The front of NEWFIELDS - a place for nature and the arts. I had a longer stay in Indianapolis and hadn't been to their premier art gallery. If you search that phrase, the NEWFIELDS is the result you'll get. It is a nice place and they have a nice collection. As is often the case, I didn't give myself enough time and had to rush through some sections. I'd certainly recommend a visit if you're in the area. As with other gallery visits, what follows is an assortment of things that caught my eye. They may or may not have comments.
L: Georges Braque, Still Life with Pink Fish, 1937, oil on canvas
C: Georges Rouault, Head of a Clown, c 1920, oil and gauche on linen
R: Giorgio d. Chirico, The Mysterious Departure, 1930-33, oil on canvas
I though the note on the title card was interesting - it read; Braque developed Cubism with Picasso in the early 1900s. When he painted this, the movement was 30 years old. He chose the common tabletop theme of Cubists, but use brighter colors and a more straightforward perspective. I thought the Head of a Clown had great boldness and the simple palette was perfect for the emotion. I took a picture of Chirico's work because I knew his name from somewhere...it was my visit to the Frist Museum.
L: Arthur Segal, View from the Window, 1930, oil on canvas
C: Edgar Degas, Dancer Moving Forward, Arms Raised, bronze
R: Auguste Rodin, The Martyr #5, bronze
I took a picture of View from the Window mainly because of the technique and texture. Of note, an x-ray showed a woman (probably his wife) was sitting in the chair but as you can see, was removed. The Degas is here because he actually made hundreds of sculptures and none of them were cast in bronze until after his death. I don't particularly like the Rodin, but it's always good to see a Rodin.
L: John VASSOS (designer), RCA Victor Special Portable Phonograph, c. 1935
C: Henry Dreyfuss (designer), Big Ben Alarm Clock, 1938
R: Door from the Louis Schwitzer Residence, c. 1939
These are here because it's cool to see how things were designed and made many days ago. The door is deco and made me think about painting doors in the house. If I do that, they better be good, timeless designs or it wouldn't be long before I'd want a change. This door is on the Wiki page if you search Louis Schwitzer.
L: Frank Lloyd Wright, Window from Avery Coonley Playhouse, Riverside Illinois, 1912
C: Jan Toorop, Broek in Waterland, 1889, oil on canvas
R: Alfred William Finch, The Road to Nieuport, 1888
The window is here because it's pretty neat to see something from across a room and know with almost one hundred percent certainty of who designed it. Frank Lloyd...cool guy. I took the picture of Toorop's painting because of the light and contrast but also because it's a great example of pointillism. Finch's was a good example of the same. Back to Toorop...he never met Van Gogh but wanted to promote his work. He eventually set up the first exhibit in the Netherlands devoted to Van Gogh.
L: Georges Seurat, The Channel of Gravelines, 1890, oil on canvas
C: Vincent van Gogh, Landscape at Saint-Rémy, 1889, oil on canvas
R: Paul Gauguin, Landscape near Arles, 1888, oil on canvas
The Seurat is here because it's a demonstration of Divisionism and the frame carries the same idea. It is a reproduction of one Seurat had made. The van Gogh is here because I've seen many of his works and it's good to see variations. I would say this one is particularly dark or flat for his work which might have been indicative of his feelings at the time. This is one of 12-15 paintings of the wheat field from his asylum window. He made about 150 paintings in the one year he was there. The Gauguin is here because it's his, but I also liked the contrast. The pile of hay also reminded me of Monet's Haystacks.
L: Paul Cézanne, House in Provence, c1885, oil on canvas
C: Claude Monet, San Giorgio Maggiore, 1908, oil on canvas
R: Claude Monet, Charing Cross Bridge, c 1900, oil on canvas
The Cézanne is here because it's a Cézanne but I appreciated the boldness, contrast and palette. At the same time, I would argue this is appreciated more since it's in a museum. There are thousands of landscapes that we probably couldn't discern from this one. The two Monet's are here because it was great to finally see the one in the center. Another neat thing was these were right next to each other and they are both part of their own series. Of the bridge, he made about 34 paintings. The series of the San Giorgio were begun during Monet's only visit to Venice.
L: Domenico Cunego, Creation of Man (after Michelangelo), 1772, engraving
R: Edward Hopper, Hotel Lobby, 1943, oil on canvas
I'm still amazed how Michelangelo envisioned the Creation of Man and will stand by my opinion that the concept itself (let alone his work) was inspired. This engraving was impressive in its own right. The Hopper is here because I love his work. This one isn't a particular favorite, but I hadn't seen it in person and it's always good to see his work.
