tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82008439105125237912024-03-17T19:19:42.016-07:00Art EyewitnessArt Eyewitnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347317000349363690noreply@blogger.comBlogger295125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8200843910512523791.post-37243253522302820062024-03-12T22:23:00.000-07:002024-03-12T22:23:01.834-07:00Art Eyewitness Review: Beatrix Potter at the Morgan Library & Museum<p></p><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbtKx6-eZjyMe1bxg4dJUf4FcSexIcPrYo8aa5N4yUDM372IGHW6yCr7jmR3Lq4_M95QE4Nl_Te094Eo-LizvwmK-RRQrCxZyDBXW2jv8rkmNLzd17XQOY8Rs6SQM-LgpNIyPu0q8oLxVfAKBF5QvrRort_NlU2czIN4listGi86Us-vYmXXPv985qdm0/s679/Beatrix%20Potter%20lead.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="679" data-original-width="527" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbtKx6-eZjyMe1bxg4dJUf4FcSexIcPrYo8aa5N4yUDM372IGHW6yCr7jmR3Lq4_M95QE4Nl_Te094Eo-LizvwmK-RRQrCxZyDBXW2jv8rkmNLzd17XQOY8Rs6SQM-LgpNIyPu0q8oLxVfAKBF5QvrRort_NlU2czIN4listGi86Us-vYmXXPv985qdm0/w310-h400/Beatrix%20Potter%20lead.jpg" width="310" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;"><i>Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature</i></span></h3><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;"><b>Morgan Library and Museum</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;"><b>February 23 to June 9, 2024</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;"><b>Reviewed by Ed Voves</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;"><b>Original Photography by Anne Lloyd</b></span></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;">During the summer of 1966, an exhibition opened its doors to crowds of appreciative Londoners. Thousands of people lined up to see the exhibit, presented by Britain's National Book League. So many came that police officers had to be summoned to handle crowd control.</span></p><p><span style="color: #0c0c0c;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The books highlighted in the popular London exhibition had little in common with contemporary best sellers. <i>Lady Chatterly's Lover, </i>Ian Fleming's James Bond 007 and <i>The Spy Who Came in from the Cold </i>were definitely <i>not</i> the stars of the National Book League show. Instead, the exhibition highlighted the exploits of a rabbit named Peter, Tom Kitten, Jemima Puddle-D</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">uck and Hunca Munca and Tom Thumb, "two bad mice." </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyuEpt8z4ydU-joBYe9ntlpD69nRc2JiYQhGiXRix4XraAbwpKgJOw22CkLun6uHBrPavqcq-UlRn4WR19hUvB3D4_k7g0f5vpnLA_yXaNmwMHeS5b9X9Z99S1K5O8EM7ZNKon0dAornOsmEGsYutzNAMwZfEigC3924-btvimYiirwieQUwhdmoHivlE/s1042/Potter%20children%20books.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="891" data-original-width="1042" height="548" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyuEpt8z4ydU-joBYe9ntlpD69nRc2JiYQhGiXRix4XraAbwpKgJOw22CkLun6uHBrPavqcq-UlRn4WR19hUvB3D4_k7g0f5vpnLA_yXaNmwMHeS5b9X9Z99S1K5O8EM7ZNKon0dAornOsmEGsYutzNAMwZfEigC3924-btvimYiirwieQUwhdmoHivlE/w640-h548/Potter%20children%20books.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2024) </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN" style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; text-align: left;">Gallery view of </span><i style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature</i></b><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>, showing early editions of <i>The Tale of Tom Kitten</i> and </b><i><b>The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck</b></i></span></div><p><span style="color: #0c0c0c;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The creator of these delightful animal characters - and many more - was a proper Victorian lady, born a hundred years before. Now, Beatrix Potter (1866-1943) had returned, the toast of</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">"swinging 60's" London.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSjmnMRDwzUYhY1SnReFzp6bJ6NANbT-iOiD2bYh4dsfeb0Ys8-OXyzn3MVcWQ3KyutNYm8RViMyhvaTQ9wQznYOzKKrWE2xocC3KkBtUb4Hqs5C2SPTli4E9lrg3Um2NDU1SwnWrZVKvUOqv-nhsZt5obYw-bjzJYsgjj4nxIqjUOTXkY-PAAXfQuVbI/s855/POT073.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="855" data-original-width="567" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSjmnMRDwzUYhY1SnReFzp6bJ6NANbT-iOiD2bYh4dsfeb0Ys8-OXyzn3MVcWQ3KyutNYm8RViMyhvaTQ9wQznYOzKKrWE2xocC3KkBtUb4Hqs5C2SPTli4E9lrg3Um2NDU1SwnWrZVKvUOqv-nhsZt5obYw-bjzJYsgjj4nxIqjUOTXkY-PAAXfQuVbI/w424-h640/POT073.jpg" width="424" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Rupert Potter, </span><i style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Portrait of Beatrix Potter,</i><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> ca. 1892</span></b></div><p><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;">Beatrix Potter once again is on center stage in a centennial exhibition. This time, the occasion is the celebration of the Morgan Library and Museum's opening as a public institution in March 1924. </span></p><p><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;">The choice of a Beatrix Potter exhibition to lead the Morgan's anniversary presentations might seem a bit surprising. The Morgan is legendary for its medieval manuscripts, Rembrandt etchings, works by William Blake, etc. But Bunny Rabbits?</span></p><p><span style="color: #090909;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>Visitors to the Morgan have only to walk through the door of </span><i>Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature </i><span>to see how fitting this wonderful exhibition is to launch Morgan 100. In recent years, exhibits at the Morgan have celebrated the lives of </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2016/11/charlotte-bronte-independent-will-at.html"><span>Charlotte Bront</span></a></span><a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2016/11/charlotte-bronte-independent-will-at.html" style="font-family: verdana;">ë</a><span style="font-family: verdana;">,</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span> </span><a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2017/01/im-nobody-who-are-you-life-and-poetry.html"><span>Emily Dickinson</span></a><span>, J.R.R. Tolkien and other beloved authors. This tribute to Beatrix Potter follows in their worthy footsteps.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;">Prominently displayed near the entrance of <i>Beatrix Potter: Drawn</i> <i>to Nature</i> are several framed letters. These are arrayed beneath a large-format rendering of cursive hand-writing, duplicating Potter's salutation in one of the letters.</span></p><p><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;">"My dear Noel" the gallery heading reads. </span></p><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWGH6Xpd2bDXVOqzMhD6fWznxDjMYj4puYruU5VT-6XuQ4XJLUUbEW7WeJOX7ANZUT-TMOLFbfzec_EiO4uVTRaukP4mqESm31M0SE3TgsZw6T-828PTFvqK0LnOJuv5w8FAXegtAIQVbIo18Gk-jafqqZGwGg1OTvjKEiBfr5GUtD9Bn8y-hkKuJ9p8g/s1028/Potter%20Letter%20wall.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="777" data-original-width="1028" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWGH6Xpd2bDXVOqzMhD6fWznxDjMYj4puYruU5VT-6XuQ4XJLUUbEW7WeJOX7ANZUT-TMOLFbfzec_EiO4uVTRaukP4mqESm31M0SE3TgsZw6T-828PTFvqK0LnOJuv5w8FAXegtAIQVbIo18Gk-jafqqZGwGg1OTvjKEiBfr5GUtD9Bn8y-hkKuJ9p8g/w640-h484/Potter%20Letter%20wall.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2024) </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN" style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> Gallery view of </span><i style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature</i><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">, showing picture letters written by Beatrix Potter to Noel Moore, ca. 1890's</span></b></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;">The letters, dating to the 1890's, are part of a trove of eleven letters written to a little boy named Noel Moore and one to his sister, Marjorie. These illustrated missives are among the most precious documents in the Morgan's collection, donated to the institution in 1959.</span></p><p><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;">Noel and Marjorie Moore were the children of Potter's former governess, Annie Carter. Potter maintained close relations with Carter after she married. Noel (1887-1969) was five-years old and recovering from scarlet fever when he received an eight page letter filled with details about Potter's pet rabbit, named Peter Piper. </span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;">Potter revealed her vivid imagination and her power of observation in her description of Peter Piper, "Whatever the shortcomings of his fur, and his ears and toes, his disposition was uniformly amiable and his temper unfailingly sweet."</span></div><p><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;">Potter elaborated on the Peter Rabbit theme with a later picture letter (as she called them) to Noel. Brimming with imagined incidents and marvelous drawings, the outline of "tale" began to take shape. </span></p><p><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;"><i>My dear Noel, I don't know what to write to you, so I shall tell you a story about four little rabbits whose names were - Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail - and Peter. They lived with their mother in a sand bank under the root of a big fir tree... </i></span></p><p><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;">Encouraged by Annie Moore, Potter used this letter as the template for a story about the fictional Peter Rabbit. In 1901, after being rejected by eight publishing firms, Potter's illustrated story of the naughty bunny<i> </i>was privately printed in an edition of 250 copies. The following year, <i>The Tale of Peter</i> <i>Rabbit</i> was finally </span><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;">published by Frederick Warne and Co. and quickly became a huge, global success. </span><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBN_u5jXNNhu2W1EXyA5jqI17pzeveIZoHUSBZLOCYri1BhbwrucceSEgQ_-wYor0AGpoGkMmL7Jl3-HSXPDaAUrjNJE99tlCQZMy8-MoSK0b-v1pEU4GXqykcRitDpJ0FGJ2ntsdIIkS3KS3AI88EV3pCiifIIB0nvLG9aTA-WQuKkn_zGKup5N9qJ_A/s310/Peter%20from%20endpapers.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="310" data-original-width="250" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBN_u5jXNNhu2W1EXyA5jqI17pzeveIZoHUSBZLOCYri1BhbwrucceSEgQ_-wYor0AGpoGkMmL7Jl3-HSXPDaAUrjNJE99tlCQZMy8-MoSK0b-v1pEU4GXqykcRitDpJ0FGJ2ntsdIIkS3KS3AI88EV3pCiifIIB0nvLG9aTA-WQuKkn_zGKup5N9qJ_A/w323-h400/Peter%20from%20endpapers.jpg" width="323" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Beatrix Potter,</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><span style="color: #0d0d0d;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Drawing of Peter Rabbit from the </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Tailor of Gloucester</i> endpaper,1903</span></span></b></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">Beatrix </span><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">Potter would go on to write and illustrate twenty-three "tales" which have sold over 250 </span><i style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">million </i><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">copies</span><i style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">,</i><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;"> quite an increase from the 250 of the privately published first edition. </span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9M66H8ptSeKk_3SnKHlBZNTy7RtyKAYC6Br3bYXAK8cWegv0S_7Pjqz4L36xE6noYvzgG_1TB9XvlmN_M2egyaQ_TOvSPjZzYCM2Iit_pKf9P61gH3KCM34oMzYXU0Vl8gMNGQaJCOoBee1mrP7JeFyuGFLh7FGtXF96xNVl1HoERPJfHB-3nIlSq604/s1249/Potter%20Noel%20letter.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1249" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9M66H8ptSeKk_3SnKHlBZNTy7RtyKAYC6Br3bYXAK8cWegv0S_7Pjqz4L36xE6noYvzgG_1TB9XvlmN_M2egyaQ_TOvSPjZzYCM2Iit_pKf9P61gH3KCM34oMzYXU0Vl8gMNGQaJCOoBee1mrP7JeFyuGFLh7FGtXF96xNVl1HoERPJfHB-3nIlSq604/w410-h640/Potter%20Noel%20letter.jpg" width="410" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2024) </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>A </b></span><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>picture letter written by Beatrix Potter to Noel Moore, April 11, 1892</b></span></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #040404;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The success of Potter's "tales" seems less astounding when one studies her accounts of people, places and - most of all - animals in the Morgan Library letters. Potter wrote to Noel Moore in a direct, appealing way that children can comprehend and enjoy without feeling "talked-down-to" by adults. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #040404; font-family: verdana;">Potter complemented her facility in writing for youngsters with pictures which integrate insightful detail with a sense of "childlike" </span><span style="color: #040404; font-family: verdana;">wonder. </span></p><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEz1S5C492XWI9N0X4l63xMDU9v19QI2SUutt_tKxC62nSQybbo4us8qNQjpzjjeSmPPehjB599Eq5z4a377ikoEGV77pRcczycVw0_QpXKij7wsPB4_XSXOJyesri66Rn8OMErQBg40oSJT0mgK9EISAipF4kN2VAtjjm5aiC_AFE0mbnZlBsvpVEp7c/s1003/Potter%20Noel%20letter%20detail.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="751" data-original-width="1003" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEz1S5C492XWI9N0X4l63xMDU9v19QI2SUutt_tKxC62nSQybbo4us8qNQjpzjjeSmPPehjB599Eq5z4a377ikoEGV77pRcczycVw0_QpXKij7wsPB4_XSXOJyesri66Rn8OMErQBg40oSJT0mgK9EISAipF4kN2VAtjjm5aiC_AFE0mbnZlBsvpVEp7c/w640-h480/Potter%20Noel%20letter%20detail.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2024) </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN" style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Detail of a </span><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">picture letter from Beatrix Potter to Noel Moore, ca. 1890's</span></b></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;">A visitor to the Morgan exhibit could linger at the display of Potter's letters for a very long time and be thrilled at being able to see them, so rarely are these fragile works-on-paper placed on view. But there is so much to see and enjoy in this exhibition that the temptation of focusing exclusively on Potter's delightful picture letters needs to be resisted.</span></p><p><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;">The vast majority of the paintings, drawings, photos and artifacts on view in the Morgan galleries, come from the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. Without the letters to Noel and Marjorie Moore, <i>Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature</i> has traveled to other museums. <i>With</i> the Morgan's Potter letters included, it is a "once-in-a lifetime" exhibition.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #0c0c0c;">The Morgan/V&A exhibition chronicles Potter's entire lifetime. Potter was much more than an author/illustrator of endearing children's books - though the tremendous success of her "tales" needs no apologia.</span></span><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJYJ2Q2tg7VtfitPMmSKNRz5KJpAd7b_5fzjl7ry8RCc2NR38j0-U0xIPFeHB9tvIbU-lQok5KHuzdsi0ZDrFYRrG0Gsum0Z2qm1DFIAYq7LnO3nDCAJtGGUZw28hS75svhDcrjRKaAseZqDT56JoKrkOkhH8FHvOP48ev5tQR8BnujML9QvdzmozkplE/s1000/POT157.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="751" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJYJ2Q2tg7VtfitPMmSKNRz5KJpAd7b_5fzjl7ry8RCc2NR38j0-U0xIPFeHB9tvIbU-lQok5KHuzdsi0ZDrFYRrG0Gsum0Z2qm1DFIAYq7LnO3nDCAJtGGUZw28hS75svhDcrjRKaAseZqDT56JoKrkOkhH8FHvOP48ev5tQR8BnujML9QvdzmozkplE/w480-h640/POT157.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Beatrix Potter</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Drawing, magnified studies of a ground beetle, about 1887</b></span></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht4tMaHlZBb-o4abu5mQmQLKIeZ3sfMjjXFHgM4xNASVlUEjmHRndnn3LdEqdZy7r1BclhGiZDFNDocIrEpOGQORAf0M0NNu_xkYGMsEW5gNkQAGZVk0bi-hJ-rm22daEaSnTSjggXHyHmqzQXs_IgBNkilHuDD9lrc0Dq7iO71psp5o4ravVC0KDA59M/s1066/POT124.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="1066" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht4tMaHlZBb-o4abu5mQmQLKIeZ3sfMjjXFHgM4xNASVlUEjmHRndnn3LdEqdZy7r1BclhGiZDFNDocIrEpOGQORAf0M0NNu_xkYGMsEW5gNkQAGZVk0bi-hJ-rm22daEaSnTSjggXHyHmqzQXs_IgBNkilHuDD9lrc0Dq7iO71psp5o4ravVC0KDA59M/w640-h512/POT124.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><p style="color: #070707; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #080808; text-align: left;">Beatrix Potter,</span></span><span style="color: #080808; text-align: left;"> Drawing of a Walled Garden, Ees Wyke, Sawrey, ca. 1900 </span></b></p><p><span style="color: #101010;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">An accomplished student of natural science, a gifted landscape artist, an "environmentalist" before the word was created, a successful farmer and animal breeder, Potter </span>achieved much in a long and active life.</span><span style="color: #070707;"> </span></p><p style="color: #070707;"><br /></p><p style="color: #070707;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #070707; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg66OH1NL8YIPRr6DK0TgXm28I937l2lSZo6qM0RqFTpTcnGCsmU8A4VZCNEcGu0bbPepNkr0VOYSFDnliVeP_pm7wY64MWA5WMOrD9-MvCW5wsoTT2_94XJ4f15U0EJaOUV1zmQABJs-j9U-IZwkemSzEnMFM2N4VQy83X0lT1yHPCPO-alEU4dSIyjIw/s1272/Potter%20clogs.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1272" data-original-width="777" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg66OH1NL8YIPRr6DK0TgXm28I937l2lSZo6qM0RqFTpTcnGCsmU8A4VZCNEcGu0bbPepNkr0VOYSFDnliVeP_pm7wY64MWA5WMOrD9-MvCW5wsoTT2_94XJ4f15U0EJaOUV1zmQABJs-j9U-IZwkemSzEnMFM2N4VQy83X0lT1yHPCPO-alEU4dSIyjIw/w390-h640/Potter%20clogs.jpg" width="390" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN" style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2024) </span><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Beatrix Potter's Walking Stick and Farm Clogs</span></b></div><p><span style="color: #0c0c0c;">Indeed, it was Potter's close study of nature and unsentimental appraisal of animal life which grounded her "tales." An ever-present note of realism pervades these stories. Potter's bunnies and other animal protagonists court disaster, especially when they forget the inherent dangers of their seemingly idyllic world.</span></p><p style="color: #070707;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #070707; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi47Yw01X0X3KdYwj1K65escSyVwr74eaYlPEJGntESJN1SPMCi830-NESIHOetp-LfvJ_qjEnlvvJ0qMvLKFN2EaRE3lsTxKusa_NkOMhxiG6LHqxiSfcN4dHj4SJPKlF4dO2abIZH9D6atjluR7wytIMdhYVVBACUDp1zCzOd_QjUG-doYZV_LzZFK9M/s1000/Potter%20Rabbit.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="898" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi47Yw01X0X3KdYwj1K65escSyVwr74eaYlPEJGntESJN1SPMCi830-NESIHOetp-LfvJ_qjEnlvvJ0qMvLKFN2EaRE3lsTxKusa_NkOMhxiG6LHqxiSfcN4dHj4SJPKlF4dO2abIZH9D6atjluR7wytIMdhYVVBACUDp1zCzOd_QjUG-doYZV_LzZFK9M/w359-h400/Potter%20Rabbit.jpg" width="359" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #080808; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2024)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #080808; text-align: left;"><b> </b></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #080808; text-align: left;"><i><b>Studies of a Rabbit’s Head (Benjamin Bouncer)</b></i><b> by Beatrix Potter, 1890</b></span></div><p style="color: #070707;"><span style="color: #090909;">Potter was also a savvy, business entrepreneur. She quickly grasped the importance of designing books of a small size which would fit "children's hands" and parent's disposable income. Her publisher wanted to try a line of bigger, more lavishly illustrated books - and thus more expensive - but Potter resisted and she was proven correct. Sales revenue from the child-friendly books soared.</span></p></span><p><span style="color: #090909;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Potter was willing, in some respects, to experiment with innovations in book design. One of my favorite objects in the exhibition is the first edition of <i>The Tale of Miss Moppet</i>. It was </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">designed in a panorama format, with the pages unfolding in an accordion-like fashion. The story of Miss Moppet's unavailing effort to "bag" a mouse develops sequentially like the frames of a silent movie to the delight of young readers. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSmXGwuApBAM_LPqV4JOXwUg_T-TAFa5R3KdZ0_T54-RDpma5LXmnZ3ujwiWvMlW2iu0OKpw27dnJu1LMOAxWQ2Aj-Pq9aAe79XYtORTeXPK0B7qcqIRQyLRnztJOwZkmALgJWPk4g385uDGytuu7w0V9IJaxnosHILOZEnXvkyzgX5L-OhyvvbOLNs3k/s1066/Potter%20folding%20book.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="825" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSmXGwuApBAM_LPqV4JOXwUg_T-TAFa5R3KdZ0_T54-RDpma5LXmnZ3ujwiWvMlW2iu0OKpw27dnJu1LMOAxWQ2Aj-Pq9aAe79XYtORTeXPK0B7qcqIRQyLRnztJOwZkmALgJWPk4g385uDGytuu7w0V9IJaxnosHILOZEnXvkyzgX5L-OhyvvbOLNs3k/w496-h640/Potter%20folding%20book.jpg" width="496" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2024) </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Gallery view of the </span><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i>Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature</i> exhibition, </span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>showing the first edition of <i>The Story of Miss Moppet</i>, 1906</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ0lkw1MLId5xdKD68_kL-pHiAS0NblGr_CoYLhBDxo2m3Q4Nri9Eed49nPgPRbuUDQqheIPVi6h6B4rOPFZW_d4HGNcXGSD3IEfqYgfflz2_BId4NDIlk4tmG_4wd4JtY9hsD07dyecAaOgcOw5ElMlV0nFYwpZLtUBRXjsau6J7JkqcRgkMAFljUVQI/s899/Miss%20Moppet.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="899" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ0lkw1MLId5xdKD68_kL-pHiAS0NblGr_CoYLhBDxo2m3Q4Nri9Eed49nPgPRbuUDQqheIPVi6h6B4rOPFZW_d4HGNcXGSD3IEfqYgfflz2_BId4NDIlk4tmG_4wd4JtY9hsD07dyecAaOgcOw5ElMlV0nFYwpZLtUBRXjsau6J7JkqcRgkMAFljUVQI/w640-h428/Miss%20Moppet.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2024) Detail </b></span></span><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>of </b><i><b>The Story of Miss Moppet</b></i><b>, 1906</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;">The experiment was not a success. Booksellers disliked the format. T</span><i style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;">he Tale of Miss Moppet</i><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;"> unfolded from a wallet casing, rather than conventional book covers. This did not suit perusal in a bookstore, especially if the customer did not buy the opened book! </span></p></div><p><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;">Much more effective - at least eventually - was the revolution in product merchandising which Potter initiated. Today, almost every children's book, movie, television series, etc. spawns a vast array of related toys, clothing and "knick-knacks" of every description. This phenomenon traces its lineage to <i>The Tale of</i> <i>Peter Rabbit</i>, as can be seen in the current displays of the Morgan's gift shop.</span></p><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhc6mD5D2EXqQHo8fne9_1WBPVcUTBbc08IpLPc_JRmtgr6IXEa-hfYtrb0_Mpv9bSHoc6KshRGkhIAxaYA47kzFk9jGzVlioTce8b9PyvGsVTSEoiOyZCca7Muix_lTH_H73chIoa4Q9YEU0rPQkmjjHjNRZIC4DcqCHvWBfm5PJkMbgEz53z3CrmARs/s993/Potter%20merchandise.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="993" data-original-width="985" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhc6mD5D2EXqQHo8fne9_1WBPVcUTBbc08IpLPc_JRmtgr6IXEa-hfYtrb0_Mpv9bSHoc6KshRGkhIAxaYA47kzFk9jGzVlioTce8b9PyvGsVTSEoiOyZCca7Muix_lTH_H73chIoa4Q9YEU0rPQkmjjHjNRZIC4DcqCHvWBfm5PJkMbgEz53z3CrmARs/w634-h640/Potter%20merchandise.jpg" width="634" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2024) </b></span></div><div><b><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Display of merchandise related to </span><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i>Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature</i> </span></b></div><div><b><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> at the Morgan Library & Museum gift shop </span></b></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">Almost as soon as <i>The Tale of Peter Rabbit</i> hopped onto the best-seller chart, Potter sensed an opportunity for exploiting success. She designed a charming plush-animal version of Peter in his stylish blue jacket. A German firm beat her to the draw with a cheap copy which somehow evaded British copyright law, much to </span><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">Potter's annoyance. </span></p></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #070707;">Potter successfully countered the German domination of the toy market with a constant stream of gift items based on the characters of her tales like this adorable Jemima Puddle-Duck.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiupZ_-fAtuyQiyAMRmNJwtiDgCnYpX5Ii6jzBZkBy_OuZOj7HvKsIUjTlIo6IEqN5HEkfN0Mxg6Kl4EHd2KG3boQqJTm7gl7BAipXrj_9FjnuSfElVje2IBrzQeTLg4k2my1c7IERQb37UrgeZZOkKI2-iGyD4i29GqxIDyw3jERpNjkehI9oPqKXFg34/s1211/Potter%20Duck.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1211" data-original-width="885" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiupZ_-fAtuyQiyAMRmNJwtiDgCnYpX5Ii6jzBZkBy_OuZOj7HvKsIUjTlIo6IEqN5HEkfN0Mxg6Kl4EHd2KG3boQqJTm7gl7BAipXrj_9FjnuSfElVje2IBrzQeTLg4k2my1c7IERQb37UrgeZZOkKI2-iGyD4i29GqxIDyw3jERpNjkehI9oPqKXFg34/w468-h640/Potter%20Duck.jpg" width="468" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2024) </span><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Jemima Puddle-Duck doll, ca.1925</span></b></div><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">Beatrix Potter succeeded in nurturing the rare combination of childlike sensibility toward animals and nature with a sure-handed grasp of business practice and an impressive facility with scientific research. How she did so, is not easily presented, even in an art exhibition of exceptional insight like the brilliant show at the Morgan.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #070707;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVLFQnlLj0CLCzIoSw-NUkTUx0Pmib3f-SkrE2tCEbU2J02a4896TvyAH4_RUI3VZSeCoxvorOUWm9FKLlDEaGLa_9RWZ0O9e1OASkcuBOuqsxxBjqb_XANJg4cs6i8IlWwSFzBImAhmGnWF_W1AArQDHwd3B1Leb5F4JCk96gGDCuzhimutufHrJSIu0/s851/POT324.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="851" data-original-width="597" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVLFQnlLj0CLCzIoSw-NUkTUx0Pmib3f-SkrE2tCEbU2J02a4896TvyAH4_RUI3VZSeCoxvorOUWm9FKLlDEaGLa_9RWZ0O9e1OASkcuBOuqsxxBjqb_XANJg4cs6i8IlWwSFzBImAhmGnWF_W1AArQDHwd3B1Leb5F4JCk96gGDCuzhimutufHrJSIu0/w448-h640/POT324.jpg" width="448" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Ruppert Potter, </span><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i>Beatrix Potter, aged 15, with her dog, Spot</i>, ca.1880–81</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #070707;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #070707;">Potter was a "daughter of privilege." Her wealthy parents lavished every form of elite upbringing which the Victorian Britain had to offer: a governess, private tutors, art lessons frequent vacations all over the British Isles. She was treated as the "angel of the house" but expected to remain so. No encouragement was given to develop her abundant talents by way of higher education or a career.</span></div></span><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #070707;">During her early years, up to 1897, she kept a diary, encrypted in a code of her own devising. It resisted all attempts to decipher until 1958. After eight years of effort, Leslie Linder discovered the key to her alphabet and was able to translate the diary. Linder, it must be noted was also the collector of 2,400 drawings by Potter, manuscripts, photos and family memorabilia which he later donated to the V&A.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #070707;">The decoded diary reveals how, with fortitude, Potter strove to create a life of her own. She was determined <i>not</i> to remain "the angel of the house" as her parents very much wanted her to be. They even resisted her marriage plans when she became engaged to her publisher, Norman Warne in 1905. Sadly, Warne died before they could be married. Recovering from this tragedy, Potter married a lawyer, William Heelis, years later in 1913, living quietly and happily "ever-after."</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #070707;"><br /></span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnaryp8KD7ONpPz7NbzdBnOZlk3VxYLax3yqnxETvNAhVGVP9F_XudoKHlibc6hVO4_jSBItyayP8pmoaLfPIhXuRmIhA4tRXekGZvGHLW5TjIkOlz-h2V2YvSlZNLDPgBf2oLlyiHFSJPd6sPOIKicWQG1ob3CK9XPzk1VTCDy_bG5RKEqK42spCZFrU/s1261/Potter%20Hellis.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1261" data-original-width="805" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnaryp8KD7ONpPz7NbzdBnOZlk3VxYLax3yqnxETvNAhVGVP9F_XudoKHlibc6hVO4_jSBItyayP8pmoaLfPIhXuRmIhA4tRXekGZvGHLW5TjIkOlz-h2V2YvSlZNLDPgBf2oLlyiHFSJPd6sPOIKicWQG1ob3CK9XPzk1VTCDy_bG5RKEqK42spCZFrU/w408-h640/Potter%20Hellis.jpg" width="408" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2024) </span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Photo of </span><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Beatrix Potter by an unknown photographer, ca. 1940</span></b></div><div><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">Potter, hugely successful as a children's author, reinvented herself as a farmer and sheep breeder during the years between the two World Wars She used the profits from her books to amass 4,000 acres of some of England's most beautiful and fertile countryside in the the Lake District. These she donated to Britain's National Trust at her death in 1943.</span></p><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxRl5mZq3UdRWxZly48KnLktNQ4TRf1oyKJW2CvqU5vzHWDL4-FY0c1_DYeX-O-ufjqSUEqi-PnBsWc67t8bvA1F4h7FwDXXsxg7lOOZyIWJS0c83PZAB9GWZuaDW4TU62DBIgY552wVeq1Ig1uMc4O67nQhEe75jAkACkWNFlLw7Gjr0lSVrxzEmSTpc/s1265/Potter%20room.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1265" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxRl5mZq3UdRWxZly48KnLktNQ4TRf1oyKJW2CvqU5vzHWDL4-FY0c1_DYeX-O-ufjqSUEqi-PnBsWc67t8bvA1F4h7FwDXXsxg7lOOZyIWJS0c83PZAB9GWZuaDW4TU62DBIgY552wVeq1Ig1uMc4O67nQhEe75jAkACkWNFlLw7Gjr0lSVrxzEmSTpc/w506-h640/Potter%20room.jpg" width="506" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2024) </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Gallery view of </span><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i>Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature,</i> </span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>showing a recreation of the decor of Hill Top, Beatrix Potter's home</b></span></div></div><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;"><i>Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature </i>brilliantly surveys these later-stage triumphs of Potter, even evoking her famous country home, Hill Top, in a special display. </span></p><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">Another important consideration about Beatrix Potter's legacy, not mentioned in this otherwise outstanding exhibit, is the way that the Potter's visionary appraisal of nature helped shape the war aims of Britain during World War II.</span></p><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">A famous poster from the war reflected Potter's art and ideals, even if the setting is the South Downs rather than her beloved Lake District.This reverence for the fields and hills of home rather than rage and a desire for revenge, motivated Britain's people to fight on to victory.</span></p><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisvwwMrFnxedBZ5ttnfP2BSqN_VDtAUiVnNCEzHunWJiFhSMc_kM24Z6RyFNUujgDR76bmKFBQJbekeMCBljqnH06swpWZb69IuaiNrAfDaBXliqSg-aaeNj-hM3SafvyqQrU1Sq2nflh8CKkNJGeNLeOgEhsZH-D58NU_pno6pPkOx0ktB54m4OIXgP8/s800/large_000000.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="529" data-original-width="800" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisvwwMrFnxedBZ5ttnfP2BSqN_VDtAUiVnNCEzHunWJiFhSMc_kM24Z6RyFNUujgDR76bmKFBQJbekeMCBljqnH06swpWZb69IuaiNrAfDaBXliqSg-aaeNj-hM3SafvyqQrU1Sq2nflh8CKkNJGeNLeOgEhsZH-D58NU_pno6pPkOx0ktB54m4OIXgP8/w640-h424/large_000000.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Frank Newbould, </span><i style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Your Britain: Fight for It Now</i></b><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> (South Downs), 1942</b> </span></div><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2aM4DC0LuJubpzRpqw8W7A2CEHIwJa_PuU_lJDFA7tJQVDFo1TRY677KTN5ejrrwpabbxGkXzLtL1XdBglhtojZMoKGW-2s8BBCqYJnwmsjOr0xKMMoMUl3NheD738WDoxWDd4oKOVZ7ZQkW40FNGVeJ6POQA3wgjhKOsj7FLiRWvjSulCj7xJQFs0Rw/s1377/POT190.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1377" height="464" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2aM4DC0LuJubpzRpqw8W7A2CEHIwJa_PuU_lJDFA7tJQVDFo1TRY677KTN5ejrrwpabbxGkXzLtL1XdBglhtojZMoKGW-2s8BBCqYJnwmsjOr0xKMMoMUl3NheD738WDoxWDd4oKOVZ7ZQkW40FNGVeJ6POQA3wgjhKOsj7FLiRWvjSulCj7xJQFs0Rw/w640-h464/POT190.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Beatrix Potter, </span><i style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">View of Monk Coniston Moor,</i><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> 1909</span></b></div><p><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">Writing shortly before her death, Beatrix Potter put into unforgettable words - which the Morgan exhibition prominently displays - which sum-up the wellspring of her life, her "tales" and her legacy as a protectress of nature:</span></p><p><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"><i>"I do not remember a time, when I did not
try to invent pictures and make for myself a fairyland amongst the wild
flowers, the animals, fungi, mosses, woods and streams, all the thousand
objects of the countryside; that pleasant, unchanging world of realism and
romance, which in our northern clime is stiffened by hard weather, a tough
ancestry, and the strength that comes from the hills.”</i></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: #0a0a0a; font-size: 11pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">***</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Text: Copyright of Ed Voves, all rights
reserved </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">Original photography, copyright of Anne
Lloyd</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" lang="EN">Introductory Image: Beatrix Potter (1866-1943) <o:p></o:p></span><span><i>Mrs Rabbit Pouring out the Tea</i> <i>for Peter while Her Children Look On</i>, 1902-1907. Linder Bequest. Museum no. BP.468. ©Victoria and
Albert Museum, London / courtesy of Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 105%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 114.75pt; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Anne Lloyd,
Photo (2024) Gallery view of the </span><i>Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature</i><span> exhibition, showing early editions of <i>The Tale of Tom Kitten</i> and <i>The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck</i></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><i>.</i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">Rupert Potter (1832-1914) <i>Portrait of Beatrix Potter,</i> ca. 1892.
Given by Joan Duke. ©Victoria and Albert
Museum, London / courtesy of Frederick
Warne & Co. Ltd.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" lang="EN">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2024) Gallery view of the </span><i>Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature</i><span> exhibition, showing picture letters written by Beatrix Potter to Noel Moore, ca. 1890's. Collection of the Morgan Library and Museum.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Beatrix Potter (1866-1943) </span><span><span>Drawing of Peter Rabbit from the </span></span><span style="text-align: center;"><i>Tailor of Gloucester</i> endpaper,1903. </span><span>Linder Bequest. Museum no. BP.460. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London /
courtesy of Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"><span lang="EN">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2024) A </span><span>picture letter written by Beatrix Potter to Noel Moore, April 11, 1892. Collection of the Morgan Library and Museum.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" lang="EN">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2024) Detail of a </span><span>picture letter written by Beatrix Potter to Noel Moore, ca. 1890's. Collection of the Morgan Library and Museum.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #080808;">Beatrix Potter (1866–1943),
Drawing, magnified studies of a ground
beetle (Carabus nemoralis), about
1887. Linder Bequest. Museum no.
BP.257. © Victoria and Albert Museum
/ London, courtesy of Frederick Warne
& Co. Ltd</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana;">Beatrix Potter (1866–1943),
Drawing of a walled garden, Ees Wyke
(previously named Lakefield), Sawrey, ca.
1900. Linder Bequest. Museum no.
BP.238. © Victoria and Albert Museum,
London / courtesy of Frederick Warne &
Co. Ltd.</span></p><p><span style="color: #080808;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2024) </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Beatrix Potter's Walking Stick and Farm clogs. Walking Stick: Wood, glass 35 1/16 × 1 9/16 × 1 5/16 in. (89 × 4 × 3.4 cm) Frame: 890 × 40 × 34 mm (89 × 4 × 3.4 cm) On loan, courtesy of The Beatrix Potter Society 2. POT480a -b L2024.1.1 Charlie Brown Clogs 1920 Wood, iron nails, leather: 4 3/4 × 10 1/4 × 3 7/8 in. (12 × 26 × 9.8 cm) The National Trust – Hill Top and Beatrix Potter Collection</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2024) </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><i>Studies of a Rabbit’s Head (Benjamin Bouncer)</i> by Beatrix Potter, August 1890. Pencil on paper</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">:</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">22 1/16 x 16 18 x 1 3/8 in. (56 x 40.9 x 3.5) Linder Bequest BP. 261</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #080808;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2024) Gallery view of the </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature</i> exhibition, showing the first edition of <i>The Story of Miss Moppet</i>, 1906.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> Printing ink, paper, cloth: Mount: 2 3/4 × 72 1/16 × 4 1/2 in. (7 × 183 × 11.5
cm) Victoria and Albert Museum Linder Bequest NAL 3804100505406</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2024) Detail </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">of <i>The Story of Miss Moppet</i>, 1906.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #080808;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2024) View of the gift shop of the Morgan Library & Museum, showing merchandise related to the </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature </i>exhibition<i>.</i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 114.75pt; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana;"><span>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2024) </span>Jemima Puddle-Duck doll, ca.1925. Manufactured by J.K.
Farnell & Co. Ltd. Mohair body,
cotton hat and shawl, felt beak and feet, glass eyes 7 7/8 × 9 7/16 × 3 15/16
in. (20 × 24 × 10 cm) Courtesy of the Frederick Warne Archive</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 114.75pt; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana;">Ruppert Potter (1832-1914) </span><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana;"><i>Beatrix Potter, aged 15, with her dog, Spot</i>, about 1880–81. Linder Bequest. Museum no. BP.1425. © Victoria and
Albert Museum, London / courtesy of Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 114.75pt; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" lang="EN" style="color: #0a0a0a;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2024) Photo of </span><span style="color: #0a0a0a;">Beatrix Heelis (Potter) by an unknown photographer at Castle Cottege, Sawrey, ca. 1940. Collection of Princeton University Library. #1005.144</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 105%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 114.75pt; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #080808;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" lang="EN">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2024) Gallery view of </span><i>Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature</i><span>, showing a recreation of the decor of Hill Top, Beatrix Potter's home. </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 105%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 114.75pt; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #080808;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Frank Newbould (1887-1951) <i>Your Britain: Fight for It Now</i> (South Downs), 1942. Lithograph poster. Imperial War Museum collection. </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 105%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 114.75pt; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana;">Beatrix
Potter (1866–1943) <i>View of Monk Coniston Moor,</i> 1909. Watercolour over pencil sketch: 178 mm x 253 mm. Linder Bequest. Museum no.
LB.541. ©Victoria and Albert Museum, London / courtesy of Frederick Warne &
Co. Ltd</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 114.75pt; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;"><br /></p><p><br /></p></div>Art Eyewitnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347317000349363690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8200843910512523791.post-28452626143420586372024-02-28T21:11:00.000-08:002024-02-29T16:28:59.671-08:00Art Eyewitness Book Review: Julia Margaret Cameron: a Poetry of Photography<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Jf0_eeQeybkZNGD3-0oBJJMvHMmyBZ9qWn2BPhXdSz43ujwR-21hLcNe7eIqsZkSctOR59ytsYI5W13p3LqsWzDs6DnPAo-dVIGlWMQALxrEbxg8U1h5RPJxU9Ua1lHebX5Zxl2NHMqQFxiLUwT70aOXnDMSkX6GbiEfknFcgVTSGcGfqtN4MGG8d94/s1066/Bodleian-Library-Arch-K-b-12_00085_fol-61r-May-Prinsep_reduced.jpg" style="font-family: verdana; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="794" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Jf0_eeQeybkZNGD3-0oBJJMvHMmyBZ9qWn2BPhXdSz43ujwR-21hLcNe7eIqsZkSctOR59ytsYI5W13p3LqsWzDs6DnPAo-dVIGlWMQALxrEbxg8U1h5RPJxU9Ua1lHebX5Zxl2NHMqQFxiLUwT70aOXnDMSkX6GbiEfknFcgVTSGcGfqtN4MGG8d94/w477-h640/Bodleian-Library-Arch-K-b-12_00085_fol-61r-May-Prinsep_reduced.jpg" width="477" /></a></p><h3 style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #080808;">Art Eyewitness Book Review: </span></b></h3><div><b style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #080808;"><br /></span></b></div><h3 style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;"><i><span style="color: #0c0c0c;">Julia Margaret Cameron: a Poetry of Photography<br /></span></i></b><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;"><b>Bodleian Library Publishing/University of Chicago Press<br /></b></span><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;"><b>279 pages/$75.00</b></span></h3><div><p></p><p><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;"><b>Reviewed by Ed Voves</b></span></p></div><p><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;">As Christmas presents go, the large box camera given to Julia Margaret Cameron in December 1863 was a gift to cherish - by Mrs. Cameron and by art lovers ever since.</span></p><p><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;">A camera in 1863 was a most unusual choice for a Christmas gift. More of a "contraption" than a life-enhancing device, cameras were bulky and difficult to use. Taking photos required 12 x 10 glass plate negatives and potentially hazardous chemical solutions, the "wet collodion process", to develop pictures.</span></p><p><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;">"It may amuse you, Mother, to try to photograph during your solitude at Freshwater." </span></p><p><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;">The holiday greeting from her daughter and son-in-law, who had selected the gift, seems more concerned with the "empty-nest" syndrome facing Mrs. Cameron than any idea that she might make her mark as a photographer. A devoted mother of six grown or adolescent children, Mrs. Cameron now had plenty of time to devote to a new pastime.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAQOdfkWVBe4o-_cmOdtM4GZLona5tzh4vtauYWU59WLgfSZUuWf1bMs4i2D9pHbB1MyYr_YZzyaaRh9-aPciMVOHqNNUuwcjYe6F0uYCnEzHKgN9MkbGIFGaFaSm0ZSKC4SObI_YAXmUgi_2svTu0zj1QQY_tJDGgjxIFOBXTTAt5MYYmfsptI1P9p8s/s924/Bodleian-Library-Arch-K-b-12_00022_fol-21r_reduced.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="924" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAQOdfkWVBe4o-_cmOdtM4GZLona5tzh4vtauYWU59WLgfSZUuWf1bMs4i2D9pHbB1MyYr_YZzyaaRh9-aPciMVOHqNNUuwcjYe6F0uYCnEzHKgN9MkbGIFGaFaSm0ZSKC4SObI_YAXmUgi_2svTu0zj1QQY_tJDGgjxIFOBXTTAt5MYYmfsptI1P9p8s/w640-h484/Bodleian-Library-Arch-K-b-12_00022_fol-21r_reduced.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px;"><span style="color: #090909;">Julia Margaret Cameron,</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px;"><span style="color: #090909;"><i>A Story of the Heavens </i>(Freddy Gould & Elizabeth Keown)1866 </span></b></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;">Julia Margaret Cameron did <i>not </i>regard the box camera with alarm or as passing fancy. Cameron was an intelligent, cultured woman. Her sensitive features had been captured in an 1850 portrait by the noted painter, G.F. Watts, who was to play a prominent role in her photographic career.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcBeQ5Uhef2aTMKhcUGBWaZIbd8ttqLsL8jUfjqLLeN2SjBYsOx69o_G0jcfoP1t1B2WbXCTHZzZ0eIzCuO6Z1WJjWGzpaSi5wghfNARpQL0aYKzKhM4oO1jqjGbPG1No7480eMI1LkMvPYgglG0KLQTYzyinJtXdWv2PcADYtfNRtA6hN-xcLjLWuX1Y/s800/Julia-Margaret-Cameron%20Watts%20portrait.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="670" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcBeQ5Uhef2aTMKhcUGBWaZIbd8ttqLsL8jUfjqLLeN2SjBYsOx69o_G0jcfoP1t1B2WbXCTHZzZ0eIzCuO6Z1WJjWGzpaSi5wghfNARpQL0aYKzKhM4oO1jqjGbPG1No7480eMI1LkMvPYgglG0KLQTYzyinJtXdWv2PcADYtfNRtA6hN-xcLjLWuX1Y/w536-h640/Julia-Margaret-Cameron%20Watts%20portrait.jpg" width="536" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #070707; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">George
Frederic Watts, </span><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">Julia Margaret Cameron</span></i><span style="font-family: verdana;">, 1850-52</span></b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></span></div><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;"> </span><div><span style="color: #070707;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We will never know if Cameron's daughter and son-in-law suspected the extent of her artistic abilities. Prior to December 1863, the 48-year old "gentlewoman" had experimented printing from the negatives of photographer-friend, Oscar Gustave Rejlander. But, </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">upon opening her Christmas present, Cameron's life was truly transformed. </span></span><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">"From the first moment," Cameron wrote, "I handled my lens with a tender ardour and it has become to me as a living thing, with a voice and memory and creative vigour.".</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTR-DsIUEBCUlZIHRCB3pCcGUImCi7HVA8NLjPti3ZRP1A24AwUpasEq-TXsgptzomv7544hAiiHqv38Yv2tkGB2ZhSgzS_JaGelwMUlzA1dic93iAmCeSoGeeCT0jorH8rsctanpXhmw8PKiBZj_Rpd9vIWuagDP7jzrxLvL0Drs2BUWFHZK4RiNRX8o/s1000/9781851245840.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="901" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTR-DsIUEBCUlZIHRCB3pCcGUImCi7HVA8NLjPti3ZRP1A24AwUpasEq-TXsgptzomv7544hAiiHqv38Yv2tkGB2ZhSgzS_JaGelwMUlzA1dic93iAmCeSoGeeCT0jorH8rsctanpXhmw8PKiBZj_Rpd9vIWuagDP7jzrxLvL0Drs2BUWFHZK4RiNRX8o/w360-h400/9781851245840.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><br /><div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #090909;">The life and photographic career of Julia Margaret Cameron are the subject of a magnificent, large-format volume published by the Bodleian Library of Oxford University and distributed in the U.S. by the University of Chicago Press. <i>Julia Margaret Cameron: a Poetry of Photography </i>is a book to treasure, the next best thing to enjoying an</span> <a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2019/03/from-today-painting-is-dead-historic.html"><span style="color: #2200ff;">exhibition of Cameron's photos</span></a><span style="color: red;">.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #070707;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">At this point, it should be noted that the </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Bodleian</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> volume is not a complete record of Cameron's <i>oeuvre</i>. Gaps in the story of Cameron's embrace of photography result from the content of what is known as the Taylor Album.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">In 1930, the Bodleian Library received a collection </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #070707;">of 112 original Cameron photographs bound in a scrapbook-like volume. This impressive assemblage of photos was donated by the daughter of Sir Henry Taylor. A close friend of Cameron's husband, Taylor was a confidente and supporter of her as well. Taylor's "serious, unyielding" expression, complemented by a flowing-beard, made him an</span><span style="color: #090909;"> ideal model (as we will discuss) for Cameron's photography. </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDm4hpSrGb01pYnB7oZg8bz9zdVolGicHWaCCeZfcz1Qj1yh5pVJTyeBYTKXvnhPgqzr5R4-WGQ7zMH-ADvrN8DrqFtbCykct-wPWT0nEIuuYyylRsTDxQwaW-lobPr7nAFjgvVvmFkDEtRIkT4ha8Y3NcD8-HwFwZ0d-a3c8zY2OnOS_-2Izr2ldWD_U/s1000/Bodleian-Library-Arch-K-b-12_00004_fol-6r-Henry-Taylor_reduced.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="816" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDm4hpSrGb01pYnB7oZg8bz9zdVolGicHWaCCeZfcz1Qj1yh5pVJTyeBYTKXvnhPgqzr5R4-WGQ7zMH-ADvrN8DrqFtbCykct-wPWT0nEIuuYyylRsTDxQwaW-lobPr7nAFjgvVvmFkDEtRIkT4ha8Y3NcD8-HwFwZ0d-a3c8zY2OnOS_-2Izr2ldWD_U/w522-h640/Bodleian-Library-Arch-K-b-12_00004_fol-6r-Henry-Taylor_reduced.jpg" width="522" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px;"><span style="color: #0c0c0c;">Julia Margaret Cameron, <i>Henry Taylor</i>, 1864 </span></b></div><p><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;">The bequest of the Taylor Album to the Bodleian Library made many of Cameron's greatest works available to scholars. However, the album contained no examples of her sensitive, late-life photos of the people of Ceylon, modern-day Sri Lanka. Cameron took these photos during the late 1870's, when she accompanied her husband back to Ceylon, where he owned coffee plantations. She died and was buried in Ceylon in 1879.</span></p><p><span style="color: #0c0c0c;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This caveat aside, </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Julia Margaret </i><i style="font-family: verdana;">Cameron: a Poetry of Photography</i><i style="font-family: verdana;"> </i><span style="font-family: verdana;">is a compelling testament to Cameron's "creative vigour." The insightful text by Nichole J. Fazio cogently discusses Cameron's efforts to "ennoble photography." A lover of Renaissance painting, Cameron grasped the potential of photography to achieve the status of high art. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;">"I longed to arrest all the beauty that came before me," Cameron wrote, "and at length that longing has been satisfied."</span></p><p><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;">"At length" was, in actuality, an astonishingly short interval between Cameron's initial attempts to take a photo and her breakthrough "first success."</span></p><p><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;">After a mere three weeks of experimentation, Cameron created a portrait of a young girl, Annie Philpot, which was to prove a major contribution to the development of photography.</span></p><p><span style="color: #0c0c0c;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The picture of Annie Philpot differed from the sharp, stiff exactitude of mid-Victorian photography. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">The background of </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Annie</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> was out-of-focus. Deep pools of shadow shrouded the girl's eyes. It was more a portrait of a passing moment in a child's life than a meticulous record of her features.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE4E-QHpBRQNAg_yJgLMNXUpS0MCuTE0BhG7gBxy982NVfwg6S2OltEnEX40HSkkwirruWBZvzEJJw3JZRQXr-nB627ErpEhpUVcxCeFxGLnQ1I1S827XNm6rvLi3zJMfw0Illyx9mQndhC5QX0dnuIMirrJ6AQHXADSBrvIk5TIvUnxQ1UQY8N0TX0Os/s1200/Bodleian-Library-Annie.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="865" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE4E-QHpBRQNAg_yJgLMNXUpS0MCuTE0BhG7gBxy982NVfwg6S2OltEnEX40HSkkwirruWBZvzEJJw3JZRQXr-nB627ErpEhpUVcxCeFxGLnQ1I1S827XNm6rvLi3zJMfw0Illyx9mQndhC5QX0dnuIMirrJ6AQHXADSBrvIk5TIvUnxQ1UQY8N0TX0Os/w462-h640/Bodleian-Library-Annie.jpg" width="462" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><b>Julia
Margaret Cameron, <i>Annie </i>(Annie Philpot), 1864 </b></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #0c0c0c;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">In her autobiographical essay, </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Annals of My Glass House</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">, Cameron recalled the magic moment when she glimpsed the image on the 12 x 10 inch glass negative.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;">"I was in a transport of delight. I ran all over the house to search for gifts for the child. I felt as if she entirely had made the picture. I printed, toned, fixed and framed it, and presented it to her father that same day." </span></p><p><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;">Another print of <i>Annie</i> was inscribed, "My first success with photography."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg81QuIidZVs3Y3MP6LXD0eEhAxCPdJavqCZDGF444n42mR2uXYHL0wBcCGhSXfo41wvp0q9ePyQBBZ0Zl5TtxdRfdwGNT5nEuX9JI5YdHCpD3nReSZQxXoOC4-cQqN1d92pcAPgJrSrgDOjnFzHLuNiYzGPw1ZqesxDCi-5EGTKXDIAEEGB02X0Meq_T4/s1412/Bodleian-Library--G-F-Watts.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1412" data-original-width="1073" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg81QuIidZVs3Y3MP6LXD0eEhAxCPdJavqCZDGF444n42mR2uXYHL0wBcCGhSXfo41wvp0q9ePyQBBZ0Zl5TtxdRfdwGNT5nEuX9JI5YdHCpD3nReSZQxXoOC4-cQqN1d92pcAPgJrSrgDOjnFzHLuNiYzGPw1ZqesxDCi-5EGTKXDIAEEGB02X0Meq_T4/w486-h640/Bodleian-Library--G-F-Watts.jpg" width="486" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #070707; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Julia
Margaret Came</b></span><b style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif";">ron, <i>G.F. Watts</i>, 1864</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">Cameron was fortunate in having the painter Watts as an appreciative friend and mentor. Watts brought a "fresh pair of eyes" and an open mind to the appraisal of Cameron's photos. Watts wrote to Cameron:</span></div><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;"><i>Please do not send me valuable mounted copies ... send me any .. defective unmounted impressions, I shall be able to judge just as well & shall be just as much charmed with success...</i></span></p><p><span style="color: #070707;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Watts also posed for Cameron for several early attempts to invest </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">photography with symbolic content, notably <i>Whisper of the Muse</i>, 1865. Cameron made two versions of the photo; the first (below), stressed the ineffable moment of inspiration. The second was a more distinct portrait of Watts, though the configuration of the photo was essentially the same.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJFTwqx_Kt4Eu2GVasRpzmAD3vexfxyji61pXl2EQwu1PzKbCaG0eNOUxcQnyWRDGxaxbyefTqWmzG5QyOOeO4SbUw0jfRWJdmBH9qdCv4fjNY-zyrXD_YxxB4nO5l93ZS6Mu9xQ8TqPp65D4cOn1i12y0tuBYLooxi3GD9BlQvpiHUvCFma4WWyDrtGI/s1066/Bodleian-Library-%20Whisper%20of%20the%20Muse.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="873" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJFTwqx_Kt4Eu2GVasRpzmAD3vexfxyji61pXl2EQwu1PzKbCaG0eNOUxcQnyWRDGxaxbyefTqWmzG5QyOOeO4SbUw0jfRWJdmBH9qdCv4fjNY-zyrXD_YxxB4nO5l93ZS6Mu9xQ8TqPp65D4cOn1i12y0tuBYLooxi3GD9BlQvpiHUvCFma4WWyDrtGI/w524-h640/Bodleian-Library-%20Whisper%20of%20the%20Muse.jpg" width="524" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><b style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><span style="color: #070707;">Julia Margaret Cameron, <i>Whisper of the Muse</i>, 1865</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Many of the experts of the professional photographic "fraternity" were not so obliging as Watts. Cameron was harshly criticized for her "imprecise" focus and "sloppy" technique. </div></span></div><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">In fact, smudges and an occasional finger print did find their way onto some of Cameron's negatives. But Cameron was driven to radical experimentation. She sought to summon the spirit, the very souls, of the people being photographed onto the images she created.</span></p><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">In approaching photography from a spiritual perspective, Cameron drew on the ideals of the "sublime" which lay at the heart of Romanticism. Nicole Fazio writes:</span></p><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;"><i>The invisible presence of the sublime may be what leaves such an impression upon viewers of Cameron's work. She capitalizes on the capacity of her medium to make visible the real as it exists before her lens, but at the same time infuses her most successful images with a sense of that which exists just below the surface.</i></span></p><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">Cameron's astonishing facility to use the camera lens to capture what "exists just below the surface" is manifest in her portraits of individual people and of models posing to illustrate religious and poetic-themed topics. A contrasting look at two similarly posed photos, dating to the same time, 1866-67, is very revealing.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4GquCePhU4MKvdmpYlW8VvCepNySwHCTzU4kC1MYBBtQjYK6WVl4X_4aXz4jYL7AymiQvUT1B0SVvJIOAauW83NAaPUd5ywwY8i-aPV-9lwekzCJr_-6dKGQaiqcRi0UjckHq-V9baJNyX0neSQVrAUYNN05xoLgyVDqeb8574aGRtaw27GwjGYYvxHk/s1100/Bodleian-Library--Julia-Jackson.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1100" data-original-width="854" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4GquCePhU4MKvdmpYlW8VvCepNySwHCTzU4kC1MYBBtQjYK6WVl4X_4aXz4jYL7AymiQvUT1B0SVvJIOAauW83NAaPUd5ywwY8i-aPV-9lwekzCJr_-6dKGQaiqcRi0UjckHq-V9baJNyX0neSQVrAUYNN05xoLgyVDqeb8574aGRtaw27GwjGYYvxHk/w496-h640/Bodleian-Library--Julia-Jackson.jpg" width="496" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px;"><span style="color: #0c0c0c;">Julia Margaret Cameron,</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px;"><span style="color: #0c0c0c;"> <i>Mrs. Herbert Duckworth/Julia Jackson</i>, 1867 </span></b></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;">The first is a portrait of Julia Jackson, Cameron's niece and god-daughter. It is a haunting image of a young person facing her future, the "great unknown" of life.</span></p><p><span style="color: #0c0c0c;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Julia Jackson married Herbert Duc</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">kworth in 1867. After his tragic, early death in 1870 - and a long period of Victorian mourning - she married Leslie Stephen in 1878. Their daughter, Virginia, born in 1882 would bear a striking resemblance to her mother. In Cameron's photo of Julia, we can see a glimpse of the face and the intellect of Virginia Woolf.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg__IGQ5uYhNLp-lwBkIyOedCWpaIbB1OQakY9e8qUyvJcoqgJ5TW7ztqiqGRuLVmVr6DYwG6zYHBi6zfr_0e90Lzc3lxj-G_TDMWPJzjWXMGHeumabboP6fO3ImmjypIZIPJ1769ntJUB1oxRENt-tqLE9iykBgKYjZcl5zkpkg5TwFdFB6871pz1067Y/s535/Christabel.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="535" data-original-width="433" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg__IGQ5uYhNLp-lwBkIyOedCWpaIbB1OQakY9e8qUyvJcoqgJ5TW7ztqiqGRuLVmVr6DYwG6zYHBi6zfr_0e90Lzc3lxj-G_TDMWPJzjWXMGHeumabboP6fO3ImmjypIZIPJ1769ntJUB1oxRENt-tqLE9iykBgKYjZcl5zkpkg5TwFdFB6871pz1067Y/w324-h400/Christabel.jpg" width="324" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px;"><span style="color: #070707;">Julia Margaret Cameron,</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px;"><span style="color: #070707;"> <i>Portrait of Christabel </i>(May Prinsep)1866 </span></b></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">Cameron's model for <i>Christabel</i> was another favorite sitter, May Prinsep. Here Prinsep posed as the protagonist of the unfinished narrative poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. The "lovely lady" Christabel falls under the malign spell of a sorceress, an enchantment brilliantly evoked by the "soft" focus of Cameron's photo.</span></p><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">Interestingly, May Prinsep also posed for Cameron as the youthful St. John, the "apostle whom Jesus loved" in an even more "imprecise" picture (with a finger print at the top edge of the photo)!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv66uffBb1TTp03GXm8xvkTl_xradfj2sImfi9GM43J2sdv07wIW2s1FsrpzQWoE9WzT9caw5q5aM9IleQboRoFzmwYYgQsKjSIj2y9SvRipmDERogMuw0O8QVeOQx6Eg7bleCOY7jEpIoeCOqf6Nw1uC3tFEsGexGtd17hIav6wNo91VPEiT1id_Lowc/s1000/Cameron%20St.%20John.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="811" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv66uffBb1TTp03GXm8xvkTl_xradfj2sImfi9GM43J2sdv07wIW2s1FsrpzQWoE9WzT9caw5q5aM9IleQboRoFzmwYYgQsKjSIj2y9SvRipmDERogMuw0O8QVeOQx6Eg7bleCOY7jEpIoeCOqf6Nw1uC3tFEsGexGtd17hIav6wNo91VPEiT1id_Lowc/w325-h400/Cameron%20St.%20John.jpg" width="325" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px;"><span style="color: #0c0c0c;">Julia Margaret Cameron, <i>Head of St. John </i>(May Prinsep), 1866 </span></b></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;">Both of the photos of Prinsep - and of the portrait of Julia Jackson - reveal how the manipulation of a camera lens can leave much to the viewer to consider and decide. Cameron orchestrated the composition of these remarkable photos but left the last adjustment of the lens, the final focus, for us to make ... in our mind's eye.</span></p><p><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;">If Watts acted as a valued mentor, Sir Henry Taylor (1800-1886) came close to the role of collaborator in Cameron's efforts to "ennoble" photography. As well as being an important official in the British Colonial Office, Taylor was a serious poet and playwright. His early life had been shattered by family tragedy, thus making him sensitive to the lives of others. Cameron regarded him with emotions close to hero worship.</span></p><p><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;">Taylor's venerable face proved a perfect "canvas" for Cameron's character-probing portraits. But Cameron was interested in far more than representative facial features. With Taylor and other "high minded" individuals, she declared her aim to record "the inner as well as the features of the outer man."</span></p><p><span style="color: #0c0c0c;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">To visualize the inner/outer nature of humanity, Cameron planned to use photography to illustrate incidents and episodes showing noble thoughts and sentiments translated into practice. Cameron aimed to </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">depict scenes from the Holy Bible and English literature, thus "combining the real and the ideal and sacrificing nothing of the Truth..."</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsfh1B_T01LHQgZtU7A12r3-_jZwsQGK6zndsqZnJbRMot5w_XXl9i8EsxCVtIbyKWb8zQSzYA7LCeQH_dK7UH1pUd63TOpsBuTGQRP5PxSv6Ff7gL-AJolQX6wDrTg_NivewoTztVeNKEn-xvfzz7OTFwwDERWZH_W-1QWUfBde2mi0HiRVzCe60W-eI/s1052/Bodleian-Library-Henry-Taylor-and-Mary-Ryan-1865.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1052" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsfh1B_T01LHQgZtU7A12r3-_jZwsQGK6zndsqZnJbRMot5w_XXl9i8EsxCVtIbyKWb8zQSzYA7LCeQH_dK7UH1pUd63TOpsBuTGQRP5PxSv6Ff7gL-AJolQX6wDrTg_NivewoTztVeNKEn-xvfzz7OTFwwDERWZH_W-1QWUfBde2mi0HiRVzCe60W-eI/w548-h640/Bodleian-Library-Henry-Taylor-and-Mary-Ryan-1865.jpg" width="548" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #070707; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px;">Julia Margaret Cameron,</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #070707; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px;"> <i>Prospero and Miranda </i>(Henry Taylor and Mary Ryan), 1865 </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #070707;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Taylor posed as a pensive King David, Prospero in Shakespeare's </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">The Tempest</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> and Friar Laurence in </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Romeo and Juliet</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">. Two servants from the Cameron household were cast as Taylor's co-stars, Mary Ryan as Miranda and Mary Ann Hillier as Juliet.</span></span></div><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">With only a year of experience in photography, Cameron was taking an audacious step forward and she might-well have stumbled. But she did not. </span></p><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">Instead of trying to rival large scale allegories like Rejlander's vast photo montage, <i>The Two Ways of Life</i>, Cameron made a virtue of simplicity. Two figures, expertly juxtaposed with faces and (in the case of Miranda) figures emerging from the the shadows create an indelible image. </span></p><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">If Cameron's Biblical and Shakespearean scenes seem "dated" today, they do so in a manner similar to "dated" movie still photos of the early decades of the twentieth century. This implies that the "look" of Cameron's photos was decades ahead of their time and have a cinematic quality to them - true on both counts!</span></p><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">Following the success of these 1865 images, Cameron posed models from her circle of family, friends and servants to illustrate characters and episodes in Alfred Lord Tennyson's poems. Some of the Arthurian group photos were problematical. In a bit of a gaffe, Cameron used British Army dragoon helmets for the headgear of Arthur and Lancelot.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghRccooa_GtbzC8mq5CWvhyphenhyphenmb3zlmn5tKPJrgVx8tF2GEU2z1BnETSilJWLpler-Rmbu_60VHNF0qn7yVbKORLwiGDNO5OZdCj9bO8uXRm0CKMx7JFi_ZtWnsRVeInYgsdzPO1uJmtG2fDCXaAlKfxarz_HtzsgqSxPhKz_60Hf9rdgE29SSufyuKJ-Ms/s2026/Call,%20I%20Follow,%20I%20Follow,%20Let%20me%20Die.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2026" data-original-width="1554" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghRccooa_GtbzC8mq5CWvhyphenhyphenmb3zlmn5tKPJrgVx8tF2GEU2z1BnETSilJWLpler-Rmbu_60VHNF0qn7yVbKORLwiGDNO5OZdCj9bO8uXRm0CKMx7JFi_ZtWnsRVeInYgsdzPO1uJmtG2fDCXaAlKfxarz_HtzsgqSxPhKz_60Hf9rdgE29SSufyuKJ-Ms/w490-h640/Call,%20I%20Follow,%20I%20Follow,%20Let%20me%20Die.jpg" width="490" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px;"><span style="color: #090909;">Julia Margaret Cameron, <i>Call, I Follow, I Follow, Let Me Die</i>, 1867 </span></b></p><p></p><p><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;">For the most part, however, Cameron's photos illustrating <i>The Idylls of the King</i> and other Tennyson poems are as vivid today as they were in the 1860's and 70's. Whether it is the searching look of "May Queen" Emily Peacock which introduces this review or the dramatic profile of Mary Ann Hillier as the Arthurian heroine, Elaine, these are images which grip the heart and mind - and don't let go.</span></p><p><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;"><span>Over the course of a little over a decade, Cameron took more than 800 photos - a sensational achievement. But in 1875, the year Emily Peacock posed for </span><i>‘For I’m to be Queen o’ the May...', </i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">Cameron's photographic career came to an effective end.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;">The Cameron family fortune was based, as we have seen, on coffee plantations in Ceylon. The task of managing these distant plantations was never easy, requiring occasional trips by Cameron's husband. The 1870's were a decade of world-wide economic woe and the Camerons fell deeply in debt. Although Charles Cameron was 80 years of age and in poor health, he determined to return to Ceylon in 1875. Julia, aged 60, faithfully, if reluctantly, accompanied him.</span></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs0MQHBY-3HZUhAog4ly_SBo99jthictak2TUYQCdVuVpHqxCrRlmQe2LhM4ruEgA9Plx3cZWnp-k1h3uNrNnqUeGUHw6-S6Kz3gCUKKEhRcm8lPmgoWVjabQt1gsCORHVngMv38GguZZ3P0eEqjg2PtDxAivdR1kxdFhk-ZPgjA28o2WU9jbyyzP1z8s/s677/Julia-Margaret-Cameron.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="677" data-original-width="580" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs0MQHBY-3HZUhAog4ly_SBo99jthictak2TUYQCdVuVpHqxCrRlmQe2LhM4ruEgA9Plx3cZWnp-k1h3uNrNnqUeGUHw6-S6Kz3gCUKKEhRcm8lPmgoWVjabQt1gsCORHVngMv38GguZZ3P0eEqjg2PtDxAivdR1kxdFhk-ZPgjA28o2WU9jbyyzP1z8s/w548-h640/Julia-Margaret-Cameron.jpg" width="548" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;"><span style="text-align: left;">Henry Herschel Hay Cameron, </span><i style="text-align: left;">Julia Margaret Cameron</i><span style="text-align: left;">,</span><span style="text-align: left;"> c. 1873</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">This image does not appear in <i>Julia Margaret Cameron: A Poetry of Photography</i></span></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;">Julia Margaret Cameron knew that she was unlikely ever to return to England. When she departed for Ceylon, she took her faithful box camera with her - and a coffin.</span></p><p><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;"><i>The Idylls of the Queen </i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">of British photography were over. But the legacy of Julia Margaret Cameron remains, in the way we look at the world and attempt to "arrest" its beauty with the lens of a camera.</span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif""> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 105%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 114.75pt; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><span>***</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 105%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 114.75pt; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Text:
Copyright of Ed Voves, all rights reserved </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 105%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 114.75pt; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Cover art, courtesy of Bodleian Library Publishing/University of Chicago Press </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 105%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 114.75pt; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;">Introductory
Image:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 105%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 114.75pt; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Julia Margaret
Cameron (British, 1815-1879 <i>‘For I’m to be Queen o’ the May, Mother, I’m to
be Queen o’ the May</i>, (Emily Peacock) 1875. Albumen print: 35 x 27.5 cm.
