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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2018-05 : Aviation Art

This was an illustration in a Flying Magazine which I thought was perfect.  Perfectly captured an airplane flying its way through the weather.  It's from flyingmag.com, April 2018 edition.  I added the 'aged' border but the image is unaltered.

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Briscoe Western Art Museum | 2017-12

I was in San Antonio for a work trip and was able to visit the River Walk and the Briscoe Western Art Museum.  Of note, the Museum is free for Seniors and active military.  I never know what to expect when it comes to western art, but it was a nice building, price was right, and I can always pick up ideas.

As I said, it's a great building (this is from the river side).  On the right is the museum's pamphlet and flyer for the temporary exposition "That Day" which was 80 large-format pictures of life in the west.

Hunter in the Sky, 1999, bronze by Fritz White (1930-2010)

Bronzes are interesting to me.  There's the craft and skill in the sculpturing of the original, the work involved in actually making it a bronze, and the logistics of having a bronze (space).  And, like any art, there's the challenge of capturing and conveying the intent of the artist.  As you can imagine, there were plenty of horse-and-cowboy bronzes but I thought these two provided cool moments.  Fritz White did some large work...you might want to check out his website.  The Up River Man below is marked as "n.d." (no date) as were many items in the museum.  I found that odd.

Up River Man, bronze, no date, Fritz White (1930-2010)

How Many More, 2011, bronze, Blair Buswell (b 1956)

Most of the bronze work had great detail (one thing I have always liked about them) but this guy was impressive.  He's life size so maybe it was the scale that was more impressive than the actual details, but I thought the emotions were perfectly captured.

Left: And Stay Off, no date, oil on canvas, Oleg Stavrowsky (b 1927)

Right: Eagle Dancer Potawatomi, no date, oil on canvas, Z. S. Liang (b 1953)

I haven't departed from watercolor, but I am finding that I enjoy acrylic much better than I thought.  As a result, I have taking a different approach when viewing art.  These two caught my eye.  The soft, more realistic approach with the chief and the more abstract cowboy.  Loved the title of the rodeo piece (And Stay Off).  I like Stavrowsky's work.  Liang's work takes a completely different approach but he is, without question, an impressive artist.

Left: Feed in the Canyons, 2011, oil on canvas, Howard Post (b 1948).  Right: The Immortal Thirty-Two and their Dash for the Alamo, 2015, oil on canvas, Michael Ome Untiedt (b 1952)

I liked the style of Feed in the Canyons as it reminds me of a style you often see in western work.  I don't know if there's a label for this style, but I do enjoy it.  It broaches paint-by-number but clearly is not.  The Immortal Thirty-Two grabbed my attention because it brought me right into the moon-lit moment.

Left: Sundown, 1999, oil on canvas, John Moyers (b 1958)

Right: Voices in the Night, 1997, oil on canvas, John Moyers 

I dug both of these paintings because of the contrast.  When I paint, I struggle with contrast.  If i let myself go, the contrasts seem to reveal themselves and the final work is almost always better.  The cool thing is I took these two pictures (because of the style) but didn't realize it was the same artist until after the fact.

Mesquite Tree with Coyotes, Lambshead Ranch, Albany, Texas, 09 January 1988, print 2016

This was from the temporary exhibit, That Day, Pictures in the American West by Laura Wilson.  I took the picture because I thought it could make an interesting painting.  Kind of surreal and pretty random, but could easily make a point.  Did come across the Hutterites due to her pictures.  Had no idea about the Hutterites.

There were large reproductions of National Park posters - which I've always had a great (and timeless) style.  It said they were donated by the artists, Doug Leen and Brian Maebius.  Couldn't find much of them on the web, but I do appreciate their work.

People of note/reference (from Wilson's pictures); Edward Ruscha and Donald Judd.

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NASA 100 | 2017-10

My neighbor (very nice of him) reminded me NASA (the center at Langley) was celebrating their 100 anniversary.  So I took a look.  What I did not expect was the length of lines.  Yes, there were lines to get into certain buildings.  Well done, NASA.

A sculpture near the entrance and a very well-kept OV-10 Bronco (right).  

This was cool...looks fast.  It is a wind tunnel model for their quieter supersonic project.  The whole process of setting up the wind tunnel is quite impressive.  They call this one the 14x22 (it's dimensions in feet) and here is more info about it.

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The vacuum spheres retro style and a zoom out below left.  Below right is the globe seen at the gate.

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NASA has a robot - the ElectroImpact and it fabricates in carbon fiber.  They had it on a looped program to show off its moves.  Talk about precision...watch how the head simply does not move even if the arm needs to.  It was so awesome.  All those spikes are spindles to hold rolls of carbon fiber.  It essentially 'sews' the carbon fiber into any shape you need.

Here are two gifs I made of the robot, but you can see a longer video at youtube.

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Finally, there was some great artwork for this event and/or NASA projects.  Here are three examples.

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