Art Lovers discussion
Questions from the Met
Thanks for the comments on my bit of self promotion. :)I sold 2 of this series yesterday. I'm not regretting my decision to price them so they will move out into the world.
I have a soft spot for the Pre-Raphaelites, too, Lorie. Which is strange, because they're way too pretty for my usual taste.
Lorie wrote: "Love it Ruth! I've always loved the pre-Raphaelites illustrative quality
"Ophelia" by John Millais 1850. The fact that a lot of their work was literature connected is appealing as well."
Lorie wrote: "Love it Ruth!
I've always loved the pre-Raphaelites illustrative quality
"Ophelia" by John Millais 1850. The fact that a lot of their work was literature connected is appealing as well."
The model, Elizabeth Siddall was submerged for so long, she became ill with a severe cold. Her father billed Millais 50 pounds for the medical costs.
A man I knew fondly calls them the "Pre-Raphs". I like them, and the post-Raphs, too, starting with his students!
A dry climate, a natural disaster, or an archaeological dig can all help an artifact “survive.” Are you surprised that a particular piece of art is still here—and in such good shape—today? Which works of art do you hope will “survive” for the next 1,000 years?
Rescued in the 19th century from further destruction in its native Turkey, the Pergamon Altar and its friezes are currently located in Berlin's Pergamon Museum where they should, I hope, last another thousand years. This altar dates from the 2nd century BC during the reign of King Eumenes II. Not a temple, although it may have been the altar to its cultic reference on the acropolis above it--the Temple of Athena--this altar in all its grandeur represents the apex of Hellenistic art. I saw it when we were in Berlin about a decade ago. I visited the actual acropolis in Pergamon in 2009 and was quite surprised that our Turkish guide had never been to Berlin to see the altar. The acropolis looks rather sad with its few remaining columns among the rubble. Our guide said Turkey is sorry that it allowed the Germans to remove the altar.
Wow, Linda, thank you for the interesting piece of history! I would love to see that someday.
The western side of the Pergamon Altar as reconstructed in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin
Heather wrote: " Are you surprised that a particular piece of art is still here—and in such good shape—today? ..."Well, the Egyptians pretty much have anybody beat. It is amazing. The pre-dynastic period from about 8000 years ago.
Fifth dynasty. About 4400 years ago.
And wouldn't we all love to have our paintings look as good as this... after 4000 years!
Relief of Nebhepetre Mentuhotep II (detail), Middle Kingdom, Dynasty 11, ca. 2051–2000 B.C.
Egyptian
Painted limestone
I guess I have to get into frescoes!
Dunno...
I'm reading Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling. The artists all talk about how fresco painting is the most noble (and macho!) calling; tempera and oil is for wimps....
One of the most celebrated textiles is the Bayeux Tapestry (not really a tapestry at all..) I had the great privilege of seeing this in person. The tapestry is thought to have been finished around 1077-1082.
The Bayeux Tapestry is not actually a tapestry at all - it is an embroidery. Colored wool was used to embroider important scenes which led up to the Norman invasion of England and the Battle at Hastings in 1066. The Bayeux tapestry consists of eight long strips of unbleached linen which have been sewn together to form a continuous panel - this linen forms the background of the Bayeux tapestry. The Bayeux tapestry is about 20 inches high and 230 feet long. The exact length of the original tapestry is unknown as the final panel is incomplete. There is a saying that history is always written by the victors and the Bayeux Tapestry depicts events from a totally Norman perspective.
wiki link..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayeux_T...
An experiment in what is art?A Chimp Couldn’t Have Created That
The article begins:
Angry dismissals of abstract art are commonly framed by the assertion. “A (blank) could have done that.” The key word in the clichéd complaint is often “child,” “monkey” or “elephant.”
But Jumbo, you’re no Rothko. Newly published research finds that, in spite of our protestations, nonexperts can tell the difference among acclaimed abstract paintings, colorful canvasses created by a nursery school students or residents of the zoo.
"Has seeing a beautiful gallery or work of art ever inspired you to take a trip to its country of origin?" or have you ever intentionally traveled to a certain country or city to see one particular work of art?Educator Inés Powell finds a taste of her homeland, Spain, in the Met.
Oh, sure, it's inspired us. I'd want to visit all the major museums in Europe (and the minor ones), as well as go see all the Buddhist art in Southeastern Asia. Whether I have the money to buy the airline tickets and make the hotel reservations is another matter, though.
Heather wrote: ""Has seeing a beautiful gallery or work of art ever inspired you to take a trip to its country of origin?" or have you ever intentionally traveled to a certain country or city to see one particular..."There are so many on the list, there's bound to be more than one in many countries.
