wiley
http://artistproject.metmuseum.org/1/kehinde-wiley/
This is a review of an Edward Hopper exhibit in Switzerland from the current New Yorker. Hopper is one of my favorites and the perfect artist for our plague year as all of his paintings display some measure of isolation and solitude. Many of his paintings are unpeopled and in the ones that have more than one person they often appear to be alone together.
Edward Hopper and American Solitude
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/06/08/edward-hopper-and-american-solitude
Hopper started his career as an illustrator and I’ve always loved the famous magazine illustrators like Rockwell, N.C. Wyeth and J.C. Leyendecker. This article is about an auction of their work with a very short video at the beginning.
Christie’s
‘That’s America!’: a collector’s guide to American illustrators
https://tinyurl.com/ybyc6ymb
And you can see all the items in the auction at this link.
https://www.christies.com/salelanding/index.aspx?lid=1&intsaleid=28924&saletitle=&pid=mslp_related_features2
I watched two 15-minute videos from Christie’s and both are very good, they’re discussions between the art critic, Alastair Sooke, and the heads of Christie’s Dutch and Impressionist departments. In each video they discuss four paintings. In the Dutch we have Vermeer, Gerard Ter Borch., Nicolas Maes and Jan Steen. The Steen was in a brilliant exhibition at the Frick in 2013/2014. Vermeer, Rembrandt, and Hals: Masterpieces of Dutch Painting from the Mauritshuis. The Met owns a similarly themed Steen, The Dissolute Household, which you can see at this link. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/437747 You can see all the objects from the Frick exhibit at this link. https://www.frick.org/exhibitions/mauritshuis/checklist I was lucky enough to see the Vermeer in a similarly brilliant exhibit at the National Gallery in D.C. I don’t believe I’ve seen the other two. The Vuillard painting discussed in the Impressionism video was auctioned by Christie’s and is now in private hands, so this is a rare opportunity to see it. This is a link to Christie’s site for that sale with a long lot essay discussing the painting. https://www.christies.com/LotFinder/lot_details.aspx?intObjectID=6108763
Life & Love in the Dutch Golden Age | At Home with Christie’s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0TzCbsiaPw&feature=youtu.be
Intimacy & Impressionism: Manet, Degas, Bonnard, Vuillard | At Home with Christie's
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXB4hy2YCTI
During its shutdown the Frick has been releasing videos about the paintings in their collection under the heading, Cocktails with a Curator. Each episode runs between 15 and 20 minutes and is hosted by their Chief curator, Xavier Solomon. I watched the one on Velazquez's portrait of King Phillip. Solomon discusses Velazquez's life as court painter for the King and in addition to discussing the Frick portrait at length we get to see numerous other portraits of the King that Velazquez did during his time at court. In each episode Solomon also briefly discusses his drink of choice, hence the title for the series. Very interesting and filled with great art. This is a link to the Youtube page with all the videos, https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNVeJpU2DHHR_0y_Zvgn3MgZQQFcFx2eI. They're issued every Friday with no fixed endpoint. I also watched the episode on Rembrandt’s Polish Rider which was filled with interesting points that I didn’t know. I hope to eventually watch all of them. It's the virtual equivalent of having someone knowledgeable accompany you through the museum while he analyzes and discusses the painting.
Simultaneously they have another series running, Travels with a Curator, in which a curator walks you through a foreign institution and discusses the art. I just watched the current episode in which Aimee Ng takes us to the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum in Lisbon. I've never heard of it before and having seen the video I would love to visit. It's similar to the Frick in that it's another museum that holds a very rich man's personal art collection, heavily invested with Old Masters and Impressionist painters, but in addition to the paintings, Gulbenkian also collected beautiful objects and his collection is roughly six times as large as Frick's. While the Frick museum was built originally as his home with the understanding that at some point it would become a museum open to the public, Gulbenkian's museum was built specifically to hold his enormous collection. It was built in the 60's after his death in 1955 and once completed it was a big job to retrieve his art from his various residences around the world, as well as from the museums where many had been on loan. This was a fascinating virtual trip to a magical place I didn't know about. This is a link to its Youtube page, https://tinyurl.com/yahjvcta . This is a link to the Youtube page with the other episodes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4m49kqXqgo&list=PLNVeJpU2DHHT-6O0zyLnPwL0ERL_UGroM. These videos were really a treat.
I’ll close with a cartoon that made me laugh which hopefully will appear below.
And I’ll throw in a few Flickrs at no extra charge.
Andy G.
Final set from Zoom
https://www.flickr.com/photos/tinamartiniweeny/49656164718/
Nude Hose in Kansas City (13)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/151590215@N08/49679536122/
01 Mandy and Sav before party
https://www.flickr.com/photos/savannasteel/49073549008/
Love this dress
https://www.flickr.com/photos/187183102@N04/49597197127/
red 1
https://www.flickr.com/photos/7628587@N08/5712639696/
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Andy, I have discovered our local city Gallery is posting works of Art on facebook these days for people to enjoy. I spent many hours there as a teen with my art and photography and would sketch and photograph the art, the gardens and visitors all the time. As life got busy and I got a full time job, I forgot about it and after I moved out of town it was many years since I was able to visit again but by then it was a shadow of itself with very few patrons keeping it up. It is housed in a very old mansion near the river and is on the opposite side of town where I live so I don't think of it often enough. In my late teen years my barber was renting the Coach house of the mansion next door and I would sneak through the hedge to visit him sometimes. Memories I have not thought about in many years.
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I sometimes curse technology when it thwarts me but the Internet really is a marvelous invention when its not being abused or twisted. It's great having all the art that's available online. Two things I can't recommend enough to you are the videos from the Frick that you'll see in the earlier art emails, Cocktails with a Curator and Travels with a Curator. I've learned an awful lot about the paintings I've been viewing for the last 25 years, as well as venues I'll probably never get to visit. In my next posting I'll also link to a new set of articles on the Frick which describe life in the mansion behind the scenes.
Andy G.
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Hi,
I'm back with more videos and articles about the art I miss so much. I don't post from the Wall Street Journal, whose politics I don't subscribe to but whose Arts pages are very entertaining, because there is a pay wall. If you have a subscription or access from a friend, you should definitely visit those pages. Every week there are interesting things to read. I've linked to the Guardian below which also has a paywall but you can register for free. And if you go to the page and it's blocked, just click on sign in, then hit the back button and miraculously the page will open.
I didn’t get to visit the Met’s exhibition of the reopened British Galleries as it opened on March 2nd and then the Met closed on March 12th so this video on the Blue Bed in the collection is a nice peek at what to expect. Lots of objects as well as paintings to be seen. And the Met announced they would reopen August 29th.
Wolf Burchard on The Met’s Blue State Bed | Curator's Cut
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OvRA2KrjsU
This is another brief video from the Met in which a contemporary artist looks at and discusses paintings from the collection. In this case it’s the video artist Kalup Linzy on Manet. Hopefully, in a few months we’ll also be able to see these paintings by Manet again.
http://artistproject.metmuseum.org/3/kalup-linzy/
The Met, like the Frick, is issuing videos with curators commenting on paintings and objects in their enormous collection. These are pretty much all under ten minutes and, like the Frick, very knowledgeable and interesting. It made me a little crazy trying to find the series on the Met website so I wrote to member services. They very nicely replied by sending me the list below and explained that these videos are for members only so do not appear on the website.
Curator’s Cut
Episode 1: Pissarro in Paris with Kathryn Galitz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cTXyzdteFo
Episode 2: C. Griffith Mann on Crossroads: Power and Piety
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbKQi2lLFis&feature=youtu.be
Episode 3: Kim Benzel on Rayyane Tabet: Alien Property
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBgbYySYytw
Episode 4: Alice Frelinghuysen on the American Wing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apZwFnWTDss
Episode 5: Adam Eaker on Anthony van Dyck's Study Head of a Young Woman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsC8EyT-cIg
Episode 6: Michael Gallagher on the conservation of Joaquim Beuckelaer's "Fish Market"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qhAeND5_k8
Episode 7: Joseph Scheier-Dolberg on Zhang Feng's album of landscapes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Db85QzG8reU&list=PL8HAkqKX065BE181vW-SQRciMnErZfCjf&index=8&t=0s
Episode 8: Lucretia Kargere on The Enthroned Virgin and Child
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3rQ4GfWzxc
Episode 9: Beth Carver Wees on Jewelry for America
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1gP00HcnTY
Episode 10: Sean Hemingway on the Roman Puteal (wellhead)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSRIVYmJRiA
Episode 11: Wolf Burchard on The Met’s Blue State Bed
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OvRA2KrjsU
I’m not sure why this video isn’t part of the series above but it came into my inbox as a Members Spotlight. At any rate, it’s an appreciation of Picasso’s portrait of Gertrude Stein. The video explains the circumstances under which it was painted and repeats my favorite comment about it. When her friends saw the painting they said to Picasso that it didn’t look like her. He shrugged and said, it will. And it does.
Picasso's Gertrude Stein | Members Spotlight
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xcz5ZuwcnMc&feature=youtu.be
This is an article about a book that contains all of Van Gogh's letters. The book is available in its entirety on the web at this link, http://vangoghletters.org/vg/ The site allows you to read all of them or just the ones that have sketches. It's fascinating to see his affection for his family and friends and the book explores how literate he was, reading in multiple languages and quoting from books and poems. Just looking at the sketches in the letters makes this a worthwhile visit. It’s particularly poignant knowing how tortured he was.
Van Gogh and the Books He Loved
https://tinyurl.com/yafh9zha
The Frick continues to issue interesting articles and videos. I’m very much enjoying the videos on the different items in the collection as well as the videos describing other venues. Now they’re also writing about the mansion itself and the running of it. In the first article the Frick servants are discussed as enumerated in the 1915 New York State census. It also mentions there are bell buttons under the Turner painting of Dieppe which were used to call different servants. I’ve been to the Frick many times and never noticed these buttons. The second is about the housekeeper Minerva Stone who served from 1914 to 1919.
https://www.frick.org/blogs/education/untold_histories_parallel_household
https://www.frick.org/blogs/education/untold_histories_minerva_stone_housekeeper_part_1
This is a nice little article about Monet's Water Lily paintings from which I learned several things I hadn't known. One of which was that MOMA had a fire in 1958 that damaged 6 paintings including two Monet's. In the second link there's a six minute video that discusses the full room of continuous paintings in an oval enclosure at the Musée de l'Orangerie, just as Monet hoped they might be displayed. It's like the enormous 41ft expanse of the three Lily paintings at MOMA except it goes completely around the room.
15 Facts About Monet's Water Lilies
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/63929/15-things-you-might-not-know-about-monets-water-lilies
https://tinyurl.com/lh7xvvk
I've mentioned my enjoyment of Andrew Wyeth's work and Christie's is holding an online Private auction that runs a month and includes watercolors and drawings. You can see everything in the auction at this link, https://www.christies.com/features/Wyeths-World-10552-7.aspx?sc_lang=en&PID=en_hp_carousel_1, initially within an article touting the auction, then each item listed individually.
This is also from Christie’s and highlights the colorful Japanese prints I enjoy so much.
Collecting guide: Japanese woodblock prints
https://tinyurl.com/ycm3bwc4
This article from the Guardian is just sad. You'll know why when you see the images. I knew about the earlier damage to the fresco but this is brand new and just as devastating. It’s like asking your plumber to fix your computer.
Experts call for regulation after latest botched art restoration in Spain
Immaculate Conception painting by Murillo reportedly cleaned by furniture restorer
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2020/jun/22/experts-call-for-regulation-after-latest-botched-art-restoration-in-spain
That's it for the moment, except for the Flickrs below.
Andy G.
I love to ride.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/stefanied/49608522161/
Working as a maid
https://www.flickr.com/photos/53516713@N06/49376744262/
A long time ago
https://www.flickr.com/photos/22979184@N05/49683173201/
5580660246_d669b879a6_o
https://www.flickr.com/photos/184583402@N04/49385194812/
Sissy dress
https://www.flickr.com/photos/184977464@N08/49569874517/
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Hi,
I’m back with what I hope will be interesting articles and videos. I think they’re all wonderful but the star is definitely the video at the very end which shows the Raphael exhibit in Italy. I would never have had a chance to see it, even before the pandemic, but at least I could have hoped it might travel to the United States. Won’t be many exhibits traveling in the next few years I don’t think.
This is what passes for a busy week for me. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow for my belated annual physical and I'm really hoping it doesn't rain. If I arrive early, which is inevitable, I won't be allowed in. I have to call from outside the building when I arrive and when they have a room free they'll call me back so I can go right up. That only adds more stress since it means dealing with my cellphone. As my friend Aldous Huxley would say, It's a Brave New World. Then on Tuesday a much more pleasant visit, I’m traveling down to Pt. Pleasant on the Jersey shore to visit with friends I haven’t seen since before the pandemic. One is a reliable partner on my visits into the City for exhibitions, and the other is her brother. It will be a test to see if I’ve retained my baking skills as I’ll bake the sour cream cake with the cocoa filling and the cinnamon almond sugar cookies. And then on Wednesday I have to go into the City at 9AM for another dentist visit which really doesn’t please me at all. I was there a few weeks ago to have a fractured filling replaced and last week it broke again while I was chewing gum. I might expect damage from something hard but for it to happen from gum really startled me. Needless to say my dentist wants me to stop chewing gum but I use it as a substitute for noshing. I don’t want to go back to being the size of a small refrigerator and the gum helps. My resemblance to the refrigerator was evident during my childhood.
This is from the Frick Museum’s Travels with a Curator video series. It’s a 17-minute video of a visit to the Japanese Palace in Dresden and discusses the Meissen porcelain produced there. Very beautiful objects on display.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wx2Wvrrj84g&list=PLNVeJpU2DHHT-6O0zyLnPwL0ERL_UGroM&index=2
Here are a couple of short videos from Sotheby’s. In the first we see wonderful, surrealistic paintings, magical and ethereal, very different each in their own way. The second video is about an upcoming auction for a large Giacometti sculpture. The sculptures of Giacometti are singular and very different from classic statuary. Once you’re familiar with them they are instantly recognizable. I’m surprised it didn’t sell. In the third we see the Rembrandt Self-Portrait in their upcoming auction.
The Female Pioneers of the Surrealist Movement
https://tinyurl.com/yaeobaz9
This is a link to the auction with all 28 paintings.
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2020/impressionist-modern-art-evening-sale
A Large-Scale Sculpture from Giacometti’s Personal Collection
https://tinyurl.com/y74xcdee
This is a link to the auction listing with an essay about the item which stands almost three feet tall.
https://tinyurl.com/y8sh9bnw
Discover Rembrandt’s Unceasing Journey of Self-Depiction
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHrJdH-7Sjw&feature=youtu.be
Magritte's paintings are delightfully enigmatic and possibly inscrutable but in this article five curators each give us their views on one of his paintings and what they think it means. Regardless of their meaning they're striking paintings that are fun to see.
What Do René Magritte’s Dreamlike Paintings Mean? Five Curators Offer Their Analyses
https://tinyurl.com/yc2ebken
The National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. is wonderful trove of great art and someplace I like to visit. I’ve been there a number of times for some spectacular exhibits the likes of which I don’t think we will see again any time soon. If it was closer I would go on a more regular basis. It rivals the Met and as the article explains, they were rivals in the main sense of the word for some time. Another article which told me things I wasn’t aware of.
10 Facts You May Not Know About the National Gallery Of Art
https://dcist.com/story/20/06/30/10-facts-you-may-not-know-about-the-national-gallery-of-art/
Here are two Member’s Spotlights from the Met. A five minute video on Thomas Cole’s Oxbow. A great, schizophrenic landscape. The second link is to the Met’s website for the painting. Then a seven minute video of a self-portrait of the 18th Century female artist, Labille Guiard. I don’t remember paying much attention to this painting when I saw it and I’m sorry for that now. I will make up for that when next I visit.
Thomas Cole's The Oxbow | Members Spotlight
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3ZW26hMKOw
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/10497
Self-Portrait with Two Pupils" by Labille Guiard | Members Spotlight
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogfo_wovnrk
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/436840
I prefer painted art to objects but this is a splendid video on an ancient mummy’s coffin in the Met collection.
Janice Kamrin on A Temple Singer from Ancient Thebes | Curator’s Cut
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCiTLmJTSKg
And in this article, the Met has done radiography research on one of my favorite paintings, Vermeer’s, Mistress and Maid from the Frick collection.
Take a Look Behind the Curtain of Johannes Vermeer's Enigmatic Masterpiece
https://www.metmuseum.org/blogs/collection-insights/2020/vermeer-conservation
I love the Dutch, and this article from the Guardian is about a diptych that had been separated at auction and it wasn’t until more than a century later, after considerable research, that the two portraits were brought together again. The artist, Bartholomäus Bruyn, is someone I’m unfamiliar with but the portraits are beautiful.
Renaissance couple: unhinged duo reunited after 125 years apart
https://tinyurl.com/yaulom2j
And speaking of the Dutch, Sotheby’s has a brilliant portrait painting by Hals which is discussed in the article below, along with other portrait paintings by the artist.
Frans Hals Portrait Reveals an Artist at the Height of His Powers
https://tinyurl.com/ycsl6bd5
This Wall Street Journal recently ran a review of a true blockbuster exhibition of the artist Raphael, as I mentioned above. If you have access to the Journal you should check it out but at any rate, be sure to click on this link to the thirteen minute video that walks us through the ten rooms of the exhibit. It’s really worthwhile, filled with masterpieces. https://www.scuderiequirinale.it/media/a-walk-in-the-exhibition
And now that we’re at the end of the art scene, here a some Flickrs for your pleasure.
Andy G.
no this is true in sophies case xx
https://www.flickr.com/photos/140389310@N08/28713559388/
20170629_100908
https://www.flickr.com/photos/slavejane/45683708712/
pretty pink sissy doll 2
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jerlee42/49389997501/
Day 9
https://www.flickr.com/photos/martina_cd1/49698596758/
Walking on Sunshine (Katrina & The Waves)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/55377997@N05/49712904621/
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Hi,
Here’s my latest collection of articles and videos I found of interest. Hope you find them interesting as well.
This 11 minute silent film from the Metropolitan Museum archives was just posted and could be subtitled a day in the life of the artist. It’s very cool, showing Childe Hassam, relaxing, sketching, painting and finally strolling in the Metropolitan Museum to see his paintings, one of which was hung right next to a wonderful Mary Cassatt, Mother and Child (Baby Getting Up from His Nap)
Childe Hassam, Artist: A Short Personal Sketch, 1932 | From the Vaults
https://youtu.be/rioKHVgPP9k
This is another Travels with a Curator from the Frick and I think it may be the best one yet. It’s a visit to the Villa Barbaro in Maser, Italy, which Xavier Solomon describes as his favorite place in the world. Designed in the sixteenth century by Andrea Palladio, the villa is decorated floor to ceiling with magnificent frescoes by Paolo Veronese. It’s home to the descendants of the original owners, Marc Antonio and Danielo Barbaro, as well as being a museum. Veronese’s decorations, in addition to being very beautiful, are done with a sense of humor, utilizing trompe l’oeil and other effects. I’d love to see it in person.
Travels with a Curator: Villa Barbaro, Maser
https://tinyurl.com/ycqzfo7a
In 2017, Xavier Solomon gave a lecture at the Frick on the Frick’s portrait of Pietro Aretino by Titian, in which he tied Titian to Veronese and Barbaro as well as the publisher and friend to Aretino, Francesco Marcolini da Forli. This is a one hour lecture which plays as an extended version of the Cocktails and Travels videos.
Xavier F. Salomon: "The Painter and the Libertine: Titian and Pietro Aretino"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOfMlY-5mTY
This three minute video from the Frick is very sad. It's about the female model whose likeness is immortalized above the entrance to the Frick as well as being the model for numerous sculptures throughout Manhattan. She was actually referred to as Miss Manhattan. It's the bulk of her later life which is so sad as you'll find out if you watch this.
Audrey Munson | What's Her Story?
https://tinyurl.com/yy6xjb92
Interesting article on a magnificent painting by Jacques Louis David, teacher of the artist Ingres.
‘The Death of Marat’ Defined the French Revolution. Here Are 3 Things You Might Not Know About Jacques Louis David’s Masterpiece
https://news.artnet.com/exhibitions/jacques-louis-david-death-of-marat-3-facts-1894240
In 2008 the Met put on an enormous exhibit of Courbet's works; at least three of which below appeared. He was very prolific and painted very vivid paintings. This is a good article on how his paintings weren't always received the way he expected.
Courbet’s Most Controversial Paintings: Strange Eroticism, Socialism, and More
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/artists/gustave-courbet-controversies-origin-of-the-world-1202694408/
This article from the Guardian speculates on where Hans Holbein's body was buried. No one knows, as he died during the plague and may have been dumped in a common grave. A few wonderful illustrations including a masterpiece, The Ambassadors. The article also mentions the portrait of Georg Gisze but no link was included so I've linked to it below.
Where are the bones of Hans Holbein? I spent lockdown solving art's grisliest mystery
https://tinyurl.com/ycsfrmog
Georg Gisze
https://tinyurl.com/y4bsb6jy
This is a fact filled article from Christie's on the relationship between artist mentors and mentees and is filled with images from the different artists.
‘He who does not surpass his master fails his master’ — Leonardo da Vinci
The history of art is full of tales of art students whose talent came to rival that of their teachers. Illustrated with works offered at Christie’s
https://tinyurl.com/yxfy4zy9
Here's another article from Christie's, this one on a female pastel portrait painter of the 18th Century, Rosalba Carriera. Several years ago the Met did a small exhibition of pastel portraits; included was the portrait of Gustavus Hamilton (1710–1746), Second Viscount Boyne, in Masquerade Costume by Carriera, which is part of their collection. You can see it, as well as the other objects in the second link.
Rosalba Carriera: the pastellist whose ‘images came from heaven’
https://tinyurl.com/y46mt3jt
https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/objects?exhibitionId=8f59a85d-370d-4a6a-9059-882e1e7b62d8&pkgids=428
And this article from Christie’s let’s us look at a few of Peter Paul Rubens’ lovely portraits.
The enigma of Rubens’ Portrait of a Young Woman
https://tinyurl.com/y4so5a45
This article from the Met discusses one of Manet’s pastel portraits, a famous Courtesan, or prostitute named Emilie-Louise Delabigne (1848–1910), Called Valtesse de la Bigne. She was a famous figure who consorted with a number of famous artists.
Missing Manet's Valtesse
https://tinyurl.com/y2ozhc7w
This is an interesting article on research done to determine when Vermeer painted his View of Delft, one of the few paintings of his I've never had the pleasure of seeing in person. If I remember correctly, when the paintings from the Mauritshuis toured and visited the Frick, not all of them came to the Frick due to museum size constraints. View of Delft was one of those that didn’t make it.
Astronomers Do the Math to Figure Out Exactly When Johannes Vermeer Painted this, More than 350 Years Ago
https://tinyurl.com/y3ph9pej
And speaking of the Frick, they’ve announced the opening of their temporary quarters at the Breuer building, former home of the Whitney Museum and the short lived Met Breuer. Very much looking forward to visiting as I expect there will be paintings on display not normally on view.
The Frick Collection Will Reopen in the Old Met Breuer Building Early Next Year, Rechristened ‘the Frick Madison’
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/frick-madison-announces-opening-1895983
This two minute video from Sotheby’s highlights two magnificent paintings of the Cathedral at Seville by David Roberts, an artist I’m unfamiliar with, that are up for auction in the London Old Masters auction. The details in the paintings are remarkable.
Two Resplendent Views of Seville Cathedral
https://youtu.be/FAW8Z0BXCRE
Here’s an article on one of my favorite American artists. As it says quoting a tweet, we’re all Edward Hopper paintings now.
This Edward Hopper Painting Has Been Called One of the ‘Ultimate Images of Summer.’ Here Are 3 Things You Might Not Know About the Meditative Masterpiece
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/edward-hopper-morning-sun-jo-1895972
And this would be a good place to show a few Flickrs.
Andy G.