From <i>Illustrations</i> <i>to Tennyson’s</i> <i>Idylls of the King and Other
Poems</i>, vol. 2, 1875. Oxford, Bodleian Library, Arch. K b.18. no 2<o:p></o:p></span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 105%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 114.75pt; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">Julia Margaret
Cameron (British, 1815-1879)</span><i> A Story of the Heavens </i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">(Freddy Gould and Elizabeth Keown)</span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">, 1866. Albumen print: 25.4 x 19.7 cm. Oxford, Bodleian Library, Arch.
K b.12. fol. 71r</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 105%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 114.75pt; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">George
Frederic Watts (British, 1817-1904)<i> Julia Margaret Cameron</i>, 1850-52. Oil
on canvas: 24 x 20 in. (610 x 508 mm.)<i> </i>National Portrait Gallery,
London. NPO 505046</span><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 105%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 114.75pt; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Julia Margaret
Cameron (British, 1815-1879)<i> Henry Taylor</i>, 1864. Albumen print: 25.4 x
19.6 cm. Oxford, Bodleian Library, Arch. K b.12. fol. 6r<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">
</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">Julia Margaret
Cameron (British, 1815-1879)</span><i> Annie </i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">(Annie Philpot), 1864 (Inscription:
‘My first success’). Albumen print: 19.1 x 13.5 cm. Oxford, Bodleian Library,
Arch. K b.12. fol. 20v</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 105%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 114.75pt; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 105%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 114.75pt; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Julia Margaret
Cameron (British, 1815-1879)<i> G.F.
Watts</i>, 1864. Albumen print: 25.4 x 19.7 cm. Oxford, Bodleian Library, Arch.
K b.12. fol. 71r<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 114.75pt; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">Julia Margaret
Cameron (British, 1815-1879)</span><i> Whisper of the Muse </i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">(George Frederic
Watts), 1865. Albumen print: 26.7 x 21.2</span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif""> cm. Oxford, Bodleian Library, Arch. K
b.12. fol. 70r</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 105%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 114.75pt; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Julia Margaret
Cameron (British, 1815-1879)<i> Mrs.
Herbert Duckworth /Julia Jackson, </i>1867. Albumen print: 25.2 x 19 cm.
Oxford, Bodleian Library, Arch. K b.12. fol. 23v<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 105%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 114.75pt; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;"><span>Julia Margaret
Cameron (British, 1815-1879)</span><i> </i><span style="text-align: center;"><i>Portrait of Christabel </i>(May </span><span style="text-align: center;">Prinsep), 1866</span><span>. Albumen print: 25.4 x 20.2 cm. Oxford, </span><span> </span><span>Ashmolean Museum WAHP48555</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 105%; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 114.75pt; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">
</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 114.75pt; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">Julia Margaret
Cameron (British, 1815-1879)</span><i> Head of Saint John </i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">(May Prinsep), 1866. </span><span>Albumen print: 32.7 x 27 cm. Oxford, Ashmolean Museum WA2009.184</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 114.75pt; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">Julia Margaret Cameron (British, 1815-1879) </span><i>Prospero and Miranda </i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">(Henry Taylor and Mary
Ryan), 1865. Albumen print: 31.6 x 26.6 cm. Oxford, Bodleian Library, Arch. K
b.12. fol. 13r</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8pt;"><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">Julia Margaret Cameron (British, 1815-1879) </span><i>Call, I Follow, I Follow, Let Me Die </i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">(Mary Ann Hillier), 1867. Carbon print: 35.1 x 26.7 cm. Victoria and Albert Museum, London.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;">Henry Herschel Hay Cameron (British 1852-1911) <i>Julia Margaret Cameron</i>, c. 1873. Albumen Print. 244 x 203 mm. National Portrait Gallery, London, NPG P696.</span></p></div></div>Art Eyewitnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347317000349363690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8200843910512523791.post-62331060985411276742024-01-26T13:28:00.000-08:002024-01-26T13:28:21.660-08:00Art Eyewitness Essay: Art and the Hundred Years War<p></p><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-2aGmnwI1G4hlT8iJdqvh_UNibqJavbgVfCKbs_EF6JyGcVT3VnZyWZoxUtWuJjArE888paz4ZQxxJ4RvQgJrR-FD3ov3Tu4K6fu8WvZXGKn82jKdHRHJKQcJPrQA4LguTR3sSS9mV6ixbGOSXhPW8IlSOovi618-EZB7lKK-B3C6zVeL60jm2KcFUtQ/s1000/Rodin%20Jean%20d'Aire%20closeup%20%20crop%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="846" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-2aGmnwI1G4hlT8iJdqvh_UNibqJavbgVfCKbs_EF6JyGcVT3VnZyWZoxUtWuJjArE888paz4ZQxxJ4RvQgJrR-FD3ov3Tu4K6fu8WvZXGKn82jKdHRHJKQcJPrQA4LguTR3sSS9mV6ixbGOSXhPW8IlSOovi618-EZB7lKK-B3C6zVeL60jm2KcFUtQ/w339-h400/Rodin%20Jean%20d'Aire%20closeup%20%20crop%202.jpg" width="339" /></a><br /><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;"><b>Art Eyewitness Essay: <br /></b></span><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><b>Art and the Hundred Years War</b></span></h3><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><b>Text by Ed Voves</b></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana;"><b>Original Photography by Anne Lloyd</b></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana;">Jean d'Aire cheated Death twice.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">One of the protagonists of </span><i>The
Burghers of Calais</i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">, Jean d’Aire was immortalized, along with his
compatriots, by Auguste Rodin in a monumental sculpture group. Created during
the years, 1885 to 1895, </span><i>The Burghers of
Calais</i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif""> has become a powerful testament to the folly of war.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana;">Jean d’Aire first escaped death’s clutches in
1347. He and five fellow leaders of the French city of Calais were granted a
last minute reprieve from execution by the warlike king of England, Edward III.
Six hundred fifty-four years later, a portrait bust by Rodin of Jean d’Aire was
salvaged from the wreckage of the World Trade Center, following the 9/11
terrorist attacks.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb3DPP1bcil2Ksjaiu_vROPZLL-Gtvmp0owLejv3LDqcEu7Vi5-lQ-wvQMRwfWmiMaGMEXhxEMa9KclYvDmrWj0vm9jpXA1sLbZITOliWpn0F_Z4vbjHH4fs96jjfZlcvpOfVDD_o2kgG4O3oS73drZqUG4MT7JLcTUGsJsEU40-g8hZdV1caE33gphiE/s952/Rodin%20Jean%20d'Aire%20closeup.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="747" data-original-width="952" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb3DPP1bcil2Ksjaiu_vROPZLL-Gtvmp0owLejv3LDqcEu7Vi5-lQ-wvQMRwfWmiMaGMEXhxEMa9KclYvDmrWj0vm9jpXA1sLbZITOliWpn0F_Z4vbjHH4fs96jjfZlcvpOfVDD_o2kgG4O3oS73drZqUG4MT7JLcTUGsJsEU40-g8hZdV1caE33gphiE/w400-h314/Rodin%20Jean%20d'Aire%20closeup.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> </b></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Auguste Rodin's imagined portrait of</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> Jean </b></span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222;"><b>d'Aire, </b></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;"><b>a detail of Rodin's <i>The Burghers of Calais</i></b></span></div></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN">The story of the Burghers of Calais is one
of the most memorable incidents of the </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">Hundred Years War, 1337-1453. As recounted in the <i>Chronicles</i> of Jean Froissart, Jean d'Aire and his fellow burghers, with nooses clinging to their throats, offered their lives to save Calais from destruction. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif""><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNb_m-0ei2aBOLpQ0jEwoTU5eKgXf0jgvKhxiVqJCpaEbXiBzqNlrPgmz6iYXIbl5UAjrlY8wEjTVxZLKsgMuNSqwmm4NbvhgOaKa3rVWgO3zfe_lFrOaHf5eayPpD6GcrQbo922PTgfRVA_rCNEFlAs7w6eXxRaAsFky6tKWDJd73Jx3ZiITFReyfWa8/s1066/Rodin%20Jean%20d'Aire%20and%20Andres.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1066" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNb_m-0ei2aBOLpQ0jEwoTU5eKgXf0jgvKhxiVqJCpaEbXiBzqNlrPgmz6iYXIbl5UAjrlY8wEjTVxZLKsgMuNSqwmm4NbvhgOaKa3rVWgO3zfe_lFrOaHf5eayPpD6GcrQbo922PTgfRVA_rCNEFlAs7w6eXxRaAsFky6tKWDJd73Jx3ZiITFReyfWa8/w640-h480/Rodin%20Jean%20d'Aire%20and%20Andres.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2019)</b></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> Detail</b></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> of <i>The Burghers of Calais </i></b></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>at The Rodin Museum, Philadelphia</b></span></div></div></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana;">Expecting death, the Burghers walked grimly through the gates of Calais to hand the keys of the city to King Edward III. This is the moment sculpted so memorably by Rodin in clay and then cast in bronze.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif""><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHGii5BQBbm8gfM96LwJWOaYxjE73Y_mt09XIxg10lQ2EYl9mVrpSluIMBeC4ZNnJyhCK5HNvCd_8JsNG33LKoli6psfM89eTsoglfIZZUli-10fWIjK9qXfmJozLXyT9MJAX2EXm8ayVE5cD75LtmNqvXM5PLnLnRPT1RtqQMKE-SSJ49suQChCQPEE8/s1149/Burghers%20Main.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1149" data-original-width="834" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHGii5BQBbm8gfM96LwJWOaYxjE73Y_mt09XIxg10lQ2EYl9mVrpSluIMBeC4ZNnJyhCK5HNvCd_8JsNG33LKoli6psfM89eTsoglfIZZUli-10fWIjK9qXfmJozLXyT9MJAX2EXm8ayVE5cD75LtmNqvXM5PLnLnRPT1RtqQMKE-SSJ49suQChCQPEE8/w465-h640/Burghers%20Main.jpg" width="465" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2019)</b></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> V</b></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>iew of <i>The Burghers of Calais </i></b></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>at The Rodin Museum, Philadelphia</b></span></div></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #030303; font-family: verdana;">Moved by the Burghers' display of courage and fearing God's wrath, Queen Philippa of England begged for the six men to be spared.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #030303; font-family: verdana;">According to the conventions of Medieval Europe, the courage of the Burghers of Calais and the compassion of Queen Philippa exemplified the ideals of Chivalry. In the endless war that followed, Chivalry would be sacrificed along with an estimated two million lives, killed in battle or by disease and starvation.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a;">The Hundred Years War began
as a rivalry between the Valois family of France and the Plantagenets of
England. Both claimed to be the legitimate heir to the throne of</span><span style="color: #060606;"> France. This
quarrel between the two French-speaking dynasties was complicated by the break-away efforts of the powerfu</span>l<a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2020/10/art-eyewitness-book-review-autumntide.html"><span style="color: #2200ff;"> Duchy of Burgundy</span></a>, <span style="color: #0a0a0a;">which joined forces with England against France during the 1420's. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">From a typically medieval dispute over royal pedigree, the Hundred Years War escalated into one of the most
significant conflicts of world history. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">The military campaigns of
the Hundred Years War fostered the development of gunpowder weapons, bombards
and culverins, able to demolish castle walls with devastating artillery salvos.
In order to provide the financial resources to pay for these cannons – and for
“cannon fodder” – the French and English monarchs implemented new methods of
taxation and government organization. Unwittingly, the royal rivals created the
matrix of the modern nation state.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">One of the most remarkable features of this bloody, century-long,
struggle is the lack of accurate visual documentation of its world-shaping episodes. </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">The great artistic revolution of the 1400's, which we now call the Renaissance, did not extend to the battlefields in France.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">Apart from portraits of the kings of France and England, we lack reliable images
of most of the leading protagonists, including </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN">Jean d'Aire and the other Burghers of
Calais.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #0a0a0a;">A fascinating example of the pictorial "black hole" in the story of the Hundred Years War is the illuminated manuscript known as <i>The Bedford Hours</i>. A miniature illustration shows the formidable English commander, John, Duke of Bedford, praying before a blue-caped St.George. Historians believe that the facial features of St. George are based on a death-bed portrait of King Henry V, victor of Agincourt. But we can't be sure of this.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglufilCLueOfKFsk5mG0dIUMq9z8BawAO9dqUirksYwO6cye6Y9U0506OMg_uMC4XDaVSikMbHiZsxP_s1J__MEhyphenhyphenUZA7TmD729j3LJcZeMGGiil9OxalXkqwTvJvrgHb6BecbzJjgWV1lvIqeYpvHKd3oGDSvBjsBSgt6jvPoKU1V5kxBL11idr4jVok/s999/John,_Duke_of_Bedford_(detail)_-_British_Library_Add_MS_18850_f256v.jpg" style="clear: left; display: inline; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="999" data-original-width="669" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglufilCLueOfKFsk5mG0dIUMq9z8BawAO9dqUirksYwO6cye6Y9U0506OMg_uMC4XDaVSikMbHiZsxP_s1J__MEhyphenhyphenUZA7TmD729j3LJcZeMGGiil9OxalXkqwTvJvrgHb6BecbzJjgWV1lvIqeYpvHKd3oGDSvBjsBSgt6jvPoKU1V5kxBL11idr4jVok/w428-h640/John,_Duke_of_Bedford_(detail)_-_British_Library_Add_MS_18850_f256v.jpg" width="428" /></a></p><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>A miniature from <i>The Bedford Hours</i> prayer book, 1430,</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> showing John, Duke of Bedford, praying before St. George</b></span></div></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #080808;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana;">Incredibly, there is no
contemporary portrait</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> of Joan of Arc. Celebrated - and vilified -
during her short life (1412-1431), this courageous young woman’s actual features
are a blank canvas.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif""><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHeiepgwuy-y1c5Pl1zpIQWvQ_dy9eWuQRcFylmGljFDJJuZiOA1fbAWxBD31zk_VWoj-zcQB-YLyr3Mrj2cL5uhl41KudQTr_XIxD4qTDprj9MMNWeGojtk6g9Li8JtLXAgzVuXvXlE52t_6kldN1_NZxbdbGjzBrtS8aSdn9kLbPUAAAhaqBZRhSkII/s756/Joan%20of%20Arc%20sketch.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="503" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHeiepgwuy-y1c5Pl1zpIQWvQ_dy9eWuQRcFylmGljFDJJuZiOA1fbAWxBD31zk_VWoj-zcQB-YLyr3Mrj2cL5uhl41KudQTr_XIxD4qTDprj9MMNWeGojtk6g9Li8JtLXAgzVuXvXlE52t_6kldN1_NZxbdbGjzBrtS8aSdn9kLbPUAAAhaqBZRhSkII/w426-h640/Joan%20of%20Arc%20sketch.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; margin: 5pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #202122; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Clément de Fauquembergue,</b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; margin: 5pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><b><span lang="EN" style="color: #202122; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> Representation of</span><span lang="FR" style="color: #202122; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> Jeanne d'Arc in the Register </span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; margin: 5pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><b><span lang="FR" style="color: #202122; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">of the Parlement de Paris, </span><span lang="EN" style="color: #202122; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">May 10th, 1429</span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; margin: 5pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; margin: 5pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">A drawing of Joan of Arc, dated May 10, 1429, was based on verbal “hear-say.”
It was sketched in the margin of a note book by Clement de Fauquemberque, clerk of the Parlement of Paris. Since Paris was controlled by the English in 1429 –
and many local officials had switched sides to join them - de Fauquemerque’s
sketch of Joan may well be a hostile caricature</span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">All of </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">the images of Joan of Arc, Christian saint, symbol of French patriotism
and martyr of Women’s History, belong in the same Gallery of Imaginary
Portraits as Rodin’s memorable depiction of </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN">Jean d'Aire and the Burghers of Calais</span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif""><span style="color: #0a0a0a;">Why b</span><span style="color: #080808;">other to discuss the lack of images of a long-ago war? There are three
reaso</span><span style="color: #0a0a0a;">ns </span><span style="color: #030303;">for considering the Hundred Years War in Art Eyewitness</span></span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #030303;">.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif""><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3BdyF-Xqp1Kq1F_8PUp-v3JwawJ6RS4YOJR6w5AbSdYmhCV-sxgZY2vA0UYCngQMw3D38wAtKM2jgRqZV6UzvuognnBrQ3jcGNS-yanOoUYjDKJomcyzf85pWNFTWAfFR-5lpJ9BKyd1iKVbImQmYpt7MmYBcHdV6_UaMemCHX4IS7UqquIsOet47P0I/s1237/Joan%20%20of%20Arc%20classic.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1237" data-original-width="850" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3BdyF-Xqp1Kq1F_8PUp-v3JwawJ6RS4YOJR6w5AbSdYmhCV-sxgZY2vA0UYCngQMw3D38wAtKM2jgRqZV6UzvuognnBrQ3jcGNS-yanOoUYjDKJomcyzf85pWNFTWAfFR-5lpJ9BKyd1iKVbImQmYpt7MmYBcHdV6_UaMemCHX4IS7UqquIsOet47P0I/w440-h640/Joan%20%20of%20Arc%20classic.jpg" width="440" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> </b></span><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Emmanuel Frémiet's</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> </span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b><i>Joan of Arc </i>(1890),<i> </i> </b></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> on display near the </b></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Philadelphia Museum of Art</b></span></div></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #060606; font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">The</span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif""> first reason is personal. My grandmother came from northeast
France, as did Joan of Arc. Two sculptures related to the Hundred Years War are
on view in Philadelphia, my hometown. One of them is a copy of </span><i>The Burghers of Calais</i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">, the other of Joan of Arc mounted on her
charger. Both have shaped my thoughts on life and war for many years.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif""><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; margin: 5pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq5n-k7ZHfwPBv2NELmhXIt9BusJn6j66wvRU-pPky3l24P5Q5AYjJu5Diwqcg-mOQVcO97Ha9_cLZp_NItwtAr5xga6MUG9pokGlbI-neXr5o8zCA-UOluhuj5uFjXenVBq5c93RJVCU9l4lezD1NGmEFiWrvLwt0_vWQk7kle0Jh0-atL0uthemYCTI/s974/sumption.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="974" data-original-width="599" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq5n-k7ZHfwPBv2NELmhXIt9BusJn6j66wvRU-pPky3l24P5Q5AYjJu5Diwqcg-mOQVcO97Ha9_cLZp_NItwtAr5xga6MUG9pokGlbI-neXr5o8zCA-UOluhuj5uFjXenVBq5c93RJVCU9l4lezD1NGmEFiWrvLwt0_vWQk7kle0Jh0-atL0uthemYCTI/w394-h640/sumption.jpg" width="394" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; margin: 5pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #010101;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I have also been motivated by the recent publication of </span><i style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Triumph and Illusion</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">, the fifth and
final volume of </span><i style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Hundred Years War</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">
by British historian, Jonathan Sumption. Researched and written over a period
of 43 years, this is the definitive account of the war, massive in scope and
incisively narrated. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #010101; font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">Sumption, who is one of Britain’s leading trial lawyers,
knows how to argue a case based on the evidence. His verdict on the Hundred
Years War – victory for France, England’s defeat, decisively shaping each
nation’s society and institutions – commands respect</span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #010101; font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">The third</span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif""> </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">and most compelling reason is the constant report and rumor
of war throughout our twenty-first century world. War in the Ukraine, wars in
the Middle East, nations threatening and mobilizing for war at other crisis
points – war, everywhere war</span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhaHrXUWLbCuoGRDCyEFfn0abhqGMxK9CpKpkAgKaO2KqW0ZC3Zir-e5M4e2yBWnRmYxjhSEzwlbTHpA0DY6KyCyX_HWJNl3bkeTR1MNTq52D8yY60CcAasLYatHLWFtkzEAtplCHkMrK61ALkxPHh8-cVfkp7MeSAvP_BOydI0LErYluH_1c1ZBFnPWM/s933/rodin%20%20Andrieu%20d'%20Andres%20closeup.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="933" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhaHrXUWLbCuoGRDCyEFfn0abhqGMxK9CpKpkAgKaO2KqW0ZC3Zir-e5M4e2yBWnRmYxjhSEzwlbTHpA0DY6KyCyX_HWJNl3bkeTR1MNTq52D8yY60CcAasLYatHLWFtkzEAtplCHkMrK61ALkxPHh8-cVfkp7MeSAvP_BOydI0LErYluH_1c1ZBFnPWM/w640-h480/rodin%20%20Andrieu%20d'%20Andres%20closeup.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2021)</b></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> Detail</b></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> of <i>The Burghers of Calais </i></b></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>at The Rodin Museum, Phila. </b></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>The figure at right represents</b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></b></span><span style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;"><b>Andrieu d' Andres</b></span></span></div></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">If ever there was a need to stop and reflect on the meaning of </span><i>The Burghers of</i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif""> </span><i>Calais</i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">, Joan of Arc and the Hundred Years War it is <i>now</i></span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">Rodin’s <i>The Burghers of</i> <i>Calais</i> and the statue of Joan of Arc,</span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif""> which I mentioned earlier, were commissioned as
a result of another war. This was France’s shocking defeat by Germany in
1870-71, which involved the seizure of the province of
Lorraine where Joan had been born. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif""><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFYYWOWKlkwxjLEBKSRoU7BZRYflcRFE0VOqJXgtC-AP8eeaODN_r0jpiHBuZnfEqamtLp52VCumf7Ea7aoSNvukRrRM2yUd8nxyR_J4X2jvqAXyAryyGag5JLw5DmYZ66ItHVqXRXD6KJPenmkFXzP2_nN1QkK4cDNSZmvUeJHD1bQMxVwAHqhHhPt38/s1212/Joan%20gold%20charger.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1212" data-original-width="879" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFYYWOWKlkwxjLEBKSRoU7BZRYflcRFE0VOqJXgtC-AP8eeaODN_r0jpiHBuZnfEqamtLp52VCumf7Ea7aoSNvukRrRM2yUd8nxyR_J4X2jvqAXyAryyGag5JLw5DmYZ66ItHVqXRXD6KJPenmkFXzP2_nN1QkK4cDNSZmvUeJHD1bQMxVwAHqhHhPt38/w464-h640/Joan%20gold%20charger.jpg" width="464" /></a></div><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif""><div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> </b></span><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Emmanuel Frémiet's</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> </span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b><i>Joan of Arc, </i>1874, </b></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> created in 1890 for the city of </b></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Philadelphia</b></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #080808;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif""><span>I<span style="font-family: verdana;">n 1872, the French government commissioned </span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;">Emmanuel Frémiet (1824-1910) to create a monumental statue of the medieval heroine. Joan,
the Maid of Orleans, was being called upon to spark a revival of French
national pride</span><i>.</i></span></span></p></span><div><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana;"><i><br /></i></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #080808;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 18.4px; padding: 0in;">Frémiet approached his task with zeal and artistry. He meticulously replicated fifteenth century armor and chose a young woman from</span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="line-height: 18.4px;"> Domrémy, </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 18.4px; padding: 0in;">Joan’s village in Lorraine, as his model. Astride her warhorse with</span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 18.4px; padding: 0in;"> </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 18.4px; padding: 0in;">banner waving, the bronze (later gilded) <i>Joan of Arc</i> was placed on a pedestal in 1874, at the Place des Pyramides in Paris</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">.</span></span></div></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a;">Frémiet created a second version of the statue for the city of
Nancy in France and then, in 1890, for Philadelphia. There was a strong
affinity for French culture in Philadelphia in the late 1800’s. The statue of
Joan was placed at a prominent site near the city’s zoo. After the Philadelphia
Museum of Art was built, the statue was r</span><span style="color: #0d0d0d;">elocated to Kelly Drive, adjacent to
the museum</span></span></span><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana;">.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVOiAXICXBA9vyPu15_bLqsf3M4oQ7C7A-ws_kCSMg067Tm5L1K3DvTfoZmrHkFVoFGj-pQTK7XIq_NcJHY8Vss1AZInkAQmuzBjzNn7qKMIaPtEs44XKnkp6qw8oZAwgBM6ITObTGsQiV6oje6BcR5mDzyUIMhsPId_gEsPYtragBUvB3fz1IBSasdMM/s1000/Joan%20traffic.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="772" data-original-width="1000" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVOiAXICXBA9vyPu15_bLqsf3M4oQ7C7A-ws_kCSMg067Tm5L1K3DvTfoZmrHkFVoFGj-pQTK7XIq_NcJHY8Vss1AZInkAQmuzBjzNn7qKMIaPtEs44XKnkp6qw8oZAwgBM6ITObTGsQiV6oje6BcR5mDzyUIMhsPId_gEsPYtragBUvB3fz1IBSasdMM/w640-h494/Joan%20traffic.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> V</b></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>iew of </b></span><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Emmanuel Frémiet's</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> </span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b><i>Joan of Arc, </i>Kelly</b></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> Drive, Philadelphia</b></span></div></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; margin: 5pt 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">Frémiet’s <i>Joan of Arc</i> was a statue which every ardent
French patriot or an American Francophile could approve. But there were problems
with selecting Joan as a symbol of French nationalism. A related work of art,
created around the same time, revealed the difficulty of adapting medieval
history to suit modern circumstance</span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #0d0d0d;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Jules Bastien-Lepage (1848-1884) was a native of Lorraine. When the Germans seized Lorrraine, along with Alsace, in 1871, the shock was profound. Bastien-Lepage set to work on his visual rendering of the Joan of Arc saga, but his approach was very different from </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Frémiet’s flag-waving fervor.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #080808;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The keynote of B</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">astien-Lepage's painting was religion. Bastien-Lepage came from a pious Catholic family, as had Joan. He chose to depict Joan at the moment when three saints - St. Michael, St, Catherine and St. Margaret - appeared to her, urging her to lead the French armies against England. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #080808;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">What is more, Bastien-Lepage, France's most promising Real</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">ist painter, chose to include </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">St. Michael, St. Catherine and St. Margaret</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> in the picture</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #424a4b; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDYkT5ee1Lu8snfZbf-ceAWog0YIT-cwtetvWC6oFuUgY6T3GWZLIe4zzvYM3fxrjDzyDmmV8-tdQrzkTjX2cuuaDPDmITdIRyoH-KAgaj5dhABrT42ijNUj3Dfnek4h69uZtFP3N-yD9mgo0_KWwp3KRba6l8X1-c8tU6ZPt3LcmQTEb8qh8cRKxU7jc/s1000/Joan%20of%20Arc%20vision.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="994" data-original-width="1000" height="636" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDYkT5ee1Lu8snfZbf-ceAWog0YIT-cwtetvWC6oFuUgY6T3GWZLIe4zzvYM3fxrjDzyDmmV8-tdQrzkTjX2cuuaDPDmITdIRyoH-KAgaj5dhABrT42ijNUj3Dfnek4h69uZtFP3N-yD9mgo0_KWwp3KRba6l8X1-c8tU6ZPt3LcmQTEb8qh8cRKxU7jc/w640-h636/Joan%20of%20Arc%20vision.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2022)</b></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> Jules </b></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Bastien-Lepage's <i>Joan of Arc</i>, 1879</b></span></div></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana;">When Bastien-Lepage unveiled <i>Joan of Arc </i>in 1879, he was chagrined at its reception. Instead of a chorus of approval, the huge oil-on-canvas received faint praise in some circles of the French cultural establishment and damnation in others. Critics denounced the work for its inclusion of ethereal beings in a real world setting. This was a polite way of saying that Bastien-Lepage was mixing religion with politics.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana;">From the time of the 1789 Revolution, the French Republic espoused a markedly secular approach to nation building. The Roman Catholic religious establishment was regarded with deep suspicion by left-wing political groups and occasionally subjected to hostile action, including the 1871 Paris Commune revolt. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #424a4b; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZQnbaIUNXXePa-Kcd-jj3sGdtsio9kEek7MOACbFpjc81AnItOGY7C9Qa7m2gU_VtRQJfzCktQi-VxKDQayKmsGydBvb-2JAPVRAD6hRt4leV-_HYDKTc5dnu_Dr9yesDCcrG7OrDrOJAzztaDfR_Hq4b4xsyA2RSYkW0cGAJokwgIGiqPlHdLtjeasU/s1164/Joan%20of%20Arc%20Met.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1164" data-original-width="833" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZQnbaIUNXXePa-Kcd-jj3sGdtsio9kEek7MOACbFpjc81AnItOGY7C9Qa7m2gU_VtRQJfzCktQi-VxKDQayKmsGydBvb-2JAPVRAD6hRt4leV-_HYDKTc5dnu_Dr9yesDCcrG7OrDrOJAzztaDfR_Hq4b4xsyA2RSYkW0cGAJokwgIGiqPlHdLtjeasU/w458-h640/Joan%20of%20Arc%20Met.jpg" width="458" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2022)</b></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> </b></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Gallery view of Bastien-Lepage's <i>Joan of Arc </i></b></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>at The Met </b></span></div></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #060606; font-family: verdana;">By emphasizing Joan of Arc's religious background, Bastien-Lepage struck a nerve. The French government refused to buy the painting. Instead, an American collector, Erwin Davis, purchased it in 1880 and it was later bequeathed to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #060606;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The effort to foster French patriotism with </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Frémiet's statue of Joan of Arc and the controversy regarding Bastien-Lepage's version set the stage for one of the greatest of all artworks dealing with the theme of war: Auguste Rodin's <i>The Burghers of Calais.</i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Rodin was one of several sculptors competing for a prestigious commission from the city government of Calais, the modern embodiment of the fourteenth century burghers. The town fathers wanted a single statue of the leader of the Calais burghers, </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #222222;">Eustache de Saint-Pierre. Naturally, they wanted Eustache to be perched on a pedestal.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Rodin won the commission and, being Rodin, determined to do it his way. First of all, he envisioned the sculpture in democratic terms. All six burghers of Calais would be portrayed. No pedestal.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyR9tinwEN5hcTmowOv69_ckN9poA2SHmSoFOcrEc88GmGhS3V-6pV4ON8xa3Eqzz4g1KUU_7d6yV-qcG3u5P0EYHKG_fpg2e6-hRK-FYye1ycCwZNEECqfJhSKnR44lDu9igdfizzXr6d5qaprhir-wyX59DVczcFp5EXwPiYo9UdxO6Bxb94N0XXuuk/s834/burgers%20of%20calais.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="779" data-original-width="834" height="598" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyR9tinwEN5hcTmowOv69_ckN9poA2SHmSoFOcrEc88GmGhS3V-6pV4ON8xa3Eqzz4g1KUU_7d6yV-qcG3u5P0EYHKG_fpg2e6-hRK-FYye1ycCwZNEECqfJhSKnR44lDu9igdfizzXr6d5qaprhir-wyX59DVczcFp5EXwPiYo9UdxO6Bxb94N0XXuuk/w640-h598/burgers%20of%20calais.jpg" width="640" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2019)</b></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> V</b></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>iew of <i>The Burghers of Calais </i></b></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>at The Rodin Museum, Philadelphia</b></span></div></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;">Rodin's commission called for him to submit two models or maquettes. The first gave a nod toward the initial idea of a single, heroic figure of Eustache de St. Pierre, positioning him leading the other five in a brave progress toward their meeting with Edward III.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;">The second model, upon which the finished work is based, revealed a complete transformation. Rodin now showed a leaderless group. The burghers, including a haggard-looking Eustache de Saint Pierre, are united by fear as well as a sense of duty. Each man is shown, </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;">striving in his own way to act with courage, as basic impulses of self-preservation threaten their resolve.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPBpCODT-aYBcAdLVZWOaNx7qNwXoZSob0n43mjOOoIABBz6h0xECZOxRpVXpikLvvqjbGu3wnvKEDMOW7Olk8ooq3Q9a9Sd0hDJIJzFX6DzwlqrN32Kmsg3dveX0ipCebQlofUJnrV6q-zQI-iLGOFOPdUNBuNtDUfA6Im0IWH1x47j991YGEGg_goGA/s1000/Eustache%20de%20Saint-Pierre.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="1000" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPBpCODT-aYBcAdLVZWOaNx7qNwXoZSob0n43mjOOoIABBz6h0xECZOxRpVXpikLvvqjbGu3wnvKEDMOW7Olk8ooq3Q9a9Sd0hDJIJzFX6DzwlqrN32Kmsg3dveX0ipCebQlofUJnrV6q-zQI-iLGOFOPdUNBuNtDUfA6Im0IWH1x47j991YGEGg_goGA/w640-h346/Eustache%20de%20Saint-Pierre.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> </b></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Auguste Rodin's imagined portrait of </b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Eustache de Saint Pierre</b></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;">The city commissioners of Calais were appalled when they beheld the second model. They communicated their displeasure to Rodin in no uncertain terms, stating "this is not how we envisaged our glorious citizens going to the camp of the King of Englan</span><span style="color: #222222;">d. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;">Their defeated postures offended our religion..."</span></p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;">Rodin refused to back down and eventually the city commissioners, following in the footsteps of the medieval burghers, asked for peace terms. But it was not an unconditional surrender. They insisted on a pedestal and Rodin obliged them.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;">Officially, Rodin based his position on his well-known antipathy to the "law of the Academic School." </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;">While this was no doubt true, Rodin's real motivation was a bold plan to do what few sculptors had ever done before. He aimed to depict doubt, indecision, uncertainty and fear in the faces and emotions of human beings who were attempting, at the same time, to be brave - and not sure if they will succeed.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6-T59LjWgFRq2hdGkc3Q5s10qc6l8qp7M0xNQxuSkNqvOv5VuuVroUKX8HO1Cewjv6DGdw2ELtapo6nfA4ORKfjuBkPVZ3bZlscPjq7Jdveo95bZsNJAe3pcw5gewTBRWzPwxR4Em8V2FYalD4Qbb6yppgAilDJIoe86qrGVp3Y18s0QCWuSmupx9iII/s824/Rodin%20Met%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="736" data-original-width="824" height="572" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6-T59LjWgFRq2hdGkc3Q5s10qc6l8qp7M0xNQxuSkNqvOv5VuuVroUKX8HO1Cewjv6DGdw2ELtapo6nfA4ORKfjuBkPVZ3bZlscPjq7Jdveo95bZsNJAe3pcw5gewTBRWzPwxR4Em8V2FYalD4Qbb6yppgAilDJIoe86qrGVp3Y18s0QCWuSmupx9iII/w640-h572/Rodin%20Met%201.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> </b></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Gallery view of Rodin's <i>The Burghers of Calais </i></b></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>at The Met </b></span></div></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;">Rodin movingly described his vision of the burghers of Calais as conflicted heroes:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #060606;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; line-height: 18.4px;"><i>I have … threaded them one behind the other, because in the indecision of the last inner combat, which ensues, between their devotion to their cause and their fear of dying, each of them is isolated in front of his conscience. They are still questioning themselves </i></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><i>to know if they have the strength to accomplish the supreme sacrifice ..</i>.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;">Rodin's words ring true. I am fortunate to be able to spend a good bit of time in the company of Eutache de St. Pierre, Jacques and Pierre de Wiessant, </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;">Jean de Fiennes and </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;">Andrieu d' Andres. Both in the outdoor setting at the Rodin Museum in Philadelphia and in the Petrie Sculpture Court at The Met, study and reflection on <i>The Burghers of Calais</i> is one of the most soul-satisfying activities I know.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_kYf9H7eIO4T-JBnATVDKIW69fDfkZJGd3NAKk5rBn3zhiptx3VL7v2HH7z8AauAwhZyexlr-VjT3RRgjc6gxtnPCKS98JA8JzQzaX-FmErxmrYqYmqLzAeWrNyG7vX9h2__uLeUdms1T3PDhybiUcslXRCO7V4Afr9PFYCuambiRiBtdyKZAo0NREcw/s1066/Rodin%20Pierre%20de%20Wiessant.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_kYf9H7eIO4T-JBnATVDKIW69fDfkZJGd3NAKk5rBn3zhiptx3VL7v2HH7z8AauAwhZyexlr-VjT3RRgjc6gxtnPCKS98JA8JzQzaX-FmErxmrYqYmqLzAeWrNyG7vX9h2__uLeUdms1T3PDhybiUcslXRCO7V4Afr9PFYCuambiRiBtdyKZAo0NREcw/w480-h640/Rodin%20Pierre%20de%20Wiessant.jpg" width="480" /></a></span></div><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><div><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #666666;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #666666;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> </b></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Auguste Rodin's imagined portrait of</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> Pierre </b></span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222;"><b>de
Wiessant</b></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN"><o:p></o:p></span></p></div></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;">Rather than comment further myself, i will defer to the wisdom of Kenneth Clark.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #060606; font-family: verdana;">In his masterful book, <i>The Romantic</i> <i>Rebellion</i>, Kenneth Clark wrote of </span><i style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;">The Burghers of Calais:</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #060606; font-family: verdana;"><i>It is comprehensible to anyone who will pay attention: the dramatic element is inherent, not additional; and the burghers, in every movement, give sculptural form to the feelings of common humanity</i>.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #060606; font-family: verdana;">Our common humanity. That is what we see in the tense, twisted bodies and anguished faces of the <i>Burghers of Calais.</i> Into their contorted limbs and questioning eyes, Rodin poured the sufferings of generations of soldiers and non-combatants of the Hundred Years War - and by extension of all wars. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #060606;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This brings us back to </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Jean d'Aire and the second time he "cheated the hangman." </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #080808;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">One of greatest modern collectors of </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Rodin's art was B. Gerald Cantor, founder of the Cantor-Fitzgerald brokerage firm. Cantor had been lavish in donating many works by Rodin to museums, including The Met. It was Cantor and his wife, Iris, who gave the magnificent <i>Burghers of Calais</i>, shown above, to The Met in 1989.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #080808;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">After Cantor died in 1996, approximately 300 Rodin casts were still owned by his firm. In the "museum in the sky" in the 105th floor, North Tower, office of Cantor-Fitzgerald, many of these Rodin bronze casts were on display on the morning of September 11, 2001.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #080808;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Three Rodin works from the Cantor-Fitzgerald collection were rescued from the rubble and wreckage of that unspeakable tragedy: two of <i>The Three Shades,</i> a small scale cast of <i>The Thinker </i>(which quickly "disappeared"), and a dented bust of </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Jean d'Aire.</i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #080808;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><br /></i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #080808;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #080808;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQSMUyEDSLXCvJPJerckfVR5U8TSoF0Ee9VrVAK1KPnjjpwj0MHazX6HhjuVO4W_zpxBhjIRaA6ICfA5yWJdlo6BxaBKJ8Gq1TT5f8dYP8A-WgAPwwX8A0fjZLtqOZvjRTwYg_rX9TlSXkRb3ouVXCAlkwhY0-L1gP6ZmWuJ_8HneYHJelngN_W6H03A/s823/Jean%20d'Aire%20end.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="749" data-original-width="823" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQSMUyEDSLXCvJPJerckfVR5U8TSoF0Ee9VrVAK1KPnjjpwj0MHazX6HhjuVO4W_zpxBhjIRaA6ICfA5yWJdlo6BxaBKJ8Gq1TT5f8dYP8A-WgAPwwX8A0fjZLtqOZvjRTwYg_rX9TlSXkRb3ouVXCAlkwhY0-L1gP6ZmWuJ_8HneYHJelngN_W6H03A/w400-h364/Jean%20d'Aire%20end.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #060606;">The bust of Jean d'Aire survived the 9/11 disaster, "crash-landing" to earth to remind us of the common humanity of the 658 staff members of Cantor-Fitzgerald who perished. He "survived" to remind us, too, of the precious gift of our humanity. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #060606;">"Death be not proud." </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #060606;">So John Donne wrote and so Jean d'Aire, Burgher of Calais, continues to bear witness.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #060606;">***</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #060606; font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Text: Copyright of Ed Voves, all rights reserved </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">Original photography, copyright of Anne
Lloyd, all rights reserved</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #060606; font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">Introductory Image: </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="background: white;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022) Detail of Auguste Rodin's </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;"><span><i>The Burghers of Calais, </i>showing </span></span><span>Jean d'Aire and (at left)</span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif""> Eustache de Saint-Pierre.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #060606; font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Anne
Lloyd, Photo (2023) </span><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">Auguste Rodin’s <i>The Burghers of Calais</i>, modeled 1884–95,
cast by the Alexis Rudier Foundry, 1919-21.</span><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> <span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">Bronze: </span></span><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"">6 feet 10 1/2 inches × 7 feet 10 inches × 6 feet 3 inches (209.6
× 238.8 × 190.5 cm)</span><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> <span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">Philadelphia Museum of Art. Gift
of Jules E. Mastbaum, 1929</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #060606;">
</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #060606;"><span style="background-color: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">Unknown artist (French, 1400’s)
Miniature<b> </b></span><span style="background: white; font-family: verdana;">of John, Duke of
Bedford, praying before St George; from <i>The
Bedford Hours</i>. British Library, Held and digitised by the British Library.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana;"> https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John,_Duke_of_Bedford_(detail)_-_British_Library_Add_MS_18850_f256v.jpg</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #060606; font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #060606; font-family: verdana;"><span lang="EN">Clément de
Fauquembergue (French, 1400’s) </span><span lang="EN"> </span><span lang="FR">Représentation
de Jeanne d'Arc dans un registre du Parlement de Paris, </span><span lang="EN">May 10th, 1429. Centre Historique des
Archives Nationales AE II 447 (X1a 1481 fol. 12r.), Musée de l'Historique de
France (Hôtel de Soubise) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jeanne_d%27Arc-Fauquembergue.jpg#/media/File:Contemporaine_afb_jeanne_d_arc.png</span><span lang="FR"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0in;"><span style="color: #060606;"><span style="background: white; font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) Emmanuel </span><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: verdana; padding: 0in;">Frémiet’s <i>Joan of Arc</i>, 1890. Gilded
bronze: (height) 15 ft., (width) 4 ft, 8 in., (depth) 7 ft. 4 in. Granite base:
(height) 8 ft. 4 in. (width) 5 ft. 6 in. (depth) 10 ft. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Commissioned by the French Centennial Committee of Philadelphia and
the Fairmount Park Art Association. Owned by the City of Philadelphia.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0in;"><span style="color: #060606;"><span style="background: white; font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves, Photo 2022 Jules Bastien-Lepage’s </span><span class="artwork-tombstone--value" style="font-family: verdana;"><i><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">Joan of Arc</span></i></span><span class="artwork-tombstone--value" style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">, 1879. Oil on canvas: 100 x 110 in. (254 x 279.4 cm) Gift of
Erwin Davis, 1889. Metropolitan Museum of Art #89.21.1 </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #060606;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Anne
Lloyd, Photo (2023) </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;">Auguste Rodin’s <i>The Burghers of Calais</i>, modeled 1884–95,
cast by the Coubertin Foundry, 1985.</span></span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif""><span style="color: #060606;"> <span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">Bronze:</span> </span><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;"><span style="color: #060606;">82 1/2 × 94 × 95 in. (209.6 × 238.8 × 241.3 cm) Metropolitan
Museum of Art. Gift of Iris and B. Gerald Cantor, 19</span><span style="color: #080808;">89</span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><br /></span></span><p></p></div>Art Eyewitnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347317000349363690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8200843910512523791.post-49830280089701706242024-01-11T21:23:00.000-08:002024-01-14T13:02:35.676-08:00Art Eyewitness Looks at the Art Scene in 2023<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWzZ0-BKG-7Vhhdk7bcYFeIMoDe8LlDq0dF9rod__DlIZ5Ite_8F5QK7rxg9tTJWDdWAU3LZfwAY7xQf853ZPDttO7XO5pqTDZpUAlnlyNgk7yxBY9L-K_eeCJgEDncIZWl3zqTmXk2c0DPtOGgwwhfRR7KroVA3EZY5P6A3zW10R3QghuIFn5nQD-2Z4/s975/look%20back%202023.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="975" data-original-width="957" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWzZ0-BKG-7Vhhdk7bcYFeIMoDe8LlDq0dF9rod__DlIZ5Ite_8F5QK7rxg9tTJWDdWAU3LZfwAY7xQf853ZPDttO7XO5pqTDZpUAlnlyNgk7yxBY9L-K_eeCJgEDncIZWl3zqTmXk2c0DPtOGgwwhfRR7KroVA3EZY5P6A3zW10R3QghuIFn5nQD-2Z4/w393-h400/look%20back%202023.jpg" width="393" /></a></div><br /><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #060606; font-family: verdana;"><b>Reflections on the Art Scene during 2023</b></span></h3><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #060606; font-family: verdana;"><b>Text by Ed Voves</b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #060606; font-family: verdana;"><b>Photography by Anne Lloyd</b></span></p><p><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana;">Every year presents a new lineup of special exhibitions. These are occasions of great expectation when they are announced and growing anticipation as opening day looms. Usually, the first "look-see" at the finished, mounted exhibition is a thrilling event, deeply satisfying and richly rewarding in memories for further reflection.</span></p><p><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana;">In the case of 2022, the number of spectacular exhibitions was so remarkable that in January of 2023 we at Art Eyewitness were still trying to cram one last visit to <i>Matisse in the 1930's</i>, <i>Modigliani Up Close,</i> and <i>Tudors: Art and Majesty</i>. </span></p><p><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana;">There was a real sense of loss as the final day for these "once in a lifetime" exhibits approached. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW9ty-MnqbrJnFfFT1Wst8t-IsIWFOhv3-r-l3I7COKLgESr0ZiUt2T_byRluXR5zKLHvjgQmoFnsk1eqVnXvRkLxQsgevYEabMvTlhYcUjWVxbXihHAtWU8YT0mY6AH656-73ABi8H4xsir-GxGbZTF2nXPPlwng4nUt9yPOMDu2OjpwsHa8rrciU1bc/s1641/Matisse%20last%20look%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1641" data-original-width="950" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW9ty-MnqbrJnFfFT1Wst8t-IsIWFOhv3-r-l3I7COKLgESr0ZiUt2T_byRluXR5zKLHvjgQmoFnsk1eqVnXvRkLxQsgevYEabMvTlhYcUjWVxbXihHAtWU8YT0mY6AH656-73ABi8H4xsir-GxGbZTF2nXPPlwng4nUt9yPOMDu2OjpwsHa8rrciU1bc/w370-h640/Matisse%20last%20look%202.jpg" width="370" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Gallery view of <i>Matisse in the 1930's</i></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>at the Philadelphia Museum of Art</b></span></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana;">The "show" in the art world, as for the theater, must go on.</span></p><p><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana;">When the museum press releases for the spring/summer 2023 exhibitions arrived, it was clear that there were some unusual and enticing viewing opportunities in store. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #0d0d0d;">Among the exhibits for the spring of 2023 was</span> <i><span><a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2023/05/art-eyewitness-review-sassoons-at.html"><span style="color: blue;">The Sassoons</span></a> </span></i><span style="color: #0b0b0b;">at the Jewish</span> <span style="color: #080808;">Museum in New York. This brilliantly curated exhibit displayed a rich array of rare books, Old Master paintings and Judaica collected by the Sassoon family during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlhd39PJz4ysaPuTlSHnrCJOT7rlyaCyPy0dIK-l3IRwhOF0ErgMz55opXBeuUcgesZU1GUZz225ETHkI1ZMdxtD6HGtepsO1lpWcQ6xWVRw6FhyEwtsQvq_0tscv3DQwylyWHRPELe5mbbgVE0sDEiFFdrowWtg1WJKCxRgOscccAxDMZjZwQEz-4K3w/s900/Sassoons%20year%20review.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="557" data-original-width="900" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlhd39PJz4ysaPuTlSHnrCJOT7rlyaCyPy0dIK-l3IRwhOF0ErgMz55opXBeuUcgesZU1GUZz225ETHkI1ZMdxtD6HGtepsO1lpWcQ6xWVRw6FhyEwtsQvq_0tscv3DQwylyWHRPELe5mbbgVE0sDEiFFdrowWtg1WJKCxRgOscccAxDMZjZwQEz-4K3w/w640-h396/Sassoons%20year%20review.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Ed Voves, Photo (2023)</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Gallery view of <i>The Sassoons </i></span></b><b style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">at the Jewish Museum, New York</b></div></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana;">Interwoven with the narrative of the rise and fall of the ambitious - and in many respects, admirable - Sassoon family was a question which challenges some basic assumptions about the process of collecting art.</span></p><p><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana;">Much of the wealth of the Sassoon family came from the opium trade. This inhumane commerce, by modern ethical standards, was not illegal during most of the period which the exhibition so brilliantly brought to life. But the opium trade was certainly controversial during the 1800's. Were the Sassoons and the splendid art collections they amassed tainted by the moral ambiguities of their commercial dealings?</span></p><p><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana;">Similar instances of dubious business practices, with profits funneled into art collections and museum endowments, happen all too frequently today. What place has consideration of such questionable conduct in art exhibitions? </span></p><p><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana;">This isn't a matter to be easily brushed away, as an autumn/winter exhibition at the Morgan Library & Museum showed, <i>Medieval Money, Merchants and Morality</i>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzxQVN6X9mI9RoN5QTzGjT6KRDJiNV9u2CZrzXthvOpytLqT0PcvoDVdfL3gGQRbn165-ts0k3r6VZivpBxayCcMjNNewqlbLnW9lWdZpvcdaaOMn9nqP10UWxfJ8NxiBkF-QVfwYusBEwFEt1phGbcnLY8UBSiOZKuvNstrGL3PFj3xcBV6ICAvpxuaA/s913/Morgan%20money.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="913" height="560" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzxQVN6X9mI9RoN5QTzGjT6KRDJiNV9u2CZrzXthvOpytLqT0PcvoDVdfL3gGQRbn165-ts0k3r6VZivpBxayCcMjNNewqlbLnW9lWdZpvcdaaOMn9nqP10UWxfJ8NxiBkF-QVfwYusBEwFEt1phGbcnLY8UBSiOZKuvNstrGL3PFj3xcBV6ICAvpxuaA/w640-h560/Morgan%20money.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Ed Voves, Photo (2023)</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Gallery view of </span></b><i style="color: #060606; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Medieval</b> <b>Money, Merchants and</b> <b>Morality</b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i> </i></span></b><b style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">at the Morgan Library and Museum</b></div></div><p><span style="color: #060606; font-family: verdana;"><i>Medieval Money, Merchants and Morality </i>tells the story of the Mercantile Revolution of the late Middle Ages and the troubled response of people in Europe to this seismic shift in human affairs. All of the coins, florins and thalers, used as a means of exchange, were loaned at rates of interest in contradiction to Christian religious doctrine. Ledger books, based on Italian innovations in accounting, recorded these transactions, meticulously compiling assets and debts, especially the latter. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_4GuZeb_22-b0VuVBXXd3_ZwPxVP4StB3xYXxnh76s1ZxzAEtnOo3bqiN_Zsw_-XgFxBqa3YcVnMhfL3Pj9tADQ0bHt1MJAVSmuYhcstz1Y6MvOv__BfuBrfkIdNY436IqC7kXTnfD1_KEEsUeNlXr0i1XfFWursKwy0msa8kF5M_xd8jevLDAUJTNwA/s913/St.%20Peter%20and%20Goldbeating%20a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="651" data-original-width="913" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_4GuZeb_22-b0VuVBXXd3_ZwPxVP4StB3xYXxnh76s1ZxzAEtnOo3bqiN_Zsw_-XgFxBqa3YcVnMhfL3Pj9tADQ0bHt1MJAVSmuYhcstz1Y6MvOv__BfuBrfkIdNY436IqC7kXTnfD1_KEEsUeNlXr0i1XfFWursKwy0msa8kF5M_xd8jevLDAUJTNwA/w640-h456/St.%20Peter%20and%20Goldbeating%20a.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Ed Voves, Photo (2023)</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i style="color: #060606; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Frontispiece from a Register of Creditors, </i><span style="color: #060606; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">ca</span><span style="color: #060606; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">.1394-95,</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i style="color: #060606; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"></i></b><span style="color: #060606; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>illuminated by Nicolo da Bologna, Morgan Library & Museum </b></span></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: verdana;">To people of faith, double-entry accounting and bankers' strong boxes clashed with Jesus' teaching, the Sermon on the Mount. It was a real dilemma, reflected in countless illustrations in medieval religious tracts, superb examples of which are on view at the Morgan exhibition. </span></p><p><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: verdana;">I am planning a review in coming weeks of this fascinating exhibit and its insights into the interface of finance and fine art during the late Middle Ages. Through the prism of the past, we might just gain a more objective awareness of our own attitudes and actions.</span></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDBqacd4-yo-Okg_MDElxDrhDJJuE0bKhLsMWaezx4Qu1gI5131uP4R5LhvPa91I7S3EpXQuP1q2cCMoLnmg-2H02k84LdPrCCxt7IgM3V8AyWKWEh4_ioyP7qxUVd-J6KL7OVVBfNMo27Za73nwUIf3AdB3XPb1epoU7fdt1Xk0Op0HoVXIz6Eu0W4Kk/s1333/Van%20gogh%20crowd.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1333" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDBqacd4-yo-Okg_MDElxDrhDJJuE0bKhLsMWaezx4Qu1gI5131uP4R5LhvPa91I7S3EpXQuP1q2cCMoLnmg-2H02k84LdPrCCxt7IgM3V8AyWKWEh4_ioyP7qxUVd-J6KL7OVVBfNMo27Za73nwUIf3AdB3XPb1epoU7fdt1Xk0Op0HoVXIz6Eu0W4Kk/w640-h480/Van%20gogh%20crowd.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> </b></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Gallery view of </b><i><b>Van Gogh's Cypresses</b></i><b> </b></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>at the Metropolitan Museum of Art</b></span></div><p><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana;">Along with these provocative exhibits, 2023's "scorecard" was a mix of hits and misses. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2023/08/art-eyewitness-review-van-goghs.html"><i><span style="color: #0008ff;">Van Gogh's Cypresses</span></i> </a><span style="color: #0b0b0b;">at The Met was sure to be a crowd pleaser, as indeed it was. Several other exhibitions were disappointments. Despite </span></span><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: verdana;">high standards of presentation, something seemed lacking with these exhibits. </span></p><p><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: verdana;">In the case of any of the 2023 exhibitions which left me perplexed, I elected <i>not</i> to post a review. I never want to risk discouraging patrons from visiting an exhibit, unless there is a glaring cause for concern.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b;">Moreover, the planning and organizational challenges which museum curators face, under normal circumstances, have been compounded by the difficulties of doing so during the recent Covid-19 pandemic and its aftermath.</span> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTBlH0Do_SdfIQTo8tahHNqqim408aadsgmTu2IrnRR4wZbrf1JAqF9aZ5TMM0aDrecp5iKihpgXPlqriKjhS1VmVL7nuoKmu6q2gGsfn_rKpL2NpbLBYd3jF9YCglMIRGIEJsyqYsMYi1aNeZZR5nJQTQ3shVhqIuJl-7cc6N-ex7m7SUEnuHIAcTZM4/s945/Philly%20%20impressionism%20gallery.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="910" data-original-width="945" height="616" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTBlH0Do_SdfIQTo8tahHNqqim408aadsgmTu2IrnRR4wZbrf1JAqF9aZ5TMM0aDrecp5iKihpgXPlqriKjhS1VmVL7nuoKmu6q2gGsfn_rKpL2NpbLBYd3jF9YCglMIRGIEJsyqYsMYi1aNeZZR5nJQTQ3shVhqIuJl-7cc6N-ex7m7SUEnuHIAcTZM4/w640-h616/Philly%20%20impressionism%20gallery.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #0d0d0d;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Auguste Rodin's </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Thought</i></b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>, Philadelphia Museum of Art</b></span></span></div></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #0d0d0d;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It is vital not to forget the heroic efforts of museum curators, as I emphasized in the </span><a href="https://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2023/07/living-art-art-eyewitness-tenth.html" style="font-family: verdana;">tenth anniversary</a><span style="font-family: verdana;"> essay of Art Eyewitness, posted in July 2023. One of my favorite works by Auguste Rodin, <i>Thought</i>, exemplifies the effort which goes into works of art, by the artists who create and the curators who preserve and display these treasures - for us and for future generations.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #0d0d0d;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">That being so, during 2023, I grappled with several problematic "concerns." </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">I will share some of my thoughts about these, but not because of any unique fault in the exhibitions I discuss here. These are being used as case studies to focus on issues which I see in the broad scheme of art "matters."</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana;"><i>Judith Joy Ross</i> appeared at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, April-August 2023. Ross is a contemporary Pennsylvania-born photographer, whose <i>oeuvre</i> recalls the 1930's portraiture by Walker Evans. The exhibition was a major retrospective of her work to date.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgniVmj0KrF_Fdr-qXqia8d-h6KavmSEaVNsYcuuRc_T5mfbp1bopa8It2qJGnxrLPfQHHwg3qI6qTLygYQYwtFBxzLMlkENBde-z_NnDao-zFaCDe6tWFtTLMQtf14r40ERmxYIGYICVd0wC4sPfPsNYrzFtYIpih9qBDHExy22U2Iw35PGIwVtrEOhwI/s947/Judith%20Joy%20ross.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="783" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgniVmj0KrF_Fdr-qXqia8d-h6KavmSEaVNsYcuuRc_T5mfbp1bopa8It2qJGnxrLPfQHHwg3qI6qTLygYQYwtFBxzLMlkENBde-z_NnDao-zFaCDe6tWFtTLMQtf14r40ERmxYIGYICVd0wC4sPfPsNYrzFtYIpih9qBDHExy22U2Iw35PGIwVtrEOhwI/w530-h640/Judith%20Joy%20ross.jpg" width="530" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkxq_Ag9CYUT5PyOtJk27fhyRGw6MiiDJ-gfu_0UHM6SPAyTWW7N-85ZIxKULWAKfqhOkUSsrGNiWoDVj9ADiNedJSLbYkOg2O9Wi6ez7lZEZXbc-e0XziiB1K6-QP2bC0XujW85ztRNL0sB3xdUFXln4PE3HGWRaUCO-cVz-IIp_EscdX0bTHet7HChA/s1000/DSC09372.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="838" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkxq_Ag9CYUT5PyOtJk27fhyRGw6MiiDJ-gfu_0UHM6SPAyTWW7N-85ZIxKULWAKfqhOkUSsrGNiWoDVj9ADiNedJSLbYkOg2O9Wi6ez7lZEZXbc-e0XziiB1K6-QP2bC0XujW85ztRNL0sB3xdUFXln4PE3HGWRaUCO-cVz-IIp_EscdX0bTHet7HChA/w335-h400/DSC09372.jpg" width="335" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><span style="color: #080808;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Judith Joy Ross photo & detail, <i>Untitled</i>, from the series, Portraits at the Vietnam Veterans</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Memorial, Washington, D.C., 1984</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> </span></span></b></div></div><p><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana;">Ross is masterful in capturing thoughtful and provocative images of "ordinary" Americans, in day-to-day situations and in moments of deep grief. I was especially moved by the photos of people visiting the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C.</span></p><p><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana;">The difficulty with the <i>Judith Joy Ross</i> exhibition was not quality but quantity. There were approximately 200 photos on view, most of the prints are in the 10 x 8 inch range, and all but a very few in black & white.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzV2IC3WWc3s3TM8b602ejX__CNW-P4Ot1D6An_vEwLlSZAeudKg-eLg_y50DRvmYjxhNF0QtFFvuD5KKhZvkjMUqEN9EdFYPoUxyAMTWZohRIjifHSVhsBqrsX1wj-h_GOYL7Q4FiYqyRVnmQvZ3NlJUeIiQVjHHmX95fYbCF4QZ63GIwW88gPOi56ro/s967/Judith%20joy%20year%202aa.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="967" height="496" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzV2IC3WWc3s3TM8b602ejX__CNW-P4Ot1D6An_vEwLlSZAeudKg-eLg_y50DRvmYjxhNF0QtFFvuD5KKhZvkjMUqEN9EdFYPoUxyAMTWZohRIjifHSVhsBqrsX1wj-h_GOYL7Q4FiYqyRVnmQvZ3NlJUeIiQVjHHmX95fYbCF4QZ63GIwW88gPOi56ro/w640-h496/Judith%20joy%20year%202aa.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Gallery view of <i>Judith Joy Ross </i></span></b><b style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">at the Philadelphia Museum of Art</b></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"><i>Judith Joy Ross</i> filled the vast space of the Dorrance Galleries at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. By mid-point of my - several - visits to the exhibition, a real sense of "image saturation" set-in, making it difficult for me to do justice to the individual photos. </span></p><p><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana;">The initial galleries of <i>Judith Joy Ross</i> concentrated on portraits of children and young people. These were posed in the informal setting of summer relaxation, kids just "hanging out." There were some fantastic images among them, but the number and general similarity of these pictures detracted from their impact. The same held true for most of the later galleries, though the display of photos of people observing the 9/11 wreckage of the World Trade Center was unforgettable.</span></p><p><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana;">With so much in <i>Judith Joy Ross</i> worthy of praise, I was left at a loss to explain the exhibition's blunted impact. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #080808;">Searching for answers, I recalled The Met's </span><a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2016/07/diane-arbus-at-met-breuer.html"><span style="color: #2200ff;">Diane Arbus: In the Beginning</span></a><span style="color: #080808;">. This 2016 exhibit, even though it was presented in the dungeon-like confines of the old Whitney during The Met's brief tenure, was a memorable success. The Met curators restrained their selection to 100 photos and adjusted its focus to Arbus' early years. I wish a similar policy had been implemented for </span><i style="color: #080808;">Judith Joy Ross</i><span style="color: #080808;">.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana;">In an earlier "incarnation", I was a photo archive librarian for the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News newspapers. I learned to appreciate each photograph as a unique documentation of an event, person or place. </span></p><p><span style="color: #080808;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">In this state of mind, </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">a bond of understanding is created with each work of art, be it photo, painting, sculpture, etc. From this, a feeling of empathy soon follows. When that occurs, we start to hear what Andre Malraux called "the voices of silence."</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYZ-T3sMP9ji3n31nzaWlNnXOyvlByh3PED42nWUnIbXiYCjEZu_hhmada1YBu3Vu4mGWMhEnj2vs5cccAnDZ7Chr0JF7AsVEImrBRqubcS_J64mjFzX9FOvk0l0BdRgzmWQn4qBxPk4btn4DCVE_x8HKpNXZJCE9WXJ6I74VozRr90StJI7T3ZrWb9SU/s861/coptic%20closeup.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="749" data-original-width="861" height="556" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYZ-T3sMP9ji3n31nzaWlNnXOyvlByh3PED42nWUnIbXiYCjEZu_hhmada1YBu3Vu4mGWMhEnj2vs5cccAnDZ7Chr0JF7AsVEImrBRqubcS_J64mjFzX9FOvk0l0BdRgzmWQn4qBxPk4btn4DCVE_x8HKpNXZJCE9WXJ6I74VozRr90StJI7T3ZrWb9SU/w640-h556/coptic%20closeup.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i>Wall Painting with Christ and a Nubian </i></span></b><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i>Dignitary</i></span></b><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> </span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> on view in the <i>Africa</i> </span></b><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i>and Byzantium</i> exhibit, Metropolitan Museum </span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> </span></b></div><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">Once I began to reflect on the effectiveness of major retrospective exhibits of photographs, I naturally began to question modes of display of other genres of art, as well. This can lead to "subversive" thinking, not exactly a bad thing.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a;">There was such a moment at the press preview of The Met's magnificent</span><span style="color: #333333;"> </span><i><a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2023/09/art-eyewitness-review-manetdegas-at.html"><span style="color: #0008ff;">Manet/Degas</span></a>.<span style="color: #333333;"> </span></i><span style="color: #080808;"><span>This was a huge exhibition. With an itinerary of celebrated works. </span><i>Manet/Degas </i><span>maintained an incredible momentum and irresistible allure. It did't quit.