By the way, I just read a great story about visiting museums and the impact that one painting can have. Vincent van Gogh went with a friend to the museum. They came to the Jewish Bride by Rembrandt. His friend went on looking at painting after painting, and he finally realized Vincent was not with him. When he finally realized he had lost him after a considerable time, came back, Vincent was frozen agape with wonder. Now that was an art lover!
I think, perhaps, that going to Russia would be worth it, just to see Matisse's Dance.
oh yes! I would love to see Matisse's Dance and like John said, really go to many or all museums. I still haven't ever been to NY! How deprived I am!!!
Heather wrote: "oh yes! I would love to see Matisse's Dance and like John said, really go to many or all museums. I still haven't ever been to NY! How deprived I am!!!"Very deprived. I was there when Guernica was still in NY! :)
Ed wrote: Very deprived. I was there when Guernica was still in NY! :) Nice!!!
You don't have to go to Russia to see the Dance, Ed. Matisse painted 2 versions of The Dance. One is in The Hermitage, but the other is in the Museum of Modern Art, NYC. I've seen both, prefer the one in MOMA. The Hermitage dancers look a bit boiled. And I've seen Guernica in NYC and later in Spain. Blew my sox off.
I was very fortunate to see the Guernica in NYC in 1980 -- it totally blew me away!I like the Dance at MoMA but I'm not crazy about it's location -- on the wall in the stairwell.
You've seen the new set up with the addition? You went to NY but I forget what museums you went to.
I haven't seen the tower. Most of my trips have been on the upper East side. Hopefully I'm going in next week.
Fantastic, have fun...maybe it's been moved.
Back to the original question "Has seeing a beautiful gallery or work of art ever inspired you to take a trip to its country of origin?" 90% of my travel is art related, beginning with my first back-packing trip through Europe after I graduated from college. I did a "follow the dots" tour to museums, churches and gardens I'd studied in school. Starting in England I crossed to Ostend and went to Brughes for Hieronymous Bosch, the Ghent altarpiece, Louvre, The Tres Riches Heures of the Duc of Berry at Chantilly, Ronsard inspired gardens at Villandry, Fountainbleau, Tours, Blois, caves at Lascaux, Sete, Nimes, Arles, Grasse, Matisse, over the border to Florence, etc. Once I'd established myself I returned once or twice a year, primarily to Italy, and covered the gamut.
In '01 after befriending like minded music lovers everywhere from Argentina to Finland, travels shifted gears to Scotland, England and Ireland, even Iceland. We visited castles and art museums by day, and enjoyed concerts at various venues by night.
Obviously, Monica, it's addictive. Although I can't say I've ever planned a trip abroad because of a piece of art, I've always included time in museums in the major metropolitan areas I've been fortunate enough to visit including Sydney, Seoul, Tokyo, Kyoto, Yamaguchi, London, Paris, Berlin, Dresden, Prague, Istanbul, and Ephesus. The next time I go to the UK, I will make a point of visiting the Saatchi. Has anyone been there?
Sounds wonderful Monica. Now that my kids are growing up, I hope that soon my husband and I will travel abroad and visit many art museums, galleries.
wow, Monica and Linda! You have been to so many places! I'm a little jealous to say the least, but I still have time and plan to travel the globe one of these days, too. Then I will have my two cents to contribute!
I know that a work of art has led me to spend time in various museums here and in Europe - I went to the Vatrican to see the PIETA in 1991 and still am in awe at how anyone could present such emotion in a sculpture. also went to see GUERNICA at MOMA in 1980 but can't say I understood it fully at the time as far as what it was about.
took the Chunnel from London to Paris specifically to see the MONA LISA but couldn't get close to it but seeing all the other works there more than compensated for not getting close to the painting.
That's awesome,Jim! I can relate to the Pieta , I went to the Vatican just to see that one, too. And I didn't go to the Louvre just to see the Mona Lisa, and it's a good thing because I couldn't get close enough to appreciate it, either. I did love all that I had the opportunity of seeing there. Of course, one day isn't nearly enough!
Well, this is the next question that was posted on the Met website. I think it is a little below most of our group here, but I would like to add to the question.Was art a part of your upbringing? Did you visit museums or study art? Do you create your own works?
Alisa LaGamma
I would like to hear some stories from all you artists and appreciators out there! When did you first discover that you love art? How old were you when you started your own artwork? I am so impressed by the education, experience and knowledge of this group. I wish I had an explosive story to start out with but alas, I don't.