Guys in Ballet flats
https://i.pinimg.com/564x/e0/10/17/e010171d89ecea58a807dd5e9f4d59ab.jpg
Halloween 2019 Angel 3
https://www.flickr.com/photos/nicole_tv_cd/48976183301/
Dangerous Dollies Contest: The Winner!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/rebecca_george/49679145223/
1292D709-166D-4B34-BCE1-9E749907719D
https://www.flickr.com/photos/22704178@N07/49712119826/
Forced fem
https://www.flickr.com/photos/187631148@N07/49706974682/
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Hi,
Last week I had two medical procedures, which I’m happy to say produced expected results, that is, nothing has changed since the previous time I’ve undergone them. So as to be allowed in the clinic I had to have the COVID-19 test. I walked up to 77th Street and stood outside of Northwell Hospital; we weren’t admitted in until they were ready to give us the test. The entire process took about an hour and fifteen minutes. Unfortunately 45 minutes of that was standing outside in the heat, which I guess is better than standing outside during a hurricane which would have been the case the next day. Although not by much. As I waited on line in the direct sunlight and 90 degree heat and looked at the other people on line, several of whom were elderly like me, it occurred to me it would have made more sense to either offer appointments or make a waiting space available inside the hospital. After the walk and the wait I confess when I sat down inside I felt every bit the old man I am. I was surprised that when I finally got inside they didn't take my temperature and didn't ask for any identification other than the script from the doctor. The test is unpleasant but quick and they only went up one nostril which was fine with me. I was told we'd have the results in 24-36 hours which turned out to be the case. And I discovered that they didn’t ask for any identification as there is no charge for the test. And I tested negative, which I’ve been accused of being for years.
When I had my physical last month, the EKG in the doctor's office showed an “atrioventricular block and premature atrial contraction.” The doctor told me not to worry, which I always say is easy for him to say. I looked it up and it didn’t indicate anything to be concerned about. Then when I was in the clinic they did another EKG and it showed the same results so he recommended I go see my cardiologist and I have an appointment with him on Wednesday. One of the things about aging is you visit your doctors and more often than not there’s something to discuss whereas when you’re young you visit your doctor and when he’s done all he says is see you next year. But as I intend to continue aging for as long as possible I will do what the doctor recommends.
I’m looking forward to the reopening of the Met, which is scheduled for August 29th, but I haven’t decided exactly when I’ll visit. I’m wondering if it will initially be very crowded with all the people who missed it or if attendance will be sparse as people wait for the vaccine. I also wonder how timed admission will work although I’m guessing it will be like what I experienced at the supermarket. I was looking forward to this exhibit when it was first announced and there’s plenty in it that will be enjoyable. I wonder if there will be things that aren’t usually on display. I have notes on my calendar for the latest rotation of the drawing corridor and the Chinese exhibit and I wonder if they will be installed. Of course, I probably won’t be able to tell if the Chinese has been rotated as I won’t remember what was up when I was last there.
‘This Has Made Us Reflect on Who We Are’: The Met Celebrates Its Anniversary With a Sweeping Exhibition Surveying 150 Years of Its History
https://news.artnet.com/exhibitions/the-met-150th-anniversary-exhibition-1899587
Since I mentioned memory, here’s a three minute video about senior citizen’s memory sung by Tom Rush. I have to laugh if I don’t want to cry.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yN-6PbqAPM
This article on “mansplaining” reminds me of a story about the making of the movie Judgment at Nuremburg, which was about the trial of the Nazi Generals and government officials during the second world war.
Judy Garland and Montgomery Clift became close friends during filming. Clift hung around an extra week after his scene was completed, so he was able to sit in the corner and watch Garland do her scenes. (It also greatly inflated his "expenses only" agreement). As she broke down on the stand, he wept openly. When she finished her take, he went over to Stanley Kramer, his eyes and cheeks still wet with tears, and said, "You know, she did that scene all wrong."
She Explains ‘Mansplaining’ With Help From 17th-Century Art
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/10/books/nicole-tersigni-men-to-avoid-in-art-and-life.html?action=click&module=Editors%20Picks&pgtype=Homepage
Nice introduction to women Impressionists in the article below; you may be unfamiliar with some of them as I was. I hadn't heard of Marie Bracquemond before reading this.
The Women of Impressionism: Berthe Morisot, Mary Cassatt, and Other Pioneering Figures Who Shaped the Movement
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/artists/who-are-the-most-important-female-impressionist-artists-1202695284/
Here’s are two short videos from the Frick; the first on one of my favorite paintings and the second on a household employee of the family. This second video shows scenes of the house while the Frick’s were living in it. I look forward to finally seeing the second floor of the Frick when it reopens after renovations in 2023. To me, 2023 sounds even more like a date out of Buck Rogers than 2021. Where’s my hover car?
Comtesse d'Haussonville | What's Her Story?
https://www.frick.org/interact/miniseries/whats_her_story/comtesse_dhaussonville
What's Her Story: Ruth Berlin
https://youtu.be/bBR0r7jiy94
Here's an article on another of my favorite paintings, Renoir's, Luncheon of the Boating Party. This resides at the Phillips museum in Washington D.C. It's a very large painting and hangs on one wall in a square room. I remember my brother telling me about what to expect when we visited and I saw it for the first time. He led me into the room and had me turn to face it and it just fills your vision. As it says in the article Duncan Phillips spent a fortune for it and he was up against Albert C. Barnes who wanted it for his collection and eventual museum. Having lost it to Phillips Barnes was invited to see it. Upon seeing it Barnes said to Phillips, this the only one you got? To which Phillips replied, it's the only one I need. A great comeback. The article told me something very surprising that I didn't know, Renoir had hurt his arm and painted it with his other hand. Earlier this year I saw an exhibition at the Cavalier Gallery of contemporary artist David Peikon, who paints in a representational style, and in his biography it said he experienced the same thing. He injured himself and had to paint with the other hand. Like Renoir it wasn't noticeable. Two remarkable artists.
Renoir’s ‘Luncheon of the Boating Party’ Captures the Height of Summer Leisure. Here Are 3 Things You Might Not Know About the Impressionist Icon
https://tinyurl.com/y2pxmpx6
This is an absolutely wonderful little slide show about Hokusai’s woodblock print, “Ejiri in Suruga Province,” the 10th image in his renowned cycle “Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji.” He speaks of the influences on Hokusai and how Hokusai then influenced the French Impressionists. Many wonderful illustrations.
A Picture of Change for a World in Constant Motion
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/08/07/arts/design/hokusai-fuji.html
This is a short video about an exhibition at the Royal Academy of the Arts in the U.K. that I would love to see.
Inside the exhibition: Gauguin and the Impressionists
https://youtu.be/4SrNLsyliZg
And, here’s an exhibition I would also truly love to see, Titian, Guercino, Guido Reni, Vermeer, Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Rubens, Jan Steen, Claude and Canaletto. I wish it would travel. The second link shows a number of the paintings.
Buckingham Palace art collection to go on gallery display for the first time
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2020/aug/16/buckingham-palace-art-collection-gallery-display-first-time
https://www.rct.uk/collection/themes/exhibitions/masterpieces-from-buckingham-palace/the-queens-gallery-buckingham/the-exhibition
This is another video from the Met with a curator discussing one of their great paintings, in this case, The Harvesters by Pieter Bruegel the Elder.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8k7fOXlVxwY&feature=youtu.be
In the Washington Post, Sebastian Smee writes about some of his favorite paintings. The Post has a pay wall which sometimes is in effect and other times isn’t, randomly it appears. So I can link to the first article but I’ve copied the second. In the first article he discusses Monet’s, La Grenouillère at the Met. It’s arguably one of the first Impressionist paintings and Smee describes it thusly, “To our eyes, the image looks reposeful, soothing, sedate, like the opening of a Merchant Ivory film. It was actually a cesspool of sex and vice.” So we’re actually viewing a 19th Century Sin City. The second article is about Jean-Étienne Liotard’s pastel portrait of Maria Frederike van Reede-Athlone at Seven Years of Age. I love Liotard and this is a wonderful painting. I’ve linked to the image.
Broken brushstrokes
https://tinyurl.com/yxlf65kd
Jean Etienne Liotard - Portrait of Maria Frederike van Reede-Athlone at Seven Years of Age
https://shop.getty.edu/products/pc-liotard-portrait-of-maria-frederike-at-age-seven
Washington Post
Beauty in blue
Jean-Étienne Liotard brought the medium of pastel to a level of rare perfection with his portrait of a 7-year-old girl
By Sebastian Smee July 29, 2020
Every 7-year-old looks beautiful to eyes past a certain age. So it’s hard to say whether this 18th-century portrait by Jean-Étienne Liotard is of a particularly lovely 7-year-old or whether it’s just a particularly lovely picture. I’m going with the latter. Anyone can see it: The level of artistry is astonishing.
The medium is not paint but pastel, which Liotard (1702-1789) came as close as anyone to perfecting. Pastel is powdery and sensitive to light, so for its own good, this portrait spends a lot of time in storage. But I’ve noticed that when I visit the Getty and it’s on display, it’s always surrounded by sighing admirers.
Liotard died the year the French Revolution broke out. He spent his peak years flitting around Europe fulfilling portrait commissions for the royal families, popes, cardinals and aristocrats.
The son of a jeweler, Liotard grew up in the proudly independent city-state of Geneva, where he trained as a miniaturist. He was a contemporary of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and, like the great philosopher, moved from Geneva to Paris, where he studied portraiture.
In 1738, Liotard traveled to Constantinople (Istanbul). He stayed there for four years, perfecting his pastel technique with pictures of local domestic scenes. When he came back, he kept an eccentrically full beard and continued wearing Turkish clothing, earning him the nickname “the Turkish painter.” He made portraits of subjects including his Dutch wife and Rousseau in “exotic” Eastern costumes at a time when fashion was regarded as an integral aspect of good portraiture.
At some point, Liotard also developed an intense love of the color blue. All of his best pictures hinge, chromatically, on pure shades that hover somewhere between sky and royal blue. Here, Maria Frederike wears a rich blue cape with a white fur trim. Slightly lighter hues of the same color can be found in her hair ribbons, her dress, the collar of the little dog she cradles like a doll and her eyes.
Up close, you can see how Liotard used both the texture of the vellum surface and the opaque, subtly layered and slightly granular pastel to imitate the look of skin, with its pores and shadows and highlights. The delicate striations of diagonal highlights on the girl’s rosy right cheek give it a palpable luster. And the set of the child’s lips against her skin is realized so sensitively that you cannot conceive that so much soft, dimpled vitality depends for its underlying structure on something as ghastly as a skull.
Notice, above all, her eyes. They seem to have noticed something, and to react with a kind of tender calm, verging on disinterested amusement. Few things are as moving as youthful self-possession. Meanwhile, the little dog — possibly a Japanese Chin? (I defer to the dog experts) — stares out of the picture with doggy bemusement.
And now a few Flickrs.
Andy G.
Jeanne Lazareva
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeannelazareva/49627403881/
sheerness
https://www.flickr.com/photos/nylonlynn/49690398327/
IMG_7460
https://www.flickr.com/photos/elliekent/49641151938/
A curtsey for my friends and of course my girlfriend.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cindyhants/48544738686/
20160326_25
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sissymaidjoslyn/25454631744/
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Aw, she has the cutest puppy. I would like to have that royal robe on a cold winter night. It looks soft, cozy, & warm. It's hard to think about cold right now, but winter eventually does come back.
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I like the pretty old fashioned outfits at the top of 1 of the pages.
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I loved the Liotard pastel as it reminded me of the many Boucher pastel drawings I've seen here at the Art Institute of Chicago (where I had been a student in the Junior School in my youth). Too much of my time has been spent working with digital media. Now that I have more free time, I'd like to get back to working in oils and charcoal. I hope everyone is "muddling along" through the pandemic. Like Betty, I've always had respiratory issues so I've been very cautious on going out. Maybe it's because I've had so little contact with people and am constantly washing my hands, but this is the best I've felt in a long, long time. Best wishes to everyone.
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Hi,
I’ll be getting my flu shot in the next week or two and hope everyone on the board does the same. With the Covid virus still a threat it’s important that we safeguard ourselves from the flu. When I was younger I didn’t give it any thought and then one winter I caught the flu and it was the sickest I have ever been in my life. I woke up one morning and literally fell out of bed, crawled downstairs to turn on my computer and took ten minutes to type a one line email telling my office I wouldn’t be in. Then I spent the day in a chair, unable to read or do anything other than sit and be miserable. I’ve taken the shot annually since then.
Even though I swore I would never visit MOMA again after my last attempt when due to the crowds I left without going in; I thought I would give it a shot as tickets are free until September 27th.
Tickets are available by reservation only through the website. They’re being released in two week blocks so I tried last Friday. I picked a date and time and then opted to receive their emails and sat while it processed. And processed. And processed. That was clearly a mistake. They have a disclaimer on the site that says it runs slowly but this was ridiculous. I killed it and tried again a few more times and then got an error message indicating they thought I was attacking the site. It was as frustrating as visiting them in person. I wrote to my brother and told him I was giving up, but he wrote back and said he was locked out of the site as well so I thought I would try again later in the day. That time I got in but all available tickets were gone. I realized that the traffic to the site was so heavy it had brought it down. Since there are no tourists in town I was surprised at the demand but I guess all New York museum goers have been culturally starved for six months so they’re coming out in force. The next batch becomes available next Friday and I’ll give it one more shot. I’m not concerned about being shut out again, I still have the Met to visit and the Society of Illustrators has a double show I think will be interesting. I can’t wait for the Frick to reopen in the Breuer building on Madison Avenue but that won’t be until early 2021. The museums clearly miss us. I renewed my membership to the Frick and got a personal message thanking me. I replied and I got another nice note back. My brother renewed with the Met and he got a handwritten thank you note in the mail. I look forward to someday when things return to normal and the Met goes back to its normal days and hours of admission. I realize for me that’s a very optimistic view.
Below are some of the articles and videos I’ve compiled since the last time.
In my last post I linked to a very short preview video of an exhibition on Gauguin. Now I have the long version. At 23.5 minutes, this video is too short. It's a virtual tour of Gauguin and the Impressionists, from the Royal Academy of Arts. It's done with no narrative, just an instrumental soundtrack as we view the paintings one by one. It's filled with fabulous paintings from the Ordrupgaard Collection, paintings donated by two Danes, Wilhelm and Henny Hansen who founded the museum. They purchased rafts of paintings during the first world war which is the foundation of the collection, along with pre and post-Impressionist art. We see many paintings by Cezanne, Renoir, Monet, Manet, Sisley, Courbet, Corot and others, ending with Gauguin. In the portraits, many of the women posing in the paintings are identified. This is a real treat.
Virtual Tour: Gauguin and the Impressionists
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lExKtbjHdwY&feature=youtu.be
This is an excellent essay on the life of Mary Cassatt. She was great friends with Louisine Havemeyer, who was a suffragist, art collector and great benefactor to the Met, who mounted an exhibition with Degas and Cassatt's paintings to raise money for the cause. Cassatt's family were all fervently anti-suffrage and boycotted the exhibition, refusing to lend the paintings of hers that were in the family. Consequently only Cassatt's later paintings were shown. Cassatt was so angry that she rewrote her will, disinheriting her family and sold or donated the paintings in her collection. To which I say, good for her.
Mary Cassatt’s Independent, Feminist Spirit
https://tinyurl.com/y4o2lnqc
It’s always interesting to read about Vermeer and one of the things mentioned here is that he borrowed the letter reading scenario from another of my favorite Dutch artists, Gerard Ter Borch. They reference the wonderful Dutch genre painting exhibition that I attended at the National Gallery in Washington which was filled with Vermeer, Ter Borch and other Dutch artists.
This Mysterious Vermeer Painting of a Woman in Blue Is a Dutch Golden Age Masterpiece—Here Are 3 Things You May Not Know About It
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/vermeer-woman-reading-letter-three-things-to-know-1902900
Here’s another video from the Met; a curator in the Costume institute discusses replacing the tutu on Degas’ bronze Fourteen-year old dancer.
Glenn Petersen on Edgar Degas' 'The Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer' | Curator's Cut
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6MUzkLF3n4&feature=youtu.be
And here's another wonderful video from the Frick on one of my favorite paintings; the poster girl for the Frick as Aimee Ng calls her. We learn interesting details about her and Ingres, and see some of the sketches he made of her prior to painting her portrait.
Cocktails with a Curator: Ingres's 'Comtesse d'Haussonville'
https://tinyurl.com/y3l8k4qu
This article is about a painting by Bertha Morisot, one of the few female Impressionists and the most well-known. Among other things I learned is that, through her mother, she was descended from Fragonard, and that this painting was fought over by the English and the Irish for 100 years.
Berthe Morisot’s Scene of Summer Tranquility Was Unusual for Its Time. Here Are 3 Facts You Might Not Know About the Impressionist Masterpiece
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/berthe-morisot-summers-day-three-things-to-know-1904573
This article announces that a painting once thought to be a copy may in fact actually be by Rembrandt. What I found fascinating in the article is that part of the research involved the work of a dendrochronologist, someone who analyzes tree ring growth to date wooden samples. He determined that the wood in the panel came from the same tree that was used in another Rembrandt painting. I wonder how many people have degrees in dendrochronology?
An Oxford Museum May Have Accidentally Kept a Rembrandt Painting Languishing in Its Basement for 40 Years, New Tests Suggest
https://news.artnet.com/exhibitions/ashmolean-rembrandt-in-basement-1905039
Unfortunately, this is the last Travels with a Curator from the Frick. Xavier Solomon visits the Frick Pittsburgh and we get to see the wonderful art collection in that museum; what was considered contemporary art in the late 19th Century, Impressionists and examples from the Barbizon school, as well as other beautiful objects. There are also Old Masters including the last Gainsborough Mr. Frick purchased, a portrait of Richard Brinsley Sheridan. When the Frick home on 70th Street was transformed into a museum, all of the family belongings were sent back to the house in Pittsburgh so in addition to the art, we see their clothes and other belongings, like Mr. Frick's slippers and attache case, as well as the furniture and fixtures. The house has been left the way it appeared when the family lived there, with family photos and books in place. This is a venue definitely worth visiting and a wonderful video.
Travels with a Curator: Pittsburgh
https://tinyurl.com/y5yd8avc
Now let’s see what came up on Flickr this time.
Andy G.
A $25 thrift store wedding dress.............
https://www.flickr.com/photos/80340184@N06/48024599198/
Desert Island Dresses
https://www.flickr.com/photos/lucyhamilton/49792558787/
No way!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/113113455@N07/49772928736/
100_6830
https://www.flickr.com/photos/142181729@N02/49905761833/
Lots of Frothy Frills !
https://www.flickr.com/photos/andy69mandy/49897666337/
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I love the realism of this one. It's like visiting a place in time over 350 years ago.
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Hi,
I was concerned I was going to have trouble getting my senior vaccine for the flu when the CVS put me off for a few days and other pharmacies had no stock as well, but this morning I went to the Walgreens and I’m set. Hope all board members do so as well.
I went back to the Met this week wondering what it was going to be like insofar as visitors, but I was pleasantly surprised at the lack of people. It’s currently only open five days a week. Three days a week it opens at 10AM, the other two days at Noon. I arrived at 10:20 AM, there was no line, and after having my temperature taken, and my bag checked by security I walked right in. There were only a few people in the lobby. I walked upstairs to the Making the Met exhibit and there was a long waiting area set up, but there was absolutely no one on line so I was able to wander through the exhibit and get close to every object.
This is a link to the overview page with a short video about the exhibit.
https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2020/making-the-met-1870-to-2020
This is a link to a PDF which displays all the explanatory cards that accompany each object. One new thing I learned is that the Havemeyer’s, great benefactors to the Met, made their money from the sugar trade that created Domino Sugar. More rich philanthropists engaged in cruel, racist industries.
https://tinyurl.com/y26yfbqb
And this is a link to all the objects in the exhibit. It’s a nice assortment of paintings, furniture, sculpture and is representative of all the things we can see at the Met.
https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/objects?exhibitionId=87e09918-b236-43bf-94ec-857e8cb25923&pkgids=659
Afterwards I walked through the Impressionist galleries. I noted paintings I had never seen or didn't remember seeing which I imagine replaced the ones moved for the exhibit as well as those that were lent to an Australian museum, which is discussed in an article below. I was able to be alone with Van Gogh in his gallery and that was quite nice. I don’t expect the crowds to grow until tourists return and I don’t expect that will happen any time soon.
Below are recent articles and videos I found of interest.
This article speaks of a favorite painting of mine, Niagara by Frederic Edwin Church, the only pupil of Thomas Cole, the Father figure of the Hudson River painters. It’s a brilliant painting, overwhelming for immenseness and vividness, you can almost feel the moisture coming off the canvas. I’m disappointed to discover that it became the banner image for Manifest Destiny, a concept that led to the genocide of the American Indian. The Cole painting shown is also very beautiful and it is interesting that Cole turned away from the concept of industrialization and inevitability wanting to keep the landscape pure and virgin.
Frederic Edwin Church’s ‘Niagara’ Flabbergasted the 19th-Century Public. Here Are 3 Things You May Not Know About This Epic Picture
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/frederic-edwin-church-niagara-facts-1906116
While the Met continues it’s refurbishment of the skylights over the European Galleries they are closed entirely, and in light of that the Met has made a major loan to an Australian museum. Here’s hoping that that we receive some of Queensland’s masterpieces in return for a future exhibition.
Brisbane lands mammoth European loan exhibition from the Met
https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/brisbane-lands-colossal-european-loan-exhibition-from-the-met
Here are a few more articles from the Frick on the day to day workings and employees of the Frick household.
Untold Histories: The Push of a Button
https://tinyurl.com/y36rstjo
Alfred Cook's "Progress Photographs"
https://www.frick.org/blogs/photoarchive/alfred_cooks_progress_photographs
My brother sent me this blog post from the Met; it explores the process curators go through in attributing a painting to the artist.
Who Did It? Solving the Complex Puzzle of Attribution
https://www.metmuseum.org/blogs/collection-insights/2018/stefano-da-verona-crucifixion-attribution
Here’s the latest Cocktails with a Curator from the Frick. It’s the interesting tale of a painting Mr. Frick bought in 1899, which was attributed to John Hoppner. It was one of only two works by Hoppner in his collection. Xavier Solomon says the other painting currently hangs in the room with the Gainsborough’s, but I can’t remember seeing it and on the website it’s listed as not on view. The video explains that this year information surfaced that showed it was misattributed as well as being misidentified as to the sitter. For years it’s hung on the second floor and now, I imagine, it will be moved downstairs at some point, or at least placed on display. Hopefully it will be displayed at the Frick Madison when it opens in early 2021.
Cocktails with a Curator: Beechey's 'Elizabeth Sophia Baillie'
https://tinyurl.com/yy986jvu
And here are some Flickrs for those of you who have no interest in art.
Andy G.
How many of you would date a boy in a dress?
https://www.flickr.com/photos/kirasydney/49925686126/
School Strip
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jessica-jane/49885774466/
DSC_7163
https://www.flickr.com/photos/156160697@N06/49905072732/
Sissy mincing ribbons
https://www.flickr.com/photos/22979184@N05/8154918252/
Lovely crossdresser bride "Sammi Sweet" from st. louis, US wear a satin wedding gown. Training for her wedding day?!?
https://www.flickr.com/photos/184134854@N08/48749901681/
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Hi,
MOMA, the Museum of Modern Art, offered free admission for the first month of their reopening, so I decided to take advantage of the price, as well as the fact that without tourists, the museum would be less crowded. My initial attempt failed as the website was totally unresponsive. I tried a number of times and was then given an error message accusing me of trying attack the website. I was very frustrated and annoyed and wrote to my brother saying I wasn’t going to try again. But he wrote back to say he couldn’t access the site either so I decided to try again the next day. This time things moved more smoothly; the website was changed and I followed the procedure up to the point where I expected to click on something to get my ticket and nothing happened. It acknowledged my preferred day and time, but there was no mechanism to register me, so I called them. I got a pleasant young man and explained the situation and he couldn't explain what the problem was. Initially he said I would receive an email but I pointed out they had none of my information. He said to solve the problem he would put me on their guest list and asked my name and when I wanted to come. I said the 23rd and that I'd like to come at 10:30, but all the early times were sold out. He said that as a guest I could come any time I wanted, although he said it would be crowded if I came early since everyone does. That worked out much better than I imagined as my original entry time was 12PM, which I wasn’t happy about.
Having secured my ticket I walked up to 53rd Street on a Wednesday morning. I arrived at 10:27 AM and there was a short line waiting for the museum to open at 10:30 AM. Once the doors opened the line moved quickly. They have an odd security set-up, you stand in front of a device as though having your picture taken and that’s it. Why they might take your picture I can’t say. I didn't have a bag and I don't think I walked through a metal detector but they waved me right through. When I got to the desk they found my name on the guest list and gave me an entrance ticket which no one took. I went upstairs with few people around. My first stop was the Felix Feneon exhibit and it was fairly empty.
This is a link to an overview page with additional links to the Press release and exhibition checklist showing every object in the exhibit.