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana;">Yet, for one special moment at least, there was a pause in the excitement of the <i>Manet/Degas</i> press preview.</span></p><p><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid4ODKaM4mju8nHKBHL0E0UlzrUA3_fagfNWle17CyJqZNO63KbdBCkIhc3GtVh6RIV_OUYYPypHKmPCdiE3z5wxMKZZutM3trPiyeg7wVf_71tiehttjCUeZKsNj_TwKCwellhU7ZW7vnVcc2IVwzFsiJLnC8H-k1IY3ShL4MX7MhH-5POWdmksWfzmg/s1169/Manet%20Podium%20a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1169" data-original-width="943" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid4ODKaM4mju8nHKBHL0E0UlzrUA3_fagfNWle17CyJqZNO63KbdBCkIhc3GtVh6RIV_OUYYPypHKmPCdiE3z5wxMKZZutM3trPiyeg7wVf_71tiehttjCUeZKsNj_TwKCwellhU7ZW7vnVcc2IVwzFsiJLnC8H-k1IY3ShL4MX7MhH-5POWdmksWfzmg/w516-h640/Manet%20Podium%20a.jpg" width="516" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #0b0b0b;">Anne Lloyd Photo (2023)</span></b></div><div style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b;"><b> Gallery view of </b><b><i>Manet/Degas a</i></b><b>t the Metropolitan Museum of Art, </b></span></div><div style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b;"><b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">showing Édouard </span></b><b>Manet's <i>The Balcony</i>, 1868-69</b></span></div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #080808;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The speaker's podium was unoccupied and, except for a single art lover, nobody was paying much attention to one of Manet's greatest paintings, </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">The Balcony</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">. This group portrait shows Berthe Morisot, seated holding a fan, the landscaper painter Antoine Guillemat (looking very pleased with himself) and the violinist Fanny Claus, lost in thought. </span></span></div><p><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw2iED4tn1bYqPy3VBztsVyTo3obdLmn6fbuXn2hFY1f9vgvJvBvlvOqwqNKTBoPg3EtbtDGSd8X3Tf3a9bO4oYEpsBXQYLASnzPjfBjULdfEPjMEa-sweXX-DyxGXqZh2jdwp_Ape71drH8W0uAoCLX3ktnfpdd6-WxUkYMfHMmdEOyfDbhSrsyEEv0o/s1010/Balcony%20detail.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="909" data-original-width="1010" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw2iED4tn1bYqPy3VBztsVyTo3obdLmn6fbuXn2hFY1f9vgvJvBvlvOqwqNKTBoPg3EtbtDGSd8X3Tf3a9bO4oYEpsBXQYLASnzPjfBjULdfEPjMEa-sweXX-DyxGXqZh2jdwp_Ape71drH8W0uAoCLX3ktnfpdd6-WxUkYMfHMmdEOyfDbhSrsyEEv0o/w400-h360/Balcony%20detail.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #0b0b0b;">Anne Lloyd Photo (2023)</span></b></div><div style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b;"><b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Édouard </span></b><b>Manet's </b></span><b style="color: #0b0b0b;"><i>The Balcony </i>(detail), 1868-69</b></div></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">None of these three is really looking out from picture, trying to engage us, the viewers. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Yet, the painting <i>itself </i>is trying to do exactly that, to catch our eye. This landmark of nineteenth century art is reaching out to grab hold of our attention and keep us looking at it for a little while longer than the average of seventeen seconds which museum goers devote to a work of art. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWXAovQbxqxmtwCB5Ixfc9bw0CdjyAwuMyMJKO0gJkwXiwZw_xPtIYLVjEvv0BRnjMDycKBO2Kyb7VzdYOHSs2uQybHZj1pPm9GTtXFTaX0d4eKnHp5UlpqsfWOcxPJELgG8pFbz5GU2YSsfaT5gb1SARUb8aHlGTA3muzY814vOFmF7QPJdJ1Xb9g7TA/s1050/Berthe%20Morisot%20pensive.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="976" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWXAovQbxqxmtwCB5Ixfc9bw0CdjyAwuMyMJKO0gJkwXiwZw_xPtIYLVjEvv0BRnjMDycKBO2Kyb7VzdYOHSs2uQybHZj1pPm9GTtXFTaX0d4eKnHp5UlpqsfWOcxPJELgG8pFbz5GU2YSsfaT5gb1SARUb8aHlGTA3muzY814vOFmF7QPJdJ1Xb9g7TA/w371-h400/Berthe%20Morisot%20pensive.jpg" width="371" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #0b0b0b;">Anne Lloyd Photo (2023)</span></b></div><div style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b;"><b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Berthe Morisot in Édouard </span></b><b>Manet's </b></span><b style="color: #0b0b0b;"><i>The Balcony </i>, 1868-69</b></div></div><p><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Posing behind the empty podium at The Met, </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">The Balcony</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> appeared about to speak. Manet's masterpiece, like Berthe Morisot in the picture, was composing its "thoughts" before conversing with us.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">"I'd like to say a few words to you," <i>The Balcony</i> declares. "Let's ignore the art critics, the bloggers, even the curators. I want to speak to you - directly."</span></p><p><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"><span>As silly as this may initially seem, works of art </span><i>do</i><span> speak to us - and we do reply! The d</span><span>ialogue takes place in a state of mindfulness. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a;">Back in 2015, Art Eyewitness reviewed</span><span style="color: #333333;"> </span><i><a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2015/05/art-eyewitness-review-living-with.html"><span style="color: #1100ff;">Looking at Mindfulness</span></a><span style="color: #333333;">: </span><span style="color: #080808;"><span>25 Ways to Live in t</span><span>he Moment through Art</span></span></i><span style="color: #080808;">. This wonderful book, written by a French psychiatrist, </span></span><span style="color: #080808;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Christophe André, helps readers meditate through art to </span></span><i style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">"</span></i><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">restore our capacity for introspection and reconnect with ourselves, rather than sustaining ourselves with a constant drip-feed of external orders, distractions and activations."</span></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana;">The process of utilizing art to enter into a state of mindfulness is not easy and, increasingly, art museums are making things more difficult with sound tracts and special effects which belong in a movie multiplex. </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #080808;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbhD2ygZ819cdW75Kkju_WPQGbYBVx5BGBFGP95CXIUZWCwaqvuuF7ZGNZll_r0QByDr-_19BmLbulj8PqxyMt9gUkg9NV4TaHlhjbWy5VfG_0QgNVeGPBhZtYl0cTf0OkgNME1Q-JBImaRHS7MNWhmbGiJ-G5N93JomFFATJMIIk52-FgJHbq9IAdF0I/s1200/Met%20gallery%20noise%20a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="875" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbhD2ygZ819cdW75Kkju_WPQGbYBVx5BGBFGP95CXIUZWCwaqvuuF7ZGNZll_r0QByDr-_19BmLbulj8PqxyMt9gUkg9NV4TaHlhjbWy5VfG_0QgNVeGPBhZtYl0cTf0OkgNME1Q-JBImaRHS7MNWhmbGiJ-G5N93JomFFATJMIIk52-FgJHbq9IAdF0I/w466-h640/Met%20gallery%20noise%20a.jpg" width="466" /></a></span></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666;"><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> The </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Great Hall of the Metropolitan Museum with</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Jacolby Satterwhite's <i>A Metta Prayer</i> featured in the background.</span></b></div></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana;">The Met's recent The Great Hall Commission, <i>A Metta Prayer</i>, by Jacolby Satterwhite, struck an unsettling note with me, the inverse of its stated intention. </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana;">In this multi-media extravaganza (according to The Met's publicity blurb):</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana;"><i>Satterwhite draws inspiration from the Buddhist Metta prayer, a mantra of loving-kindness, to build a narrative that rebels against the conventions of commercial video games. Rather than perpetuating violence, the characters in A Metta Prayer dance, perform, and pose.</i> </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #080808;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Praiseworthy in its goal, <i>A Metta Prayer </i>had, for me, </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana;">the opposite effect. I was able to endure it for only a bit more than the average of seventeen seconds, mentioned above.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #080808;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana;">For the most part, art museums remain sanctuaries of calm reflection and inspiration. Special exhibitions, despite the crowds, can provide space for </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">restoring "our capacity for introspection and reconnect with ourselves."</span></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRRql-gSefPp1URTn2T4PSdB-bFYF32ytGZwpIMvZMqTKzwh6yT8XpIEY3V77JUiDEQRFu3ntfX6INUtXHZk8BoF32v5wSYh0AB1gWj37kH2R9YfiPjD5VcQqPfgkGTsxvry_mU6sjnf9FOHPOGf4Hy5izyBQvOn5gNX_ZxGtm4laBdWJUSABKTGLaVCY/s990/Met%20Ceremony%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="751" data-original-width="990" height="486" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRRql-gSefPp1URTn2T4PSdB-bFYF32ytGZwpIMvZMqTKzwh6yT8XpIEY3V77JUiDEQRFu3ntfX6INUtXHZk8BoF32v5wSYh0AB1gWj37kH2R9YfiPjD5VcQqPfgkGTsxvry_mU6sjnf9FOHPOGf4Hy5izyBQvOn5gNX_ZxGtm4laBdWJUSABKTGLaVCY/w640-h486/Met%20Ceremony%202.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="background-color: white;"><div style="color: #666666;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #050505; font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023)</b></div></span><div style="font-style: italic;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Prayer service at the press preview of </span>Tree & Serpent<span style="font-style: normal;">, </span></span></b></div><div style="font-style: normal; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #050505;">conducted by monks from the New York Buddhist Vihara </span></b></div></div></span><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #050505;">Of all the major 2023 exhibitions</span><span style="color: #666666;">,</span><a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2023/08/art-eyewitness-review-tree-serpent.html" style="color: #666666;"> </a><i><a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2023/08/art-eyewitness-review-tree-serpent.html"><span style="color: #1900ff;">Tree and Serpent</span></a><span style="color: #666666;">: </span><span style="color: #0a0a0a;">Early Buddhist Art in India</span></i><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"><span>, provided an almost perfect atmosphere for cultivating spiritual harmony for oneself and empathy for our fellow creatures. On the surface, an exhibition devoted to the earliest Buddhist art would seem so geared to the topic of mindfulness that it is counterproductive to use it to illustrate this theme. That was not the case with </span><i>Tree and Serpent</i><span>, which was organized by one of the great curators of the present age, John Guy of The Met.</span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic3gL9HWhYWGEOf58ZrkLJWv1uhcb-rkAXTKg-cguIMZVwSTID3FgRt_MO0GzOs40yamC1uFlKsCSwAri39ZYOjsdhoSeqjT-ZRfVzRFb9xW9G4OExTigW019mn84Dq_VJdaLNI4EXXU2Nc6ZFjVIlBNShzNb5kcII9QGkLzxk2Gmw2L6uFjQ_vS5aYmI/s1111/tree%20and%20serpent%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1111" data-original-width="708" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic3gL9HWhYWGEOf58ZrkLJWv1uhcb-rkAXTKg-cguIMZVwSTID3FgRt_MO0GzOs40yamC1uFlKsCSwAri39ZYOjsdhoSeqjT-ZRfVzRFb9xW9G4OExTigW019mn84Dq_VJdaLNI4EXXU2Nc6ZFjVIlBNShzNb5kcII9QGkLzxk2Gmw2L6uFjQ_vS5aYmI/w408-h640/tree%20and%20serpent%202.jpg" width="408" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023)</b></div></span><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;">Gallery view of <i>Tree &</i> <i>Serpent</i>, showing a red sandstone statue </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;">of the <i>Goddess of Abundance</i>, <i>Sri Lakshmi</i>,</b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> <b>2nd century</b></span><b style="font-family: verdana;"> </b></div></div></div><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana;">Many of the art works on display in <i>Tree and Serpent</i> predated the more familiar statues of the meditating Buddha, signature images of this now-global religion. Ancient Buddhism grew from a nurturing subsoil of fertility cults and deities, including protective cobras! The transcendental enlightenment of the Buddha has led to spiritual awakening for millions but it was - and is - a long process, based on constant practice. </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #080808;"><span>My expectations for </span><i>Tree and Serpent</i><span> were indeed high, based upon my memories of an earlier exhibition at The Met,</span></span><span style="color: #666666;"> </span><i><a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2014/04/"><span style="color: #2200ff;">Lost Kingdoms</span></a><span style="color: #666666;"> </span><span style="color: #0b0b0b;">Hindu-Buddhist</span></i><span style="color: #0b0b0b;"> <i>Sculpture of Early Southeast Asia</i><span>. Yet, the fulfillment of my hopes was greater still. This was not merely a "once in a lifetime" exhibition but one</span></span></span></span><span style="color: #0b0b0b;"><i style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana;"><span>:</span></i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana;"> to treasure for a lifetime.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitX6umptZg522yFoTBWo_vg3TzZ4SkJaUCK_pXXCKQaE_M5MtqOuaCAyN-vWjonHfyvqCvEn_w0zbJOKXBpVWAPB5iADbDs8jPfVBiYsWu8EQL7mcHikileSOrX4ZdyKpWytiK728kjGKCUgorbgGrygJ6gq5dP6AweUH9FF2WPQa6kSuWRI04XvIdNGw/s900/Whistler%20group%20a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="627" data-original-width="900" height="446" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitX6umptZg522yFoTBWo_vg3TzZ4SkJaUCK_pXXCKQaE_M5MtqOuaCAyN-vWjonHfyvqCvEn_w0zbJOKXBpVWAPB5iADbDs8jPfVBiYsWu8EQL7mcHikileSOrX4ZdyKpWytiK728kjGKCUgorbgGrygJ6gq5dP6AweUH9FF2WPQa6kSuWRI04XvIdNGw/w640-h446/Whistler%20group%20a.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="color: #666666; font-family: verdana;"><b>Anne Lloyd Photo (2023)</b></div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: verdana;"><b> Gallery view of </b><b><i>The Artist's Mother: Whistler and Philadelphia </i></b></div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: verdana;"><b>at the Philadelphia Museum of Art</b></div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana;">A second "once in a lifetime" opportunity presented itself in 2023. The Philadelphia Museum of Art hosted </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">The Artist's Mother: Whistler and Philadelphia</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana;"> in a "focused" exhibition, June to October 2023. Over the course of nearly five months, Anne and I visited with "Le Mere de Whistler" and related paintings of artists' mothers by Celia Beaux, Alice Neel and others.</span></span></div><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f;">We </span><span style="color: #0d0d0d;"><span>w</span><span>ent so often to the gallery where</span></span><span style="color: #666666;"> </span><i><a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2023/06/art-eyewitness-review-whistlers-mother.html"><span style="color: blue;">Whistler's Mother</span></a><span style="color: #666666;"> </span></i><span style="color: #0a0a0a;">was displayed that it became a place of pilgrimage.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAcNgXVM_w7kqwuJTRV4V7OADQd721APXWNfXsmaHLjb_Ds2Zn1a5CabXSJFbMzjfxzvV71c9-Cd2RNUYks0SKgdjgUBQjxdL9LTxQqNwhN9YZgq4Rvtxw2Akc4PIZCPkLfLRBgbi0vrBaKcpkx2dJLBE9nui02RcsaBUvZoFL8NxbfcDcifh66Zy5kqs/s983/Whistler%20mother.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="793" data-original-width="983" height="516" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAcNgXVM_w7kqwuJTRV4V7OADQd721APXWNfXsmaHLjb_Ds2Zn1a5CabXSJFbMzjfxzvV71c9-Cd2RNUYks0SKgdjgUBQjxdL9LTxQqNwhN9YZgq4Rvtxw2Akc4PIZCPkLfLRBgbi0vrBaKcpkx2dJLBE9nui02RcsaBUvZoFL8NxbfcDcifh66Zy5kqs/w640-h516/Whistler%20mother.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkRMtr1E09nnsvOa8wc-zRAD2qD7OwIQ9GdYiz2cbYkvRR4LfinbChFHMpR_yoY1dlXFi_iR5mk7q-BhwN-_G8uchvWu8dT2P1v0AtKAlqdN1exHUTBPpNAWdRmex2FeNQXgY9Fq1c9P6-9Cb2btlR2k74dgbG9pAA7y-yeu3nBHqM6_pQmY2qObsmFwc/s1000/whistlers%20mom%20sharp%20detail.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="751" data-original-width="1000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkRMtr1E09nnsvOa8wc-zRAD2qD7OwIQ9GdYiz2cbYkvRR4LfinbChFHMpR_yoY1dlXFi_iR5mk7q-BhwN-_G8uchvWu8dT2P1v0AtKAlqdN1exHUTBPpNAWdRmex2FeNQXgY9Fq1c9P6-9Cb2btlR2k74dgbG9pAA7y-yeu3nBHqM6_pQmY2qObsmFwc/w640-h480/whistlers%20mom%20sharp%20detail.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd Photo (2023), </span></b></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #090909; text-align: left;">James Whistler's</span><i style="color: #090909; text-align: left;"> Arrangement in Grey and Black:</i></span></b></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #0e0e0e; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i style="color: #090909; text-align: left;"> Portrait of the Artist's Mother </i><span style="color: #090909; text-align: left;">(1871)</span></span></b></div><span style="color: #0d0d0d;"><span face=""trebuchet ms", sans-serif"><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.2px;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana;">To repeatedly enter into the presence of a great work of art is a rare privilege. It gives us the opportunity to study it, in all its facets, all the details of its artistic life. And its spiritual life? Do works of art have spiritual lives?</span></span><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana;">If artists devote mind and muscle, give heart and soul to create a painting or a sculpture and we respond in kind, then, yes, works of art are spiritual "beings" of a sort. We can "commune" with them and the experience helps nurture bonds of empat</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: verdana;">hy, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">which heighten our appreciate of other works of art, of other people.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">Like the relationships we have with fellow humans, it is good to have a few old friends in the world of art. These are trusted companions who never fail us and are there when the "once in a lifetime" exhibitions have closed their doors.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbvwzYKDl0H_JfzpX99V6aFWWiwLHKwkTocJtOS2ueXGVda-r3eb-kznO0SQkm3c_slnMCN9m0enRDaplI34LONcwpcT0rWFE71morLqLaQQit2TYztF1vpDRNPGPczNTDuAiL6HWS-QeoNgeLlozlsDOPtuSwuyJHM31qnfzK41DYO8RGq7_tBe6BR0o/s1100/Rodin%20statue%202022.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1100" data-original-width="844" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbvwzYKDl0H_JfzpX99V6aFWWiwLHKwkTocJtOS2ueXGVda-r3eb-kznO0SQkm3c_slnMCN9m0enRDaplI34LONcwpcT0rWFE71morLqLaQQit2TYztF1vpDRNPGPczNTDuAiL6HWS-QeoNgeLlozlsDOPtuSwuyJHM31qnfzK41DYO8RGq7_tBe6BR0o/w492-h640/Rodin%20statue%202022.jpg" width="492" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Anne Lloyd Photo (2022)</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b> Auguste Rodin's <i>Orpheus and Eurydice</i>, 1893</b></div></span><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana;">Auguste Rodin's exquisite sculpture, <i>Orpheus and Eurydice,, </i>is one of our most beloved, most trusted friends at The Met. Anne has even begun taking photos of <i>Orpheus and Eurydice </i>In sepia mode, which add a stark, other-worldly - and very fitting - nuance to this work. </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSe1DQ-6rft0mty5aOuq7Sw_iikGQ7HDD8kDdUD3YcWrnQxUxpN2wSfbWmkrcQ9U2GlyY4PYL1m8ZWen1YgloRR3HRB3HZXbgEIevbBGetduNWgjiassz8Ag0EgOlYBExTsB0yIY8lg1pIroa5FOJzGYJERGJq3OPc9g6v5f1tiLO-Vo5W2hoU9F5fi1s/s1300/rodin%20statue%20sepia.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1300" data-original-width="975" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSe1DQ-6rft0mty5aOuq7Sw_iikGQ7HDD8kDdUD3YcWrnQxUxpN2wSfbWmkrcQ9U2GlyY4PYL1m8ZWen1YgloRR3HRB3HZXbgEIevbBGetduNWgjiassz8Ag0EgOlYBExTsB0yIY8lg1pIroa5FOJzGYJERGJq3OPc9g6v5f1tiLO-Vo5W2hoU9F5fi1s/w480-h640/rodin%20statue%20sepia.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #080808; font-family: verdana;">Like Orpheus and Eurydice, we are forging onward in this uncertain new year. Illness delayed this post by a few days, but we are looking forward, not looking back.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #080808; font-family: verdana;">On the horizon for 2024 is the centennial of the Morgan Library and Museum, with major exhibitions celebrating Beatrix Potter and Belle da Costa Greene. The Philadelphia Museum of Art is preparing a major show highlighting Mary Cassatt's artistic technique, scheduled to open in May.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #080808; font-family: verdana;">We at Art Eyewitness wish all a happy 2024, a year filled with great art and ever stronger bonds of empathy.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Text: Copyright of Ed Voves, all rights reserved <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Original photography, copyright of Anne Lloyd<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #080808; font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">Introductory Image: </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">Gallery view of Van Gogh's Cypresses </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York City, showing Vincent van Gogh's <i>Country Road in Provence by Night,</i></span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">1890.</span></span></p><span style="color: #080808;"><div><span style="color: #080808;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #080808;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023 ) Gallery view of the <i>Matisse in the 1930's </i>exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. </span></span></span><div><span style="color: #080808;"><span style="color: #080808;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #080808;"><span style="color: #080808;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves, Photo (2023 ) Gallery view of the </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Sassoons </i><span style="font-family: verdana;">exhibition at the Jewish </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Museum, New York City.</span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #080808;"><span style="color: #080808;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #080808;"><span style="color: #080808;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves, Photo (2023 ) Gallery view of <i>Medieval Money, Merchants and Morality</i> at the Morgan Library and Museum.</span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #080808;"><span style="color: #080808;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #080808;"><span style="color: #080808;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves, Photo (2023 ) <i>Frontispiece from a Register of Creditors</i>, ca.1394-95, illuminated by Nicolo da Bologna, Morgan Library & Museum Collection.</span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #080808;"><span style="color: #080808;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #080808;"><span style="color: #080808;"><div style="color: black;"><span style="color: #080808;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023 ) Gallery view of the <i>Van Gogh's Cypresses </i>at<i> </i>the Metropolitan Museum. </span></span></div><div><span style="color: #080808;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #080808;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) Auguste Rodin's </span><i style="background-color: white;">Thought</i><span style="background-color: white;">, modeled,1895, carved by Camille Raynaud, c.1900, Marble, 29 1/8 x 17 1/16 x 18 1/8 inches (74 x 43.4 x 46.1 cm). Philadelphia Museum of Art, John G. Johnson Collection, 1917.</span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #080808;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #080808;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) Judith Joy Ross </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #080808;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">photo & detail, <i>Untitled</i>, from the series, Portraits at the Vietnam Veterans</span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Memorial, Washington, D.C. Gelatin silver print. 1984.</span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #080808;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white;"><p style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023 ) Gallery view of the <i>Judith Joy Ross </i>exhibition<i> </i>at<i> </i>the Philadelphia Museum of Art.</span></p></span></span></span></div></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023 ) <i>Wall Painting with</i> <i>Christ and a Nubian Dignitar</i>y on view in the <i>Africa and Byzantium</i> exhibit at the Metropolitan </span><span style="background-color: white;">Museum of Art.</span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #080808;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span><div><span style="color: #080808;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023 ) Gallery view of the <i>Manet/Degas </i>exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum, showing </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana;">Édouard</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana;"> Manet’s </span><i style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">The Balcony</span></i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana;">, 1868–69.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #080808;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #080808;"><div style="color: black;"><span style="color: #080808;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023 ) </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana;">Édouard</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana;"> Manet’s </span><i style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">The Balcony </span></i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana;">(detail), 1868–69.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #080808;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></div></span><div style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #080808;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) The Great Hall of the Metropolitan Museum with Jacolby Satterwhite's <i>A Metta Prayer</i> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #080808;">featured in the background. </span></div><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #080808; font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023) Prayer ceremony at the press preview of </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #080808; font-family: verdana;">Tree &</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #080808; font-family: verdana;"> </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #080808; font-family: verdana;">Serpent</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #080808; font-family: verdana;">, conducted by the monks from the New York Buddhist Vihara Foundation.</span></p><span style="color: #080808;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white;"><div><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: FreightTextProPlus-Medium;">Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023) Gallery view of <i>Tree and Serpent</i>, </span><span style="text-align: center;">showing a red sandstone statue </span><span style="text-align: center;">of the <i>Goddess of Abundance</i>, <i>Sri Lakshmi</i>,</span><span style="text-align: center;"> 2nd century.</span><span style="text-align: center;"> Lent by the National Museum, New Delhi.</span></div><div><span><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: FreightTextProPlus-Medium; text-align: left;">Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023) Gallery view of <i>The Artist's Mother: Whistler and Philadelphia </i>exhibition<i> </i>at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.</span></span></span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </span><span>James Whistler's <i>Arrangement in Grey and Black: Portrait of the Artist's Mother, 1871.. </i>Oil on canvas: </span><span>144.3 x 162.5 cm (56 3/4 x 64"). </span><span>Musée d'Orsay, Paris, RF 699.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 13.2px;"><br /></span></div>Anne Lloyd Photo (2017), Gallery view of at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, showing </span><span style="background-color: white;">Auguste Rodin's <i>Orpheus and Eurydice, </i></span><span style="background-color: white;">modeled ca. 1887, carved 1893. </span><span style="background-color: white;">Marble: </span><span style="background-color: white;">48 3/4 × 31 1/8 × 25 3/8 in., 856 lb. (123.8 × 79.1 × 64.5 cm, 388.3 kg) Metropolitan Museum</span><span style="background-color: white;"> of Art, </span><span style="background-color: white;">Gift of Thomas F. Ryan, 1910. A</span><span style="background-color: white;">ccession Number:10.63.2</span></span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;" /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #080808;"><br /></span></div><br /></div></div>Art Eyewitnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347317000349363690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8200843910512523791.post-20391462140095945382023-12-30T19:59:00.000-08:002024-01-01T03:54:18.425-08:00Art Eyewitness Review: Africa and Byzantium at the Metropolitan Museum of Art<p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHPbUls-vtAXqEMe44fI2oFuBZZhSPZGzNh85UWgPI8PZLW1KKBGeC_lbfkV7gLU0p2Ye2ZXsa7dlhZmgemzdLm09pBCyY92WjEi9wb9VFGsKkKu-9BgjdtxkJ3HWsVBgeHfZYe1Yfb1b4YFFK5msPdNOPtRGbfnMe2sl_W5ZzZ06F5SKlpmBThw7Y9pM/s1052/DSC02717.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1052" data-original-width="739" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHPbUls-vtAXqEMe44fI2oFuBZZhSPZGzNh85UWgPI8PZLW1KKBGeC_lbfkV7gLU0p2Ye2ZXsa7dlhZmgemzdLm09pBCyY92WjEi9wb9VFGsKkKu-9BgjdtxkJ3HWsVBgeHfZYe1Yfb1b4YFFK5msPdNOPtRGbfnMe2sl_W5ZzZ06F5SKlpmBThw7Y9pM/w281-h400/DSC02717.jpg" width="281" /></a><br /><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #050505; font-size: medium;">Africa and Byzantium</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #050505;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #050505;">Metropolitan Museum of Art</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: verdana;"><b>November 19, 2023 - March 3, 2024</b></span></div><span style="color: #050505; font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: left;"><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Reviewed by Ed Voves</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Original Photography by Anne Lloyd</b></div></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Africa and Byzantium</span></i><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"> is the latest in a series of exhibitions, presented by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which h</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">ave transformed our understanding of </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">the region surrounding the Mediterranean Sea during what
used to be called the "Dark Ages." Now, we think of those distant centuries as Late Antiquity
and the Medieval era. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #050505; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Africa is the geographic
focus of the latest of The Met exhibitions, as its title proclaims. <i>Africa</i> <i>and Byzantium </i>covers a vast expanse of history, from Late Antiquity to the 1600's. On view until March 3, 2024,
this exhibit is part of the current initiative at The Met to emphasize the
importance of African art. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM2mGyaQE1paQl25JLQi_LTlBlQRDGTdQtLbOeJFVd-qXUFEcTJr5vM5lurL7Luwi1ulO75yimgDQm3fl9Sl6Y1-NYYfbHuloMEiXxHdUeguiMgneb3QpH_aqd9BhCsIvWnDYQHy1CafFG9naFzIvw0ID-ODmvleHmRRZxsQ1UajQrdJqfyHkGwETrUWw/s739/Africa%20portrait.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="739" data-original-width="669" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM2mGyaQE1paQl25JLQi_LTlBlQRDGTdQtLbOeJFVd-qXUFEcTJr5vM5lurL7Luwi1ulO75yimgDQm3fl9Sl6Y1-NYYfbHuloMEiXxHdUeguiMgneb3QpH_aqd9BhCsIvWnDYQHy1CafFG9naFzIvw0ID-ODmvleHmRRZxsQ1UajQrdJqfyHkGwETrUWw/w363-h400/Africa%20portrait.jpg" width="363" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #080808;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i>Bust of an African Child</i>, 2nd–3rd century</span></span></b></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Achieving a greater
recognition for African art dating to the long-ago era surveyed in <i>Africa and Byzantium </i>is no easy task. The difficulties are numerous and complex. But the most serious of these, in
terms of this exhibition, does not actually relate to Africa or African art.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">The problem with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Africa and Byzantium</i> lies with the use
of "Byzantium" as the title of a political entity which, in
actuality, was the surviving, eastern half of the Roman Empire. Ruled by Christian emperors from their strategic stronghold, the city of Constantinople, this
much battered bulwark of civilization lasted until 1453. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Never, in its very long
history was the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Basileia Rhomanaion</i>
(Empire of the Romans) or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Romania</i>, as
its citizens referred to it, called Byzantium.<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Founded in the year 330 by
the Roman emperor, Constantine, the Eastern Empire’s capital of
Constantinople was built on the site of an earlier city, Byzantion. Western European scholars, beginning in the 1500’s, recast the
Eastern Roman Empire as Byzantium, thereby undermining its historical significance and mystique. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana;">If a credible "Byzantium" ever existed, it was the phase of the Eastern Roman Empire when Greek-speaking emperors ruled a much-reduced realm. This followed the Islamic conquest of Palestine, Egypt and North Africa in the seventh century, concluding with the attack by the treacherous Venetians and Crusaders on Constantinople in 1204.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">For better or worse, the
curators at The Met follow the almost universally accepted practice of speaking of
"Byzantium.” No doubt, this is due, in part, to the tremendous importance of earlier exhibitions at The Met like<i> Byzantium: Faith and Power</i> in 2004. It is only natural that the curators of <i>Africa and Byzantium</i> would wish to build on their past success, but what works for one exhibition does not always do so for another.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">In the promotional text for <i>Africa and Byzantium</i>, “Byzantium” is described as an empire whose “artistic, economic and cultural life” was shaped by the “vibrant multi-ethnic societies of north and east Africa.” </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">To underscore this point, the lead artwork chosen for the exhibition is a striking mosaic fragment from the Louvre's collection.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDAxqLQksVlpDMjavENg0WaoNrmEqrZVQlVjlvosv7U7yWVL2aRBYzIctsaTWzC-MX34ZFcK_H8e519XYAmPE1Cp2BqtveGF-RPDMMnlzKbtGIMFLRa1POa_05QTAdewFGNkMhR3BpbHra762xzwdpZ1A_IIUPHKqzB6f5sspTzrdfHCfKYyX6a1pGFmk/s1066/Louvre%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="777" data-original-width="1066" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDAxqLQksVlpDMjavENg0WaoNrmEqrZVQlVjlvosv7U7yWVL2aRBYzIctsaTWzC-MX34ZFcK_H8e519XYAmPE1Cp2BqtveGF-RPDMMnlzKbtGIMFLRa1POa_05QTAdewFGNkMhR3BpbHra762xzwdpZ1A_IIUPHKqzB6f5sspTzrdfHCfKYyX6a1pGFmk/w640-h466/Louvre%201.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #080808;"><span style="text-align: left;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</span><i style="text-align: left;"> </i></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #080808;"><i style="text-align: left;">Mosaic Panel with Preparations for a Feast</i><span style="text-align: left;">, c.175-200 </span></span></b></div></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #080808;"><i style="font-family: verdana;">Mosaic Panel</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">with Preparations for a Feast</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> was excavated in present-day Tunisia on the northern tip of Africa. It does indeed show workmen with different racial features, but it dates to the end of the second century, when Marcus Aurelius ruled a unified Roman Empire, 161-180. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana;">This floor mosaic had felt the tread of many a sandal before the mighty walls and palaces of Constantinople were built.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZpip8uzip_FAEPpEAW2SX0CdYQKxlNWDa9AyjsJXOGslGUqof7gYnmh-S4ZWnHjvuvdq1g4OGrBHMLorz03y-M_Zyd7K03K5E80y1l3Psu2btxL7GMXSilYVaO99SR6kTSpvSxitw53p90d4W5Y4JLH0ObmV6B5o7GYTZaMG8Iv2XqCsNdSF_wqImVWg/s934/Mosaic%20man.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="934" data-original-width="700" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZpip8uzip_FAEPpEAW2SX0CdYQKxlNWDa9AyjsJXOGslGUqof7gYnmh-S4ZWnHjvuvdq1g4OGrBHMLorz03y-M_Zyd7K03K5E80y1l3Psu2btxL7GMXSilYVaO99SR6kTSpvSxitw53p90d4W5Y4JLH0ObmV6B5o7GYTZaMG8Iv2XqCsNdSF_wqImVWg/w300-h400/Mosaic%20man.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpQQwpF2zwou0wfAR_wpse_zrko7UKlV67_rDVOGjTismXOaN53IgSpECP1PGoMRwDuFDcMlgXnifG0b9t8ZloZ076ySN4smEfLTV68P8OTWJ9W13xJc-82Yy3cAIqLwp8boUns-8Epe7igPfVDyhyphenhyphenwfnQ_ERNYbrHJV91Ln7cIIXb2KG3o8CgFMOy2n4/s967/mosaic%20man%20a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="775" data-original-width="967" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpQQwpF2zwou0wfAR_wpse_zrko7UKlV67_rDVOGjTismXOaN53IgSpECP1PGoMRwDuFDcMlgXnifG0b9t8ZloZ076ySN4smEfLTV68P8OTWJ9W13xJc-82Yy3cAIqLwp8boUns-8Epe7igPfVDyhyphenhyphenwfnQ_ERNYbrHJV91Ln7cIIXb2KG3o8CgFMOy2n4/s320/mosaic%20man%20a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">The use of </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Mosaic Panel</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">with Preparations for a Feast</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> in this manner is a questionable attribution of a work of art from one historical era to illustrate another. It risks over-simplifying the complex nature of the Eastern Roman Empire. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The leading contemporary historian of the empire, Anthony Kaldellis, treats this topic at length in a just-published narrative history, </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">The New Roman Empire</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (Oxford University Press) which I plan to review in January 2024.</span></span></div></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">Rather than belabor the debate on the use and abuse of "Byzantium" as a historical term, let’s speak of the
“better” aspects of The Met's exhibition. There are many.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizpaIM1JXZE9SMCYCkW4EtMRVl-HtI7lGtTvPv7h0gJxS5dCUdMD9R6od4_xh0ButuVFMh7ES1sdKhRSxpyZmXT5eBjHeQhMH1hATbEF16oNAe9E_LABGY1mhNjRVQxkHrdPWvrD2v6jJ4a3DvRqB6e5SSC2KWxJ6vhHRuYELAdBbDbhhkCm8Y819RwAg/s850/Mosaic%20tree.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="850" data-original-width="676" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizpaIM1JXZE9SMCYCkW4EtMRVl-HtI7lGtTvPv7h0gJxS5dCUdMD9R6od4_xh0ButuVFMh7ES1sdKhRSxpyZmXT5eBjHeQhMH1hATbEF16oNAe9E_LABGY1mhNjRVQxkHrdPWvrD2v6jJ4a3DvRqB6e5SSC2KWxJ6vhHRuYELAdBbDbhhkCm8Y819RwAg/w508-h640/Mosaic%20tree.jpg" width="508" /></a></span></div><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div><b><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="text-align: left;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</span><i style="text-align: left;"> </i></span></b></div><div><b><span style="color: #121212;"><span style="text-align: left;">Gallery view of </span><i style="text-align: left;">Africa and Byzantium</i><span style="text-align: left;">, </span></span></b></div><div><b><span style="color: #121212; text-align: left;">showing <i>Mosaic of Date Palm</i>, from Tunisia, 6th century</span></b></div></div></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Africa and Byzantium</i> is a
mighty endeavor, truly an exhibition which only The Met could have carried
through to success. The planning, transport and display of some of the rarest
and most delicate works of art from ancient times is a fantastic achievement.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">The art treasures on view in
</span><i>Africa and Byzantium</i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif""> span the range
of human creativity – sacred and secular, precious jewels of the elite,
shopworn ceramic molds used by working-class artisans.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif""><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj25YOpDngV5oQdVroAT0Tjl-XSdvFLUfjyZZFpppFGA4KeYk1MpEgAl7FeT06HzOfAejT9mfoUkYJOBeZNCIgy3P0Dxwl6cOPn7JrjTswPWRm174DZfPONjQmrEjYWA0w902rX-dUCV0_CoHaSupgdNhWGZqvm1Gu6m__LcuLL5Cogmfb2B_9xHZa6R5I/s919/byzntine%20gold.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="699" data-original-width="919" height="486" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj25YOpDngV5oQdVroAT0Tjl-XSdvFLUfjyZZFpppFGA4KeYk1MpEgAl7FeT06HzOfAejT9mfoUkYJOBeZNCIgy3P0Dxwl6cOPn7JrjTswPWRm174DZfPONjQmrEjYWA0w902rX-dUCV0_CoHaSupgdNhWGZqvm1Gu6m__LcuLL5Cogmfb2B_9xHZa6R5I/w640-h486/byzntine%20gold.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i>Jeweled Bracelet</i>, likely made in Constantinople, 500-700</span></span></b></div></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #0a0a0a;">From delicate carvings made from rock crystal, found in a
cistern in Tunisia, to a jewel-encrusted silver crown from Nubia, the Met curators
have assembled an array of sensational works of art, related either directly or
indirectly to Africa. Few of these, however, document a direct relationship with the Eastern Roman Empire.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif""><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr_-AUU3T1bUbSDt1Nu0qECTZgozJJNuFBttvIddEWvXnUZywhwg-mHUwnkxfOTrmCDvFJsqiVj5pRnJdnLjqqzDhKirS7YNKryGJ8yBlySx3oxmuiU3_KlFwWesekejkUGdYJCFsZkTa0-yicq1YNVw9PcXsy9mt3y1UhHVFSQXWx9EPAjEC-UfqFc-g/s1304/African%20crown.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1304" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr_-AUU3T1bUbSDt1Nu0qECTZgozJJNuFBttvIddEWvXnUZywhwg-mHUwnkxfOTrmCDvFJsqiVj5pRnJdnLjqqzDhKirS7YNKryGJ8yBlySx3oxmuiU3_KlFwWesekejkUGdYJCFsZkTa0-yicq1YNVw9PcXsy9mt3y1UhHVFSQXWx9EPAjEC-UfqFc-g/w442-h640/African%20crown.jpg" width="442" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b><i>Silver Crown</i>, from Nubia, 5th–6th century</b></span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #080808;">At the top of the list of these
time-honored masterpieces are two works of art which speak directly to the religious
experience of ancient Africa. These are true Icons, one a painting, the other a
tapestry. Both date to the sixth century, their 1,500 years of survival due to
the warm, dry climate of Egypt and the care of generations of devout Christians. </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnxvZp_0FRnQYx5k5dRg8Y3rpWoRWSWeMDea3qGzl8pW2tXOHWnWYfxtQit1DIqx72KYtgqzn0A-kPn_GQR36r_wtXiaw3Z3FBA7kL1m1-RZecKJH5ikbIvpyYftSts699ywQl7qA2Nvb4JR6p26eW7dX11YrjSWvkSNMKUL8HtMkifIxJNiTiHzv4TmM/s1204/St.%20Catherine%20madonnA.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1204" data-original-width="864" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnxvZp_0FRnQYx5k5dRg8Y3rpWoRWSWeMDea3qGzl8pW2tXOHWnWYfxtQit1DIqx72KYtgqzn0A-kPn_GQR36r_wtXiaw3Z3FBA7kL1m1-RZecKJH5ikbIvpyYftSts699ywQl7qA2Nvb4JR6p26eW7dX11YrjSWvkSNMKUL8HtMkifIxJNiTiHzv4TmM/w461-h640/St.%20Catherine%20madonnA.jpg" width="461" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0d0d0d;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i>Icon with the Virgin and Child, Saints, Angels, and the Hand of God,</i> </span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>from The Holy Monastery of Saint Catherine, Sinai, 6th century</b></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #0d0d0d;"><i>Icon with the Virgin and
Child, Saints, Angels, and the Hand of God</i>, was created with the encaustic wax technique. One of the oldest
surviving paintings related to Christian worship, it is believed to have been made
in Constantinople and sent to Egypt. The apprehensive countenance of the Virgin Mary
and the faces of the saints by her side, the bearded St. Theodore and the boyish St.
George, reveal stylistic similarities to the mosaic portraits of the Empress
Theodora and her retinue at Ravenna, c. 548. </span><span style="color: #050505;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRXpr9b6MwGJSHBufyrxTFPfF8Qh4ADQE3pYaIa1nfA3HFWnWlKkYmoiWIYcUTGDbrvaUJ19rZm7Voyxegle5qYy9PoQcy6cfvt5jMA_ysjFp2RF4cPsDBkasOwGXg-ZjYbGAQp6X_q8Z_M1OW4sRbEJVWL9sKGYh6WbZ1_ojmIZBbAbE2GXBHOsheVqc/s1200/Cleveland%20icon.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRXpr9b6MwGJSHBufyrxTFPfF8Qh4ADQE3pYaIa1nfA3HFWnWlKkYmoiWIYcUTGDbrvaUJ19rZm7Voyxegle5qYy9PoQcy6cfvt5jMA_ysjFp2RF4cPsDBkasOwGXg-ZjYbGAQp6X_q8Z_M1OW4sRbEJVWL9sKGYh6WbZ1_ojmIZBbAbE2GXBHOsheVqc/w480-h640/Cleveland%20icon.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0d0d0d;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; text-align: left;"><i>I</i></span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i>con of the Virgin Enthroned</i>, from Egypt, 6th century </span></span></b></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #0d0d0d;">The second work is a woolen tapestry, with a similar theme. <i>Icon of the Virgin</i> <i>Enthroned</i> is believed
to have been made in Egypt, around the same time as the painted <i>Icon with</i> <i>the
Virgin and Child</i>. One of the most treasured works in the collection of the
Cleveland Museum of Art, the tapestry was woven with woolen yarn dyed in
twenty different colors. The price of such dyes was extremely high, making this tapestry more
expensive to create than the painted icon.</span><span style="color: #121212;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Both of these icons are especially
relevant to the fundamental role of African religious figures in the rise of Christianity,
as revealed in two related events: the birth of monasticism and the diffusion
of Christian belief from urban congregations to converts in the countryside. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Monasticism began in Egypt in
the fourth century, as the political power of the Roman Empire declined and the
cohesive unity of Christianity fractured amid disputes over doctrine. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Zealous individuals such as St. Anthony (251-356) renounced the temptations of secular society and prestigious posts in the hierarchy of the Church. Instead, Anthony and like-minded souls elected to
live as monks in sparsely inhabited regions such as the Sinai Desert. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRFM1mSyBhYxV4_bRLPyQiewmE5oj6wiRuSEnSgAa32aWpfwLt_58LUzW9tMilsIs89YAwkaoYRr6EqpLcT_LgTOlolvfVZSzNTpYdQ-lEIkz4A9T6OclW5lwO_1nbTKiUmXcpCmcmw42p0a6nctz29a1RsPcwGtZkW9cf3OT12f-vbPEq2pIsNhDnbVw/s737/Holyman%20egypt.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="737" data-original-width="719" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRFM1mSyBhYxV4_bRLPyQiewmE5oj6wiRuSEnSgAa32aWpfwLt_58LUzW9tMilsIs89YAwkaoYRr6EqpLcT_LgTOlolvfVZSzNTpYdQ-lEIkz4A9T6OclW5lwO_1nbTKiUmXcpCmcmw42p0a6nctz29a1RsPcwGtZkW9cf3OT12f-vbPEq2pIsNhDnbVw/w390-h400/Holyman%20egypt.jpg" width="390" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div><span lang="EN" style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </b></span></div><div><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Detail of</b> <b style="font-style: italic;">Painting of Holy Men</b></span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">, 5t</span>h–</b></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">6th century</span></b></span></div></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">The reclusive lives of the
Christian monks in the Sinai were transformed when the Emperor Justinian (reigned 527-565) built the
basilica church of St. Catherine’s, surrounded by a defensive wall, on the
reputed site of the incident of Moses and the Burning Bush. This form of monasticism, centered on an imposing church and living quarters for monks and nuns, replaced the hermit-like living conditions of earlier times. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">From St. Catherine's in the Sinai, this monastic revival spread throughout much of the Christian world. It is significant, however, to note that a different form of communal monastic life was being developed by St. Benedict at Monte Casino in Italy around the same time. Western and Eastern Christendom were already beginning to draw apart.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">To edify the monks of St.
Catherine’s, Justinian sent devotional works of art. One of these images of
divinity, dispatched from Constantinople, may well have been <i>Icon with the
Virgin and Child, Saints, Angels, and the Hand of God.</i> It is an immensely
powerful work, exerting an almost hypnotic intensity, even in the artificial
light of a museum gallery.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguC1Ext1577z6KSUGGhL-idPOXPyZ9zzU2B6-Wbmm1rtwZHkWQOHJsD_bwVDuWLCXZh1pNFmfF0fXPyPGZLk41HbH7zi0LYMl9XpAsMnP6avTuHLo0Aky3Rgtwi8aBRDu35fsUKkLf5cA_1JII_ItGDYLTNClfi88kr5lsfbB-V3cgiihudeprxqZcy_A/s1098/St.%20Catherines%20Angels%20God.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="1098" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguC1Ext1577z6KSUGGhL-idPOXPyZ9zzU2B6-Wbmm1rtwZHkWQOHJsD_bwVDuWLCXZh1pNFmfF0fXPyPGZLk41HbH7zi0LYMl9XpAsMnP6avTuHLo0Aky3Rgtwi8aBRDu35fsUKkLf5cA_1JII_ItGDYLTNClfi88kr5lsfbB-V3cgiihudeprxqZcy_A/w640-h234/St.%20Catherines%20Angels%20God.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Detail of <i>Icon with the Virgin & Child, Saints, Angels,</i></span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i> and the Hand of God</i></span></b></span></div><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"> </span></span><div><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">“The Hand of God” at the extreme top of </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Icon with the Virgin and Child, Saints, Angels</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (barely visible
in the present condition of the painting) is likely a direct reference to God’s summons to
Moses on the very spot where this icon is kept. </span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">One of the most fascinating details of this painted icon from St. Catherine's is the degree of realism imparted to the faces of the Virgin Mary and two saints, perhaps even the angels, as well. It is hard to imagine that living persons did not pose for the icon painter. The haunted look on the Virgin Mary's face is surely that of a real woman, perhaps, as mentioned above, a lady-in-waiting of the Empress Theodora's entourage - or even the empress, herself!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4O12TXt7VEZxeWQjvAn1luoQ7F2E-glJ_ipe83mIPzKYWbabtZqjNB1hgHO1BV3xh1xn3p3dldh8uEfxg9VDuQBdlKmY2GpSgSbWJVjj4p-I9KhQonXqLxI3cLtrSA2vT3_aYlPlWVhbs4QsPt8CzHJvYLjpevwV6lUvgjk1SqEiVGK9AJF98K5LNtss/s1000/St.%20Catherine%20Mary%20closeup.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="882" data-original-width="1000" height="353" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4O12TXt7VEZxeWQjvAn1luoQ7F2E-glJ_ipe83mIPzKYWbabtZqjNB1hgHO1BV3xh1xn3p3dldh8uEfxg9VDuQBdlKmY2GpSgSbWJVjj4p-I9KhQonXqLxI3cLtrSA2vT3_aYlPlWVhbs4QsPt8CzHJvYLjpevwV6lUvgjk1SqEiVGK9AJF98K5LNtss/w400-h353/St.%20Catherine%20Mary%20closeup.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #0d0d0d;">A major change in style occurred throughout the Eastern Roman Empire in later centuries. A greater emphasis on mysticism took hold in the religious sentiments of the empire's citizens, due mainly to influences form the east, including Islam. Painting conventions adapted to what the great medieval scholar, Sir Steven Runciman, called the</span> <a href="https://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2013/11/heaven-and-earth-art-of-byzantium-at.html"><span style="color: #0d00ff;">"Aramaic conception of art.</span></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana;">Painters of icon portraits of Jesus, the Virgin Mary, saints and prophets down-played elements of realism in favor of an ethereal, otherworldly art form. The soul, rather than a physical likeness, was given the place of privilege in these depictions of holy persons. The Met exhibition displays several examples of these mystical icons from the later eras of "Byzantine" art.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja5ETEdl8Ywd6ViWmwZp4vTZ6E1NB5l3aJJDyP8Euo_AA9Z1DtInrT3uhjIdRYXORnkuqH331nhVRmf8U6MM_GS0_Ntq38rSPDbuSlXvKXUS-3BnnCx4wAgnIGu2F2NMEVeACo_SA9GNhXelxOklpqgmp4mMV6PLBhjfIAx7hgQ7Y_YZyBe2swcL0fwjo/s976/Icon%20Virgin%20Galaktotrophousa.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="976" data-original-width="901" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja5ETEdl8Ywd6ViWmwZp4vTZ6E1NB5l3aJJDyP8Euo_AA9Z1DtInrT3uhjIdRYXORnkuqH331nhVRmf8U6MM_GS0_Ntq38rSPDbuSlXvKXUS-3BnnCx4wAgnIGu2F2NMEVeACo_SA9GNhXelxOklpqgmp4mMV6PLBhjfIAx7hgQ7Y_YZyBe2swcL0fwjo/w369-h400/Icon%20Virgin%20Galaktotrophousa.JPG" width="369" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span lang="EN" style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </b></span></div><div><span style="color: #0f0f0f;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; text-align: left;"><i>I</i></span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i>con of the Virgin </i></span></b><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b><i>Galaktotrophousa, </i>1250-1350</b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC-XVWQGVoLqtrVb1RzMTqMakeESFS7BPpPgNOncwxEvorVltZ4N0ouY7-zNoHaPv0q2aZpFv-gCSG4tkis1jFpBbLRP25_x_tcKW0e4E2Kp0SkEE4BBKaghUXqlzdoWeNYOXK7gpYMjUwf3AjCtkaOmFGRh1TInjcgJY2iTrllnxw55OWFza6Ki-2J_M/s870/Icon%20with%20the%20Virgin%20Hodegetria%20Dexiokratousa.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="870" data-original-width="595" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC-XVWQGVoLqtrVb1RzMTqMakeESFS7BPpPgNOncwxEvorVltZ4N0ouY7-zNoHaPv0q2aZpFv-gCSG4tkis1jFpBbLRP25_x_tcKW0e4E2Kp0SkEE4BBKaghUXqlzdoWeNYOXK7gpYMjUwf3AjCtkaOmFGRh1TInjcgJY2iTrllnxw55OWFza6Ki-2J_M/w274-h400/Icon%20with%20the%20Virgin%20Hodegetria%20Dexiokratousa.jpg" width="274" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span lang="EN" style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </b></span></div><div><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; text-align: left;"><i>I</i></span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i>con of the Virgin </i></span></b><i style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Hodegetria Dexiokratousa</b></i><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>, 13th century</b> </span></span></div></div><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div>In addition to being aides to spiritual meditation, mystical icons like<i> the </i></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Virgin</i> <i>Galaktotrophousa</i> and the </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Virgin Hodegetria Dexiokratousa </i>embodied specific "types" or conventions of Christian beliefs that could be understood without elaborate theological texts. </span></span></div><div><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The breast-feeding </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Virgin Galaktotrophousa</i> illustrated compassion and love, while the<i> </i></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Virgin Hodegetria</i> ("she who points the way") reminded Christians that the infant in Mary's arms would die on the cross in order to redeem the souls of humankind. </span></span><div><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">Icons were thus "pictures worth a thousand words." This was hugely important as the Eastern Roman Empire, under repeated assault and invasion, gradually disintegrated until the final <i>coup de grace</i> was delivered by the Turks in 1453.</span></div><div><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">Christianity survived the eclipse and eventual fall of the Eastern
Roman Empire. Christian devotional art, icons and sacred texts inspired
Christians under Islamic rule, like the Copts of Egypt, or the citizens of
Constantinople who endured the horrible decades when the once-mighty city was a
conquered fiefdom of the Crusaders, 1204-1261.</span></div><div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a;">The Met exhibit displays remarkable examples of these sacred manuscripts which show how true religious faith can outlive
political and social adversity.</span> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif""><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdH8YEADbSb0_pAbi7GpYrrIxgsY0to18mg0vSvC-cM6Dk0Jh6J411pL6IQ6L9p7cev53V5xp4KaNkO8UvK5ihfzmIxXslq0QP-MIlaV2yO4AJD5Iu-QYsOZgMdqAcjAmcKS-bKKG0Ja89o4x9nKpV8EO_oABdu72wrga6UPuv6HLLUmvSZ4aV4V43b3c/s1107/encomium.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="743" data-original-width="1107" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdH8YEADbSb0_pAbi7GpYrrIxgsY0to18mg0vSvC-cM6Dk0Jh6J411pL6IQ6L9p7cev53V5xp4KaNkO8UvK5ihfzmIxXslq0QP-MIlaV2yO4AJD5Iu-QYsOZgMdqAcjAmcKS-bKKG0Ja89o4x9nKpV8EO_oABdu72wrga6UPuv6HLLUmvSZ4aV4V43b3c/w640-h430/encomium.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><b><br /></b><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 18.4px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0d0d0d;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 18.4px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i> Encomium of </i></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i>Saint John Chrysostom</i></span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">, 892–893</span></span></b></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #0d0d0d;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The <i>Encomium</i> is one of the impressive group of rare, hand-written
and illustrated manuscripts on view in <i>Africa and Byzantium</i>. A collection of
religious writings, <i>Encomium </i>was composed by one of the great prelates of the early
church, St. John Chrysostom (347-407). Almost five hundred years after the death of
this St. John, called “golden-mouth” because of his charismatic preaching, an
Egyptian priest, Isaac of Ptepouhar, copied the text and illustrated the
manuscript with a full-page depiction of the Virgin Mary and the infant Jesus,
accompanied by two angels. </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #0d0d0d;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The rather crude ink drawing recalls the more striking images of
the Virgin Mary, Jesus and heavenly hosts discussed above. But the power of
this image and the accompanying text is truly profound. This book, easy to
transport, reveals how Christianity spread beyond urban centers such as Constantinople
and Alexandria and monasteries like St. Catherine’s, enabling its message to
travel over vast distances and to survive the ravages of war and persecution. </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif""><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana;">Beneath the Virgin’s throne on the <i>Encomium</i> image is an inscription in Greek, “by Isaac, the priest,
the humble one, I have written (it).” Modest clergyman like Apa (Father) Isaac
were indeed the intrepid emissaries who carried the Christian faith up the Nile
valley into the center of Africa. In the highlands of present-day Ethiopia,
Christianity took root, producing a highly-distinctive version of Christian
worship and belief.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif""><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAIkihEVCxVDEDvkCP7ecDs77Mqg8r7XvElCMYZJV0AHnu-0fuTGPUDDlI4ycVMq1AtI0sywPzMeMsYfw75EFHOb4QhRilEvf7GwHoZ34-mChQGJvRIIAbOhN8tdU4x8r7jYBzDgwYvCJjkE6230WhK4omZvMnK9TASbhNgwntBTiLQf6zL-WET8bNQaU/s998/Ethiopian%20icon%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="755" data-original-width="998" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAIkihEVCxVDEDvkCP7ecDs77Mqg8r7XvElCMYZJV0AHnu-0fuTGPUDDlI4ycVMq1AtI0sywPzMeMsYfw75EFHOb4QhRilEvf7GwHoZ34-mChQGJvRIIAbOhN8tdU4x8r7jYBzDgwYvCJjkE6230WhK4omZvMnK9TASbhNgwntBTiLQf6zL-WET8bNQaU/w640-h484/Ethiopian%20icon%202.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><b><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 18.4px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</span></span></b></div><div><b><span style="color: #0f0f0f;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 18.4px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i> Diptych of </i></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i>Saint George and the Virgin & Child</i></span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">, late 1400's-1500's</span></span></b></div></div><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #0f0f0f;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: verdana;">The <i>Africa and Byzantium</i> exhibition concludes with a magnificent
display of twenty-five examples of Ethiopian Christian art: icons, illuminated
manuscripts, wall paintings. Many of these have the Virgin Mary as the central
figure or protagonist, thereby revealing the influence of “Byzantine” art – or
seeming to.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: verdana;"><i><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Tä</span><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">ʾ</span></i></span><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: verdana;"><i>ammərä Maryam</i> or <i>(Miracles of Mary)</i> is a vividly-painted manuscript,
made in Gondar, an important center of book production in Ethiopia during the late seventeenth
century. It includes 32 painted scenes of legendary events related to the
Virgin Mary which do not appear in the Holy Bible. These miracles involved
cures of individuals like the afflicted man shown in this two-page spread (below),
whose club-foot was healed by the intervention of the mother of Jesus.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Od0_IVmKjL49U8tcp9A06OXvhTYaYeEP2_GHnPFjSU-bzWdRe9gap_KK28cSALI0B6XrKNQ5gwjU5lUAvS0aE0RfqB7dQdyfXoY5eRgMfiJvOcxbVZnPNxHJxUpQkdx4SGvtdxXG7Kb7ls7Vs_ZffHsNwnV69lee0LTyjjLvn5iRQbZyFiXpMvIKFko/s928/Ethiopian%20Mary.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="928" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Od0_IVmKjL49U8tcp9A06OXvhTYaYeEP2_GHnPFjSU-bzWdRe9gap_KK28cSALI0B6XrKNQ5gwjU5lUAvS0aE0RfqB7dQdyfXoY5eRgMfiJvOcxbVZnPNxHJxUpQkdx4SGvtdxXG7Kb7ls7Vs_ZffHsNwnV69lee0LTyjjLvn5iRQbZyFiXpMvIKFko/w640-h344/Ethiopian%20Mary.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0f0f0f;"><i style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN">Tä</span><span face="Arial, "sans-serif"" lang="EN">ʾ</span></span></i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">ammərä Maryam (Miracles of Mary)</span></i><span style="font-family: verdana;">, late 17<sup>th</sup> century</span></span></span></b></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0f0f0f;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Tä</span><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">ʾ</span></i><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"><i>ammərä Maryam</i> is a </span></span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif""><span style="font-family: verdana;">compelling work of art testifying to the spiritual convictions and
creative talent of the African artist who made it. So too, do the other
Ethiopian paintings and illuminated manuscripts. This is a very distinguished
body of work, really an integrated exhibit within the larger exhibition. These impressive and appealing works of art confirm one
of the objectives of the Met curators, namely emphasizing the tremendous
accomplishments of African artIsts.</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0f0f0f;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Sadly, the story behind <i>Tä</i></span><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><i>ʾ</i></span></span><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>ammərä Maryam</i> does little to highlight the role of “multi-culturalism”
in art, another goal of <i>Africa and Byzantium</i>. </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0f0f0f;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">This illuminated manuscript of
the Virgin Mary’s miracles was produced during a time of religious dissension
in Ethiopia, during (or soon after) the reign of </span><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="background: white; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">King Yohannes I (1667–1682). </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="background: white; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: verdana;">Yohannes spent much time
and effort trying to expel Roman Catholic missionaries from Ethiopia. It had
been the Jesuits who first brought prints of religious art to Ethiopia,
providing a major impetus for creating these wondrous images of the Virgin
Mary. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="background: white; color: #0f0f0f; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">However, Yohannes and others among the Ethiopian elite grew suspicious of the
Roman Catholic clergy and six Franciscans were executed to encourage the others
to leave</span>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="background: white; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: verdana;">The road of good intentions is a hard one to travel, as the six
Franciscans found out. The curators of <i>Africa
and Byzantium</i> are likewise engaged on a well-meaning initiative. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0f0f0f;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="background: white; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The aim of exhibitions like <i>Africa and Byzantium</i> - a praiseworthy one - is to secure a more prominent place for African art on the timeline of world history</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"> and to introduce it to a wider audience. It is a missionary-like endeavor and, like most such efforts, it is both visionary and, on certain points, it misses the mark.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="background: white; color: #333333; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUqGb6SP7MiF3r7ZQVYn1mnV54Xhe8nhPZjiOHFhyphenhyphen4OjtZfNo29IDYDkSR4qdiGBT5J57ItAiDrZieqhav-YTe1w2UViAcYW9w0dMuF0wj5QbuMC-GuJDr-rY5hkmIz1f8wkOOLk4eDL2qlcFTUc8h9BFwiNnXDDqf9xGKGfS0hQFiEdw7AMdgTpDwdP4/s1045/DSC02749.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="751" data-original-width="1045" height="460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUqGb6SP7MiF3r7ZQVYn1mnV54Xhe8nhPZjiOHFhyphenhyphen4OjtZfNo29IDYDkSR4qdiGBT5J57ItAiDrZieqhav-YTe1w2UViAcYW9w0dMuF0wj5QbuMC-GuJDr-rY5hkmIz1f8wkOOLk4eDL2qlcFTUc8h9BFwiNnXDDqf9xGKGfS0hQFiEdw7AMdgTpDwdP4/w640-h460/DSC02749.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div><b><span lang="EN" style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i>Mosaic with Lion,</i> from Tunisia, 6th century</span></b></div></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Abundant proof of ancient African creativity is certainly established by the
trove of art treasures on view in this excellent Met exhibition. But the
evidence linking these precious works
of African art to an empire called “Byzantium” is stretched very thin indeed.</span><span face=""Helvetica","sans-serif"" style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13.5pt; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0f0f0f;">***</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0f0f0f;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Text: Copyright of Ed Voves, all rights reserved </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Original photography, copyright of Anne
Lloyd, all rights reserved</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0f0f0f;"><span face=""Helvetica","sans-serif"" style="background: white; font-size: 13.5pt; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Introductory image: </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</span><i style="font-family: verdana;"> Jug</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">, 290–320. From North
Africa (Tunis El Aouja, Navigius school). African red slip ware: 9 1/16 × 4 1/2
× 4 5/16 in. (23 × 11.5 × 11.6 cm).</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> Musée du Louvre. </span></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Bust of an African Child</i>, 2nd–3rd century. Bronze:</span><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">5 × 3 15/16 × 1 15/16 in. (12.7 × 10 × 4.9 cm) Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)<i> Mosaic Panel with
Preparations for a Feast</i>: 4th quarter of the 2nd century. Mosaics, limestone,
glass paste: 83 7/8 × 92 1/2 × 2 9/16 in., 264.6 lb. (213 × 235 × 6.5 cm, 120
kg)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Musée du Louvre.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Gallery view of <i>Africa and Byzantium</i>, with <i>Mosaic of</i> <i>Date</i> <i>Palm</i>, 6th century. from Hamman Lif, Tunisia. Stone and mortar: without frame: 70 9/16 x 31 x 1 3/8 in., 248 lb. (179.2 x 78.8 x 3.5 cm, 112.5 kg) Brooklyn Museum of Art. </span></span></p>
<span style="color: #0f0f0f;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit;"></span>
</span><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"></span></p><p class="artwork-tombstone--item" style="background: white; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Jeweled Bracelet</i>, 500-700. Made in probably Constantinople. Gold, silver, pearl, amethyst, sapphire, opal, glass, quartz, emerald plasma: Overall: 1 7/16 x 3 1/4 in. (3.7 x 8.2 cm)
strap: 15/16 x 7 7/8 in. (2.4 x 20 cm) bezel: 1 5/16 in. (3.4 cm) Metropolitan
Museum of Art. </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) <i>Silver Crown</i>, 5th–6th
century. From Nubia. Silver metalwork and gemstones: 12 × 5 7/8 × 10 7/16 in.,
35.27oz. (30.5 × 15 × 26.5 cm, 1 kg) The Egyptian Museum, Cairo.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Icon with the Virgin and
Child, Saints, Angels, and the</i> <i>Hand of God</i>, 6th century.</span><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Encaustic on panel:</span><span style="font-family: verdana; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">26 15/16 × 19 1/2 in. (68.5 × 49.5 cm).The
Holy Monastery of Saint Catherine, Sinai.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><o:p>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) <i>I</i></o:p></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>con of the Virgin Enthroned</i>, 6th century. From Egypt. Tapestry, wool: 70 1/16 × 43 5/16 in., 65 lb. (178 × 110 cm, 29.5 kg). The Cleveland Museum of Art.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #0f0f0f; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Anne Lloyd (Photo, 2023) <i>Painting
of Holy Men</i>, 5th–6th century (detail). Made in Egypt. Paint on linen: 17 5/16 × 12 13/16
in. (44 × 32.5 cm) Metropolitan Museum of Art.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Icon of the Virgin Galaktotrophousa</i>, </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">1250–1350. Tempera on wood: 7 5/8 × 6 7/8 × 13/16 in.