Art was always around when I was a little kid because my grandmother was an artist. She studied at the Art Students League with Robert Henri around 1910-15. He was one of the group of American artists known as The Eight, or the Ashcan School.When I was at USC in the mid 1950s I got a degree in Geology/Paleontology, but it should have told me something when my favorite part of Paleontology was drawing the fossils.
After I was married with children, and lived in San Bernardino, as soon as the Big Baby Sitter called the School District, gave me some free time, I went to the local community college to take art just for the fun of it. I didn't stop until I had an MFA. I then returned to that same college to teach, and had almost as much fun as when I was a student.
How interesting, Ruth! Art is in your genes.
You are too cool Ruth! That is just great that your grandmother studied with Robert Henri. How challenging was it to get your MFA?
I like these questions, Heather. It will be interesting to learn about the other art lovers in this group. My earliest childhood memory is of sitting in my father's lap as I am recuperating from asthmatic bronchitis and watching him draw page after page of different faces. This calming diversion enabled me to catch my breath and quit coughing. My mother said that's what initiated my interest in art.
My undergrad degree was a BFA with a K-12 art education teaching endorsement. Our two children were born the first two years after I graduated and I stayed home with them. When I landed a teaching position, I taught art in the public schools for 15 years. I thought I was lucky to make eight thousand dollars my first year of teaching! That was a lot of money to me three decades ago!
I continued graduate studies in educational leadership with my terminal degree from The College of William and Mary and have served as a school administrator and gifted education supervisor. I've taught fall and spring semesters as an adjunct for UVA for the past ten years. I'm retiring in just a few more months after 35 years in public education. I hope to have time to make more art quilts, take more art classes, improve my digital photography skills, and travel, travel, travel--and publish that book I've been working on forever!
Very interesting Linda. Have you posted any of your art quilts?
I have drawn every since I was old enough to hold a pencil. I was lucky that my parent’s friends were older and as their children got older, I would get all their books with beautiful illustrations. (My parents are not readers.)As a kid, I wrote and illustrated stories, even made a neighborhood newspaper. I also loved to paint and play piano (a neighbor gave us an old, beat-up upright). I knew no one like me until I met my HS art teacher. He was a great supporter and helped me apply to the University as my parents grew up very, very poor and being an artist was not considered an occupation.
I got my BFA in Graphic Design & AA Communications from The University of Bridgeport in 1983. I chose it because many of the professors either came from Yale or NYC. I married six months after graduation and worked at various non-profits. I also had my own incorporated design firm for 5 years, which was challenging to do with three young children. And I taught graphic design at night at the community college. Twelve years ago, I was diagnosed with Lupus and couldn't work anymore. I'm grateful to be a docent at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art.
wow, Ruth and Linda, you inspire me. I love your stories and Linda, I hope you do get to "travel, improve your photography skills, take more art classes and make more art quilts". Thank you for sharing!
Carol, I didn't mean to pass you up! You posted at the same time I did and I didn't read your story until I had already written my message. I love your history, too. You have had many experiences and exposure to art in your life. How exciting!
I've never been very artistically inclined and my family didn't have much art around but my Mom encouraged reading a lot.I really started getting into art when I 1st went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in my 20s and saw all the Impressionist's works as well as Magritte's, Picasso's and O'Keefe's art first hand.
I think I was turned off earlier by all the religious art that dominated so much of the art in earlier times.
I hear you Jim, but I didn't react to religious art the same way. The nuns also taught us about Winslow Homer and Matisse, too. Mom knew I was going to be an artist when I started "sharpening my crayons at age 5." She also encouraged reading, which I also loved, and, when I was old enough to look words up in the dictionary, that's what I was instructed to do, "Look it up in the dictionary!"
Both my parents minored in Art. I still have some of their Time-Life art books in my collection. We made frequent trips to the art museum while I was growing up and art was always the subject I excelled in most in school; hence my decision to attend an art school and get a BFA. (I think I was afraid I'd flunk out of a "real" school.) By the time I was a senior in college I decided I wished I had gotten an Art History degree, but had already used the tuition remission benefit offered through the university my father was employed by. I finally got that MA in Art History at the age of 39 by taking classes part time at the University where I work.
That is so cool, Divvy! And to get your Masters while working? What dedication. I tend to relate the most to Jim. My parents weren't really into art either and I wasn't exposed to it until I was 20 and studied Humanities in college. I loved it. Went to Europe to study for an advanced Humanities class and fell in love there.
Monica, you sure started early! Do you still do art in addition to appreciating it? I would love to see your work sometime! I still have so much to see, learn, do!