Félix Fénéon: The Anarchist and the Avant-Garde—From Signac to Matisse and Beyond
https://press.moma.org/exhibition/feneon/
This is a link to a Curator’s guide on the MOMA website with a number of additional illustrations.
https://www.moma.org/magazine/articles/280
This is a link to Roberta Smith’s review of the exhibit from the NY Times. It also is well illustrated.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/27/arts/design/moma-reopens-felix-feneon.html
I found it very enjoyable; lots of colorful Seurat, Signac and others. As you will discover if you read the press release, Feneon’s daytime job was in the Government war office but he was an anarchist in his off hours. He was arrested and held in prison for three months, accused of planting a bomb which blew up a restaurant. Bomb making materials were found in his office. Nevertheless, he was acquitted. They quote several moments from the trial where he basically made a fool out of the prosecutor with his answers. As far as the artworld, he coined the term Neo-Impressionism and as a dealer brought these artists into the public eye. A very interesting guy; he lived till 1944.
Here are a few things I enjoyed.
Georges Seurat - The Mower – I found this evocative of Homer and Millet, both of whom did paintings on this subject.
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/459116
Georges Seurat - Study for "A Sunday on La Grande Jatte" - This is a small preview of the full size painting which hangs in the Art Institute of Chicago that I was able to see on my one visit there. It really is enormous, roughly 10’ by 7’. I always think of it as Sunday in the Park with George from the Broadway play.
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/437658
Paul Signac - Opus 217. Against the Enamel of a Background Rhythmic with Beats and Angles, Tones, and Tints, Portrait of M. Félix Fénéon in 1890 – This is my favorite painting in the exhibit, a combination of Pointillism and Psychedelia. And a fairly accurate depiction of Feneon.
https://tinyurl.com/y6dqtojj
Paul Signac - Setting Sun. Sardine Fishing. Adagio. Opus 221. – The link is to a better image than the one on MOMA’s website. It’s from an LA Times review of an exhibition mounted by the Phillips Museum in Washington in 2014. This is a wonderfully serene marine scene.
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-ca-phillips-show-neoimpressionism-20141005-story.html
Amedeo Modigliani – Nude – I was able to visit Sotheby’s in 2018 to see one of Modigliani’s nudes that sold for $157M. I was not bidding.
https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/2970
Henri Matisse - Music (Sketch) Collioure, spring-summer 1907 – You can see Picasso’s influence in this painting.
https://www.moma.org/collection/works/78703
JULES CHÉRET (French, 1836–1932)Folies-Bergere, L'Arc en Ciel, Ballet-Pantomine en Trois Tableaux – Thought I would close with this colorful poster. Poster art is usually like this, big and bright and colorful.
https://tinyurl.com/y34etefp
By the time I was done exploring the exhibit, more people had arrived, but I never had other people standing by me while I looked at the art, which is the ideal setting for a museum visit. And completely unlike all my previous visits there when the crowds were truly oppressive. Then I went upstairs to the permanent collections and wandered around. My brother asked me what I thought of the renovations and I have to say they didn’t make that big of an impression on me. I haven’t been there in a while and I haven’t gone that many times that I really would notice the changes. That and the fact that I am basically oblivious and very capable of not noticing many noticeable things. Once I was at work and I noticed a young woman who had dyed her hair in some bright neon color, and I asked a co-worker if it had always been like that. My friend looked at me in disbelief and laughed, then said, are you kidding, it’s been every color of the rainbow. All I could think was, really!
The permanent galleries were never crowded. They moved Van Gogh’s Starry Night from the center post position I remember to a corner in the first gallery. I stood in front of it with only one other person next to me. On other occasions there was always a literal crowd making it difficult to approach. I was in the Monet Lilies room all by myself. I was pleased to see Hopper's Movie Theater and disappointed that Esso Station wasn't on view.
Edward Hopper – New York Movie
https://www.edwardhopper.net/newyork-movie.jsp
Edward Hopper – Gas
https://www.edwardhopper.net/gas.jsp
It was the most relaxing visit I've ever had, and I hope if I decide to go again, I can repeat it. I was there about an hour and forty minutes.
Speaking of Hopper, this article is from the NY Times and concerns a student, doing research, who showed that when Hopper was a teenager he copied a few paintings before he went to art school to learn how to paint. The article claims that because of this we should now reevaluate his standing in American art. I know I'm being defensive since he is one of my favorites, but they seem to be heavily criticizing him and his 60+ year creative production based on a few paintings he did when he was a teenager. As the researcher himself says, all artists copy. Does he no longer deserve our esteem because he copied a couple of paintings before he had formal training? I generally defer to my brother on subjective matters like this and I wondered If we were going to be at odds, but upon reading the article he wrote back and said the premise was preposterous.
Early Works by Edward Hopper Found to Be Copies of Other Artists
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/28/arts/design/edward-hopper-copies-paintings.html
I also visited the Society of Illustrators and saw two fun exhibits, A Century of American Comic Strips and Women in Comics: Looking Forward and Back.
This is a link to the descriptions of the two exhibits on the website.
https://www.societyillustrators.org/exhibits
Ticketing is through their website only and they offer three 90-minute periods during the day. I went during the first one, from 11AM to 12:30PM and was the only visitor the entire time I was there. I’ve never been there when there were more than one or two people aside from myself. On the way out they gave me a gift bag with a trade paperback, Tales from the Crypt, Revolutionary art of Mad and EC Comics. It’s the catalog for their 2018 exhibition and is filled with original cover art and very cool.
This is a link to Amazon’s description of it.
https://tinyurl.com/y8opuvb7
In other art news:
This is a slide show for a contemporary American artist, Rance Jones. It consists of watercolor paintings of the people of Cuba. When you look at these paintings you will be certain they are photographs. They are really remarkable.
https://www.forumgallery.com/exhibitions/rance-jones-the-lingering-revolution
The Princeton Art museum is going to close for three years while they build a new museum building. It will be larger to accommodate more of their collection which is good but I'm disappointed I won't be able to go for three years. And it will probably be longer. As my brother pointed out, they must have an enormous endowment.
David Adjaye Will Design New Princeton University Art Museum
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/david-adjaye-will-design-new-princeton-university-art-museum-11011/
These two videos are the latest Cocktails with a Curator from the Frick. They discuss the Fragonard room, its origins and how Mr. Frick acquired it. It tells the sad tale of Madame DuBarry who dies on the guillotine during the French Revolution.
Cocktails with a Curator: Fragonard’s Progress of Love Series, Part One
https://tinyurl.com/y4j3d8ur
Part Two
https://tinyurl.com/y3w9vjzo
This article from the Sunday NY Times magazine section is a long article on the life of Caravaggio, who in addition to being a creative genius, was a brutal criminal who murdered a man and was involved in all sorts of brawls and fights leading to his living the last years of his life on the run. In art it’s important to separate the art from the man. It’s well illustrated
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/23/magazine/caravaggio.html
This is an article from the New Yorker on the artist Artemisia Gentileschi who will be the subject of a large retrospective at the National Gallery in the UK. I’ve mentioned before that I saw a large exhibition at the Met many years ago of her and her painter father, Orazio. The article gives a good account of her life and the acclaim she achieved during her lifetime. She fell into obscurity afterwards, before being rediscovered in the 20th Century.
A Fuller Picture of Artemisia Gentileschi
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/10/05/a-fuller-picture-of-artemisia-gentileschi
This is a rave review of the Artemisia exhibition from The Guardian.
‘A blood-spattered thrill ride into vengeance’ – Artemisia review
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2020/sep/29/artemisia-gentileschi-review-national-gallery-london
Another interesting article from The New Yorker by a biographer of Georgia O’Keeffe.
How I Met the Reclusive Georgia O’Keeffe
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/personal-history/how-i-met-the-reclusive-georgia-okeeffe
And now, here are some Flickrs.
Andy G.
Sissy Pet
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sissypet12/49919206422/
IMG_20200521_011507
https://www.flickr.com/photos/183598070@N03/49917981071/
Friday June 5 ~ Caught Stealing Candy From A Sissy Little Girl
https://www.flickr.com/photos/robynmichaels/3612166644/
More fun in a pink Ellyanna 8471 prom queen dress
https://www.flickr.com/photos/50361847@N04/49927638623/
finders-keepers2
https://www.flickr.com/photos/153045542@N05/33887432648/
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Hi,
Betty, at the very bottom of this post is a video depicting cats in art which I think you’ll like.
While the weather has been deplorable, now where have I heard that word used before, and my stomach is in knots awaiting the outcome of Tuesday’s election, I’ve gone on several museum visits which I’ve enjoyed. As you’ll see in a Times article below, while the lack of patrons is very pleasant for me, it’s starkly bad for the museums who without patrons are again having to contemplate layoffs and furloughs as well as limiting exhibits. And it doesn’t appear our pandemic will be ending any time soon so it’s going to be a very unpredictable and difficult future for art. Also, with the cold weather and heavier coats required, it will be that much more uncomfortable as the coat checks are all closed so we have to either wear or carry our heavy coats. Not ideal conditions for spending an hour or two in the museum.
Several weeks ago I took a friend to the Met and we were there for about four hours. Once again there were no lines to get in and we were able to access the Making the Met exhibit also with no wait. Afterwards we did the sculpture court and the British galleries both with just a few other visitors. We ended up in the American wing and had it pretty much to ourselves the whole time. On the other hand I visited this morning and while there was no line to enter the museum, there was a line to get my ticket with no members only desk in sight. And this time, when I went upstairs to the second floor, there was a long line waiting for access to Making the Met. But galleries I visited were sparsely attended.
The following week I visited Questroyal American art gallery for their latest exhibition. As always it was a treat, many beautiful things from all the usual suspects. A nice addition to my enjoyment of the American wing. Here are a few of the things I enjoyed.
Sanford Robinson Gifford - The Column of St. Mark, Venice, Moonlight, 1870
https://www.questroyalfineart.com/the-column-of-st-mark-venice-moonlight/
Albert Bierstadt - Swiss Scene
https://www.questroyalfineart.com/swiss-scene/
Martin Johnson Heade - Twilight in the Tropics, 1876
https://www.questroyalfineart.com/twilight-in-the-tropics/
William Trost Richards – Sunlit Coast, 1869
https://www.questroyalfineart.com/sunlit-coast/
Thomas Moran - Sunset, Amagansett, 1905
https://www.questroyalfineart.com/sunset-amagansett/
And last week I visited the Morgan library.
Luckily I checked the website the day before I planned to visit as I learned that one has to reserve a ticket online, you can’t just show up at the door. I didn’t think I was going to be able to get the ticket as the website says they need 24 hours notice and I wrote to them late the day before. But they emailed my ticket fairly quickly which led me to believe that there wasn’t a great demand for tickets.
This proved to be true as I arrived at 10:28 AM, two minutes before opening, and when the doors opened there were 8 of us including me. I don’t think that number grew while I was inside. It was very pleasant. I hadn’t been in the library for a long time and didn’t remember the Tintoretto. It’s by Domenico, the son of Jacopo, and has been downgraded to Workshop of, but it’s a magnificent portrait.
Workshop of Domenico Tintoretto
https://www.themorgan.org/objects/item/160380
I did remember the Memlings and the Cranach pendant portraits. This is one of the Memlings.
Hans Memling - Portrait of a Man with a Pink
https://www.themorgan.org/objects/item/160382
In the basement they exchanged the portrait of Mrs. Morgan by Sargent for one by Sorolla which I don’t think I’ve seen before.
Portrait of Frances Tracy Morgan
https://www.themorgan.org/objects/item/214103
Also in the basement, opposite the small paintings from the Thaw collection, they had some watercolors from the permanent collection which were lovely.
JMW Turner - Lurleiberg.
https://www.themorgan.org/drawings/item/123382
John Martin - Diogenes Throwing Away His Cup -
https://www.themorgan.org/drawings/item/308972
David Roberts - The Valley of Jehoshaphat, Jerusalem
https://www.themorgan.org/drawings/item/315165
The main exhibit was David Hockney’s drawings, self-portraits and portraits of his friends, Celia Birtwell, Maurice Payne and Gregory Evans. I'm not mad for Hockney but I enjoy a lot of it. I don't consider it great art, but it can be fun and pleasing to the eye. He is incredibly prolific, but unlike Dali at least it's all really by him. The Birtwell crayon drawings were really very nice, colorful and flattering. Most of them are from his Foundation and other private collections. There are no images on the website but you can see a bunch of them at the links below.
This is a self-portrait from when he was 16 or 17. Precocious boy.
https://thedavidhockneyfoundation.org/artwork/116
Celia, Carennac, August 1971 – This was my favorite image of Celia, I love the coloring and her relaxed pose.
https://tinyurl.com/yytem3el
This is a link to Art Summary, with multiple images from the exhibit.
https://tinyurl.com/y2ueaswk
This is a review from the Guardian with images.
https://tinyurl.com/wxnznjr
This exhibit also ran at the National Gallery in England and here is a short video displaying much of the art. I think the Morgan was a smaller version as there were a few things in this show that I don’t remember seeing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B002XJkTO2w&feature=youtu.be
This exhibit also ran at the National Gallery in England and here is a short video displaying much of the art. I think the Morgan was a smaller version as there were a few things in this show that I don’t remember seeing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B002XJkTO2w&feature=youtu.be
I was there about an hour and glad I went.
Before the mouse died on my computer I had a number of articles saved in my Outlook, but since I had to switch to my old machine I have no access to them. These are two articles I’ve come across in the last few weeks.
This is from the Times. I’ve also linked to an art blog in case the Times denies access. As I mentioned above, it speaks of the dire circumstances museums are experiencing with the restrictions limiting visitors. To paraphrase the lady in the last line of the article, it’s bad for the museum but good for me.
How long can NYC museums survive at 25% capacity?
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/26/arts/design/nyc-museums-covid-capacity.html
https://artdaily.com/news/129552/How-long-can-NYC-museums-survive-at-25--capacity-
I’ve always loved seeing cats in paintings and this 24 minute video from the Met shows, with images from their collection, how cats have been depicted down the ages in art.
Watch: A Very Weird Short Film About the History of Cats in Art at The Met
https://www.kqed.org/arts/13886425/watch-a-very-weird-short-film-about-the-history-of-cats-in-art-at-the-met
And here are the most recent Cocktails with a Curator from the Frick.
Cocktails with a Curator: Romney's "Lady Hamilton"
https://tinyurl.com/yxuzjnvf
Cocktails with a Curator: Bertoldo's "Pazzi Conspiracy" Medal
https://tinyurl.com/y432qpmm
And here are a few Flickrs for those non art lovers.
Andy G.
Happy Satin Sissy
https://www.flickr.com/photos/155197071@N05/50346784202/
maid to pleasure
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jessicasatin79/50393672222/
Halloween is Crossdresser Christmas!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mishamonroe/50555036666/
I hear you knocking but you can't come in. Only joking Punters follow me to my boudoir.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/frillyknicks/50472055218/
4917
https://www.flickr.com/photos/28339425@N08/50406751306/
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Thanks, I enjoyed the cat art. I shared it on my Facebook page, & nobody clicked a "like" or shared it... I guess many people have no taste for art at all. If I just post a snapshot of a kitten, I can get 10 "likes" to it.
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Hi,
I went to an outstanding exhibition the other day:
Church & Rothko – Sublime
September 30 – December 12, 2020
MNUCHIN GALLERY
45 EAST 78 STREET
If you enjoy the landscape art of the Hudson River painters and live in the New York metropolitan area you should definitely try to attend.
Robert Mnuchin, the owner of the gallery, is the father with the very unfortunate son and daughter in law, but don’t hold that against him. This was an odd show for me pairing Mark Rothko, who has become a running joke with my brother and me as he thinks he’s a genius and I just don’t get it, and Frederic Edwin Church, a brilliant Hudson River painter of the 19th Century who is a magnificent landscape artist and one of my favorites. It was by appointment only through their website and the calendar was set up in 30 minutes blocks.
I arrived at 11AM and was buzzed in. It was just me and a guard. It’s a small gallery, two floors with three rooms. I circled each floor three or four times and was done after about 25 minutes. During that time, I pretty much had the place to myself, three people arrived at different points but none of them were ever in the same gallery as I was. It was a magnificent exhibit; there were 23 paintings by Church. I really only paid attention to them and they were spectacularly beautiful. I loved all of them, but I thought the three below were especially fine. When I was leaving the young woman at the front desk told me I had an appointment for the following Wednesday and did I want to keep it. I was very surprised and asked if I had made two appointments and was told no. I apologized and explained I was an old man and had screwed up. I can’t imagine how I did it as they sent me a confirming email. I guess I was lucky they let me in.
This is a link to the Mnuchin website; if you scroll down there's a slide show of everything in the exhibit. If you flip through it you'll see 17 paintings by Church and 9 by Rothko. I would have linked to several which I thought were especially beautiful but the website doesn’t allow separating the slides individually.
https://www.mnuchingallery.com/exhibitions/church-rothko#tab:slideshow;tab-1:slideshow;slide-1:2;slide:10
The previous week I visited Forum Gallery for an exhibition by Rance Jones, a photorealist Contemporary artist. This is a series of watercolors he created in Cuba. I emailed on Friday to ask about attending and didn’t hear back so I decided to take a chance and just go. I arrived at the Gallery and it was completely boarded up due to the election, but there was a phone number saying to call for access which I did. I even remembered how to use the phone. I was directed to 58th Street and was brought in the back way. It was a lovely exhibit, I’ve seen his work before and it’s quite good. On the way out I was chatting with a woman I believe to be the manager and I asked if the small watercolor I saw in a case was by Reginald Marsh and was quite pleased when she said yes. I told her I had a bound volume of the Daily News from the 20’s which had cartoons by Marsh, something she hadn’t heard. When I got home I sent her a copy of a review from the Daily News of the 2012 exhibit of Marsh at the NY Historical Society which mentions the connection. It was a wonderful exhibit that explored his entire career. This is a link to the Forum website with a slideshow of Jones paintings.
https://www.forumgallery.com/exhibitions/rance-jones-the-lingering-revolution?view=slider#1
I especially like the one below. I thought the drawings on the wall were wonderful and the sunlight across them really special.
Rance Jones – Administrator
https://images.fasosites.com/68382/3684712l.jpg
This is a link to the Marsh exhibit which will give you a taste of his work as there are five images displayed.
https://www.nyhistory.org/swingtime
In other art news.
Here’s a tidy little video from Sotheby’s, just over a minute, with some lovely portrait artwork from Fragonard.
Fragonard’s Fascinating Painted Portraits
https://youtu.be/oTErl1vs1rs
This is a long, well-illustrated article from Smithsonian magazine on the artist Rosa Bonheur. She’s fallen out of favor due to her painting in a realist fashion at the time of Impressionism, but she was a magnificent artist as you can tell from her immense painting, The Horse Fair, which is owned by the Met. It’s about 22x8 ft. and this is a link to it.
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/435702
The Redemption of Rosa Bonheur
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/redemption-rosa-bonheur-french-artist-180976027/
Here are the latest Cocktails with a Curator from the Frick. This small painting by Chardin was the first still life in the Frick collection and was acquired at the end of the Second World War. The Tiepolo was one of the last paintings acquired by Mr. Frick and in 2019 was the center of an exhibition about it and two other surviving paintings by the artist; sketches for frescos in a castle in Italy that was destroyed when the Allies bombed it during World War II.
Cocktails with a Curator: Chardin's "Still Life with Plums"
https://tinyurl.com/y56d54ym
Cocktails with a Curator: Tiepolo's "Perseus and Andromeda"
https://tinyurl.com/y4nm864l
This is a great article showing six wonderful paintings.
6 Surprising Secrets Behind Western Art History’s Most Revered Paintings, From Van Gogh’s Portrait of His Doctor to Van Eyck’s Ghent Altarpiece
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/famous-paintings-surprising-secrets-1922583
Nice, well-illustrated article on Monet.
Monet’s Magical Nuances: How the Impressionist Became a Worldwide Star
https://www.artnews.com/feature/claude-monet-who-is-he-famous-works-1234576473/
I only discovered Wayne Thiebaud in the last few years when I saw his work at the auctions. He's a contemporary artist who's known for his paintings of cakes and pies and other odd things. I find them charming. Below is a nice interview with him; he turned 100 years old on November 15th.
‘Enjoy It When You Have It, But Don’t Have Too Much’: Artist Wayne Thiebaud on How to Savor Cake While Staying Healthy at 100 Years Old
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/wayne-thiebaud-at-100-1920403
This is an interesting review from the New York Review of Books on an exhibition of Turner’s paintings at the Tate in the U.K. Turner was anything but a climate change denier as he chronicled the damage the Industrial age was doing to the environment early on. The article is lavishly illustrated and one of the illustrations is also a slide show allowing you flip to two other paintings.
J.M.W. Turner, Radical Critic of the Anthropocene
https://tinyurl.com/y3qrlduw
And now here’s a brief Flickr selection.
Andy G.
Belated happy halloween wishes!!!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/klaudiaj/50559340266/
Vintage 35 yo Wedding Dress
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ginacatt/50033107287/
IMG_6912
https://www.flickr.com/photos/bomi4/24829864747/
DLV 2018 - Thursday Dinner
https://www.flickr.com/photos/vivianchen05/41775262562/
Well, if I'm going to be...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/61636721@N06/50539544453/
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Hi,
Hope everyone on the board had a good Thanksgiving. I’m having my free Shop Rite turkey for dinner tonight. I’ve mentioned that time has more or less lost all meaning for me since I’ve retired; this week was a good example. All week I wasn’t sure what day it was. I think part of this is due to the fact that I’ve always followed a routine. When I was working, I had my Monday to Friday routine and then my Saturday and Sunday routine. Now my routine never changes so there’s no difference between a weekday and a weekend day. And when you’re retired you no longer spend time during the week looking forward to the weekend, every day is the weekend. The one thing I’m really not looking forward to is the winter, which I really hate. I’m hoping it’s a mild one. I was going to say so far it has been, but I realized winter won’t start for another month. The worst is yet to come.
Anyway, along with a few recent clips, these are the articles that were stuck on my computer while I was locked out of it. If you look at nothing else below be sure to check out the very first item, which is really something special.
The Mauritshuis in Amsterdam has put the museum online and you can do a virtual tour. This is a link and it’s an amazing experience. Take the brief introductory tour which ends in the room that has three Vermeer’s. You can zoom in close enough to read the labels on the walls. In the lower left you can click on each room on the first and second floors. I've already explored two rooms and plan to go through the museum room by room. The quality of the images and ability to zoom in are remarkable and it's the easiest interface I've come across. I've always had trouble moving around virtual tours, but this one couldn't be simpler. Of course, I'd love to visit all the wonderful museums around the world, but I'm realistic enough to know that probably won’t happen. If I was to win the lottery, I would look for someone willing to take a long trip with me, but I'm not counting on the lottery either.
https://tinyurl.com/y5sbuxdy
This sad article analyzes Millais's painting of Ophelia and also tells the how it almost caused the death of the model from pneumonia, who lived but died an early death due it. She married Dante Gabrielle Rossetti and last year I sent out an article from Sotheby’s on their relationship and her death.
The Tragic ‘Ophelia’ Epitomized Pre-Raphaelite Beauty. Here Are 3 Facts You Might Not Know About the Mesmerizing Painting
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/john-everett-millais-ophelia-3-facts-1912391
This 29-minute video from the Frick expands on the articles I’ve sent earlier concerning employees in the Frick household. In this case, Minerva Stone, the housekeeper and Ruth Berlin, a chambermaid.
Untold Histories
https://tinyurl.com/y2k7sgn8
This was posted after the VP debate and is a fun article. Right at the top it points out that flies in art represent corruption and rot. Very apropos for this administration. “So, a fun art history fact! Flies are used to represent rot, wasting away, decay, death, melancholia. A fly hovering over a church official or nobleman indicates disfavor with the king or corruption and dereliction of duty.”
We Spy a Fly! Here Are 12 Artworks With Cameos by the Insect That Played a Starring Role in the US VP Debate
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/flies-in-art-history-1914157
In an earlier email I mentioned seeing Starry Night and this is a nice little 7 minute video from PBS on the painting and its creator.
Better Know: The Starry Night
https://tinyurl.com/yysj4vf6
If Christie’s wasn’t by appointment only I would visit so as to see this auction preview. Feldstein owned several van Ruisdaels, Salomon and Jacob, a Jan Steen and several van Goyen’s, among others. In the article it says that after his death in 2019 the Frick and MFA secured some pictures. I’d love to know which ones the Frick got; couldn’t find anything on a quick search of the web. The second link is to the actual auction with all the paintings.