(19.3 × 17.5 × 2 cm). The Holy Monastery of Saint Catherine, Sinai.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN" style="color: #0f0f0f; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Icon with the Vi</i></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>rgin
Hodegetria Dexiokratousa</i>, first quarter of 13th century. From Egypt. Miniature
tesserae (gold and other materials), set in wax, on wood: Overall with
mounting: 17 1/2 in. × 13 3/16 in. × 1 in. (44.5 × 33.5 × 2.5 cm) The Holy
Monastery of Saint Catherine, Sinai.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)<i> Encomium of </i></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Saint John Chrysostom</i></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">, 892–893. Copied and illustrated by Father Issac of </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ptepouhar</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (Egypt). Ink on parchment: Overall with mounting: 8 1/2 × 17 7/8 × 13 1/2 in. (216 x 45.4 x 34.3 cm.) Morgan Library and Museum.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)<i> Diptych of </i></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Saint George and the Virgin and Child</i></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">, late 1400's-1500's. Paint on wood: </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">20 1/2 in. × 26 5/16 in. × 13/16 in. (52 × 66.8 × 3 cm) National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Tä</span><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">ʾ</span></i><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"><i>ammərä Maryam (Miracles of Mary)</i>, late 17<sup>th</sup>
century. </span></span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif""><span style="font-family: verdana;">Manuscript made in Gondar, Ethiopia.
Parchment, ink, tempera, wood, leather, cotton, and string: 14 5/8 × 12 3/4 × 4
1/4 in. (37.2 × 32.4 × 10.8 cm) The Art Institute of Chicago.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #0f0f0f;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Mosaic with Lion</i>, 6th century. from Hamman Lif, Tunisia. Stone tessarae: 29 5/16 x 42 1/4 x 1 5/8 in., 172 lb. (74.5 x 107.3 x 41.5 cm, 78 kg) Brooklyn Museum of Art.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div>Art Eyewitnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347317000349363690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8200843910512523791.post-88342769678613204482023-12-15T21:45:00.000-08:002023-12-16T09:03:42.937-08:00Art Eyewitness Essay: Art Books to Give and to Cherish<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Jdx04ZzNxDOTs7L4VHi7tyK044OdVdUMoR86J-x90ni2bb_UaGO8BgsOUx8H8ULbdN-BMDacOiDT36tFVNYyVZbGF73VmpAj74fKTBsqF9qa57gRmb3cEREKTL136q5wiOGBPC2a8vg6UZ4f3qFldvFR1tCAlq9HFhRtafVLZZqK3bIYyisNiRhr1LQ/s1480/Sibila_L%C3%ADbica.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1480" data-original-width="1429" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Jdx04ZzNxDOTs7L4VHi7tyK044OdVdUMoR86J-x90ni2bb_UaGO8BgsOUx8H8ULbdN-BMDacOiDT36tFVNYyVZbGF73VmpAj74fKTBsqF9qa57gRmb3cEREKTL136q5wiOGBPC2a8vg6UZ4f3qFldvFR1tCAlq9HFhRtafVLZZqK3bIYyisNiRhr1LQ/w386-h400/Sibila_L%C3%ADbica.jpg" width="386" /></a></div><br /><h3 style="text-align: center;"> <b style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #070707;">Art Books to Give and to
Cherish</span></b></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #080808;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><i style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif";">Art Unpacked</i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif""> by Matthew Wilson </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">(Thames & Hudson, 240 pages, $39.95)</span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif""> </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><i style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif";"> The Real & the</i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif""> </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif";">Romantic </i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">by Frances Spalding </span></span><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana;">(Thames & Hudson, 384 p., $50) </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #080808; font-family: verdana;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><i>Velazquez </i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">by Richard Verdi </span></span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">(Thames & Hudson, 276 pages, $24.95)</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><b>By Ed Voves</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">The Morgan Library and
Museum is currently showing a special exhibition devoted to rare editions of
the Holy Bible collected by J.P. Morgan. While visiting the exhibit,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>my
attention focused on a first edition copy of the 1611 King James Version (KJV)
of the Holy Bible. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">By a somewhat convoluted
thought process, the sight of this original KJV led me to compile a short list
of recommended art books, all published in 2023. These, as I hope to explain,
are books worthy to give and to cherish. But before I discuss these four titles, I would like to reflect a few moments more on the 1611 KJV on display
in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Morgan’s Bibles</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="color: #070707;">The Morgan's copy of the KJV
has quite a personal history. It bears a hand-written list of biblical
commentaries by Laurence Chaderton, one of "God's secretaries" who
worked on the translation of the Bible at the command of King James I. On the binding
is the coat of arms of the Prince of Wales, denoting its ownership by the two
sons of King James, Prince Henry and Charles I.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPAMJvr1U7pcMfFViWqfpRLBEMX-bkDiMMAW_L8dnt9QvW_g5w2_zwWJQiEddcdSR0d7uIZ0Yx8JfRsbbH5AqSANVv9zrEtq5F7oT8KUJ9uyZUdtqK8uyu-n8knzIjkyrGcfmu0wNsvBIBt3sp1ISgA93o4KG7aAhp1hOcw-hPEvCUcbtnXKtqCc52ul8/s1066/Jane%20Fisher%20bible.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="809" data-original-width="1066" height="486" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPAMJvr1U7pcMfFViWqfpRLBEMX-bkDiMMAW_L8dnt9QvW_g5w2_zwWJQiEddcdSR0d7uIZ0Yx8JfRsbbH5AqSANVv9zrEtq5F7oT8KUJ9uyZUdtqK8uyu-n8knzIjkyrGcfmu0wNsvBIBt3sp1ISgA93o4KG7aAhp1hOcw-hPEvCUcbtnXKtqCc52ul8/w640-h486/Jane%20Fisher%20bible.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222; text-align: left;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2023</b>) </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222; text-align: left;"><b>Gallery view</b> <b>of the Morgan Library & Museum’s copy of </b>t<b>he </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222; text-align: left;"><i>King James Version Bible</i>,</span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #333333; text-align: left;"> at the <i>Morgan’s Bible</i> exhibition</span></b></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">It was the personal name,
signed with a bold flourish at the bottom of the title page, which was the most
intriguing feature of all: Jane Fisher.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Jane Fisher (1626-1689) was
the courageous Englishwoman who helped Charles II escape capture following the
defeat at the Battle of Worcester, 1651, during the English Civil War. Charles,
disguised as Jane Fisher’s servant, evaded capture by Oliver Cromwell’s troops,
eventually reaching safety. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">In 1660, Charles II was
restored to the throne of Great Britain. This magnificent KJV Bible, once owned
by his father, should have been safeguarded as a sacred relic. Yet, at
some point, this Bible became a treasured possession of Jane Fisher. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Did Charles
II give this KJV Bible to Jane Fisher in appreciation for saving his life and his reign? If so, it could
not have been a more appropriate gift. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdHwTODaE9uUNKylIJ8G3wn5FL3kCkuWyVxB7SoGIANCG5Zi_qpDjoglyge7zubR28y5aIQx3C_fAZowYlBlETRO6UqUkU0p6XOQj9uys9loq-f86Kji0TS77zI4vFCKNggBOo3jx92jSWWuVLAg2kbXVVIzFZV9asnM9PtL91gO7kk65v2NK1m_UN7zc/s593/Jane%20Fisher%20signature.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="593" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdHwTODaE9uUNKylIJ8G3wn5FL3kCkuWyVxB7SoGIANCG5Zi_qpDjoglyge7zubR28y5aIQx3C_fAZowYlBlETRO6UqUkU0p6XOQj9uys9loq-f86Kji0TS77zI4vFCKNggBOo3jx92jSWWuVLAg2kbXVVIzFZV9asnM9PtL91gO7kk65v2NK1m_UN7zc/w400-h169/Jane%20Fisher%20signature.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #070707;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Viewing this historic Bible
was a great treat, but my attention did not linger on the bygone-era of Stuart kings</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">. Instead, it nudged me to think about the importance of giving books as tokens of love and esteem.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">The act of bestowing a gift
involves giving a part of oneself. The money needed to buy a present
represents the hours spent earning or saving the necessary funds to make the
purchase. And of course, there is the time and energy involved in shopping, often the most difficult and frustrating part of the transaction.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Selecting a book as a gift
takes this process a step further. Along with sharing a bit of ourselves, we are
entering into a state of emotional/intellectual dialog with the recipient. Is the subject or author likely to appeal to the intended reader? Might the book become a favorite "read"? Could the book make a difference in their life?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="color: #070707;">With these considerations in
mind, here is a short-list of 2023 art books which hopefully will provide a
resounding “yes” to the questions above. None of the titles appearing below were the subject of previous Art Eyewitness reviews, although Martin Gayford's</span><span style="color: #070707;"> </span><a href="https://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2023/11/art-eyewitness-book-review-venice-city.html"><i><span style="color: #4400ff;">Venice: City of Pictures</span></i> </a><span style="color: #070707;">is certainly worthy of inclusion in any list of recent art books likely to stand the test of time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><br /></span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo3npkg04gwCXwrHq9gQzf2vywmx-7Ud8UHkXYKwxw5MN098dOWklX8r-a4KGjN0zGNut-Ji4A6yNSWQsy6xomQuPBTK1hN36Nv531ynnuaRmP2t2LZiHu7poMI6kmzzXC3pi-8zmQIKfrgvlMMQJSq24kiXH0eZmVXGTGzfV4qmF0OjazXQawo0Txut0/s960/Art%20Unpacked.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo3npkg04gwCXwrHq9gQzf2vywmx-7Ud8UHkXYKwxw5MN098dOWklX8r-a4KGjN0zGNut-Ji4A6yNSWQsy6xomQuPBTK1hN36Nv531ynnuaRmP2t2LZiHu7poMI6kmzzXC3pi-8zmQIKfrgvlMMQJSq24kiXH0eZmVXGTGzfV4qmF0OjazXQawo0Txut0/w534-h640/Art%20Unpacked.jpg" width="534" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #070707;">My first selection includes works of art from just about every artistic genre and works from virtually every historical era and geographic locale. <i>Art Unpacked</i>, just published by Thames & Hudson, is precise in its focus, global in its scope.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #070707;"><i>Art Unpacked</i> offers a "museum highlights" trajectory to appreciate art history. A list of fifty essential works of art is selected for study, beginning with a cave painting from Chauvet, ca. 30,000 BCE, and proceeding to contemporary works of art with social justice themes. Quite a number of the book's "highlights" will be familiar to many art enthusiasts.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #070707;">At first glance, <i>Art Unpacked</i> appears to be a fairly standard survey of the visual arts. </span><span style="color: #090909;">An impressive book, certainly, but one which we've seen previously in similar guises, the British Museum's <i>History of the World in 100 Objects</i> for one.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #090909;">Look again at <i>Art Unpacked </i>- and again - at the double-spread pages of closely integrated illustrations and analysis for each of the selected works. The author, Matthew Wilson, has created a blue-print guide for understanding composition and construction, complemented with insights into the mindset and social milieu of the artist and acknowledgement of related works of art, ones that set the stage or were influenced in turn by the masterpiece under study.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #090909;">The "star" treatment which Wilson accords Michelangelo's <i>Studies for the Libyan</i> <i>Sibyl</i>, 1510-11, is a excellent example of his methodology.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #333333;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #333333; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidgm6HAqA0kCcmMj8j622S-qBFBByf4J1a6W-e9KVQ0Ftiy8tFwblw4L3d8yemYpRcz4Gb_fvU5a5e_bNAjukUd5cwAI1XzaBm_uXslVgLGK35GHOtAieF7AFoaTzFVzEnEHHGaaPifkY4VJJWfB0VIDME7xZH0vIW75nJpwz8V7EzJOsnDtE880Txfa0/s3609/Libyan%20Sibyl.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3609" data-original-width="2661" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidgm6HAqA0kCcmMj8j622S-qBFBByf4J1a6W-e9KVQ0Ftiy8tFwblw4L3d8yemYpRcz4Gb_fvU5a5e_bNAjukUd5cwAI1XzaBm_uXslVgLGK35GHOtAieF7AFoaTzFVzEnEHHGaaPifkY4VJJWfB0VIDME7xZH0vIW75nJpwz8V7EzJOsnDtE880Txfa0/w472-h640/Libyan%20Sibyl.jpg" width="472" /></a></div><div style="color: #333333;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0e0e0e;"><span style="text-align: left;">Michelangelo, </span><i style="text-align: left;">Studies for the Libyan</i><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><i style="text-align: left;">Sibyl</i><span style="text-align: left;">, 1510-11</span></span></b></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0e0e0e;">Aside from <i>Mona Lisa</i>, there is no work of art which has been so intensively studied as Michelangelo's frescoes for the Sistine Chapel. The same is true for the preliminary drafts, of which the <i>Libyan Sibyl</i>, a jewel of The Metropolitan Museum's collection, is one of the most familiar. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="color: #0e0e0e;">Yet, there are so many intriguing details in this "densely populated" drawing that when we get the rare opportunity to view it, information overload quickly sets in. That is exactly what I experienced at The Met's 2017 exhibit, </span><i><a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2017/11/michelangelo-divine-draftsman-and.html"><span style="color: #4400ff;">Michelangelo: Divine Designer,</span></a> </i><span style="color: #0e0e0e;">where the </span><i style="color: #0e0e0e;">Libyan Sibyl</i><span style="color: #0e0e0e;"> drawing was prominently displayed.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0e0e0e;">With a precise focus, Wilson succinctly deals with the major points of the <i>Libyan</i> <i>Sibyl's</i> composition. He focuses, point by point, on Michelangelo's masterful handling of tonal modeling to create a three-dimensional presence for this ethereal figure. Michelangelo's vigorous use of red chalk to create deep shadows, Wilson notes is "often compared to the way that a sculptor carves into the marble with a chisel."</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #333333;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #333333; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT__FCBGig9CRRiDKUaOXXRZ3a6Ryc2OPfDRY_3yZDL5zreV-Wf_Xypj42GO7pEZuIgX_QtGAr1YJIwJ6HfOzsKtN3rg2y_8CYLrE_h42DLRgfcMjtqzledS1IztZVCDEcy3-Qv7zq_-Zj2YQIK-yb2qXK9vI968plCu_OwWwtA4hf8egV6EIUUxEbOBI/s1473/Light%20and%20shade.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1473" data-original-width="1237" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT__FCBGig9CRRiDKUaOXXRZ3a6Ryc2OPfDRY_3yZDL5zreV-Wf_Xypj42GO7pEZuIgX_QtGAr1YJIwJ6HfOzsKtN3rg2y_8CYLrE_h42DLRgfcMjtqzledS1IztZVCDEcy3-Qv7zq_-Zj2YQIK-yb2qXK9vI968plCu_OwWwtA4hf8egV6EIUUxEbOBI/w336-h400/Light%20and%20shade.jpg" width="336" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #0e0e0e;">As if that was not impressive enough, Wilson looks at the truly fine points, leaving readers astonished that they had missed these details before. Examining the <i>Libyan Sibyl's</i> torso, Wilson writes:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="color: #0e0e0e;">Michelangelo added lines that extend from the shoulders and end in a circle. A third line points toward the armpit. It is not known for certain what they represent, but he may have added them as notes to himself about the lightest to the darkest areas of shading, or to point out certain muscles to students or colleagues.</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #333333;"><i><br /></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #333333; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbuIk_p28inkGOKFbuiaSBjV12L4dJOjBely286epwMtkjeO9isTKYd0_WrfAm3rjsz_3Q4JwHtSu6_Va5LcMV4b3-qDqX6dlx5Wa21CLOBLYFG1gDKQxcVNzYckMeBhAst_McuTTdQ6MZYZpSYcgQhyphenhyphenYLXeD2w7EeEjxa6s42hRIK1br28X9MPVaXkvc/s1413/Michelangelo%20Notations.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1413" data-original-width="1165" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbuIk_p28inkGOKFbuiaSBjV12L4dJOjBely286epwMtkjeO9isTKYd0_WrfAm3rjsz_3Q4JwHtSu6_Va5LcMV4b3-qDqX6dlx5Wa21CLOBLYFG1gDKQxcVNzYckMeBhAst_McuTTdQ6MZYZpSYcgQhyphenhyphenYLXeD2w7EeEjxa6s42hRIK1br28X9MPVaXkvc/w528-h640/Michelangelo%20Notations.jpg" width="528" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #111111;">Never, in a hundred years of looking, would I have spotted these minute notations, but Wilson's sharp eye has opened a new window on Michelangelo's creative course.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #111111;">Wilson extends the same masterful mix of analytical precision and perceptive commentary to works of art from non-Western societies. Dating to the same era as Michelangelo's <i>Libyan Sibyl</i> are superb studies of the <i>Queen Mother Pendant</i> <i>Mask</i> from the Kingdom of Benin, modern Nigeria, and <i>The Concourse of Birds</i>, an allegory of the Sufi search for spiritual enlightenment, painted by Habiballah of Sava (active, 1590-1610 in Persia).</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #333333;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #333333; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3IjF4ShyphenhyphentaT5Qr_RIu3whc1fRYi1P7FTCFeBjJsyb2cXbxyV9Bw1tvnQf4ipbc1mussPd-8z-NKyq8NZIlrqkaICdONrQBfzQEeFzFf9L4wXqM58NReMzgBUS_1Uzwz4rI6XpevU3CcJx5JZgjFDMxtQcvJHVF5Q1dirLrSRDa2WQSHsO8hpZVpu3P2s/s2000/Queen%20mask.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1483" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3IjF4ShyphenhyphentaT5Qr_RIu3whc1fRYi1P7FTCFeBjJsyb2cXbxyV9Bw1tvnQf4ipbc1mussPd-8z-NKyq8NZIlrqkaICdONrQBfzQEeFzFf9L4wXqM58NReMzgBUS_1Uzwz4rI6XpevU3CcJx5JZgjFDMxtQcvJHVF5Q1dirLrSRDa2WQSHsO8hpZVpu3P2s/w474-h640/Queen%20mask.jpg" width="474" /></a></div><div style="color: #333333; text-align: center;"><i style="text-align: left;"><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #090909;"><i style="text-align: left;">Queen Mother Pendant</i><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><i style="text-align: left;">Mask,</i><span style="text-align: left;"> Kingdom of Benin, c. </span></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #333333; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #333333; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg48nm1f1uU8YFuAjEkF9UUzY8FNurdNi_z6nJNRTnuwolo7uhvPzFrULAZG6rM2B4c6iKvvYL27emFJ5RxnDWdbnSTrPcSkd7YvnXsK3trlXTMB3e1EKWyKN97Uoqf_3BhynwAr1UzIV45fQYB6EDO1LeBPKVH7lFROG1raVlEiJO4JkAEbnw4-tLdSQ/s1355/Persian%20birds%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1355" data-original-width="863" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg48nm1f1uU8YFuAjEkF9UUzY8FNurdNi_z6nJNRTnuwolo7uhvPzFrULAZG6rM2B4c6iKvvYL27emFJ5RxnDWdbnSTrPcSkd7YvnXsK3trlXTMB3e1EKWyKN97Uoqf_3BhynwAr1UzIV45fQYB6EDO1LeBPKVH7lFROG1raVlEiJO4JkAEbnw4-tLdSQ/w408-h640/Persian%20birds%201.jpg" width="408" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #333333; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="color: #151515;"><span style="text-align: left;">Habiballah of </span><span style="text-align: left;">Sava, </span><i>The Concourse of Birds</i> (detail), c. 1600</span></b></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #151515;">One historical era overlooked in <i>Art Unpacked</i> is the twenty-year interlude in England between the First and Second World Wars. Many, indeed most, general surveys of art skip over English art, especially painting, between 1919 to 1939. In the era of Picasso and Matisse, Dada and Surrealism, English art appeared to be hopelessly <i>retardataire</i>.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #151515;">Francis Spalding, the leading authority of twentieth British art, has rectified the omission with a magnificent narrative history which is likely to stand as the definitive treatment of the subject for many years to come. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #151515;">A fitting estimate of Spalding's achievement world be to compare <i>Real and Romantic</i> with the first edition of John Rewald's <i>History of Impression</i> (1946). Amazingly, there was waning interest in Monet, Renoir, et al., until Rewald's book revived their reputation in the years after World War II. Spalding's book will, almost certainly, have the same effect.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #333333;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #333333; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijFupvXvsiTVKhWbu5fw8lvCj_tctkSci_q5492wjmYf_O-M9v4usR-gkJrcOhjXNpAPR6kvBppbVueJh-gsMy4oBy4JX3X-M6gNiO5EPZAxJVkGSgr_TndYNUZSG-DgwELK6uiaHBzuEv9G5CDGZWPeRfS_J404CJOUzi51Ny5SX9-LSS0_2hFkWb_mo/s499/51S45YbBQGL._SX376_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="378" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijFupvXvsiTVKhWbu5fw8lvCj_tctkSci_q5492wjmYf_O-M9v4usR-gkJrcOhjXNpAPR6kvBppbVueJh-gsMy4oBy4JX3X-M6gNiO5EPZAxJVkGSgr_TndYNUZSG-DgwELK6uiaHBzuEv9G5CDGZWPeRfS_J404CJOUzi51Ny5SX9-LSS0_2hFkWb_mo/w485-h640/51S45YbBQGL._SX376_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" width="485" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #070707;">In a key quotation from <i>The Real and the Romantic, </i>Spalding notes that: </span></p></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;"><i>Whereas the Italian futurists had wanted to
turn their backs on the past, to abandon it or destroy it, much English art
between the wars was motivated by a</i> <i>wholly different attitude, by a desire to
raid the past for ideas, subjects and methods that would challenge and enrich
the present. This took many forms, but behind them all can be heard an echo of
Laurence Binyon's words..."We cannot discard the past ... we must remold
it in the fire of our necessities, we must make it new and our own."</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #070707; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Of particular influence,
especially in the immediate aftermath of World War I, was the English landscape
tradition, not only Turner and Constable, but other artists from the 1700's and
1800's.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #070707;">Algernon Newton (1880-1968) looked to Canaletto for inspiration. Others, including Graham Sutherland, found a role-model in the mystical landscape painter, </span><a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2021/09/art-eyewitness-essay-samuel-palmers.html"><span style="color: #4400ff;">Samuel Palmer</span></a><span style="color: #6600ff;">.</span><span style="color: #4400ff;"> </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZqiPdfeyX85-KwM66uuRRHyfLSpkkzZFgu4PIFBfCz5mE6j7xaqEpQ5ljAvP9QhoGkBh92nVeskENQmcMMJ4Rgz3vpPt6Qe7Hjdjui7aZzXKYRnCbQ7FC1Nnn6fFfv1KaT_WXahYq0itBXGYQ1YNHoLcFOFKCWT3LQCp2AEYwnRfh3OoD_ByYGwvGpww/s1000/16257001%20(2).JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="1000" height="435" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZqiPdfeyX85-KwM66uuRRHyfLSpkkzZFgu4PIFBfCz5mE6j7xaqEpQ5ljAvP9QhoGkBh92nVeskENQmcMMJ4Rgz3vpPt6Qe7Hjdjui7aZzXKYRnCbQ7FC1Nnn6fFfv1KaT_WXahYq0itBXGYQ1YNHoLcFOFKCWT3LQCp2AEYwnRfh3OoD_ByYGwvGpww/w640-h435/16257001%20(2).JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><div><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><b>John Sell Cotman, <i>Greta Bridge, </i>c. 1805</b></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1gnW1P3JGdM5pe9JPpdQviWj00faaIoHNWu__6xVtww47kympV3fsuQEH7uEHADOvIONHm-xPkBQ3D4IsSAVMT9FIeGarl2BSJUckhJE2Pu6_WOzoNtWX5m3X1DSZUnA83lwISGi1fn3-iyjn40TKe2s1ZfPVqjB5U4CyuITGwFXCxISW9adUw6hO09M/s1000/Ravilous%20pond.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="669" data-original-width="1000" height="429" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1gnW1P3JGdM5pe9JPpdQviWj00faaIoHNWu__6xVtww47kympV3fsuQEH7uEHADOvIONHm-xPkBQ3D4IsSAVMT9FIeGarl2BSJUckhJE2Pu6_WOzoNtWX5m3X1DSZUnA83lwISGi1fn3-iyjn40TKe2s1ZfPVqjB5U4CyuITGwFXCxISW9adUw6hO09M/w640-h429/Ravilous%20pond.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Eric Ravilious, <i>Wannock Dew Pond, </i>1923</b></span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Eric Ravilious, in many ways the signature artist of the era, was inspired by the
watercolors of the almost forgotten John Sell Cottman. But the somber, haunted tone of
the landscapes of Ravilious hinted at the specter of impending war and the
almost inescapable feeling that the slaughter and destruction would be worse, much worse, the second time
around.</span></div></div></span>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">It was. Ravilious was killed
in 1942 in an air rescue mission off the coast of Iceland. It was a noble
effort but an attempt which seems doomed from the start, so futile that one wonders how
Ravilious and his fellow air-crew had the courage to try. But try they did and
so did English artists during the "between the wars" period so
movingly described by Spalding.<o:p></o:p></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The two books, above, were carefully chosen and come highly recommended as gift ideas. It's no secret that art books are generally expensive, no small matter in the current economic crisis. Exhibition catalogs and and major art monographs are generally worth the investment. But size or price need not be <i>the</i> deciding factor in purchasing an art book as a gift.</span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Thames and Hudson has been the leading publisher of quality paperback art books for decades with its classic World of Art series. My third- and final - selection is a new addition to the World of Art list, a biography of Diego Velazquez (1599-1660) by Richard Verdi, who also wrote a superb study of Cezanne for the series. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuGJ5wHhpXNriVmb0aqLu7mOf4Sq2Z7r5WxY4U6pv62ItpFhhZLeF3cmhWD8hbaBF2McRvD_YmgRd1s1cn49cE8WaNXjIm9CMmBPxXH2u8VRI2iyACWHKoXinM5X076k4cmdKwNGGY7UdEjo2swXl0Z1R7ispH7TiAG2YPLfvvOOsRABz6SgUKAg0GH9g/s1080/Velazquez%20book.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="771" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuGJ5wHhpXNriVmb0aqLu7mOf4Sq2Z7r5WxY4U6pv62ItpFhhZLeF3cmhWD8hbaBF2McRvD_YmgRd1s1cn49cE8WaNXjIm9CMmBPxXH2u8VRI2iyACWHKoXinM5X076k4cmdKwNGGY7UdEjo2swXl0Z1R7ispH7TiAG2YPLfvvOOsRABz6SgUKAg0GH9g/w456-h640/Velazquez%20book.jpg" width="456" /></a></div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I was saddened to discover, while researching this essay, that the World of Art <i>Velazquez </i>will be the last book written by Richard Verdi.This notable scholar died on Christmas Day, 2022. According to his obituary, an advance copy of <i>Velazquez</i> was presented to Verdi, already hospitalized, the week before he died. An uncompleted manuscript of a biography of Peter Paul Rubens lay on his desk at home.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">The death of a distinguished writer and teacher like Richard Verdi - he was for many years the director of the Barber Institute of Art in Birmingham, England - is a great loss. But the gift of his talent and devotion to culture remain after his passing, another reason to cherish the World of Art's <i>Velasquez</i>.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSJkpnygR59fyhNKbxV5OmAIxGv6XqFa4UQYM12YesGxODhP7lYbsZa7rE224BZVxc34SE9XscwVONyOys3w6OsWArHLv4_MsR-agjP6CWiC9Dovy2z4M5wn3gmdF-5s-bVywn_68N6T8Lz52QxUH4YoiZE27XnX3TEgwvk2nKE-EWkrODf9Hg6Kps22Q/s895/Juan%201a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="831" data-original-width="895" height="594" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSJkpnygR59fyhNKbxV5OmAIxGv6XqFa4UQYM12YesGxODhP7lYbsZa7rE224BZVxc34SE9XscwVONyOys3w6OsWArHLv4_MsR-agjP6CWiC9Dovy2z4M5wn3gmdF-5s-bVywn_68N6T8Lz52QxUH4YoiZE27XnX3TEgwvk2nKE-EWkrODf9Hg6Kps22Q/w640-h594/Juan%201a.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Anne Lloyd (Photo, 2023)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> Gallery view of <i>Juan de Pareja, Afro-Hispanic Painter</i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Verdi did not live to see the Metropolitan Museum exhibition, </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Juan de Pareja</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">, </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Afro-Hispanic Painter</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">, which was presented in the spring of 2023. The breathtaking portrait of Pareja by Velazquez served as the centerpiece of this exhibition. Verdi's discussion of this truly iconic painting (it is also one of the works examined in </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Art Unpacked</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">) shows how vital it is to preserve the voice of humane scholars like Verdi.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Juan de Pareja (1606-1680) was the son of a Moorish slave woman and, though born in Spain, remained a slave himself until 1650. The date was significant. Pareja was in Rome with Velazquez, at that time. Velazquez was vying for a commission to paint Pope Innocent X. To demonstrate his talent, Velazquez painted the portrait of Pareja, who had worked in his studio since 1630.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnyJl1514VDyv9hxzL2EG0-NqfphiDj6yW0w3Jcl19XFJs-Jt3Y0osr4YZZBjvFtEOlgPWn04Z1ixqcJShHBIPeJLxbljY_Mvl73FyGyEXP5jecYObbAREiZ1u5EHVUbrfr4O4giHZWS2apBbILC81hxkbunPnrtaVhINiIX95DXEmKfxz967_EH_7gEQ/s1271/JP%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1271" data-original-width="992" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnyJl1514VDyv9hxzL2EG0-NqfphiDj6yW0w3Jcl19XFJs-Jt3Y0osr4YZZBjvFtEOlgPWn04Z1ixqcJShHBIPeJLxbljY_Mvl73FyGyEXP5jecYObbAREiZ1u5EHVUbrfr4O4giHZWS2apBbILC81hxkbunPnrtaVhINiIX95DXEmKfxz967_EH_7gEQ/w313-h400/JP%202.jpg" width="313" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Anne Lloyd (Photo, 2023)</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> Detail of <i>Portrait of Juan de Pareja, </i>by Diego Velazq<span>uez, 1650</span></b></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Portrait of Juan de Pareja </i>astonished the art community of Rome, then the most influential in Europe. The reputation of Velazquez soared and he went on to paint an impressive likeness of Pope Innocent. However, by a rare combination of factors - the alchemy of art - <i>Portrait of Juan de Pareja </i>was a superior work, greatly so in my estimation.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">What happened? Verdi writes of this incomparable work of art</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>The handling throughout is free, sketchy and even somewhat impulsive, as befits a picture intended as a dry run for a more prestigious commission, In short, this may be seen as both Velazquez and Pareja caught off guard - two cohorts engaged in a frank and intimate conversation.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">There it is - "two cohorts." Two fellow human beings suddenly aware of each other's God-given talents and personalities. No longer master and slave, Spaniard or Moor, artist or assistant, they joined to create a masterpiece. In giving of themselves, both men gained much.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Juan de Pareja was emancipated by Diego Velazquez and went on to a successful painting career of his own. Velazquez became a Knight of Santiago, the trusted advisor of King Philip IV of Spain and, most importantly, the artist who would paint<a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2014/06/art-eyewitness-book-review-velazquez.html"><span style="color: #0008ff;"> <i>Las Meininas</i></span></a>, the single greatest masterpiece in the canon of Western art.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">And us? We have these wonderful books to read and to give, to share their sentiments, their brilliant insights to enjoy, to learn and live by. Or</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> these three titles could be replaced by other books of your choosing with the same intention, the same desired effect. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ultimately, it is the giving rather than the gift, which counts. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></div><div><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #222222;">***</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Text: Copyright of Ed Voves, all rights
reserved <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Original photography by Anne Lloyd and Ed
Voves, all rights reserved<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #222222;">Book cover art for </span><i style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif";">Art Unpacked</i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #222222;"> by Matthew
Wilson (2023), </span><i style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif";">The Real and the</i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #222222;"> </span><i style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif";">Romantic, English Art between Two World Wars</i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #222222;"> by
Frances Spalding (2023) and </span><i style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif";">Velazquez </i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #222222;">by Richard Verdi (2023) Image credits: </span><b style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif";">Thames & Hudson</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222;">Introductory
image</span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #202124;">: </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222;">Michelangelo’s
<i>Libyan Sibyl</i> fresco from the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel. Image from </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #202124;">https //commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sibila_Libica.jpg</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Ed Voves,
Photo (2023 ) Gallery view the Morgan Library & Museum’s copy of the <i>King James
Version</i> (KJV), <i>The Holy Bible, Conteyning the Old Testament and the New, Newly
Translate Out of the</i> <i>Original Tongues</i>. Published in London by Robert Barker,
1611. </span><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">On view at the <i>Morgan’s Bible</i>
exhibition.</span><span face=""Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"" style="background: white; color: #666666; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Michelangelo (Italian, 1475-1564) <i>Studies for the Libyan Sibyl</i>, 1510-11. Red chalk drawing with accents of white chalk on the shoulder of the figure in the main study: 28.9 x 21.4 cm. (11 1/4 x 8 1/2 in.) <b>Metropolitan Museum of Art.</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Unknown artist (Present-day Nigeria)<i> Queen Mother Pendant Mask</i>, Kingdom of Benin, 16th century. Ivory sculpture, with iron and copper: 23.8 x 12.7 x 6.4 cm. (9 1/4 x 5 x 2 1/2 in.) <b>Metropolitan Museum of Art.</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Habiballah of Sava (Persian, active, 1590-1610) <i>The Concourse of Birds</i>, c. 1600. Ink, opaque watercolor, gold and silver on paper: </span><span style="color: #333333;">25.4 x 11.4 cm.</span><span style="color: #333333;"> (10 x 4 1/2 in.) </span><b style="color: #333333;">Metropolitan Museum of Art.</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">John Sell Cotman (British, 1782-1842) <i>Greta Bridge</i>, c. 1805. Watercolor over graphite sketch: 22.7 x 32.9 cm. (8.9 x 12.9 in.) <b>British Museum.</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Eric Ravilious (British, 1903-1942) <i>Wannock Dew Pond</i>, 1923. </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="background-color: white;">Watercolor, pen and brown ink over graphite sketch: 27.8 x 38.6
cm. (10.9 x 15.2 in.) <b>British</b> <b>Museum.</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #222222;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023 ) Gallery view the <i>Juan de Pareja,</i> <i>Afro-Hispanic Painter</i> exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #222222;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023 ) Diego Velazquez' <i>Portrait of </i></span><i style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif";">Juan de Pareja, </i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #222222;">1650</span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #222222;"> (detail). Oil on canvas: 32 x 27 1/2 in. (81.3 x 69.9 cm.) <b>Metropolitan Museum of Art.</b></span></p></span></div>Art Eyewitnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347317000349363690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8200843910512523791.post-67875971915260037672023-11-27T20:54:00.000-08:002023-11-28T14:32:02.891-08:00Art Eyewitness Book Review: Venice City of Pictures by Martin Gayford<p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Pg6TtKAr3BZfvlnBX8kMea1q5xZKOzo5RK6WvuUk96aHVQTzw1iw7Mgi3PaQJOyVSZ0qKhV_q6qxaQHZ2Q_vPEovJYUuDrv7m8ul8zHe6f4Ktuf0JCK6PBqNZ2LhOBMmaiR3eXLyPk5EuLvZ65uGO_Gin77YUC5T6WU5YYL2AExZw8O0wvP22xgM9Sg/s1454/Venice%209780500022665.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1454" data-original-width="950" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Pg6TtKAr3BZfvlnBX8kMea1q5xZKOzo5RK6WvuUk96aHVQTzw1iw7Mgi3PaQJOyVSZ0qKhV_q6qxaQHZ2Q_vPEovJYUuDrv7m8ul8zHe6f4Ktuf0JCK6PBqNZ2LhOBMmaiR3eXLyPk5EuLvZ65uGO_Gin77YUC5T6WU5YYL2AExZw8O0wvP22xgM9Sg/w261-h400/Venice%209780500022665.jpg" width="261" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #040404; font-family: verdana;">Venice, City of Pictures</span></h3><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #040404; font-family: verdana;"><b>By Martin Gayford</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #040404; font-family: verdana;"><b>Thames & Hudson/463 pages/$39.95</b></span></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #010101; font-family: verdana;"><b>Reviewed by Ed Voves</b></span></p><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">The earliest of the art treasures of Venice is the bronze statue of a winged lion which has served for centuries as the emblem of the maritime city and its bygone republic. Much battered by time, weather and history, the <i>Lion of Venice</i> was created in antiquity, ca. 300 B.C., and brought from Greece or the Middle East by Venetian seafarers. </span></p><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;"><span>Striding atop its column in the Piazzetta San Marco, th</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">e <i>Lion of Venice</i> strikes a commanding pose. It would be natural if an author, seeking to relate the fascinating cultural history of Venice, would utilize the leonine symbol of St. Mark to set the theme of his tale. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">Venice, despite the importance of its old, indomitable bronze lion, is not known for its statues. Venice is a "city of pictures" as Martin Gayford affirms. The evidence to prove Gayford's case is his tour de force saga of the lives of Venetian painters and of visiting artists to </span><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;">"La Serenissma"</span><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">, recently published by Thames and Hudson. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #070707;">Gayford is a marvelous writer, and, as his insightful conversations on art - and life - with</span><a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2020/11/art-eyewitness-book-review-shaping.html" style="color: #070707;"> </a><a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2020/11/art-eyewitness-book-review-shaping.html"><span style="color: blue;">Anthony Gormley</span></a><span style="color: #070707;"> and </span><a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2021/07/art-eyewitness-book-review-david.html"><span style="color: #2200ff;">David Hockney</span></a><span style="color: #070707;"> prove, a delightful colleague. But in the case of the present book, we should think of Gayford as a worthy successor of the intelligent, urbane diplomats sent abroad by the Republic of Venice during the 1600's and 1700's.</span></span><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">If you wanted to get to the truth of political matters back then, the "man-in-the-know" was invariably the Venetian ambassador. In terms of art "matters" today, it is Martin Gayford.</span></p><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">In 400-plus pages of scintillating prose (complemented by superlative, full-color illustrations), Gayford tells the story of the "wedding" of Venice with painting - rather than with the sea as celebrated by the annual ceremony officiated by the ruler of Venice, the Doge.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWBlRdYP4o0bNkmSLvB_8lJMygcSyaFKQVh8gsXbOUmv8ah6z0WnSNY7SNcR_GMKAgm39oe9BRo4bo95aNgL-aO5u2lY04se9YA6Zqp_DPB_T_RPWlN3nPyZfxl2pTNiwt1VxuBeMrFYEBIpDNNDz59_nOcMZbBBKbAxrMmgNFsQhYnneXGovsOatJIbw/s1173/VENICE%20p%20265,%20CANALETTO%20The%20Rialto%20Bridge%20from%20the%20North,%201725.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1173" height="435" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWBlRdYP4o0bNkmSLvB_8lJMygcSyaFKQVh8gsXbOUmv8ah6z0WnSNY7SNcR_GMKAgm39oe9BRo4bo95aNgL-aO5u2lY04se9YA6Zqp_DPB_T_RPWlN3nPyZfxl2pTNiwt1VxuBeMrFYEBIpDNNDz59_nOcMZbBBKbAxrMmgNFsQhYnneXGovsOatJIbw/w640-h435/VENICE%20p%20265,%20CANALETTO%20The%20Rialto%20Bridge%20from%20the%20North,%201725.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;"> </b><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">Canaletto, <i>The Rialto Bridge from the North</i>, 1725 (Pinacoteca Agnelli, Turin)</span></b></p><p><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">From the Bellini Dynasty of the fifteenth century to Canalleto in the eighteenth and on to the Biennale of today, Venetian art has emphasized painting in oils. This involved Venetian painters in aesthetic competition with other schools of Italian art, chiefly of Florence. Usually, the </span><i style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">paragone, </i><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">as the dispute is formally termed,</span><i style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"> </i><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">is represented as </span><i style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">disegno</i><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"> vs. </span><i style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">colore</i><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">, drawing vs. painting, Florence vs. Venice. </span></p><p><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">This is much too simplistic, of course. The great Venetian masters of the early Renaissance, however, really did embrace painting in oils, much faster than their Florentine rivals.</span></p><p><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Geography and topography are destiny -</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> in politics, trade and art. Just as the coastal marshes on which Venice was created impelled Venetians to take to the sea to earn their fortune, so the humid climate of the city and its surrounding region dictated what genres of art would be be suitable in Venice.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">A key painting in understanding Venice's early history and art is Domenico Tintoretto's <i>Saint Mark Blessing the Islands of Venice,</i> painted 1587-90. </span></p><p><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">St. Mark, one of the disciples of Jesus and author of the first gospel, was reputedly martyred and buried in Egypt. In 828, Mark's "body" was smuggled out of Alexandria and brought to Venice. As Tintoretto's painting shows, Venice was far from a great city at that point. The citizens of Venice are shown living in huts constructed from reeds. These primitive dwellings had been built on the shores of the Lagoon to which the first Venetians fled to escape Germanic invaders, especially the Lombards, who swarmed over the passes leading through the Alps.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLnjhagoeT_eWLmr7U79JIGB-KgM0aznyQd7JWQ38b-wyOSUQzWFFD_yP5Yd-1x90d8nviDhzPpIr_iTYQrAbr6OAZCeHL6mFIY9RejnQCnLPMGie_n1YPDf5QbRnSp734fHOgJ6D9ISUqIIytmUw9RDB9S37dYkK-NejesSCWB31L9BnAcGLZbQGjPeU/s946/1154-St.-Mark-Blessing-the-Origins-of-Venice-Tintoretto-768x946.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="946" data-original-width="768" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLnjhagoeT_eWLmr7U79JIGB-KgM0aznyQd7JWQ38b-wyOSUQzWFFD_yP5Yd-1x90d8nviDhzPpIr_iTYQrAbr6OAZCeHL6mFIY9RejnQCnLPMGie_n1YPDf5QbRnSp734fHOgJ6D9ISUqIIytmUw9RDB9S37dYkK-NejesSCWB31L9BnAcGLZbQGjPeU/w520-h640/1154-St.-Mark-Blessing-the-Origins-of-Venice-Tintoretto-768x946.jpg" width="520" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"><b>Domenico Tintoretto,</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"><b><i>Saint Mark Blessing the Islands of Venice</i>, 1587–90</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"><b> (Scuola Grande di San Marco, Venice)</b></span></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">Tintoretto shows St. Mark, accompanied by the Winged Lion, invoking God's grace on the rustic settlements. These, in due course, would rise on the support of hundreds of thousands of tree trunks driven into the marshy soil to form the foundations of a great metropolis. </span></p><p><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">St. Mark's blessing could not change the climate. Painting on wet plaster, <i>buon fresco</i>, the chosen art form of ancient and medieval Italy, </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">flourished in Florence and points south. In the moist, salty air of Venice, fresco paintings often would not properly set. Those that did stick to the walls soon faded or flaked. Venetian painting was left hanging, high but not "dry."</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">Mosaics in the Byzantine tradition featured prominently in the decoration of Venice's medieval churches, including its great cathedral of San Marco. This sacred art would, over the centuries form the setting for countless religious processions, troops of gawking tourists and painters, both native-born and Romantic-era foreigners, drawn by architecture which often seems more celestial than made by the hand of man.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ3nrU44DahV9sXkDBnQqILAJysg_5YNgkxAIEApEVuBHPBJ44nysmhfhga-RvyXhjKjglg2sCpjxjWvCCoY_vfJzCHiRKEc8K-lwQY3cs-TxmZineRnDZpINj277Ab4jQkb_uHgbz1mnou5w_KMOPSfKjVqIUYCXbJAlYwB3TMTi5K-UKhVirOO37514/s1000/VENICE%20p%20380,%20JOHN%20WHARLTON%20BUNNEY%20Facade%20of%20San%20Marco,%201876G%C3%87%C3%B482.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="638" data-original-width="1000" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ3nrU44DahV9sXkDBnQqILAJysg_5YNgkxAIEApEVuBHPBJ44nysmhfhga-RvyXhjKjglg2sCpjxjWvCCoY_vfJzCHiRKEc8K-lwQY3cs-TxmZineRnDZpINj277Ab4jQkb_uHgbz1mnou5w_KMOPSfKjVqIUYCXbJAlYwB3TMTi5K-UKhVirOO37514/w640-h408/VENICE%20p%20380,%20JOHN%20WHARLTON%20BUNNEY%20Facade%20of%20San%20Marco,%201876G%C3%87%C3%B482.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>John Wharlton Bunney, <i>Facade of San Marco</i>, 1876-82</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>(Collection of the Guild of St George, Museums Sheffield)</b></span></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #070707;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Venetian paintings on wood, small in scale, incorporated gold leaf backgrounds, another carryover from Byzantine art. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">But when news of the oil painting innovations taking place in the Netherlands reached Venice during the last decades of the 1400's, the leading artists in the city, the Bellini brothers, Giovanni and Gentile, quickly embraced the new medium.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">For all of the innovative skill of the Bellini brothers, oil painting in Venice really came into its own with the emergence of the long-lived Titian (ca. 1490-1576). Gayford devotes three chapters to Titian. This is only fitting. Titian - Tiziano Vecellio - was the perfect artist for Venice. The ruling class paid well for art, but demanded masterpieces for their money and timely completion as stipulated by contract. Titian delivered on both counts.</span></p><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">"Your Servant from Cadore", as Titian called himself, referring to the small Alpine town of his birth, was a savvy businessman and supreme master of painting in oils. </span></p><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">Titian's early altarpiece, the <i>Assunta</i>, painted 1516-18, for the church of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, established his career as the preeminent painter of Venice. Gayford devotes considerable attention to this masterful work.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIEbZAbIV-DhEciUeebJ5uihWdOnqlwHxpVCzrdBOPxn1Of-jmFQmqO2g8VKWFsNnPBBn9iPBm8nYWc4fe6h54F5kjq__auL75s1DM7RPDGopJw5MvvRsw8KE0OeCUdWuI3hL4wHqDndCbj2Xl6RfmGuz7kmQvm3ldtVQZwWQiGrTn-hL6b6tOh1cJsjs/s1472/Tizian_041.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1472" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIEbZAbIV-DhEciUeebJ5uihWdOnqlwHxpVCzrdBOPxn1Of-jmFQmqO2g8VKWFsNnPBBn9iPBm8nYWc4fe6h54F5kjq__auL75s1DM7RPDGopJw5MvvRsw8KE0OeCUdWuI3hL4wHqDndCbj2Xl6RfmGuz7kmQvm3ldtVQZwWQiGrTn-hL6b6tOh1cJsjs/w348-h640/Tizian_041.jpg" width="348" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;">Titian,<i> Assunta</i>, c.1516–18 </b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;">(The Yorck Project, 2002) </b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">Gayford's analysis of the </span><i style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">Assunta </i><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">is based on many visits to the church where it still hangs, an astonishing backdrop to the glittering main altar. Gayford's thoughtful analysis enables readers, who have never had an opportunity to view this depiction of the heaven-bound Mary, mother of Jesus, to experience this compelling painting as if they had seen it at first hand.</span></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">Brilliantly dissecting the composition of the <i>Assunta</i>, Gayford also conveys the sense of ineffable mystery surrounding the Assumption, the event in Christian history which the painting records. As a result, we are enabled to see Titian's <i>Assunta </i>for what it is: a "moving" picture. It is an absorbing narrative work, truly cinematic in scope and effect, even if the Virgin Mary and the band of Apostles never flex a muscle.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #070707;">Titian's "your servant from Cadore" statement was partly a pose and a bit of a ploy. He was certainly no sycophant, content with his wages and anonymity, as had been the case with artists during the Middle Ages. Titian was adept at making the ruling elite of Venice feel completely in charge, while he steered his own artistic course. Interestingly, God the Father in the <i>Assunta </i>looks a Venetian doge and later, during the 1540's, Titian painted Doge Andrea Gritti looking like God</span>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZRCEjIVorTmc_aufF16fo6beBWWQXr2ipb0t3Z6NoLpSVXjFcankvyRgL3PMYktttKWig55aCRJHlxLXKrkSwlq4_y8E7XtIP8n7Nxoe5CkorwDvi1-Yg20XK75M0nDSiPxSv_acFP7D_ltg_1rstnidGLLLyTNsvYqe7-jSTAkYkAY-FyXX-ON2kG_Q/s1034/VENICE%20p%20116,%20TITIAN%20Portrait%20of%20Andrea%20Gritti,%20c%201546G%C3%87%C3%B450.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1034" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZRCEjIVorTmc_aufF16fo6beBWWQXr2ipb0t3Z6NoLpSVXjFcankvyRgL3PMYktttKWig55aCRJHlxLXKrkSwlq4_y8E7XtIP8n7Nxoe5CkorwDvi1-Yg20XK75M0nDSiPxSv_acFP7D_ltg_1rstnidGLLLyTNsvYqe7-jSTAkYkAY-FyXX-ON2kG_Q/w310-h400/VENICE%20p%20116,%20TITIAN%20Portrait%20of%20Andrea%20Gritti,%20c%201546G%C3%87%C3%B450.jpg" width="310" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: verdana;"><b>Titian, <i>Portrait of Andrea Gritti</i>, c.1546–50 </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: verdana;"><b>(Samuel H. Kress Collection,
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.)</b></span></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #070707;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Titian was wise to flatter Gritti. Doge from 1525-1538, Gritti was ruthless and resolute during years when Venice faced seemingly impossible odds in the </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">endless Italian wars of the 1500s. Gayford mercifully spares his readers details of these interminable conflicts. But he relates, with relish and the <i>elan</i> of a born story-teller, just how "no-nonsense" Venetian leaders could be when they did not get what they paid for.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">In 1545, the Florentine-born architect, Jacopo Sansovino, was thrown into prison. His crime? Part of the roof collapsed of the library he designed to house a collection of rare manuscripts, brought from Constantinople to Venice. An early ice storm struck before the concrete could set and a protective coat of lead laid down. Sansovino was released from jail but he was held personally accountable for the reconstruction costs. The result was a masterpiece, the Biblioteca Marciana, but it it took Sansovino twenty years to pay-off the bill.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGhYyvOwPtw3w55t2Wxe0dOyPr_i-JMiZ1ewAsjMg3AskkKOESgx_bbdyqcN-D52Bc-g2kYjscvqNd4Dqmgprh_hyphenhyphenpmnmN0Gp74ZdcDSBQSEGJ1ohcSkHfet40mh8RHUwPaYKrATu16ORbf1vpz3u2AYDcz6y1mWHVVvQk2C8LBvF-Wobr2hg3mOxYTHo/s1300/VENICE%20p%20111,%20The%20Biblioteca%20Marciana,%20with%20one%20of%20the%20two%20columns%20in%20the%20Piazzetta%20San%20Marco%20on%20the%20left.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="866" data-original-width="1300" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGhYyvOwPtw3w55t2Wxe0dOyPr_i-JMiZ1ewAsjMg3AskkKOESgx_bbdyqcN-D52Bc-g2kYjscvqNd4Dqmgprh_hyphenhyphenpmnmN0Gp74ZdcDSBQSEGJ1ohcSkHfet40mh8RHUwPaYKrATu16ORbf1vpz3u2AYDcz6y1mWHVVvQk2C8LBvF-Wobr2hg3mOxYTHo/w640-h426/VENICE%20p%20111,%20The%20Biblioteca%20Marciana,%20with%20one%20of%20the%20two%20columns%20in%20the%20Piazzetta%20San%20Marco%20on%20the%20left.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;"><b>The Biblioteca Marciana, with one of the two columns in the </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0c0c0c;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Piazzetta </b></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>San Marco on the left. (</b></span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Photo rudiernst/123rf.com)</b></span></span></span></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;">Venice survived the perils of the Italian Wars and collapsing library roofs. However, over the course of the long and tormented sixteenth century, a new threat appeared, which no artist or writer in Venice could ignore: the Inquisition.</span></p><p><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;">Venice, though it had many economic ties with Northern Europe, did not renounce Papal authority during the Protestant Reformation. While successful in preserving its political independence, the Venetian Republic reluctantly formed a local branch of the heresy-hunting Inquisition in 1547. Skillfully limiting Papal interference in local affairs, the Venetian Inquisition dealt with Protestants, free-thinkers and other troublemakers on its own initiative. It was nothing to be trifled with.</span></p><p><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;">Religiously inclined painters like Lorenzo Lotto had to worry that their fervent depictions of sacred events accorded with the critical scrutiny of the Venetian Inquisitors. Other artists had to contend with charges of impiety. Paolo Veronese, a master of grandiose spectacle, was summoned to testify for including "buffoons, drunkards, Germans, dwarfs and other such scurrilities" in a painting featuring Jesus and his disciples. </span></p><p><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;">The Venetians carefully navigated their way through the dangers of the Reformation and ensuing Wars of Religion. But the political and economic power of the Republic was largely eclipsed by the early 1700's due to the shift of commerce to nations with ready access to the Atlantic trade routes. It was then that Venetian art emerged as an international force in its own right. Venice's navy no longer ruled the Mediterranean Sea but a Venetian "state of mind" intrigued and influenced artists from all over Europe and, ultimately, the world. </span></p><p><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;">Gayford writes of the visit of Johann Wolfgang Goethe to Venice in 1786. The lyrical, almost hypnotic, prose of the following quotation is indicative of Gayford's ability to summon the past to life:</span></p><p><i style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #0c0c0c;">After leaving the Palazzo Pisani Moretta, Goethe had an artistic epiphany. As he 'glided over the lagoons in the brilliant sunshine' he perceived everything in terms of light, shadow, and colour. He noticed gondoliers silhouetted against the blue sky as they rowed with easy strokes across the light-green surface of the water... 'Everything was painted clearly on a clear background. It only needed the sparkle of a white-crested wave to put the dot on the i.' </span></i></p><p><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;">Gayford continues his evocative commentary by noting that Goethe could well have been describing a scene painted a century later, by Claude Monet or John Singer Sargent during their sojourns in Venice. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ohPU1sJYsUyUEPLn8uAqlJiBDVzq1LcDHnQvM-Oyag-6rcal_fgswOhEsWBikyE-NyfS5_TrOxVeLDEcb5DZFaCa7ni3lIm0WchfusOukqvj3xiLPr0V8q3foVgTvebvPkBQwy-L2vys34xn7THoZaoxVym_WZ5OeFkr9UVveCWjZHnj3XAeUvNThP8/s1100/VENICE%20p%20396,%20CLAUDE%20MONET%20Palazzo%20Da%20Mula,%201908.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="836" data-original-width="1100" height="486" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ohPU1sJYsUyUEPLn8uAqlJiBDVzq1LcDHnQvM-Oyag-6rcal_fgswOhEsWBikyE-NyfS5_TrOxVeLDEcb5DZFaCa7ni3lIm0WchfusOukqvj3xiLPr0V8q3foVgTvebvPkBQwy-L2vys34xn7THoZaoxVym_WZ5OeFkr9UVveCWjZHnj3XAeUvNThP8/w640-h486/VENICE%20p%20396,%20CLAUDE%20MONET%20Palazzo%20Da%20Mula,%201908.jpg" width="640" /></a><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> </b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> </b></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Claude Monet, <i>Palazzo da Mula</i>, 1908</b></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> </b></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>(</b></span><b style="font-family: verdana;">National Gallery of Art, Wash., D.C.)</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></b></div><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;">Gayford concludes this passage by noting that Venice "</span><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;">can seem outmoded, quaintly irrelevant to the modern world. Then, suddenly, you realize that it is not."</span><p></p><p><span style="color: #0c0c0c;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Art lovers, once they look beyond the rhetoric about the "inevitable" decay of Venice have been coming to the same conclusion as Gayford's for a long time. As a result, Venice, a city supposedly sinking back into the marshes, has played a major role in the rise of modern art. J.M.W. Turner, </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">John Ruskin, <span style="background-color: white;">Édouard </span>Manet</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">, Walter Sickert, Serge Diaghilev and Peggy Guggenheim have all been touched by "La Serenissma" and they, in turn, have shared their experience of Venice with the world.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #0c0c0c;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The same is true for Martin Gayford. St. Mark's <i>Winged Lion </i>has reached down from his column to touch Gayford on the shoulder. Gayford has responded with a book about Venice, of such perfection that it only needs the merest flight of fancy to imagine the sound of a gondolier's oar, the sight of the sun glinting on the facade of San Marco and "</span><i style="font-family: verdana;">the sparkle of a white-crested wave" </i><span style="font-family: verdana;">on the waters of the Venetian Lagoon.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;"><i>***</i></span></p><p><span style="color: #0c0c0c;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #0c0c0c;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;">Text: Copyright of Ed Voves, all rights reserved. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #0c0c0c;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Cover art for <i>Venice: City</i><i> of Picture</i>, Courtesy of Thames & Hudson. Illustrations from the book were provided by Thames & Hudson, courtesy of the institutions or web sites, noted below. The image of Titian's <i>Assunta,</i> courtesy of the Yorck Project, 2002. </span></span></p><span><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #0c0c0c; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Introductory Image: Cover art of <i>Venice: City of Pictures </i>(2023), courtesy of <b>Thames & Hudson.</b></span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;">Canaletto (Italian, 1697-1768) <i>The Rialto Bridge from the North, </i>1725. Oil on canvas, 91.4 × 135.8 (36 × 53 1⁄2).
<b>Pinacoteca Agnelli, Turin. </b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;">Domenico Tintoretto (Italian, 1560-1635) <i>St. Mark Blessing the Islands of Venice, </i>1587-90. Oil on canvas, 319 × 392
(125 5⁄8 × 154 3⁄8). <b>Scuola Grande di San Marco, Venice</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #0c0c0c; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">John Sharpton Bunny (British, 1828-1882) <i>Facade of San Marco, </i>1876-1882. Oil on canvas, 144.7 × 226 (57 × 89).
<b>Collection of the Guild of St George, Museums Sheffield.</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #0c0c0c; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Titian (Italian, ca. 1490-1576) <i>Assunta, </i>1516-1518. </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">Oil
on panel: 690 x 360 cm. (270 x 140 in.) Basilica of Santa Maria
Gloriosa dei Frari, Venice. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122;">The Yorck Project (2002) </span><i style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122;">10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #0c0c0c; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Titian (Italian, ca. 1490-1576) <i>Portrait of Andrea Gritti, </i>1546-1550. Oil on canvas, 133.6 × 103.2 (52 5⁄8 × 40 11/16).
<b>Samuel H. Kress Collection,
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C </b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #0c0c0c; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Photo of the Biblioteca Marciana, with one of the two columns in the
Piazzetta San Marco on the left. <b>Photo rudiernst/123rf.com</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #0c0c0c; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Claude Monet (French, 1840-1926) <i>Palazzo de Mula,</i> 1908. Oil on canvas, 61.4 × 80.5 (24 3/16 × 31 11/16).