Heather, Can you rattle off a few works/sites that moved you the most in Europe? What part/countries were you in?
I might add here that my MFA is in Painting, not Art History. I taught Art History because the school offered more courses than the regular Art History teacher could cover. I taught a 2-semester survey course, cave to modern. But I am not an Art Historian,if I ever say something dumb in that department I'd be grateful for anyone who can correct me.
When I got my BFA, I took the same studio art classes as other BFA students, but I had additional classes in design, photography and typography (using ink and a brush or a rapidograph to make the characters). This was all before computers existed. So when I had a job that needed an illustration or cover art, I could chose to do it in watercolor, paint, silkscreen, pen & ink or photography. With my first jobs, I worked with authors and copy editors. Later, computers eliminated their jobs and I was responsible for their work. Today, I believe that many graphic designers are not artists. But when I was in school, all graphic designers were artists. We had to bring our portfolio for review just like other BFA candidates for admission to the University. I still paint today, as my health allows. I had the basics for art history at the University but in order to be a docent at the museum, it required 1 year of weekly classes out of 3 art history books plus an additional 6 months with a mentor. The museum has everything from Egyptian to Contemporary.
With your background and experience in graphic design, Carol, how would you advise young illustrators today? My granddaughter is graduating from the visual arts program at Governor's School and plans to major in art as an undergraduate.
Divvy wrote: "Heather, Can you rattle off a few works/sites that moved you the most in Europe? What part/countries were you in?"Hi Divvy. It was incredible. We went to London first, saw the National Gallery and the Tate Museum. It was inspiring and overwhelming. After London, we toured The Louvre, The Musee d'Orsay, the Rodin Museum and Centre Pompidou. I saw the Rodin museum on my 'day off' from class because he's one of my favs. Most of the rest of the class went to Versailles so I missed that boat. But Rodin was well worth it. In fact, that was probably my best experience there. After Paris we went to Rome, Florence and Milan. The Vatican Museum was, wow, it was incredible. I think Florence is my favorite city in the world, however, because there is so much sculpture there and that is my medium of choice. I don't know what else to say, well, NOT to say! I could go on forever. I would say it was all a great experience and I would go back in a heartbeat.
Linda wrote: "With your background and experience in graphic design, Carol, how would you advise young illustrators today? My granddaughter is graduating from the visual arts program at Governor's School and pl..."Does the University that she plans to attend offer intern opportunities? Or some type of work experience in her senior year? I would recommend finding a school that offers some type of real work or co-op internship.
My son graduated from Emmanuel College in Boston in 2009. When we were looking at schools, they assured us that students were placed where they interned. His major was Business Finance and, in the first year of the College's history, they were not able to place all their students. Disappointed, he returned home. After 9 months looking, he got a job through a temp agency and later applied for a FT job (which he got). His dilemma now is paying back his huge students loans (which would not have been as large of a problem if he was employed in Boston). We pulled my youngest son out of Emmanuel and he is going to the local University. It's a good school. At least he won't have the same debt as his brother.
Jobs are hard to find here (in CT). I have a 51 yr. old friend who is extremely talented. He has been working in multimedia and animation for 20 years. He can do both the art and the programing. He gets hired, but company after company folds and he is left with nothing. Just this past Thursday, his employer closed the doors & no severance package.
I left work in 2002 so I'm no expert but this is my best advise:
* Find people who are doing what you want to do, and ask to visit or maybe later volunteer at their establishment. (I know people who lose their jobs and through church have met people who could either give them a job or give a recommendation.)
* I think you also have to look at where you need/want to live in order to have work in your field.
* Experience with application software-- Microsoft Professional Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel), Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator.
* Conceptual drawings and layouts in a variety of medium to support publications and build up your portfolio.
* Some type of work/volunteer experience that highlights that you're a team player and can produce a successful product.
* Show work that is creative and innovative.
* Have great writing skills (which many today don't have.)
I wish you the best.
My granddaughter graduated with a BA in Art a couple of years ago. She's working as a cocktail waitress.
Thanks so much, Carol! Ruth, your comments are discouraging. I think it has always been difficult to find good employment with only a BFA. I knew that teaching art in the public schools was the only alternative for me in that I needed a dependable job compatible with rearing my children.
It's difficult even with an MFA. Teaching is one of the few options and for that reason it's crowded.
Art Lovers
Books mentioned in this topic
Leaving Van Gogh (other topics)Point and Line to Plane (other topics)
Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling (other topics)
I've always loved the pre-Raphaelites illustrative quality
[image error]
"Ophelia" by John Millais 1850. The fact that a lot of their work was literature connected is appealing as well.