This time around to Philly, I visited the Philadelphia Art Museum. Great building, great collection. Its front steps are the "Rocky steps". I could easily go back. And...one of the current exhibits was "Dreamworld : Surrealism at 100'. I'm a fan of that type of art and I was able to see some things I've wanted to but never had. If you're in the area, I would definitely visit. Funny enough, walking back to the hotel, I passed the Rodin Museum and the Barnes Foundation. The Barnes foundation "houses one of the world's great collections of modern European paintings". Seems I have more places to visit.
The entrance (L): the Statue of Rocky and the steps made famous in the movie are behind me.
(R) The obligatory floor map and ticket.
(L) Max ERNST, The Forest, 1923, oil on canvas. I've seen Ernst's work several times and it's good to keep seeing more I was unaware of. (C) Salvador DALI, Agnostic Symbol, 1932, oil on canvas. A Dali! And one I don't think I've seen - great surprise. (R) TOYEN, The Voice of the Forest I, 1934, oil on canvas. I thought the Toyen was a interesting work - I would say on the edge of surrealism, but maybe that was her intent.
(L) Max ERNST, The Fugitive, Plate XXX, 1926, collotype. I thought the drawing was cool and had some great detail (and it was another Ernst). (C) Salvador DALI, The Spectral Cow, 1928, oil on plywood. (R) Salvador DALI, The First Days of Spring, 1929, oil and collage on panel. I'm indifferent about these two Dali works, but I took the pics for other reasons. He painted on plywood which reminds me it's the work, not the surface. Second, his skies are perfectly blended...they don't need to be and I should remember that.
L: Salvador DALI, Invisible Sleeping Woman, Horse, Lion, 1930, oil on canvas. This Dali is probably more recognizable - certainly of his style. C: Joan Miró, Painting, 1933, oil and aqueous medium on canvas. This was the cover of the floor map. R: Max ERNST, Chimera, 1928, oil on canvas. I thought Chimera has great colors and contrast. The lighting in the museum accented the painting very well.
(L) Salvador DALI, Aphrodisiac Telephone, 1938, plastic and metal. I finally got to see the lobster phone! And I learned something an interesting fact...the lobster was indeed real in Dali's first iteration for display in 1938. The white plastic lobster was used for the editioned version. It's funny, the first thing I thought was "why not make a plastic one that has the colors of a lobster?". However, you can see one in the link above, and I prefer the off-white. Seven white and four red versions were made for Edward James. (C) Raoul UBAC, Triumph of Sterility, 1937, gelatin silver print mounted on cardboard. I thought the hair really added a cool effect. (R) Salvador DALI, The Dream, 1931, oil on canvas. I think this is classic Dali style and I like the miscellaneous objects in the background. I'd say those are often missed in a Dali work.
(L) Paul DELVAUX, Phases of the Moon, 1939, oil on canvas. I took this picture for a personal reminder. It's called the Phases of the Moon, which would likely make one look at the moon. In the closeup of the moon, you can see DELVAUX reworked it. You can see an actual circle and the end shape - which isn't spherical. This would have bothered the heck out of me, but it's a good reminder that sometimes those details don't matter to viewers. He obviously spent much more time on everything other than the moon. (C) Pablo PICASSO, Bullfight, 1934, oil on canvas, and (R) Minotauromachy, 1935, etching and engraving. I took a picture of the painting simply to see if one would recognize it. Etchings are hard work so that deserved a picture. The link is the impact bullfighting had on Picasso's art.
(L) André Masson, Tauromachy, 1937, oil on canvas. This is a French painter who lived in Spain from 1934-36...apparently bullfighting was a good source of ideas for him, too. (C) Joan Miró, Figures in Front of Nature, 1935. oil and aqueous medium on cardboard. The colors were the attraction for me and the fact that it's on cardboard. (R) Max ERNST, The Fireside Angel (The Triumph of Surrealism), 1937, oil on canvas. I think this is a great painting.
(L) Salvador DALI, Soft Construction with Boiled Beans (Premonition of Civil War), 1936, oil on canvas. I've loved this painting since the first time I saw it. I saw it the first time in person in Paris, and it was great to see it again. (C) Max ERNST, Europe After the Rain II, 1940-42, oil on canvas. This was also a repeat viewing for me. The first was in Connecticut. Also good to see again. (R) Wolfgang PAALEN, Totemic Landscape, 1937, oil and soot on canvas. Similar to The Fireside Angel, this one just captured me.
