2018-06 : Chrysler Museum

I took a Sunday drive to Norfolk's premier art gallery, the Chrysler Museum of Art.  It's a nice building and a pretty good collection.  As normal, I'll go through what caught my eye/attention.  If I link elsewhere it's because it's likely a better source document.

• Chauncey Bradley Ives, Undine Rising from the Fountain, ca 1880-82, marble.  Very impressive fabric effects with marble.
• Giovanni Francesco Barbieri (or Guercino, the 'squinter'), Samson Bringing Honey to His Parents, ca 1625-26, Oil on canvas.  Interesting picture...not how I would picture Samson, but that's cool for a couple of reasons.  First, artistic license lets the artist make Samson look anyway he/she wants, and second, God often uses those we'd least expect...Paul, fishermen, tax collectors, David, and possibly even Samson.  We imagine a strong Samson because he was strong.  But the correlation is almost to physical properties...because that's what we know.  Also, it's a cool ending to the honey from the lion.
• Nancy Camden Witt, Sarai and Hagar, 1981, oil on canvas.  These were a cool interpretation of the Biblical story of the two women.

God's Judgement Upon Gog, Asher B Durand, 1851-52, Oil on canvas

I liked the sky, the contrast and the lighting bolts.  Reminded me of the beauty

of God's creation and the mighty power of nature.

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Always great to see a Winslow Homer.  His work is a good reminder for me to go bold.  My work is usually better when I go bold (good contrast, strong lines, not 'dainty' with the brushes).

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Gustave Doré, The Neophyte, 1866-68, oil on canvas

Great painting with incredible faces and emotions.  I don't particularly agree with

the placard, but that's the fun about interpreting art.

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Hugues Merle, The Lunatic of Etretat, 1871, oil on canvas

Great painting.  Aside from the incredible emotion, make sure to take a good look at the 'baby'.

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Sir Joseph Noel Paton, Home, 1855-56, oil on canvas

Landscapes and people are hit and miss for me.  They either grab me or they don't, and I imagine it's that way for most people.  This painting, for example, does little for me.  I took the picture because of the skill.  The faces and his beard are stupendous.  Note: it is not the full picture.

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Thomas Hill, Early Morning, Yosemite Valley, 1884, Oil on canvas

Again, landscapes are hit or miss.  This one is a little of both for me.  I love mean mountains and take mental notes almost every time I see some painted.  Taking note of the techniques, colors and shapes.  They're fun because they can be any shape you desire.  Almost goes the same for the colors.  Thomas Hill is a landscape wizard and has done some fantastic glacier scenes.

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Gian Lorenzo Bernini (attributed to), Bust of the Savior, ca 1679, Marble

They're not 100% sure Bernini did it or if it was his workshop.  Regardless, it's Bernini, and he's pretty awesome.  By the way, his David is the only 'action shot' in the five sculptures in the Surprise of David (an earlier post).

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Bernardo Cavallino (follower of), The Marriage of Tobias, oil on canvas

Loved the light and contrast...very Caravaggio-ish.

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Nicolas Regniér, Saint Sebastian, ca 1620, Oil on canvas

This is a favorite of mine and it was great to see it.  Now when I say a favorite of mine, I mean the painting itself and this version of Sebastian.  There are several, and Peter Paul Rubens' might be more recognized or 'famous'.  And even this one was next to Anthony van Dyck's version.  But when I think of the arrows piercing the saint, this is what I imagine.  The peace and softness even in death...knowing the temporary pain will be over soon.

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Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione (Grechetto), Moses Striking the Rock, after 1650, oil on canvas

Grechetto, by the way, is a wine grape.  This painting doesn't grab my art eye...I took the picture for a couple of other reasons.  The story of the water from the rock is classic.  God loved Moses so much and Moses was awesome, but he hit the rock with his staff vice holding his staff over it.  And so he would only see the Promised Land...not enter it.  Personally, I think that is a classic God move.  Yes, He could've let Moses enter, but by seeing it only, he doesn't have to deal with all the pending admin and grumbling. More so, Moses new was going to a place way better than milk and honey.  The second reason I took this picture is because of the rays of light (or halo or what sometimes looks like horns in other work) emitting from Moses' head.  Just like those in my favorite statue of Moses.