<b>National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. </b></span></p><br /></span><p></p>Art Eyewitnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347317000349363690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8200843910512523791.post-6675772625309375882023-11-16T15:32:00.000-08:002023-11-17T11:07:32.179-08:00Art Eyewitness Essay: A Pilgrimage to the Cloisters Museum in New York City<p></p><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxSXmR2_vxI2At54C0QJwBVRXCkxjw-LOxqGtXd92ebfoollZMrNkIqEPNQ66eLV9ufH764gLDn__qdUdgytYI-tOyEd8M1XhxrRm4AesPF6hy1mIWmdV13yYfvB8LBlcnn3x3Lf-SRpX6FllB6pNRtIkzUqc0I2HLWSbkm3UiWo3ZivKPKP4iR6wM4uA/s1057/Cloisters%20tower.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1057" data-original-width="623" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxSXmR2_vxI2At54C0QJwBVRXCkxjw-LOxqGtXd92ebfoollZMrNkIqEPNQ66eLV9ufH764gLDn__qdUdgytYI-tOyEd8M1XhxrRm4AesPF6hy1mIWmdV13yYfvB8LBlcnn3x3Lf-SRpX6FllB6pNRtIkzUqc0I2HLWSbkm3UiWo3ZivKPKP4iR6wM4uA/w378-h640/Cloisters%20tower.jpg" width="378" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b>A Pilgrimage to the Cloisters Museum, New York City</b></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large; text-align: left;"> </b></p><p><span style="color: #141414; font-family: verdana;"><b>By Ed Voves</b></span></p><p><span style="color: #141414; font-family: verdana;">There is no such thing as a casual trip to the Cloisters Museum in New York City. </span></p><p><span style="color: #141414; font-family: verdana;">Every visit to the Cloisters is an adventure, a pilgrimage and - in my experience - a bit of an ordeal. But epic quests require dedication and exertion - and the rewards of a journey to the Cloisters are well worth the effort.</span></p><p><span style="color: #141414; font-family: verdana;">The Cloisters, a branch museum of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, specializes in the art of the Middle Ages in Western Europe. Among the sensational works of art on view are the Unicorn Tapestries, saved, as we shall discuss, from destruction during the French Revolution.</span></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn2934QLZbrkyvau5XjXuJN0wHlbJOrawSj5JDwh7aaZaD3n1kUExtcVrKKDCqjVWC0y2HutJVIBnq-vrgbDfRQEzYhRe74GzU7YhHUY3Z8SBFSmFoVL-CU3218jehJEOIOx2miGFotl4MG4x5qu1Q5O3P8depe7CmecOC_3cXY76EE_05RwWoWkifCL0/s1066/Unicorn%20gallery.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="876" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn2934QLZbrkyvau5XjXuJN0wHlbJOrawSj5JDwh7aaZaD3n1kUExtcVrKKDCqjVWC0y2HutJVIBnq-vrgbDfRQEzYhRe74GzU7YhHUY3Z8SBFSmFoVL-CU3218jehJEOIOx2miGFotl4MG4x5qu1Q5O3P8depe7CmecOC_3cXY76EE_05RwWoWkifCL0/w526-h640/Unicorn%20gallery.jpg" width="526" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: verdana;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2023) </b></span></div><div><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: verdana;"><b>The Unicorn Tapestries Gallery at the Cloisters Museum </b></span></div></div><p><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: verdana;">Opened to the public in 1938, the Cloisters is a fascinating cultural institution with a storied past. Located in Fort Tryon Park near the northern tip of Manhattan, the Cloisters overlooks the Hudson River and the monumental, magical Palisades cliffs on the opposite, New Jersey, side of the river. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1u97-qiZkTY94UCkaFPoGiEoX0l8eYR-W4iJY3zCK1gx-d8U_hu-hQl4hmEKfdO5ksHFOv1pUiO7LV0IZzLkY5HiQ100tl7JneM46WT9JqKdasFn43bbi3JxGJh6Cvk499BkJsTV4GUURPADfShB4Q_Z98mQCQze7o01ta9si6TGZaupXupKx7tIbtm0/s1066/cloisters%20autumn%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="993" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1u97-qiZkTY94UCkaFPoGiEoX0l8eYR-W4iJY3zCK1gx-d8U_hu-hQl4hmEKfdO5ksHFOv1pUiO7LV0IZzLkY5HiQ100tl7JneM46WT9JqKdasFn43bbi3JxGJh6Cvk499BkJsTV4GUURPADfShB4Q_Z98mQCQze7o01ta9si6TGZaupXupKx7tIbtm0/w597-h640/cloisters%20autumn%202.jpg" width="597" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2023) </b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The Hudson River and Palisades seen from the Bonnefont Cloister </b></span></div></div><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">I visited the Cloisters recently, the third trek I have made there over the course of my life. I was prepared - somewhat - for the undertaking: two hours by cab and bus from mid-town Manhattan, following an early morning Amtrak ride from Philadelphia. I can hardly complain as medieval pilgrims experienced far more travail on their journeys to shrines like Santiago de Compostela.</span></p><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">Why is the Cloisters situated in Fort Tryon Park rather than a more convenient enclave of Central Park? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Ln4IL2JTIWMWOaYQY5Ia2_EngDjaBat9UE-rCribl6eZmi4a5P8Ptbi2OH31Z0dfYvMI0Faft-F9Dg6ekScZJE6BQHKgj7vmk-_yWxw603oc9MphvC2ZMhSfBl7IOYs-7zwnqXi9GZPiF8LlJnkLjzLG5aCD28y_E8Bgg3bEadHVglOG9jT1WdUZNIo/s1080/Trie%20Cloister%20Cross%20with%20apostles%2015th%20century.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Ln4IL2JTIWMWOaYQY5Ia2_EngDjaBat9UE-rCribl6eZmi4a5P8Ptbi2OH31Z0dfYvMI0Faft-F9Dg6ekScZJE6BQHKgj7vmk-_yWxw603oc9MphvC2ZMhSfBl7IOYs-7zwnqXi9GZPiF8LlJnkLjzLG5aCD28y_E8Bgg3bEadHVglOG9jT1WdUZNIo/w480-h640/Trie%20Cloister%20Cross%20with%20apostles%2015th%20century.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2023) </b></div><div style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The Trie Cloister with <i>Cross with Apostles & Capital</i>, late 1400's-1500's</b></div></div><p><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: verdana;">From its conception, the Cloisters was planned to be a museum which would do more than display medieval art. In addition to presenting the Unicorn Tapestries and other signature artworks, the Cloisters would cultivate the religious spirit and cultural milieu of the Middle Ages. </span></p><p><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: verdana;">Though most of its stone structure dates to the early twentieth century, the Met's Cloisters is so "medieval" in spirit that it served as the setting for a convent in the 1948 film, <i>Portrait of Jennie, </i>starring Jennifer Jones and Joseph Cotton. </span></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPVIqVDUFuh0wS0fYvORu9m07YbW33XL8-mWY5QHbhO1CBUZVT_FTRTfY6DKZsJQtXasC8NQ6iX0VVWH9j4EVscIhJAsitfOBlJK8HbjYFE83yw7JS-2T2UeZX89STtQgh_naxvFUmDNITlH-RNA08wH7F-ZPIdF3Ol2zHUXEcWrWhblNov-mLXCj47IQ/s1215/jennie-convent-bts.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1215" data-original-width="952" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPVIqVDUFuh0wS0fYvORu9m07YbW33XL8-mWY5QHbhO1CBUZVT_FTRTfY6DKZsJQtXasC8NQ6iX0VVWH9j4EVscIhJAsitfOBlJK8HbjYFE83yw7JS-2T2UeZX89STtQgh_naxvFUmDNITlH-RNA08wH7F-ZPIdF3Ol2zHUXEcWrWhblNov-mLXCj47IQ/w502-h640/jennie-convent-bts.jpg" width="502" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: verdana;"><b>Filming <i>Portrait of Jennie</i> at the Cloisters, 1948</b></span></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: verdana;">After the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476, members of Christian religious orders, following the precepts of St. Benedict, withdrew to remote, rural areas. In these secluded communities, devout monks and nuns devoted themselves to God with prayer and hard work. The plans for the Cloisters aimed to provide a similar atmosphere for art lovers, away from the hustle and bustle of "Museum Mile."</span></p><p><span style="color: #0f0f0f;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Efforts to preserve the ambiance of the Middle Ages in upper Manhattan were already underway in nearby Washington Heights decades before the 1938 opening of the Met's Cloisters. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">During the years before World War I, the American sculptor George Grey Barnard (1863-1938) collected an impressive array of medieval artworks, mostly architectural fragments from abandoned churches and monasteries in France and Spain, and brought these treasures to the then-rural northern edge of Manhattan.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ-QuTTPpVElBcyQ4vPk-d3sjiQESUYSnMPLDoKdMsMYRqdW7LQth7e5H6ohHbCOg-HOS6SaFmhiaT_HkJtnFlTt9CGwBx67N8K2qc6nSGH9qVxdH3MS2yO5FQBkbiU0_stRq-UdzAiAj_OnRQYZjFb0vq5Yr3LhqFK8L8MrRGv_Qw_PtnJRIZXdP_8ns/s2326/George_Grey_Barnard_and_Clare_Frewen_Sheridan.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2326" data-original-width="1623" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ-QuTTPpVElBcyQ4vPk-d3sjiQESUYSnMPLDoKdMsMYRqdW7LQth7e5H6ohHbCOg-HOS6SaFmhiaT_HkJtnFlTt9CGwBx67N8K2qc6nSGH9qVxdH3MS2yO5FQBkbiU0_stRq-UdzAiAj_OnRQYZjFb0vq5Yr3LhqFK8L8MrRGv_Qw_PtnJRIZXdP_8ns/w446-h640/George_Grey_Barnard_and_Clare_Frewen_Sheridan.jpg" width="446" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>George Grey Barnard with the English writer and artist, </b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Clare Sheridan,</b></span><b style="font-family: verdana;"> at Barnard's Cloisters, 1922</b></div><p><span style="color: #020202; font-family: verdana;">At the present-day site of Fort Washington Ave and 190th Street, Barnard erected a church-like brick building. Here, he configured his architectural fragments, arranged to replicate the design of monastic institutions, especially the central precinct known as a cloister. A succinct definition of a cloister describes it as "an open court with a covered and arcaded passageway along the sides... Most of the monks' activities, other than those of worship, centered in the cloister. It was there that they walked in meditation, had their school, studied, and sometimes even copied manuscripts."</span></p><p><span style="color: #020202; font-family: verdana;">Barnard aimed to restore both the physical setting of the medieval cloisters and the blend of communal living and high-minded thought which characterized the monasteries of the European Middle Ages. </span></p><p><span style="color: #020202; font-family: verdana;">Barnard succeeded brilliantly and when his collections passed to the stewardship of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the architectural plan for the new Cloisters Museum featured four rebuilt cloisters in prominent roles: the Cuxa, Saint-Guilhem, Bonnefont and Trie cloisters. The actual medieval fragments incorporated in all four of these cloisters had been acquired by Barnard.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD_V20A7RMPHK8bCd2zY2Hhnm_MK2xCyM4lgRzmMpagqbVyUTE4W0dFV10EHsl7K3rFeKXckOxIvofXxcHMLxEFfXYB6zaHOcqLnlNJR71mrq6j3t_k_F1k_29Y_NdDGOnM_ktPHCgHMAnMZ5D-DdRhRmPp-1HWqV3RUZFTRiCjKSIcR3VwUX1Iikbem8/s900/Cuxa%20cloisters%20arcade.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="702" data-original-width="900" height="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD_V20A7RMPHK8bCd2zY2Hhnm_MK2xCyM4lgRzmMpagqbVyUTE4W0dFV10EHsl7K3rFeKXckOxIvofXxcHMLxEFfXYB6zaHOcqLnlNJR71mrq6j3t_k_F1k_29Y_NdDGOnM_ktPHCgHMAnMZ5D-DdRhRmPp-1HWqV3RUZFTRiCjKSIcR3VwUX1Iikbem8/w640-h500/Cuxa%20cloisters%20arcade.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeCCq404t9xL46SF4sLAgfvrQ3m5Ee0ytyjzDVKYzquU370AWNQuFI6lCWpYTr0GrNM-jQ9ewyfGSXAnGTN-4TbDYZKykeFZJFKVJdPxHUa0fetXmEv1fg7s0XpODYWyrZcTmJUeQFrlnMT219jRZB78zSypZ6yRyU8V8aHP1rCxwz0bTlX4il5aic8aM/s912/Cuxa%20cloisters%20captials.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="831" data-original-width="912" height="365" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeCCq404t9xL46SF4sLAgfvrQ3m5Ee0ytyjzDVKYzquU370AWNQuFI6lCWpYTr0GrNM-jQ9ewyfGSXAnGTN-4TbDYZKykeFZJFKVJdPxHUa0fetXmEv1fg7s0XpODYWyrZcTmJUeQFrlnMT219jRZB78zSypZ6yRyU8V8aHP1rCxwz0bTlX4il5aic8aM/w400-h365/Cuxa%20cloisters%20captials.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2023) </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0c0c0c;"><b>Cuxa Cloister and detail of a medieval architectural capital</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0c0c0c;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0c0c0c;"><b><br /></b></span></div></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiosl1zaUwZYb49nM6fH2-_LwE_sxXqHPfFGMN2w02Wzqh30lJHQR9sGLjBs2MKIMdjcRirutgsz4gDK8pP1t7DnjcqtpXlhJZg7jX6pBSkpM_-dhmvFcQVY7ZNWrnLktvIj8mfjI4LaLxhVTUUcT3ZmUjA6I-334wYnMQ1lMI5p8j0OEDoC-QN-eBX6EI/s1000/Bonnefont%20Cloisters%20view.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="868" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiosl1zaUwZYb49nM6fH2-_LwE_sxXqHPfFGMN2w02Wzqh30lJHQR9sGLjBs2MKIMdjcRirutgsz4gDK8pP1t7DnjcqtpXlhJZg7jX6pBSkpM_-dhmvFcQVY7ZNWrnLktvIj8mfjI4LaLxhVTUUcT3ZmUjA6I-334wYnMQ1lMI5p8j0OEDoC-QN-eBX6EI/w556-h640/Bonnefont%20Cloisters%20view.jpg" width="556" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2023) </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Bonnefont Cloister and herb garden</b> </div></span><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">Barnard's Cloisters housed more than these venerable columns and capitals. A pair of time-weathered church doors from a monastery in the s</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #070707;">outh of France swung-wide to reveal one of the finest collections of medieval art in the U.S. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #070707;">A particular favorite of mine among the works in Barnard's collection is the tomb effigy of <i>A</i> <i>Knight of the d'Aluye Family</i>, dated around 1248. This remarkable memorial featured in the Met's 2016 exhibition,</span> <i><a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2016/09/jerusalem-10001400-every-people-under.html"><span style="color: blue;">Jerusalem 1000-1400: Every People Under Heaven.</span></a></i></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><br /></i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigelRABqRp38cY8g7TnDRW1hrZByEnp8lcI5vcc87ECp0miNx9dZvqANVMCh29oXGZKSmJ2rAIVQ9x2JVxjyAxvKJqbepDxxNcmmS05E1i4msbcXCxndBMvVixP5wJxruPv9V-RxgL9VNCRed3W5lWImZGisPqtduQkLMWAzZgTH4hB4u3xqKyYOY_Mow/s1029/A%20Knight%20of%20the%20d'Aluye%20Family.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="930" data-original-width="1029" height="361" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigelRABqRp38cY8g7TnDRW1hrZByEnp8lcI5vcc87ECp0miNx9dZvqANVMCh29oXGZKSmJ2rAIVQ9x2JVxjyAxvKJqbepDxxNcmmS05E1i4msbcXCxndBMvVixP5wJxruPv9V-RxgL9VNCRed3W5lWImZGisPqtduQkLMWAzZgTH4hB4u3xqKyYOY_Mow/w400-h361/A%20Knight%20of%20the%20d'Aluye%20Family.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> Tomb Effigy of <i>A Knight of the</i> <i>d''Aluye Family</i>, after 1248</b></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><div><span><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">The knight depicted on this effigy or <i>gisant</i> was Jean d'Aluye, one of the Crusaders who combined faith with ferocity in the, ultimately unsuccessful, wars to regain the Holy Land for Christendom. Upon his return to France, d'Aluye founded the abbey <span>of </span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">La</span><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"> </span><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">Clarté-Dieu near Tours</span><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">. </span><span><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">This act of piety and patronage makes</span> </span></span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">d'Aluye a role model, in a very real sense, for the man who would acquire his effigy, George Grey Barnard.</span></div><div><p><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">Barnard's Cloisters opened to the public a few days before Christmas 1914. It featured candle-lit lectures on the Middle Ages and innovative display methods with hardly a glass case on site. The appreciation of art enthusiasts, thwarted from visiting actual medieval sites in Europe by the "Great" War, and favorable reviews in the New York press were not long in coming. </span></p><p><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">Barnard, however, was not a wealthy man. He financed his operations in-part by the sale of some of his rescued medieval treasures. By the early 1920's, there were fears that he would have to sell his entire collection, perhaps to a museum in an other region of the U.S.</span></p><p><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">In 1924, like a knight-errant, John D. Rockeller, Jr. (1874-1960) came to the rescue. Rockefeller purchased Barnard's collections, donating them to the Met, and funded the construction of a new, stone building designed to evoke the Romanesque style of the twelfth century. Rockefeller was not a man of half-measures. He purchased 66.5 acres, today's Fort Tryon Park, as the site of the new museum and additional land on the New Jersey-side of the Hudson River to preserve the stunning view and contemplative atmosphere.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-VCYxyjZk8ZvQ4lVwiEvIxXCS_H2uCi5cjFxd7uK3rCoDnDxdjxiMLFyGE-17seO5PI7ZkAaDdFW_1OnTXAzx7b30qTeDkyjlBq7Kav_3I9dohnZSAjenK5gIGDVRQayGRlwR4deKpjuZx8wVnhiCA9S0EAendCYeqAhMfG25h-0KDdhGryiHtjMB9os/s1347/Cloisters%20Hudson%20view.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1347" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-VCYxyjZk8ZvQ4lVwiEvIxXCS_H2uCi5cjFxd7uK3rCoDnDxdjxiMLFyGE-17seO5PI7ZkAaDdFW_1OnTXAzx7b30qTeDkyjlBq7Kav_3I9dohnZSAjenK5gIGDVRQayGRlwR4deKpjuZx8wVnhiCA9S0EAendCYeqAhMfG25h-0KDdhGryiHtjMB9os/w640-h476/Cloisters%20Hudson%20view.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2023) </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>A view of the Hudson River from the Bonnefont Cloister garden.</b></span></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #050505; font-family: verdana;">Rockefeller also donated works of medieval art from his private collection. These included an ensemble of seven tapestries from the late 1400 's known as <i>The Hunt of the Unicorn.</i> Little is known of the original commission of the tapestries and the symbolism of the hunt and eventual taming of the unicorn is still a matter of scholarly debate. But the survival of the Unicorn Tapestries is an incredible story in own right.</span></p><p><span style="color: #050505;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" lang="EN"><span style="font-family: verdana;">By the time of the French Revolution, <i>The Hunt of the Unicorn t</i></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">apestries had long been proud possessions of the aristocratic La Rochefoucauld family,.The tapestries were displayed in their magnificent chateau of Verteul in central France. When the Revolution turned violent, Verteul was targeted because of the Rochefoucauld association with the discredited French monarchy. However, the local revolutionary tribunal declared that the tapestries were free from the taint of the <i>Ancien Regime</i> and thus spared destruction.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRV4HjYIQO6gpUOmlDeOoMB4iBF5cEsPxFGJd6PgHFVDbm-wby-fptS-wyVjIYVU5KJrd1O29_HX7csJ7WtQzweBk_2su4u1sjACXnjae-MZ1WIQkvLc3c4ukBDzA_PpcnRO14iu9Ld44eHLl3svs0czfKfm6f7souIaPFemx330WwdWGiuGCCMk_qoDM/s1171/Unicorn%20closeup.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1171" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRV4HjYIQO6gpUOmlDeOoMB4iBF5cEsPxFGJd6PgHFVDbm-wby-fptS-wyVjIYVU5KJrd1O29_HX7csJ7WtQzweBk_2su4u1sjACXnjae-MZ1WIQkvLc3c4ukBDzA_PpcnRO14iu9Ld44eHLl3svs0czfKfm6f7souIaPFemx330WwdWGiuGCCMk_qoDM/w492-h640/Unicorn%20closeup.jpg" width="492" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i>The Hunt of the Unicorn </i>Tapestries, ca. 1495-1505 </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> <span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>"The Unicorn Rests in the Garden" </b></span></i></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.4px; margin-bottom: 10pt;"><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana;">The local peasants had other ideas. They decided that the sumptuous wall hangings would better serve as protective covers for their espaliered fruit trees and bins of potatoes, The Unicorn tapestries, set in a verdant realm filled with exquisite <i>millefleurs</i>, languished in this humdrum capacity for over half a century.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.4px; margin-bottom: 10pt;"><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.4px; margin-bottom: 10pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioVWS-SHxIPz9wQSvNJcR3BvSVkmhoEVb2Sz4nIEh3BHRn1zUi0TlkWYIq5dnp38ulot9FtUn60cxIDYtySNfyv1M2M81c8qftG8k8epGQPB3JRmU-CTcfbjVY8NXGN-PKxJhNbFvTW5WgplpdwM-WMc1nzzMeSB6T1g-7whH7H9MM26kilQtgpbsDPMc/s1066/Espaliered%20tree.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioVWS-SHxIPz9wQSvNJcR3BvSVkmhoEVb2Sz4nIEh3BHRn1zUi0TlkWYIq5dnp38ulot9FtUn60cxIDYtySNfyv1M2M81c8qftG8k8epGQPB3JRmU-CTcfbjVY8NXGN-PKxJhNbFvTW5WgplpdwM-WMc1nzzMeSB6T1g-7whH7H9MM26kilQtgpbsDPMc/w480-h640/Espaliered%20tree.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>An espaliered pear tree in the garden of the Bonnefont Cloister</b></span></div><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.4px; margin-bottom: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">During the 1850's, Count Hippolyte de </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">La Rochefoucauld, searching for surviving relics of his family heritage, was informed of the location of the tapestries. T</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">he Count redeemed the much battered wall hangings - two of them reduced to fragments. After being cleaned and restored, the Unicorn tapestries made a triumphant return to the Chateau of Verteul, which the noble Count had also repaired. </span></p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.4px; margin-bottom: 10pt;"><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana;">In 1923, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. purchased <i>The Hunt of the Unicorn</i> tapestries for $1,000,000, an astronomical sum for the times. In 1937, Rockefeller rounded-off his incredible generosity by giving the tapestries to the Cloisters collection. Today, these priceless woven depictions of the pursuit, death and rebirth of the Christ-like Unicorn are so famous and beloved as to almost eclipse the rest of the art works on view in the Cloisters.</span></p><p><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana;">The Cloisters collection is so rich in medieval masterpieces that it cannot be characterized by one signature work of art, even of the magnitude of the Unicorn tapestries. Like the great monastic houses of medieval Europe, the Cloisters has a Treasury room where splendid works of religious art are displayed. Along with gleaming, golden chalices and other liturgical vessels used in Christian worship are some real surprises.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYnKyUo8a9wiXHIdTFJoPL6mkyvlHZFdwT6yiLZS0QdrK0Uz9oi6ln8-e5MLpfpNP-ePM8Y7Y3TUPFF8KXAlpJU-_wr-FBcbOC-3jjV1b4D7eIQFaSy6S9kBZSDpZEM5wyQ22ltuGkmihkjJe742th1B4IAA76OnYJZLDELQWtqh-ORBtXr4PtxaO_Qfs/s1146/cloisters%20carved%202.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="777" data-original-width="1146" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYnKyUo8a9wiXHIdTFJoPL6mkyvlHZFdwT6yiLZS0QdrK0Uz9oi6ln8-e5MLpfpNP-ePM8Y7Y3TUPFF8KXAlpJU-_wr-FBcbOC-3jjV1b4D7eIQFaSy6S9kBZSDpZEM5wyQ22ltuGkmihkjJe742th1B4IAA76OnYJZLDELQWtqh-ORBtXr4PtxaO_Qfs/w640-h434/cloisters%20carved%202.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Gallery view of the Treasury Room of the Cloisters</b></span></div></div><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">Medieval craftsman were masters of carving in many media, notably ivory - from whalebone, walrus teeth and, imported over vast distances, the curving tusks of elephants. Overwhelmingly, these intricately carved works served a religious or devotional purpose. </span></p><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">Other hand-carved objects played a role in secular life, ivory sword grips or, less menacingly, chess pieces. The chess Bishop, with two attendants (below), looks formidable enough to hold the Lewis chessmen from the British Museum in check. Crafted from walrus ivory in Norway, 1150-1200, the Bishop formed part of a generous bequest to the Met from J. Pierpont Morgan.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMHDqly1PA3QufO967wvULk-aHNthOVn_K1__BSgpyE8fXHl9EKXzgQBU-trZcZAaxclIaJmY-xbk2O5bMzTxfS5uUkFqwFykN3UjiEfrwYqkOOPm0raucP7C9i-WsudDioQeUiXpuNbITKE7sromEVScwQbSNG3VwLr7tZW9ljGSZHTIDPqO8dnADb14/s1139/Ivory%20bishop.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1139" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMHDqly1PA3QufO967wvULk-aHNthOVn_K1__BSgpyE8fXHl9EKXzgQBU-trZcZAaxclIaJmY-xbk2O5bMzTxfS5uUkFqwFykN3UjiEfrwYqkOOPm0raucP7C9i-WsudDioQeUiXpuNbITKE7sromEVScwQbSNG3VwLr7tZW9ljGSZHTIDPqO8dnADb14/w640-h450/Ivory%20bishop.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span><b style="font-family: verdana;">Medieval chess pieces at the Cloisters.</b> </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">From left, a Pawn and a Bishop, Scandinavia, 1100's, & a Knight, ca.1510-30, from England or Germany</b></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ZLAyxJCeHPpoLwirpZlQdOsTyhB9fyaypWzZ_PygDk_5PwI20V8Yb1M-IKdpDEcLZeccAV50_qMi-TPjX0CAsyB3KrTq8QtN9YfOaGeHmfCki1J-hFPl7peymyatrDThvdsTtveAOra9-q2LlGAmbex6dXPOKCsgz4CRGjgb3ZEHlsf8VySZaZSsTpY/s1086/The%20Cloisters%20Cross%20and%20gallery.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="815" data-original-width="1086" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ZLAyxJCeHPpoLwirpZlQdOsTyhB9fyaypWzZ_PygDk_5PwI20V8Yb1M-IKdpDEcLZeccAV50_qMi-TPjX0CAsyB3KrTq8QtN9YfOaGeHmfCki1J-hFPl7peymyatrDThvdsTtveAOra9-q2LlGAmbex6dXPOKCsgz4CRGjgb3ZEHlsf8VySZaZSsTpY/w640-h480/The%20Cloisters%20Cross%20and%20gallery.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i>The Cloisters Cross</i> on view in the Treasury Room of the Cloisters</b></span></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> </b></span><span style="color: #070707;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Another masterpiece, carved from walrus ivory, is </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">The Cloisters Cross. </i><span style="font-family: verdana;">Most likely cre</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">ated in England around 1150, It is one of the supreme works of Romanesque art. It is carved with ninety-two figures and ninety-eight inscriptions related to the story of Jesus' death and resurrection.</span></span></div><p><span style="color: #070707;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">An even more unlikely material for use in carving a religious image is amber. Since antiquity, the lands bordering the Baltic Sea have been a source for this semi-precious material, composed of fossilized pine resin. During the late Middle Ages, a school of amber-carving developed in the Baltic region, under the control of the Teutonic Knights. This was an order of warrior-monks, who, instead of serving in the Holy Land with </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Jean d'Aluye, marched into present-day Poland, Lithuania and Latvia in a combined operation of religious warfare and economic expansion. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #090909;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcx8akRXtRmlrCVpLU5D6PGadfWh-tESdaiBOegLqCA1gaXzcUCJEF9ODMaTiExfBGkbHqmlqFvxJMdx8xmbMvC9KWYxW-fvBhjQ2hfQVXV-0V06mw9n5CsN1EqctlbWmoFuhDQgLOgj-jOWUyWfqKyvjgZ7CTX_RBpdI_oZ-EYzLI1PhrwpHnD9H6U7Y/s889/Amber%20christ%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="783" data-original-width="889" height="353" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcx8akRXtRmlrCVpLU5D6PGadfWh-tESdaiBOegLqCA1gaXzcUCJEF9ODMaTiExfBGkbHqmlqFvxJMdx8xmbMvC9KWYxW-fvBhjQ2hfQVXV-0V06mw9n5CsN1EqctlbWmoFuhDQgLOgj-jOWUyWfqKyvjgZ7CTX_RBpdI_oZ-EYzLI1PhrwpHnD9H6U7Y/w400-h353/Amber%20christ%201.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i>Medallion with the Face of Christ,</i> ca. 1380-1400 </b></span></div></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">This astonishing amber image of Jesus, a little over three inches in diameter, was created in one of the Polish fiefdoms of the Teutonic Knights. No one knows what Jesus of Nazereth actually looked like, of course. But this "portrait" is positively uncanny, producing a face-to-face encounter with divinity, much like the spiritual experience induced by Byzantine icons. How ironic that this small, sacred object should have originated as a by-product of an unholy war.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeGxzmIS06IEjUedWH0WDVzO5JICNnbqBwFFYm_3uIXcAJt4iFlpxBGzAZoiylEKq2o7VnL4AXnwtspPnA7Sm9Sm_7SaOYdyxrH4xyVOKFgqQy-kklcz1k0sIIo4EKa-EXdPbL9afwg_Hr5frYw0BDj0CP4nRFBEDmq1QVKkLU70FcsigpDyaq_Fvi3b8/s995/window%20light.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="995" data-original-width="889" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeGxzmIS06IEjUedWH0WDVzO5JICNnbqBwFFYm_3uIXcAJt4iFlpxBGzAZoiylEKq2o7VnL4AXnwtspPnA7Sm9Sm_7SaOYdyxrH4xyVOKFgqQy-kklcz1k0sIIo4EKa-EXdPbL9afwg_Hr5frYw0BDj0CP4nRFBEDmq1QVKkLU70FcsigpDyaq_Fvi3b8/w358-h400/window%20light.jpg" width="358" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;"> Grisaille Panel Window, 1270-80, in the</b><b style="font-family: verdana;"> Langon Chapel of the Cloisters</b></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #0c0c0c;">Stained glass, another hallmark of medieval art, was not a major component of Barnard's collection. Yet, the Cloisters now has one of the great collections of stained glass, rivaling that of the</span> <a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2021/06/art-eyewitness-essay-visit-to-glencairn.html"><span style="color: #0004ff;">Glencairn Museum</span>,</a> <span style="color: #070707;">located in the suburbs of Philadelphia. A visitor to the Cloisters can trace the fascinating evolution of stained glass from its beginnings in the twelfth century, slightly-tinted and with few designs, to the color-drenched narrative scenes of Gothic era cathedrals and the more modest, though incredibly detailed, silver stained roundels of the late-Middle Ages. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVzeq3M9xn6IsOS8AG96NhIiZtgxSdPONdKgh3_ZkDMa6CkGICcfPcdalBHbX9ZLCbGkJvonZL1YzZ4o-_tgjn3G6pnzZZLGQtwOAoikP0qId_74mgYbQWrSdzm8vYx3U52egOz0qyA4cry8KFd-FZNoF5In7nXA1OarYeQNBCY9ZO1Aq80rPhP6RMt8U/s887/stained%20glass%202a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="887" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVzeq3M9xn6IsOS8AG96NhIiZtgxSdPONdKgh3_ZkDMa6CkGICcfPcdalBHbX9ZLCbGkJvonZL1YzZ4o-_tgjn3G6pnzZZLGQtwOAoikP0qId_74mgYbQWrSdzm8vYx3U52egOz0qyA4cry8KFd-FZNoF5In7nXA1OarYeQNBCY9ZO1Aq80rPhP6RMt8U/w578-h640/stained%20glass%202a.jpg" width="578" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i>Roundel with the Baptism of Christ, </i>1480-90</b></span></div></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #0c0c0c;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The impressive collection-building effort in the area of stained glass was due in part to an excellent working relationship of the Metropolitan Museum with the Glencairn Museum. Shortly before his death in 1966, James Rorimer, the first curator of the Cloisters and later director of the Met, met with R</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">aymond Pitcairn, founder of Glencairn and a collector very much in the spirit of Barnard. As a result of the meeting, a special exhibition of Glencairn's medieval art was later shown at the Cloisters and a number of stained glass panels in Pitcairn's collection were eventually sold to the Met to fill in gaps in its collection.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;">One of the stained glass masterpieces from the Pitcairn collection now at the Cloisters is a panel showing the Christian emperor riding to meet the "Seven Sleepers of Ephesus." According to a charming, Rip van Winkle-like story, seven Christians fleeing Roman persecution had taken refuge in a cave, falling into a deep sleep and emerging centuries later.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgust8_IOZqDP8a6kAcIrrSGg1tKB0lWSWKn1YHvR_7D7Zqiis0Plo2idSaCE7bmlcIcqtxnlR7irjCEc3M83lPH83OiQGzSwe9NonO9CDuV4nURLJ5P3odHhXnre7ofd7Sou5WFnEDaxYJ6N5FEPJZaJdFSc8yCyqPxekJL2raPJNcDUaVLda4T7qbHQE/s1166/Stained%20glass%20medieval%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="898" data-original-width="1166" height="492" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgust8_IOZqDP8a6kAcIrrSGg1tKB0lWSWKn1YHvR_7D7Zqiis0Plo2idSaCE7bmlcIcqtxnlR7irjCEc3M83lPH83OiQGzSwe9NonO9CDuV4nURLJ5P3odHhXnre7ofd7Sou5WFnEDaxYJ6N5FEPJZaJdFSc8yCyqPxekJL2raPJNcDUaVLda4T7qbHQE/w640-h492/Stained%20glass%20medieval%202.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana;"><i> Theodosius Arrives at Ephesus, </i>from the <i>Legend of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus </i>stained glass panels, ca. 1200-1210 </b></div></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #141414;">This classic example of French Gothic stained glass struck a chord with me. The</span> <a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2022/06/art-eyewitness-review-medieval.html"><span style="color: #0400ff;">Philadelphia Museum of Art</span></a> i<span style="color: #020202;">s currently displaying another panel in this "Seven</span> <span style="color: #0c0c0c;">Sleepers" series, one that remained in Pitcairn's collection. It can be seen in a special exhibition of Glencairn treasures, on view in the Philly Museum until March 10, 2024.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #0c0c0c;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">No account of the Cloisters Museum is complete without special mention of the apse of the Church of San Martin at Fuentidueña, Spain. It was acquired from the Spanish government by a special, "extended" loan, added on to the Cloisters building and opened to the public in 1961. A medieval fresco of the Virgin Mary, </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">from another Spanish church, was transferred to the </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Fuentidueña apse, making this one of the most inspirational museum spaces in the world.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFh2ulJWfaSh6ASp5ALUS0uxBGq_mhTzoNsRD6sx4GdSJuPDNhCsIHxiQyhH81UdKbfo6XX4x-Ip7PZBjGjALUqBXe6VwDBk08lSPZdDqQuWMOMcCGF91fkMXqUh9G7mSXZtUmzSWqfvT-Us88A96EKxm48JEi7HLK9KobzQMeJque7AHpS_HeLYS-g3s/s1000/Ed%20cloisters.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFh2ulJWfaSh6ASp5ALUS0uxBGq_mhTzoNsRD6sx4GdSJuPDNhCsIHxiQyhH81UdKbfo6XX4x-Ip7PZBjGjALUqBXe6VwDBk08lSPZdDqQuWMOMcCGF91fkMXqUh9G7mSXZtUmzSWqfvT-Us88A96EKxm48JEi7HLK9KobzQMeJque7AHpS_HeLYS-g3s/w480-h640/Ed%20cloisters.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana;">The<i> </i></b><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Fuentidueña Church Apse, ca. 1175-1200, </b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>and Romanesque Crucifix from Spain, ca. 1150-1200</b></span></div></div><p><span style="color: #070707;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Rather, than add a brief, hasty description of the </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Fuentidueña display to an already lengthy essay, I am going to reserve further comments about this very special gallery for a future discussion of Romanesque art. Studying Romanesque art of the 1100's, the Twelfth Century Renaissance, was one of the primary motivations of my recent pilgrimage to the Cloisters.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #070707;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Instead, I want to stay a brief moment more in the company of George Grey Barnard. He never lived to see the installation of the </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Fuentidueña Apse in the Cloisters in 1961. In fact, he died three weeks before the Met's Cloisters opened in 1938. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">Walking around the Cloisters today is a delightful experience, but also a daunting one. There is so much to see and absorb. Since, the Cloisters is not, as I say, the easiest place to reach, naturally one wishes to see it all. Who knows if you will be able to make a return pilgrimage!</span></p><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">That is a modern, rather than medieval, way of visiting the Cloisters, one risking an informational "overload." Instead, let your spirit and emotions adjust to the meditative mindset which Barnard aimed to promote. Slow down and bask in the light pouring through the stained glass windows. Listen to the breeze rustling through the Cloisters gardens - and do the same, when you return to your own garden, back home.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdnkNdkcb1AGxOoco38tYmSW2UWpnLm65UzKgubHFU5sWYmV0FbXxx5ttE4EoT4aPM65Cn0z7h5iZuU74Our-2gPVrg2EXjqCX8flH8icDS9ARAXd9OQply-4pPv8vWa2KRrliI2dQXk0u9Svz3LEZOr9jn0hQyjPiW6vrVdpaputivLtzjkwteGzY8ug/s1139/Cloisters%20contemplation.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1139" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdnkNdkcb1AGxOoco38tYmSW2UWpnLm65UzKgubHFU5sWYmV0FbXxx5ttE4EoT4aPM65Cn0z7h5iZuU74Our-2gPVrg2EXjqCX8flH8icDS9ARAXd9OQply-4pPv8vWa2KRrliI2dQXk0u9Svz3LEZOr9jn0hQyjPiW6vrVdpaputivLtzjkwteGzY8ug/w506-h640/Cloisters%20contemplation.jpg" width="506" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b;">Ed Voves, Photo (2023)</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b;">A moment of meditation in the Bonnefont Cloister garden.</span></b></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">Gather ye Unicorn Tapestry millefleurs while you may! But don't forget to stop and smell the flowers - and the herbs in the Bonnefont Cloister garden.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #070707;">***<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">Text and photo: Copyright of Ed Voves, all rights reserved.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #070707;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; line-height: 115%;">Introductory Image: </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; line-height: 115%;">Ed Voves, Photo (2023) Tower of the Cloisters Museum,
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves, Photo (2023) The Unicorn Tapestries Gallery at
the Cloisters Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves, Photo (2023) The Hudson River and Palisades
seen from the Bonnefont Cloister.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt;"><span style="color: #070707;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves, Photo (2023) The Trie Cloister with <i>Cross with Apostles & Capital</i>, late 1400's-1500's.<i> </i></span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana;">Made in Vosges, France. <i>Cross with Apostles. </i>Stone: Overall: 47 1/4 x 33 7/16 x 14 3/16 inches (120 x 85 x 36 cm.) The Cloistered Collection, 1925. # 25.120.872a</span></span></p><p style="background: white; line-height: 18pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #070707; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">Filming<i> Portrait of Jennie</i> at the Cloisters, 1948. Photo source: nycinfilm.com<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">George Grey Barnard with the English writer and artist,
Clare Sheridan, at Barnard's Cloisters, 1922. Photo by Ralph Pulitzer. Photo source: <i>My American Diary </i>by Clare Sheridan. Wikipedia.org.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt;"><span style="color: #070707;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves, Photo (2023) Cuxa Cloister and detail of a
medieval architectural capital. Capital, ca.1130-1140. Made in France, Catalan culture. Marble: </span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">18 x 15 1/2 x 18 in. (45.7 x 39.4 x 45.7 cm) </span></span><span class="artwork-tombstone--value" style="font-family: verdana;">The Cloisters Collection, 1925</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana;">.</span><span class="artwork-tombstone--label" style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;">#</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> <span class="artwork-tombstone--value"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit;">25.120.855.</span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves, Photo (2023) Bonnefont Cloister and herb garden.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt;"><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;">Ed Voves, Photo (2023)
Tomb Effigy of <i>A Knight of the d''Aluye Family</i>, after 1248-1267. <o:p></o:p></span><span class="artwork-tombstone--value"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;">Made in Loire Valley, France</span>. Limestone</span>: <span class="artwork-tombstone--value"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit;">13 × 33 1/2 × 83 1/2 in., 1197 lb. (33 × 85.1
× 212.1 cm, 543 kg)</span> The Cloisters Collection. </span></span><span class="artwork-tombstone--label"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;">#</span></span> <span class="artwork-tombstone--value"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit;">25.120.201</span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves, Photo (2023) A view of the Hudson River from
the Bonnefont Cloister garden.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt;"><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;">Ed Voves, Photo (2023)<i>The Hunt of the Unicorn Tapestries,</i>
ca. 1495-1505. <i>"The</i> <i>Unicorn Rests in
the Garden"</i>. <o:p></o:p></span><span class="artwork-tombstone--value"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;">Made in Paris, France
(cartoon); woven in the Southern Netherlands.Wool warp with wool, silk, silver, and
gilt wefts</span>: Overall: 144 7/8 x 99 in. (368 x 251.5 cm)</span><span style="background-color: white;">. Gift of
John D. Rockefeller Jr., 1937. # 37.80.6</span></span></p><p class="artwork-tombstone--item" style="background: white; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="color: #070707;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves, Photo (2023) An espaliered pear tree in the
garden of the Bonnefont Cloister.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves, Photo (2023)Gallery view of the Treasury Room
of the Cloisters.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves, Photo (2023) Medieval chess pieces at the
Cloisters. From left, a Pawn and a Bishop, Scandinavia, 1100's, and a Knight,
ca.1510-30, from England or Germany.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt;"><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;"><span>Ed Voves, Photo (2023) <i>The Cloisters Cross</i> on view in the
Treasury Room of the Cloisters. </span></span><span lang="EN"><i>The Cloisters Cross</i>, ca. 1150-60.
Possibly made in England. Walrus ivory: </span><span class="artwork-tombstone--value"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;">overall: 22 5/8 x 14 1/4in.
(57.5 x 36.2cm) shaft: 12 3/8 x 1 11/16 in. (31.4 x 4.3cm)</span>. The
Cloisters Collection, 1963</span><span style="background-color: white;">.</span><span class="artwork-tombstone--label"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;">#</span></span><span> <span class="artwork-tombstone--value"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit;">63.12</span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="artwork-tombstone--item" style="background: white; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #070707; font-size: 15pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt;"><span style="color: #070707;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves, Photo (2023) <i>Medallion with the Face of Christ</i>,
ca. 1380-1400. <o:p></o:p></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="artwork-tombstone--value"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;">Made in lands of the Teutonic
Knights, present-day Poland</span>. Baltic amber with traces of paint</span><span style="background-color: white;">: 3
1/4 x 1 5/16 in. (8.2 x 3.3 cm). The Cloisters Collection, 2011. </span><span>#<span class="artwork-tombstone--value"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;">2011.503</span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="artwork-tombstone--item" style="background: white; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #070707;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt;"><span style="color: #070707;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves, Photo (2023) <i>Grisaille Panel Windo</i>w, 1270-80,
in the Langon Chapel of the Cloisters. <o:p></o:p></span></span><span class="artwork-tombstone--value"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;"><i>Grisaille Panel</i></span>, 1270–80</span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">.
Made in Sées, France.White and pot-metal glass and</span> <span style="font-family: verdana;">vitreous paint,
silver stain: Overall: 22 x 20 1/4in. (55.9 x 51.4cm)The
Cloisters Collection, 1982. #1982.204.3</span></span></span></p>
<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: #070707; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit;"></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt;"><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;"><span>Ed Voves, Photo (2023) Roundel with the Baptism of
Christ, 1480-90. <o:p></o:p></span></span><span style="background-color: white;">Made
in Upper Rhineland, Germany. Colorless glass, vitreous paint and silver stain: </span><span>Overall Diam.: 7
13/16 in. (19.8 cm). The Cloisters Collection, 1932. #</span><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;"> </span><span>32.24.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt;"><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;"><span>Ed Voves, Photo (2023) <i>Theodosius Arrives at Ephesus</i> from the <i>Legend of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus</i> stained glass panels, ca. 1200-1210. <o:p></o:p></span></span><span class="artwork-tombstone--value"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;">Made in Rouen</span>, France. Pot-metal
glass, vitreous paint</span><span style="background-color: white;">: Overall: 25 x 28 1/8in. (63.5 x 71.5cm) The
Cloisters Collection, 1980. 1980.263.4</span></span></p><p class="artwork-tombstone--item" style="background: white; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: #070707; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt;"><span style="color: #070707;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;"><span>Ed Voves, Photo (2023) <i>The Fuentidueña Church Apse</i>, ca.
1175-1200, and <i>Romanesque Crucifix</i> from Spain, ca. 1150-1200. <o:p></o:p></span></span><span class="artwork-tombstone--value"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;"><i>Crucifix</i></span>, ca. 1150–1200</span><span style="background-color: white;">.
Made in Castile-León, Spain. White oak with paint, gold leaf, and tin
leaf (corpus); softwood with paint and tin leaf (cross): Overall
(cross): 102 1/2 x 81 3/4 in. (260.4 x 207.6 cm) </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Samuel D. Lee Fund, 1935. #35.36a.b</span></span></span></p><p class="artwork-tombstone--item" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; break-inside: avoid; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 50em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves, Photo (2023) A moment of meditation in the
Bonnefont Cloister garden.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p></div>Art Eyewitnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347317000349363690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8200843910512523791.post-64493117059931859902023-10-31T07:18:00.387-07:002023-10-31T12:12:48.056-07:00Art Eyewitness Book Review: Earthly Delights by Jonathan Jones and Raphael by Paul Joannides<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkODVlT2vrfKvxRcQPzhy1PsFEl4RKWQZ8lYY_amy0mkctde2POSqzt6NE-CMPsuwmxC73D1vEUQymdG3_2gHKv8oJPCwgxitSKU9cMN5paEmk5uJ4dcZcev_t-On173Ls5IwxqUaN5V6BiK4uht7zy3Z4Eux3gZXcY3yFYSFj8fcMG2gGRNHhSwBp4TQ/s1409/The%20Creation%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1409" data-original-width="761" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkODVlT2vrfKvxRcQPzhy1PsFEl4RKWQZ8lYY_amy0mkctde2POSqzt6NE-CMPsuwmxC73D1vEUQymdG3_2gHKv8oJPCwgxitSKU9cMN5paEmk5uJ4dcZcev_t-On173Ls5IwxqUaN5V6BiK4uht7zy3Z4Eux3gZXcY3yFYSFj8fcMG2gGRNHhSwBp4TQ/w346-h640/The%20Creation%20(1).jpg" width="346" /></a></div><br /><h4 style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i> Earthly Delights, a History of the Renaissance </i></span></h4><h4 style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: 400;">by Jonathan Jones</div><div style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: 400;">Thames & Hudson/336 pages/$39.95</div></h4><h4 style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Raphael</span></h4><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: center;">by Paul Joannides</div><div style="text-align: center;">Thames & Hudson/320 pages/$23.95</div></span><p></p><p><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana;">Reviewed by Ed Voves</span></p><p><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana;">The alchemy of genius during the Renaissance inspired the minds and guided the hands of Europe's painters and sculptors of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. In a few short decades, artists ceased being regarded as mere craftsman or servants. Instead of wearing the livery of an arrogant duke or worldly bishop, they were clad in the aura of the "artist as hero."</span><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana;">,</span></p><p><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana;">People are fascinated by flawed and troubled protagonists. The more faults and doubts, the more suffering, the more smoldering sexual desires, it seems the more public interest is generated by their lives and struggles. </span></p><p><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana;">The Renaissance, as interpreted by </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #0d0d0d;">Jonathan Jones in his just-published book, <i>Earthly Delights</i>, serves a heaping helping of all-of the-above.</span> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrXlcIy9R1sUZjuuEvP7g3ovW0-cH_cdmZEz3RcBM6-0wYcKRVuDkrHLRypetcw8qPeT3q3H8gQ2Qg4LUYJuvafPF_VoqDRxS9AInRGSUctXcYwSAJelQj16XHH3khGfeb7SAl9W82ny5BaY9YEB1xoyB6yvKMtslaYvRJ77dXn6GnX27mneIzAMU944A/s929/Earthly%20Delights%209780500023136_Credit_Courtesy%20of%20Thames%20&%20Hudson.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="929" data-original-width="700" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrXlcIy9R1sUZjuuEvP7g3ovW0-cH_cdmZEz3RcBM6-0wYcKRVuDkrHLRypetcw8qPeT3q3H8gQ2Qg4LUYJuvafPF_VoqDRxS9AInRGSUctXcYwSAJelQj16XHH3khGfeb7SAl9W82ny5BaY9YEB1xoyB6yvKMtslaYvRJ77dXn6GnX27mneIzAMU944A/w301-h400/Earthly%20Delights%209780500023136_Credit_Courtesy%20of%20Thames%20&%20Hudson.jpg" width="301" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Jones, the art critic for the <i>Guardian </i>newspaper in Britain, explored the themes of private passion and creative vision in earlier books about the Renaissance in Italy. Now, with <i>Earthly Delights</i>, he travels to Bruges in Flanders, to Nuremberg in Germany and to Holland to examine the artistic and personal travails of Jan van Eyck, </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>Albrecht</span><span> </span><span>Dürer,</span><span> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hieronymus Bosch and Pieter Bruegel. Jones frequently shifts his attention, returning to their compatriots in Italy, making <i>Earthly Delights </i>a gripping, page-turning excursion, continent-wide in its scope.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOUY8N7FY8AyLQK9IdQkVi2wlvxnVeRyrqth9A8WxWOBoNxjh2KC3KPuhLg7utzAR9rIerwfYlQOGUG9L02MuYdA-3KP-d5cFDm_WXPhXSs9wFx9CQBPJrfeDfK_C7N6lGwIxtlhE0TvyLgasfPaY0nZCRqkfGj5d9FWtC4Q2Z5blrCZ0ju2OnNPspQD0/s1409/Page%20173,%20Albrecht%20Du%C2%A6%C3%AArer,%20Self-Portrait,%201500.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1409" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOUY8N7FY8AyLQK9IdQkVi2wlvxnVeRyrqth9A8WxWOBoNxjh2KC3KPuhLg7utzAR9rIerwfYlQOGUG9L02MuYdA-3KP-d5cFDm_WXPhXSs9wFx9CQBPJrfeDfK_C7N6lGwIxtlhE0TvyLgasfPaY0nZCRqkfGj5d9FWtC4Q2Z5blrCZ0ju2OnNPspQD0/w454-h640/Page%20173,%20Albrecht%20Du%C2%A6%C3%AArer,%20Self-Portrait,%201500.jpg" width="454" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Albrecht</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Dürer, <i>Self-Portrait</i>, 1500</span></b></div></span><p></p><p><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">North and south of the Alps, </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Earthly Delights </i><span style="font-family: verdana;">focuses on the private lives and personal viewpoints of these Renaissance men - and women. Jones reveals how the embrace of the "new" - in life styles, sexuality, and free-thinking opinions - informed the sensational artistic achievements of</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> titans like </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>Dürer and Michelangelo, as well-as eccentric, lesser-known figures such as Piero di Cosimo.</span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #020202;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf3if8y1cJPZDtftS-I6dL16ieEjpjsVuD8ifsHKOBw5ExwiQk3bE8lharF21M_-I7b181Ws5HMsvqWk6olEDgnUHvbmBC7yd-cL-iOs7JWSmpIWYH1jPpk9TVo2y3or3a4VrQx6KFiLF-RZX_K2NxEbgD2L7r2GcmojTn8o_ZY3kngP-1aXHCkDGGLkw/s4000/Page%20162,%20Piero%20di%20Cosimo,%20Return%20from%20the%20Hunt,%20c%201494G%C3%87%C3%B41500.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1782" data-original-width="4000" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf3if8y1cJPZDtftS-I6dL16ieEjpjsVuD8ifsHKOBw5ExwiQk3bE8lharF21M_-I7b181Ws5HMsvqWk6olEDgnUHvbmBC7yd-cL-iOs7JWSmpIWYH1jPpk9TVo2y3or3a4VrQx6KFiLF-RZX_K2NxEbgD2L7r2GcmojTn8o_ZY3kngP-1aXHCkDGGLkw/w640-h286/Page%20162,%20Piero%20di%20Cosimo,%20Return%20from%20the%20Hunt,%20c%201494G%C3%87%C3%B41500.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div><span style="background-color: white;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Piero di Cosimo,<i> Return from the Hunt, </i>c. 1494-1500</b></span></div></span><p><span style="color: #0f0f0f;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">From these introductory remarks, it might</span><i style="font-family: verdana;"> </i><span style="font-family: verdana;">appear that the primary concern of </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Earthly Delights </i><span style="font-family: verdana;">is</span><i style="font-family: verdana;"> </i><span style="font-family: verdana;">to</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> reinterpret the Renaissance to heighten its relevance to gender concerns of the twenty-first century. That would be a natural assumption but a misleading one. <i>Earthly Delights is</i> a book that is both judicious and challenging in its verdicts on the still-controversial people and events of the 1400's-1500's. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #0d0d0d;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Renaissance, as related by Jones, was a epoch-changing reconfiguration of European culture. Jones is not alone in his estimate of the importance of the Renaissance, though some scholars maintain that the artistic and scientific developments of these centuries were little more than "late medieval" additions. Jones in </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Earthly Delights, </i></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #0d0d0d;">like the outstanding 2019 book</span>,<span style="color: #2b00fe;"> </span><i><a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2019/07/art-eyewitness-book-review-oxford.html"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">The Oxford Illustrated History of the Renaissance</span></a>, </i></span><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">contends otherwise:</span></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;"><i>The 15th century was when modern history began. Renaissance perspective, with its new clarity about space and objects, played its part in that European "discovery" of the world. But before you turn away from it on that score, consider that, while some conquistadors undoubtedly cast only dead, gold-addled eyes on new lands, the drive of Renaissance culture, fueled by news from new worlds, was investigative, curious and attracted to what was different.</i></span></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">"Embracing the new" during the 1400's initially involved utilizing innovations in technology and technique such as the printing press and oil-based pigments. The authorized Christian content of religion and culture was little affected. The Gutenberg Bible, for instance, was printed with movable type and marketed in 1455, but made to look like a deluxe hand-copied text of sacred scripture.</span></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">As news spread of the voyage of Columbus to the "Indies", another revolutionary event occurred. In 1495. Aldus Manutius established the first modern publishing firm, the Aldine Press in Venice. Manutius dispensed with large format editions like the Gutenberg Bible. Instead, he printed small, octavo books, less expensive, easy to read and offering a great variety of titles. The resulting availability of pre-Christian authors placed a host of provocative ideas into circulation, thus challenging the once-ironclad censorship of the Christian Church. </span></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">European scholars began questioning long-accepted wisdom. However, these "humanists", with their Aldine Press books in hand, were not the first to focus on their studies with a Renaissance perspective. Well before the first Gutenberg Bible was printed, visual artists had begun to create unsettling visions of heaven and earth and - and hell. </span></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3g7jG36uMfYiKsqytQF-73hL6oU9DFMVPi2IFhkOH5J4n9Ptw1Kwltpko-aJTfYo8eRF4JB4gbKKgVhTlMRwy9z39BsFlWMrbA_RkJ6C-m043uT7xEaWi7uSidA-_gAQDnPcxx57NZZ4QX35TH7iltUb32r4GXzZgp8oxKJkYzJdQEA_IIrYgKndvWNo/s1000/Bosch%20Haywain.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="656" data-original-width="1000" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3g7jG36uMfYiKsqytQF-73hL6oU9DFMVPi2IFhkOH5J4n9Ptw1Kwltpko-aJTfYo8eRF4JB4gbKKgVhTlMRwy9z39BsFlWMrbA_RkJ6C-m043uT7xEaWi7uSidA-_gAQDnPcxx57NZZ4QX35TH7iltUb32r4GXzZgp8oxKJkYzJdQEA_IIrYgKndvWNo/w640-h420/Bosch%20Haywain.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;"><b>Hieronymus Bosch, <i>The Haywain</i>, 1512-15</b></span></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">Jones is an astute historian, experienced in ferreting-out little-noticed details that can turn an old story or an often-seen artwork into a startling revelation. He begins with Jan van Eyck's <i>Arnolfini Portrait</i>, dating to 1434.</span></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">Giovanni di Arnolfini, an Italian merchant living in Bruges, is believed to be the subject of van Eyck's oil painting. This iconic work has been interpreted in many ways - a celebration of Christian marriage, a "show-off" display of mercantile wealth, a brilliant investigation of light and optics. One of the signature works in the collection of the National Gallery in London, the <i>Arnolfini Portrait co</i>ntinues to pose some weighty questions.</span></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvbzWtSDwFNPgLXdwnKo9bQGnoJtlYHoBRphZk4Yz49eX4-jeMsojJ5TbNef6y5PpaoswwXpct9_qPyrm4yrBfG3rghEba-43qmIhj8zFFD1ejVyzzDaPk0sFJGGuk166ytQ3dfeiwOzmY8KJlDYl3dtJM6rJ4mM1EgpJ_iohpRMNfBU-bm2mJNW8F-dI/s1023/The_Arnolfini_portrait_(1434).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1023" data-original-width="748" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvbzWtSDwFNPgLXdwnKo9bQGnoJtlYHoBRphZk4Yz49eX4-jeMsojJ5TbNef6y5PpaoswwXpct9_qPyrm4yrBfG3rghEba-43qmIhj8zFFD1ejVyzzDaPk0sFJGGuk166ytQ3dfeiwOzmY8KJlDYl3dtJM6rJ4mM1EgpJ_iohpRMNfBU-bm2mJNW8F-dI/w468-h640/The_Arnolfini_portrait_(1434).jpg" width="468" /></a></div><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Jan van Eyck, <i>Arnolfini Portrait</i>, 1434</b></div></span><p></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">Arnolfini is a strange, ascetic looking man and the position of his right hand is distinctly odd. He is holding his hand as if giving a religious benediction. </span></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">For a painter like van Eyck, such a gesture should have been reserved for a Christian clergyman or a heavenly being, a saint or an angel. The depiction of God blessing Adam and Eve in Bosch's <i>Garden of Earthly Delights</i> (the introductory image of this review) is a good example of its customary use. </span></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">Yet, here is Giovanni di Arnolfini, a lay person and a merchant, to boot, bestowing a blessing as if he were the Pope. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana;"><a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2020/03/art-eyewitness-book-review-albrecht.html"><span style="color: #0022ff;">Dürer</span></a><span style="color: #1900ff;">,</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"> in his Christlike self-portrait, painted in 1500 (above), appears to be following van Eyck's lead and Arnolfini's example.</span></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">Jones speculates that Arnolfini was a member of the heretical religious sect, the Brethren of the Free Spirit. Rejecting the need for an established church to guide souls to salvation, some of the Brethren also believed in "free" love, or, as Jones states, fornication "without guilt because they were perfectly at one with God."</span></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">To include Arnolfini in the ranks of the Brethren of the Free Spirit, based on a hand gesture, may seem to stretch the evidence a bit thin. Jones has more to prove his case.</span></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">Along with this <i>Portrait</i>, van Eyck is reputed to have painted Arnolfini's young wife in the same setting, this time without the layer-upon-layer of woolen robes and shifts and petticoats underneath. This portrait would thus be the first nude in European art history since antiquity and confirmation that Arnolfini and his wife belonged to the Brethren or at least engaged in some of their fo</span><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">rbidden </span><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">practices.</span></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJVyY4DIXEehHuKTfsOS7V04jtkZet-pLj_ghoDU7XmCD6-LdAVwIrFiWaPbo3bvuREVk9UQaMdl0DOdxgnWb1LeiKrc0wL9ZD0RH6tPtyXDACNgi4-jwkGW3mV6iWdI1up5YuiNmzIECpY2CF70eh5IFHJhpmt2TBe1EyvnDENHZ0GEpyp0hIE1utaFI/s794/The_Gallery_of_Cornelis_van_der_Geest,_by_Willem_van_Haecht.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="794" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJVyY4DIXEehHuKTfsOS7V04jtkZet-pLj_ghoDU7XmCD6-LdAVwIrFiWaPbo3bvuREVk9UQaMdl0DOdxgnWb1LeiKrc0wL9ZD0RH6tPtyXDACNgi4-jwkGW3mV6iWdI1up5YuiNmzIECpY2CF70eh5IFHJhpmt2TBe1EyvnDENHZ0GEpyp0hIE1utaFI/w640-h484/The_Gallery_of_Cornelis_van_der_Geest,_by_Willem_van_Haecht.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Willem van Haecht, <i>The Gallery of Cornelis van der Geest</i>, 1628</b></span></div><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">The nude portrait by van Eyck no longer exists - or has not been seen in centuries. But Jones offers substantial proof of its existence, analyzing two, crudely rendered, copies, one with occult details. He also identifies the actual work on the wall of a later painting of an art gallery in Antwerp, 1628. Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck are shown among the host of artists and savants admiring the vast array of art works, including the <i>Arnolfini Nude</i>. </span></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">If Jones is correct, then one of the key paintings of the Renaissance undermines many of our assumptions about art history. The "shock of the new" took place a lot earlier than Matisse and the Salon d'Automne!</span></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">Quite a number of Renaissance masterpieces challenge traditional interpretations. During the process of re-examination, evidence of the religious doubts and anxieties of their creators is often revealed. Botticelli's </span><i style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">Mystic Nativity </i><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">is a case in point.</span></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZUnWrrQvyMByFNrKTDO8uadpx77XJLUnLLbEEuxSyH3jKZKDIe0gXxc_T7dW6mUD_GIxwwBwESHXVMdzM8LdtZVOlbUljZzEZdetCWyEO8FxnqRTp4MsSpSvyQ_zkMuhTUzo9oqFK5wyyXMVOh4R-HLeFW96hghGCLtq3i7r-yUuac_TwCE4uQT3ALCs/s1500/Mystic_Nativity,_Sandro_Botticelli.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1035" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZUnWrrQvyMByFNrKTDO8uadpx77XJLUnLLbEEuxSyH3jKZKDIe0gXxc_T7dW6mUD_GIxwwBwESHXVMdzM8LdtZVOlbUljZzEZdetCWyEO8FxnqRTp4MsSpSvyQ_zkMuhTUzo9oqFK5wyyXMVOh4R-HLeFW96hghGCLtq3i7r-yUuac_TwCE4uQT3ALCs/w442-h640/Mystic_Nativity,_Sandro_Botticelli.jpg" width="442" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;"><b>Sandro Botticelli, <i>Mystic Nativity,</i> 1500</b></span></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">Botticelli's<i> Mystic Nativity</i> is one of the strangest, unnerving depictions of the birth of Jesus ever created. It is almost entirely lacking in unified composition. Three zones of activity are shown, with protagonists engaged in seemingly unrelated dramas.</span></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">At the top, a hovering choir of angels is drawn upward and away from the central action where a mournful Virgin Mary prays over the infant Jesus. Her husband, Joseph, a doddering old man, sleeps through the miraculous event. Down at the bottom, three pairs of angels and human beings grasp each other, as small devilish imps scamper around their feet.</span></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitNp3DVdzmqakz54bEWJU6q6y0D7J5IkAU8N0eCR5tineLV6hQ_6uqb0BRcl2je9JSbq9Mb9AADGKAGoUN2PbU8SVccrg140k46oeghvynF5mTUMSn6zqlywPoPCRlsF7G6PepB0T_oWUoXUTeNbrgwVq0yQckhRLacHkyPqsBkIsROCqTc0nZIfORJ-I/s1221/Mystic_Nativity,_Sandro_Botticelli%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1221" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitNp3DVdzmqakz54bEWJU6q6y0D7J5IkAU8N0eCR5tineLV6hQ_6uqb0BRcl2je9JSbq9Mb9AADGKAGoUN2PbU8SVccrg140k46oeghvynF5mTUMSn6zqlywPoPCRlsF7G6PepB0T_oWUoXUTeNbrgwVq0yQckhRLacHkyPqsBkIsROCqTc0nZIfORJ-I/w640-h314/Mystic_Nativity,_Sandro_Botticelli%20(1).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">Detail of Botticelli's <i>Mystic Nativity,</i> showing an inscription in Greek referencing the painting's date, 1500, to St. John's </b><b style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;"><i>Revelations</i></b></div><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">On its own terms, this painting is almost incoherent. But Botticelli provided an explanatory banner which Jones lucidly explains. <i>Mystic Nativity</i>, Botticelli states was painted "at the end of the year 1500... in the half-time after the time, according to eleventh of St. John, in the the second woe of the Apocalypse, during the release of the Devil for three and a half years."</span></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">As B</span><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">otticelli applied the last touch of oil paint to the canvas of <i>Mystic Nativity</i>, he was convinced of imminent catastrophe. He was not alone. For much of the period we call the Renaissance, the people of Europe lived in dread and expectation of the End Time.</span></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">This belief in a coming </span><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">Apocalypse was not based on misplaced religious hysteria. The World had nearly ended a century before. The Great Plague, the Black Death, killed a third of Europe's population in the 1340's. Nor was the Plague a nightmare from the past. Over 30,000 people died during an outbreak in Florence, 1527-1531.</span></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">Anxiety was not limited to concerns about return of the Plague. The embrace of sexual freedom among the Brethren of the Free Spirit in Flanders and the Rhineland was matched by corresponding attitudes toward homosexuality in Italy, especially in Florence.</span></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">Homoerotic ideals certainly influenced the art of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. Jones describes with moving conviction Leonardo's attempts to "use even more subtlety to create a face of transcendental beauty that isn't male or female but something new."</span></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXUqS7UcAnPtZUS2oOBF-MAiYlkD8rzqcVcSr7W1IX-T10UlYv15FTcjawQIhskJrjye_ZDXHqbpEe2En_j3xDVhxw2wg_Qr65dZIpP0Zfxgwr-HMZJ9i55fr3mEKy7GmpLa2HrLd8DPXS48AZakkaCrBNgpxuas_ngxo4Xki2YnkiMom24LRw3b7U4yc/s1000/Page%2089,%20Leonardo%20da%20Vinci,%20Ginevra%20deG%C3%87%C3%96%20Benci,%20c%201474G%C3%87%C3%B478.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="969" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXUqS7UcAnPtZUS2oOBF-MAiYlkD8rzqcVcSr7W1IX-T10UlYv15FTcjawQIhskJrjye_ZDXHqbpEe2En_j3xDVhxw2wg_Qr65dZIpP0Zfxgwr-HMZJ9i55fr3mEKy7GmpLa2HrLd8DPXS48AZakkaCrBNgpxuas_ngxo4Xki2YnkiMom24LRw3b7U4yc/w388-h400/Page%2089,%20Leonardo%20da%20Vinci,%20Ginevra%20deG%C3%87%C3%96%20Benci,%20c%201474G%C3%87%C3%B478.jpg" width="388" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">Leonardo da Vinci, </span><i style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Ginevera de' Benci, c. 1474-76</i></b></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">Jones is here describing Leonardo's depiction of the angel Uriel in <i>The Virgin of the Rocks. </i>We could, likewise, ascribe the same descriptors to the haunting, ethereal features of <i>Ginevera de' Benci</i>.</span></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">But when Leonardo later devoted the same gender ambiguity to St. John in <i>The Last Supper, </i>he was treading on dangerous ground. Jones writes:</span></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;"><i>Leonardo is at once highly orthodox here and completely subversive. He directly refers to the account in the Gospel - John sits at Christ's right hand because he is the disciple 'whom Jesus loved' - yet the way in which John is depicted rejects any pusillanimously 'spiritual' interpretation of the nature of that love. John is an androgynous, beautiful youth. He conforms to Leonardo's personal homoerotic inconography. He is the lover of Jesus.</i></span></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">Leonardo was always careful to stay in the good graces of powerful patrons, including Pope Julius II, keeping his speculative, heterodox writings unpublished. </span></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">Leonardo succumbed to a stroke in 1519, aged 67. The next year, another, much younger, artist died: Raphael.</span></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">If <i>Earthly Delights</i> has one weakness, it is the relative lack of attention which Jones devotes to Raphael. This superb, thoughtful book has a lot of ground to cover and a very full cast of protagonists clamoring for attention. Yet, Raphael is, in many ways, the definitive artist of the Renaissance by virtue of the quantity and quality of his <i>oeuvre</i>.</span></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKzLhDiWpy5Jvhn7kNqrAxcDJbsBOvqvRCfTykhyphenhyphenDCZ5UEhyStwCw-cPbc9zoN26V9OkIXvXadLUPFXGu9_l6z2s2jefJhAzdMxldPOtGD3UfgPkbC1LWGZ-poiw6mpDfsgzUlofAA6VSPpo9MTlD7yTfLzic7hK9mMPZROpRK08rWpRe88EAd9epaPg4/s1200/Raphael%20book.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="857" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKzLhDiWpy5Jvhn7kNqrAxcDJbsBOvqvRCfTykhyphenhyphenDCZ5UEhyStwCw-cPbc9zoN26V9OkIXvXadLUPFXGu9_l6z2s2jefJhAzdMxldPOtGD3UfgPkbC1LWGZ-poiw6mpDfsgzUlofAA6VSPpo9MTlD7yTfLzic7hK9mMPZROpRK08rWpRe88EAd9epaPg4/w458-h640/Raphael%20book.jpg" width="458" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">Fortunately, Thames and Hudson has recently published a biography of Raphael in its prestigious World of Art series. Written by the noted historian and curator, Paul Joannides, it sets a very high standard of scholarship and should be read in conjunction with <i>Earthly Delights.</i></span></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">Raphael was born in the courtly city of Urbino in 1483. He was thus not a member of the circle of artists from Tuscany - Donatello, Botticelli, Leonardo and Michelangelo - so favored by the artist/writer Giorgio Vasari, himself a Tuscan. </span></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">According to Vasari, Raphael died from a fever brought on by "excessive" sexual indulgence. Joannides discounts this "picturesque" story and attributes Raphael's demise to overwork. Sheer exhaustion from too many demands on his time and talent claimed the life of this hugely gifted artist, especially after he took over the burdens of chief architect of the new basilica of St. Peter in Rome. </span></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">Joannides is able to ground his study of Raphael by detailed examination of the developmental stages of major works like the fresco cycles of the Stanza della Segnatura, including the fabled <i>School of Athens</i>, and the design of the Sistine Tapestries. </span></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">Raphael was a Renaissance "artist as hero." Yet even the greatest of human beings is still very human after all. We often forget or discount the limitations imposed on "immortal" artists by their fragile bodies or overwrought emotions.</span></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">And when that happens, we risk losing the secret to success of these "prodigious" Renaissance artists, as Jonathan Jones so astutely judges:</span></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;"><i>Keeping an open mind is, on their evidence, the best recipe for creative excellence.</i></span></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">***</span></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">Text: Copyright of Ed Voves, all rights reserved</span></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">Images and cover art of <i>Earthly Delights </i>(2023) and <i>Raphael </i>(2022), courtesy of <b>Thames and Hudson</b></span></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">Introductory Image: </span><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana; text-align: center;">Hieronymus Bosch, <i>Garden of Earthly Delights </i>(detail), 1490-1500. </span><i style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;"> </i></p><p><span style="color: #0a0a0a; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Albrecht</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Dürer (German, 1471-1528), <i>Self-Portrait</i>, 1500. </span></span><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">Oil on panel: 67.1 x 48.9 cm (26 1/2 x 19 3/8 in.) Alte Pinakothek, Munich, Germany</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">Piero di Cosimo (Italian, 1462-1522) <i>Return from the Hunt, </i>c. 1494-1500. </span><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">Oil on oak panel: 82.2 x 60 cm (32.4 x 23.6 in.) Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.</span></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana; text-align: center;">Hieronymus Bosch (Dutch, c. 1450-1516), <i>The Haywain</i>, 1512-15. </span><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">Oil on panel: 147.1 x 224.3 cm (58 x 88 3/8 in.) Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain.</span></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana; text-align: center;">Jan van Eyck (Flemish, 1390-1441) <i>Arnolfini Portrait</i>, 1434. </span><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">Oil on oak panel: 82.2 x 60 cm (32 3.8 x 23. 5/8 in.) National Gallery, London</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;">Willem van Haecht (Dutch, 1593-1637) <i>The Gallery of Cornelis van der Geest</i>, 1628. Oil on canvas: 99 x 129.5 cm (39 x 51 in.) Rubenshuis, Antwerp, Belgium</span></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana; text-align: center;">Sandro Botticelli (Italian, c. 1445-1510) <i>Mystic Nativity,</i> 1500. </span><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"> </span><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">Oil on canvas: 108.6. x 74.9 cm (42 7/8 x 29 1/2 in.) National Gallery, London</span></p><p><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">Leonardo da Vinci </span></span></span><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana; text-align: center;">(Italian, c. 1452-1519)</span><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"> </span><i style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">Ginevera de' Benci, </i><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">c. 1474-76</span><i style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">. </i><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">Oil on panel: 38.1 x 37 cm (15 x 14 5/8 in.) National Gallery of Art, </span><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">Washington D.C.</span></p><p><br /></p>Art Eyewitnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347317000349363690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8200843910512523791.post-87197093051981684722023-10-15T10:37:00.002-07:002023-10-15T16:13:55.997-07:00Art Eyewitness Essay: Illuminating Birds, Imagining Nature<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdPPOoSayx6ax-QG1q5YYSfIysQgCKhD-Z4RgGPUfP-vTfov2PBb5Ojgs6EN-28emKX2Zk8IPz_vncvafAZ8Ubm7jZs1tD5H29uHadF25IfBBo_wnBg6NZe1t0NmXyTUDVtp-cLXoqj-bYePZXqOhCPvdK2hNHY5GTL7uO9SGnyRq9AKhRY7TprKSALb4/s1000/Purple%20glossy%20starling.jpg" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="760" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdPPOoSayx6ax-QG1q5YYSfIysQgCKhD-Z4RgGPUfP-vTfov2PBb5Ojgs6EN-28emKX2Zk8IPz_vncvafAZ8Ubm7jZs1tD5H29uHadF25IfBBo_wnBg6NZe1t0NmXyTUDVtp-cLXoqj-bYePZXqOhCPvdK2hNHY5GTL7uO9SGnyRq9AKhRY7TprKSALb4/w304-h400/Purple%20glossy%20starling.jpg" width="304" /></a></p><p></p><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i><b>Illuminating Birds: Drawing as a Way of Knowing</b></i></span></h3><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #202124; text-align: left;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #202124; text-align: left;">The</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; text-align: left;"> Academy of Natural Sciences at Drexel, Philadelphia</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>May to October 2023</b></span></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #202124; font-family: verdana;">Reviewed by Ed Voves </span></p><p><span style="color: #202124; font-family: verdana;">Original photography by Anne Lloyd</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #202124;">Autumn is the time for harvest – of flowers and fruit,