These are both "Entry of Christ into Jerusalem" and I had to put them next to each other - as they were in the museum. The on the left is from 1125 by Master of San Baudelio de Berlanga and is a fresco transferred to canvas. So, it's not missed, it's 901 years old. On the right, is by Anthony van Dyck, is oil on canvas and from about 1617. I thought they were a great comparison and even the 'newest' is over 400 years old. Pretty impressive. On the right is a ceiling they turned into a screen over a courtyard. I like skies so I had to take the shot.
Left to Right: St Matthew, St Simon and St Luke. All by El Greco, all oil on canvas from 1610-1614. What a cool display of three of his saint paintings. His style is unmistakable and he was quite the person. You should read about him (linked above). I appreciate the boldness of all three of these works.
L: Rembrandt, Self-Portrait, c 1629, oil on panel
C: Peter Paul Rubens, Triumphant Entry of Constantine into Rome, c 1621, oil on panel
R: Romare Bearden, He is Risen (The Passion of Christ series), 1945, oil on cardboard on Masonite
I had to take a picture of Rembrandt's self portrait. He made a lot of self portraits, but I'm not sure I'd seen one in person so that was a fulfilling moment. The Rubens is here because it's a Rubens, Bearden's piece is, in my opinion, fantastic. The colors and movement and the fact that Christ is kind of hidden really struck me. It's good inspiration for me to do more abstract work.
L: Another shot of the ceiling mentioned above, photograph
C: Worden Day, Now Flowing, 1957, relief and woodblock print
R: Frank Weston Benson, Sunlight, 1909, oil on canvas
I thought Day's abstract work was very appealing. It's hard to pinpoint it, but that's the magic of art. Sunlight is a nice painting and reminiscent of Monet's Woman with a Parasol. Interestingly, there is another painting of Benson called Summer on the Wikipedia page and they are almost identical.
L: Daniel Garber, Quarry at Byram, c 1917, oil on canvas
C: John Singer Sargent, The Olive Grove, c 1910, oil on canvas
R: James McNeill Whistler, Thames Nocturne, c 1872, oil on canvas
I thought the contrast of the rocks was very well done in Garber's piece. The Sargent is here because I'm a fan but for the work itself, I thought the trees really conveyed the moment. I loved the subduedness of Whistler's piece and the marginal detail in the background.
L: Frederic Edwin Church, Our Flag, 1864, oil on canvas
C: George Inness, Orange Road, Tarpon Springs, c 1893, oil on canvas
R: Frank Duveneck, Polling Landscape, 1881, oil on canvas
Church's piece is here because some patriotism is always a good thing. He also painted The Icebergs, (one of a few) which I think is great. Orange Road is here because it seemed more of a study than a finished work. Inness did amazing work and is recognized as one of the most influential American artists of the nineteenth century. Duveneck's work really struck me with it's contrast and the water. I missed the picture, but he also painted The Reclining Nude (also in this museum) which I think is a great painting. If you look at it, pay attention to her foot.
L: Winslow Homer, The Boat Builders, 1873, oil on panel
C: Theodor Groll, Washington Street, Indianapolis at Dusk, 1892-95, oil on canvas
R: Norman Wilfred Lewis, Composition I, 1945, oil on canvas
It was a nice pleasure to see Homer's painting. It is such a great piece and it is even greater how a 10x6 inch painting can captivate someone like this does. The sky of Groll's piece is what I wanted to capture. I took a picture of Composition 1 mainly because of its simplicity.
L: Normal Rockwell, The Love Song, 1926, oil on canvas
R: Edward Hopper, New York, New Haven and Hartford, 1931, oil on canvas
I haven't seen many (if any) Rockwell's in person so I had to take a shot. And of course, Hopper's piece made me like him even more. For me, he just nails it. The colors, the light, the contrast and even the scenes. He saw something in this setting and he brought it out. It doesn't even matter what the 'it' is.
L: Robert Henri, Indian Girl (Julianita), c 1917, oil on canvas
C: Hugh M Poe, Herman and Verman, 1924, oil on canvas
R: NEWFIELDS, the guide book and map
I thought the face and expression of Henri's painting was priceless. I thought the same for Poe's piece. It's such a skill to capture so much in a face. More inspiration to work on faces and figures. This is certainly a must-visit museum if you have the time.
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