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There was an exhibit of Giovanni Battista Piranesi's etchings.  In particular those comprising the series Carceri (Carceri d'invenzione or 'Imaginary Prisons').  They were dark, a bit scary, had cool stone work and were certainly full of imagination.  It was a good display.

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Jackson Pollock, Number 23, 1951, 1951, enamel on canvas

Always interesting to see a Pollock...and this one is a bit off the norm (see the placard).

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Georgia O'Keeffe, Black Door with Red, 1954, oil on canvas

I'm not particularly a fan of O'Keeffe, but this I like.  If you don't know,

this is definitely an atypical painting of hers.

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Paul Fritz, Passage 102, 1975, wood and canvas

You won't find much on the Web about Paul Fritz.  However, you've probably seen this style of painting before.  Personally, I like this painting and this style.  I know many people don't which is, of course, a matter of taste.  Work like this is often critiqued with 'anyone could do that', and there in lies my favorite part.  Anyone could do it, but Paul Fritz actually did.

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Roy Lichtenstein, Live Ammo (Ha! Ha! Ha!), 1962, Oil on canvas

Lichtenstein was a world-renown pop artist which immediately recognizable work.

It's always good to see an original...and this one is an airplane, to boot!

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Georges Rouault, Head of Christ, 1905, oil on paper

Rouault most certainly has a distinct way of painting - especially people.  This bust of Christ

is in his classic style.  Often, his style is associated with Fauvism and / or Expressionism. 

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After the museum, I took a little walk downtown - which was nice.  This was a cool (Epworth United Methodist Church) church dating back from 1896 (or at least it's been the location of the church since then).  I liked the stonework and look up shots sometimes turn out well.  This shot is average.  I need to remember to bring my bicycle on trips like these.  Makes getting around town so much easier and faster.  The Chrysler Museum is definitely worth visiting and they have a great site to search their collection: Chrysler Collection.

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Military Aviation Museum | 2019-10

I went to a safety seminar at an aviation event at the Suffolk Executive Airport and learned about the Military Aviation Museum.  Had it gone that same weekend, I would have been able to see all of their biplanes fly.  Bummer.  I went the next weekend and it was still a good visit. This post has a lot of pictures but pictures of airplanes are kind of like pictures of landscapes or skies - they seldom capture the feeling of seeing it in person.  And there were almost too many airplanes to capture.

Museum pamphlet (l), welcome sign (r) and map (below) on which I added the hangar locations.

At the west end of the field are several hangars - two of which hold WW I and WW II (German) aircraft. Obviously, the aircraft are impressive as all the biplanes are flyable, but I have to say the WW I hangar itself was beautiful. It's internal support is wooden and I think anyone would love to have a hangar like that.

WW II Hangar:

Bücker Bü 133C Jungmeister:  This airplane is immaculate and just a cool, tough-looking biplane.

Engine detail of a Junkers Ju-52 (left) and the inlet of a Lippisch P.13a ramjet delta wing. 

Focke-Wulf Fw 44:  Another well-kept and operable biplane.

This FW-44, a "J" is the final model of what proved to be a very airworthy airplane.

WW I Hangar:

Albatros D.V:  this is a cool plane...simple, tail 'wheel' is a stick, red bullet nose and a big gun.

Wooden propellers are amazing to me.  They function exactly the same, but they're rare, and they always seem to be little works of art.  The prop on this Fokker D.VII (left) is beautiful.  On the right, is the Ely Curtiss Model D Pusher.  This is a replica, but it is impressive.  Impressive craftsmanship and impressive that it is completely functional.

