Category Archives: History

Museum Tours: “The Old Guitarist” By Pablo Picasso (Art Institute, Chicago)

On this episode of Art Institute Essentials Tour, take a closer look at The Old Guitarist, painted by Pablo Picasso between late 1903 and early 1904. In the paintings of Picasso’s Blue Period (1901-04), the artist restricted himself to a cold, monochromatic blue palette, flattened forms, and emotional, psychological themes of human misery and alienation. This painting reflects the then twenty-two-year-old Picasso’s personal struggle and sympathy for the plight of the downtrodden.

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New Video Documentary: “Tending The Flame” – “Red House” Of William Morris

 

This film documents the story of furniture designer and builder Hugh Miller and the journey he embarked on, ending with his piece being inducted in to iconic Red House in Bexley Heath. Steeped in artistic history Red House was the only house designed and lived in by champion of the arts and craft movement William Morris. Today it stands as an example of the preservation of craft skills in the face of autonomy and is a lasting testament to celebrating art in it’s many forms. This documentary hopes to highlight how some of the lessons taught by Morris and his friends can be implemented in to the world of art and design today.

This film was made with the support of The Crafts Council and The National Trust.

Art History: “Titans Of British Modernism” In Early 20th Century (Video)

Sotheby's logoSotheby’s upcoming cross-category Evening Auction ‘Rembrandt to Richter’ (28 July | London), features many of the key British avant-garde movers and shakers of their day.

In this video, discover titans of British Modernism such as Ben Nicholson and Barbara Hepworth; artists such as Christopher Wood and Marlow Moss who found their inspiration amongst the belle monde of Paris; Stanley Spencer and Cedric Morris whose inspiration remained resolutely closer to home; and a bold new generation of artists including Frank Auerbach who forged their careers in London in the aftermath of the Second World War.

Paintings: J.M.W. Turner’s “Gledhow Hall” (1816)

This magnificent watercolour by J.M.W. Turner exquisitely captures the romantic painter’s love for the North of England. Discover how the “painter of light” depicted the sheer essence of time and atmosphere in this sumptuous watercolour of “God’s Own Country”.

Gledhow Hall, in Leeds, is still standing sentinel and today houses several luxury flats. Yet few are aware that the Hall and the Gledhow area itself is intrinsically linked with the family of Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge.

Gledhow Hall is on Gledhow Lane at its junction with Gledhow Wood Road. The land was originally monastic and was purchased from Queen Elizabeth I by the Thwaites family. Several notable Yorkshire families have owned the Hall, including the Becketts, the Benyons, the Dixons and the Coopers. The Hall, as seen today, was completed shortly after 1766, by York architect John Carr who had been responsible for Harewood House – the home of Princess Mary, Countess of Harewood, whose niece is Queen Elizabeth II.

Art Centers: Sculptor Auguste Rodin’s Enduring Appeal (Stanford Cantor)

Stanford University (July 20, 2020):

What makes Rodin’s sculptures “modern”?

The Three Shades, Rodin, Stanford
The Three Shades is among the works in the Rodin Sculpture Garden, adjacent to the Cantor Arts Center. The sculpture uses three separate casts of the same figure that has been rotated into different positions. (Image credit: L.A. Cicero)

The enduring appeal of Rodin, the modernity of his work, has to do with the way in which he makes visible an aesthetic of process – how, in other words, he takes traditional sculpture apart and puts it back together again in new and daring ways. Strategies of multiplication, scalability, fragmentation and recombinatory modes of assembly and display constitute some of the hallmarks of Rodin’s artistic practice.

Works by Rodin on view at the Cantor are often utilized by students and scholars from a range of disciplines, including medicine. In this moment, with outbreak of disease across the globe, what can Rodin’s works teach us about the relationship between art and nature?

Cantor Arts Center logoIt’s interesting that Rodin attracts so much attention from medical experts, especially here at Stanford, who have used his hands for diagnostic purposes. It’s true that Rodin was intensely interested in exploring pathologies of the body, especially now-discredited understandings of female hysteria. But there is also the irony that Rodin became furious after a critic accused him of making his first life-size figure through life casting, rather than modeling it himself. It should go without saying, but Rodin’s hands are not hands – not real ones, anyway – and their expressive forms don’t align neatly with the anatomical reality of hands in flesh and blood or even their more naturalistic counterparts. But the very fact that they elicit such responses demonstrates the power of art to provoke challenging questions that drive innovative paths of research that cut across disciplines, particularly in a university setting.

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Cocktails With A Curator: “Vermeer’s ‘Officer And Laughing Girl'” (Video)

In this week’s episode of “Cocktails with a Curator,” get up close to one of the Frick’s three beloved Vermeer paintings, “Officer and Laughing Girl,” with Curator Aimee Ng. While enjoying your Kopstootje—a shot of jenever (a traditional Dutch liquor) paired with a pint of beer—join Aimee in examining the artist’s masterful skill at portraying light and exploring the complex histories behind a seemingly simple hat.

Johannes Vermeer, in original Dutch Jan Vermeer van Delft, was a Dutch Baroque Period painter who specialized in domestic interior scenes of middle class life. During his lifetime, he was a moderately successful provincial genre painter, recognized in Delft and The Hague.

Travels With A Curator: “Villa Barbaro, Maser” In Italy (The Frick Video)

In this week’s episode of “Travels with a Curator,” join Xavier F. Salomon, Deputy Director and Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator, on an excursion to one of his favorite places in the world, Villa Barbaro in Maser, Italy. Designed in the sixteenth century by Andrea Palladio, the villa is decorated floor to ceiling with magnificent frescoes by Paolo Veronese. The Frick is home to two allegorical paintings by Veronese that he produced in the 1560s, shortly after completing his work on the villa.

Artwork Tours: Vincent Van Gogh’s “The Bedroom” (Art Institute Chicago)

On this episode of Art Institute Essentials Tour, take a closer look at The Bedroom, painted by Vincent van Gogh in 1889. Vincent van Gogh painted three versions, including this one, of his bedroom in the “Yellow House” in Arles, France. To van Gogh, this picture symbolized relaxation and peace. However, to our eyes the canvas seems to teem with nervous energy, instability, and turmoil—an effect heightened by the sharply receding perspective.

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Cocktails With A Curator: “Riesener, Commode and Secrétaire” (The Frick)

In this week’s episode of “Cocktails with a Curator,” join Deputy Director and Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator Xavier F. Salomon as he explores the royal provenance of two pieces of furniture at the Frick made by Jean-Henri Riesener. Sometimes overlooked by visitors, Xavier encourages us to take a closer look at this exquisite commode and secrétaire set. In celebration of these works of art and the upcoming Bastille Day, this week’s complementary cocktail is the Kir Royale.

TOP TRAVEL VIDEOS: “AERIAL AMERICA – NORTH CAROLINA” (SMITHSONIAN CHANNEL)

North Carolina is home to mysteries, giant industries, and coastal beauty. It’s where gold was first found in America, and where an entire colony of settlers vanished. Experience the history of the Tar Heel State.

From the Series: Aerial America: North Carolina http://bit.ly/2zWNzeC