crops of ripened wheat – and ideas. The year is coming into its final flourish. The time to gather in the thoughts and insights which have arisen from the
hard work and ingenuity of countless people is <i>now</i></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #202124;">.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">In the case of Art Eyewitness, this means acknowledging
the museum curators whose efforts I commented upon in our 10<sup>th</sup>
anniversary essay. In fact, the bounty of wonderful exhibitions is so great
that we cannot always schedule a visit in timely fashion to all the special exhibitions we would like to see.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" style="color: #202124; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Occasionally Nature – notice the capital N – gives me a
nudge, a pointed reminder not to let slip an opportunity to review of an important exhibition. <i>Illuminating Birds: Drawing as a Way of Knowing</i>, at the</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"> Academy of the Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, is one such exhibit which had to be acknowledged - and applauded.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i style="color: #202124;">Illuminating Birds, </i><span style="color: #202124;">now in its final days</span><i style="color: #202124;">, </i><span style="color: #202124;">is</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"> devoted to the artists of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries who pioneered the realistic study of avian species around the world. Drawing from the collection of the Academy of Natural Sciences, which was founded in 1812, the curators of the Academy spotlighted the achievements of leading artists from John James Audubon to Roger Tory Peterson. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9XjA8RCVEMhKCc2MINuU7x7pzuv51dspEoZy99lkk7vWMvQaHwLb9nm0p64Emu1fMuCl2ksKN_6NsRQmX4IKqa1jyASkkKSzd3px_p1OH4UHW43l1edxgNcO94L6AytzPGLZ-pW8wpt14qhtsqurrrsW9pUnYY1T4ROmxhwDF2LPFhdhcaFvUnrTDH98/s1066/DSC02716.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1066" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9XjA8RCVEMhKCc2MINuU7x7pzuv51dspEoZy99lkk7vWMvQaHwLb9nm0p64Emu1fMuCl2ksKN_6NsRQmX4IKqa1jyASkkKSzd3px_p1OH4UHW43l1edxgNcO94L6AytzPGLZ-pW8wpt14qhtsqurrrsW9pUnYY1T4ROmxhwDF2LPFhdhcaFvUnrTDH98/w640-h480/DSC02716.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><span><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Gallery view of the <i>Illuminating Birds exhibition, </i>showing a<i> </i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>first edition copy of John James Audubon's <i>Birds of America</i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i></i></div></span></span><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: verdana;"><i></i></span></div><span><div style="text-align: center;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyyBKzhOZkLvkZnkrvna9GIVpgiIfXM5h7EccYVVMMIEQnNR5GoJGLM7yBPx3VHno1-I1r6572HMTi5kv5ZnJGRe0EYITKyCUe64P9-6Jd7IlDD0ankZJyuxbDmwnBYHT3UbeozEGGTUjTPO741F2QI764TjVmi8JoJA-pmdozFCJjoz6lpsdZTGAxTR8/s1034/Audobon%20Black%20Throated%20Diver.jpg" style="background-color: transparent; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="666" data-original-width="1034" height="413" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyyBKzhOZkLvkZnkrvna9GIVpgiIfXM5h7EccYVVMMIEQnNR5GoJGLM7yBPx3VHno1-I1r6572HMTi5kv5ZnJGRe0EYITKyCUe64P9-6Jd7IlDD0ankZJyuxbDmwnBYHT3UbeozEGGTUjTPO741F2QI764TjVmi8JoJA-pmdozFCJjoz6lpsdZTGAxTR8/w640-h413/Audobon%20Black%20Throated%20Diver.jpg" width="640" /></a></p></div></span><br /><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><div style="color: black; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div style="color: black; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>A detail of</b></span><b style="font-family: verdana;"> John James Audubon's <i>Birds of America,</i></b></div><div style="color: black; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;"><i></i>showing Audubon's depiction of the Black Throated Diver</b></div></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana",sans-serif" lang="EN" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">The exhibition announcements sounded fantastic, but with so many art shows to review, the summer months slipped by - and no chance for a review. With the deluge of autumn/winter exhibits looming and a very full fall book list in the works, </span><i style="color: #202124;">Illuminating Birds </i><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #202124;">seemed destined to elude the grasp of Art Eyewitness.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;">Not far from where we live in Philadelphia is a small garden cared for by a devoted community activist. Anne and I refer to this idyllic spot as the "Iris Garden" because these beautiful perennials are a special highlight of the year.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO-e9yW4zHiLDzeTPNennmnpTLi6Qj1GxsVLJSwzEuSJO3zox2iMnPmq6C2cw1UXCm2kDc4YeAeHoacF6j46KdetwtUqB7bD3KDBQvY32ohMmjQgg0r-ypvdy_hpYBu7eqQfefqguh_411NNkiBPBKu9YWhQu8mTxJXolDo3vXZFesuMgdAxou35i_4fg/s1021/iris%20garden%20c.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1021" data-original-width="765" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO-e9yW4zHiLDzeTPNennmnpTLi6Qj1GxsVLJSwzEuSJO3zox2iMnPmq6C2cw1UXCm2kDc4YeAeHoacF6j46KdetwtUqB7bD3KDBQvY32ohMmjQgg0r-ypvdy_hpYBu7eqQfefqguh_411NNkiBPBKu9YWhQu8mTxJXolDo3vXZFesuMgdAxou35i_4fg/w480-h640/iris%20garden%20c.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2021)</b></span></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana;">Iris blossoms, Philadelphia, spring 2021</b></div></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;">Spring is gone and the iris petals are long since withered. Recently, Anne and I decided to check the garden to investigate the status of its mums, another highlight. We were too early for the mums but to our astonishment we caught sight of a hummingbird.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcr3uBHjrfyHzsflFVVJrsAwfEEydBfk2yZTDbuFhy8J49FfIljNAzePE8NQ-EG6v2XUBnqkv6zGRMcY3XtLxFhtCrcK1V01ATBuJowGJGaQz_yQ9E-t4tmSXCr5o6S_DpSRgn3Kj0utkcCEOXc9s95r2oN4bB4mssDghlr7CI68tW9miukU11-vXvW4E/s900/Humingbird.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="701" data-original-width="900" height="498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcr3uBHjrfyHzsflFVVJrsAwfEEydBfk2yZTDbuFhy8J49FfIljNAzePE8NQ-EG6v2XUBnqkv6zGRMcY3XtLxFhtCrcK1V01ATBuJowGJGaQz_yQ9E-t4tmSXCr5o6S_DpSRgn3Kj0utkcCEOXc9s95r2oN4bB4mssDghlr7CI68tW9miukU11-vXvW4E/w640-h498/Humingbird.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana;">Hummingbird, Philadelphia, Summer 2023</b></div></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;">Hummingbirds are drawn to purple flowers, Delphinium, Penstemon (Beardstongue) and Trumpet Flower. I'm not a flower expert but I think the hummingbird we chanced upon was savoring Salvia, a variety of sage.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It was a magical moment, an all too rare encounter of twenty-first century city folk and a winged-denizen of the natural world. Fortunately, both Anne and I had cameras and between the two of us we were able to record the movements of the hummingbird. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio9P5XosHzWs6XpL18tHs-Rv_KIDFu-sKMXBxXgyo6MoSApHgq7iOXJ13VxBNXwqw8VqAUbjkRWiSsBUMvXcVYbqWPzc7RBJEUDdddgf7JYnb_zihu9JJ_v7FAHw3m9O0X4vvxXV35Hb8E5ihr7G8AKYeQVb1m-lxn_s6WXqHg06NB5Ucn5I5x780NmfI/s475/Humingbird%20%20closeup%20Ed%202a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="330" data-original-width="475" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio9P5XosHzWs6XpL18tHs-Rv_KIDFu-sKMXBxXgyo6MoSApHgq7iOXJ13VxBNXwqw8VqAUbjkRWiSsBUMvXcVYbqWPzc7RBJEUDdddgf7JYnb_zihu9JJ_v7FAHw3m9O0X4vvxXV35Hb8E5ihr7G8AKYeQVb1m-lxn_s6WXqHg06NB5Ucn5I5x780NmfI/w400-h278/Humingbird%20%20closeup%20Ed%202a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2023) Hummingbird in Flight</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;">Normally a hummingbird flutters its wings at 75-80 beats per second (faster during mating season). Remarkably a couple of our photos came close to capturing this incredible feat of aerodynamics.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;">When we returned home, my thoughts turned to the exhibition at the Academy of Natural Sciences. The subtitle was especially intriguing: <i>Drawing as a Way of Knowing</i>. If my imagination was sparked by a couple of photos of a hummingbird in a neighborhood garden, how much more inspiring and thought-provoking would an intense session of sketching birds in a more remote setting be!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">The subtitle was indeed key to grasping the theme of the exhibition: the way drawing informs our knowledge of nature - and hopefully increases our empathy for our fellow creatures.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn9NfpmDSPQ2O4mV6Z5PsmWBS_4Pt75Dv3VVoMGYAYBOhkUyLsz4r_C5ahm0HGn9r8kze94GRzmOCpVgVTnFl9R3SJz1dl9oirCo9nuOOV4giK40HGUIPz8dhymhdixY-rTfPcFTyZIWXiS7CVFWhDGU4s6scMoeuIa7kaD6bEDr-X33-fw7u6UFx9HPE/s1330/Ned%20Smith.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="997" data-original-width="1330" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn9NfpmDSPQ2O4mV6Z5PsmWBS_4Pt75Dv3VVoMGYAYBOhkUyLsz4r_C5ahm0HGn9r8kze94GRzmOCpVgVTnFl9R3SJz1dl9oirCo9nuOOV4giK40HGUIPz8dhymhdixY-rTfPcFTyZIWXiS7CVFWhDGU4s6scMoeuIa7kaD6bEDr-X33-fw7u6UFx9HPE/w640-h480/Ned%20Smith.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div><b style="font-family: verdana;">An example of the avian art of Ned Smith (1919-1985),</b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana;"> a noted artist and writer for the Pennsylvania Game Commission</b><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> </span></b></div></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">The animal world has indeed been a major focus of human artists as far back as the Chauvet caves and no doubt much longer. Incredible degrees of authenticity were imparted to the depiction of birds and animals in prehistoric times. With the rise of civilization and urban communities, however, people became increasingly divorced from nature.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">For those interested in nature, the "expert" testimony of others, natural philosophers as they were called during the European Enlightenment, was crucial to their understanding. One of the key works in the Academy's exhibition is a kind of notebook called a "common place" book. It was compiled by an Englishman named Joshua Spencer and dates to the early eighteenth century. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijleUerWflvk04oSw1Elf9XLCXwK9EL7cRvk_pAC2OswClJ-LlK3sseUehs5Nu50AZmpcpSe4by5xHG41lszYXKhRxJ4YwJDb-GwQT3N5p809SHUM_8oB3UtoXuqdL2hl_xn0_DST6O_3FLM3x5W7SkhXr5Ig6zSD27L76xSeBnY7tagmoA8XJy79syvY/s1066/Joshus%20spencer%20Common%20place%20book.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="786" data-original-width="1066" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijleUerWflvk04oSw1Elf9XLCXwK9EL7cRvk_pAC2OswClJ-LlK3sseUehs5Nu50AZmpcpSe4by5xHG41lszYXKhRxJ4YwJDb-GwQT3N5p809SHUM_8oB3UtoXuqdL2hl_xn0_DST6O_3FLM3x5W7SkhXr5Ig6zSD27L76xSeBnY7tagmoA8XJy79syvY/w640-h472/Joshus%20spencer%20Common%20place%20book.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div><b style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana;">Joshua Spencer's Commonplace Book, ca. 1729</b></div></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Spencer was what we would call today an "armchair naturalist" jotting down notes from his reading of the leading scholars of his day such as Sir Isaac Newton and John Ray. He also drew highly detailed, if imaginative, depictions of animals from accounts </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;">by European explorers and travelers.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">I suspect that the Egyptian Leaper which Spencer drew, "faced like a ferret, body moving like a cat", was based on an early report of a lemur. It's the kind of naive, if enthusiastic, scholarship that makes the manuscripts and documents related to "natural philosophy" such compelling witnesses to the past.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Spencer's commonplace book sets the stage for the first-hand exactitude of nineteenth century nature artists like Audubon. Their fieldwork, often accomplished under difficult and dangerous conditions, is a theme of the <i>Illuminating Birds</i> exhibition. Our knowledge of nature, especially of avian life, is based on the dedication of these intrepid artists.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">There is a dark side, however, to art and science during the early nineteenth century. In the days before high-speed camera lenses, artists in the wild needed to supplement their sketchbook with a different "point-and-shoot" instrument, the black-powder rifle or shotgun.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzF_3VfKko1Solrt-OGltz5ZeL2rxHW1qQY1h5Q1h77mdw9qwyawuWx2kp0Gffuc_zakGONpXh4a4n4R-Jk024dIJSfTrEtVEolgnBFfPTm3bu-SwmfwuAxhf0mSDoh2B3ha8lU0-JQy1v2gVd-_elg7VwRtssXIb0NNDupop19pnD9J54eORKLTWZCH0/s1100/Dead%20Parrot%20Macaw.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="796" data-original-width="1100" height="464" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzF_3VfKko1Solrt-OGltz5ZeL2rxHW1qQY1h5Q1h77mdw9qwyawuWx2kp0Gffuc_zakGONpXh4a4n4R-Jk024dIJSfTrEtVEolgnBFfPTm3bu-SwmfwuAxhf0mSDoh2B3ha8lU0-JQy1v2gVd-_elg7VwRtssXIb0NNDupop19pnD9J54eORKLTWZCH0/w640-h464/Dead%20Parrot%20Macaw.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;">Preserved bodies or "birdskins" of </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;">the Red-winged Parrot (left) and the Scarlet Macaw</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;">In order to study the "birds of America", Audubon needed to shoot them. He was a noted marksman and he killed thousands of birds to compile the stock of specimens required for his detailed examination. So did other artists during the early days of scientific study of avian life.</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVGUToTbWZjz_ypytI6z1G2ZoYGhJ3djGoyjElwgrRG4fmdeLO16VEM2GPqck-uva4F0CuQYvPl_XEv3m4-fZDAkoOWjJGJR0OfwKkG_D0EL-Q3jxwdR1x9xaL2uiBSFXgNtPDkhfcogTWjlEhBCbx1EOME7sasWN_FPrY6QE5uzx1YtYVMYtsiVYa78w/s1066/Dead%20Macaw.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="820" data-original-width="1066" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVGUToTbWZjz_ypytI6z1G2ZoYGhJ3djGoyjElwgrRG4fmdeLO16VEM2GPqck-uva4F0CuQYvPl_XEv3m4-fZDAkoOWjJGJR0OfwKkG_D0EL-Q3jxwdR1x9xaL2uiBSFXgNtPDkhfcogTWjlEhBCbx1EOME7sasWN_FPrY6QE5uzx1YtYVMYtsiVYa78w/w400-h308/Dead%20Macaw.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>The preserved specimens of birds displayed in the Academy of Natural Sciences exhibition make for unpleasant viewing. </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;">The tragic fate of magnificent creatures like the Scarlet Macaw (above) signifies more than just the unfortunate price of "clinical" science. The close observation of nature produced abundant evidence of "red in tooth and claw" behavior. This was very unsettling to sensitive souls who wished</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;"> to preserve the comforting illusion of God's creation as a refuge from the heartless, human world of the Industrial Revolution.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;">A new creed, Social Darwinism, harnessed to rigorous, fact-based, scientific method, replaced the engaging pictures of gentleman amateurs like Joshua Spencer and romantic ideas about nature. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;">The results of Victorian-era bird watching (and shooting) were methodically recorded and specimens of exotic birds carefully mounted for the edification of the public. According to its website, the Academy of Natural Sciences has 205,000 avian study skins (preserved bodies of birds) and 17,000 tissue samples in its Ornithology Collection. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhatmahlE110Ivs06RrYgUj1h8G7VGSQn2wciuo_cB08eEpLMU0Lp-zTztpgCXzQ8q5mZOwc3PFJlUPRwcCB8XPYYLQleAids4sNyo-ihClxsoUxzOuIU8aGcNoV4kd-FLjlX97El5d_WsZEtOI8T6sWc06xGrknJ8vfBt9MrB977uU8fGRwgyIiEouim8/s1005/Bird%20case.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="926" data-original-width="1005" height="590" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhatmahlE110Ivs06RrYgUj1h8G7VGSQn2wciuo_cB08eEpLMU0Lp-zTztpgCXzQ8q5mZOwc3PFJlUPRwcCB8XPYYLQleAids4sNyo-ihClxsoUxzOuIU8aGcNoV4kd-FLjlX97El5d_WsZEtOI8T6sWc06xGrknJ8vfBt9MrB977uU8fGRwgyIiEouim8/w640-h590/Bird%20case.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;">Gallery view of </b><b><span style="color: #202124; font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; text-align: left;"><i>Illuminating Birds: Drawing as a Way of Knowing</i></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> </span></b></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #222222;">The nineteenth century attitude to the natural world, especially avian life, led to a vast extension of knowledge but also to the ruthless slaughter of birds. Some species were hunted to extinction like the Carolina Parrot or Parakeet, the only native parrot species living in the eastern U.S, and the subject for one of the most brilliant illustrations in </span><a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2015/11/audubon-to-warhol-art-of-american-still.html"><span style="color: #1100ff;">Audubon's </span></a><i><a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2015/11/audubon-to-warhol-art-of-american-still.html"><span style="color: #1100ff;">Birds of America</span></a><span style="color: #222222;"> </span><span style="color: #0e0e0e;">.</span></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><span style="color: #0e0e0e;"><br /></span></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSBq9-w5RBI6QDQyPl3UjZIjjJSQst7fE-S8ntnOmsJq8V2gQFKhm0kLtYvzgeHuLkT6qgBJ1VWMFfwX9gmy4ey-Z-6rsP68DbRY9lNOFPvj4C6lWBuQ4KZkpa9loFj1GkT8GzszEw6MDcxU5ZtX-0iGwdeH_32vMzXBZouJsMaB1AfuYUSWEz2r06Fys/s1200/great%20Indian%20hornbill.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="765" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSBq9-w5RBI6QDQyPl3UjZIjjJSQst7fE-S8ntnOmsJq8V2gQFKhm0kLtYvzgeHuLkT6qgBJ1VWMFfwX9gmy4ey-Z-6rsP68DbRY9lNOFPvj4C6lWBuQ4KZkpa9loFj1GkT8GzszEw6MDcxU5ZtX-0iGwdeH_32vMzXBZouJsMaB1AfuYUSWEz2r06Fys/w408-h640/great%20Indian%20hornbill.jpg" width="408" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> Preserved body of the Great Indian Hornbill</b></span></div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;">Despite the sobering tone of this essay, </span><span style="color: #202124; font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><i>Illuminating Birds: Drawing as a Way of Knowing</i></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;"> is ultimately very encouraging in showing how the interaction of human beings with the natural world can evolve in more positive ways. </span></p></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;">Drawing remains central to the process of knowing and nurturing, as the life of Louis Agassiz Fuertes (1874-1927) testifies. The son of a brilliant engineer and astronomer from Puerto Rico who came to the U.S. to teach at Cornell University, Fuertes was fascinated by birds from childhood. Over the course of his life, Fuertes set new standards of excellence in depicting birds and mammals in the wild, without adding, unduly, to the carnage of earlier eras.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguf7B-XsHYMRdZwcVbFIn5MhMttPmujPGvXS0A79oRbldlPXoY4NfGQIIDvYtMLFw-XFsjvWe271lT_VAT7kQpLCAUXk9PHrRy0AA3FdoTC5XBLbzJjkh_pmj8NFY0LfOErhiXEH7q7If_9cyEOj7hY4mwtelWToOy8MCN3DJM2KsCC7FamNA8tTZ-YOc/s600/Louis_Agassiz_Fuertes,_a_portrait_painter_of_wild_birds.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="479" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguf7B-XsHYMRdZwcVbFIn5MhMttPmujPGvXS0A79oRbldlPXoY4NfGQIIDvYtMLFw-XFsjvWe271lT_VAT7kQpLCAUXk9PHrRy0AA3FdoTC5XBLbzJjkh_pmj8NFY0LfOErhiXEH7q7If_9cyEOj7hY4mwtelWToOy8MCN3DJM2KsCC7FamNA8tTZ-YOc/w319-h400/Louis_Agassiz_Fuertes,_a_portrait_painter_of_wild_birds.jpg" width="319" /></a></div><b><br /></b><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Louis Agassiz Fuertes (1874-1927)</b></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;">Initially, the young Fuertes used a sling shot instead of a rifle to create his own collection of "study skins". But, in teaching himself to draw, Fuertes developed amazing skills in direct observation and detailed recollection of what he saw. By his early teen years, Fuertes was painting superb avian portraits and at the age of seventeen, he was inducted as an Associate Member of the American Ornithologists Union. It was but the beginning of a storied career as the greatest American nature artist except for Audubon.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;">Fuertes took part in a number of high-profile scientific expeditions to Alaska, Central and South America and finally to Ethiopia. The <i>Illuminating Birds</i> exhibition displays several of his portraits of rare bird species from these, still remote, regions of the world when he ventured there.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4VJTRNmybZF5RFa47nbqn5txX1VRfExO6EyQGLsf2lr_ZrB7VlCTrJ1WY6Rm4zks5WbbodylfntjyeWPnDrSdMYx6wtz2CZieNu3rDreUEDiTF4UIBduAXY266jObaUOz86gsWpO2MQ63MbaFYruj8o9spqqZUDJSEEiDi_iVY6XEqMsLQokJ6ERtcAo/s1033/common%20Potoo.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1033" data-original-width="633" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4VJTRNmybZF5RFa47nbqn5txX1VRfExO6EyQGLsf2lr_ZrB7VlCTrJ1WY6Rm4zks5WbbodylfntjyeWPnDrSdMYx6wtz2CZieNu3rDreUEDiTF4UIBduAXY266jObaUOz86gsWpO2MQ63MbaFYruj8o9spqqZUDJSEEiDi_iVY6XEqMsLQokJ6ERtcAo/w245-h400/common%20Potoo.JPG" width="245" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2fX3rEx14_NVOcJENipmir-5XCrGDiGy67kIA850bd1Jgy_Bp6NWExQiXCTOQcg49bQ_xg-Op-HNFc700ECm5c8K2rFHSes0P1LTmsBCyC6zuMBRcZq_Ak4WU7Qff8u39AqIruKh27rj0lbjviH15VFkeCndL6SjYW_kRUh4q5Dvy8NG2Xly4w33ikMM/s984/emerald%20toucanet.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="815" data-original-width="984" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2fX3rEx14_NVOcJENipmir-5XCrGDiGy67kIA850bd1Jgy_Bp6NWExQiXCTOQcg49bQ_xg-Op-HNFc700ECm5c8K2rFHSes0P1LTmsBCyC6zuMBRcZq_Ak4WU7Qff8u39AqIruKh27rj0lbjviH15VFkeCndL6SjYW_kRUh4q5Dvy8NG2Xly4w33ikMM/w400-h331/emerald%20toucanet.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photos (2023)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;"><b>Bird paintings by Louis Agassiz Fuertes:</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;"><b>the Common Potoo (top) and the Emerald Toucanet</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;">Having survived the rigors of the expedition to Ethiopia in 1927, Fuertes met with his friend, Frank Chapman, curator of the American Natural History Museum. On the drive home, Fuertes came to a railroad crossing not far from where he lived. Local farmers had stacked bales of hay along the tracks, obscuring his vision. Fuertes' car was struck by a train as he tried to cross and he was killed.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfsXLdwQaAQ4BaeY4aHKjvgH7gxB7EZjWX9GKMAiHAZnDRr8aDXC_Knt2EVaTOXt-jTPelL1hh-_p0B0v2OEiwf4pa5PojfLQOZjWSglPeUrnB_vtXPtBnSOguefuhwLzbn7OrG_Vs0QZAHbrLWpfVvGWIWQ8JY5rLHOdaKyB13LSqwhyphenhyphenkoEmANPRCJIg/s761/Louis%20Fuertes%20paintbox.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="753" data-original-width="761" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfsXLdwQaAQ4BaeY4aHKjvgH7gxB7EZjWX9GKMAiHAZnDRr8aDXC_Knt2EVaTOXt-jTPelL1hh-_p0B0v2OEiwf4pa5PojfLQOZjWSglPeUrnB_vtXPtBnSOguefuhwLzbn7OrG_Vs0QZAHbrLWpfVvGWIWQ8JY5rLHOdaKyB13LSqwhyphenhyphenkoEmANPRCJIg/w400-h396/Louis%20Fuertes%20paintbox.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;"><b>The paintbox of Louis Agassiz Fuertes</b></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;">Fuertes' death came when he was at the height of his powers as an artist and a naturalist. It was a tragic loss, yet by the time of his death, Fuertes had raised the standard of avian art in the U.S. to heights of accuracy and sensitivity that still command respect today.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;">In 2002, a colorful parrot, native to the South American nation of Colombia, was rediscovered. It had not been seen in ninety-two years and was presumed to be extinct. The bird, still on the endangered list, was named <i>Hapalopsittaca fuertesi </i>or </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;">Fuertes parrot.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;">City boy that I am, I doubt if I will ever see a Fuertes parrot flying about in my neighborhood - or anywhere else. But thanks to the work of great nature artists like Louis Agassiz Fuertes and this insightful exhibition at the the Academy of Natural Sciences, I am not going to lose sight of the importance of "drawing as a way of knowing."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;">***</span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Text: Copyright of Ed Voves, all rights reserved.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;">Original photography, copyright of Anne
Lloyd.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;">The introductory image to the essay shows a Purple Glossy Starling from the collection of the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, PA. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;">The photo of </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;">Louis Agassiz Fuertes</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;"> comes from the collection of the American Museum of Natural History, New York City.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br /></p></div>Art Eyewitnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347317000349363690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8200843910512523791.post-67443069454636957482023-09-28T05:37:00.000-07:002023-09-28T05:37:04.496-07:00Art Eyewitness Review: Manet/Degas at the Metropolitan Museum of Art<p></p><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWp48qB08jOneLfQa06nfzKsVqAe0bvw3uprxtabFFRgeDCIer08haRdmp3kxwoNRCOJTnPwOrEbwBc4tH3kJEwTb0vrxV1DkhWOuitI314fFRhdcHDoLthKqIJ5X8DL0WZi6b8_8NQUH4gXW00VaSJkXV40LDMdjcE3g9tz_QY6j5xHZrvNvPnLGkffA/s900/Manet%20Degas%20Lead.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="587" data-original-width="900" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWp48qB08jOneLfQa06nfzKsVqAe0bvw3uprxtabFFRgeDCIer08haRdmp3kxwoNRCOJTnPwOrEbwBc4tH3kJEwTb0vrxV1DkhWOuitI314fFRhdcHDoLthKqIJ5X8DL0WZi6b8_8NQUH4gXW00VaSJkXV40LDMdjcE3g9tz_QY6j5xHZrvNvPnLGkffA/w400-h261/Manet%20Degas%20Lead.jpg" width="400" /></a><br /><br /><h3><i style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Manet/Degas</b></i></h3><div><i style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></i></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Metropolitan Museum of Art</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>September 24, 2023 - January 7, 2024</b></span></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reviewed by Ed Voves</b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Original Photography by Anne Lloyd</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Every ten years, the Metropolitan Museum of Art presents an epic, "once-in-a-lifetime" exhibition devoted to Impressionism. Occasionally, the curators at the Met show two "show-stopper" Impressionist-era exhibits in quick succession. 2023 is one such banner year. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Van Gogh's Cypresses</i> had hardly completed its three month run on August 27, than an even bigger blockbuster, <i>Manet/Degas</i>, took center stage at 82nd and Fifth Avenue. Building on the Met's rich holdings of paintings and works-on-paper by these celebrated French artists, the Metropolitan curators cast their net and hauled in spectacular loans from museums in the U.S. and Europe. The Musée d’Orsay – where a version of <i>Manet/Degas </i>was shown a few months earlier – was particularly generous in sharing its treasures. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Manet/Degas </i>can trace its pedigree to an "ancestry" of Impressionist exhibitions which no other U.S. museum can match. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The succession of "once-in-a-lifetime" shows at the Met began with the centennial retrospective, <i>Manet</i>, in 1983. I made it to this exhibit, elbowing my way through throngs of art lovers to behold Manet's final masterwork, </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">A</span><i> Bar at the Fo</i><i>lies-Bergère</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">, which was making a very rare visit to the U.S. from London's Courtauld Institute.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQpE5TNdk5nm4caSA85LZ_iAE2GdGS42Jfz6-zr_04C3KwHtnpumO01PjYb2XzdkI8kOpsaWYb6Q850Jl9r8uWn4X1qyL0I4rt-EdGF7UPmUn8Cd1fJpkhAoyJqo98mSSWosoGa5IO0emkXuZlM8B7esGyLcV2gnMAkdXtjXz8iO9NDTGjE5aMufzihzs/s1000/p16028coll14_5145_full.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="1000" height="429" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQpE5TNdk5nm4caSA85LZ_iAE2GdGS42Jfz6-zr_04C3KwHtnpumO01PjYb2XzdkI8kOpsaWYb6Q850Jl9r8uWn4X1qyL0I4rt-EdGF7UPmUn8Cd1fJpkhAoyJqo98mSSWosoGa5IO0emkXuZlM8B7esGyLcV2gnMAkdXtjXz8iO9NDTGjE5aMufzihzs/w640-h429/p16028coll14_5145_full.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Al Mozell, Photo (1983)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> Gallery view of the 1983 </span><i style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Manet </i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">retrospective at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Photo courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art</span></b></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ten years - and a few months - later, two spectacular Impressionist exhibits were shown at the Met in 1994. These were </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Degas Landscapes</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> and </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Origins of Impressionism</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">. I missed seeing these shows, but, on the basis of studying the catalog of </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Origins</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">, it is a certitude that they were in the grand Met tradition.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9XlketugNZ8vKGzrGCkZ0lclc5lvl8Bjc-Wuv5DkCA4Dh_oU4oQzynAsxL9O6bwk2pNWJ5uEyH6HE714S0Ly7PXCq-1A1R4P00kijHF1t2v6T3Q6WuALUtxyG_Ohoq9IeK7pnOTPWmmCHdKKZMxzlD4LPhAqOojc8M1ggaZzQPlsWW9jMtYcf8gwdtrQ/s987/Manet%20Spanish.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="987" data-original-width="745" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9XlketugNZ8vKGzrGCkZ0lclc5lvl8Bjc-Wuv5DkCA4Dh_oU4oQzynAsxL9O6bwk2pNWJ5uEyH6HE714S0Ly7PXCq-1A1R4P00kijHF1t2v6T3Q6WuALUtxyG_Ohoq9IeK7pnOTPWmmCHdKKZMxzlD4LPhAqOojc8M1ggaZzQPlsWW9jMtYcf8gwdtrQ/w484-h640/Manet%20Spanish.jpg" width="484" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222;"> <b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </b></span></span><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Édouard</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> Manet's<i> </i></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Lola de Valance</i>,1862</span></b></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">In 2003, <i>Manet/Velzquez</i> traced the Spanish roots of French 19th century art, and in 2013, <i>Impressionism: Fashion and Modernity </i>matched the haute couture of the age of Manet and Degas with some of the most beloved paintings by these masters of Impressionism and colleagues including Claude Monet and <a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2015/07/gustave-caillebotte-painters-eye-at.html"><span style="color: #2b00ff;">Gustave Caillebotte. <span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span></a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I won't try to further describe these earlier Met exhibits because I'm going to need a full supply of superlatives for <i>Manet/Degas</i>. Given the enthusiastic response at the press preview, the Met's exhibition history is about to repeat itself. I am already bracing myself for the "</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">throngs of art lovers" which I encountered back in 1983, 2003 and 2013.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #0c0c0c;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0c0c0c;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW2jdX7fP27H_r_s_5uxDmyTIi3WdV6sRIHpSzUr5FdK_pbje-JVNOWSd4_yqASim9lKZ18GutIhOxdycEqB8kYZxaXesOgPt-EW5PBqXsOB51s2hg03N1aYWOJIP-cgCN7MdzKrf3vXD6deUffyxeGz-GPciP3_B6NpkMEfptHMiFIYL4KUVNp6UBdl8/s1182/DSC01430.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1182" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW2jdX7fP27H_r_s_5uxDmyTIi3WdV6sRIHpSzUr5FdK_pbje-JVNOWSd4_yqASim9lKZ18GutIhOxdycEqB8kYZxaXesOgPt-EW5PBqXsOB51s2hg03N1aYWOJIP-cgCN7MdzKrf3vXD6deUffyxeGz-GPciP3_B6NpkMEfptHMiFIYL4KUVNp6UBdl8/w305-h400/DSC01430.jpg" width="305" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #0c0c0c;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023 )</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> Gallery view of the <i>Manet/Degas </i>exhibit</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> showing</span><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> </span></b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Édouard</b></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> </span><b><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Manet’s </span><i style="color: black; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">The Balcony</span></i><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">, 1868–69</span></b></div></span><p></p><p><span style="color: #0c0c0c;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana;">The relationship of Édouard</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana;"> Manet (1832-1883) and Edgar Degas (1834-1917) is a classic case of the attraction of opposites. Manet was charismatic, competitive and radical in politics and in art. Degas, an introvert by nature and often abrasive in his personal opinions, was generous in his support of fellow painters, especially women artists like Mary Cassatt.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #0c0c0c;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #0c0c0c;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0c0c0c;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNziYXUyvig-DMq1LyZkrfuQqB-krXkL8PcAtVZXUPzU1IouOJv09TTMdDHdYsgOe_62jOD6x9ay6csyjFJh3bja_Ib_q-OneqfRloFwZ25BgYd7eZtMayqueZSNZjxS3uDozX2jRCOSabEbNebOh2042PbYUViwooI3QgJhAmt0FRCNZ4MIBvu3jIcro/s1024/Degas%20Cassatt.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNziYXUyvig-DMq1LyZkrfuQqB-krXkL8PcAtVZXUPzU1IouOJv09TTMdDHdYsgOe_62jOD6x9ay6csyjFJh3bja_Ib_q-OneqfRloFwZ25BgYd7eZtMayqueZSNZjxS3uDozX2jRCOSabEbNebOh2042PbYUViwooI3QgJhAmt0FRCNZ4MIBvu3jIcro/w500-h640/Degas%20Cassatt.jpg" width="500" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #0c0c0c;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Edgar </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Degas’</span><i style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> Visit to the Museum</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">, 1879-90</span></b></div></span><p></p><p><span style="color: #0c0c0c;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana;">It is to be expected that many visitors to <i>Manet/Degas</i> will debate the relative merits of the two French artists. The Met exhibition is exceptionally thorough in its inclusion of major works from all stages of their respective careers. If one is inclined to make comparisons, with a "Best Artist" award in mind, there are plenty of paintings and drawings to support a judgement, pro or con, Manet or Degas.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #0c0c0c;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #0c0c0c;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0c0c0c;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk1KfvKXAxTHcO_5Fcp3qijyiLClxAxBWolE0E4HMsBu05xJynjjnKA7FAnZnX28WZ2snaK_hJGJ01mzzHybda4OcwcwMYok9VB5VtrjkmyfFx5d97T5HLnI2Zk4k_lPgmIq7475-mDK9rM7m5kqBa7JrZ3afpqhX4Agp-_CeJH9NG2gFx0KBVE5ttjlE/s1000/Maet%20Degas%20gallery.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="748" data-original-width="1000" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk1KfvKXAxTHcO_5Fcp3qijyiLClxAxBWolE0E4HMsBu05xJynjjnKA7FAnZnX28WZ2snaK_hJGJ01mzzHybda4OcwcwMYok9VB5VtrjkmyfFx5d97T5HLnI2Zk4k_lPgmIq7475-mDK9rM7m5kqBa7JrZ3afpqhX4Agp-_CeJH9NG2gFx0KBVE5ttjlE/w640-h478/Maet%20Degas%20gallery.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #0c0c0c;"><div><span style="color: #0c0c0c;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> Gallery view of the <i>Manet/Degas exhibit </i>showing </span><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Edgar Dega</span><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">s'</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> </span><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i>The Bellelli Family</i>, 1858-69, on the far wall.</span></b></div></span><p><span style="color: #0c0c0c;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana;">It is better, I feel, to consider the relationship of Manet and Degas as one of synergy, not competition. They addressed similar or contrasting themes, if not in tandem, then certainly in reaction - to each other and to the world around them. Appraising each other's works and acutely conscious of the spirit of their times, Manet and Degas played pivotal roles in creating the matrix of modern art.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #0c0c0c;">The careers of Manet and Degas are entangled by irony. Manet paved the way to Impressionism while refusing to participate in the Impressionist salons held between 1874 to 1886. Degas was one of the most energetic organizers of these group exhibitions, yet he regarded himself a "realist" and a disciple of the great advocate of meticulous drawing, Jean August Dominique Ingres. What Ingres would have thought about Degas' late-career </span><a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2016/05/edgar-degas-strange-new-beauty-at.html"><span style="color: #0d00ff;">monotype prints</span></a><span style="color: #0c0c0c;">, some of which come close to abstract art, can hardly be imagined.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJsXwoTLEjMjr85oRk30ubG8DnAPiUPgPkOylh5M3KNkZQMFeWvLPaWfOTZCHUTf3Go_Lomhyt1vs3pNwc70aDRfIjizaFFV4eAZ_5LgSeCRk1CQIzCsgQRXtKD5LGuYizFLkQhc7UIrIYuWT6Bheeg1NB2flBbit5sQysyARBSl-e4jRcGxls5jE6GgY/s950/Degas%20horses.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="712" data-original-width="950" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJsXwoTLEjMjr85oRk30ubG8DnAPiUPgPkOylh5M3KNkZQMFeWvLPaWfOTZCHUTf3Go_Lomhyt1vs3pNwc70aDRfIjizaFFV4eAZ_5LgSeCRk1CQIzCsgQRXtKD5LGuYizFLkQhc7UIrIYuWT6Bheeg1NB2flBbit5sQysyARBSl-e4jRcGxls5jE6GgY/w640-h480/Degas%20horses.jpg" width="640" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; text-align: left;"> Detail of Edgar Degas’ </span><i style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN">Racehorses before the Stands</span></i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">, 1866–68</span></b></div><br /></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;">Degas' early works, as we will discuss, certainly show the influence of classical French art. But, by the time he died in 1917, old and nearly blind, Degas had created some of the most innovative works of art of the nineteenth century. Manet, despite his early death, left a formidable body of paintings and prints. While some are surprisingly indifferent in quality, others like his portrait of </span><i style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;">Emile Zola</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;"> are worthy rivals of the Old Masters.</span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNuZmx-vZbTMhm_gNmCwOkixh245UCy9-Q2I1GKv4A3GTJZwIEA7dwIk86LjiT95RhlLDSEDnR9FdBgOSTiWjnoCJU_yoLa6_7PT-jVCspquvi3aekp55h9y5G6hU5ThKMx5rKv3XEOQUU8GFl_aRZjoIt4u5k8ujm7iwHiEqlFnaqjJGqMc0RpnLzDGQ/s1000/Manet%20Zola%20II.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="775" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNuZmx-vZbTMhm_gNmCwOkixh245UCy9-Q2I1GKv4A3GTJZwIEA7dwIk86LjiT95RhlLDSEDnR9FdBgOSTiWjnoCJU_yoLa6_7PT-jVCspquvi3aekp55h9y5G6hU5ThKMx5rKv3XEOQUU8GFl_aRZjoIt4u5k8ujm7iwHiEqlFnaqjJGqMc0RpnLzDGQ/w496-h640/Manet%20Zola%20II.jpg" width="496" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> </i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Édouard</span><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> Manet’s</span><i style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> Emile Zola, </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">1868</span></b></div><p><i style="font-family: verdana;">Manet/Degas </i><span style="font-family: verdana;">abounds in its presentation of Impressionist masterpieces, works you've seen time and again in reproduction. I thought at times that I was walking through the pages of an art history text rather than a museum gallery!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyJyW6vrCPKQl7YwSQ-_l5igNde6UFhxzWPca1uUBfSdTpSzAkbbhD233_VB15MBVDYVluSI8fLMv7GHKjE4DrJcn3yE_1yLALjySFvdNTJc8X_P3eQ1oiX30-3arTCquVlBgma8NdiI7jLvl7zMGaKa-V2kXqzpVehlqiwRBzU8JYvRfwjcguCrzJmFc/s951/Ed%20Manet%20II.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="686" data-original-width="951" height="462" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyJyW6vrCPKQl7YwSQ-_l5igNde6UFhxzWPca1uUBfSdTpSzAkbbhD233_VB15MBVDYVluSI8fLMv7GHKjE4DrJcn3yE_1yLALjySFvdNTJc8X_P3eQ1oiX30-3arTCquVlBgma8NdiI7jLvl7zMGaKa-V2kXqzpVehlqiwRBzU8JYvRfwjcguCrzJmFc/w640-h462/Ed%20Manet%20II.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Édouard</span><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> Manet’s<i> Olympia</i>, 1863-65</span></b></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Exhibit "A" in <i>Manet/Degas </i>is </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Olympia</i>,.Manet's uncompromising nude is still a work which can stop you in your tracks.But, situated among other great paintings by Manet and Degas, it no longer exhales the breath </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">of scandal. Rather, in the words of the great art critic, John Canaday, </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Olympia</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> "a picture of a common girl, happens to be one of the most elegant paintings of its century ..."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Olympia</i> was also uncompromisingly honest, as we can see in the expression of Victorine Meurent, who modeled for Manet. These are eyes that have seen how the world - the real world - works.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7kRWmsBzXIGUUIjzYYpNsPtikxmYMTdmEN8SU_waJy5nNmF4Fmc-I9AbAe6JqGy98hoWw87OG0l-OPv4_-FfjBPMVeB9U5CaQIUPcXffwAjuHY8SIWx-wzHAD70XbjFxKIkR7mD2HqJCWnd_k3NOiJXiv2WeoSgpNMloQzMoAw1hT_QsXSzJwH7Q8_vM/s933/Olympia%20face.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="933" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7kRWmsBzXIGUUIjzYYpNsPtikxmYMTdmEN8SU_waJy5nNmF4Fmc-I9AbAe6JqGy98hoWw87OG0l-OPv4_-FfjBPMVeB9U5CaQIUPcXffwAjuHY8SIWx-wzHAD70XbjFxKIkR7mD2HqJCWnd_k3NOiJXiv2WeoSgpNMloQzMoAw1hT_QsXSzJwH7Q8_vM/w400-h300/Olympia%20face.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">As Canaday further noted, </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Manet's challenged the smug hypocrisy of France under the regime of Napoleon III. Manet was simply being truthful about the society of his era. Paris in the mid-1800's had 200 officially registered houses of prostitution, some of which were sponsored by the French government for the benefit of foreign dignitaries like the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The French political and cultural elite were not pleased to see the reality of life so clinically revealed. Manet was subjected to prolonged censure and condemnation which cast a shadow over his prospects for years to come. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Degas, after a false start doing allegorical paintings, followed Manet's example. His portrait of a working class woman drowning her sorrows in a glass of absinthe, is one of the great examples of high art serving as social commentary.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGVt_OgxyPlz9XKo4t7b3Ka8jjPS-IAHgYS1iPhWECex4hvC6H84WolPWT3cFQ-2GJSR_KTGyZj8028L7nZ__SITg-2QHhy0YyrbAjonmPhEi2dtPQzKmhGlehbwMnC3pdj6SIpVsneSxym4EPZZTOT_LQkGq0T_PZ_PQwoG1crZzu8cIDn7ckgdfqPUY/s900/Absinthe.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="873" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGVt_OgxyPlz9XKo4t7b3Ka8jjPS-IAHgYS1iPhWECex4hvC6H84WolPWT3cFQ-2GJSR_KTGyZj8028L7nZ__SITg-2QHhy0YyrbAjonmPhEi2dtPQzKmhGlehbwMnC3pdj6SIpVsneSxym4EPZZTOT_LQkGq0T_PZ_PQwoG1crZzu8cIDn7ckgdfqPUY/w388-h400/Absinthe.jpg" width="388" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; text-align: left;"> Detail of Edgar Degas' </span><i style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN">In a Café (The Absinthe Drinker</span></i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">)</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">, 1875–76</span></b></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Both Manet and Degas aspired to be a "painter of modern life", a form of social activism outlined in the 1863 essay by Charles Baudelaire, whom we shall meet later. The <i>Manet/Degas </i>exhibition brilliantly illustrates how these two artists of genius approached that role.<br /></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Early in the 1860's, Manet met Degas at the Louvre where the later was working on an etching after a portrait by Velazquez. There could not have been a better way to foster a friendly rivalry than a shared fascination with the art of the great seventeenth century Spanish master. </span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">"Good clean work," Manet declared approvingly of Velazquez' painterly technique, "It puts you off the brown-sauce school."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">"Brown sauce" or "gravy" was the dismissive rebuke which young artists of the 1860's hurled at the somber-toned, heavily varnished paintings favored at the annual Salon of the Acad</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">émie des Beaux-Arts. On that point, Manet and Degas could agree, but only a few years later, an incredibly cruel and thoughtless act by Manet imperiled their relationship.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">One evening, Degas attended a musical recital during which Manet's wife, Suzanne, a talented pianist, performed. Degas decided to surprise the Manets with a double portrait of them, painted from memory. Suzanne was shown at the keyboard with Manet lounging on a sofa absorbed by the music. It was a touching gesture from a man who usually guarded his emotions.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivU4qzQsaJJmnTS5vzSvcuf6z6nGbkjfhsU9-SLrlgB486h6-IW017-SjhuRJgusefSD16L3EqSZOO9vLbIGoE6DfNOpLNh6YIyRLpTqufg-tSD1CAtbxRN02YYjahGHwwSQIXBigVgEHRxJZozl1sGYJ1hssMkjCbISJTrthsF-sUJj___KYCzSmOH6s/s1000/Degas_Monsieur%20and%20Madame%20Edouard%20Manet,%201868-69_Kitakyushu.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="904" data-original-width="1000" height="578" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivU4qzQsaJJmnTS5vzSvcuf6z6nGbkjfhsU9-SLrlgB486h6-IW017-SjhuRJgusefSD16L3EqSZOO9vLbIGoE6DfNOpLNh6YIyRLpTqufg-tSD1CAtbxRN02YYjahGHwwSQIXBigVgEHRxJZozl1sGYJ1hssMkjCbISJTrthsF-sUJj___KYCzSmOH6s/w640-h578/Degas_Monsieur%20and%20Madame%20Edouard%20Manet,%201868-69_Kitakyushu.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Edgar Degas </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> </span><i style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN">Monsieur and Madame Édouard Manet</span></i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">, 1868–69</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Courtesy of Kitakyushu Municipal Museum</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Manet was not impressed by the painting and - after Degas departed - he slashed the portrait of Suzanne with a penknife, discarding what he considered a "defamation" of his wife's features. Manet then portrayed Suzanne in a similar pose - no doubt to show Degas how it should have been done. </span></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvpv71YZQzDtV-f_NYXUl3lOGlR2j2xkyFB9FR9tqVWwQ4Gpo33qZjXaJypHNT58AgIc4-wmUlVRzBfETRp2NpdxVXgK0rn8DUVLjyrSsRWEU_OekTHgSmYRIW_jxFayhvv7ZJd3BIvEuv63VYG6PKuSwrFjsmubpVMxCnDWn8vRLmZrn2l0HhKiprGhc/s1037/Manet%20piano.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="873" data-original-width="1037" height="538" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvpv71YZQzDtV-f_NYXUl3lOGlR2j2xkyFB9FR9tqVWwQ4Gpo33qZjXaJypHNT58AgIc4-wmUlVRzBfETRp2NpdxVXgK0rn8DUVLjyrSsRWEU_OekTHgSmYRIW_jxFayhvv7ZJd3BIvEuv63VYG6PKuSwrFjsmubpVMxCnDWn8vRLmZrn2l0HhKiprGhc/w640-h538/Manet%20piano.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Édouard</span><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> Manet’s <i>Madam Manet at the Piano</i>, ca. 1868-68</span></b></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Needless to say, Degas was deeply hurt by this act. He demanded the "offending" painting back and returned a still life that Manet had given him.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Historians are still puzzled by this incident. Degas' portrait of Manet was not particularly accomplished, especially when compared to the superb sketches which Degas often made of Manet. Perhaps the likeness of Suzanne Manet was not up to Degas' usual standards, either. But the painting had been created from memory, no easy task, and it was given as<i> </i>an act of friendship.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Only an artist possessed of self-assured arrogance and undoubted talent could have reacted in such an insensitive way to Degas' generous gift. Perhaps the brutalizing effect of the criticism Manet had received over <i>Olympia </i>was a<i> </i>factor in his appalling treatment of Degas.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Making the "best of a bad business", the Met's curators replicated the oblique slash </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">on Degas' painting as one of the signature images of the exhibition. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlSRfu3hAdtToeFBKUBRO2mQsFuGCn3hM47Tm918PAnkRy4p0_BH_uEPCdkIevl9dWDbsyFOZg3PCx9tgTZ-xROAYPNKl-_9ajNCh4dxqXwgCN0qsSPpFi0tzAXRgrnH6liidLC3_lN7xFkEdJQ74wzQBrPC4RwH0cZ7RKc-_e3VPQH58l7s6Z0ThQ9cg/s1066/Manet%20Degas%20gallery.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="936" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlSRfu3hAdtToeFBKUBRO2mQsFuGCn3hM47Tm918PAnkRy4p0_BH_uEPCdkIevl9dWDbsyFOZg3PCx9tgTZ-xROAYPNKl-_9ajNCh4dxqXwgCN0qsSPpFi0tzAXRgrnH6liidLC3_lN7xFkEdJQ74wzQBrPC4RwH0cZ7RKc-_e3VPQH58l7s6Z0ThQ9cg/w562-h640/Manet%20Degas%20gallery.jpg" width="562" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; text-align: left;"> Gallery view of the entrance to the <i>Manet/Degas</i> exhibition, </span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; text-align: left;">showing self-portraits by </span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Édouard </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Manet and Edgar Degas</span></b></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">This "slash" motif is - literally - a brilliant stroke. But it is more than a clever way of evoking a serious, if temporary, hiatus in the relationship of Manet and Degas. Rather, this slash symbolizes the era in which these two artists lived. The age of <a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2015/07/discovering-impressionism-paul-durand.html"><span style="color: #0800ff;">Impressionism</span></a>, the 1870's and 80's in France, was a period of war and social strife, of cannon fire and crashing banks.<br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The incident of the defaced painting likely occurred in 1868 or 1869. A year later, Manet and Degas joined </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">France's National Guard,</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> defending Paris during the Franco-Prussian War, 1870-71. Their rapprochement was one of the few positive results of that disastrous war for France.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Despite the heroism of the National Guard, German siege artillery smashed the defensive positions surrounding Paris. The fall of Paris in February 1871 was followed by the uprising of left-wing radicals and embittered Parisian workers known as the Commune. The revolt was crushed by the newly-installed Third Republic with the loss of 30,000 fatalities. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh84TnR-UJKg87Lua-uDCiPpxrf4QqsUpNCntPTfdnxKDIR8RrcEK-Xv13bgb4u68Ai8XF9YN-eSR5fbvAIKYD5TDsTro_AHkK-QMuwsEA_1mSeyufHhAEIm1Rs8A7YdEd0wNT3CwkI2YWS8hnYdeTq17l0e4GdQvUli-WlWd-hjKZaLP_i8aTYCZtLZew/s965/Degas%20Maximillian.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="790" data-original-width="965" height="524" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh84TnR-UJKg87Lua-uDCiPpxrf4QqsUpNCntPTfdnxKDIR8RrcEK-Xv13bgb4u68Ai8XF9YN-eSR5fbvAIKYD5TDsTro_AHkK-QMuwsEA_1mSeyufHhAEIm1Rs8A7YdEd0wNT3CwkI2YWS8hnYdeTq17l0e4GdQvUli-WlWd-hjKZaLP_i8aTYCZtLZew/w640-h524/Degas%20Maximillian.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; text-align: left;"> Gallery</span><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; text-align: left;"> view of <i>Manet/Degas</i> showing</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; text-align: left;"><b> </b></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Édouard Manet’s <i>The Execution of Maximilian</i>, ca.1867–68</b>.</span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Manet recorded the street fighting and subsequent executions in a series of prints, but, curiously, he reused the figures of a firing squad from his paintings of the execution of the Emperor Maximilian in Mexico in 1867. The version of Manet's depiction of Maximilian's death from the National Gallery in London (above) is on view in <i>Manet/Degas</i>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBaGMomFs6Ih_VK58g4LcWgLyCLGHRLOX0dQVZzq6ubQ1y12awxHgFDG0IhTHa5lFM8SiP8A7jzCfoW3uoKOZxUtjwJdgPVSUGj6vGtAja5s33LLxyCOGrejEXQf4w7kBNsDE2ZavHO3_8S_du4t5tGq8MUIdFs6Dp39s1gCM3R-Qo0rxu-5gxvMm6RL4/s990/commune.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="814" data-original-width="990" height="526" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBaGMomFs6Ih_VK58g4LcWgLyCLGHRLOX0dQVZzq6ubQ1y12awxHgFDG0IhTHa5lFM8SiP8A7jzCfoW3uoKOZxUtjwJdgPVSUGj6vGtAja5s33LLxyCOGrejEXQf4w7kBNsDE2ZavHO3_8S_du4t5tGq8MUIdFs6Dp39s1gCM3R-Qo0rxu-5gxvMm6RL4/w640-h526/commune.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Detail of </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Édouard</span></b><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> Manet’s <i>The Barricades</i>, ca. 1871, published 1884</b></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">In conflating the execution of Maximilian with that of the Communards, Manet was not being the least bit derivative. Instead, he was making a statement. The</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> deaths in one war often lead to another - and he would be proven correct, as the effects of the Franco-Prussian War contributed directly to the outbreak of World War I.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Manet's interest in contemporary events was matched by his comrade from the siege of Paris. Degas, however, chose a less dramatic subject, but one of immense importance: the day-to-day workings of the capitalist economic system. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">In the autumn of 1872, Degas traveled to New Orleans. Degas' family had large-scale investments in the U.S. cotton industry. Degas uncle, Michel Musson, was an important cotton broker in New Orleans. After visiting his uncle's office, Degas painted two scenes, rare, accurate depictions of business operations, modern for its time. The first is of greater historical significance, the second important for artistic reasons.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6yyghV9ynPB97sxBQ8mXdHP3dofGj-LupWUsaCzikbfGRI7qC3NruJmkQ9sY5ZBMpMHwzJF_zSEbZCxvuxVW2q8Rxrs3HgDI8zYdMDi5BN3sdvNBpAyhNZ_5vv0GEYKWBfFiawCjpiMYu4g0-1sulBFjgWq2FbZJSFCdrDUamGttibAtxmbjVxTGndv4/s800/Degas%20New%20Orleans%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="624" data-original-width="800" height="501" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6yyghV9ynPB97sxBQ8mXdHP3dofGj-LupWUsaCzikbfGRI7qC3NruJmkQ9sY5ZBMpMHwzJF_zSEbZCxvuxVW2q8Rxrs3HgDI8zYdMDi5BN3sdvNBpAyhNZ_5vv0GEYKWBfFiawCjpiMYu4g0-1sulBFjgWq2FbZJSFCdrDUamGttibAtxmbjVxTGndv4/w640-h501/Degas%20New%20Orleans%202.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> Edgar Degas' </span><i style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN">A Cotton Office in New Orleans</span></i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">, 1873</span></b></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Degas' first painting is a carefully composed study of his uncle's cotton brokerage in action. The placement and interaction of the office staff and local businessmen are so perfectly posed as to appear choreographed. The features of each man is delineated with precision and insight recalling the famous portrait drawings by Ingres from the 1820's and 30's. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0LfzUsbmPdCFkTf6Kb3bTTy3E0W6rOPzghQU-dK1R1Ki9DKLcvhi0lBN5ZJj1Zqhi6pXYiPWh-j6UsXpguw423aeGGVhV9Mw0AFQNBhsNiW6OwJH6nCxwcLBTXd-TcytgP7YeiQT9xBLoDwGOKdeWCPmVR2zCoHh0ff8TNfu2VR1JUHZmSKHLEQoKQGs/s895/Cotton%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="757" data-original-width="895" height="339" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0LfzUsbmPdCFkTf6Kb3bTTy3E0W6rOPzghQU-dK1R1Ki9DKLcvhi0lBN5ZJj1Zqhi6pXYiPWh-j6UsXpguw423aeGGVhV9Mw0AFQNBhsNiW6OwJH6nCxwcLBTXd-TcytgP7YeiQT9xBLoDwGOKdeWCPmVR2zCoHh0ff8TNfu2VR1JUHZmSKHLEQoKQGs/w400-h339/Cotton%201.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) Detail of </span><i style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN">A Cotton Office in New Orleans</span></i></b></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The second, less famous work was <i>Cotton Merchants in New Orleans</i>, now in the collection of the Harvard Art Museum. Seemingly without incident, this oil painting on linen shows the influence of Japanese art on Degas, Manet and many other French artists who came of age after the opening of Japan to the West in 1853. The dramatic cropping and placing the pictorial action in the foreground of the painting make participants of those who study it more than observers. Here, in this picture, we can see the first stirrings of modern art.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><strong></strong></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi34AxUEnv6lzsbg51hhc6OXHa272OlxTvg510yTk7yxChs0EXgRLQi6zI3FHgkFi2zDAtNwLEJdTrSx58uqhJMoJPlzmCtQ1fx2eBzSeqHnC-OOlFsWNgB5QyUwEBb0eGjSRVetusVKC8zafrIO8Qaky1NVWeKkOI2v3I3ldSO3zeTAKOs9a-Z3gvmhO4/s1000/Cotton%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="870" data-original-width="1000" height="556" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi34AxUEnv6lzsbg51hhc6OXHa272OlxTvg510yTk7yxChs0EXgRLQi6zI3FHgkFi2zDAtNwLEJdTrSx58uqhJMoJPlzmCtQ1fx2eBzSeqHnC-OOlFsWNgB5QyUwEBb0eGjSRVetusVKC8zafrIO8Qaky1NVWeKkOI2v3I3ldSO3zeTAKOs9a-Z3gvmhO4/w640-h556/Cotton%202.jpg" width="640" /></a></strong></div><div><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Edgar Degas' </span><i style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Cotton Merchants in New Orleans</i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">, 1873</span></b></div><p><strong><span style="background: white; font-family: verdana; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Degas ventured to New Orleans to appraise his family's business prospects rather than to study art. He had every reason to be concerned. Cotton was no longer "king" as it had been before the Civil War in America. Hardly had Degas returned to France in the spring of 1873 than a world-wide economic panic began. The brittle finances of France were particularly hard-hit. The Degas family bank eventually sank in a sea of red ink in 1876.</span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="background: white; font-family: verdana; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> France during the age of Impressionism confronted adversity at every turn. In addition to repeated bank failures and the humiliating defeat of the Franco-Prussian War, the populace of France faced a litany of daily woes. Even the wine harvests were blighted - by a parasitic insect, the Phylloxera aphid, unwittingly imported from America!</span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="background: white; font-family: verdana; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The environmental effects of industrialization was even more damaging. Factory chimneys and plumes of smoke issuing from locomotives are a background feature of many Impressionist paintings. These are the tell-tale signs of erosion of the quality of life in France, which can be traced demographically. After inching upward earlier in the nineteenth century, the average life expectancy in France stalled in 1850 at the age of 43 and did not reach 45 until 1900</span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="background: white; font-family: verdana; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Manet lived eight years longer than the national average, but the 1870's and 1880's was a time of troubles for French men and women of all classes. </span></strong><strong><span style="background: white; font-family: verdana; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The haunted eyes and careworn expressions </span></strong><strong><span style="background: white; font-family: verdana; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">on the faces of many of the individuals painted by Manet and Degas confirm this. </span></strong></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_rty74yhx6ZFakpGJQS1h-Vnq6rVHtDn1oTzHCq5SXcrAzflLjuaQS4r5MELfuxl9k3guBFbrY-ChIeO4ipKs5m8toJ51sO9yit96XdFtT3p1Vy-jTD7sqOjUm60ABxDrj-F1prip5jG-_QoXbG3BOdDP_sOuDkSTttmKDjfZNNutSoQlTxdb0_4b4ew/s1066/Degas%20eyes.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="710" data-original-width="1066" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_rty74yhx6ZFakpGJQS1h-Vnq6rVHtDn1oTzHCq5SXcrAzflLjuaQS4r5MELfuxl9k3guBFbrY-ChIeO4ipKs5m8toJ51sO9yit96XdFtT3p1Vy-jTD7sqOjUm60ABxDrj-F1prip5jG-_QoXbG3BOdDP_sOuDkSTttmKDjfZNNutSoQlTxdb0_4b4ew/w640-h426/Degas%20eyes.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> Edgar Degas’ </span><i style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Violinist and Young Woman</i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">, ca. 1871 </span></b></div><p><strong><span style="background: white; font-family: verdana; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Two other protagonists in the Impressionist saga, very important to Manet, shared his fate of having their lives cut short, while being at the height of their creative powers. These were Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867) and Berthe Morisot (1841-1895).</span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="background: white; font-family: verdana; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></strong></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPyssiAMe2_G0ddN-HciIedJ4hCreHQ9649FMSBGoO16RUyT3WaH4Gk7NpkNBKvJSxZy_u-ozVTJpHBLmdAuSJd5WTJCdAgjJhpmjMc4cqUFSZbm3cZTEiDcGc5P6xDa2LxtgkCJrD6nmbtb8D8QGBGKoM_4zmX9P7L4IKaqumVxZ_ZHfaV6Tp3mAFJPU/s1066/Berthe.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="862" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPyssiAMe2_G0ddN-HciIedJ4hCreHQ9649FMSBGoO16RUyT3WaH4Gk7NpkNBKvJSxZy_u-ozVTJpHBLmdAuSJd5WTJCdAgjJhpmjMc4cqUFSZbm3cZTEiDcGc5P6xDa2LxtgkCJrD6nmbtb8D8QGBGKoM_4zmX9P7L4IKaqumVxZ_ZHfaV6Tp3mAFJPU/w518-h640/Berthe.jpg" width="518" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Édouard</span></b><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> Manet’s</b><i><b> Repose</b></i><b> (Portrait of Berthe Morisot), </b></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>ca. 1871</b></span></div><b> </b></div><div><a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2018/11/berthe-morisot-exhibition-at-barnes.html" style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #1e00ff;">Berthe Morisot</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana;">was an intimate friend and, most probably, an unrequited lover of Manet. There was obviously some degree of "chemistry" between them. And there are so many sensational portraits of Morisot by Manet in the Met's exhibition that it might justly have been entitled </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Manet/Degas/Morisot</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana;">!</span><p><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana;"><strong style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: verdana; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Charles Baudelaire's name might well be tagged on to the title, too, so important were his ideas and observations on the place of the artist in modern French society. But we will reserve the contributions of Baudelaire, Morisot and others to the inter-woven careers of </span></strong></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;">Édouard</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;"> Manet and Edgar Degas for an additional essay to appear shortly in Art Eyewitness. </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCrHCKmOr079JoZaxRF88KMf2SF2jauwMvxS_17oLy6TI_yn5TChZzeuO3hMlUQBuA4DP6oNxrxbzGjPVXmIgheStWUjuSjhNsHZiLp0CyfAqUspKdgAER78nSLl6_hJGBItG_A364-WQhRZxOvBnJn7Im9Brw1zvsFVlxNOOSb4NLxBEA7eABZQjiAX4/s1046/Manet%20Degas%20end.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="685" data-original-width="1046" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCrHCKmOr079JoZaxRF88KMf2SF2jauwMvxS_17oLy6TI_yn5TChZzeuO3hMlUQBuA4DP6oNxrxbzGjPVXmIgheStWUjuSjhNsHZiLp0CyfAqUspKdgAER78nSLl6_hJGBItG_A364-WQhRZxOvBnJn7Im9Brw1zvsFVlxNOOSb4NLxBEA7eABZQjiAX4/w640-h420/Manet%20Degas%20end.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; text-align: left;"> Gallery view of <i>Manet/Degas</i>, showing a seascape by </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Édouard</span><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; text-align: left;"> Manet</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; text-align: left;"> and Edgar Degas’ New Orleans scenes</span></b></div><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;">To close this present review, let us avail ourselves of Degas' verdict on Manet and apply it to him as well. And while we are at it, let us accord this accolade to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> Musée d’Orsay. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Manet, Degas declared as he left the funeral service for his friend and rival "was greater than we thought." </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Greater than we thought.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">True for Manet. True for Degas. And true for the curators of <i>Manet/Degas</i>.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #222222;">***</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Text: Copyright of Ed Voves, all rights
reserved
<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Original photography, copyright of Anne
Lloyd<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #222222;">Introductory Image: </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #222222;">Anne Lloyd,
Photo (2023) </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #222222;">Gallery view of the
entrance to the </span><i style="color: #222222;">Manet/Degas</i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #222222;"> exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of
Art. New York</span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #222222;">.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Al Mozell,
Photo (1983) Gallery view of the 1983 <i>Manet
</i>retrospective at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Photo courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN">Édouard</span><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"> Manet’s <i>Lola de
Valance</i>, 1862. Oil on canvas: 48 1/8 x 36 ¼ inches (123 x 92 cm) </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN">Musée d'Orsay, Paris.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023 ) Gallery view of
the <i>Manet/Degas </i>exhibit showing </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN">Édouard</span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222;"> Manet’s </span><i><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">The Balcony</span></i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN">, 1868–69.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Anne Lloyd,
Photo (2023) Edgar </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Degas’</span><i style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> Visit to
the Museum</i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">, 1879-90. Oil on canvas: 36 1/8 x 26 3/4 inches (91.8 x 68 cm) Museum of Fine Arts Boston.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222;">Anne Lloyd,
Photo (2023) Gallery view of the <i>Manet/Degas </i>showing </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="background-color: transparent;">Edgar</span><i style="background-color: transparent;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"> </span></i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222;">Degas' </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222;"><i>The Bellelli Family</i>, 1858-69, on the far wall.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) Detail of Edgar
Degas’ </span><i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN">Racehorses
before the Stands</span></i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN">,1866–68. Oil on paper mounted on canvas: 18 1/8 x 24 in. (46 x 61 cm) Musée
d'Orsay.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Anne Lloyd,
Photo (2023)</span><i style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> </i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN">Édouard</span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222;"> Manet’s</span><i style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> Emile Zola, </i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1868. </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222;">Oil on canvas: 57 1/2 x 44 7/8 inches (146 x 114 cm) <o:p></o:p></span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">Musée d'Orsay.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222;">Anne Lloyd,
Photo (2023) </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="background-color: transparent;">Édouard</span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222;"> Manet’s<i> Olympia</i>, 1863-65. Oil on canvas: 51 3/8 x 75 3/16 inches (130.5 x 191 cm) <o:p></o:p></span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="background-color: transparent;">Musée d'Orsay.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) Detail of Edgar Degas
</span><i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN">In a Café (The Absinthe
Drinker</span></i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN">)</span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN">,
1875–76. Oil on canvas: 36 1/4 x 26 15/16 in. (92 x 68.5 cm) Musée d'Orsay.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222;">Edgar Degas (French, 1834-1917) </span><i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN">Monsieur and Madame Édouard Manet</span></i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN">, 1868–69. </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">Oil on canvas: 25 9/16 x 27 15/16 in. (65 x
71 cm) Kitakyushu Municipal Museum of Art Photo: Courtesy of Kitakyushu
Municipal Museum</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222;">Anne Lloyd,
Photo (2023 </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN">Édouard</span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222;"> Manet’s <i>Madam Manet at the Piano</i>, ca. 1868-68. </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">Oil on canvas: 15 3/16 x 18 15/16 in. (38.5 x 46.5 cm)</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Anne Lloyd,
Photo (2023) Gallery view of the
entrance to the <i>Manet/Degas</i> exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of
Art., showing self-portraits by </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">Édouard </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #222222;">Manet and Edgar Degas.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) Gallery view of <i>Manet/Degas</i>
showing </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN">Édouard
Manet’s <i>The Execution of Maximilian</i>, ca.1867–68. Oil on canvas: 76 in. x
9 ft. 3 13/16 in. (193 x 284 cm) The National Gallery, London. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) Detail of </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN">Édouard</span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222;"> Manet’s
<i>The Barricades</i>, ca. 1871, published 1884. Lithograph on chine colle: 18 5/16 x 13 1/8 in. (46.5 x 33.4 cm) The Metropolitan Museum of Art.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) Edgar Degas' </span><i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN">A Cotton Office in New Orleans</span></i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN">, 1873. Oil on canvas: 28 3/4 x 36 1/4 in.