Martin Feldstein: the economic adviser to American presidents who loved Dutch Golden Age art
https://www.christies.com/features/Treasures-of-the-Dutch-Golden-Age-11019-1.aspx?sc_lang=en#FID-11019
https://www.christies.com/salelanding/index.aspx?lid=1&intsaleid=28865&saletitle=
Well-illustrated article on Goya from Christie’s.
10 things to know about Goya
https://www.christies.com/features/The-life-and-art-of-Goya-9648-1.aspx?sc_lang=en#FID-9648
This is a three minute video from Sotheby’s on a Pieter Brueghel II painting up for auction. It’s a wonderfully cynical take on the law profession, something one can’t be too cynical about.
Pieter Brueghel’s Masterful Lampoon of the Legal Profession
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Nq4J9WKJZg
I’ve always enjoyed pastel portraits thinking them beautiful as well as an unforgiving medium, if you make a mistake it’s hard to correct in pastels. So I was surprised to discover from this article that they’re rather a discredited form of art. The article is about an 18th Century, female artist, who, as you can see from the headline, was the “Queen of Pastel.” Back in July I sent along an article on her from Christie’s which didn’t denigrate the art form for obvious reasons.
The Remarkable Success Story of Rosalba Carriera, the Original “Queen of Pastel”
https://tinyurl.com/y2zvt3rq
This video from the Frick website was made in 2010 in conjunction with an exhibition at the Met to which they loaned Velazquez’s painting of King Philip. It’s about the cleaning of the painting and shows how much better the painting looks after it has been restored.
Michael Gallagher: "Conservation of Velázquez's Portrait of Philip IV"
https://tinyurl.com/yxwgn2zd
Three more Cocktails with a Curator from the Frick. This one discusses the Monet painting in the collection, as well as Monet’s life and how he painted this at a particularly low point in his life, his paintings weren’t selling and his wife Camille was sick with tuberculosis and cancer.
Cocktails with a Curator: Monet's “Vétheuil in Winter”
https://tinyurl.com/y653zamo
This is about the painting by Bronzino of a young man.
Cocktails with a Curator: Bronzino’s 'Lodovico Capponi’
https://tinyurl.com/y6hykro9
This self-portrait by Murillo entered the Frick collection in 2014 and was the subject of an exhibition of his works in 2017/18. As you’ll discover from the video Mr. Frick originally acquired it in 1904 and it remained in the family until his grandson and his wife donated it to the museum.
Cocktails with a Curator: Murillo's Self-Portrait
https://tinyurl.com/y3qy7xh2
This one minute video from Sotheby’s brings David Teniers picture to life.
Experience the Earthly Pleasures of Teniers’ 17th-Century Wine Harvest
https://youtu.be/-Cf-K5c9fP4
Short Frick video from the, "What's her story," series about women at the Frick.
Elsie de Wolfe | What's Her Story?
https://tinyurl.com/y3q3fgk5
I’ve always enjoyed Norman Rockwell and this is an interesting article on one of his most iconic paintings.
Norman Rockwell’s Turkey Feast Is a Thanksgiving Touchstone—Here Are 3 Things You Might Not Know About ‘Freedom From Want’
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/norman-rockwell-thanksgiving-freedom-from-want-three-facts-1926485
And let’s end with a few Flickrs.
Andy G.
Shall we go upstairs?
https://www.flickr.com/photos/20733644@N00/50028166178/
What do you want for the supper tonight? (May 2019)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/saki_75153/50009159111/
IMG_6912
https://www.flickr.com/photos/bomi4/24829864747/
Sparkle 2019 Wedding!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ginacatt/49722666041/
Meijimura (2)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mayuko_vienna/12848818103/
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Hi,
My computer has been channeling its inner Windows 95 shutting itself down and restarting multiple times. I lost this post twice, the second time I was unable to retrieve it. I searched the Internet for help, but Uncle Google failed me, and I was, to say the least, frustrated. Of course, frustrated is just a synonym for my real feeling, absolute fury. After having my coffee and calming down, I tried again and somehow stumbled upon where the unsaved file was stored and this is it below. I’m extremely grateful as it took me over an hour to create and it would have been difficult for me to recreate, not least owing to my attention span and memory. Anyway, here it is.
Not thrilled with our first snowstorm of the season, but seeing as the prediction was for 12-18 inches, I guess I should be grateful we got what looks to be 8 or 9 inches. I have someone to clear it which is a relief, I realized a long time ago it wasn’t something I wanted to be responsible for. It was so nasty out, cold and windy, I decided not to take my morning walk. This is clearly a sign of age as for the longest time I was relentless and went out in any weather. To assuage my guilt at missing that part of my exercise I took a truncated walk in the afternoon when things had calmed down a little. I can’t imagine living in Binghamton and undergoing 45 inches of snow. And I’m sure Betty got a fair amount up in Buffalo.
A week ago Monday, I walked up to the Met to see the Chinese exhibit. I’ve had weekly reminders come up on my calendar for the second rotation which began in August, and since the Met reopened there have always been reasons to do something else. I arrived only to discover it closed. I was surprised as the guard said it closed the prior week. I checked my notes, and it was supposed to run until January 3rd. I will have to wait now for the next exhibit which should open shortly. Balked at that, I walked over to the newly reopened European galleries and was told by the guard that they wouldn’t newly reopen until the end of the week. That was my fault as I just hadn’t paid close attention to the incoming notice. Before I gave up, I wandered through the drawing exhibit and almost convinced myself it had changed which didn’t make sense and when I got home and checked I learned it hadn’t. I had just forgotten some of the items on display. A mind is a terrible thing to lose.
I went back this past Monday, despite the inclement weather, and visited the European Galleries. It was like visiting old friends. My brother had been there for members only day and mentioned a new bequest from a financier, Errol Rudman. I got to see that and alongside it were a few other bequests of his. Remarkable how many times I saw Jayne Wrightsman's name as the donor, a whole wall of her donations of Canaletto and Guardi. She was a great lady.
I'm glad the Met installed the metal detector as it appears the guard no longer looks in a visitor's bag. A month or two ago I was given a hard time about the cinnamon roll in my bag, the guard telling me food was not allowed inside. Since then, I had resorted to subterfuge to hide it. Prior to that I was told I could bring it in, I just couldn’t check the bag. And I pretty much always have one with me when I visit the Met. As long as my scale says it’s OK.
Below is one of the paintings Rudman left the Met and a few other things I saw. Also, an article on the reopening of the galleries, as well as other articles and videos.
The Met opens nearly two dozen newly installed European Paintings Galleries
https://artdaily.com/news/131076/The-Met-opens-nearly-two-dozen-newly-installed-European-Paintings-Galleries
Orsola Maddalena Caccia - Fruit and Flowers – This is the Rudman bequest.
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/816523
Bronzino (Agnolo di Cosimo di Mariano) - Portrait of a Young Man – Knowing the young man by Bronzino in the Frick collection, this arrogant, as stated in the museum copy, young man was immediately recognizable as a Bronzino. The second link is to the Frick’s painting
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/435802
https://www.frick.org/exhibitions/parmigianino/capponi
Paolo Veronese (Paolo Caliari) - Mars and Venus United by Love – And this painting reminded of the two great Veronese paintings also in the Frick collection. The second link is to both paintings at the Frick.
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/437891
https://collections.frick.org/search/veronese
Hieronymus Bosch – The Adoration of the Magi – This is an early painting by Bosch, as the website say it’s unlike his familiar hallucinatory depictions of hell. I like it for it’s serenity and there’s so much going on, extending way across the landscape to a far away town.
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/435724
This article offers insight into Georgia O’Keeffe’s skull painting.
This Legendary Georgia O’Keeffe Skull Painting Has an Uplifting Backstory—Here Are 3 Things You Might Not Know About It
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/georgia-okeeffe-3-things-to-know-1925403
This is a longish, well-illustrated article on the two museums in Amsterdam devoted to Vincent van Gogh, the Kröller-Müller and the Van Gogh museum. The former was established by Anton and Helene Kröller-Müller, while the latter was established by the second Vincent van Gogh, the engineer and son of Theo, Vincent’s brother. Theo’s wife, Jo, inherited all of Vincent’s paintings and drawings in which she held a 50% interest along with her son’s 50%. The article speaks of an attempt by Kröller-Müller to buy the estate from Jo, who turned him down flat. Very interesting article.
Van Gogh Museum
An offer you can refuse
https://tinyurl.com/y4jphqzb
These are all new from the Frick blog.
The first link discusses how the Frick was received in the press; Lewis Mumford gave it a negative review in The New Yorker. The second link is to a catalogue the Frick issued which compiled press news about the opening. Mumford's review is included. Then facts about the Frick and finally another of their catalogues which can be downloaded as a PDF.
More Than a Museum: Early Responses to The Frick Collection
https://tinyurl.com/yxeajynl
https://www.frick.org/about/history/80th/legacy
85 Frick Facts for 85 Years
https://www.frick.org/blogs/frick_collection/85_frick_facts
The Frick Collection members' magazine (Spring/Summer 2010)
https://archive.org/details/frick-31072003209048/page/n12/mode/2up
This Cocktails with a Curator from the Frick concerns what I think may be the most beautiful painting in the world. It’s my favorite painting in the Frick and possibly my favorite of any of the paintings I’ve seen, although I confess there are other paintings that I feel very strongly about. I’m pleased that when the Frick Madison opens in the new year all three Vermeer’s in the collection will be hung side by side as they were for the special exhibit of Treasures from the Mauritshuis in 2013.
Cocktails with a Curator: Vermeer's "Mistress and Maid"
https://tinyurl.com/y6q26zo6
Another Cocktail from the Frick.
Cocktails with a Curator: Lawrence's "Lady Peel"
https://tinyurl.com/y2vv5946
This is the first in a new series from the Frick, in which, as Salomon says, he focuses on things that we may not have paid much attention to on our visits. I found this very true as the first item is a sculpture which I never took a good look at, which is a remarkable work of art. These videos run about 40 minutes.
Hidden Gems of the Frick Collection: Episode 1, Xavier F. Salomon
https://tinyurl.com/y6nl3dtp
This 40-minute video speaks of several women at the Frick, including Helen Clay Frick, Mr. Frick’s daughter, and then explores several paintings of women in the collection.
Women of the Frick
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1l2V327VFUM&feature=youtu.be
And, of course, a few Flickrs.
Andy G.
MISAKKY's Younger ages 003
https://www.flickr.com/photos/misakky/39891582604/
Wedding dress
https://www.flickr.com/photos/90998726@N03/49552876667/
SchoolGirl Costume 4
https://www.flickr.com/photos/189114342@N03/50079981488/
School Strip
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jessica-jane/49885774466/
All my looks from Boys Will Be Girls
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jodie_annalise/50097317817/
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In the southern suburbs & the nearby highlands of ski country they had up to 6-12" (15-30cm) of snow, but here right in Buffalo we've had very little snow this year. A few sprinkles didn't even stay on the ground for the day, it melted away in a few hours. That is except the snow we just got a few days ago when we got about 4" (13cm). It didn't all melt away until yesterday.
When you hear about snow in Buffalo on the national news, that's because if the snow got deep anywhere within 70 miles (113km) of Buffalo, they put it out on the national news as Buffalo snow, even when it was 2 counties away.
On average over the past 100 years, Buffalo gets just about as much snow per year as NYC, Toronto, & Albany does. If fact, over the past 4 years Buffalo has had less snow per year than NYC. But Buffalo has what we call "the snow belt" & ski country just to the south of us (and highlands to the south & east of us). Prevailing winds, & "lake effect" make those areas near Buffalo get significantly more snow than we do, but it gets on the news as in Buffalo.
Occasionally we have the winds change the wrong way, & the "lake effect" snow hits us too, but hardly as often as the national news says so. Maybe only about once or twice a decade we get a real big snow right in the city. Basically if anyone gets snow in Western NY state of 5" or more, the national news carries it as another Buffalo mega-storm. In cities in other northern states, it doesn't get on the news unless it's a foot or more.
Ever since the blizzard of '77, we've been targeted by the media about snow every time it snows in almost anywhere the western half of the state. The footage they show on the national news is from years ago, or are pictures from a suburb, or a highland ski-country town outside the city.
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Oops, I spoke too soon. Late Thursday night we had about 5" (13cm) of snow in my neighborhood -- the Allentown Arts District of Buffalo. Southern suburbs got around a foot. Yesterday we had an additional 6" (15cm) of snow in my neighborhood. Combined with the previous snow means there's now about 11" (29cm) on the ground here. It was very windy though, so we have snow drifts of up to 30" (76cm) high in spots, while the driveway was blown bare by the wind.
It got down to a very windy 19F (-7C), with wind chills of 3F (-16C) yesterday.
Buffalo airport reports they had 12" (30cm) of snow yesterday, but the airport isn't actually in Buffalo. It's in Cheektowaga, a suburb east of Buffalo. In the town of Hamburg, a suburb south of Buffalo, they had 21" (53cm) yesterday. But the national news is saying the city of Buffalo got 21-30" of snow, when we did not.
Next week we're expecting highs in the 40s with rain, so everything will melt, with some flooding.
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Hi,
The weather has been yoyoing here in New Jersey. After the snow it finally warmed up to 60 then dropped to 20, it was 22 degrees when I was out on my walk a little while ago, but it's supposed to go back to 60. I like 60, but as long as it doesn't snow I'm good.
Andy G.
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Very dark, very windy, with rain this morning at 43F (6C). Almost all the snow has melted away. Some flooding in areas because of the snow melting so fast.
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Hi,
Below are two links to the Metropolitan Museum. The first is a three-minute video on the Mona Lisa's visit to the Met in 1963 and shows the crowds that came to see her. The second link discusses her visit. It's mind boggling to see the street in front of the museum looking like a demonstration with a wall of people. I remember my brother taking me and it being very crowded, but I don't remember waiting for hours which it must have taken. I was 12 years old and it’s hard to believe I would have had the patience to wait. I'm fairly certain we only got to stand in front of it for less than a minute. I asked my brother for his memories, but he doesn’t remember any more than I do. The following year Whistler’s Mother also visited the Met, and while it wasn’t as big a deal, more than 10M people visited on the first day. He also took me to see that. It was many years before I went back. It’s only in the last 25 years that I’ve become an active museumgoer.
https://www.metmuseum.org/150/from-the-vaults?v=famous-foreign-lady-captures-heart-of-new-york-1963-from-the-vaults
https://www.metmuseum.org/blogs/now-at-the-met/features/2013/today-in-met-history-february-4
This article from Christie’s concerns another pastel portrait by one of my favorite artists, Jean-Etienne Liotard, which is up for auction. There’s more biographical information on the artist and several illustrations. It’s another painting that has descended from the family of the original owner.
Jean-Etienne Liotard’s Portrait of Philibert Cramer — a masterpiece of the Enlightenment
https://tinyurl.com/yyo8pp7a
Winter is far from my favorite season, but these pictures are beautiful. Go to full screen.
Let it snow — five centuries of stunning winter landscapes by Monet, Munch and more
https://tinyurl.com/yclwlfqp
This is a very short video from Sotheby’s about an upcoming Turner watercolor up for auction in the Master drawings auction. There’s another one as well. I hadn’t realized I had fallen off Sotheby’s email list until my brother forwarded the current email about the Old Masters auctions. I’ve written to see if I can be reinstated and I’ve also made an appointment to visit at the end of January.
A Luminous Landscape by Turner Transcends Its Time
https://tinyurl.com/y5m6n89r
This is an article from Sotheby's on five women painters, one of whom, Elisabeth-Louise Vigée Le Brun, is a favorite of mine. It’s an excerpt from a book by Jennifer Higgie, The Mirror and the Palette: Rebellion, Revolution and Resilience: 500 Years of Women’s Self-Portraits.
Five groundbreaking self-portraits by women
https://tinyurl.com/yxrh5yku
More treasures from the Frick. This is a 6-minute video exploring the second floor, which will be open to the public after the renovations are completed. I am eagerly looking forward to that date. In the meanwhile, I expect that many of the paintings shown upstairs will be gracing the walls of the Breuer when it opens early next year. I will be very disappointed if they aren’t.
Upstairs at the Frick, Introducing the Museum's Second Floor
https://tinyurl.com/y9ewbks6
This Cocktails from the Frick discusses Mr. Frick’s bust and also deals with his controversial history as an Industrialist.
Cocktails with a Curator: Hoffman's Bust of Henry Clay Frick
https://tinyurl.com/ycomvs3w
Here’s another Cocktails from the Frick; it concerns a small sculpture the sculptor Clodion upon which sits a clock, one of many in the Frick collection.
Cocktails with a Curator: Clodion's "Dance of Time"
https://tinyurl.com/ya3y7rd7
And a discussion of Boucher's Four Seasons, as well as the Boucher room at the Frick.
Cocktails with a Curator: Boucher's "Four Seasons"
https://tinyurl.com/yxfgc4ab
This is a short article in which five curators pick their favorite Monet painting. My favorite of this selection is the one from the Met. For many years, a similar painting of his father in the garden hung nearby, on loan to the museum from Larry Ellison. They had hoped he would give it to them, but he took it back and sold it although I can’t find who the current owner is. This is a link to that painting.
https://tinyurl.com/y5o5d26d
Five Experts Discuss Monet’s Most Beguiling Paintings
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/artists/claude-monet-best-paintings-1234580881
This article celebrates Berthe Morisot, an Impressionist painter who, because she was a woman, only recently has received the acclaim she deserves.
Berthe Morisot, Impressionism’s Most Relentless Innovator, Is Finally Receiving Her Due
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/artists/berthe-morisot-who-is-she-why-is-she-important-1234581283/
And this looks like a good place for some Flickrs.
Andy G.
xhamster.com_3990941_boy_dressed_as_sexy_girl_240p
https://www.flickr.com/photos/161986145@N07/50838520057/
I wish you all sweet and wet dreams
https://www.flickr.com/photos/149954333@N07/50105344661/
French maid
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ninajay/50096884641/
chinese pink...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/klaudiaj/50082150966/
Carefree afternoon
https://www.flickr.com/photos/182846664@N02/50101932297/
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It's a shame they wouldn't let the whole large winter pictures fit in my screen. Scrolling up or down the tops or bottoms get cut off no matter how I resize the view, so I downloaded it to see them.
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...more
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Hi,
I started this post yesterday in the early evening and the snowstorm had already started in New Jersey. I woke up this morning at 6:30 AM and it’s always hard to say how much snow had fallen, but it looked like a good six inches or so. It wasn’t snowing, but it started again soon thereafter and it’s coming down pretty steadily now. We will wind up with a lot before it plays out. All this snow doesn’t please me, but I confess I’m never pleased when snow starts falling. I had a dental appointment this morning, and I planned on visiting a gallery directly after. I was prepared to go in if the buses were running although I was a little concerned about getting in and not being able to get back home. But first my dentist wrote saying she didn’t think my traveling in a snowstorm was a good idea and told me she would reschedule. Then the Governor agreed and shut down the entire public transit system. So, it’s a stay-at-home day for me, much like all the others except I opted not to take my morning walk.
I wasn’t able to visit the friend I usually celebrate Xmas with due to being cautious with the pandemic; the first time in over 20 years we haven’t celebrated together, which puts me in company with many I suppose. This month we tried to get together twice, but the first time she wasn’t feeling well and the second, she called me from the Parkway to let me know her car had died. Disappointing news for both of us, but very bad news for her as her mechanic let her know it was time to put it out of its misery. It brought to mind an iconic cartoon by World War II cartoonist, Bill Mauldin, whose cartoon, Willie & Joe, appeared throughout the war. You can see it at this link.
https://tinyurl.com/y3zytn6k
In anticipation of her visit, I baked and had a disaster. I have a new recipe for a sour cream pound cake that I wanted to try so I mixed it together and put it in the oven. It's a very large cake, 3 cups of flour, 2 3/4 cups of sugar, six eggs and 1/2 pound of butter. It went together nicely, and the instructions said to bake at 325 degrees for about an hour. I didn't want it to over bake so I went to check it after 45 minutes. I forgot how heavy it is and when I went to lift it with one hand, it tipped over into the oven. I wasn’t wearing the other mitt so I couldn’t grab it. It hadn’t completely set so a large amount of the batter fell on the bottom of the oven. I had to wait until the oven cooled a little, then pulled out the bottom panel and saw it had also gone below into the bottom of the stove, as well as on the side. It also stuck so I had to really fight to get it off. And when I relit the oven and brought it up to temperature for the cookies I was making, the smoke alarm went off. An exciting day. I had to throw the cake away although the edges were done enough for me to taste it. It would have been delicious. I made the cookies, but I just didn’t have the energy to make another cake. A local friend fell heir to the cookies.
I planned on taking my friend to Sotheby’s, but wound up going the next day alone, which I’ll discuss below.
I hadn’t been to Sotheby’s in over a year and it was nice to be back. There were a number of auctions in the Old Masters series and they were spread over three floors. I had to make an appointment, but the times were pretty wide open. I arrived at 10:40 AM for an 11 AM and was allowed right up. There were very few people and I seldom had someone by my side as I walked around. I saw pretty much everything although I almost missed the room with the Rembrandt, luckily realizing it just as I was leaving. There was a lot of school of, attributed to, circle of, etc., but there were also many quality pieces, which I’ll discuss below.
Here are a few articles discussing the results.
A Single Mystery Collector Went on a Buying Spree at Sotheby’s $114 Million Old Masters Auction, With Botticelli Just the Beginning
https://news.artnet.com/market/old-masters-2021-sothebys-report-1939728
Botticelli Portrait Goes for $92 M., Becoming Second-Most Expensive Old Masters Work Ever Auctioned
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/market/sandro-botticelli-portrait-sothebys-sale-record-1234582393/
And here are links to some of the things I saw and admired.
Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi, called Sandro Botticelli - Portrait of a young man holding a roundel – the star of the auction, it went for $92M.
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/master-paintings-sculpture-part-i/portrait-of-a-young-man-holding-a-roundel
Pietro Bernini and Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Rome, circa 1615-1618 – Autumn – Another big-ticket item, this life size sculpture sold for the low end of its considerable estimate, $8M.
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/the-collection-of-hester-diamond-part-i/autumn
Pieter Coecke van Aelst - A triptych: The Nativity, The Adoration of the Magi, The Presentation in the Temple – I saw this at the Met in 2014 where it was the centerpiece of the exhibition of his tapestries. The web image can’t do it justice as there really is a lot to see. The catalogue note on the auction site is extensive and goes into the details.
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/the-collection-of-hester-diamond-part-i/a-triptych-the-nativity-the-adoration-of-the-magi
Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn - Abraham and the Angels – I had forgotten that I was able to see this painting at the Frick in 2017, accompanied by a number of his etchings. It was estimated to go for $20-$30M, but I see it was withdrawn prior to the auction.
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/master-paintings-sculpture-part-i/abraham-and-the-angels
Joseph Wright of Derby, A.R.A. - A cottage on fire at night – Most of the paintings I’ve seen by Wright were portraits, so this landscape surprised me, but this brief excerpt from the website explains that while beginning as a portraitist he went on to fame for his landscapes. I love the moon peeking out over the mountain in the top left. “Despite beginning his career as a portraitist, working briefly in Liverpool before attempting to fill the void left by Gainsborough's exodus from Bath, many of Wright's best loved works are landscape and genre scenes, especially those which deal in particularly dramatic effects of light. It is in paintings such as the present Cottage on Fire that Wright was able to show off his mastery of landscape painting in combination with his keen sense of the sensational effects of a bright light shone into deep darkness.”
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/master-paintings-sculpture-part-i/a-cottage-on-fire-at-night
Giovanni Grubacs - A pair of nocturnal Venetian scenes on the Feast of the Redentore – I thought these two paintings were lovely, especially the first one with the moon. In going through my notes, I see the first time I came across Grubacs was in last year’s Old Masters Auction at Sotheby’s. His paintings are not high priced, these two were offered as a lot for an estimate between $40K and $60K, although unlike last year’s offering, which went for 50% over the estimate, this lot did not sell.
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/master-paintings-part-ii/a-pair-of-nocturnal-venetian-scenes-on-the-feast
Joseph Mallord William Turner, R.A. - Lake Lucerne at Dusk – Two watercolors by Turner, both of which were a treat to see. This one went for well over the high estimate selling at almost $1.3M. Surprisingly the second one didn’t sell. I think I liked that one better, although I’d certainly be happy to own either.
