Museums: Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden #2

The Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Museum features a diverse collection of contemporary art.

During a recent visit to the Hirshhorn, we toured a temporary exhibition of the art and sculpture of living German artist Georg Baselitz.  The exhibition was a retrospective of Baselitz's sixty year career.  The artwork, presented chronologically, filled an entire floor of the Hirshhorn.  

Before viewing the exhibition, we had not heard of Georg Baselitz.  Overall, the style of the paintings and sculpture was primitive with broad brushstrokes and vivid colors.  The images in the paintings, especially the early ones, were crude and even disturbing.  Still, we enjoyed touring the exhibition. 

You might be wondering if the photograph above and ones that follow are accidentally upside down.  Well, the paintings were hung upside down in the gallery.  Apparently, the artist paints right-side up and then intentionally turns the painting over.  The purpose, according to different sources, is to focus the viewer's attention more on the way the work was painted and less on the figure represented.  Who knew?

Detail of The Brücke Chorus

For comparison, below is an image of Munch's Scream.

The Scream, Edvard Munch (1895) (one of four originals) (in The Neue Gallerie) 

The painting above is correctly compared to medieval Christian paintings with golden halos surrounding the subjects to indicate divinity.  We also thought Baselitz might also be emulating Klimt's masterpiece pictured below.

Adele Bloch-Bauer I, aka The Woman in Gold, Gustav Klimt (1907)

Left:  Frau Utramarin by Georg Baselitz (2004) (cedar and oil).
Right:  Frau SRH by Some Random Hottie (2018) (dress and shoes from Steinmart).

Thanks for visiting the Hirshhorn Museum with us.

National Gallery of Art #17 (Part 2 of 2)

Our tour of the Sense of Humor exhibition continues.

One of the best works of art in the exhibition is Lichtenstein's version of the Scream.  Greg was quite amused and thought the painting was a scream.  

The Scream, Edvard Munch (1895) (one of four originals) (in The Neue Gallerie) 

Thanks for touring the exhibition with us.  We hope you found it amusing.

National Gallery of Art #17 (Part 1 of 2)

The National Gallery is hosting a temporary exhibition dedicated to humor, satire and caricature in art over the centuries.  The exhibition, Sense of Humor, was surprisingly good.  We were surprised by two things.  Work by some of the best artists was featured and the quality of the artwork was excellent.  If you have a sense of humor, we hope you enjoy this virtual tour of the exhibition.   

  

Greg was particularly amused by the Fragonard etching above.  It reminded him of the Refrigerator Joke:

One day, three men appeared at the Pearly Gates and the Gatekeeper announced that each would gain entry only after recounting the circumstances of his death.  The first man told his story:

“Well, today was Friday, and since it was such a beautiful afternoon and I didn’t have much work to do at the office, I decided to go home early.  As I was walking down the hall of my building toward my apartment, I heard the sound of a man’s voice through the door.  I stopped outside the door to listen, and I was sure that there was a man inside.  As I turned the key, I could hear the rustle of rapid footsteps, and when I entered, I saw that my wife was hastily putting on her nightgown.  ‘Where is he?!’, I demanded; but she denied a man was present.  I searched the hall closet, the bedroom closet, and under the bed.  I looked behind the couch and in the kitchen.  Then, in frustration, I lifted the refrigerator over my head, carried it to the terrace, and threw it over.  Suddenly, I felt a terrible pain in my chest, and that’s the last I remember."

Then, the second man told his story:  “I was taking a long weekend and had the day off today.  I slept in until the afternoon and had a leisurely breakfast.  Then, since it was such a nice day, I decided to do exercises on my terrace.  While I was doing some jumping jacks, I lost my balance, and fell over the rail.  I was hanging on for dear life by one hand, and I thought I was finished, but somehow, I managed to swing back-and-forth until I could grab the rail with my other hand.  Then, miraculously, I pulled myself up to the top of the rail; but just as I was about to lean over it, a refrigerator fell on me and crushed me against the ground below.”

Then, the third man told his story:  “Well, I was hiding in this refrigerator . . .”

Next Up:  A sense of humor in the 20th century.

Music in D.C.: Millennium Stage--Light Beams

We recently visited the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage to hear Light Beams. a D.C. band.  The group plays high intensity, loud techno rock.  According to the program, the music is sometimes called "block rock".       

If you are not sure what "block rock" is, you can sample the Light Beams' music by clicking here.  Enjoy. 

P.S.  One of the best features was the band's extensive use of cow bell.  Need more cow bell?  Click here.

National Gallery of Art #16

It's time for another visit to the National Gallery of Art.

The north entrance of the National Gallery of Art (West Building).

A recent visit included a docent-led tour of Italian Renaissance paintings.  Of course, during Year 2 in Florence, we saw a lot of Italian Renaissance paintings.  So, we were happy to see what the National Gallery had in its collection.  While Susan appreciates Italian Renaissance paintings, Greg genuinely adores them and can't seem to get enough.

Of course, the National Gallery's collection includes paintings of the Annunciation. The 1450 painting below by Fra Carnevale is especially nice.  It features brightly colored Florentine neo-classical architecture in the background and the ever-present flower in the hands of Archangel Gabriel. 

Another painting features the story of David slaying Goliath.  What makes this 1455 painting by Castagno unique is that it's painted on a ceremonial shield. The docent speculated the shield might have been carried in a religious procession.  You might remember from Year 2 that David slaying Goliath is a frequent subject of Florentine art.  If you believe that art reflects politics, then David represents small but deadly Florence while Goliath represents anyone who might seek to conquer Florence.  

Another fine example of Italian Renaissance painting is Sellaio's 1480 painting of John the Baptist.  Sellaio was a Florentine and a student of Lippi, along with Botticelli.  Greg especially liked this painting because it features Florence in the background.  What John was doing in Florence, Greg has no idea.  

Detail showing Florence in the background of the painting

One of the finest works of art in the National Gallery's collection is Raphael's 1510 painting The Alba Madonna.  The three figures in the painting (can you identify all three) gaze at the same object, indicating that each knows what will eventually come.  

English art critic Andrew Graham-Dixon said this about Raphael's painting:  "The Alba Madonna is a breathtakingly beautiful work of art, all the more impressive since recent restoration work brought back the original, delicate pastel colours used by the artist, and revealed the subtle depth and brilliancy of the landscape background. The buildings on the hilltop at the right-hand edge of the composition are caught by a raking light and have been misted by varying degrees of haze to create the illusion of relative distance from the eye – a technique known as aerial perspective. The far mountains are similarly hazed by distance to a rich azure, while the sky above varies in colour from Wedgewood blue, at its apex, to a cool milky-white on the horizon. This range of colours is repeated in the folds and shadows of the Madonna’s blue robes, which at once echo and animate the circular shape of the composition. A monumental, comforting figure, clothed in robes that look as if woven from a piece of fallen sky, she seems like a world unto herself." 

Another Florentine work of Renaissance art is the sculpted marble ciborium pictured below.  The piece reminds Greg of the lantern on top of Florence's cathedral.

The lantern on Florence's cathedral

Thanks for again visiting the National Gallery with us.