(L) Gunther GERZSO, Paricutin, 1945, oil on canvas. I thought the colors and movement were well done. (C) Robert MATTA, The Bachelors Twenty Years Later, 1943. The movement grabbed my attention but so did the relation to Duchamp. The bachelors in this painting are hearkening back to figures in Duchamp's early career. (R) Jackson POLLOCK, Male and Female, 1943-43, oil on canvas. Taken simply for recognition. I.e., would you recognize this as a Pollock?
(L) Wifredo LAM, Exodus, 1948, oil on burlap. The colors and movement really captured my attention and the surface, burlap, really makes a cool effect. (C) Edgar DEGAS, Little Dancer, Aged Fourteen, modeled in wax 1878-81 and cast in bronze circa 1922. Great statue and I keep seeing her, but there are at least 28 casts made. The original wax model is in the National Gallery of Art and the link above is a good read. This was the only sculpture Degas showed in public. It was not well received and is now, of course, one of the most beloved works of art. (R) Edgar DEGAS, The Ballet Class, 1880-81, oil on canvas. I took a picture because this shows how much inspiration the ballet gave Degas.
(L) Édouard MANET, The Steamboat, Seascape with Porpoises, 1968, oil on canvas. I took this picture because it reminds me of the importance (or nonimportance) of details. The smoke and dolphins don't reflect reality, but they convey the point. I also took the picture because of the reality of being famous. If I painted this seascape like this, it might get someone's attention, but probably not. If Manet paints it, well, here I am talking about it. But it's also a great reminder that people will decide what they like. Painters should just paint what they want. Like Warhol said, "...don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide whether it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it." (C) Auguste RODIN, Thought, modeled 1895, carved 1900-01, marble. This is a great piece, but it's also cool to see a Rodin that isn't bronze. (R) Claude MONET, Marine near Étretat, 1882, oil on canvas. I took this because it's because it's so featureless and because it's probably not very recognizable as a Monet. I like open landscapes like this because open space is so nice.
(L) James McNeill WHISTLER, Nocturne, 1875-80, oil on canvas. I did take this picture because it's a Whistler, but also because I love it. The colors, the lack of detail, the scene itself - he nailed it. Yes, this is the Whistler of Whistler's Mother fame (which is actually titled Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1). He has other great night/nocturne works...one I particularly like is Nocturne: Blue and Gold – Old Battersea Bridge. Whistler "resisted clear categorization in both his art and his life" (PHAM). (C) John Singer SARGENT, The Rialto, Venice, 1911, oil on canvas. It's a Sargent, and I'm a fan of his work! Once again, he has done amazing work with light. (R) Edvard MUNCH, Mermaid, 1896, oil on canvas. This mermaid is trapped between the earth and sea. This was picture worthy as I always appreciate seeing other works from artists often known for very few works, or even one (The Scream). Also, this was commissioned for someone's home (Axel Heiberg) - pretty cool thing to have in the house. Heiberg even has an island named after him.
(L) Frits THAULOW, Water Mill, 1892, oil on canvas. Amazing, expressive water. (C) Paul Cézanne, Mont Sainte-Victoire, 1902-04, oil on canvas. Yes, it's a Cézanne, but the strokes are great and I like this more than many of his others. It was also a good reminder that paintings can sit for awhile and still end well. I struggle with that notion for my paintings. You'll notice many of my pictures have the frames. That's a story for another day. (R) Edgar DEGAS, After the Bath (Woman Drying Herself), circa 1896, oil on canvas. I thought the form and motion were fantastic and so well captured without detail.
(L) Francis PICABIA, Dances at the Spring, 1912, oil on canvas. Fantastic transformation of a dance Picabia witnessed into angular planes and faceted forms. (C) Pablo PICASSO, Chrysanthemums, 1901, oil on canvas. I thought this was a nice arrangement and people love to paint flowers. They make good subjects. (R) Claude MONET, Nymphéas, Japanese Bridge, 1918-26, oil on canvas. Quite the Monet and this piece was worked on for eight years.
(L) Ellsworth KELLY, Seaweed, 1949, oil on canvas. I thought this was nice and simple. The link is to a Study for Seaweed of the same year and is almost exactly how he painted it. (C) Henri MATISSE, Mademoiselle Yvonne Landsberg, 1914, oil on canvas. It's always nice to see a Matisse and the lines in this one are great. (R) Sebastian ERRAZURIZ, Magistral Chest, 2014, hardwood maple, bamboo, plywood and metal hardware. This was a most impressive chest - kind of like a secret box with quills for protection. The link has some great images and a video.