(73 x 92 cm) Musée des Beaux-Arts, Pau, France.</span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #222222;">Anne Lloyd,
Photo (2023) Edgar Degas' </span><i style="color: #222222;">Cotton Merchants
in New Orleans</i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #222222;">, 1873. Oil on linen: 23 1/8 x 28 ¼ in. (58.7 x 71.8 cm)
Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Anne Lloyd,
Photo (2023) Edgar Degas’ <i>Violinist and
Young Woman</i>, ca. 1871. Oil and crayon on canvas: 18 ¼ x 22 inches (46.4 x
55.9 cm.) Detroit Institute of Arts. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #222222;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN">Édouard</span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222;"> Manet’s<i> Repose</i> (Portrait of Berthe Morisot), </span>ca. 1871. Oil-on-canvas: 59 1/8 x 44 7/8 inches (150.2 x 114 cm) Rhode Island School of Design.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;">
</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Anne Lloyd,
Photo (2023) Gallery view of <i>the Manet/Degas</i>
exhibition, showing a seascape by </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN">Édouard</span><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"> Manet and Edgar Degas’ New Orleans Cotton Office scenes.</span><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><span><br /></span></span><p></p><p><strong><span style="background: white; font-family: verdana; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> </span></strong></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><strong></strong></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><strong><br /><span style="background: white; font-family: verdana; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></strong><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br /></p></div>Art Eyewitnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347317000349363690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8200843910512523791.post-81926801984662886012023-09-10T19:28:00.000-07:002023-09-10T19:28:52.478-07:00Art Eyewitness Essay: The Face of the Buddha at the Metropolitan Museum of Art<p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_p0Ila6xNWFA_gvvyP8ZEWS-UM48UOKsv6M2GtHWIHHASqWWoTEtot-MRhC1j7jQRYnC5DD6j0rJIj6oC72CJ2WQScWIowvaym5_jhCUssg78myvboz82YCVVp-a9gueT12eNZPp7ND-QQxQr739t5Oe7V5NeZYdQbNkC3ewR7z_UdjkTLwdQsonzXyk/s943/Buddha%20Allura%20Lead.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="795" data-original-width="943" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_p0Ila6xNWFA_gvvyP8ZEWS-UM48UOKsv6M2GtHWIHHASqWWoTEtot-MRhC1j7jQRYnC5DD6j0rJIj6oC72CJ2WQScWIowvaym5_jhCUssg78myvboz82YCVVp-a9gueT12eNZPp7ND-QQxQr739t5Oe7V5NeZYdQbNkC3ewR7z_UdjkTLwdQsonzXyk/w400-h338/Buddha%20Allura%20Lead.jpg" width="400" /></a><br /><br /></span></div><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The Face of the Buddha</b></span></h3><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Tree & Serpent:</i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><b><i style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> Early Buddhist Art in India,</i></b><b><i style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> 200 BCE-400 CE </i></b></div><div><b><i style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><br /></i></b></div><div><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Metropolitan Museum of Art,</span></b></div><div><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">July 21 to November 13, 2023</span></b></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Part II</b></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>By Ed Voves</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Original Photography by Anne Lloyd</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The life journey of Siddharta Gautama, from crown prince of the Sakya Kingdom in ancient India to the transcendent status as the Buddha, is one of the most important spiritual events in world history. The depiction of the events in Buddha's life and his path to enlightenment is vitally significant in the story of art, as well.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Metropolitan Museum of Art is currently presenting a magnificent exhibition of early Buddhist art, entitled <i>Tree & Serpen</i>t. The Met's exhibit stresses the importance of the rise of Buddhist art in the southern region of India known as the Deccan. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0BBEZCdrg0cWPfDjc9NbvQLx1m7D1I_HEfoBfAn-TV-6OYiwPyMorXkV1-6YW5IEtQl-6_cyFw_h9ioB4PTgnga9Y4CDnXATVBe1o_-BuZmtNxy0bb-PtolNpTHltdligvpunIoNTFQRW50s5G2F17kU_3ZZz4-6BGyrBQBdq6_wo_0id2bhidsy7img/s747/Tree%20and%20Serpent%20gallery.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="747" data-original-width="593" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0BBEZCdrg0cWPfDjc9NbvQLx1m7D1I_HEfoBfAn-TV-6OYiwPyMorXkV1-6YW5IEtQl-6_cyFw_h9ioB4PTgnga9Y4CDnXATVBe1o_-BuZmtNxy0bb-PtolNpTHltdligvpunIoNTFQRW50s5G2F17kU_3ZZz4-6BGyrBQBdq6_wo_0id2bhidsy7img/w508-h640/Tree%20and%20Serpent%20gallery.jpg" width="508" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> Gallery view of </span><i style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Tree & Serpent: Early Buddhist Art in India,</i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> 200 BCE-400 CE </i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">at the Metropolitan Museum of Art</span></b></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Since Buddhism later spread southward to Sri Lanka and then to <a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2014/04/lost-kingdoms-hindu-buddhist-sculpture.html"><span style="color: #2600ff;">Southeast Asia</span></a><span style="color: #2b00fe;">,</span> the importance of the role of the Deccan is very important, indeed. The way that Buddhism evolved as a religion and the manner in which it is presented in terms of visual art still bear the impress of the Deccan experience, from 200 BCE to the year 400 of our current era.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It is a complex story, however, as I commented in my initial review of <a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2023/08/art-eyewitness-review-tree-serpent.html"><span style="color: #0d00ff;"><i>Tree &</i> <i>Serpent</i></span> </a>- although one which the Metropolitan curators, led by John Guy, the Met's great scholar of South Asian art, present in a very c</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">ogent and insightful way.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The <i>Tree & Serpent</i> exhibition exceeded almost all of my expectations. Yet, I was left with a perplexing question regarding the profoundly moving statues of the enlightened Buddha, grouped together in the final gallery of the exhibition. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgChynkn45hTvmO22NXubgJBjYOFynGx3X-PcD31NM8SJjs2RoyjJxuwBqQED_DHorcG6uwJasB0TeH561O2HCDkt4DmFOPqRLqdvkBDeAFL44YM0kIIlEdje5E-ww55nyOF1hEvoIaZ-5W30MXMhEYCg4Nh-26WMdB-hF6r4SoqGNMrpVUxVETLmchiXI/s926/Golden%20gallery.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="926" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgChynkn45hTvmO22NXubgJBjYOFynGx3X-PcD31NM8SJjs2RoyjJxuwBqQED_DHorcG6uwJasB0TeH561O2HCDkt4DmFOPqRLqdvkBDeAFL44YM0kIIlEdje5E-ww55nyOF1hEvoIaZ-5W30MXMhEYCg4Nh-26WMdB-hF6r4SoqGNMrpVUxVETLmchiXI/w640-h436/Golden%20gallery.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> A view of the concluding gallery at the </span><i style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Tree & Serpent </i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">exhibition,</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> showing statues of the Buddha from the 2nd to 7th centuries</b></span></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Here in the radiantly-gold gallery at the end of the exhibit were images of the Buddha which conform to what non-specialists in Asian art – like myself – regard as “Buddhist art.” </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The art on view in the preceding galleries of <i>Tree & Serpent</i> is very different in format from these statues of the Buddha. Where was the connection between the earlier sculpted narrative reliefs showing scenes from the life of the Buddha and these serene, solitary sculptures? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTvicgBd0s_wUbvihQG1h3aztWKEIVhwjS-QTpoOJqPzuE4o5nk9KZriVafLBbfXhaoKI-naYxVv1txo-_izUo_8HkLzMkGp518JMmuDYHcijY51_YOb-ELk4dEGhmDUPZ4332wn2ePGOHh8esFRJ_PpNYuWE4cnSnWIFvfGkIWOVNoDcHdpjd0oCVbrY/s996/Buddha%20with%20temple%20step%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="996" data-original-width="973" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTvicgBd0s_wUbvihQG1h3aztWKEIVhwjS-QTpoOJqPzuE4o5nk9KZriVafLBbfXhaoKI-naYxVv1txo-_izUo_8HkLzMkGp518JMmuDYHcijY51_YOb-ELk4dEGhmDUPZ4332wn2ePGOHh8esFRJ_PpNYuWE4cnSnWIFvfGkIWOVNoDcHdpjd0oCVbrY/w626-h640/Buddha%20with%20temple%20step%202.jpg" width="626" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> Statue of the Buddha, Nelakondapalli monastic region, 3rd century, </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>and </b></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Temple step ("moonstone")</b> <b>from Sri Lanka, ca. 8th century</b></span></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The complex wrinkle in the story of Buddhist art is mainly due, I believe, to the fact that the Buddha preached religious truths which, initially, had little regard for aesthetic or artistic concerns.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">“Beauty is nothing to me,” the Buddha proclaimed in his earliest sermons, the Dasadhamma Sutta, “neither the beauty of the body, nor that which comes from dress.” </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">India, however, is a land bursting with fertility. Life force is strong and vigorous, demanding forms of visual representation which Buddhism, for all of its otherworldly austerity, eventually embraced. The ancient nature cults which existed prior to Buddhism were co-opted, as we can see in such works as the lively, erotically-charged statue of <span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222;"><i>Śrī Lak</i></span><span face="Arial, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222;"><i>ṣ</i></span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222;"><i>mī, Goddess of Abundance,</i></span><i> </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIvdknbVVx3yU8F_Z4sqy6WFmvdGXhHOdl2hAv3ZSdssEkWYG3AP8imnmzOQwuuZAdJa0ELxlkK723BGbKFc3qQA9OGHJQFCEp-zBFzxFn-fYsChrBakJL9TTtVFcl5eYhNOY-Ewi6RqJDg-zrtdjqOHFlP0X_6Mf-T3wMVolpqHz_qaQcfWHaKEbydvE/s1106/Goddess%20of%20abundance.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1106" data-original-width="700" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIvdknbVVx3yU8F_Z4sqy6WFmvdGXhHOdl2hAv3ZSdssEkWYG3AP8imnmzOQwuuZAdJa0ELxlkK723BGbKFc3qQA9OGHJQFCEp-zBFzxFn-fYsChrBakJL9TTtVFcl5eYhNOY-Ewi6RqJDg-zrtdjqOHFlP0X_6Mf-T3wMVolpqHz_qaQcfWHaKEbydvE/w406-h640/Goddess%20of%20abundance.jpg" width="406" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> <i>Śrī Lak</i></span><span face="Arial, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i>ṣ</i></span></b><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i><b>mī, Goddess of Abundance</b></i><b>, 2<sup>nd</sup> century </b></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">If the devotees of Buddhism made an accommodation with nature deities like <span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222;">Śrī Lak</span><span face="Arial, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222;">ṣ</span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222;">mī</span>i, there still existed a “bridge too far” which they did not cross for nearly five hundred years. The depiction of the Buddha's physical likeness remained a "taboo" practice across much of the time period covered by <i>Tree & Serpent</i>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">As numerous carved bas-reliefs show, there was no prohibition on presenting scenes from the life and the legend of the Buddha. But </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">the Buddha had to be represented symbolically. A sacred flame, a pair of footprints, a Dharma wheel or an empty throne, these are what was permissible for an artist to use to denote the Buddha's presence.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUbKVonLhW7hLfefBP8pujPkczFLZq6z0GQZQD4qPf43AmMlS-E3jIpCnqhjgn4Jr1cev6rKTLW6vRl27Ry0E2vZRJuAl1eoGDHV086QZSiLePSeRhXY__zjaRfl-oSzIUzufIB1vhplGd-Z4qut0iQ8y6ifMXZEc5DvPV3mai8akAeOBENOXQsUOyw94/s1021/tree%20shrine%20marking%20Buddha's%20awakening.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1021" data-original-width="785" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUbKVonLhW7hLfefBP8pujPkczFLZq6z0GQZQD4qPf43AmMlS-E3jIpCnqhjgn4Jr1cev6rKTLW6vRl27Ry0E2vZRJuAl1eoGDHV086QZSiLePSeRhXY__zjaRfl-oSzIUzufIB1vhplGd-Z4qut0iQ8y6ifMXZEc5DvPV3mai8akAeOBENOXQsUOyw94/w492-h640/tree%20shrine%20marking%20Buddha's%20awakening.JPG" width="492" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023) </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i><b>Railing Pillar Medallion:</b></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i><b> Tree Shrine Marking the</b></i></span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b><i> Buddha’s Wakening</i>, ca. 150 –100 BCE</b> </span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Clearly represented on the railing pillar medallion, above, are the Bodhi tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment, two kneeling female devotees and the throne seat (āsana) marking the spot where the Buddha sat, but no image of the Buddha.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">That is how this most important feature of Buddhist art continued to be treated, even when the great emperor, Ashoka (304-232 BCE), ruler over much of the Indian subcontinent, embraced Buddhism. An empty throne is not exactly an image which a mighty monarch is likely to favor. Yet, so it remained.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Shortly before Ashoka's reign began, another contender for dominion over India appeared. Alexander the Great seized control of several provinces in the upper Indus Valley, along with much of present day Afghanistan, on the dubious premise that these regions had been ruled by the Persians, whose empire he had overthrown. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr7HBLXWtjTmoUtyttuPuba2-xs-bHYoTJa2eCBtCSIiGvaOjCVrYNArhNIkZVvyKLzGQs4BaIjYOn89IZWKiSdSurD3oU_9oScG3FYlB-LYrPvkaNr00WR6ITcyygrVINKvN0IAdS0dLpQpkedaZz48ZgUCl5Yrk58dO-v63J3LpzJGqdvGwhQ_l7tJ4/s1000/Alexander%20elphant.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="844" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr7HBLXWtjTmoUtyttuPuba2-xs-bHYoTJa2eCBtCSIiGvaOjCVrYNArhNIkZVvyKLzGQs4BaIjYOn89IZWKiSdSurD3oU_9oScG3FYlB-LYrPvkaNr00WR6ITcyygrVINKvN0IAdS0dLpQpkedaZz48ZgUCl5Yrk58dO-v63J3LpzJGqdvGwhQ_l7tJ4/w540-h640/Alexander%20elphant.jpg" width="540" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>A Hellenistic Greek Statuette of a Rider Wearing an Elephant Hide Cloak,</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> possibly Alexander the Great, 3rd century BCE</b> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Metropolitan Museum of Art photo</b></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">With Alexander's army, marched <span style="color: #0d00ff;"><a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2016/04/pergamon-and-hellenistic-kingdoms-of.html"><span style="color: #0d00ff;">Hellenistic art and culture</span></a>.</span> The actual Macedonian/Greek occupation of Indian territory was brief, outliving Alexander by only a few years. Hellenistic culture was more resilient, in part because some of Alexander's outposts in Afghanistan evolved into small Greek-speaking kingdoms. Greek art in the east, generally referred to as the art of Gandhara from the name of its most productive locale, remained a creative force for several centuries. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Over the years, a lively, often heated, debate has contested whether the example of Greek Gandhara art motivated Buddhist artists to begin painting or sculpting portraits of the Buddha, thus abolishing the age-old ban. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Indian scholars and art curators have countered claims that the introduction of Greek art initiated life-like portraiture of the Buddha and standards of artistic realism in the subcontinent. Indian artists, including those working in the Deccan, had long been creating images of gods and men evoking naturalism of a very high order, particularly in the monumental likenesses of nature deities known as yakshas and yakshis. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitOZnVsLvmwz_yMIEf00DDRIZJWfSDLl5PnavFZxGlXunFRMNfcaBzr8ylqg5E1Ir21r3kV6g8s7tUZZkFFDIwgp3Qsf58YuuVP6mLEPGuSIR8WFsnL-ybW3XD07WRu_2klhYV8MYvk9f7aEokQvNnGZOVpsPOm-BS5_tPGhB3LcjslSYPpgRKcMjegSo/s860/Head%20of%20a%20Yaksha%20cleveland.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="860" height="520" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitOZnVsLvmwz_yMIEf00DDRIZJWfSDLl5PnavFZxGlXunFRMNfcaBzr8ylqg5E1Ir21r3kV6g8s7tUZZkFFDIwgp3Qsf58YuuVP6mLEPGuSIR8WFsnL-ybW3XD07WRu_2klhYV8MYvk9f7aEokQvNnGZOVpsPOm-BS5_tPGhB3LcjslSYPpgRKcMjegSo/w640-h520/Head%20of%20a%20Yaksha%20cleveland.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023)</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> </span><i style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Head of a Yaksha</i><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">, from Mathura, 1st century BCE</span></b></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuoqKA6ZQ5G8Hg14MVeVHXSNjwiIwB46UsSAB_LEI2Z_BwsIHIbeg_FHSkSUR4PA-Hta3aRuLlgpQogv37wylY68z97QRvVufR5iEigRivDgLRe7b9b16pze7RHRIMFNLJINA_9ai83K7fFyJk3JfTxyGtoyp6IlC7olev9KUckiYwyz6wXYLxEASPtmQ/s1016/DSC03340.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1016" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuoqKA6ZQ5G8Hg14MVeVHXSNjwiIwB46UsSAB_LEI2Z_BwsIHIbeg_FHSkSUR4PA-Hta3aRuLlgpQogv37wylY68z97QRvVufR5iEigRivDgLRe7b9b16pze7RHRIMFNLJINA_9ai83K7fFyJk3JfTxyGtoyp6IlC7olev9KUckiYwyz6wXYLxEASPtmQ/w378-h640/DSC03340.jpg" width="378" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; text-align: left;"> </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i>Head of a Yaksha</i>, from Sanchi Stupa, Madhya Pradesh, 1st century</span></b></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">This "pro-India" stance is based on convincing evidence. However, one has only to leave the <i>Tree & Serpent</i> exhibition and walk to the Met's Asian Art Galleries to find brilliant examples of Gandhara sculptures which seemingly resolve this issue in favor of the Greeks.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Met's Gandhara treasures are such an "embarrassment of riches" that it would be difficult to pick one or two to make the case for the decisive influence of Greek art on the evolution of Buddhist portraiture. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNEvQCMeybOywKTUfUhKgnbiAXGxLScQVvwxB6D6Hte1GwRS-__vjO_PUSPA1OrtMMJ1nZpzVRozglgtLZxQoGvBaNuKSFoWsKzUf10Qhq1kyXsYJ33NqahzRcJoTNGa-lUq1k2apSnmfBx7ItsaenfGMtgqlka_H2Uoh5YHDfnZQMpgUaMVKgr5M5BfQ/s1588/Buddha%20Khyber.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1588" data-original-width="1066" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNEvQCMeybOywKTUfUhKgnbiAXGxLScQVvwxB6D6Hte1GwRS-__vjO_PUSPA1OrtMMJ1nZpzVRozglgtLZxQoGvBaNuKSFoWsKzUf10Qhq1kyXsYJ33NqahzRcJoTNGa-lUq1k2apSnmfBx7ItsaenfGMtgqlka_H2Uoh5YHDfnZQMpgUaMVKgr5M5BfQ/w430-h640/Buddha%20Khyber.jpg" width="430" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"> <b>Gandharan <i>Buddha</i>, from the </b></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Takht-i-bahi Monastery, 3rd century</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Metropolitan Museum of Art photo</b></div><p></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>High on the list of such Gandharan masterpieces is the astonishing statue of the Buddha (above), dating to the 3rd century. Scholars believes that this Buddha was made for the</span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif""> Takht-i-bahi
Monastery, located near the strategic Khyber Pass which gave access to trade routes to central Asia and China's Silk Road.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif""><br /></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicbXoHONbOF03676Dh7tzWjscuVO5YElEHA9P3O6wySX92vuqNxSI7c_2pmvLlXAq3t7oHWiOaobJuh4zdeiFtRCQlAEY-RjBGljHNLUEUB1iJI2bzrXkB1xE2WcBsgWgc1ClZtkA5D9OL6Zo4b8p4XYpYkGNujfjopohAAy6rd3N23MqpGGOyXWXHjrs/s3880/Buddha%20Kyber%20II.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3880" data-original-width="2911" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicbXoHONbOF03676Dh7tzWjscuVO5YElEHA9P3O6wySX92vuqNxSI7c_2pmvLlXAq3t7oHWiOaobJuh4zdeiFtRCQlAEY-RjBGljHNLUEUB1iJI2bzrXkB1xE2WcBsgWgc1ClZtkA5D9OL6Zo4b8p4XYpYkGNujfjopohAAy6rd3N23MqpGGOyXWXHjrs/w480-h640/Buddha%20Kyber%20II.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Gandharan <i>Buddha </i>(detail of above)</b></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Sculpted in grey schist, a dense and difficult stone to carve, this Buddha evokes the spirit and form of images of Apollo which intrepid Greeks erected wherever they journeyed throughout the ancient world.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> And not just the Greeks but Roman merchants, too, brought Western influences to India via the flourishing seaborne trade for spices during the first to third centuries, the age of the Pax Romana. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The <i>Tree & Serpent</i> exhibition displays several examples of Roman provincial-quality metal objects which reached India as part of this long-distance commerce. But even more intriguing from the standpoint of the present essay is a small bronze Buddha, dating to the first to mid-second centuries. It is currently displayed in the Met's Asian galleries.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlh1wIacWAOrQpi9S9co4hXmwGYYRK_sFnWsWGN3BuiJz4ZoegIBnoy6rTStJKQ1K8o_DkB7O4LdNZr2FPI6WFsWoszd8BUVWStZLuJ4h-HoMK5hZ7NDDcZl_7a8XFDLJUsAFjTfX-N2y8-VruYx7_91T3qBbBa07h0djYrmpwu9__nAeuSO2ECt1yHlQ/s1889/Seated%20Buddha%20bronze.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1889" data-original-width="1712" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlh1wIacWAOrQpi9S9co4hXmwGYYRK_sFnWsWGN3BuiJz4ZoegIBnoy6rTStJKQ1K8o_DkB7O4LdNZr2FPI6WFsWoszd8BUVWStZLuJ4h-HoMK5hZ7NDDcZl_7a8XFDLJUsAFjTfX-N2y8-VruYx7_91T3qBbBa07h0djYrmpwu9__nAeuSO2ECt1yHlQ/w580-h640/Seated%20Buddha%20bronze.jpg" width="580" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="font-family: verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><b><i>Seated Buddha</i>, from Gandhara, 1st to mid-2nd century </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> Metropolitan Museum of Art photo</b></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">With his head framed by a distinctive, serrated halo and his hand held-up in a gesture of welcome, this small statue reflects the spirituality of Buddhism. The Met's leading scholar on Gandharan art, Kurt Behrendt, has made a close study of this work of art. Behrendt traced "numerous connections with Roman imperial portraits of the first century A.D., especially those of Nero..." </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">That the deranged emperor, Nero, might serve as a model for the Buddha is an alarming thought. But the fact that this bronze statue was made in Gandhara, not imported from Rome, shows that Western art conventions were indeed influencing the way that the face of the Buddha was being portrayed by artists in the northern areas of the Indian subcontinent.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">In the final analysis, there is no need or reason to make an "either/or" choice, Gandharan or Deccan, as the decisive influence in the revolutionary shift in the portraiture of the Buddha. Vital contributions were made across the artistic landscape, east and west.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">If special credit is due to any particular group it should be accorded to an obscure tribe from the Eurasian steppes who literally galloped in, seemingly from out-of-nowhere: the Kushans. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">On view in the last gallery of <i>Tree & Serpent</i> is an unusual Buddha, physically imposing, with the commanding presence of a warrior rather than a mystic or a sage. <i>Buddha Granting Protection</i> dates to the early second century when the Kushans, who commissioned this statue, were doing the same thing, protecting the people they had conquered, Against all expectations, Kushan rule brought political security, economic growth and religious freedom to Afghanistan and northern India, two of the most embattled regions of the world.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik99m_vRAf2Q-Jt7uvK1TDFsHjKf1_pxuVRYKwaFMEp2LDaRmB8eb6rKxZxuCWZIMnGQ1bH0I1c_11zrmN-CisiGKhqZp0bPyGWDGtPUcnoz7YK82YIFFfJLVIDHzK4631HBshXMZopJoGf64upT-5ndZe6BRKZJ23nsXik5eg1nQNPgGswLihrV-eJJo/s900/DSC03337.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="782" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik99m_vRAf2Q-Jt7uvK1TDFsHjKf1_pxuVRYKwaFMEp2LDaRmB8eb6rKxZxuCWZIMnGQ1bH0I1c_11zrmN-CisiGKhqZp0bPyGWDGtPUcnoz7YK82YIFFfJLVIDHzK4631HBshXMZopJoGf64upT-5ndZe6BRKZJ23nsXik5eg1nQNPgGswLihrV-eJJo/w556-h640/DSC03337.JPG" width="556" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023)</b></span></div><div><b><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> <i>Buddha Granting Protection</i>, Kushan dynasty, early 2</span><sup style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">nd</sup></b><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> century</b> </span></div></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Kushans were originally part of a confederation of Indo-European nomads, wandering with their herds on China's western frontier. Early in the first century, the Kushans were pushed-out by more numerous tribes into the arid Bactrian Desert. Formidable horsemen, the Kushans launched a hard-hitting campaign, overwhelming the vulnerable Greek kingdoms in Afghanistan and then seizing a small, but strategic, slice of northern India.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">At that point, the Kushans could have indulged in an orgy of massacres and scorched earth, similar to what the Huns and Mongols would later unleash. Instead, the Kushans showed enormous respect for the Greek and Indian populations now under their hegemony. The Kushans used their control of the Khyber Pass to encourage trade and travel, enriching themselves and their neighbors, including China, in the process.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The greatest of the Kushan kings, </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Kanishka I, who reigned from 127-150, added to these tremendous achievements by embracing Buddhism and encouraging Buddhist art. He placed a portrait of the Buddha on the reverse side of his gold coinage, the Buddha standing in a pose similar to that of <i>Buddha Granting Protection, </i>on view at the Met.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZyf2h3S6lC5U-AlwRLIs4HSBYGB2ScXHljXw2TvfLzvWaddpLt-GvwWFyk5M5W0D7w9KlD5UM-fEroVZLvF-wlOnIoRElkrS2Xks_Z5YOn_1CZEIjcNGurKn2RECSW3vEAlZpvjaybRUvJSSU7jEAN9DQtasJXJzVFILQPHbikPaomcvcRzYsCWzkSCQ/s1003/Kushan%20II.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1003" data-original-width="700" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZyf2h3S6lC5U-AlwRLIs4HSBYGB2ScXHljXw2TvfLzvWaddpLt-GvwWFyk5M5W0D7w9KlD5UM-fEroVZLvF-wlOnIoRElkrS2Xks_Z5YOn_1CZEIjcNGurKn2RECSW3vEAlZpvjaybRUvJSSU7jEAN9DQtasJXJzVFILQPHbikPaomcvcRzYsCWzkSCQ/w446-h640/Kushan%20II.jpg" width="446" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> <i>Buddha Granting Protection</i>, from Mathura,</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> Kushan dynasty, early 2</span><sup style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">nd</sup><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> century </span></b></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">As befitted a ruler of vast domains, Kanishka maintained two capital cities. Peshawar was located near the Khyber Pass in the heart of the Gandhara region. The second was Mathura, a major Buddhist center in the Indian province which the Kushans ruled. Flourishing schools of art were maintained in both cities, each with a distinctive style of art. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuBhz7-bKIU2JHdIzeE2OrAKi53wBq4-SDs5bv4KmNXE8kswvbynYojwcqJdkiOVtYKZ1OjzwP72SnKQVq_luKpO5tl5QZ0sgKvkg8uTi3YKqxKMj1TV17nyOmPJvhMftEmCY6CxLe4AhaZPdhS7q2dg4vvZqPgR9tU7320s4gjwpTAr_NDuFMFhi-r0k/s1183/DP701398%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1183" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuBhz7-bKIU2JHdIzeE2OrAKi53wBq4-SDs5bv4KmNXE8kswvbynYojwcqJdkiOVtYKZ1OjzwP72SnKQVq_luKpO5tl5QZ0sgKvkg8uTi3YKqxKMj1TV17nyOmPJvhMftEmCY6CxLe4AhaZPdhS7q2dg4vvZqPgR9tU7320s4gjwpTAr_NDuFMFhi-r0k/w540-h640/DP701398%20(1).jpg" width="540" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> <i>Crowned Bodhisattva</i>, from Mathura,</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> late Kushan dynasty, 3rd–early 4th century </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Metropolitan Museum of Art photo</b><b style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> </b></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Art in the Gandhara region under the Kushans maintained the stylistic elements of the Greco/Roman art we have been examining in this essay. Artists of the Mathura school, however, developed conventions of portraying the Buddha and saintly Buddhist figures, the Bodhisattvas, that were more in keeping with the earliest expressions of Buddhist art from southern India.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Mathura school of art would ultimately be the more successful, influencing Buddhist art throughout Asia. But we should not think in terms of "winners and losers" when we reflect on the differences in style between Gandharan portraits of the Buddha and those of the Mathuran artists. Kushan rulers like Kanishka permitted freedom of expression, indeed encouraged it, and the artists of both schools responded by searching their hearts and souls to create portraits of the Buddha, images of sanctity and devotion, which people of all faiths can appreciate.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8lE8iYcoCi_SzpWFKTNuE_MHw5L7HjXI_8sSXI_MEl_njWccU7NM-WpE8eRqD8NFQfzSISYfahE2YmeOhA4wc6usFEsYHjfwrm2tkzkTY5ZRcV16mjF2_AAsf_7_M8trVLuGggZmWIbnL2I-PEDqdfeoxXuIKv5QTO4tOdjPr8fYRQP4iSPaBZpMH-Bc/s1000/Contemplating%20Buddha%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1000" height="432" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8lE8iYcoCi_SzpWFKTNuE_MHw5L7HjXI_8sSXI_MEl_njWccU7NM-WpE8eRqD8NFQfzSISYfahE2YmeOhA4wc6usFEsYHjfwrm2tkzkTY5ZRcV16mjF2_AAsf_7_M8trVLuGggZmWIbnL2I-PEDqdfeoxXuIKv5QTO4tOdjPr8fYRQP4iSPaBZpMH-Bc/w640-h432/Contemplating%20Buddha%202.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Gallery view of <i>Tree & Serpent</i>, showing </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">a Buddha, 3rd century, and a Temple step ("moonstone") from Sri Lanka, ca. 8th century</span></b></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">In his reflection on <i>Civilization</i>, Kenneth Clark called the Arena Chapel in Padua, Italy, the site of Giotto's fresco paintings, "one of the world's holy places." Without exaggeration, I think that the Met's Gallery 999, where <i>Tree & Serpent</i> is currently displayed, is such a sacred place, as well.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">***</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Text: Copyright of Ed Voves, all rights reserved </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Original photography, copyright of Anne Lloyd, all rights reserved</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Introductory Image: </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #222222;">Anne Lloyd,
Photo (2023) </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #222222;"><i>Buddha </i>(</span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #222222;">detail), Alluru, Andhra Pradesh, 3rd century. Limestone: </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #222222;">H. 39 3/4 in. × W.13 in. × D. 6 1/4 in.(101 cm × 33 cm × 16.5 cm) National Museum, New Delhi</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) Gallery view of
the <i>Tree & Serpent: Early Buddhist Art in India, 200 BCE-400 CE </i>exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum
of Art</span><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">. </span><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) A view of the concluding gallery the <i>Tree & Serpent </i>exhibition, showing statues of the Buddha from the 2nd to 7th centuries. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) Statue of the Buddha, Nelakondapalli monastic region, 3rd century, lent by State Museum, Hyderbad, India; Temple step ("moonstone") from Sri Lanka, ca.8th century, lent from a private collection.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222;">Anne Lloyd,
Photo (2023) <i>Śrī Lak</i></span><span face="Arial, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222;"><i>ṣ</i></span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222;"><i>mī, Goddess of Abundance</i> (excavated
at Jamālpur mound), 2<sup>nd</sup> century. Sandstone: H. 41 in. × W. 12 in. × D. 11 in.(104.1 cm.× 30.5 cm.× 27.9 cm) National Museum, New Delhi</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023)
<i>Railing Pillar Medallion: Tree Shrine Marking the</i></span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif""><i> Buddha’s wakening</i>, ca. 150 –100 BCE. Sandstone: 27 in.× 19 1/2 in. × 6 3/4 in. (68.6 cm ×
49.5 cm × 17.1 cm) .Excavated at Bharhut, Madhya Pradesh, ca. 1873. </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">Indian Museum, Kolkata
(inv. 294)</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="font-family: verdana;">Unknown Artist, Hellenistic Greek. A Statuette of a Rider Wearing an Elephant Hide Cloak, possibly Alexander the Great, 3rd century BCE. Bronze: 9 3/4 in. (24.8 cm) Metropolitan Museum of Art. #55.11.11</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023) <i>Head of a Yaksha</i>, from Mathura, 1st century BCE.</span><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"> </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">Sandstone: </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">H. 19 in. (48.2 cm); W. 15 3/4 in. (40 cm); D. 14 in. (35.6 cm) Lent by Cleveland Museum of Art.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023)</span><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"> </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif""><i>Head of a Yaksha</i>, from Sanchi Stupa, Madhya Pradesh, 1st century. Sandstone: </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">H. 11 5/8 in. (29.5 cm); W. 6 1/8 in. (15.5 cm); D. 5 7/8 in. (15 cm) Lent by Staatliche Museen, Berlin.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Unknown Artist, Gandhara. Buddha, from the </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Takht-i-bahi Monastery, 3rd century. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Schist: H 36 1/2 in. (92.7 cm); W. 11 in. (27.9 cm); D. 5 1/2 in. (14 cm) Metropolitan Museum, #2014.188</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Unknown artist, Gandhara. </span><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="mso-bidi-font-family: inherit;"><i>Seated
Buddha</i>, 1st to mid-2nd century. </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">Bronze with traces of gold
leaf: H. 6 5/8 in. (16.8 cm); W. 4 1/2 in. (11.4 cm); D. 4 in. (10.2 cm)
Metropolitan Museum, #2003.593.1</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023) <i>Buddha
Granting Protection</i>, from Mathura, Kushan dynasty, early 2</span><sup>nd</sup><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif""> century. </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">Sandstone: H. 16 3/4 in. (42.5 cm); W. 13 in. (33 cm); D. 6 1/2 in. (16.5 cm) Metropolitan Museum, lent from a private collection.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">Unknown artist, Mathura,
North India. <i>Crowned Bodhisattva</i>, late Kushan dynasty, 3rd–early 4th century. </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">Sandstone: H. 16 3/4 in. (42.5 cm); W. 13 in. (33 cm); D. 6 1/2 in. (16.5 cm) Metropolitan Museum #201</span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">6.701</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023) </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif""> </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">Gallery view of the <i>Tree & Serpent</i> Exhibition,
showing </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #222222;">a Buddha statue, 3rd century, and a Temple step ("moonstone") from Sri Lanka, ca. 8th century. </span></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Art Eyewitnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347317000349363690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8200843910512523791.post-60188057781501292122023-08-30T11:14:00.000-07:002024-01-11T12:48:56.915-08:00Art Eyewitness Review: Tree & Serpent: Early Buddhist Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiATKt14d3Ay0ohEVrKdP1mx3D9dC6bJD4x6EZtttJnaaBADzXw-CNxSw0Jp0gy9eGtTNI5SQcZfqBq-lOgNtznYkgMoXRbBTWIr6R-Um27fY6Mf2jgLINFhpzNbCNmt7hfVI4gQYC4_dTA9FdiClbZktFh09hnLmxbhs551UHcx6BKpaIM6K-foA0G1JY/s770/Lead%20Mucalinda%20and%20buddhapeda.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="770" data-original-width="492" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiATKt14d3Ay0ohEVrKdP1mx3D9dC6bJD4x6EZtttJnaaBADzXw-CNxSw0Jp0gy9eGtTNI5SQcZfqBq-lOgNtznYkgMoXRbBTWIr6R-Um27fY6Mf2jgLINFhpzNbCNmt7hfVI4gQYC4_dTA9FdiClbZktFh09hnLmxbhs551UHcx6BKpaIM6K-foA0G1JY/w408-h640/Lead%20Mucalinda%20and%20buddhapeda.JPG" width="408" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Tree & Serpent: Early Buddhist Art in India, 200 BCE-400 CE</span></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Metropolitan Museum of Art </b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>July 21 - November 13, 2023</b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reviewed by Ed Voves</b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Original Photography by Anne Lloyd</b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">There is often a very thin line dividing an art museum gallery from a place of religious worship. One might almost describe it as an "open border" between the realm of the spirit and the secular world of scholarship and art appreciation.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">On a number of occasions, I have felt something akin to a religious experience while visiting an art museum. This has occurred several times at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, notably in the spring of 2014 when I attended the press preview of <i>Lost Kingdoms: Hindu-Buddhist Sculpture of Early Southeast Asia</i>. I had such a powerful sense of being on "holy ground" that I forgot, for a brief moment or two, that I was at The Met.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">When I saw the announcement that John Guy, the Met's internationally-renowned curator of Asian art who organized <i>Lost Kingdoms,</i> was working on a new exhibition, I was thrilled at the news. Perhaps anticipating more than was reasonable to expect, I wondered if I would have a similar epiphany.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">At the July 17, 2023 preview of <i>Tree & Serpent: Early Buddhist Art in India, 200</i> <i>BCE-400 CE</i>, </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">I received a "yes and no" answer. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRXqvrqf38qJYNd_suZnfdkob4E9Z4L-OR3UdSosMn189lXR0dadFgWvahSiUflknM29a3egci1Vr-HUyEVG6KSDarHh4G4x6jwMkWJAqSFteBwxPrV3pT5sL01jHjS0ireY4sxCsKUbuJgJhjfkIu2Jga5bDOFNdd486i1iawoa2phBLbao680RbuVMk/s1557/Dharmachakra%20Review%20pic.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1557" data-original-width="1385" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRXqvrqf38qJYNd_suZnfdkob4E9Z4L-OR3UdSosMn189lXR0dadFgWvahSiUflknM29a3egci1Vr-HUyEVG6KSDarHh4G4x6jwMkWJAqSFteBwxPrV3pT5sL01jHjS0ireY4sxCsKUbuJgJhjfkIu2Jga5bDOFNdd486i1iawoa2phBLbao680RbuVMk/w570-h640/Dharmachakra%20Review%20pic.jpg" width="570" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023)</b></div></span><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;"> Gallery view of <i>Tree & Serpent,</i> showing a <i>Dharmachakra</i>, ca. 200</b></div></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Yes, </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Tree & Serpent</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> matches </span><i style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2015/11/graphic-passion-matisse-and-book-arts.html"><span style="color: #4c00ff;">Lost Kingdoms</span></a></i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> in the number of stunning works of art on view. Many of these have never been presented outside of India and several are recent discoveries from the ongoing effort to uncover India's ancient past.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSEL5xP9wM4A2mjfhRhPJw9YWNKFcuqNG8cX1NJA4SAB1ujHc8jlUjG5vftFDUV4wNPhFNCbMmg31e0YlIVWGtrNQfP00mVifreXuE49DJ9fmezW0P_ELgMohyy8mQMMxXr4awjKfrjWDXg1a99GrxPjpjqVDzy4AAZghZTbNbIqf1QjOZ-orFXAAFizc/s1029/Drum%20panel%20with%20veneration%20of%20relics.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1029" data-original-width="819" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSEL5xP9wM4A2mjfhRhPJw9YWNKFcuqNG8cX1NJA4SAB1ujHc8jlUjG5vftFDUV4wNPhFNCbMmg31e0YlIVWGtrNQfP00mVifreXuE49DJ9fmezW0P_ELgMohyy8mQMMxXr4awjKfrjWDXg1a99GrxPjpjqVDzy4AAZghZTbNbIqf1QjOZ-orFXAAFizc/w510-h640/Drum%20panel%20with%20veneration%20of%20relics.jpg" width="510" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023)</b></div></span><div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;"><i> Drum Panel with Veneration of Relics</i>, </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;">from the Dupadu Great </b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 18.4px;">St</span><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 18.4px;">ū</span></span><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 18.4px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">pa</span></span></b><b style="font-family: verdana;">, ca. 1st century</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ye</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">s, John Guy and the curatorial team of The Met have created a striking display setting for the exhibition, based on the dome-shaped Buddhist structure known as </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">the <span lang="EN" style="font-style: italic; line-height: 115%;">st</span><span lang="EN" style="font-style: italic; line-height: 115%;">ū</span></span><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">pa</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">. </span></i></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">As noted in the excellent catalog of <i>Tree & Serpent</i>, the majority of "the works of art presented here once formed an integral part of the adornment of this pivotal Buddhist monument that emerged - lotus like - from the earthen funerary mound that was the </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span lang="EN" style="font-style: italic; line-height: 18.4px;">st</span><span lang="EN" style="font-style: italic; line-height: 18.4px;">ū</span></span><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 18.4px;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">pa's</span></i></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> genesis." </span></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-syE-BrT2UVAcib2PLfELkKcH5KFJgyQbReX7TiKKr62SFVRKAI_uCvwHkIzCw2uD0RirVnEPz5lhZHRRZBM-1CK0DLEllTnnjWTkUFGcu-MmHGQbDopstl3w6ctJID9Wnm20Fsp0_dY5ggKfShW8mor344SM_Y8yDY0_SZWTp-O-7LDSB0jyP6OtfaY/s1018/Gallery%20view%20model%20of%20stupa.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1018" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-syE-BrT2UVAcib2PLfELkKcH5KFJgyQbReX7TiKKr62SFVRKAI_uCvwHkIzCw2uD0RirVnEPz5lhZHRRZBM-1CK0DLEllTnnjWTkUFGcu-MmHGQbDopstl3w6ctJID9Wnm20Fsp0_dY5ggKfShW8mor344SM_Y8yDY0_SZWTp-O-7LDSB0jyP6OtfaY/w400-h314/Gallery%20view%20model%20of%20stupa.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023)</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;">Gallery view of <i>Tree &</i> <i>Serpent</i>, showing a model of a </b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="font-style: italic; line-height: 18.4px;">st</span><span lang="EN" style="font-style: italic; line-height: 18.4px;">ū</span></span><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 18.4px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>pa </i>built by the Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture, Cooper Union </span></span></b></div></div></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I had to pinch myself a couple of time to recall that this same gallery at The Met, only a few months ago, was the site for the equally astonishing exhibition, <i>Lives of the Gods: Divinity in Maya Art. </i>An entirely new realm, the world of Buddhism in its earliest years in southern India, is now on view in Gallery 999 at The Met.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;"><i><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span></i></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;"><i></i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHhzIG-yhCLEtY5SiSyGy2DHWdB5lTcawhr-UdIADv_VrGk8qhSUfRag0X074_Iw0vemXU6mSCrjT7icBmnk9fRFfb-8SuBd_z6PeizJxGoDuC5F3Q47l_zhGJY0HtdZ09MQMc3J2wwK0uZMnz5FuPpxMqtt6zJEev7eEPuvhbBeWZLWYcWvELVQm5WXs/s997/Met%20Ceremony.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="997" data-original-width="995" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHhzIG-yhCLEtY5SiSyGy2DHWdB5lTcawhr-UdIADv_VrGk8qhSUfRag0X074_Iw0vemXU6mSCrjT7icBmnk9fRFfb-8SuBd_z6PeizJxGoDuC5F3Q47l_zhGJY0HtdZ09MQMc3J2wwK0uZMnz5FuPpxMqtt6zJEev7eEPuvhbBeWZLWYcWvELVQm5WXs/w638-h640/Met%20Ceremony.jpg" width="638" /></a></i></div><i><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-style: normal; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023)</b></div></span><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Prayer service at the press preview of </span>Tree & Serpent<span style="font-style: normal;">, </span></b></div><div style="font-style: normal; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;">conducted by monks from the New York Buddhist Vihara </b></div></div></div></i><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Also of note, The Met sponsored a prayer ceremony at the press preview, led by Buddhist monks from the New York Buddhist Vihara Foundation. These devout monks, who reside in a monastery in Queens, New York City, chanted sutras, the spoken words of the Buddha as recorded in Sri Lankan Buddhist tradition. It was a moving and unforgettable experience.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIgF12l77JF3aTakX80jyFxH31Nfycoa6fzpR-xb6AqFj3QuN0S01K4mHSDXxdOfSt13zqQLdYE3DyM61B88b76ZEIW2TWz9TzUFeqBBNyI_PaU65FJDZPwsEPe3cu8OtF1zSn-R7eUG6en7tbr0OpIt0TFPapcWxMXDrqIKkFMCiJGtW4LIdUz5qX0ts/s1000/Met%20Ceremony%202a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="619" data-original-width="1000" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIgF12l77JF3aTakX80jyFxH31Nfycoa6fzpR-xb6AqFj3QuN0S01K4mHSDXxdOfSt13zqQLdYE3DyM61B88b76ZEIW2TWz9TzUFeqBBNyI_PaU65FJDZPwsEPe3cu8OtF1zSn-R7eUG6en7tbr0OpIt0TFPapcWxMXDrqIKkFMCiJGtW4LIdUz5qX0ts/w640-h396/Met%20Ceremony%202a.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It was not an </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">an epiphany, however. I did not have a moment of revelation or a deep personal sense of the sacred during my attendance at the press preview of </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Tree &</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Serpent</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">. No offense intended to the great folks at The Met, especially the monks of the New York Buddhist Vihara!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-TiPzihAUG5IzdS0UtAg7qmakN3jxIupY270RXYZf9WlROzkgUo91DofYq7sov_OryBXAakn4fRJED7ZU7i9T6nbKSHDYTnBPwaXM1Cd_eyVk2MM_0YNIQO7CsASILFOAvpmNRRJ7Mbg5EAbmBSSvHlSjYP7Q4lYzeo-kDkOSdiirzlfar-yQ7O-zrtY/s1045/Buddha%20protection%20boons.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1029" data-original-width="1045" height="630" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-TiPzihAUG5IzdS0UtAg7qmakN3jxIupY270RXYZf9WlROzkgUo91DofYq7sov_OryBXAakn4fRJED7ZU7i9T6nbKSHDYTnBPwaXM1Cd_eyVk2MM_0YNIQO7CsASILFOAvpmNRRJ7Mbg5EAbmBSSvHlSjYP7Q4lYzeo-kDkOSdiirzlfar-yQ7O-zrtY/w640-h630/Buddha%20protection%20boons.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023)</b></span><div><div><b style="font-family: verdana;"><i> Buddha Offering Protection, </i>5th century, (left) </b><b style="font-family: verdana;">and</b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Buddha Granting Boon</i>s, 5th-6th century; both from Andhra Pradesh</b></div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">One of the reasons why I did not experience a soul-stirring encounter with the Divine might have been due to the fact that the serene statues of the Buddha are grouped together in the final display area of </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Tree & Serpent, </i><span style="font-family: verdana;">as shown above. By the time, I reached this impressive array of statuary, I was dealing with a case of sensory overload.</span></div></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Images of the contemplative Buddha are what most non-specialist art lovers, like myself, associate with Buddhist art. However, many of the works on view in <i>Tree & Serpent</i> are narrative bas-reliefs, teeming with figures or drama. These were affixed to the pillars, railings and walls of the </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span lang="EN" style="font-style: italic; line-height: 18.4px;">st</span><span lang="EN" style="font-style: italic; line-height: 18.4px;">ū</span></span><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 18.4px;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">pa </span></i></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">shrines, providing visual accounts of the life and teachings of the Buddha, much as stained glass windows in the Gothic Cathedrals of medieval Europe recounted the Gospel stories about Jesus.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7bYF5R0cueHA0ETiLhset78_uKLK9TS7tlHjVjG-CLvzT-AGH56hZcGAsmCR8Juw8m8XcNEZgZBAIdCdaSJjWaci8j0GIMZqhIqozof9aSPjITgRqCzIvjyEIDkSoCilnfQrwUSc-uQ7V-1bS7wdGjlC4PFqpdWi2hhUBtZWZEFE4HO9DcXt0LykqrOo/s975/Drum%20slab%20Buddha%20receiving%20gifts%20detail.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="519" data-original-width="975" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7bYF5R0cueHA0ETiLhset78_uKLK9TS7tlHjVjG-CLvzT-AGH56hZcGAsmCR8Juw8m8XcNEZgZBAIdCdaSJjWaci8j0GIMZqhIqozof9aSPjITgRqCzIvjyEIDkSoCilnfQrwUSc-uQ7V-1bS7wdGjlC4PFqpdWi2hhUBtZWZEFE4HO9DcXt0LykqrOo/w640-h340/Drum%20slab%20Buddha%20receiving%20gifts%20detail.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023)</b></span><div><b style="font-family: verdana;"><i> Drum Slab with Five Buddha Life Narratives </i>(detail),<i> </i>3rd century</b></div></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Other statues on view depict deities only marginally related to the Buddha. These are nature spirits known as yakshas or yakshis or the goddess of abundance, Sri Lakshmi.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEideEsr7Yr3tni-F5ZUoa8Aph2RmEOWhA_Tjvc0g0SJhvyRhma83P6JExXUzdy-kHmk0g_P_H2rjfeuvg1wIp8-Xi_YmZW3r5UrPMSLLCjnM97tv043dz67yxH2aogyKpQzmvpP7aXOHhOcGj314-8d0s1S1fhoJoYie7MEYJhCdOFVqKIOxpPO_wPm53c/s974/Tree%20and%20Serpent%20gallery%20Ed.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="974" height="510" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEideEsr7Yr3tni-F5ZUoa8Aph2RmEOWhA_Tjvc0g0SJhvyRhma83P6JExXUzdy-kHmk0g_P_H2rjfeuvg1wIp8-Xi_YmZW3r5UrPMSLLCjnM97tv043dz67yxH2aogyKpQzmvpP7aXOHhOcGj314-8d0s1S1fhoJoYie7MEYJhCdOFVqKIOxpPO_wPm53c/w640-h510/Tree%20and%20Serpent%20gallery%20Ed.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023)</b></div></span><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;">Gallery view of <i>Tree &</i> <i>Serpent</i>, showing a red sandstone statue </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;">of the <i>Goddess of Abundance</i>, <i>Sri Lakshmi</i>,</b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> <b>2nd century</b></span><b style="font-family: verdana;"> </b></div></div></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">And then there is one of my favorite works of art in the exhibition, shown below. It may not have promoted a moment of revelation, but<i> Elephants Venerating the Ramagrama Stupa</i> certainly brought a smile to my face.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO9LG9E8Sqbz13Og5ofUkSLr23ZcJEmQkchv9Vz3ctAkdl6vksplUHfQcKjnEyUfJBUfpIAz0RX-CBs6YmUGWY6jBHNFgh8KQvUPqYAM3ozwN-OGczSnd0L8ShfNCP3GfN1if5X15i0rM_fytwvv8LvWcGOKJsN9XSY1JgQZqJmTgcEia5o0khs9m48ZU/s1066/Elephants%20relics.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="1066" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO9LG9E8Sqbz13Og5ofUkSLr23ZcJEmQkchv9Vz3ctAkdl6vksplUHfQcKjnEyUfJBUfpIAz0RX-CBs6YmUGWY6jBHNFgh8KQvUPqYAM3ozwN-OGczSnd0L8ShfNCP3GfN1if5X15i0rM_fytwvv8LvWcGOKJsN9XSY1JgQZqJmTgcEia5o0khs9m48ZU/w640-h414/Elephants%20relics.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023)</b></span><div><b style="font-family: verdana;"><i> </i>Pillar Abacus from Amaravati Great Stupa, showing</b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana;"> <i style="text-align: left;">Elephants Venerating the Ramagrama Stupa</i><span style="font-weight: 400; text-align: left;">,</span><i> </i>1st century</b></div></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">To be fair, museum exhibitions are not intended to create a spiritual state of mind or heart, though sometimes "spirit" does makes its presence felt. Instead, the task of curators is to reach back into time to present new insights about art, frequently with artifacts recently unearthed from archaeological sites, as is the case with <i>Tree & Serpent.</i> These are often unfamiliar to the general public, even unsettling on occasion. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhAQ0O7GsyUy0H0Tx4Hgo2KMX_km4w-hee0Ci4nmIGE0XAdbBQ8TPhnsQZ1yQRmx7869LtNW5YSOUCtdBwSTUvCDO8-FcdNb2RM4HBuTemXTIRSmyKP8JuYaH8KYtzsQKy8HUaHTFVcST3kWzqCD8blje7K-rKArJZaERnBO9q_MEyNwEU189bWpZ6Tw8/s1066/Tree%20&%20serpent%20gallery.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="1053" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhAQ0O7GsyUy0H0Tx4Hgo2KMX_km4w-hee0Ci4nmIGE0XAdbBQ8TPhnsQZ1yQRmx7869LtNW5YSOUCtdBwSTUvCDO8-FcdNb2RM4HBuTemXTIRSmyKP8JuYaH8KYtzsQKy8HUaHTFVcST3kWzqCD8blje7K-rKArJZaERnBO9q_MEyNwEU189bWpZ6Tw8/w632-h640/Tree%20&%20serpent%20gallery.jpg" width="632" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023)</b></div></span><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;">Gallery view of <i>Tree &</i> <i>Serpent</i>, showing a railing coping fragment with lotus bloom carving from the Barhut Great Stupa, 150-100 BCE</b></div></div></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">In such instances, it takes a considerable amount of effort to evaluate and appreciate these ancient, yet newly discovered, works of art.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The past does not always give up its secrets easily. There are certainly a number of exhibition objects in <i>Tree & Serpent</i> which require intensive study to comprehend. Even then, with the guidance of brilliant scholars like John Guy, the meanings or significance of some of these may still be difficult to determine. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">By way of example, let us look at the railing cover or coping from the Great S</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 18.4px;">t</span><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 18.4px;">ū</span></span><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">pa </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">at Madhya Pradesh. It was carved from sandstone, dating to 150 to 100 BCE, and shows two men scaling a mountain. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDEx5vyXiuhxdDTeNrKjjnpqadWf_S9VR68IiSTjJirQWfrUEOCouob1nnJWn8njpZNryJ9Xy7o0_AOQP9vLcJyn4MXmR1GzXCh194nUuqGtgpJ5-f3TkVZcQq8sCAkTwBlLsqn05jQbw3JgTIfYkerkZS9oMoAidzwgdtL0BBdaMt6xz5fDpzwNTACZE/s993/Forest%20dwellers.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="673" data-original-width="993" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDEx5vyXiuhxdDTeNrKjjnpqadWf_S9VR68IiSTjJirQWfrUEOCouob1nnJWn8njpZNryJ9Xy7o0_AOQP9vLcJyn4MXmR1GzXCh194nUuqGtgpJ5-f3TkVZcQq8sCAkTwBlLsqn05jQbw3JgTIfYkerkZS9oMoAidzwgdtL0BBdaMt6xz5fDpzwNTACZE/w640-h434/Forest%20dwellers.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023)</b></span><div><b style="font-family: verdana;"><i> </i>Railing Coping from Bharhut Great Stupa, showing</b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana;"> <span style="text-align: left;"><i>Forest Dwellers Scaling or Quarrying a Rock Face </i>(detail)</span><span style="font-weight: 400; text-align: left;">,<i> </i></span>150-100 BCE</b></div></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The two men are forest dwellers. They carry wicker baskets on their backs and are grasping pegs which have been inserted into a mountain side. Behind the pair and beneath their feet is a sacred plant, a wish-fulfilling lotus vine. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Clearly, something of import is happening, but the exact meaning still eludes a definitive solution. Are the men scaling a mountain in search of treasure to bring back to deposit in honor of the Buddha in a </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 18.4px;">st</span><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 18.4px;">ū</span></span><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">pa? Or are they quarrying rock to construct a </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 18.4px;">st</span><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 18.4px;">ū</span></span><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">pa, durable stone being reserved for building sacred shrines?</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This scene almost certainly illustrates a jataka tale, one of a vast corpus of stories and fables related to the Buddha. Many carved bas-relief narratives like this cannot be matched with texts of jataka tales. Other images brilliantly correspond to written jataka texts.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 18.4px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 18.4px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTR4lE8a5xysb0UixrcNT4Cb6fmmaFviy2qwSVmZ1XdNW0izP0Cf7s8yt3GALW8W9jqmOBFwvmykF_Uj2EWkwZRdpw23oVQ8SDkTjEBCS65Lfm1qUVAdHoTHpZbGjuD-thVj3R23-bKdbXAWQjb-3FKFxFNh-H6_AJEgsN729ThxySjLrxAQgo821ZU7w/s1066/railing%20with%20Mugapakkha-jataka.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="1006" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTR4lE8a5xysb0UixrcNT4Cb6fmmaFviy2qwSVmZ1XdNW0izP0Cf7s8yt3GALW8W9jqmOBFwvmykF_Uj2EWkwZRdpw23oVQ8SDkTjEBCS65Lfm1qUVAdHoTHpZbGjuD-thVj3R23-bKdbXAWQjb-3FKFxFNh-H6_AJEgsN729ThxySjLrxAQgo821ZU7w/w604-h640/railing%20with%20Mugapakkha-jataka.JPG" width="604" /></a></span></div><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 18.4px;"><div><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023)</b></span><div><b style="font-family: verdana;"><i> </i>Pillar Medallion from Bharhut Great Stupa, showing</b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana;"> <i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 18.4px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Mugapakkha-jataka</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400; text-align: left;">,</span><i> </i>150-100 BCE</b></div></div></span><p style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Mugapakkha-jataka, depicted in the railing pillar medallion shown above, tells the story of a prince (the Buddha in disguise) who takes a vow of silence, due to his previous life transgressions. The prince's father, fearing disaster, orders the prince to be slain. But the royal chariot driver recognizes the prince as the future Buddha and spares his life. The prince's parents come to realize his divinity too and venerate him. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This jataka scene, which dates to the same period as the mysterious tableau of the forest dwellers, is a masterpiece of story-telling, concise, coherent and beautifully carved. If it requires a bit of effort to comprehend, this version of the </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Mugapakkha-jataka is a tremendously appealing work of art and a treasure of spiritual awareness</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The religious art of one culture often includes imagery which people of a different faith experience may find difficult to accept. Western people, raised in the Judeo-Christian tradition, and Buddhists view snakes from very different perspectives. The snake, seen as a treacherous deceiver in the Holy Bible's Book of Genesis, is viewed much more positively in Buddhism.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">When we see the multi-headed cobra </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">rearing-up on the carved railing pillar (below), we are witnessing a caring, nurturing deed rather than a dangerous reptile about to strike. The hooded-head of the snake acts like an umbrella shielding the Buddha from a dangerous storm.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcjAIDCo5oTXgMJerw2ZTjNmbbmi9glWQNTODB30jtgydfLQIJIwOMnsoGyMNlDVz5tyNE2QarQxz1IopIxfgRPXZy0xQmh_H6Msb1PjbT1QE4OZFPsvihdH25K_9jYWCMnYv286o52aEURS65ZZt71ExQmz4iBfIRGkirb1sx336XCa6fI2pCaPIsrYc/s1041/railing%20pillar%20with%20naga%20Mucalinda.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1041" data-original-width="777" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcjAIDCo5oTXgMJerw2ZTjNmbbmi9glWQNTODB30jtgydfLQIJIwOMnsoGyMNlDVz5tyNE2QarQxz1IopIxfgRPXZy0xQmh_H6Msb1PjbT1QE4OZFPsvihdH25K_9jYWCMnYv286o52aEURS65ZZt71ExQmz4iBfIRGkirb1sx336XCa6fI2pCaPIsrYc/w478-h640/railing%20pillar%20with%20naga%20Mucalinda.jpg" width="478" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023)</b></span><div><b style="font-family: verdana;"><i> </i></b><b style="font-family: verdana;">Railing Pillar with <i>Naga Mucalinda protecting the Buddha</i></b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana;"> (detail), </b><b style="font-family: verdana;">2nd-1st century, BC </b></div></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The protective cobra is known as the Naga Mucalinda. In these scenes, the Buddha often is not physically present, but is represented by a pair of footprints or by an empty throne, as shown above, encircled by the coils of the snake's body.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This Naga Mucalnda scene is one of the most ancient works of Buddhist art on view in <i>Tree and Serpent</i>. The early date is significant. So is the geographic locale of its creation: southern India, in the region known as the Deccan.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">What we see on the walls and display cases of the Met's Gallery 999 is nothing less than the visual representation of the birth of Buddhism. In many of the works on view, we glimpse elements of earlier nature-based religious cults, including the worship of snake deities, which were incorporated into Buddhism as it developed in the Deccan, remote from </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">cultural contact with outside civilizations. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid6yGwIZRDUubEJBKEbFHTG_s4PX9qo3D_7HuaqcrvYML_v2fvL-0pSVSHGAf0eDr0Ljy0Feaq146k0P3ZcTLPnhmeE9jCJIB8snqrSwBu32G47wR2r9wGADLG7o6tbmcdISnr_E1WA3KnmQnT6DS2zT9LrSKeVfka40Cq5jZcewJtof5PGjmP_fSS3aM/s1000/Tree%20and%20Serpent%20gallery.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="662" data-original-width="1000" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid6yGwIZRDUubEJBKEbFHTG_s4PX9qo3D_7HuaqcrvYML_v2fvL-0pSVSHGAf0eDr0Ljy0Feaq146k0P3ZcTLPnhmeE9jCJIB8snqrSwBu32G47wR2r9wGADLG7o6tbmcdISnr_E1WA3KnmQnT6DS2zT9LrSKeVfka40Cq5jZcewJtof5PGjmP_fSS3aM/w640-h424/Tree%20and%20Serpent%20gallery.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0CjfDPX6MWy2J4OzUm5S5Ju9DR10ihpbToz-wOXek-1C248_7HNCYUS0cyoruCRj2idRpWJdmymAtOPQgC5AFB1djk2DL5bD9hlg-qgzYTLrLPCfa3JNWmwI0vwp4EwwYLi4PgBYmpHcT40fq621s_DMnWZLj0is09wqzqqWbgO72SmMe182CvKfve_w/s976/Torana%20architraves.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="976" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0CjfDPX6MWy2J4OzUm5S5Ju9DR10ihpbToz-wOXek-1C248_7HNCYUS0cyoruCRj2idRpWJdmymAtOPQgC5AFB1djk2DL5bD9hlg-qgzYTLrLPCfa3JNWmwI0vwp4EwwYLi4PgBYmpHcT40fq621s_DMnWZLj0is09wqzqqWbgO72SmMe182CvKfve_w/w640-h414/Torana%20architraves.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023)</b></div></span><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;">Gallery views of <i>Tree &</i> <i>Serpent. </i>The bottom photo shows <i>Torana</i> <i>architraves</i>, a lion in front, with an elephant behind, 3rd-4th century </b></div></div></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Later, as the exhibition shows, there was significant mercantile contact with the Roman Empire. But <i>Tree</i></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i> & Serpent</i> is essentially an epic exhibit about India. The generous participation of the Indian government and Indian museums in organizing <i>Tree & Serpent </i>deserves the highest praise and appreciation. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Tree & Serpent</i> is also the story of the birth or rebirth of art in India, since very few works of art survived the long centuries before the rise of Buddhism. As the devout disciples of the Buddha built </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span lang="EN" style="font-style: italic; line-height: 18.4px;">st</span><span lang="EN" style="font-style: italic; line-height: 18.4px;">ū</span></span><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>pa </i>shrines across vast stretches of the Deccan, they encircled these sacred buildings with carved depictions of the Buddha's life which have endured the test of time and - some of them - now hang on the walls of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKpMpWM9Dsa4KVIeFoxhu4uFBM-Yn-EHienDv_ct8q_Xqxpzl9vm79yGc3GbAghCh-8yu2iSNY6qJxoHS81mfurlscdQJv1o1Z3ZdEAJCypDqDS8qwuT51DFDoa5A00bh6jOZhKWVbzbnlbuFYs3eUXUM1E4MSOAWt9jYL_Ul4AIMHz_67opLcE_Sww-A/s1047/Stupa%20final.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1047" data-original-width="809" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKpMpWM9Dsa4KVIeFoxhu4uFBM-Yn-EHienDv_ct8q_Xqxpzl9vm79yGc3GbAghCh-8yu2iSNY6qJxoHS81mfurlscdQJv1o1Z3ZdEAJCypDqDS8qwuT51DFDoa5A00bh6jOZhKWVbzbnlbuFYs3eUXUM1E4MSOAWt9jYL_Ul4AIMHz_67opLcE_Sww-A/w494-h640/Stupa%20final.JPG" width="494" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div><b>Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023)</b></div></span><div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b style="font-family: verdana;"><i> Drum Panel with Stupa Veneration and Seminal Buddh-life events</i> </b></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b style="font-family: verdana;">from the Dupadu Great </b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 18.4px;">St</span><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 18.4px;">ū</span></span><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 18.4px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">pa</span></span></b><b style="font-family: verdana;">, ca. 1st century</b></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I intend to follow this review with a second essay focusing on the statues of the Buddha in the exhibition's concluding display. But for now, I want to reflect and meditate on all the wonderful treasures of art and spirituality I saw in <i>Tree & Serpent. </i></div></div></span></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I have the feeling that I may experience an epiphany, after all. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">***</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Text copyright of Ed Voves, all rights reserved.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Images copyright of Anne Lloyd, all rights reserved.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span>Introductory Image: Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023) <i>Railing Pillar with</i> </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif""><i>Naga Mucalinda</i> <i>Pillar Protecting the Buddhapada </i>(detail), ca. 150-100 BCE. Sandstone: H. 64 15/16 in. (165 cm), W. 12 5/8 in. (32 cm), D. 15 3/4 in. (23 cm) Lent by Allahabad Museum, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: FreightTextProPlus-Medium;">Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023) Gallery view of the <i>Tree &
Serpent</i> exhibition, with <i>Dharmachakra</i>, ca. 200. copper-alloy: H. 12 3/4 in. (32.4 cm.) W. 7 3/4 in. (19.7 cm.) Diam. 8 in. (20.3 cm). Lent by Bihar Museum, Patna, India<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN">Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023) <i>Drum Panel with Veneration of Relics</i>, ca. </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">1</span><sup>st</sup><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif""> century. Limestone: H. 67 5/16 in. (171 cm). W. 40 5/16 in. (104 cm). D. 6 11/16 in. (17 cm). Lent by Amaravati Heritage Center
and Museum, Andhra </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif""> </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">Pradesh.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN">Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023) </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">Gallery view of <i>Tree & Serpent</i>, </span><span style="text-align: center;">showing a model of a </span><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 18.4px;">st</span><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 18.4px;">ū</span></span><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 18.4px; text-align: left;"><span>pa built by the Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture, Cooper Union</span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: FreightTextProPlus-Medium;">Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023) Prayer ceremony at the press preview of <i>Tree &</i> <i>Serpent</i>, conducted by the monks from
New York Buddhist Vihara Foundation.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: FreightTextProPlus-Medium;">Anne
Lloyd, (Photo 2023) </span><i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">Buddha Offering Protection, </span></i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">5th century, (left) Copper alloy: H. 16 in. (40.6
cm) W. 5 ¼ in. (13.3 cm) d. 4 ½ in. (11.4 cm) Metropolitan Museum collection; and
<i>Buddha Granting Boon</i>s, 5th-6th century. Copper alloy: H. 12 1/2 in. (41.7
cm) W. 3 15/16 in. (10 cm) d. 3 1/8 in. (8 cm) British Museum collection.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: FreightTextProPlus-Medium;">Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023) <i>Drum slab with Five Buddha-life Narratives</i>
(detail), 3<sup>rd</sup> century. Limestone: H. 78 3/8 in. (199 cm). W. 39 3/8 in.
