A Sunday on La Grande Jatte by: Seurat (1884-86)

Today was my chance to emulate Ferris Bueller. I had an AFTERNOON OFF and went to the Art Institute of Chicago! Although I was without a friend wearing a Detroit Red Wings jersey, I did feel at home.

A few things came to my attention:

I remember seeing Seurat's mastery of Pointillism the last time I visited the museum. What was awe inspiring this time I viewed the masterpiece was to look at the way the crowd was interacting with the artwork. Many people were walking through the gallery to get a good picture, not an easy task when the picture dominates the room in which it was located. People did not seem to be looking at the picture to appreciate its beauty, rather they wanted to acknowledge they "saw it". This scene made me think about what my students and I discussed at the end of the AP Art History class this year. Do people look at artwork in museums because the artwork is famous or because they like the artwork? What I think I saw here today was adoration of a "celebrity" artwork.

The Art Institute has a large collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist artworks. I was able to look with a discerning eye at the body of work and notice how the innovations of the era changed art. Not only were collapsible stools, portable easels and tubes of paint created at this time but also more pigments became available. The additional pigments available to the Impressionists allowed them to paint with a lighter color palette than those that came before them. The brighter colors appeared more full of life, how an out-of-doors scene should be. The crowd in the galleries also seemed a bit more jovial around the brighter artworks.

Watch Ferris Bueller and his friends in the museum.

Public Art in Chicago

Laredo Taft's sculpture Fountain of the Great Lakes is located in one of the Art Institute of Chicago's gardens.

The sculpture if an allegory representing the Great Lakes (something that is an emotional draw for me growing up in Michigan). The five women in the sculpture are arranged in a lose pyramidal form that may take inspiration from Renaissance ideals. The five women are arranged to show the natural progression of water through the Great Lakes. The first female receives the water from the heavens, she represents Lake Superior. Michigan is on her side. Water flows from Michigan to Huron to Erie to Ontario. Ontario gazes into the open space of the park and stretches out her hand. She interacts with the viewer much like a Baroque artwork would.

As Ontario watches the water leave the great lakes she charges the viewer to take care of it as it passes to the ocean (through the St. Lawrence).

This makes me wonder...could this be another early example of ecological consciousness? Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright were ahead of there time. Was Taft as well? Is this more than just beautiful? Does it provoke thoughts of water use, conservation, and/or proper use of natural resources?

Visit the Art Institute of Chicago to see the sculpture if you have a chance!

Encountering Art on a Daily Basis

Today was a day that I did not have a chance to READ about art or visit a museum. Adhering to my commitment to encounter art on a daily basis, I took the time to watch a great episode of ART 21 (Season 3 Episode 4) called PLAY.

This episode began with Grant Hill explaining how people are used to watching athletes play but are not used to watching artists play, watching their experimentation. This episode follows contemporary artists through their experimentation, through their play, as they work to create their masterpieces. Grant Hill makes a great point! We are used to seeing the final product of an artist, not the steps the artist takes in making decisions about how to make the art. The video is a refreshing glimpse into the mid of the artist.

Art 21 is a great way to get to know and artist and understand THE ART MAKING PROCESS!

Eight Unusual All-American Museums...

The title catches the eye of someone who enjoys museums, of all sorts! The June 2011 Smithsonian Magazine features offbeat museums that you may not even know exist!

These museums include:
New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum
Titan Missile Museum (Sabuarita, Arizona)
California Surf Museums (Oceanside, California)
Kansas Barbed Wire Museum (La Crosse, Kansas)
Museum of Jurassic Technology (Los Angeles, California)
National Museum of Health and Medicine (Washington, DC)
Ladew Topiary Gardens (Monkton, Maryland)
Ava Gardner Museum (Smithfield, North Carolina)

Check out the Smithsonian article for a brief description of the museum. During your summer travels, perhaps you'll have a chance to check out a location that is off the radar of the other tourists!

FBI and Art Crimes...

I am fascinated by art that is lost due to conflict. The treasures families’ lost as they were forced to leave their homes during the Holocaust fascinates me. Who rightfully owns the artwork that was not gifted, donated or sold by its owners back in the 1930’s ? Where is that artwork? What a fascinating story it could tell about the numerous hands that have held it and people who have viewed it!

The FBI Art Crime Team has the duty to investigate art thefts. The FBI team looks to not only recover the artwork but also apprehend the person or people responsible for the theft. The book priceless opens up the readers’ eyes to the FBI Art Crime Team. Surprisingly, the team is actually a small group of people. The resources allocated toward recovering stolen art are minimal in the USA. After reading this book, the reader has an understanding of the difficult work the FBI teams members do to recover stolen art. Oftentimes the recovery of stolen art requires the FBI agent to infiltrate the criminal network. It is a dangerous and risky job trying to gain the confidence of the criminals in order to solve the crime.

Read the New York Times Bestseller PRICELESS if you get a chance. A quick and enlightening read! Visit the book's website for more information.

Summer Vacation...Time To READ!

I just completed two great books about Impressionism! I find it rewarding to read books related to art history as I learn a little something about the artists, the culture or the artwork while I read an entertaining story! Who said books cannot inform AND entertain at the same time!

Sue Roe's The Private Lives of the Impressionists is a story that takes the reader into the lives of the artists. I was struck at what a difficult life the Impressionists had! They went against the grain, in an era where that was not fashionable, and struggled personally and financially. In Sue Roe's book, the reader learns how "these desperate and remarkable painters began to cohere as a group...They had one thing in common: the determination to succeed" (45). The group was inspired by Manet's realist artwork but he was not willing to exhibit with them. He did not want to go against the establishment, the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture. He had a "notorious reputation [but] still wanted medals, accolades and one day perhaps - like his father - the Legion d'honneur" (64).

The artists struggled in their day. Understandable since they were fighting the establishment. They followed their passion, did not conform and created a new culture in art. They set the scene for the radical breaks from tradition that were to come: Cubism, Expressionism and Color Field Painting to name a few!

Many thanks to Paul Durand-Ruel for believing in them, financing them and opening a gallery in New York City to bring the talents of the Impressionists to America!

The second book I read was Ross King's The Judgment of Paris. King's book was easier to read, even though it was longer, as it went into more detail about the decades that lead up to the era of the Impressionists. King's book was a great companion to Roe's. Through King's book the reader gets more of a historical background into the world in which the Impressionist artists were raised so one clearly understands the cultural influences upon the artists.

King focuses on the work of Meissonier quite a bit in the book. He was a prolific and influential artist during the era that is not mentioned in our Art History textbooks. He was the foil by which the Realists and Impressionists were compared. He created artwork that fell in line with the expectation of the Salon committee and frequently exhibited. The reader gains a new understanding of the artist, a perfectionist, and he key artwork, Friedland. "Few works in the history of art have consumed as much labor [10 years], generated as much rumor and anticipation, been showered with as much money, or simply taken as long to complete" (344).

Up Next on this theme...Dancing for Degas