Another beautiful propeller on a Blériot XI.  I took the picture not only for the propeller, but for the graceful simplicity of the engine.  This Anzani Three Cylinder engine knocked out a whopping 25 horsepower.  The maximum speed is about 47 mph...10 slower than the rotation speed of a Cessna 172.  I love that.  The Bléroit XI debuted at the Paris Air Show in 1908, but became historic as it was the first airplane to cross the English Channel in July 1909.

You can get rides (pay for rides) in a 1941 Boeing Stearman (or Kaydet) or 1989 WACO YMF-5.  Both are beautiful airplanes but these two shots are of their Stearman.

Army Hangar:

This is from the balcony of the Army Hangar...as you can see, a fantastic collection.

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Ah...the P-40 Warhawk  I love this plane but it always seems to take a back seat to the P-51 or P-47.  Interestingly enough, it was the third most-produced American fighter (after those two) with a total of 13,738 being built.  I think its lines are great and it wears the tiger mouth perfectly.  This airplane is technically a "Kittyhawk".  Warhawk, Tomahawk, and Kittyhawk were used for P-40s.  For me, Tomahawk is acceptable, but I would never use Kittyhawk.  Warhawks are US P-40s, while the Brits and Soviets used Tomahawk for theirs unless it was a P-40D or later; which are Kittyhawks.

A shot of the Flying Tiger and its sleekness looking forward. 

Speaking of the P-47, how cool is this picture?

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This 1934 Boeing P-26 Peashooter is visually stunning, but I imagine it's also a riot to fly.  Aside from it's boisterous appearance, it was actually a leap in technology.  It moved from fabric-covered wooden frames to all metal stressed skin, had a variable pitch propeller, and incorporated flaps.

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This is the nose and cockpit of a MiG-3.  I took it because it exudes brute force, but apparently it was a "cow" below 12000 feet and was quickly relegated to defensive units.

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This De Havilland Tiger Moth must be a joy to fly.  I should have taken a picture of the cockpit as it is perfectly simple.  I also love the nose of this plane.  Not your typical 'bullet' style, but I like how the radiator adds an almost artistic touch to the cowling.

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This Polikarpov Po-2 "Mule" (also called the Sewing Machine due to its engine noise) is arguably, but likely, the most produced biplane ever.  It's thought as many as 30000 were made.  It was simple and reliable, which always contributes to being a Number 1.

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Graceful lines...the nose of a Yakovlev Yak-3 and the tail of a Focke-Wulf Fw 190.

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Navy Hangar:

Odd addition, but cool enough is the iconic 1966 Amphicar.

Nice shot of a NAF N3N Canary (or Yellow Pearl).  The prop and engine compliment

each other perfectly.  You can't see it in this picture, but this Canary is on floats.

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You would guess a Vought F4U Corsair (very iconic) but this is actually a FG-1D.  I think I looked at this place for 10 minutes.  Not so much for the aircraft but trying to imagine how the wings work.  The engineering is incredible.  These airplanes are immediately recognizable because of their gull wings.  So why the gull wing?  It's not to look cool (even though it does), it's to put the landing gear closer to the ground.  This allowed a stronger strut but still giving clearance for the prop.  Pretty cool.

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Two noses of two famous workhorses...the T-34B Mentor (left) and the P-51 Mustang.

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This, or the full version (below left), is probably my favorite picture of the day.

A 1989 WACO YMF-5 (mentioned above).  I think I want to fly a YMF-5.

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There was some good art inside the main building, but I couldn't find any details about the works.

This is a print, but I've always liked this painting and I'm certainly not alone

since I've seen it dozens of times.  It is "Spitfire" by Barrie A. F. Clark.

Some nice oils of biplanes.  These are no more than about 15" diagonal. 

A cool depiction of an aerial battle and a nicely drawn portrait.

Couldn't resist.

If you're in the area, I certainly recommend a visit to this museum.  If you can time it with a flying event, it would really make it a memorable experience.

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