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/old-master-drawings/lake-lucerne-at-dusk
Joseph Mallord William Turner, R.A. - The River Washburn, near Lindley Bridge, Yorkshire
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/old-master-drawings/the-river-washburn-near-lindley-bridge-yorkshire
John Atkinson Grimshaw - Southwark Bridge by Moonlight – Grimshaw is someone I discovered some time ago on another auction visit and I really like his style. And this moon is for me irresistible.
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/master-paintings-part-ii/southwark-bridge-by-moonlight?locale=en
These are links to all the completed listings for the Old Masters auctions. Lots of nice things here in addition to the ones I highlight below.
Master Paintings & Sculpture Part I
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/master-paintings-sculpture-part-i
Master Paintings Part II
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/master-paintings-part-ii?locale=en
From Taddeo to Tiepolo: The Dr. John O’Brien Collection of Old Master Drawings
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/from-taddeo-to-tiepolo-the-dr-john-obrien-collection-of-old-master-drawings
Old Master Drawings
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/old-master-drawings?locale=en
The Collection of Hester Diamond Part I
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/the-collection-of-hester-diamond-part-i
Here are some articles and videos I’ve accumulated since my last email.
This is an in-depth article on Botticelli’s career, prompted by the current auction.
From Medicis to Mythologies: How Sandro Botticelli Became One of History’s Most Influential Artists
https://www.artnews.com/feature/sandro-botticelli-who-is-he-why-is-he-important-1234581919/
Another Frick video, this is the final episode of Hidden Gems and it focuses on Joshua Reynold’s portrait of Selina, Lady Skipwith. I knew Reynolds was prolific, but in the video Amy Ng says he painted 2,000 portraits.
Hidden Gems of The Frick Collection: Episode 3, Aimee Ng
https://tinyurl.com/yyftnhfw
Here’s another Cocktails with a Curator from the Frick. It discusses Manet’s Bullfight and also delves into Manet’s life and reputation. This painting has an interesting history as after it was criticized at the art salon, Manet cut it down and subsequently finished with two paintings, this one and Dead Toreador at the National Gallery in D.C.
Cocktails with a Curator: Manet's "Bullfight"
https://tinyurl.com/yx9opd2r
Here are two articles on Paul Cezanne. The first is on his use of Mont Sainte-Victoire in multiple paintings. Many of the Impressionist artists were fond of Japanese woodblock cuts and the article states he was clearly influenced by them. There’s a magnificent Hokusai illustrated in the article. The second explores his life and his status in the artworld during his lifetime.
Cézanne Painted This Mountain Dozens of Times. Here Are 3 Things You May Not Know About His Obsession With the View
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/cezanne-mont-sainte-victoire-1937995
How Paul Cézanne Charted a New Path with His Boundary-Pushing Still Lifes and Landscapes
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/artists/paul-cezanne-who-is-he-famous-works-1234581314/
This article from Christie’s is about a little-known artist from the 16th Century. He was a printmaker who copied Durer’s prints, down to his initials which angered Durer considerably. At the same time, he worked closely with Raphael creating prints from his paintings, something Raphael had neither the time for nor the capability. And he created pornography to boot. An interesting fellow.
Despised by Dürer and jailed by the Pope: Marcantonio Raimondi, master printmaker
https://tinyurl.com/y3odkkz2
This article is about a black artist who is in the news currently because one of his paintings was presented to Biden for the White House. He’s a wonderful landscape artist similar to the Hudson river painters. His painting, which is illustrated in the article, Landscape with Rainbow is wonderful.
Robert S. Duncanson Charted New Paths for Black Artists in 19th-Century America
https://www.artnews.com/feature/robert-s-duncanson-landscape-painter-who-was-he-1234582541/
This looks like a good spot for the Flickrs.
Hope everyone is home, safe and warm.
Andy G.
2020-06-11_12-31-24
https://www.flickr.com/photos/145477582@N05/49993249441/
20200811_122450
https://www.flickr.com/photos/my_illusions/50224686493/
cx305123_2
https://www.flickr.com/photos/124832568@N08/50255937406/
Japanese Crossdress
https://www.flickr.com/photos/myu_hukase/50239091011/
179H1L
https://www.flickr.com/photos/klarissakrass/50281081228/
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Hi,
More snow today here in New Jersey. This winter has not been fun; plague and bad weather are a bad combination. I imagine everyone is as tired of winter as I am; definitely ready for Spring.
My computer guru picked out a new computer for me, an HP, the first one I've owned. I generally don't bother with extended warranties, but after having my Lenovo blow up after less than two years, I decided to go for it. An additional $49 and if I have a problem there is no charge for parts, labor or shipping. I ordered it on Amazon on Monday night, and it arrived today. I was shocked at how quickly it came. Hopefully I will have better luck than with my Lenovo.
I bought my first computer about 25 years ago, a Gateway. It arrived and was an out of box failure and had to be returned. Talk about not being pleased. The replacement arrived and when my friend hooked it up, that one didn’t work either. We called the tech department and went through a few things. Finally the agent asked if we could remove the casing. My friend said yes and he did so. They said something like, you see the little yellow wire and the green wire in the back. Yes. Reverse them. We did and the computer worked. Talk about quality control! So I had my first computer and wanted to browse the Internet. Except it wouldn’t let me. I could only get as far as the Google home page. So I called back Gateway and got a series of the most ridiculous answers and half-baked solutions. Finally, after numerous calls, I got the person who actually knew something. As soon as I told her the problem, she said you need a filter. A filter? Yes, just call the phone company and they’ll send it no charge. I called the phone company and they agreed immediately to send one out. Luckily for me they reviewed my account and pointed out that under my present agreement I would pay by the minute for my Internet access, but I could change it to a flat fee which I did. And a brave new world opened up.
Now let’s talk about art.
I went to Menconi + Schoelkopf, a gallery on 80th Street, and got to see their 19th Century American art exhibit. It was small, but there were some nice things in it. I’ve linked to a pair of Homer watercolors, one of Heade’s hummingbirds with orchid and a George Inness. They had a nice size Bierstadt, which I liked, but it’s not listed on the website as part of the exhibition. It must be a recent acquisition. You can see most of the other items here.
https://tinyurl.com/56afmjxn
Winslow Homer, Along the Road, Bahamas, 1885
https://www.msfineart.com/wp-content/uploads/Along-the-Road-the-Bahamas-784x1024.jpg
Winslow Homer - Spanish Girl with a Fan, 1885
https://tinyurl.com/jco6d0j8
Martin Johnson Heade - Fighting Hummingbirds With Pink Orchid
https://www.martin-johnson-heade.org/Fighting-Hummingbirds-With-Pink-Orchid.html
George Inness - On the Hudson (The Distant River), 1875-1878
https://tinyurl.com/nuwtcmn2
This article is from the current issue of the New Yorker and it’s a discussion of a book about the paintings in the Frick. It has celebrities writing about their favorite paintings and I’m sure I would enjoy it. I say discussion rather than review as Peter Schjeldahl, the magazines art critic, wrote the article about his love for the Frick and the paintings in it. I enjoyed the article, but I’m a little disappointed that he doesn’t like Turner and thinks the Vermeers are of a lesser rank. I strongly disagree with him about Mistress with Maid, my personal favorite, and one of the most beautiful paintings in the world in my opinion. I just received my new membership card, and the Frick has announced the opening of their temporary home, Frick Madison, in the old Whitney museum building, in the middle of March. Can't wait to visit.
When a Museum Feels Like Home
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/02/15/when-a-museum-feels-like-home
This is another article from the New Yorker, this one from the blog. It’s about a current exhibit of magazines at the Grolier club which I will visit next Monday. As described in the article, the magazines belong to Steven Lomazow, a seventy-three-year-old New Jersey neurologist who created the exhibition from his personal collection of more than eighty-three thousand magazine issues. One of my lottery dreams is being able to buy complete bound runs of a number of magazines. My modest collection only has a few bound volumes of each. Of course, that would also require a new house to hold it all; I’m bursting at the seams now.
What Are Magazines Good For?
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/what-are-magazines-good-for
This is a short video, a little more than three minutes, which has the artist Alexis Rockman speaking about a painting by Martin Johnson Heade; an artist I mentioned earlier as being exhibited at the gallery I visited. One thing I learned was that Heade is pronounce heed, not head.
Alexis Rockman on Martin Johnson Heade's "Hummingbird and Passionflowers"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHjIRTPfnS0&feature=youtu.be
I’ve never come across Rockman before, so I looked him up on Wikipedia and it had this to say.
“Alexis Rockman (born 1962) is an American contemporary artist known for his paintings that provide depictions of future landscapes as they might exist with impacts of climate change and evolution influenced by genetic engineering.”
I wondered what his paintings might look like and I found this article with some illustrations.
‘It's the end of civilisation’: Alexis Rockman on his new watercolour series created during lockdown
https://tinyurl.com/1v9qdysz
I thought this one in particular was quite impressive.
Alexis Rockman, Liberty Island (2020)
https://tinyurl.com/6j8i9ot1
This article includes a number of paintings I’m familiar with, as they are in museums I’ve visited. Three of them I’ve never seen, or at least I don’t remember seeing them if they were in America for an exhibition. They’re all wonderful so I’m not sure I can say which is a favorite, but I remember seeing Susanna at an exhibit of artworks from the Mauritshuis at the Frick and I was very taken by it.
What Are Rembrandt’s Best Works? Eight Curators Discuss Their Favorite Pieces by the Old Master
https://tinyurl.com/rka05vb5
Here are more Cocktails from the Frick.
Cocktails with a Curator: El Greco's "Vincenzo Anastagi"
https://tinyurl.com/yyc8jgok
Cocktails with a Curator: Piero della Francesca
https://youtu.be/xnVMbX-pQOA
Cocktails with a Curator: Claude’s “Jacob, Rachel, and Leah at the Well”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13BlmGxxP6A&feature=youtu.be
This article is about a Van Gogh drawing in an upcoming Christie’s auction, and discusses his love of Japanese woodblock prints.
How Van Gogh found his ‘clarity of touch’ with this drawing of his own painting, La Mousmé
https://www.christies.com/features/A-van-Gogh-masterpiece-in-pen-and-ink-11500-1.aspx
I’ve always liked the work of Toulouse-Lautrec, and this article speaks of his life, early success and early death. I’ve seen a number of exhibitions of his work, and it’s interesting that some of his most famous works were posters, disposable art, but have survived all these years.
How Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec Took 19th-Century Paris by Storm—and Went Down in History
https://tinyurl.com/yxasebne
And I’ll close with a few Flickrs.
Andy G.
Ready for a night out
https://www.flickr.com/photos/22704178@N07/49208841831/
1 or 2 ?
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sissyprincess/50223290963/
Disney Princess
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sissyprincess/49885380486/
The Sissier the dress means more humiliation.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/154049384@N04/33792050874/
floral skater dress
https://www.flickr.com/photos/adrii06/50823979692/
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Hi,
My new computer is up and running and I just have a few unanswered questions I’m waiting on. It’s a pleasure to no longer have to deal with the constant interruptions of forced shutdowns and the failing of normal processes. Hope I have better luck with this one.
I was surprised when I was reminded that daylight savings time starts in a week. Not sure we really need to change the clocks back and forth, but I’m in favor of more daylight. I never liked the idea of turning the clock back in the Fall as it meant going to work in the dark and coming home in the dark. I guess now that I’m retired it doesn’t make as much difference. To me anyway.
I had a bit of a senior moment a few weeks ago. I left my house for a walk in the afternoon with the intention of bring coupons to a friend. It’s part of the same route I take in the mornings; two separate neighborhoods that are roughly the same distance from my house. I reached a point where the sidewalk hadn't been shoveled so I walked back a little to a driveway and entered the street. I had been walking with my head down and not paying attention and I suddenly became disoriented. Nothing looked familiar and I didn't remember snow still being on the sidewalk. Figuring I had somehow taken a wrong turn, I started walking back, trying to figure out where I was and became increasingly frustrated that none of the streets I crossed had street signs. I finally walked up a hill, which looked like it led to a highway, and when I reached the top realized I wasn’t far from where I had started. At the time I wasn’t sure what caused the lapse, but in thinking about it I realized I hadn’t walked that neighborhood for a day or two since the snow had fallen and that was what threw me off. It was a little disturbing, but when I mentioned it to my brother, he told me not to worry, that we all become disoriented occasionally.
And in a nod to my earlier years, when I cancelled my subscription to the Post I was told I would receive a credit of $5. After a week I called to see why my card hadn’t been credited. I was told a check had been mailed. A check, how quaint! As my brother said, a trip back in time.
Below is a report on my recent visit to Sotheby’s and other articles and videos I’ve come across recently. Speaking of Sotheby’s, it took a lot of back and forth, but they actually figured out why I had stopped receiving their emails. Apparently, I had opted out of cookies at some point. They told me, “we can manually opt you back into receiving our marketing emails if we receive explicit confirmation from you.” They then typed a one sentence testimony which I returned to them.
And it worked. For me it’s unusual when something like this ends with a favorable result.
I was the only guest at Sotheby’s during my visit. It was a decidedly low-key affair with no big-ticket items. The American preview was on the fourth floor while the Impressionist was on the first floor in the gallery behind reception. There’s always something worthwhile and I did see some things I liked which I’ve copied below. The best one was the Gifford which I thought quite beautiful. I wonder if the incredibly tiny landscape in the distance was sharper looking when he painted it. It’s hard for me to comprehend how he painted it all. There was a Cropsey, a Hopper drawing, and an Andrew Wyeth. Also a painting by an artist I’ve never heard of, Warren Sheppard, that I was attracted to as I am a sucker for a beautiful moon. He was a 19th Century marine painter who lived well into the 20th Century, dying in 1937. There was a painting by Hughes Claude Pissarro and I was fairly certain he must be related to Camille, although he couldn’t be a son having been born in 1935. He’s his grandson and still alive and painting. And there was a striking Diego Rivera which isn’t on the website as near as I can tell. The picture below is from their 2014 auction and it didn’t sell.
Sanford Robinson Gifford - Leander’s Tower on the Bosphorus
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/two-centuries-american-art/leanders-tower-on-the-bosphorus
Jasper Francis Cropsey - The Old Homestead of Isaac P. Cooley, Greenwood Lake, Passaic County, New Jersey
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/two-centuries-american-art/the-old-homestead-of-isaac-p-cooley-greenwood-lake
Edward Hopper - Horse and Buggy
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/two-centuries-american-art/horse-and-buggy
Andrew Wyeth - Wash Bucket
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/two-centuries-american-art/wash-bucket
Warren Sheppard - Moonlight Sail Off the Highlands
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/two-centuries-american-art/moonlight-sail-off-the-highlands
Hughes Claude Pissarro - Les Guillemette au Verger
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/impressionist-modern-art-new-york/les-guillemette-au-verger
Diego Rivera - HOMBRE GORDO
https://www.sothebys.com/ru/auctions/ecatalogue/2014/latin-american-art-n09223/lot.174.html
This is a nine-minute video from the Met about a Sargent painting in their collection. It’s a beautiful portrait and the video tells us about the sitter. Interesting and informative. As an aside, I own a bound volume of the NY Times from 1925 with the announcement of Sargent’s passing.
Stephanie Herdrich on Sargent's 'Mrs. Hugh Hammersley' | Curator's Cut
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E73T9Sxo4Vs&feature=youtu.be
This article from Christie’s is about Camille Pissarro, who was wildly prolific and Cezanne’s mentor as well. I read a wonderful novel by Alice Hoffman, The Marriage of Opposites, which is about his mother. He enters in the middle of the book. An excellent read.
‘He reminded you of one of the prophets’: 10 things to know about Camille Pissarro
https://tinyurl.com/99sppafz
This article discusses Gustav Klimt’s masterpiece, The Kiss. Klimt’s style is very recognizable with the gold trim.
Audiences. Here Are 3 Things You May Not Know About ‘The Kiss’
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/gustav-klimt-the-kiss-three-things-1947156
Good article on Renoir’s career with a number of illustrations.
How Renoir Became a Leading Impressionist and Created an Enduring Style of His Own
https://www.artnews.com/feature/pierre-auguste-renoir-who-is-he-famous-works-1234584591/
This is a very long, very well-illustrated article about the Frick’s move to Breuer Madison. The paintings will be organized by the genres they belong to and all 8 of the Frick’s Van Dyke’s will be on display.
The Frick Savors the Opulence of Emptiness
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/25/arts/design/frick-madison-moves-breuer-reopen.html
This is a floor-by-floor overview of the Frick Madison.
In Pictures: See the Highlights of the Frick Collection’s Suave Takeover of the Old Whitney Museum Building
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/frick-madison-photos-1949175
This 23-minute video about the move from the mansion to Frick Madison includes a special Cocktails on Breuer and the building. And then there are three more Cocktails below.
From Fifth Avenue to Madison Avenue
https://tinyurl.com/ue4xpkm9
Cocktails with a Curator: Antico's "Hercules"
https://tinyurl.com/yjnbzavy
Cocktails with a Curator: David's "Comtesse Daru"
https://tinyurl.com/ye7vycjv
Cocktails with a Curator: Cimabue's "Flagellation of Christ"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLGNEeTDvYA
This is a 20-minute virtual tour of the current Goya exhibition at the Met. It’s an enormous exhibit, with over 100 etchings and drawings. I look forward to seeing it soon.
Goya’s Graphic Imagination Virtual Opening | Met Exhibitions
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZW6OjARMGU&feature=youtu.be
And now let’s see what’s playing on Flickr.
Andy G.
6DM_024911a
https://www.flickr.com/photos/janetsexy77/50363614742/
Alice 1
https://www.flickr.com/photos/146275703@N07/46498312064/
Come in
https://www.flickr.com/photos/msemilytv/3027706685/
1 or 2 ?
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sissyprincess/50223290963/
02e879540bceda073fd7b95138fbf54a
https://www.flickr.com/photos/129032696@N02/48671885262/
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Hi,
When I took my friend to the Met recently the line for the Goya Exhibit was very long and we decided not to wait. In addition to the long wait to access the gallery, I knew it would also be difficult moving around once inside. I left it to her to decide since I knew I would go back on a weekday when I expected things to be different. And they were. This week I walked up to the Met and arrived at 10:40 AM. There was a short line and a brief wait to enter the gallery, but I was gratified it wasn't mobbed. It was fairly easy to move through the exhibit and when I came to a drawing with someone in front of it, I was able to move on and then circle back. It's an enormous exhibition and I think some people don't make it into the third room. I’ve seen a number of exhibitions of his drawings, but none were as extensive as this one. I thought it was excellent; the cards were very informational. Goya was a genius. I was there for a little over an hour. The winds were absolutely ferocious that day. While waiting for the bus on 79th Street the wind almost knocked me over. Still, it was a beautiful day with a bright sun and no precipitation.
I don’t really understand this new “art form”, NFT’s, but this is an interesting article comparing them to the big comic book boom in the 90’s. That’s something I’m very familiar with. It talks about how comic books soared in value because they were thought of as investments and how the bubble burst because unlike the comics from the 40’s, they weren’t in short supply. It mentions Action #1, the first appearance of Superman, selling for $400 in 1974 and I can remember back to the mid-sixties when I saw a copy available for $100. Of course, when I was 15 years old $100 was an enormous amount of money to me. The rent on my family’s five room apartment in the Bronx at the time was $125. My father thought I was an idiot because I bought a copy of Superman 30 for $2.50 from a used bookstore. I have a feeling if he was still alive and I told him I could sell it for a few hundred dollars he’d say, then that person’s an idiot as well.
What the NFT World Can Learn From the Great ’90s Comic Book Bubble. (It’s a Cautionary Tale)
https://news.artnet.com/opinion/nfts-90s-comic-book-bubble-1955239
And here’s another NFT story from Monty Python.
Comedic Legend John Cleese Tells Us Why He’s Poking Fun at the ‘Completely Arbitrary’ Art Market by Selling His Own NFT
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/john-cleese-nft-1955624
Below are articles and videos I’ve compiled since my last email.
I’m not a big fan of fashion, but I found this article from the New Yorker on a 20th Century black couturier whose work is in the Costume Institute at the Met very interesting.
Ann Lowe’s Barrier-Breaking Mid-Century Couture
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/03/29/ann-lowes-barrier-breaking-mid-century-couture
Like Vincent, Van Gogh’s youngest sister suffered from mental illness her whole life, spending her last 40 years in an institution which was paid for by the sale of one of his paintings. The family was amazed at how valuable it had become after his passing. Ironic based on his utter lack of success while alive.
How Van Gogh paid for his mentally ill sister's care decades after his death
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2021/mar/21/how-van-gogh-paid-for-his-mentally-ill-sisters-care-decades-after-his-death
This is a four-minute video from Sotheby’s about the Van Gogh painting they recently auctioned off for $15.4M in Paris.
Vincent Van Gogh’s Windmills of Montmartre
https://youtu.be/64DtQYTvHAw
Here’s a four-minute video from Sotheby’s which explores Degas’ obsession with dance. It’s tied to a pastel painting of a dancer that was auctioned for $3.13M, also in Paris.
Degas’ Delightful Depictions of Dance
https://tinyurl.com/2kb7f2xp
Christie’s essay on the life of Hokusai, my favorite Japanese artist. Here’s a one-minute video which animates his art.
10 things to know about Hokusai
https://www.christies.com/features/10-things-to-know-about-Hokusai-9742-1.aspx?sc_lang=en#FID-9742
This is pretty cool, a graphic novel biography of Hokusai. Lots of illustrations from the interior. I liked it so much I ordered a copy.
New Hokusai Graphic Biography Shares Stories from His Extraordinary Life
https://tinyurl.com/2r866xpa
Good article on Edvard Munch’s career and life with a number of illustrations. I saw the exhibition at the Met Breuer they refer to and it was brilliant. He was not a happy guy.
BEYOND ‘THE SCREAM’: HOW EDVARD MUNCH CHANNELED A TIMELESS SENSE OF DREAD
https://www.artnews.com/feature/edvard-munch-who-is-he-why-is-he-important-1234587088/
This 12-minute video from the Met takes us through the Met’s refurbished European Galleries with commentary on the paintings by different Met curators.
Exhibition Tour—A New Look at Old Masters
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNth9y0Yr_0
Below are several recent Cocktails with a Curator from the Frick. The first one is about a new acquisition for the Frick, pendant pastel portraits by Rosalba Carriera, a Venetian artist and one of the most prominent pastel portrait painters of the 18th Century. I’ve mentioned her a few times in my posts; the Met has several of her paintings. Sadly, she had a tragic ending, she suffered from bouts of depression and was stricken blind in her later years. During her productive period, she was very prolific, Dresden owns 150 of her portraits.
Cocktails with a Curator: Rosalba Carriera's Portraits
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pjk0df1g_1c
Cocktails with a Curator: Houdon's "Comtesse du Cayla"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLNMvMuNU6k
Cocktails with a Curator: Rembrandt's Self-Portrait
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTM4irZqe3o
The cartoon I’ve hopefully uploaded is from 1989, but I think that channel played 24/7 between 2016 and 2020.
And with that, let’s see about some Flickrs.
Andy G.
Nurse !
https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephsdressingservice/50796392656/
Screenshot_20190828-103905_Gallery
https://www.flickr.com/photos/46761323@N07/48637096988/
Prissy Sissy (A1E6C0D13E500F998AA98821F898B133)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/190261796@N04/50355348038/
Anja Petzold
https://www.flickr.com/photos/190172503@N05/51087543176/
My yellow sissy dress
https://www.flickr.com/photos/189908575@N04/50311563003/
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Today is John James Audubon’s Birthday. Born Jean-Jacques Audubon on April 26, 1785, he was an American ornithologist, naturalist, and painter. He was notable for his expansive studies to document all types of American birds and for his detailed illustrations that depicted the birds in their natural habitats. His major work, a color-plate book entitled "The Birds of America" (1827–1839), is considered one of the finest ornithological works ever completed.
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Hi,
The New York Historical Society has a large trove of Audbubon's work which I've mentioned in previous posts. It's unfortunate he had to kill the birds to paint them.
I got my second dose of the Pfizer vaccine and it’s been two weeks so I guess I’m as protected as I can be. It was a similar experience to the first one right down to getting lost on the drive. Door to door about an hour. 30 minutes in the pharmacy, with 15 minutes of that the waiting time after the shot. This trip I got lost in a different way, but It really wasn’t my fault. I left my house and instead of heading to the highway the way I usually do, I followed the advice of the GPS and when I got to the access ramp it was closed. From there it was another tour of local streets, but I still arrived only a few minutes later than I planned. I’m happy to report no side effects for which I’m grateful.