(L) Cy TWOMBLY, Fifty Days at Iliam (it's in ten parts), 1978, oil, oil crayon and graphite on canvas. This picture is simply a commentary on what people deem as art. (C) Piet MONDRIAN, Composition with Blue, 1926, oil on canvas. It's good to see a Mondrian in person. This is another commentary on what people deem as art. In this case, people often will comment, "I could've done that", and I like to say, but he did it first. (R) Wassily KANDINSKY, Circles in a Circle, 1923, oil on canvas. Having fun with painting and becoming famous. Interestingly, this museum and the internet disagree on the spelling of the artist's first name.
(L) Marcel DUCHAMP, Portrait of the Artist's Father, 1910, oil on canvas. It's good to see works of Duchamp. He takes heat for his Readymade (or Dada) art (i.e., Fountain) but he could paint as shown here and the center painting. (C) Marcel DUCHAMP, Portrait of Chess Players, 1911, oil on canvas. I think this is a great painting. (R) Jacques VILLION (aka Gaston DUCHAMP, elder brother of Marcel), Young Girl, 1912, oil on canvas. Another great assembly of shapes and colors (with almost zero commentary by the museum). Jacques changed his name to distinguish himself from his famous siblings.
(L) Marcel DUCHAMP, Nude Descending a Staircase (No. 2), 1912, oil on canvas. (CL) The King and Queen Surrounded by Swift Nudes, 1912, oil on canvas. Two more wonderful Duchamp works. And two of his most famous "Readymades", Fountain, 1950 replica of 1917 original, and Bicycle Wheel, 1964 replica of 1913 original.
(L) Fernand LÉGER, Composition, 1923-27, oil on canvas. Nice painting, but horrible title. I put it up there with "untitled" and it's difficult to research a painting with that title. At least separate the compositions somehow. (C) Piet MONDRIAN, Composition, 1936, oil on canvas. Cool work, bad title. (R) Pablo PICASSO, Three Musicians, 1921, oil on canvas. I would argue this is a very famous Picasso so it was nice to see in person.
(L) Pablo PICASSO, Female Nude, 1910, oil on canvas. Very iconic Picasso and great to see in person. (C) Henri MATISSE, Head of a Woman, 1917. Classic Matisse style and rather captivating for a smaller piece. (R) Otto FRIEDRICH, Fugato, 1913, tempura on canvas. Great bodies and great movement and I liked the simple palette. He made five paintings - each named after a style of music.
How can you not take pictures of these? Three Vincent van Gogh works placed next to each other and what a great way to show his scope. (L) Still Life with a Bouquet of Daises, 1885, oil on canvas. (C) Rain, 1889, oil on canvas and (R) Sunflowers, 1889, oil on canvas. It's also interesting to see how his works changed in four years.
(L) Henri de TOULOUSE-LAUTREC, At the Moulin Rouge: The Dance, 1889-90, oil on canvas. What can you say? It was great to see this in person. Claude MONET, Poplars, End of Autumn, 1891, oil on canvas. I like the structure and repetition, and of course, his use of light. These trees were the subject of a series where he painted at different times of day and year. It set a new direction for his work. (R) Édouard MANET, Le Bon Bock, 1873, oil on canvas. I took this because it's a portrait by Manet and he used it to push limits of what was accepted at the Paris Salons.
The last four. (L) WHISTLER, Purple and Rose: The Lange Leizen of the Six Marks, 1864, oil on canvas. I took this simply because it was a Whistler. (CL) Jean-François MILLET, Bird's-Nesters, 1874, oil on canvas. I like Millet's work and use of light. It was nice to see this painting - I'd never seen it and, again, the light is fantastic. (CR) Sandro BOTTICELLI, Portrait of a Young Man, 1465-70, tempera on panel. Not only is this 550ish years old, it's a Botticelli! Yes, the Botticelli of Sistine Chapel work, Primavera and The Birth of Venus. I was happy I recognized it and took a pic. (R) Gerard DAVID, Salvator Mundi (Christ as the Savior of Humankind), circa 1500, oil on wood panel. There are many Salvator Mundi works, but I'm pretty certain I've seen this before - great to see in person!
If you're in Philly and have the time, this is a must-do! As a side note: the Philadelphia Art Museum's website does something I'm not sure I've seen before - they offer pictures of the back of the works. I like that since I have made my own frames and stretched my own canvases.
- mm -
