These two shots are from Buffalo - which is not the focus of this post. I wanted to go see Niagara Falls , but it is a bigger hike than I thought. This is the building housing the CEPA Gallery. I thought these shots really summed up what I saw. Cool downtown, very cool building, and what could be excellent studio/gallery space...all essentially abandoned. And this was a Saturday. Going through a "pandemic" is one thing. Letting it ruin your downtown area fives years later is a completely different thing. Maybe it's not as simple as giving up, but it seems pretty sad to me. It would be awesome to have those rooms for a gallery, but as you can guess, not many people would visit.
I had another layover in Madison - my second time to that city. The first visit was mentioned in Dragonmans and Madison. This time I searched for galleries and there were two nearby. I only had time for one so I chose the Chazen Museum of Art. If I get back, I think I'll hit the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA). I should have realized these things were available since it's the capital and home of the Badgers. I'm glad I looked - the Chazen was great and is open daily for no cost!
I didn't know at the time, but I just made the last couple days of The Crafted World of Wharton Esherick exhibition. I'm glad I saw it. Here are some pictures of things that caught my eye (not just that of Wharton Esherick)...
These three are from the Esherick exhibit. I thought the lamp was terrific.
Left: Moonlight on Alabama Pines, 1919-20, oil on canvas, his frame.
Center: Table Lamp, 1932, padauk wood.
Right: Spiral Staircase Model, 1963, pine.
These two are also from the Esherick exhibit.
Left: a picture of his house/workshop which is now a museum.
Right: The Race, 1925, painted wood on walnut base.
These horses are among the first three-dimensional objects made by Esherick
after initial experimenting with carving. These were based on a game owned by
his children, and the tapered base emphasizes the speed and leader's position.
Left: Gregory Grenon, Sister of Mine, 1988, oil, Plexiglas, wood, reverse painted.
Right: Dan Daily, Nude with Tree, 1995, blown glass, bronze, Vitrolite.
I took a picture of Sister of Mine mainly for the idea of painting on Plexiglas.
The lamp is a pretty neat lamp.
Both: Alexandra Alexandrovna Ester, Russian, 1882-1949
Three Costumed Figures ("Revue"), 1927, painted card and metal wire.
I snapped these pics because I thought these might make great studies for paintings.
The main entry of the Chazen - very nice building.
Left: Su Xinping, Chinese, b. Mongolia, 1960, Busy People No 1, 2010, oil on linen.
Right: Katsushika Hokusai, 1760-1849, Under the Wave off Kanagawa, 1830-1835.
The left picture is large, 250×250cm, which really catches your eye. The right picture is, of course, one of the most famous artworks in the world. This is a print - as any of them are since the original woodblocks are long gone. Even though around 8000 (est) were printed, as of 2022, only about 100 are known to survive. Very cool to see one in person. It even had its own sitting/viewing chair.
Left: an excellent statue of several figures, but I couldn't find the attributes.
Right: Attributed to Gerard Seghers, Flemish, 1591-1651
The Denial of Christ by St. Peter, ca 1640, oil on canvas.
Excellent painting and would agree that it's attributed to Seghers. The Denial of Saint Peter by Seghers is very similar but certainly different. It is housed in the North Carolina Museum of Art. I also dug the frame as I've been a bit of a frame hunter myself. Without doubt, if you're in Madison and have the time and are inclined, the Chazen Museum of Art is well worth a visit. And the surrounding area is also very nice.
- mm -
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