I visited the Frick Madison last week and it was a treat. Reservations are required and the website says they’re strict about times, but I got there around 10:45AM for my 11AM and was let right in. I also noticed they were selling tickets at the counter while the website said it was reservations only. My brother visited during the members only preview and he raved about it. This is what he had to say.
“I thought the installation was a triumph. All the paintings looked wonderful, and the new groupings made sense. The lighting was very flattering to the pictures. There is no hint of what the Frick is like—this is a museum display. Many of the rooms are drop dead at first sight: the 9 Van Dycks are staggering when seen together. Many pictures look better—brighter, more colorful—than they do at the Frick.
There were two lovely Guardis and two superb pastels by Rosalba Carriera that I don’t recall being on view before. And the newly acquired Baron Gérard of Camillo Borgese is on view and looks extremely grand (it’s huge).”
He’s already been back so I was really looking forward to this and I wasn’t disappointed. It was as he described, a magnificent display really showing off how great a collection it is. I particularly enjoyed seeing their Jan Van Eyck again.
https://tinyurl.com/we8terpw
You really need to see this in person as you can’t make out the detail in every inch of this painting. It’s many pictures in one, between the figures, the landscape in the background, the crown in her hands and the tapestry behind the figures. Extraordinary. Aside from the exhibition that was built around it, I haven’t paid nearly enough attention to it.
There were a surprising number of paintings missing. The Frick owns five Turners and only two were on display, albeit in a room of their own facing each other with a Constable on the wall in between. Another big miss was Claude’s Sermon on the Mount as well as the Gilbert Stuart Washington. There were probably others and I’m wondering if the rotation will change during their stay here. I also wonder if they will have any special exhibitions, one can only hope so. But these are minor nits, it’s wonderful to see everything again and up close without the furniture in front of it. I certainly expect to visit again, and I look forward to taking my friends to see it. There were other visitors, but it wasn't what I would call crowded, although it’s probably busier on the weekend.
Below are videos and articles I’ve accumulated since my last email.
This is a review of a new book on van Gogh’s sisters that also explores his relations with his family.
The Fascinating Lives of Vincent van Gogh’s Three Sisters
https://tinyurl.com/zs5xu9b5
And this is a good article from the Times on Jo van Gogh-Bonger, Theo’s widow and Vincent’s sister-in-law. She made his reputation after his and Theo's deaths.
The Woman Who Made van Gogh
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/14/magazine/jo-van-gogh-bonger.html
2 ½ minute video from Sotheby’s on an upcoming Monet in the Impressionist auction
Claude Monet's Monumental Water Lilies Star in Sotheby's Spring Sales
https://youtu.be/wk9IoP_wowk
This article discusses Durer’s life and is illustrated with several of his oil paintings. Mostly what we see of Durer are his woodcut prints which he created for profit. The 1500 self-portrait is a magnificent painting and the story behind it is fascinating.
How Albrecht Dürer’s Self-Portrait Shook the Art World
https://www.thecollector.com/how-albrecht-durers-self-portrait-shook-the-art-world/
This is pretty funny.
Wait, Why Are So Many Dogs Smoking Joints in Old Art? We Looked Into It, and the Answer Is Pretty Far Out
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/dog-smoking-joint-old-art-1960204
This is a well-illustrated overview from Christie’s of Toulouse-Lautrec’s work.
Collecting guide: the posters and lithographs of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
https://tinyurl.com/a23y5tmb
Hieronymus Bosch's 'Christ Mocked' in 10 minutes | National Gallery
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UId53499sTI
Here are the latest Cocktails from the Frick. The last one on Whistler is particularly good retelling the story of how the art critic John Ruskin savaged one of his painting in a review for which Whistler sued him for libel. Whistler won, but at great cost, monetarily as well as to his reputation. He had to sell his home in London to pay his lawyers and subsequently the society people who were his clients rebuffed him. So, he had to paint people who were also rebuffed by society and Lady Meux was certainly one of those. A figure of derision and mockery from her life prior to marrying a very wealthy man, she had the last laugh disinheriting the Meux family that had snubbed her.
Cocktails with a Curator: Laurana's "Bust of a Woman"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0xlgZaDE5A
Cocktails with a Curator: Sangallo's "St. John Baptizing"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9J9glxEKvc
Cocktails with a Curator: Whistler's "Lady Meux"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2QyGOtPAEY
And here are some Flickrs.
Andy G.
Santas Helper
https://www.flickr.com/photos/beebillings/50740084822/
October 2020 - Hallowe'en
https://www.flickr.com/photos/139558039@N02/50865288353/
skinny girly boy in hotpants
https://www.flickr.com/photos/110508323@N05/50841092633/
Seductress...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/91219737@N08/50824491642/
How could I resist
https://www.flickr.com/photos/187601014@N02/50893441923/
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I love the woman's outfit, but feel sorry for the poor doggie.
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Hi,
It was a busy week for me; I went to Christie’s twice and Sotheby’s once for their recent auctions. For my second two visits I decided not to wear the mask on the walk up and the crowd was divided fairly evenly between masked and unmasked. There were a fair number of people in the street as things do seem to be returning to “normal.” The auction houses were anything but crowded which is fine with me. The only thing I will miss about life during the plague was being able to visit the museums without large crowds. But I guess no longer having to wonder if I was risking death every time I went into the City is a small price to pay for more people in the galleries.
Below are some of the things I liked as well as recent articles and videos I found of interest.
Canaletto - Venice, a view of the Grand Canal and the Rialto Bridge from the North. This is from Sotheby’s European art auction and it was one of two things I liked.
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/master-paintings/venice-a-view-of-the-grand-canal-and-the-rialto
And this very lovely Venetian scene by Josef Theodor Hansen was the other. I thought it was the first time I had seen one of his paintings, but in going back through my emails I first saw him in 2018.
Terrace in the Gardens of the Villa Borghese, Rome. The estimate was $3-5K, a price I thought very low. It’s an online auction and still open, with the current bid at $2600. Always interesting to come across paintings that are “reasonable” in price. That is, not open only to hedge fund billionaires.
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/19th-century-european-art/terrace-in-the-gardens-of-the-villa-borghese-rome
The nicest things in the American were deaccessioned art from the Newark Museum and it’s hard to believe they’re letting them go.
This article strongly condemns the museum and I have to agree.
Historians Say the Newark Museum’s Plan to Deaccession Art at Sotheby’s Will Inflict ‘Irreparable Damage’
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/newark-museums-plan-deaccession-sothebys-1966696
Thomas Cole - The Arch of Nero
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/american-art/the-arch-of-nero
Thomas Moran - Sunset Santa Maria and the Ducal Palace, Venice – I adore his Venetian paintings.
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/american-art/sunset-santa-maria-and-the-ducal-palace-venice
Albert Bierstadt – Landscape
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/american-art/landscape
And, from a Private Collection
Frederic Edwin Church - Watch Tower in Italy
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/american-art/watch-tower-in-italy
Sanford Robinson Gifford - Lake Sunapee, New Hampshire – The rest of these are from Christie’s American auction. Gifford has always been a favorite of mine.
https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-sanford-robinson-gifford-lake-sunapee-new-hampshire-6316165/?from=searchresults&intObjectID=6316165
Albert Bierstadt - Mount Hood
https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-albert-bierstadt-mount-hood-6316162/?from=searchresults&intObjectID=6316162
Thomas Moran - The Grand Canal, Venice – Another beauty.
https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-thomas-moran-the-grand-canal-venice-6316167/?from=searchresults&intObjectID=6316167
Winslow Homer – Startled
https://www.christies.com/img/LotImages/2021/NYR/2021_NYR_19846_0232_000(winslow_homer_startled101941).jpg?mode=max
Martin Johnson Heade - Sunset at Point Judith Light – This is much more striking in the gallery than in this reproduction. The contrast of the colors in the sky was marvelous.
https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-martin-johnson-heade-sunset-at-point-judith-6316206/?from=searchresults&intObjectID=6316206
Vincent van Gogh - Le pont de Trinquetaille – This image also doesn’t do justice to the beauty of this painting. On the wall it glowed and looked backlit. Very beautiful.
https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-vincent-van-gogh-1853-1890-le-pont-de-6318440/?from=salesummary&intObjectID=6318440&lid=1&ldp_breadcrumb=back
Claude Monet -Waterloo Bridge, effet de brouillard
https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-claude-monet-1840-1926-waterloo-bridge-effet-de-6318419/?from=salesummary&intObjectID=6318419&lid=1&ldp_breadcrumb=back
Georges Seurat - Paysage et personnages (La jupe rose) – These two paintings are studies for his large painting in the Art Institute of Chicago, A Sunday on La Grand Jette. My brother especially liked this one. It was estimated to go for $6-$8M, while the other, which is also below, was estimated to go for $2.5-$3.5M. This one was hammered at $13.2M, way above the high estimate. The other sold above the high estimate as well, but for $4.4M. It’s hard to say why one was considered so much more valuable than the other, but it only takes two people both wanting a painting to drive the price into the stratosphere.
https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-georges-seurat-1859-1891-paysage-et-personnages-la-6318414/?from=salesummary&intObjectID=6318414&lid=1&ldp_breadcrumb=back
Georges Seurat - Le Saint-Cyrien
https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-georges-seurat-1859-1891-le-saint-cyrien-6318415/?from=salesummary&intObjectID=6318415&lid=1&ldp_breadcrumb=back
This video from the Metropolitan museum discusses one of Seurat’s very small paintings.
Charlotte Hale on George Seurat’s A Man Leaning on a Parapet | Curator's Cut
https://youtu.be/mw0bXeL8Cno
Mary Cassatt was a Suffragist, and this article mentions she wasn't very keen on Mother's Day, expressing that getting women the vote was more important than honoring them on one day. She also was attacked for drawing like a man.
This Tender Mary Cassatt Painting of a Mother and Child Is Surprisingly Fraught. Here Are 3 Things You Might Not Know About ‘The Child’s Bath’
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/mary-cassatt-mothers-day-3-facts-to-know-1962076
Who wouldn’t want to find a 250-year old Qing dynasty vase in their attic? Of course, with a house that’s less than a hundred years old, for me it would be unlikely.
7 of the Greatest Long-Lost Art Historical Masterpieces That Were Found in Attics and Basements—Ranked
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/art-found-in-attics-ranked-1962993
Below are the latest Cocktails from the Frick. The first is about a sculptor I knew nothing about. It's an interesting story as he was a radical who was considered a heretic by the Church and imprisoned and put on trial before being exiled. Subsequently he wound up in France where he was accused of being an anti-revolutionary and once again imprisoned and put on trial. He strikes me as someone who seemed to always be in the wrong place at the wrong time. There was also a special Cocktails with a Curator that was available only to members which was divided in half. The first half hour was about the Van Dyck portraits in the collection while the second half was a Q&A. Someone asked a question I had wondered about; will there be additional rotations to show some of the art that isn't currently displayed and the answer is yes. I wondered why Turner's Mortlake Terrace: Early Summer Morning hadn't been hung in the Turner room and it was explained there wasn't enough space. I found that a little dubious, but it's their decision. Xavier Solomon mentioned that it currently hangs in his office which may offer a different reason. He bemoaned the lack of a Rubens in the collection and mentioned they had an opportunity to purchase this large painting by him, Helena Fourment and Their Son Frans, but turned it down. It was subsequently purchased by Mrs. Wrightsman for the Met.
Cocktails with a Curator: Chinard's “Étienne Vincent de Margnolas”
https://youtu.be/p7MDGQjw8do
Cocktails with a Curator: Paolo Veneziano's "Coronation of the Virgin"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NswnjPIozs
And I’ll close here with some Flickrs.
Andy G.
Bunny Girl
https://www.flickr.com/photos/95644297@N07/14342230822/
Alice
https://www.flickr.com/photos/myu_hukase/30112373865/
02 So why do you want me to go down there
https://www.flickr.com/photos/savannasteel/50628239311/
188H3L
https://www.flickr.com/photos/klarissakrass/50984222508/
Passive
https://www.flickr.com/photos/144058205@N04/50657489488/
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Hi,
We’re currently enjoying our first heat wave here in New Jersey. Some enjoy it more than others I guess. I have a friend, who is very overweight and she hates it, but I hate the cold weather and will never complain about the heat. Unfortunately, it’s also been really humid. The sweat runs down into my eyes when I ride my stationary bike and it’s also making my books damp. It occurs to me I should buy a sweat band. I’m also considering buying a hat as everyone says older people should hide from the sun. And I’m definitely an older person.
I wasn't sure I wanted to see the Alice Neel exhibit at the Met, but my brother went and said I should go. It's clearly this season’s blockbuster and it’s forced a reconsideration of the value of her art; items in recent auctions have tripled their estimates. Twice I attempted to visit, but the long line turned me away. I decided if I wanted to see it I would have to arrive when the Met opened. Finally, the planets aligned, the weather cooperated, I truncated my morning walk, the traffic was light, and I was able to get to the Met just as it opened. Consequently, I walked straight up to the gallery and there was no line. I thought it was a very good exhibit. It was enormous, she was certainly nothing if not prolific and one of the signs pointed out that a one-time lover had set a fire destroying a lot of her work. I had to walk around several times to ensure I had seen everything; the layout of the galleries didn't lend itself to my usual method of just following one direction and then working my way back. Within the exhibit there's an installation of paintings by other artists from the permanent collection, such as Van Gogh, Mary Cassatt, Robert Henri and others, that are placed in juxtaposition to her work. One of her paintings is the Black Draftee and I knew I'd seen it before and wondered if it had been at an auction. Then I noted that it's from Belgium, and I remembered it had been in the Met Breuer exhibition of unfinished art. The story behind it is that he showed up for the first sitting where she painted his head and sketched in the rest, but he never returned so she declared it a finished picture. I especially liked the portraits of Alice Childress and the two of Jackie Curtis, which I've copied below along with a few others. I'm glad I got to see it. I was there for about an hour and ten minutes and when I left, the line for entry was back to the elevator and off to the left into another gallery. It’s been like this on my subsequent visits to the Met as well. They should be pleased.
Here are some reviews with illustrations and background on the artist.
It’s Time to Put Alice Neel in Her Rightful Place in the Pantheon
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/01/arts/design/alice-neel-metropolitan-museum-review.html
The Anti-capitalist Candor of Alice Neel
https://tinyurl.com/y2mry3pa
RADICAL REALIST ALICE NEEL HELPED REDEFINE PORTRAITURE IN POSTWAR NEW YORK
https://www.artnews.com/feature/alice-neel-who-was-she-why-was-she-important-1234590346/
Alice Neel’s Portraits of Difference
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/04/26/alice-neels-portraits-of-difference
Black Draftee (James Hunter)
https://tinyurl.com/ykhbmsan
Alice Childress 1950
https://tinyurl.com/4hv6vaja
Jackie Curtis as a boy
https://tinyurl.com/bac3ead5
Jackie Curtis and Ritta Redd
https://tinyurl.com/2cyn4s2z
Marxist Girl (Irene Peslikis)
https://tinyurl.com/sykcavrp
Sunset, Riverside Drive 1957
https://tinyurl.com/325m9zuw
Last Sickness 1953
https://tinyurl.com/j3f7bmu5
This is a link to all the objects in the exhibit.
https://tinyurl.com/e9nsdzxc
Below are recent articles and videos I’ve come across.
More wonders from x-ray equipment. A portrait of an earlier lover that Modigliani painted over for a portrait of his current lover.
How a ghostly outline revealed the secret of Modigliani’s lost lover
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2021/jun/06/modigliani-lost-lover-beatrice-hastings
Fernando Botero has such a distinctive style it’s impossible not to recognize one of his paintings. I’ve seen so many of them at the auctions, he’s another very prolific artist. This is a good article as I knew very little about the man except that he is alive and still painting in his 80’s.
10 things to know about Fernando Botero
https://www.christies.com/features/Fernando-Botero-7354-1.aspx?sc_lang=en#FID-7354
This is a six-minute video from the Met on one of the first paintings to come into the collection. They were gifted with two Manet’s and at the time they were the first Manet’s in any museum in the world. On the same page are links to all the previous Curator's cuts.
Curator's Cut - Laura D. Corey on Manet’s Young Lady in 1866 | Curator's Cut
https://tinyurl.com/vn75uek8
This is a one-hour discussion with Xavier Solomon, Chief curator at the Frick, and Annabelle Selldorf, the principal of Selldorf Architects, who designed the layout at Frick Madison as well as being responsible for the renovation of the Frick mansion. It’s moderated by Victoria Siddall, Board Director at Frieze. Lots of interesting things touched on, such as how the physical space at Frick Madison was created, colors chosen for backdrops, optimal lighting achieved and how and where the paintings would be hung. Three things mentioned resonated with me. First, that I’m not the only person who felt seeing the paintings without having furniture in front of them as barriers was much more pleasant. Second, that I’m also not the only one who would visit the Frick and wonder if something had always been there. And third, how seeing things in this new space made people take a closer look at the paintings like I did with the Van Eyck.
Frick X Frieze Digital Talk April 13, 2021 Final
https://jwp.io/s/TIfRbgVP
This is the special, members only, Cocktails. First half discusses the Van Dyck paintings while the second half was opened up for a Q&A.
Cocktails and Conversation with Curators
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnpBA4VM_e0&t=57s
J.P. Morgan had an enormous collection of porcelain, which he had on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. There are several pictures in the video showing the enormity of his collection. He purchased the two ladies in 1903 for $14K and after he died suddenly, Frick wound up paying $117K to the art dealer Duveen to acquire them for his home.
Cocktails with a Curator: Chinese Porcelain Ladies
https://youtu.be/C3O9fJqfTNw
As Xavier Solomon mentions, these two paintings by Guardi usually live in the Frick reference library, but occasionally they made it to the mansion on 70th Street where I got to see them. It's great that they're now together at Frick Madison. And I learned that Guardi was the brother-in-law of Tiepolo, who painting sits between the two Guardi's.
Cocktails with a Curator: Guardi's “Regatta in Venice" and "View of Cannaregio Canal in Venice”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMyWmfUm-0U
Cocktails with a Curator: Leoni's Medal of Andrea Doria
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtTb1T0xU44
And how about a few Flickrs.
Andy G.
Japanese Crossdress
https://www.flickr.com/photos/myu_hukase/50239090926/
CD 100
https://www.flickr.com/photos/191618434@N02/50793374073/
www.fetish-zona.com - Rubber Doll Jenna – Sissy boy doll, which fucked by slender mistress – HD 720p
https://www.flickr.com/photos/170242883@N02/50972624583/
December 2020
https://www.flickr.com/photos/139558039@N02/50936763606/
Gone With The Wind...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/138564696@N04/50847090531/
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Hi,
I was concerned that the Medici exhibit at the Met was going to engender long lines with timed entry like the Alice Neel, so I made a point of getting there just as the museum opened. As it turned out, I needn’t have worried as the crowd was manageable when I arrived and equally so when I left. The galleries are large and the paintings are well spaced so it was never oppressively crowded. This is the big blockbuster for the Met this season, galleries filled with masterpieces. My brother saw it first and this was his review.
“The Medici show is staggering. (Like all Met blockbusters.) A Raphael at the start, a Titian at the end. In between are many paintings by Bronzino and Salviati. Bronzino is clearly the greater painter, but there are stunning portraits by Salviati too. There are paintings by Pontormo (including the one formerly in the Frick), Rosso Fiorentino et al. Loans from all the great European collections. Fortunately the show is manageable, not a killer—that is, manageable in size, but quite stupendous in subject matter.”
I concur. The Bronzino’s are all extraordinary, the one from the Frick and, also the Met’s are included in the exhibit.
This is a link to the Met website for the exhibit overview. Off to the left are buttons for other options. It took a while for the site to populate the list of objects and they haven’t listed all of them. The second link is to a 28-minute video.
https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2021/medici-portraits-and-politics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CxZ2PrXQ1M
Below are three lavishly illustrated reviews of the exhibit, all raves.
How the Medici Family Harnessed the Political Power of Portraiture—and Brought Renaissance Art to New Heights
https://www.artnews.com/feature/medici-family-portraits-met-show-1234596767/
For the Medici, the Last Great Picture Show
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/24/arts/design/medici-portraits-met-museum.html
HOW THE MEDICI USED PORTRAITS AS PROPAGANDA
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/florences-medici-family-used-portraits-propaganda-180978042/
Below are some of the things I liked, heavily represented by Bronzino.
Benvenuto Cellini - Cosimo I de' Medici – This striking bust sits at the beginning of the exhibition and is a good preamble to the art to follow. I read Cellini’s autobiography in school years ago and I’m thinking it might be a good choice as one of the books I’ve decided to start rereading. Back then, I didn’t have very much interest in art, but that has certainly changed as I’ve aged. I started rereading great literature to put off the day when I will eventually run out of space for my books. It’s a ways off, but inevitable nonetheless. So far I’ve reread, Hardy’s, The Mayor of Casterbridge, Eliot’s, Adam Bede, Wharton’s, The House of Mirth, and James, The American. I didn’t remember any of them, and they were all wonderful. They are considered classic literature for a reason. Even in retirement there’s not really enough time for reading books. Every day I read for a little over two hours while I do my two stationary bicycle rides. I also read three print newspapers daily as well as two online versions, along with The New Yorker weekly and The Smithsonian monthly. And items from my various collections. As my brother and I say, so many books, so little time.
https://tinyurl.com/s7up23a5
Bronzino - Portrait of a Woman with a Lapdog
https://tinyurl.com/e245674
Bronzino - Cosimo I de' Medici in Armor
https://tinyurl.com/zfcev4s9
Bronzino - Portrait of a Young Man, Possibly Pierino da Vinci
https://tinyurl.com/2vb4mkk5
Titian - Benedetto Varchi
https://tinyurl.com/sseh43ea
Bronzino - Portrait of a Woman (probably Cassandra Bandini)
https://tinyurl.com/tn8jm63x
Bronzino - Portrait of the Grand Duchess Eleonora di Toledo with her son Francesco
https://www.haltadefinizione.com/en/viewer/work/portrait-of-eleanor-di-toledo-with-her-son-francesco-agnolo-bronzino
Francesco Salviati (Francesco de' Rossi) - Bindo Altoviti – Painted on marble
https://tinyurl.com/56ehvyfa
One morning a few weeks ago I walked up to Sotheby’s. They stopped requiring reservations which makes visits easier. I hadn’t paid close attention to the lots on the website but decided to go as it was an Impressionist preview. It’s an online auction so I wasn’t expecting great things, but it really was a non-event. A few pretty pictures, but nothing of note. It was on the second floor in the small gallery to the right. The other open gallery was on the fourth floor with Chinese decorative arts, Asian tchotchkes. The most worthwhile things were on the third floor which I don’t think was really open, at least not at that point. It had samples from the London Old Masters auction which will end in a few days. Once the auction closes I'm not sure the links will work so you may have to search past auctions to find the paintings. Or just Google the painting and the artist and it should come up. In addition to the three paintings below they had a couple of nice Boucher’s.
Joseph Mallord William Turner, R.A. - Purfleet and the Essex Shore as seen from Long Reach
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/old-masters-evening-sale/purfleet-and-the-essex-shore-as-seen-from-long-2
Jan Brueghel the Elder - A wooded estuary with a ferry and fishermen selling their catch
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/old-masters-evening-sale/a-wooded-estuary-with-a-ferry-and-fishermen-2
Sir Anthony van Dyck - Family portrait of the painter Cornelis de Vos and his wife Suzanna Cock and their two eldest children, Magdalena and Jan-Baptist
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/old-masters-evening-sale/family-portrait-of-the-painter-cornelis-de-vos-and-2
On another day I visited Quest Royal which I’ve written about before. It’s by far my favorite gallery, just walls and walls of American art, all of it lovely. Everything for this exhibition had a price listed as they are having a sale, everything discounted. There were a number of lovely Sanford Robinson Gifford’s, the one below is price on request. This image of the Trost Richards doesn’t come anywhere near to displaying its magnificence, it’s another painting that just glows, truly beautiful. The Moran is exquisite, and I love the Bierstadt as well.
Moored Sailboat Inlet, 1888 - William Trost Richards
https://www.questroyalfineart.com/moored-sailboat-inlet/
The Grand Canal, Venice, 1903 - Thomas Moran
https://www.questroyalfineart.com/the-grand-canal-venice/
Niagara Falls - Albert Bierstadt
https://www.questroyalfineart.com/niagara-falls/
Sunset, 1865 - Sanford Robinson Gifford
https://www.questroyalfineart.com/sunset/
And below are articles and videos I’ve come across.
I don’t think anyone will be purchasing any Old Master drawings, but this is a good article with a number of excellent illustrations.
Collecting guide: Old Master drawings
https://www.christies.com/features/Old-Master-Drawings-Collecting-Guide-7455-1.aspx?sc_lang=en#FID-7455
I love the Dutch and this article from Christie’s is about the Dutch landscape painters. It’s filled with beautiful images.
A collector’s guide to Dutch landscape painters
https://tinyurl.com/mu6x4854
This article is about a pastel portrait the Getty Museum won at auction last month. It’s another in a number of articles that have appeared about Adélaïde Labille-Guiard, whom I’ve written about previously.
Why Adélaïde Labille-Guiard’s 1783 Portrait of a Mother Nursing Broke New Ground
https://tinyurl.com/2dwh7drk
The things that can be done to art continue to amaze.
Rembrandt’s Beloved ‘Night Watch’ Was Cut Up to Fit Through a Door. With A.I., You Can See It Whole for the First Time in 300 Years
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/operation-night-watch-1982686
This appealed to me on several levels. I love Van Gogh, and like him, I am an avid reader. This is a bookmark he created with 3 simple sketches on it. It’s a very early work as well.
A new Van Gogh work discovered hidden in a book
https://www.theartnewspaper.com/blog/van-gogh-found-tucked-into-a-novel
This article is about two pastel paintings up for auction in London. Degas’ pastels are highly praised.
‘These women of mine are honest, simple folk’ — a bather and a ballerina by Edgar Degas
https://tinyurl.com/2nr32fra
Another article on Monet’s style.
Monet Was Such an Influencer
https://tinyurl.com/nw5mehvd
Leonardo’s Head of a Bear (and the ermine it inspired a decade later)
https://www.christies.com/features/Leonardo-da-Vinci-Head-of-a-Bear-11717-7.aspx?sc_lang=en#FID-11717
The Frick series of Cocktails with a Curator are running down. After these there are but two more to come.
Cocktails with a Curator: Gentile da Fabriano’s “Madonna and Child with Saints”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ob4vZxss5QY
Cocktails with a Curator: Du Paquier Elephant-Shaped Wine Dispenser
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdWlVJtxFRM
Cocktails with a Curator: Bruegel the Elder’s “Three Soldiers”
https://youtu.be/jU4vutrpVrg
Cocktails with a Curator: Reynolds's "Selina, Lady Skipwith"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oON84d3xJU
And if you made it all the way to the bottom, here are a few Flickrs.
Andy G.
Maid 1
https://www.flickr.com/photos/146275703@N07/50943047536/
Sissy Dress
https://www.flickr.com/photos/beebillings/50653246618/
JENNIFER
https://www.flickr.com/photos/49568606@N06/50783178893/
You may kiss the bride.....
https://www.flickr.com/photos/payalkcd/50929617171/
Sissy Pet
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sissypet12/49351684912/
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Hi,
Things have been quiet on the board; I hope people have contributed to Betty’s health. At any rate I’m back with some more great art.
I had a ton of cavities as a kid, mainly due to all the junk food I consumed. Now all those cavities have weakened my teeth leading to a broken tooth which had to be extracted. That was unpleasant. When the oral surgeon finished, he then extracted a lot of money from my Visa card. For six months I have to live with the hole in my head. At least it’s not overly noticeable as it’s a few teeth away from the middle. In two months I go back for the implant and another extraction of funds and then three months later I will get the faux tooth. And another draining of my wallet. I suffered from acid reflux for many years untreated and that destroyed the enamel on my teeth making them even weaker. I don’t understand why technology hasn’t come up with a replacement for the lost enamel. Creosote for teeth or something like that. I’m guessing a lot of the board members are aged like me so what I just wrote won’t be unfamiliar. Younger people apparently don’t have such problems and a lot of them have never been to the dentist for anything other than a cleaning. I envy them.
It appears there’s enough going on in the artworld currently to keep me busy for the next few weeks so I’m happy about that. Usually, the dog days of summer are fairly dead for exhibitions, but there are a few galleries I intend to visit.
I visited the Met this week for the new Chinese exhibit. The Japanese gallery was closed, and it looks like they’re installing another rotation for the current exhibit. I hope it includes the woodblock prints I enjoy so much. I also walked through the Later South Asia gallery, the one at the top of the stairs on the second floor. They have some very lovely, colorful, Indian paintings on display.
The current Chinese exhibit as usual is quite nice, lots of delicate drawings, scrolls and objects. Below are a few of the things I enjoyed.
Landscapes - Shitao (Zhu Ruoji) Chinese – Album of 8 leaves.
https://tinyurl.com/v8e7eb83
Cao Zhenxiu – Famous Women – Album of 16 leaves.
https://tinyurl.com/3zyjyeyb
Hu Xigui – Gentlewomen – Album of 12 leaves.
https://tinyurl.com/5huc4ux9
Lu Han – Eight landscapes
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/51621
Gai Qi - Famous Women – Album of sixteen leaves.
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/733847
Below are some videos and articles I’ve accumulated since my last email.
Speaking of the Met, this is a very disturbing article on the some of the things they’re facing. Vandals have defaced sculptures as well as Rembrandt and Vermeer paintings.
‘All We Want Is Some Respect’: Overworked Museum Guards at the Met Say They’re Being Asked to Do More Work With Less Help Than Ever
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/metropolitan-museum-of-art-guards-overworked-1993240
Very interesting article on art forgers.
Why Do Forgeries Sometimes Deceive Even the Most Venerable Experts? Because We All Want to Believe
https://news.artnet.com/opinion/jane-kallir-op-ed-1995928
Good, well-illustrated book review on Frida Kahlo.
A New Book Gathers Every Single Documented Frida Kahlo Painting, Including Lost Works—See Images Here
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/frida-kahlo-complete-paintings-taschen-1993532
Something to look forward to in November. Wonderful Van Gogh.
Christie’s Is Looking to Bank $200 Million From the Storied Impressionist Art Collection of the Late Oil Magnate Edwin L. Cox
https://news.artnet.com/market/christies-edwin-l-cox-collection-1994043
I was lucky to see this painting when I visited the National Gallery of Art in D.C. for their exhibition of trompe l’oeil paintings. I’ve been to the Philadelphia Museum, but I can’t be certain I saw it in its home, as it was a very long time ago.
This Delightful Trick Painting Is a Treasure of Early U.S. Art. Here Are 3 Facts About the Philadelphia Museum’s Beloved Trompe L’oeil
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/charles-willson-peale-staircase-group-three-facts-1985043
The final two Cocktails.
Cocktails with a Curator: Verrocchio's "Bust of a Woman"
https://youtu.be/hBWctv_Ox9M
Cocktails with a Curator: Whistler’s “Comte Robert de Montesquiou-Fezensac"
https://youtu.be/gNrm4JE5syc
This four-minute video is about my favorite painting at the Guggenheim Museum.
Jackie Briggs on Camille Pissarro’s "The Hermitage at Pontoise"
https://youtu.be/XoEX16Stct0
Interesting ten-minute video on the cleaning of a painting by Impressionist painter Adolphe Monticelli, someone who was an influence on Van Gogh.
The unfashionable artist who inspired Van Gogh | Behind the scenes in Conservation |National Gallery
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FpVYCCayuQ&t=91s
This is a 7 1/2 minute video on a painting by Klimt, but is also filled with many images of his other works, all very colorful.
Better Know: The Kiss by Gustav Klimt
https://tinyurl.com/r7p2k7m6
And now a few Flickrs and that’s it for this post.
Andy G.
CROSSDRESSER red Mini Dress and high Heels (TGirl / Tansgender)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sandy_crossdresser/51296538591/
Boy in the Dress
https://www.flickr.com/photos/193284377@N04/51291737139/
c2d5285044e97e8999541b816e91f50b
https://www.flickr.com/photos/193284377@N04/51291916589/
sissy Dress
https://www.flickr.com/photos/beebillings/50651017861/
99148912-728F-4689-B79B-74A4E86425E0
https://www.flickr.com/photos/22704178@N07/51136790892/
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Hi,
I had been delaying a visit to MOMA for the Cezanne exhibit because MOMA gets so crowded, and I wasn't sure I was going to go. Time is running out and my brother told me it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity and I have to go, so on Wednesday I went.
Cézanne Drawing
https://www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/5293
I arrived at 10:10 AM and was first on line. The doors opened at 10:25 AM and I went straight up to the exhibit. No vaccination check, but it doesn't actually go into effect until next Monday when they will start actively checking. My brother had recommended going right to the last gallery if the exhibit was crowded as that’s where the best pieces are. Being the first to enter I didn't have to do that; I was able to wander through the entire exhibit at my leisure. Through most of my visit, there weren't many other visitors, several times I was alone. It is an enormous exhibit, but many of the drawings were easy to go through, there was so much repetition. It was the watercolors which were truly wonderful. I went through the exhibit twice and was struck by how much of the art came from private collections. I’m sure it was very difficult to gather all this great art, the logistics must have been daunting. I'm very glad I decided to go and very pleased it wasn’t crowded. It didn't start to crowd up at all until I was leaving the gallery and even then, it wasn't mobbed. I visited the rest of the museum which also wasn't overly crowded. I wandered through the automobile exhibit and the Calder. Then made sure I got to see the two Hoppers on display, my favorite,
Gas https://www.moma.org/collection/works/80000?artist_id=2726&page=1&sov_referrer=artist
and Night Windows
https://www.moma.org/collection/works/79270?artist_id=2726&page=1&sov_referrer=artist
Just like my visit after the museum reopened, I was able to be alone with Monet's lilies,
https://www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/5110/installation_images/48638
saw Van Gogh’s Starry Night all by myself,
https://www.moma.org/collection/works/79802
a wonderful Klimt painting Hope II, https://www.moma.org/audio/playlist/1/61
Cristina's World by Wyeth, https://www.moma.org/collection/works/78455
and the first watercolors by Charles Demuth I've seen, that weren't of fruit or vegetables. This is a link to his page at MOMA, listing all 16 of his works in the collection, which includes several of the fruit and vegetable paintings as well. https://www.moma.org/search/?bucket=2&query=charles+demuth
Here are a few well-illustrated reviews.
The Cézanne We’ve Forgotten How to See
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/27/arts/design/cezanne-moma-drawings.html
Cézanne’s drawings, watercolours and sketchbooks to get star treatment at MoMA
https://www.theartnewspaper.com/preview/cezanne-s-drawings-watercolours-and-sketchbooks-to-get-star-treatment-at-moma
Cézanne on Paper
https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2021/07/02/cezanne-on-paper/
All in all, a very pleasant and successful morning. Below are some of the things I enjoyed.
Three Pears, ca. 1888–90 - The Henry and Rose Pearlman Foundation, on long-term loan to the Princeton University Art Museum
https://artmuseum.princeton.edu/cezanne-modern/c%C3%A9zanne/three-pears
Cézanne’s ‘Still Life with Cherries’ (1890) © Fondazione Magnani-Rocca
https://tinyurl.com/9dp6h534
Still Life with Apples on a Sideboard – Dallas Museum of Art
https://collections.dma.org/artwork/3045708
Rose Bush – Private collection
https://www.1st-art-gallery.com/frame-preview/17008783.webp?sku=Unframed&thumb=0&huge=0
Pot of Geraniums (Pot de géranium) c. 1885 - Collezione Marco Brunelli, Milan
https://i.pinimg.com/236x/22/b6/76/22b676b2dd260220327b33c0b0f49f97.jpg
Curtains 1885 - Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France
https://www.wikiart.org/en/paul-cezanne/curtains-1885
Boy in a Red Vest - 1888-90 – MOMA
https://www.moma.org/collection/works/79086
Still Life with Blue Pot – J.Paul Getty Museum
https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/27/paul-cezanne-still-life-with-blue-pot-french-about-1900-1906/
And here are some articles and videos I’ve recently come across.
This press release announcing a new gift is something to look forward to. 26 quality drawings which will be on display at Frick Madison in Fall 2022.
Frick Announces Its Most Significant Gift of Drawings and Pastels
https://www.frick.org/sites/default/files/pdf/press/2021/Eveillard_Gift_Release_FINAL.pdf
This is a link to images of all 26 drawings.
https://www.frick.org/sites/default/files/pdf/press/2021/Eveillard_Gift_Image%20List_FINAL.pdf
This is the final Curator’s cut from the Met. It discusses two pendant portraits by Ingres that are wonderful paintings.
Kathy Galitz on Ingres’s Portraits of the Leblancs | Curator's Cut
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5Ro95LNnyI
Another video series from the Frick, this video exploring Degas’s Rehearsal is 11 minutes.
Closer Look: Degas's "Rehearsal"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UevE7yvUXVU
This article concerns a magnificent painting in the Met’s collection, one that coincidentally was donated by our favorite benefactor, Mrs. Wrightsman. The article points out how the painting was altered due to the political climate just before the French revolution.
Conservators at the Met Have Discovered a Hidden Composition Under Jacques Louis David’s Portrait of a Famed Chemist
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/hidden-composition-jacques-louis-david-portrait-chemist-lavoisier-2004720
And way down here at the bottom, a few Flickrs.
Andy G.
Sissy Michelle
https://www.flickr.com/photos/112581963@N05/51149045083/
Way down the rabbit hole!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/chastitytania/51104191951/
Cute Mai Ayase
https://www.flickr.com/photos/182570265@N08/50600272843/
My new girls white dress
https://www.flickr.com/photos/134925861@N04/51140659553/
www.fetish-zona.com - Rubber Doll Jenna – Sissy boy doll, which fucked by slender mistress – HD 720p
https://www.flickr.com/photos/170242883@N02/50972624583/
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Hi,
It’s been a while since my last art post and I’ve visited a number of venues, some of which I’ll report on below.
I’ve been to the Barnes Foundation museum twice with my older brother, but it’s been a number of years. Recently a friend and I drove down to Philadelphia to visit it in its new location, several blocks from the Philadelphia Museum. It was originally in Merion and the town had a contentious relationship with the Foundation doing its best to limit accessibility. Mr. Barnes stipulated it couldn’t be moved and the way the art is hung had to be maintained. The trustees were finally able to break the covenant and build this beautiful new building in Philadelphia and recreate the interior of the original structure so as to exactly mirror the manner in which the art was hung. Ironically Merion was very unhappy about the move. Apparently, they hated it being there, but hated its leaving even more.
It’s not hung like most museums, pictures are right next to each other and cover the entire wall, as well as being hung above doorframes. With no informational cards next to them, only being identified by the little plaques on the frames. Some of the frames didn’t even have that and some of the paintings are misidentified. The museum offers an excellent guide to the entire collection, by posting a QR code which you scan that brings you to the museum website where each painting can be identified along with background information. It was one of the most enjoyable days I’ve spent in a museum.
It has one of the finest collections of Impressionist art and needs to be seen to appreciate how overwhelming the collection is. The top four holdings are, 181 paintings by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 69 by Paul Cézanne, 59 by Henri Matisse and 46 by Pablo Picasso.
They also had a special exhibition of Suzanne Valadon, which had many paintings from overseas. She is not someone I’m overly familiar with which is not surprising as this is the first major U.S. solo exhibition of her work. Angela asked the guard if she could take pictures and he said yes, please do, as you will probably never see many of these paintings again. There were a number from the Met which I don’t think I’ve ever seen. I mentioned to the guard that I didn't think they were on display at the Met and he agreed. I also had forgotten that she was the mother of Maurice Utrillo whose fame eclipsed hers. I didn't know he was an alcoholic and mentally unstable as well as being a great artist and that he lived with her until just a few years before she died.
This is a review of the Valadon exhibit from the New York Times.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/20/arts/design/valadon-painter-barnes-philadelphia.html
This is a link to the Barnes page from Wikipedia and it describes who Barnes was, how he made his fortune and the history of the Foundation. At the bottom is a nice selection of art from the collection.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barnes_Foundation
One day a few weeks ago I walked up to the Jewish Museum on Fifth Avenue at 92nd Street. It’s been a while since I’ve visited. The current exhibit lured me.
This is a link to the website explaining the idea behind the exhibit.
Afterlives: Recovering the Lost Stories of Looted Art
https://thejewishmuseum.org/exhibitions/afterlives-recovering-the-lost-stories-of-looted-art
This is a well-illustrated review of the show from the Times.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/30/arts/design/afterlives-looted-art-jewish-museum.html
And below are images of some of the things in the exhibit. I really like the Pissarro portrait of Minette. Well, obviously I like them all, but I thought the Minette was really sweet.
Bernardo Strozzi - An act of mercy, giving drink to the thirsty
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bernardo_Strozzi_-_An_act_of_mercy,_giving_drink_to_the_thirsty.jpg
Gustave Courbet - Nude Reclining by the Sea
https://www.philamuseum.org/collection/object/59522
Camille Pissarro – Minette
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Camille_Pissarro,_Minette,_ca._1872._Oil_on_canvas,_Wadsworth_Atheneum_Museum_of_Art,.jpg
Cezanne - Bather and Rocks
https://chrysler.emuseum.com/objects/21183/bather-and-rocks
Matisse - Girl in Yellow and Blue with Guitar
https://www.artic.edu/artworks/191565/girl-in-yellow-and-blue-with-guitar
Matisse – Daisies
https://www.artic.edu/artworks/100226/daisies
Claude Lorrain – Battle on a Bridge
https://www.vmfa.museum/piction/6027262-8068206/
Pissarro - Portal of the Church of Saint-Jacques in Dieppe – This from the permanent collection.
https://thejewishmuseum.org/collection/34764-portal-of-the-church-of-saint-jacques-in-dieppe-portail-l-eglise-saint-jacques-a-dieppe
This week I walked up to Acquavella Gallery for a Picasso exhibit. While I enjoy much of his work, there’s also a fair amount that I’m a little cool toward. Like Dali he seemed at some point to be painting for the monetary value rather than through inspiration. But this exhibit is quality all the way. It’s a fairly large exhibit, four rooms with about 86 paintings and drawings. I’ve copied several things below. The first three are watercolors and I thought them rather special. Much of the exhibit is from private collections.
This is a link to the website with additional images and a room-by-room view.
https://www.acquavellagalleries.com/exhibitions/picasso?view=slider#3
Composition: Nu sur la plage [Composition: Nude on the Beach] Cannes, July 16, 1933
https://tinyurl.com/a3z57mf6
"Homme Assis," (1933)
https://tinyurl.com/mpad76xx
Personnages sur le plage 1933 Cannes – Figures on the beach
https://hypebeast.com/2020/6/acquavella-art-basel-online-viewing-room-2020-info
Tete de Femme Paris late 1902 – I find this to be a really striking portrait. I couldn’t find it on the Internet, so I’ve attached it to this post at the very bottom. That is if I’ve remembered to do so. My memory sometimes is a little fleeting.
Sylvette (III) – Vallauris, April 29, 1954
https://st.hzcdn.com/simgs/f3d1f5c7035fcd9f_4-4837/home-design.jpg
Tête de femme [Head of a Woman] Fontainebleau, summer 1921
https://tinyurl.com/abucm4um
Course de taureaux (Corrida) [Bullfight (Corrida)] Barcelona, [summer] 1900
https://tinyurl.com/ycnxavyx
Below are articles and videos I’ve accumulated since my last email.
This is the most bizarre thing I’ve read in a while. When did we enter Blade Runner territory?
An Art-Making Robot Was Detained on Her Way to Show at the Pyramids Because Egyptian Customs Officials Thought She Was a Spy
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/robot-artist-ai-da-detained-by-customs-officials-2023380
A review of what looks to be a blockbuster exhibition at the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum in Boston.
The Problematic Allure of Titian’s Poesie Paintings
https://tinyurl.com/wet2hb4k
This is fairly embarrassing for the Gallery, but they haven’t given up on the painting.
AI Analysis Says National Gallery’s ‘Samson and Delilah’ Painting Isn’t a Rubens
https://tinyurl.com/5bey3p6v
An article on a favorite.
Vincent van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’ Has Captivated the Public for Over a Century—Here Are 3 Things You Might Not Know About It
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/3-things-about-vincent-van-goghs-starry-night-2020713
These articles and their accompanying videos are all from Christie’s in conjunction with the upcoming auction of the Cox collection of Impressionist paintings. I have a reservation to visit Christie’s on Monday November 1st and I am really looking forward to it, should be awesome. My brother plans on going on the 3rd.
Foreign exchange: how American Impressionists were inspired by their French contemporaries
https://tinyurl.com/e4c23bwc
‘Radical and innovative’: Cézanne’s love letter to a coastal French paradise
https://tinyurl.com/s429ewfx
‘The glory of the garden’ — reflecting on Monet’s painterly garden scenes
https://www.christies.com/features/claude-monets-garden-paintings-by-richard-thomson-11853-1.aspx?sc_lang=en#fid-11853
10 things to know about Gustave Caillebotte
https://tinyurl.com/yxnymnve
Claude Monet’s Le bassin d’Argenteuil: an ode to leisure and light
https://tinyurl.com/2ua4kxth
The Final Years of Van Gogh's Life
https://youtu.be/aeBjHsM0gmU
And a few Flickrs would be appropriate about here.
Andy G.
had some time to myself!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/158274655@N05/48663310596/
asian sissy
https://www.flickr.com/photos/156813267@N06/48107279472/
Curtsey
https://www.flickr.com/photos/53921045@N08/7954165034/
Sally Sissy
https://www.flickr.com/photos/190751835@N03/51140222448/
IMG_3443 5 x 7 L
https://www.flickr.com/photos/192063243@N05/50926655103/
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Hi,
I mentioned visiting friends for Xmas. This entails driving, something I really hate doing. I was never fond of it, but as I’ve aged it’s gotten much worse. It’s hard in nice weather during the day. It’s worse at night, or in the rain or snow. I drive very little, which with my weak eyes, poor reflexes, lack of depth perception and no sense of direction is a good thing. My Xmas trip was about 140 miles roundtrip. An hour more or less each way which is also about my limit. I don’t want to nap on the ride home. Including that my annual mileage this year was 252. When I bring it in for service annually my mechanic tells me the oil hasn’t changed color.
I hadn’t been wearing the mask in the streets when I visit the City, but with this latest Omicron outbreak, I now wear it for the entire trip, on the bus, through the Port Authority, inside the galleries and museums and on the bus home. Just about everyone I pass on the street is wearing a mask. The request for my Covid vaccination proof isn’t total. The Met always asks for it, as well as ID to prove that I’m the person to whom it was issued. The Met is also now limiting attendance and the last time I was there, when I left there were people lined up outside on the steps waiting to get in. But I’m going to discuss my visits to two galleries, two favorites of mine. Questroyal Gallery for American art and Ronin Gallery for Japanese woodblock prints. The former didn’t ask for vaccination proof while the latter did. I was happy that aside from the employees, I was the only one in the gallery. I’m grateful to be retired, but I’m especially pleased not to have to go to work during the pandemic. I would not want to be riding the bus into the city during rush hour twice a day. I go in once a week now and only during off hours, when the bus is not crowded, and I always get a seat by myself. When I’m home in New Jersey it’s not an issue as I don’t go anywhere aside from the Shop Rite, and I always wear my mask when I shop. I do long for the time when none of this will be an issue anymore.
Since my last art email I’ve visited a number of venues and as I just mentioned, I’ll discuss two of them here.
When I visited Questroyal there were several exhibits on display with many beautiful paintings. One exhibit was for Tom Yost, a contemporary landscape painter. All his paintings were from the last few years and were very bright, colorful, and beautiful. My brother thinks he is a photorealist painter and in retrospect I have to agree. I wonder if the Hudson River paintings, some of which are similar to Yost’s, looked as bright when they were first painted before they lost that effect over time. The other exhibits were, The American Masters, and New York Forever: Important Paintings of the World’s City. They had all the usual names and favorites. A small William Bradford which I’m guessing is a study for a large painting in the Met’s collection. A small Albert Bierstadt of Niagara Falls. A Martin Johnson Heade painting of flowers. A Robert Henri painting of a little girl which I really liked a lot. A wonderful Sanford Robinson Gifford and a seamy Reginald Marsh, all of which I’ve copied below When I was compiling the images I couldn't find the Henri on the Questroyal website so I Googled it. It came up on a closed auction from Sotheby's and I didn't think about it as that's happened before. But I went back to look and realized it was the Sotheby's auction of deaccessioned museum paintings I had been to in May of this year. Now I wonder if the gallery bought it at the auction or if someone else bought it and is now looking to sell it. It went in the midrange of the estimate so I also wonder what would prompt that person to do so.
This is a link to the website, with further links to all the objects in each of the exhibitions.
https://www.questroyalfineart.com/
On another morning I visited the Ronin Gallery. I went as the current exhibit was works by Hasui, but when I arrived, I was told I would be the first person to view the January exhibit of Hiroshige II which had just been hung. There were only a few prints by Hasui as the others had all sold. Nevertheless, I enjoyed what was on display. I’ve copied a few below the links to the other images at the bottom of this email.
Here are links to Ronin Gallery with prints by Hasui and Hiroshige II.
https://www.roningallery.com/exhibitions/Hasui-Kawase-1883-1957
https://www.roningallery.com/search?keywords=hiroshige%20ii
Below are some articles and videos I’ve come across recently.
This is a fairly bizarre article about a color-blind artist who had an antenna implanted in his head which allows him to see colors. Seeing colors is great, but I’m not sure I’d want to walk around looking like a Martian. Although when I was a kid, one of my favorite shows was My Favorite Martian. It was about a Martian who looks like an earthling, crashlanding on Earth. A young newsman finds him and lets him live in his garage while he repairs his spaceship, explaining his presence by introducing him as his uncle. One of his special abilities is to emit two antennas from the back of his head and then become invisible, but he and the newsman keep it a secret to prevent panic. They were very funny shows, at least to 12-year-old Andy. This the actor Ray Walston in character as the Martian. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Walston
From Tom Cruise to time travel: colour-blind ‘cyborg’ artist who hears colours through implant invents time-sensing device
https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3160496/tom-cruise-time-travel-colour-blind-cyborg-artist-who-hears
This article is about a painting that was handed down from its original recipient, who received it from Van Gogh, and has been in the family for 132 years.
Never before seen Van Gogh stirs questions and controversy
https://artdaily.com/news/140643/Never-before-seen-Van-Gogh-stirs-questions-and-controversy
This is an interview with the author, a Van Gogh scholar, regarding his latest book which chronicles the last days of Van Gogh’s life. Many beautiful images.
‘Van Gogh’s Life Was Made for a Novelist’: Author Martin Bailey on the Artist’s Mysterious Last Days—and How He Really Died
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/martin-bailey-van-gogh-finale-book-2030322
This article on one of my favorite artists and shows three of his paintings that went on the block in November.
Beyond realism: 10 things to know about Edward Hopper
https://www.christies.com/features/10-things-to-know-about-edward-hopper-11934-1.aspx?sc_lang=en#fid-11934
Recently I read a book of short stories edited by Lawrence Block; In Sunlight or in Shadow, Stories inspired by the paintings of Edward Hopper. It came out in 2016 and I remember thinking it was something I would enjoy, but I never got around to buying it. A few weeks ago I was on a site and someone recommended it and I immediately ordered it. It was very enjoyable. 17 paintings by Hopper, each followed by a short story inspired by the painting. All noted authors such as Lee Child, Michael Connelly, Stephen King and Joe R. Lansdale. Some were better than others, but all of them were entertaining. If you’re a reader and a fan of Hopper you will enjoy it.
This video concerns a painting by Renoir that is came up for auction in November. It has an interesting provenance. The dealer, Durand-Ruel acquired it from the artist and then sold it to Albert Barnes. Several years later Durand traded a different Renoir to Barnes to reacquire this one.
Renoir’s Jeune fille and the Triumph of Impressionism
https://tinyurl.com/5687b4c2
This article addresses what’s underneath a number of Vermeer paintings.
The Girl With a Pearl Earring’s Lavish Jewel May Be a Fake and 4 Other Secrets Scholars Have Uncovered in the Work of Vermeer
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/scholars-5-secrets-vermeer-2032943
Article from Christie’s on the only one of Picasso’s lovers to leave him as she turns 100 years old.
Françoise Gilot: A life with passion
https://tinyurl.com/42yywduw
This article from Christie’s is about Julius and Camilla Priester who were forced to leave behind their fantastic art collection when they fled Nazi Germany. And how their heirs finally got them back many years later.
Restitution: how these Old Master works confiscated by the Gestapo were returned more than six decades later
https://tinyurl.com/yckk87kc
And this was an interesting article about a painting I’ve long liked, but unfortunately have never had the pleasure of seeing in person.
Thomas Gainsborough’s ‘Blue Boy’ Was Once the World’s Most Famous Painting—Here Are 3 Surprising Facts About It
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/three-things-thomas-gainsborough-blue-boy-2048661
Below are links to the images from Questroyal and Ronin.
Cove at Sherwood Point, 2019 - Tom Yost
https://www.questroyalfineart.com/cove-at-sherwood-point/
Icebergs, Labrador - William Bradford
https://www.questroyalfineart.com/icebergs-labrador/
Niagara Falls - Albert Bierstadt
https://www.questroyalfineart.com/niagara-falls/
Mount Etna from Catania - Sanford Robinson Gifford
https://www.questroyalfineart.com/mount-etna-from-catania/
Cherokee Roses in a Glass - Martin Johnson Heade
https://www.questroyalfineart.com/cherokee-roses-in-a-glass/
Pegeen - Robert Henri
https://tinyurl.com/fzv2tccd
Burlesque Queen - Reginald Marsh
https://www.questroyalfineart.com/burlesque-queen/
Hasui - Spring Night at Inokashira Park
https://www.roningallery.com/Spring-Night-at-Inokashira-Park
Hasui - Tamon Temple at Hamahagi in Boshu
https://www.roningallery.com/tamon-temple-at-hamahagi-in-boshu
Hiroshige II - The Coast in Tsushima
https://tinyurl.com/yckk83tz
And here are the first Flickrs of the New Year.
Andy G.
04 Posoing in her pink dress 4
https://www.flickr.com/photos/savannasteel/51156295314/
1950s girl-about-town
https://www.flickr.com/photos/debbie_lewissmith/51286467318/
IMG_20191027_233701
https://www.flickr.com/photos/148891305@N07/50864068263/
White Satin
https://www.flickr.com/photos/61636721@N06/51311680535/
P1130936_
https://www.flickr.com/photos/36322396@N08/50155781041/
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Don't believe anything from South China Morning Post. That's a phoney gimmick for clicks, an artist trying to get attention, or outright BS. Although it is possible to have a sensor that picks up a color, & makes a vibrator vibrate a skull to a certain pitch, it's not likely it was implanted. Every time he would bump something above or ahead of his head, it would crack it out of his skull. Not even necessary to implant it anyway -- anything strapped to your head can vibrate your skull without being implanted. He can also hear the vibrations by simply wearing an earphone. And why can't he shut it off? What possible purpose would it serve to disable shutting it off? We're surrounded by colors... how directional is that thing? My "Bullshit-O-Meter" says that article is BS.
I liked My Favorite Martian. But he probably was much more famous in his reoccurring role as the Starfleet Academy's groundskeeper, & as an alien in the Star Trek NG & Voyager series. But he turned up in lots of movies & TV shows.
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Tracing images with pinhole cameras projecting the image on the canvas to make paintings mentioned in the other article was old tech by the time of the Girl with a Pearl Earring. Galileo was already regularly selling his telescopes using lenses in 1609. Many artists where using lenses by then to project superior images onto the canvas to trace them out (the way cameras project images onto film), then fill in the details & color later. It was a trade secret, & rarely discussed. But it is assumed there are many post 1600 paintings that might have started as traced images projected by a lens.
When I was a kid I wished I was "Blue Boy" & other "classical" boys in art.
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The good old days when men & boys wore long hair & pretty clothes.
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Yes Betty I remember Blue Boy but I wished to be "Pinky" the little girl in the partner painting that is in some galleries. I remember them both on exhibit at the British Museum back in the 70's I think, when I was in London. I remember in Grade 7 using a projector to copy an image for our teacher and then painting it in water colours for something but just can't remember what it was or why he wanted it. I could have done it free hand but he wanted to have it blown up pretty big for some reason.
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Hi Betty,
I picked up the article from an art blog, not directly from the source article, but I also just Googled the artist and it appears to be legitimate. The National Geographic did a piece on him back in 2017. I also just found a video the artist posted about himself. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=an_Qc0Q1MHE I confess I didn't really stop to think if it was legitimate or not, it just struck me as being very bizarre and still does.
Andy G.
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Hey Andy, I was intrigued by your Pinky reference so I searched.
Very pretty, though sad to read she died when she was 12 (the painting done 1 year earlier).
Ace
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I find it interesting that although Gainsborough is famous for his "Blue Boy" and "Pinky" paintings, his "pink boy" is scarcely ever mentioned:
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I didn't really stop to think if it was legitimate or not, it just struck me as being very bizarre and still does.
Every time he would bump something above or ahead of his head, it would crack it out of his skull, risking brain damage. Even if it was real, it's a nonsense gimmick for attention, or maybe to sell his work, but is totally unnecessary. A simple small earpiece can do the same thing... no need to bolt it into his skull. A hand-held device or phone app can also tell you the color of something. The dizzy flake just loves the attention by having something sticking out of his head. That's is a flexible USB LED light. He attached it to a curved base that covers a bald spot on his head, glued in place with fake eyelash glue, or other body decoration glue. Think about it... shouldn't it have been mounted up front instead of in back? He's just covering his bald spot.
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Hi,
I’ve been able to see some nice things in the last few weeks; I’ll write about my visit to Sotheby’s, and Debra Force Fine Art. I also want to mention an exhibit of drawings from the Hispanic Institute that was shown at the American Academy of Arts and Letters at 633 West 155th Street in upper Manhattan. It’s part of the multiple exhibition week that was written up in a long article in the Times last month.
This is a link to the article in the Times.
Drawing, a Cure for the January Blahs
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/20/arts/design/drawing-center-art-galleries-shear.html
It was the article that led me to this press release where I discovered the exhibit. You can click on the link, and you’ll see the other exhibitors.
https://www.masterdrawingsnewyork.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/14/MDNY-2022-Map-and-Calendar.pdf
These were limited runs, and the Hispanic drawings were only going to be on display for three days, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and only in the afternoon. I planned on going the Saturday which of course turned out to be the day we had our blizzard. Even if I was feeling adventurous I couldn’t have gone as the Port Authority closed, so there were no buses. I also discovered that the Academy was closed, and they extended the show to the following Monday and Wednesday. I didn’t want to go on a weekday as it would have meant traveling home in rush hour, a part of my life I’m not anxious to relive. I don’t usually go out on Sundays as it’s my day to stay in and read the Sunday papers, but I decided I would read the papers on the subway and go, as I definitely didn’t want to miss it.
I left the subway and using my normal absence of directional savvy immediately walked down to 154th Street, getting halfway before I could see the street sign telling me to turn around. I was also a little confused as my note said 633 East 155th Street and the sign clearly stated West. I was told it was between Broadway and Riverside Drive and I was on Broadway, so I assumed I was in the right place, but stopped and asked a cop anyway. He pointed out that if I wanted 633 East I had a very long walk, but we agreed that I had just made a mistake. In the email from the Academy, I was told 633 155th Street and my subconscious added the incorrect East.
The Hispanic Society has an enormous collection of art, and the brochure states they own 6500 drawings and watercolors. My brother had recommended it as a place to go a number of years ago, so I went and enjoyed the things on display, one of which was a full-length Goya portrait. But they never had much on display, and it was due to their old building. In April 2015 the society announced the appointment of Philippe de Montebello, long time director of the Met, to chair the society's Board of Overseers and spearhead a major effort to roughly double the museum's size. The museum closed in January 2017 and has only just recently partially opened. I’m hoping when it opens in full there will be significantly more art on display.
Unfortunately, the exhibit was a bit of a letdown. I have to say I think they could have made a better selection than the 27 examples on display. I was expecting a larger selection as well. I guess my complaint is a little like the old joke about two people discussing a restaurant. The food was bad, and the portions were so small. Among others, two Goya's, two Murillo's, two Sorolla's and one Ribera. Pleasant but not earthshaking. There was also an exhibit of Academy art which had a key that kept me very confused until I finally more or less was able to break the code. From the permanent collection there was a rather nice charcoal portrait of Anna Bowman Blake Dodd, a 19th Century novelist by Sargent, and a self-portrait by Childe Hassam.
Having made the trip I can say that if the blizzard had caused me to miss it, it would have not been a great tragedy.
Now on to more successful ventures.
I visited Sotheby’s for their Old Masters auction preview and saw some very lovely things. It wasn’t crowded, the coat check was open, and they didn’t ask for any proof of anything, but everyone was masked. They had selections from the London auctions, several Monet’s, a wonderful Magritte, a lovely Boucher, and a Caillebotte. This is the link to the Sotheby’s page with the Monet and the Magritte.
https://tinyurl.com/yckjav2x
There were some fine things in this preview, Botticelli’s Man of Sorrows, Murillo’s, Virgin and Child, Correggio’s, Saint Mary Magdalene, Bellini’s Phillips Madonna and Van Mol’s Diogenes.
These are links to everything in the two Masters auction previews.
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2022/master-paintings-sculpture-part-i
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2022/master-paintings-sculpture-part-ii
Below are some of the things I especially liked.
Gerard ter Borch - Portraits of a gentleman and a lady, three-quarter-length, each holding a glove, he in a black jacket and a black hat, she in a black dress with a white ruff collar and a head-dress – I’ve loved Ter Borch since I saw an exhibition devoted to him in the National Gallery in Washington some time ago.
https://tinyurl.com/bdfhh5ny
Jacob van Ruisdael - A ruined castle gateway, probably the archway of Huis Ter Kleef near Haarlem
https://tinyurl.com/32yzvf88
Adriaen Coorte - Still life of fraises-de-bois in a Wan-Li bowl upon a stone ledge – They look good enough to eat.
https://tinyurl.com/2p8caxf6
Artemisia Gentileschi - Portrait of a seated lady, three-quarter length, in an elaborate and gold-embroidered costume, possibly Caterina Savelli, Principessa di Albano – Artemisia is coming into her own.
https://tinyurl.com/kx5cdhpa
Andrea del Sarto - Portrait of a man (Ottaviano de' Medici?) wearing a large hat, with a box of wax seals resting on a ledge before him
https://tinyurl.com/34muz6cu
Hendrick Avercamp - Figures skating on a frozen lake with an elegant couple in the foreground
https://tinyurl.com/2p8tbvpn
Jean-Étienne Liotard - Portrait of Jacob Tronchin – I’ve mentioned the Frick exhibit of Liotard on numerous occasions.
https://tinyurl.com/38akkzh2
The day after my unsatisfactory visit to the Academy, I walked up to Debra Force Fine Art at 13 East 69th Street. I was asked for my vaccine passport. It was much more gratifying than the Academy show; a small selection of American art in two rooms. Lots of things I liked, Albert Bierstadt, a watercolor by Fitz Henry Lane, a seascape by Trost Richards and a pastel portrait by Robert Frederick Blum. I’ve copied some images below and this is a link to the website with a slideshow. Some of the paintings in the slideshow weren’t on display. The Homer and the Heade weren’t out which was a disappointment.
https://www.debraforce.com/exhibitions/celebrating-americana/selected-works?view=slider#1
Albert Bierstadt - South and North Moat Mountains, New Hampshire
https://tinyurl.com/3af6v836
Robert Frederick Blum - Japanese Girl
https://tinyurl.com/49uma33e
Samuel Colman - View of the Seaport, New York, 1869
https://tinyurl.com/mr2d858b
John Henry Hill - A Quiet Afternoon of Fishing – I thought this was a charming watercolor.
https://tinyurl.com/444h6b49
Fitz Henry Lane - Shooting Seabirds – I haven’t seen many of his watercolors. I’ve written previously about my visit to the museum dedicated to his work in his hometown of Gloucester, Massachusetts. It was a wonderful experience.
https://tinyurl.com/3482hawc
William Trost Richards - Rocky Coast with Lighthouse
https://tinyurl.com/2p8tnwwn
And here are some Flickrs to make it all worthwhile.
Andy G.
Finishing Touches
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ilhuicamina/51165480872/
Pink/peach dress
https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephmar314/4156837250/
sweet oink sissy spread nicely..
https://www.flickr.com/photos/193604516@N07/51443732404/
Sissy maid - on cleaning duty.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/wandabra/51392645107/
FATHERS AND SONS
https://tinyurl.com/m6cbzsxa
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I thought this one in the Masters Auction, "Dutch School, circa 1600-1650" was interesting. Isn't this a boy?
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Hi Betty,
Below is the painting's provenance in which it indicates it's a boy based on another picture by Caspar Netscher. Girls probably wouldn't be painted with sports themes.
Andy G.
This painting of a young child in an elaborate fur costume is a rare example from the Dutch Golden Age of a full-length child portrait holding a kolf club. What at first might appear to be a humble winter ensemble is, upon closer inspection, a quite lavish fur costume with matching hat, shoulder cape, and bodice. Together with the textured and beautifully stippled fur of the costume, the embroidered skirt and red silk lace shoes lend further emphasis to the extremely refined quality of the painting. It has been suggested that this highly specific costume may originate from Poland, based on comparison with a full-length portrait of a young boy in so-called "Polish dress" by Caspar Netscher in the Czartoryski Museum, Krakow.1
The game of kolf, in which a club was used to hit a stuffed leather ball, was a popular game in the provinces of Holland in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, regularly appearing in paintings and drawings from the period. The image of a child holding a kolf club and wearing formal dress became a particularly popular format in children's’ portraiture, though to find an example on such a small scale and with no landscape adornment is a true rarity.
The likely painter of this small panel has thus far eluded scholars, but it does seem to have been executed during the first half of the seventeenth century and possibly in Amsterdam by an artist in the close circle of Thomas de Keyser, Dirck Dircksz. Santvoort, or Gerard ter Borch. De Keyser, in particular, was highly influential in developing the full-length children's portrait, though his work in this sub-genre often include elaborate interiors. The present panel, with its intimate scale, simple background, and highly specific fur costume suggest a work of an extremely personal nature, possibly not intended for the open market.
1. M.E. Wieseman, Caspar Netscher and late seventeenth-century Dutch painting, Doornspijk 2002, cat. no. 120.
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Hi,
It’s auction time again; I spent a day at Christie’s and Sotheby’s and saw some wonderful things which I will describe below. I was also able to get to the Met for the Winslow Homer exhibition, which was a real treat, especially his watercolors. This is a video that describes it.
Winslow Homer: Crosscurrents Virtual Opening
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2UtGDMKyxA
My trip to Sotheby’s did not have an auspicious beginning as the bus broke down en route. I guess I was lucky as it only took about 10-15 minutes before another bus came and rescued us. The auction previews had an enormous amount of art on the walls, one of the auctions had close to 350 lots. Contemporary now includes the Impressionists so I was able to ignore much of the other stuff and concentrate on that. Three of the paintings that are stars of the auction are from the Toledo Museum of Art which has deaccessioned them for sale with the profits to be used to purchase more diverse works. They are by Renoir, Cezanne and Matisse and are all great paintings. It’s hard to fathom the rationale behind it and I agree with Christopher Knight in this article from the LA Times that it’s unconscionable.
Commentary: An Ohio museum is holding the biggest sale of museum art yet. It’s unconscionable
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2022-05-06/toledo-museum-deaccession-sotheby
The three paintings are in the article, but I’ll link to each of them below.
Among the things I saw that I thought special were paintings by, Gauguin, Modigliani, Monet, Pissarro, a Hopper drawing, and a lovely Thomas Moran, all of which I’ve linked to below. I was initially surprised I couldn’t find the Gauguin until I realized I was searching the Christie’s database.
And speaking of Christie’s, on a morning when the weather wasn’t especially nice, I visited their Contemporary Art preview. Once I got through the 21st Century there were a lot of nice things. At the very entrance to the gallery, to the immediate right, was the Michelangelo which was in very good condition. This drawing hadn’t been thought to be by Michelangelo until a 2019 appraisal. This is from the website.
“This is a new addition to the small group of copies drawn during the 1490s by Michelangelo after works by Florentine masters of earlier generations. "For several months he made drawings in Carmine after the frescoes of Masaccio" wrote Giorgio Vasari in his life of Michelangelo published in 1568, referring to the frescoes executed by the painter Masaccio (1401-1428) in the church of Santa Maria del Carmine in the Oltrarno district of Florence, continuing: "These surveys were made so judiciously that they were admired by practitioners, tradesmen, and jealousy grew along with his fame. Vasari's assertion is confirmed by two other studies – of a similar monumental format – after frescoes by Masaccio preserved in this church.”
MICHELANGELO BUONARROTI - A nude man (after Masaccio) and two figures behind him
https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-6370203
The Bass collection, which was a coup acquisition for Christies, was at the end of the first floor, all together in two rooms with the three Monet’s in a low light room, flanked outside the entrance by two Rothko’s, one of which my brother thinks is brilliant, but he is unmoved by the other. Needless to say, I don’t get either. You can see everything from the Bass estate in this article. I’ve also listed separate links for the three Monet’s below.
https://en.thevalue.com/articles/christies-new-york-anne-bass-collection-rothko-auction
The Monet’s are spectacular, all with estimates in the $50M range. They are quality paintings. My brother also said that whoever buys them won’t be able to light them as well as they’re lit in the gallery. The three of them are in their own room, one on the middle wall with the other two on either side and it’s a little like a shrine we’ve made a pilgrimage to. The other items are in the adjoining room. Who wouldn’t want to own a Degas bronze dancer, just like the one in the Met? Leaving that room, I came across a Van Gogh which I found luminous, it’s another of his paintings that glows, at least it did for me. Also, a lovely Monet; there are a bunch of Monets scattered around which are nice.
CLAUDE MONET - Le Parlement, soleil couchant
https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-6367902
CLAUDE MONET - Peupliers au bord de l’Epte, automne
https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-6367903
CLAUDE MONET – Nymphéas
https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-6367904
CLAUDE MONET - Soleil couchant, temps brumeux, Pourville - This one looks much better on the wall than in this image, but I liked it a lot.
https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-6369589
VINCENT VAN GOGH - Champs près des Alpilles
https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-6368787
Wandering through the Contemporary I came across a Duane Hanson sculpture of a Cowboy. Hanson sculpted life size realistic statues that were so realistic they could be mistaken for someone living. They’re really startling pieces; in one exhibit he set up an information clerk statue at a desk and people stopped and queried it wondering why they didn’t get a response.
DUANE HANSON – Cowboy
https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-6370068
On the third floor, there are items from the upcoming June Old Masters which were an unexpected treat. Clara Peeters and Brueghel the Younger for two.
https://www.christies.com/en/auction/old-masters-20550-nyr/
Also on the third floor are two Winslow Homer watercolors that are lovely. They’re in a room dedicated to private sales. I couldn’t find them on the Christie’s website, but I located them on another website.
Winslow Homer- Bananas for the Attorney General, 1885 – Christie’s
https://www.collisart.com/gallery/artists/winslow-homer/artworks/bananas-for-the-attorney-general
Winslow Homer - Orange trees and gate – Christie’s
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Winslow_Homer_-_Orange_trees_and_gate.jpg
Pierre-Auguste Renoir - Nu s'essuyant – From Toledo Museum.
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2022/modern-evening-auction/nu-sessuyant-2
Paul Cézanne - Clairière (The Glade) - From Toledo Museum
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2022/modern-evening-auction/clairiere-the-glade-2
Henri Matisse - Fleurs ou Fleurs devant un portrait - From Toledo Museum
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2022/modern-evening-auction/fleurs-ou-fleurs-devant-un-portrait-2
Paul Gauguin - Tahiti, scène de rivière
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2022/modern-evening-auction/tahiti-scene-de-riviere
Amedeo Modigliani - Madame Dorival
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2022/modern-evening-auction/madame-dorival
Claude Monet - Le Grand Canal et Santa Maria della Salute
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2022/modern-evening-auction/le-grand-canal-et-santa-maria-della-salute-2
Camille Pissarro - Vue de Zevekote, Knokke
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2022/modern-evening-auction/vue-de-zevekote-knokke
Edward Hopper - House and Field
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2022/modern-day-auction/house-and-field
Thomas Moran - Grand Canyon
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2022/the-american-scene-including-important-photographs-from-the-helene-wurlitzer-foundation/grand-canyon
Lots of wonderful art at these auctions. If you click on any of the links you’ll see another link at the top of the screen to the left which will take you back to the full listing of the items being auctioned. Or you can arrow left or right to see preceding and succeeding lots.
Now, how about a few Flickrs for old times’ sake.
Andy G.
Lady smile
https://www.flickr.com/photos/paulasatijn/51424344358/
One of Sierra's dresses
https://www.flickr.com/photos/99227123@N04/51395805048/
844 I hate vacuuming!!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93088436@N05/50923449762/
sissy maid on deck
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sissymaid/29928421442/
Goth Crossdresser in Sexy Skirt
https://www.flickr.com/photos/195510540@N02/52038206623/
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The Winslow Homer's historical American paintings were fascinating.