(100 cm). D. 8 1/4 in. (21 cm). Lent by Archaeological Museum, ASI, Nagarjunakonda,
Andra Pradesh.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: FreightTextProPlus-Medium;">Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023) Gallery view of <i>Tree and Serpent</i>, showing </span><span style="text-align: center;">showing a red sandstone statue </span><span style="text-align: center;">of the <i>Goddess of Abundance</i>, <i>Sri Lakshmi</i>,</span><span style="text-align: center;"> 2nd century.</span><span style="text-align: center;"> Lent by the National Museum, New Delhi.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023)<i> Elephants Venerating the
Ramagrama Stupa</i>, </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">late 1st century. Limestone: H. 12 13/16 in. (32.5 cm) W. 25 3/4 in. (68 cm) d. 16 9/16 in. (42 cm) British Museum collection.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN">Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023) Gallery view of <i>Tree and Serpent</i>,</span><b><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">
</span></b><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">showing a railing coping fragment with lotus bloom
carving from the Barhut Great Stupa, 150-100 BCE.</span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif""> </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif""> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: FreightTextProPlus-Medium;"><span style="text-align: center;">Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023) </span></span><span style="text-align: center;"><i>Railing Coping from Bharhut Great Stupa</i>, showing</span><span style="text-align: center;"> <span style="text-align: left;"><i>Forest Dwellers Scaling or Quarrying a Rock Face </i>(detail)</span><span style="text-align: left;">,<i> </i></span>150-100 BCE. </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">Sandstone: H. 13 3/4 in. (35 cm), W. 61 13/16 in. (157 cm), D. 10 1/4 in. (26 cm) Lent by National Museum, New Delhi.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: FreightTextProPlus-Medium;">Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023) <i>Railing Pillar Medallion with Mugapakkha-jataka, </i>c. 150-100 BCE. <o:p></o:p></span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">Sandstone: H. 24 13/16 in. (63 cm). W. 22 1/16 in. (56 cm). D. 6 5/16 in. (16 cm). Lent by India Museum, Kolkata.</span></span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023) <i>Railing Pillar with Naga
Mucalinda</i>, 2</span><sup>nd</sup><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">-1</span><sup>st</sup><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif""> century, BC. Sandstone: : H. 43 5/16
in. (110 cm). W. 21 5/8 in. (55 cm). D. 19 1/2 in. (53 cm). Lent by National
Museum, Delhi.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" lang="EN"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023) Gallery views of <i>Tree and Serpent</i>.
The bottom photo shows Torana Architraves, </span></span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="font-family: verdana;">a lion in front,
with an elephant behind, 3rd-4th century. Lent by Department of Heritage,
Telangana.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: FreightTextProPlus-Medium;">Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023) <i>Drum Panel with Stupa Veneration
and Seminal</i> <i>Buddha-life events</i>, 1<sup>st</sup> century. Limestone: H. 64 9/16
in. (164 cm). W. 45 ¼ in. (115 cm). D. 6 in. (22 cm). Lent by Amaravati
Heritage Center & Museum, Andhra Pradesh.<o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p></div></div>Art Eyewitnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347317000349363690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8200843910512523791.post-67616786919877732482023-08-19T18:55:00.003-07:002023-08-19T19:44:50.370-07:00Art Eyewitness Review: Van Gogh's Cypresses at the Metropolitan Museum of Art<p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSImWzwbjv22CP9R_9lbiZlht4SdD3N5JA98x6EGbmxpNOHW0mGmA5Y6HBfeG1WKTNSp9iwneeM6T7RaXmSCP8CvNkICZ7obrbDFMwGTE0WExkOf0XXMw7z0FdQ4R-CbPNYCk-tu9bOrM3tO9UKiaEd4u91Cie_qXb1Z7kxY3fTb6sXh0pdjKjqEx4VEo/s1066/van%20gogh%20lead.jpg" style="font-family: verdana; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="807" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSImWzwbjv22CP9R_9lbiZlht4SdD3N5JA98x6EGbmxpNOHW0mGmA5Y6HBfeG1WKTNSp9iwneeM6T7RaXmSCP8CvNkICZ7obrbDFMwGTE0WExkOf0XXMw7z0FdQ4R-CbPNYCk-tu9bOrM3tO9UKiaEd4u91Cie_qXb1Z7kxY3fTb6sXh0pdjKjqEx4VEo/w303-h400/van%20gogh%20lead.jpg" width="303" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></i></div><h3 style="text-align: center;"><i style="text-align: left;"><b>Van Gogh's Cypresses</b></i></h3><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: left;"><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: left;">Metropolitan Museum of Art</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b>thru August 27, 2023</b></span></div></span><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reviewed by Ed Voves</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Original Photography by Anne Lloyd</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The ingenuity of museum curators in conceiving and mounting exhibitions is one of the most remarkable aspects of today's art scene. Exhaustive research, savvy display techniques and a sensitive awareness of the relevance of yesterday's art to the concerns of today - these are essential attributes in a curator's toolkit.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Occasionally, though, even the most inventive and perceptive curators can miss the mark. A topic for an important exhibition somehow evades their consideration, leaving this subject "hiding in plain sight." Such was the case of <i>Van Gogh's Cypresses - </i>until recently.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Now in the final days of a hugely popular exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, <i>Van Gogh's Cypresses</i> was certainly worth the wait.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Once Van Gogh reached the south of France in the late winter of 1888, cypress trees appear again and again in his paintings. He recorded their presence in sketches and paintings, initially as an "everyday" feature of life, as in his lovely depiction of the Langlois Drawbridge.</span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU_Pm5oMnUY4x072SWuxtyWr6APys8SKWkG2agS3o13-aYwl8hB_sDS7dFzYWLOUS4Thee7xBCyZjXGtRTTzWPkibMO2kMeNIhO_dSUFnAoq3DBdHsmM3cDgGiUnT-iQvJ50kBE9RBRUvfr6DxSem3V-qL50D6LXKB0dXHiZprXoRhYfVi2vlTHRVh2Fg/s965/DSC03831.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="775" data-original-width="965" height="514" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU_Pm5oMnUY4x072SWuxtyWr6APys8SKWkG2agS3o13-aYwl8hB_sDS7dFzYWLOUS4Thee7xBCyZjXGtRTTzWPkibMO2kMeNIhO_dSUFnAoq3DBdHsmM3cDgGiUnT-iQvJ50kBE9RBRUvfr6DxSem3V-qL50D6LXKB0dXHiZprXoRhYfVi2vlTHRVh2Fg/w640-h514/DSC03831.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023)</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> Vincent van Gogh's <i>Drawbridge</i>, 1888</b></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;">Following his emotional breakdown in December 1888, Van Gogh entered the St. Paul Asylum in </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: verdana;">Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, staying there from May 1889 to May 1890. One might have thought that his seclusion in the asylum would have deprived him from viewing the stately cypresses. Instead, from the window of a workroom fitted out for him as a studio, Van Gogh caught sight of the tall, austere, dark green trees and painted them with unforgettable effect. </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6lBEwISi5BHww-rG5hxLi4NPug-KPKD3P4BoPcrURXfIhRmhvDbHCzadWnDbm_x78FhOHPTakl2hGWSHARHZaL14RjP-ccN0hIUny1PG2H_1ukKZcS4HTH58UAvrRwbQQor4TAMbzWuaOd0EtGpUxDEfvO6nhR6YwvLq1xY6eg6Vf6pVNh4RgdAjzAcE/s1066/DSC03782.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="957" data-original-width="1066" height="574" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6lBEwISi5BHww-rG5hxLi4NPug-KPKD3P4BoPcrURXfIhRmhvDbHCzadWnDbm_x78FhOHPTakl2hGWSHARHZaL14RjP-ccN0hIUny1PG2H_1ukKZcS4HTH58UAvrRwbQQor4TAMbzWuaOd0EtGpUxDEfvO6nhR6YwvLq1xY6eg6Vf6pVNh4RgdAjzAcE/w640-h574/DSC03782.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023)</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> Vincent van Gogh's <i>A Wheatfield with Cypresses</i>, 1889</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></span></div></div></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-NhOUiGP8hrfx_T8clj_HmcSZzjjdReL5Ie3dR65swLwO5qG8zkji1O80nF0u552LBP1N1-TuZ9qIrEpblSZnKUcmiC8WPJSotnYiQpDrJ8lQIuiyudfazhJY3Wg4QmYHAplbJIsIxz6i15BM8V9ba7XqU2vc1WZhdo1nLZvnSg0RnyLGYtiH4-Vc808/s1500/7_Van%20Gogh_Illustrated%20Letter%20to%20Theo%20van%20Gogh%20(Cypresses),%20June%2025,%201889_VGM_fig%2046.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="954" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-NhOUiGP8hrfx_T8clj_HmcSZzjjdReL5Ie3dR65swLwO5qG8zkji1O80nF0u552LBP1N1-TuZ9qIrEpblSZnKUcmiC8WPJSotnYiQpDrJ8lQIuiyudfazhJY3Wg4QmYHAplbJIsIxz6i15BM8V9ba7XqU2vc1WZhdo1nLZvnSg0RnyLGYtiH4-Vc808/w407-h640/7_Van%20Gogh_Illustrated%20Letter%20to%20Theo%20van%20Gogh%20(Cypresses),%20June%2025,%201889_VGM_fig%2046.jpg" width="407" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Vincent van Gogh,<i> Illustrated Letter to Theo</i> <i>van Gogh</i>, June 25, 1889</b></div></span><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;">In a June 1889 letter to his brother, Theo, from </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;">Saint-Rémy, Van Gogh commented:</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;"><i>"The cypresses still preoccupy me, I’d like to do something
with them like the canvases of the sunflowers because it astonishes me that no
one has yet done them as I see them. It’s beautiful as regards lines and
proportions, like an Egyptian obelisk. And the green has such a distinguished quality."</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: verdana;">Van Gogh was as good as his word. He did treat cypresses as he had previously immortalized sunflowers. And he was right to to be astonished that "no one has yet done them as I see them."</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #111111;">Given the</span><span style="color: #3300ff;"> </span><span><a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2022/12/art-eyewitness-book-review-van-gogh.html"><span style="color: #3300ff;">intensive study</span></a> </span></span><span style="color: #111111; font-family: verdana;">devoted to Van Gogh's <i>oeuvre</i> - with an eye to a hosting special exhibitions - one can only wonder why it has taken so long to place Van Gogh's depictions of cypress trees on the center stage. Yet, let's give credit where it is due. The curators at the Met saw the potential for a Van Gogh blockbuster and seized the opportunity. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw4WtaujAmzPjtvDASePZ4gLsl_8Z22W-6g4ZwLlRuAgcTL6tGsyPiqWy9DM96G9OHPWZ6PXetLDgjMF3gjt__TOqwgmbnLqbFjQne-tZVKFpvW5sOtZodk7mmv6Fl4Su5C8LiCaA8YVSmnDATbpc0m_T2WS6eQuJ8ChQPWj5GjAz_BQ5fQiXjK4Kp9b4/s1200/VG%20gallery.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="713" data-original-width="1200" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw4WtaujAmzPjtvDASePZ4gLsl_8Z22W-6g4ZwLlRuAgcTL6tGsyPiqWy9DM96G9OHPWZ6PXetLDgjMF3gjt__TOqwgmbnLqbFjQne-tZVKFpvW5sOtZodk7mmv6Fl4Su5C8LiCaA8YVSmnDATbpc0m_T2WS6eQuJ8ChQPWj5GjAz_BQ5fQiXjK4Kp9b4/w640-h380/VG%20gallery.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023)</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> Gallery view of <i>Van Gogh's Cypresses </i>at the Metropolitan Museum of Art</b></span></div></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: verdana;">Visually, </span></span><i style="color: #111111; font-family: verdana;">Van Gogh's Cypresses </i><span style="color: #111111; font-family: verdana;">is a delight to behold.</span><i style="color: #111111; font-family: verdana;"> </i><span style="color: #111111; font-family: verdana;">Much of the appeal of this exhibition comes from enjoying a spectacular array of Van Gogh's most beloved paintings, side-by-side. Many of these works have not appeared together since Van Gogh dispatched his finished canvases to be stored in the apartment of his brother, Theo, in Paris.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7UAGu2SYw30x9MDr8oZbVqTP4yUdCoeOen0FzanJIVYt0f1BxBGTpqUY_zpNaXKD4heHqU1_9w82NITc7misoFEmgIK_A4_XJ8dTEAuPdKez8WD_ZzrYqP0h8xwtSPYSgtm51dKIllcHkwy0aK4ifp627kzBuUB8ls3THP5CvpFBlU4pbT7vMS6k9daM/s821/Van%20Gogh%20gallery2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="699" data-original-width="821" height="544" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7UAGu2SYw30x9MDr8oZbVqTP4yUdCoeOen0FzanJIVYt0f1BxBGTpqUY_zpNaXKD4heHqU1_9w82NITc7misoFEmgIK_A4_XJ8dTEAuPdKez8WD_ZzrYqP0h8xwtSPYSgtm51dKIllcHkwy0aK4ifp627kzBuUB8ls3THP5CvpFBlU4pbT7vMS6k9daM/w640-h544/Van%20Gogh%20gallery2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #111111; font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023)</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> Gallery view of <i>Van Gogh's Cypresses, </i>appearing<i> </i>at right is</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> <i>Farmhouse among Olive Trees</i>, 1889</b></span></div></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: verdana;">Yet, <i>Van Gogh's Cypresses</i>, is much more than a beautiful exhibition or an interesting side-bar to the major themes of the Dutch painter's art. Van Gogh's "preoccupation" with cypress trees relates directly to his problematic relationship with nature - and with God. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPo8-TQoi9PLt4Qwv9zuoOqpLs4-JnbZKPrBWnN-qlDsjOvom7ht2vpisDUcF0YCKmQUckLm3RMfcPbERHgknOjA3ATHgwV5Luq8idYKkON6sY4q7wn_oV0ce70mD44IN2u7GKtvPrxx83HBqVAWHLplcVFqQWNl4gOyI0G2RMsoUo51VdWBfoV-HVw6k/s984/Van%20Gogh%20stll%20life.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="855" data-original-width="984" height="556" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPo8-TQoi9PLt4Qwv9zuoOqpLs4-JnbZKPrBWnN-qlDsjOvom7ht2vpisDUcF0YCKmQUckLm3RMfcPbERHgknOjA3ATHgwV5Luq8idYKkON6sY4q7wn_oV0ce70mD44IN2u7GKtvPrxx83HBqVAWHLplcVFqQWNl4gOyI0G2RMsoUo51VdWBfoV-HVw6k/w640-h556/Van%20Gogh%20stll%20life.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="color: #202122; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="color: #202122; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023)</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="color: #202122; font-family: verdana;"> Van Gogh's</b><b style="color: #202122; font-family: verdana; font-style: italic;"> Still Life with Oranges and Lemons with Blue Gloves, </b><b style="color: #202122; font-family: verdana;">1889</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: verdana;">Van Gogh was well aware of the growing interest in finding and expressing symbolical meaning in nature. But, despite the influence of Paul Gauguin and Emile Bernard, Van Gogh held back from joining the Symbolists. He was apprehensive about heeding "the language of painters." Instead, as he commented to Theo, it is the "language of nature which one should listen to, the feeling for the things themselves, for reality is more important than the feeling for pictures."</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: verdana;">Cypress trees complicated the issue because, since time immemorial, they had figured as a symbol of death and mourning. In the literature of Greece and Rome, the cypress tree was associated with Hades, god of the Underworld, and the three Fates. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: verdana;">The Hebrew Bible was more upbeat in regarding the cypress tree, which, along with the myrtle, was regarded as a sign of God's favor. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: verdana;">"Cypress trees will grow where now there are briers; myrtle trees will come up in place of thorns," proclaimed the prophet Isaiah (55:13). "This will be a sign that will last forever, a reminder of what I, the Lord, have done."</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: verdana;">Van Gogh had turned against organized religion by the time he journeyed to Provence. But his early exposure to Bible-based culture continued to resonate in his work. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir3lZGEgbfr2abKHR04S19NZR29pL2plrrNVk63np1WrA7RikSt1XVUapSsVu0jHAyq6tIvPB_5GgpEm-1RQLceottERRSlg6XmUj64DLa3D-Ph6Ifzu_cutL71w5m27EoAyQFNHaTorPuZ2ojvBtwhJT7Bj4IeBM9jh4Sn9xQbrnR3_FrHwZs4PPnEfQ/s1000/cypress%20garden.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir3lZGEgbfr2abKHR04S19NZR29pL2plrrNVk63np1WrA7RikSt1XVUapSsVu0jHAyq6tIvPB_5GgpEm-1RQLceottERRSlg6XmUj64DLa3D-Ph6Ifzu_cutL71w5m27EoAyQFNHaTorPuZ2ojvBtwhJT7Bj4IeBM9jh4Sn9xQbrnR3_FrHwZs4PPnEfQ/w640-h480/cypress%20garden.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="color: #202122; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023)</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="color: #202122; font-family: verdana;"> Vincent van Gogh's</b><b style="color: #202122; font-family: verdana; font-style: italic;"> Orchard Bordered by Cypresses</b><b style="color: #202122; font-family: verdana; font-style: italic;">, </b><b style="color: #202122; font-family: verdana;">1888</b></div></div><span style="color: #111111; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: verdana;">Just as the tall cypress trees loomed over the blossoming orchards in several of his works on view in the Met exhibit, so the cypress served as a "reminder of I, the Lord" in Van Gogh's inner-struggle as he sought meaning in the depiction of nature.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: verdana;">Even as Van Gogh dedicated himself to transcribe "the language of nature", a palpable sense of the numinous, the voice of God, asserted its presence. To a varying degree, this spark of divinity radiates from almost every painting in the Met's exhibition. And no work on view, not even <i>Starry Night</i>, expresses this more powerfully than <i>County Road in Provence by Night</i>.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7kORmjmJbJmVta4qi-4oDf6KaZGaAAJrhdHJdNh0fS55TNBL12umIsu4mRXoMb5NXlKlrUksjA5FODaluAuEy2D7brY5iqZQDTXPx_gATlqgb4q__MOtyCPid4-RTKqXYL71POjrA6p5cfMbzgwR5cgMJOyS5xdAEnLrKeaEn1oJJXXqqvb9AUUnYCMM/s993/Country%20Road%20in%20Provence%20by%20Night,%20May%201890.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="993" data-original-width="809" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7kORmjmJbJmVta4qi-4oDf6KaZGaAAJrhdHJdNh0fS55TNBL12umIsu4mRXoMb5NXlKlrUksjA5FODaluAuEy2D7brY5iqZQDTXPx_gATlqgb4q__MOtyCPid4-RTKqXYL71POjrA6p5cfMbzgwR5cgMJOyS5xdAEnLrKeaEn1oJJXXqqvb9AUUnYCMM/w521-h640/Country%20Road%20in%20Provence%20by%20Night,%20May%201890.jpg" width="521" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023)</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> Vincent van Gogh's </b><i style="color: #111111;"><b>County Road in Provence by Night</b></i><b>, 1890</b></span></div></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: verdana;">Van Gogh painted this tall, roadside cypress as he prepared to leave Saint-Rémy in May 1890. He had wanted to record its image since coming to Provence and it is easy to see why. Its color, stately shape and position next to a well-traveled country lane make for an image pulsating with life.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: verdana;">That's my interpretation of this key painting of the <i>Van Gogh Cypresses</i> exhibit. However, several scholars have taken a completely opposite approach to this work. They maintain that there are numerous signs in <i>Country Road in Provence by Night</i> that Van Gogh, still emotionally brittle despite a year of care and therapy, was passing under the shadow of death.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: verdana;">Van Gogh certainly was experiencing depression when he left </span><span style="color: #111111; font-family: verdana;">Saint-Rémy. But it needs to be emphasized that his mental and spiritual state cannot be definitively deduced from one or another of his paintings. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: verdana;">If there are premonitions of death in </span><i style="color: #111111; font-family: verdana;">County Road in Provence by Night</i><span style="color: #111111; font-family: verdana;">, then it should be noted that one of Van Gogh's most life-affirming paintings had been created only a few weeks before. This was <i>Almond Blossom,</i> painted for his infant nephew and namesake who was born in January 1890. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: verdana;">Despite a serious emotional lapse shortly after finishing <i>Almond Blossom, </i>Van Gogh continued to wrestle with his need, "to believe in God, for me is to feel that there is a God, not a dead one, or a stuffed one but a living one, who with irresistible force, urges us toward aimer encore...."</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: verdana;"><i>Aimer encore. </i>To love again. Van Gogh wrote those words to Theo in 1881. Nearly a decade later, he was still striving, despite great personal travail, to <i>aimer encore.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: verdana;">In a letter to Theo and his wife, Jo, written less than a month before his death in Jury 1890, Van Gogh affirmed that "I still love art and life very much."</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: verdana;"> So, what are we to make of Van Gogh's preoccupation with cypress trees?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhFlqVGdvb-J-kLk3Da3tvk0BAraMZbh1VPSAmtiGvjBGtO3BYcACVxUNQ_iy4XySAtbQaZbCLO3xSOIXwsi9xgfXsnlWom2uSyk4x6jyeM9QvPUSbwuoDWDiYE99EJI_-PmdtGANcU-JR2gEPxZSBx77pxA0_iP7Xo3SYGpkTo1zR33VhwrxXNO7hQtM/s905/Little%20stream.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="905" height="558" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhFlqVGdvb-J-kLk3Da3tvk0BAraMZbh1VPSAmtiGvjBGtO3BYcACVxUNQ_iy4XySAtbQaZbCLO3xSOIXwsi9xgfXsnlWom2uSyk4x6jyeM9QvPUSbwuoDWDiYE99EJI_-PmdtGANcU-JR2gEPxZSBx77pxA0_iP7Xo3SYGpkTo1zR33VhwrxXNO7hQtM/w640-h558/Little%20stream.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="color: #202122; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023)</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="color: #202122; font-family: verdana;"> Vincent van Gogh's</b><b style="color: #202122; font-family: verdana; font-style: italic;"> The Little Stream</b><b style="color: #202122; font-family: verdana; font-style: italic;">, </b><b style="color: #202122; font-family: verdana;">1889</b></div></div><span style="color: #111111; font-family: verdana;"><div><span style="color: #111111; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div>Ironically, the fact that the cypress tree was ubiquitous in Provence gave the tree a mundane, "everyday" aspect. Other artists might ignore them, concentrating on mountain views and other romantic vistas. Not so for Van Gogh. </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: verdana;">On November 26, 1889, while still undergoing treatment in S</span><span style="color: #111111; font-family: verdana;">aint-Rémy</span><span style="color: #111111; font-family: verdana;">, Van Gogh wrote to Theo, comparing cypresses to the familiar willow tree back home in the Netherlands: </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: verdana;"><i>You know that willows are very picturesque, despite the fact that it appears monotonous, it's the tree typical of the country. Now what the willow is in our native country, the olive tree and the cypress have exactly the same importance here.</i></span></p><p style="background: white; margin: 15pt 0in 7.5pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Van Gogh gained these insights into the nature of the cypress, observing these trees "typical" of the countryside of Provence from the windows of the asylum. He painted a series of views of an enclosed wheat field with a nearby grove of cypresses. This was visible from his bedroom. </span></p><p style="background: white; margin: 15pt 0in 7.5pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I am familiar with the painting in the series, from the collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, showing the scene during an autumn 1889 rain shower. The Met's exhibit shows one from the Ny Glyoptek in Denmark. It shows the ears of wheat caressed by the wind with the cypress trees off in the distance.</span></p><p style="background: white; margin: 15pt 0in 7.5pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: white; margin: 15pt 0in 7.5pt; text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6nocqw8UxqLV22aiBx_7GR56-rhyoqazkIXu4nkGwOAjW3ap3QLiM05R_50VsntythDRpLkpG_C2ChDJnMyIrKz4iOOz7R1_7Tu4_OMyUyjLVZkVfZYnCc26P9NcXRL8oBufvxTTiEdiMIpaHUlC9m62NoivMiaNq6mnwp-ot9pKwP2m5L3g44q3HATs/s644/DSC03760.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="485" data-original-width="644" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6nocqw8UxqLV22aiBx_7GR56-rhyoqazkIXu4nkGwOAjW3ap3QLiM05R_50VsntythDRpLkpG_C2ChDJnMyIrKz4iOOz7R1_7Tu4_OMyUyjLVZkVfZYnCc26P9NcXRL8oBufvxTTiEdiMIpaHUlC9m62NoivMiaNq6mnwp-ot9pKwP2m5L3g44q3HATs/w640-h482/DSC03760.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="color: #202122; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023)</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="color: #202122; font-family: verdana;"> Van Gogh's</b><b style="color: #202122; font-family: verdana; font-style: italic;"> Landscape from </b><i><span style="color: #111111; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>S</b></span><span style="color: #111111; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>aint-</b><b>Rémy</b></span><b style="color: #202122; font-family: verdana;">,</b></i><b style="color: #202122; font-family: verdana; font-style: italic;"> </b><b style="color: #202122; font-family: verdana;">1889</b></div><div><b style="color: #202122; font-family: verdana;"><br /></b></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It is a fairly lackluster scene in all weather. Likewise, the appearance of the cypress trees -"</span><i style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: verdana;">the tree typical of the country" -</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: verdana;"> is hardly worthy of note. In fact, this view from Van Gogh's room is distinctly unspectacular, routine, mundane, commonplace...</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: verdana;"> But for Van Gogh, struggling to regain his sanity and to express his faith in God and nature, this small patch of the universe, was his sole remaining window onto the world.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiXPfPKzHK9bHpRF9SNLpjsEYXVnXVXF_EY7VUXgsvjjeqM9rS0sdFHYA4oBV31yG_8-MjH0hi7OB3Iksa7USS6R7N1Ys81WATKIPkaEReSVkWY0uynEv-G4HkWvoLHSEPRx9Zjsdvqb0pYNsicqUS_sSgLQJUlFytF43ZZnCay5q5oKZBzyyalUbjUws/s1066/DSC03863%20(2).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="829" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiXPfPKzHK9bHpRF9SNLpjsEYXVnXVXF_EY7VUXgsvjjeqM9rS0sdFHYA4oBV31yG_8-MjH0hi7OB3Iksa7USS6R7N1Ys81WATKIPkaEReSVkWY0uynEv-G4HkWvoLHSEPRx9Zjsdvqb0pYNsicqUS_sSgLQJUlFytF43ZZnCay5q5oKZBzyyalUbjUws/w498-h640/DSC03863%20(2).jpg" width="498" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="color: #202122; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023)</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="color: #202122; font-family: verdana;"> Van Gogh's</b><b style="color: #202122; font-family: verdana; font-style: italic;"> Trees in the Garden of the Asylum</b><b style="color: #202122; font-family: verdana;"> (de</b><b style="color: #202122; font-family: verdana;">tail</b><b style="color: #202122; font-family: verdana;">),</b><b style="color: #202122; font-family: verdana; font-style: italic;"> </b><b style="color: #202122; font-family: verdana;">1889</b></div></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: verdana;">The same list of negative descriptors could be applied to the cypress. As we saw earlier, Van Gogh himself described the cypress as monotonous in appearance. Yet there was the cypress at every turn, pushing its roots down into the soil of Provence. Deeply anchored, it could resist the tumultuous Mistrel winds and then find moisture to survive the sun-parched months of summer.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: verdana;">A symbol of resilience in nature, the cypress became the visual testament to Vincent van Gogh's courageous efforts to find redemption as an artist and as a man. Art lovers may prefer Van Gogh's golden sunflowers but it is the images of <i>Van Gogh's Cypresses</i> which come to mind when we reflect on the poignant, almost valedictory words which he wrote to Theo and Jo, "I still love art and life very much."</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: verdana;">***.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: verdana;">Text copyright of Ed Voves, all rights reserved.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: verdana;">Images copyright of Anne Lloyd, all rights reserved.</span></div><p></p><p style="background: white; margin: 15pt 0in 7.5pt; text-align: left;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Introductory image: <span style="color: #202122;">Anne
Lloyd, (Photo 2023)</span></span><b><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: #202122; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></b><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: #202122; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Vincent van
Gogh’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">County Road in Provence by Night </i>(detail),
1890. Artwork details, see below.</span><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023) Vincent van
Gogh's </span><i>Drawbridge</i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">, 1888. Oil on canvas: 19 ½ x 25 ¼ in. (49.5 x 64
cm) Wallraf-Richartz Museum, Cologne, Germany.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023) Vincent van Gogh's </span><i>A
Wheatfield with Cypresses</i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">, 1889. Oil on canvas: 28 3/8 x 35 7/8 in. (72.1 x
90.9 cm) National Gallery, London.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">Vincent van Gogh (Dutch, 1853-1890) </span><i>Illustrated
Letter to Theo van Gogh, </i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">June 25, 1889. Pen and ink on paper: 8 ¼ x 10 5/8
in. (21 x 27 cm) Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023)</span><b><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></b><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">Gallery
view of <i>Van Gogh's Cypresses </i>at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023)</span><b><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></b><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"">Gallery
view of <i>Van Gogh's Cypresses</i>,
appearing at right is Vincent van Gogh’s <i>Farmhouse among Olive Trees</i>, 1889. <span style="color: #202122;">Oil
on canvas: 27 5/8 x 23 5/8 in. (70 x 60 cm) Private Collection, Larry Ellison.</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #202122;">Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023)</span><b><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: #202122; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></b><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #202122;">Vincent van Gogh’s <i>Still Life with
Oranges and Lemons with Blue Gloves</i>, 1889. Oil on canvas: 18 7/8 x 24 ½ in.
(48 x 62 cm) National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #202122;">Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023)</span><b><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: #202122; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></b><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #202122;">Vincent van Gogh’s <i>Orchard Bordered
by Cypresses</i>, 1888. </span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Oil on canvas: 25 5/8 x 32 in.
(64.9 x 81.2 cm) Kroller-Muller Museum, Otterlo, The Netherlands.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #202122;">Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023)</span><b><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: #202122; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></b><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #202122;">Vincent van Gogh’s <i>County Road in
Provence by Night</i>, 1890. Oil on canvas:</span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"> 35 3/8 x 28
3/8 in. (90.6 x 72 cm) Kroller-Muller Museum, Otterlo, The Netherlands.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #202122;">Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023)</span><b><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: #202122; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></b><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #202122;">Vincent van Gogh’s <i>The Little
Stream</i>, 1889. Oil on canvas: 10 x 13 ¼ in. (25.4 x 33.7 cm) Starr Insurance
Companies.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #202122;">Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023)</span><b><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: #202122; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></b><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #202122;">Vincent van Gogh’s <i>Landscape from </i></span><i><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: #111111; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Saint-Rémy</span></i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #202122;">,</span><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #202122;"> 1889. Oil on canvas: 27 ¾ x 34 7/8 in. (70.5 x 88.5 cm) Ny Carlsberg
Glyptotek, Copenhagen.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #202122;">Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023)</span><b><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: #202122; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></b><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #202122;">Vincent van Gogh's<i> Trees in the</i></span><b><i><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: #202122; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></i></b><i><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="color: #202122; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Garden of the Asylum</span></i><span face="Verdana, "sans-serif"" style="color: #202122;"> (detail),<i> </i>1889. Oil
on canvas: 26 3/8 x 20 ¼ in. (67 x 51.4 cm) Private collection.</span></span></p><br /><p></p>Art Eyewitnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347317000349363690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8200843910512523791.post-65280379522036110452023-07-26T20:12:00.001-07:002023-07-26T20:19:46.381-07:00Living Art: Art Eyewitness Tenth Anniversary<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiPK32_YtSsHae7ZQqfqOPB8mEtgTnhPE0TPhGjmmH79ip7OsD89g1zdE7k_E4_JXrtEC3S-yweo9nG38psBzQODsAOI5eUbPd7YBAc5eUSTAJW3sZ_8V1UWLpZFU2Dmv9jYQXHl0J61MH3e0lkGppfOUWrLl9om3Y7-5EgBZPI3AGRrSouQJP8XdRUnw/s1066/Time%20Passing.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiPK32_YtSsHae7ZQqfqOPB8mEtgTnhPE0TPhGjmmH79ip7OsD89g1zdE7k_E4_JXrtEC3S-yweo9nG38psBzQODsAOI5eUbPd7YBAc5eUSTAJW3sZ_8V1UWLpZFU2Dmv9jYQXHl0J61MH3e0lkGppfOUWrLl9om3Y7-5EgBZPI3AGRrSouQJP8XdRUnw/w480-h640/Time%20Passing.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: verdana;">Living Art</span></h2><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Art Eyewitness Tenth Anniversary<br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">2013-2023</span></span></h3><p></p><p><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: verdana;"><b>By Ed Voves</b></span></p><p><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: verdana;"><b>Photos by Anne Lloyd</b></span></p><p><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana;">Ten years, by most standards of reckoning, is not a long time. In terms of recorded history, a decade represents less than a blink of the eye. Much less.</span></p><p><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana;">Yet, for most people, as they plant their footsteps on the path of life, ten years is a significant stretch of time. For art movements or literary journals, which often have remarkably brief life spans, to celebrate a tenth anniversary is a big deal.</span></p><p><span style="color: #010101; font-family: verdana;">All of this rumination is by way of announcing that Art Eyewitness is now ten years old. </span></p><p><span style="color: #010101; font-family: verdana;">To find an appropriate "signature" picture to introduce our anniversary presented a bit of a quandary. How do you represent the progression of time by means of a single image? </span></p><p><span style="color: #010101; font-family: verdana;">Classic Hollywood movies used to denote the passing years on film by showing short sequences of ocean waves washing ashore, autumn leaves whirling in the wind or grains of sand in an hour glass. A single still photo or illustration of this sort would not work at all in an anniversary "think" piece for Art Eyewitness.</span></p><p><span style="color: #010101; font-family: verdana;">Fortunately, my wife Anne provided a pair of pictures that suits the occasion perfectly. With her trusty "point and shoot" camera, Anne brilliantly evokes art's ability to freely traverse the corridors of time.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji-Y-P029jMmtAc40EcVDTow0c9NA5BqtXtcw32OrkJ-OC81scQLOyUNpORaBotuFxgi9gxNTvk5QGuU2eXqEnP4JuPI8psQgAs3TzaewTQXZXDen30byw4mjBIt2qkDqf7lJlSwjCxVFcy5Vcf7Eij7_woLKcMPl_9tk3zTvtbrWUxTUNAXV47rm39Qw/s1000/Passing%20years.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="775" data-original-width="1000" height="496" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji-Y-P029jMmtAc40EcVDTow0c9NA5BqtXtcw32OrkJ-OC81scQLOyUNpORaBotuFxgi9gxNTvk5QGuU2eXqEnP4JuPI8psQgAs3TzaewTQXZXDen30byw4mjBIt2qkDqf7lJlSwjCxVFcy5Vcf7Eij7_woLKcMPl_9tk3zTvtbrWUxTUNAXV47rm39Qw/w640-h496/Passing%20years.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;"><b>Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2022)</b></span></div><div><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;"><b>View of Leo Villereal's <i>Multiverse,</i> 2008,<i> </i>at the National Gallery of Art</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #090909;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">During a recent trip to the National Gallery in Washington D.C., Anne snapped a couple of quick pictures of <i>Multiverse. </i>Installed in 2008, L</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">eo Villereal's light "sculpture" uses 41,000 LED lights to transform the moving walkway in the concourse of the National Gallery into a portal to the Cosmos. Like stepping into Heraclitus' river, each venture through the <i>Multiverse</i> leads to unique experiences of art at the National Gallery. </span></span></div></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4P2w4mxWjO0lQ-iHINzzW_Ir8PFrZe-hrb7MqG5YTxO3CteZO59ddNvQ5vuGJnH4c5qU9Keds6Vwph3wON1dBRgP7yVNidMmw7F04EPRAY0VjjEGx0H4nS3LIfyfa1UFx--CvuzaNkI0e99f7qM8WU0LMy4CGRN21qJxZ9JDmN_lVC675HF152x3daHI/s847/Ed%20and%20Carmencits.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="847" data-original-width="835" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4P2w4mxWjO0lQ-iHINzzW_Ir8PFrZe-hrb7MqG5YTxO3CteZO59ddNvQ5vuGJnH4c5qU9Keds6Vwph3wON1dBRgP7yVNidMmw7F04EPRAY0VjjEGx0H4nS3LIfyfa1UFx--CvuzaNkI0e99f7qM8WU0LMy4CGRN21qJxZ9JDmN_lVC675HF152x3daHI/w630-h640/Ed%20and%20Carmencits.jpg" width="630" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: verdana;"><b>Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2022)</b></span></div><div><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: verdana;"><b>Gallery view of <i>Sargent and Spain </i>at the National Gallery of Art,</b></span></div><div><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: verdana;"><b> showing John Singer Sargent's <i>La Carmencita Dancing</i></b></span></div></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: verdana;">The journey of Art Eyewitness over the past ten years has endeavored to explore the visual arts in a similar "moving" fashion. Art Eyewitness is a venture into a creative realm which is both ageless and ever-changing. The images and insights which fill our eyes and minds, Anne and I share with like-minded souls.</span></p><p><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: verdana;">The images which we share are not entirely derived from visits to art museums and reviewing special exhibitions. Occasionally, we have included some exceptional examples of Anne's street photography and we plan to investigate this fascinating genre in the future.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Ega22e7hIe9g6zop3_ChUe4sUFaQpbZh4mLOMpCd1r6eMp9laCt545mvWjJObIQ-Hif6pBIaLadhc56AeirhLhTZYWMYAYhynTTgd7m4778izeFTT0Fsou4y5x-uF_4K30rXy6ug5gRWNr3AThby9j-zWe6mS8n-uYOtkrb0htd6T_X-qzjQtLsTbCo/s1010/Butterfly%202021.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="645" data-original-width="1010" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Ega22e7hIe9g6zop3_ChUe4sUFaQpbZh4mLOMpCd1r6eMp9laCt545mvWjJObIQ-Hif6pBIaLadhc56AeirhLhTZYWMYAYhynTTgd7m4778izeFTT0Fsou4y5x-uF_4K30rXy6ug5gRWNr3AThby9j-zWe6mS8n-uYOtkrb0htd6T_X-qzjQtLsTbCo/w640-h408/Butterfly%202021.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #040404; font-family: verdana;"><b>Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2021)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #040404; font-family: verdana;"><b><i>Butterfly and Zinnia, 2021 </i></b></span></div><p><span style="color: #040404; font-family: verdana;">Originally, Art Eyewitness aimed to include classic films in its repertoire. Copyright fees, even for still photos from vintage movies, are way beyond the means of a "mom and pop" non-profit blog like ours. The same is true for pictures of works of modern and contemporary art. </span></p><p><span style="color: #040404; font-family: verdana;">Two factors have saved Art Eyewitness from being "stuck" in the past.</span></p><p><span style="color: #040404; font-family: verdana;">The greatly appreciated support of publishers, especially Thames and Hudson, has provided a stream of books for review and selected images on topics which, otherwise, we could never have addressed.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKamNhmUzOE280QgHogtov91ZYk8MXVT0xivgsFLhijnExSEKwh0fq59D9pGSuVSMYErJZ97X_3nphI8KliSMAEqvLteLc06Fd9nzvVDEqCfBgiZ6uTT6PtiLZIiix2afk8ss3r6f0mFbyBIbWaoS56je1wUqDMRYYTgY9Fn_cRDBE_-LPm9MGHZGhoSU/s958/Modern%20art%20in%20detail.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="958" data-original-width="888" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKamNhmUzOE280QgHogtov91ZYk8MXVT0xivgsFLhijnExSEKwh0fq59D9pGSuVSMYErJZ97X_3nphI8KliSMAEqvLteLc06Fd9nzvVDEqCfBgiZ6uTT6PtiLZIiix2afk8ss3r6f0mFbyBIbWaoS56je1wUqDMRYYTgY9Fn_cRDBE_-LPm9MGHZGhoSU/w594-h640/Modern%20art%20in%20detail.jpg" width="594" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: verdana;"><i><b>Modern Art in Detail</b></i><b>, by Susie Hodge (Thames & Hudson, 2017) </b></span></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: verdana;">The second factor involves the person closest to my heart. It was my wife, Anne, who encouraged me to start Art Eyewitness. The wonderful internet journal I was writing for, the <i>California Literary Review</i>, ceased publication in the spring of 2013. Anne was immediate and inspiring in her response to the sad tidings.</span></p><p><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: verdana;">"Start your own art blog!"</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b;">Rather hesitantly, I agreed. But what really got "the ball rolling" were the sensational gallery photos that Anne began to take in the summer of 2015. It is Anne's photos which put the "eyewitness" in Art Eyewitness!</span> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #040404;">This was never more true than at the</span> <a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2017/11/michelangelo-divine-draftsman-and.html"><span style="color: #1e00ff;"><i>Michelangelo:</i> <i>Divine Draftsman and</i> <i>Designer</i></span></a> <span style="color: #090909;">exhibition and the press preview of the</span> <a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2017/12/david-hockney-at-metropolitan-museum-of.html"><span style="color: #2600ff;">David Hockney</span></a> <span style="color: #060606;">retrospective, both from 2017 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8mztRoU9jkIvGnq8roGFimuiG6pGr0cycQp5HAu0z578yQRF5-GuOiyw1AMINltyt_NAHOQa7aYQQWL17gACwKpiOsEKoxTF2JOtX_3Tdf_yO34lnsRHn7UvOqDD_8cp3rqkpGJnaZDj-mGtXWNDk5F8Glw4VzwtXKbCovP5BW_Wov8XVmwV5mrOinls/s1345/divine%20design%202017.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1345" data-original-width="1010" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8mztRoU9jkIvGnq8roGFimuiG6pGr0cycQp5HAu0z578yQRF5-GuOiyw1AMINltyt_NAHOQa7aYQQWL17gACwKpiOsEKoxTF2JOtX_3Tdf_yO34lnsRHn7UvOqDD_8cp3rqkpGJnaZDj-mGtXWNDk5F8Glw4VzwtXKbCovP5BW_Wov8XVmwV5mrOinls/w480-h640/divine%20design%202017.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;"><b>Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2017)</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #090909;"> Gallery view of the <i>Michelangelo </i>exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum</span><i> </i></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg59JLOKEOT4MgOtjoIR6St9aAyKTUQ2mHLWN4PcVRArB7jOpbecwspArbst-XnWPynj_mk1br4olnHim3-IaP70oBNpB3v0-CvV9K1tzL5qKmzwnFxCZ9f9_1yeEulLjvt2RwjxQ3j7OgoW9zCxXlXni8AY9owqz9vVXdkBxVT5u2oVjpbC2H_ICVnHwM/s1500/Hockney%20Interview.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1234" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg59JLOKEOT4MgOtjoIR6St9aAyKTUQ2mHLWN4PcVRArB7jOpbecwspArbst-XnWPynj_mk1br4olnHim3-IaP70oBNpB3v0-CvV9K1tzL5qKmzwnFxCZ9f9_1yeEulLjvt2RwjxQ3j7OgoW9zCxXlXni8AY9owqz9vVXdkBxVT5u2oVjpbC2H_ICVnHwM/w526-h640/Hockney%20Interview.jpg" width="526" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;"><b>Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2017)</b></span></div><div><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;"><b>David Hockney at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Nov. 20, 2017</b></span></div></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #090909;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anne has certainly </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">not</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> rested on her photographic laurels since 2017. Almost every Art Eyewitness review includes "you are there" photos, placing you, the reader, in the exhibition gallery with us.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgktnWH8Joa1JrTvFGiFYKi297tCOrD1zAVtxyT0nVbNFWIvuIDN_c6TOytOvgVkPDmSAkBeT42VSQqKaETxiqYJzu8GsVa9HC_uqe-BScM-jD7SzDzbSDx8s2iDHk0qPYGxk2KtZSW26vzIVl7L2fmTv1mKGTyTiVdDQfvOVN2Q6GgqfnODn3ILbOX4Sk/s1000/outside1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgktnWH8Joa1JrTvFGiFYKi297tCOrD1zAVtxyT0nVbNFWIvuIDN_c6TOytOvgVkPDmSAkBeT42VSQqKaETxiqYJzu8GsVa9HC_uqe-BScM-jD7SzDzbSDx8s2iDHk0qPYGxk2KtZSW26vzIVl7L2fmTv1mKGTyTiVdDQfvOVN2Q6GgqfnODn3ILbOX4Sk/w640-h480/outside1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="color: #040404; font-family: verdana;"><b>Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023)</b></span></div><div><span style="color: #040404; font-family: verdana;"><b>Gallery view of the <i>Of God and Country </i>exhibit<i> </i>at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, showing S.L Jones' <i>Preacher and His Wife</i></b></span></div></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #040404; font-family: verdana;">It is vital to note that the Art Eyewitness "journey" has been facilitated by the incredible generosity of curators and public relations staff at the museums which Anne and I visit. </span></p><p><span style="color: #040404; font-family: verdana;">The list is long - the National Gallery, the Metropolitan Museum, the Morgan Library & Museum, the Neue Gallerie, MOMA, the Jewish Museum of NY, the Phillips Collection, the Barnes Foundation, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and many more. </span></p><p><span style="color: #040404; font-family: verdana;">To all of the wonderful people on the museum staffs who make Art Eyewitness possible, our gratitude is lasting and profound. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsqVvYWVIbMcJOckMnJa0XAKX5fnnCpXDuj9gGJunoCokd9lpSAz5eHFix2mdFJxJ5Oai-EmOCXOgiqzrPh-E7c4Vny8bcxpmJtHPahx3Ecgepg0IvbJDWGxqOPkUPtQVSH8gFdebCYaSZPaPi1leQ0ocmWnSbP0Yud5JSQoDakI7wYPdvquNejjCkLq4/s1066/Morisot%20curators.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="798" data-original-width="1066" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsqVvYWVIbMcJOckMnJa0XAKX5fnnCpXDuj9gGJunoCokd9lpSAz5eHFix2mdFJxJ5Oai-EmOCXOgiqzrPh-E7c4Vny8bcxpmJtHPahx3Ecgepg0IvbJDWGxqOPkUPtQVSH8gFdebCYaSZPaPi1leQ0ocmWnSbP0Yud5JSQoDakI7wYPdvquNejjCkLq4/w640-h480/Morisot%20curators.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana;"><b>Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2018)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0d0d0d;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>From left: Nichole R. Myers, Dallas Museum of Art, Sylvie Patry, </b></span><b style="font-family: verdana;">Mus</b><b style="font-family: verdana;">ee</b><b style="font-family: verdana;"> d'Orsay and Cindy Kang of the Barnes Foundation </b></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #0d0d0d;">I wish that I could include a survey of the photos which Anne has taken, over the years, of art curators and conservators at work. As that is impossible, I have chosen the above photo to illustrate this theme. The charm, intelligence and dedication of the curators of the 2018</span> <a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2018/11/berthe-morisot-exhibition-at-barnes.html"><span style="color: #0d00ff;">Berthe Morisot</span></a> <span style="color: #0b0b0b;">exhibition at the Barnes Foundation stands for all.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b;">Art Eyewitness launched its journey in July 2013. Our</span> </span><a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2013/07/diaghilev-and-ballets-russes-19091929.html" style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #0800ff;">first essay</span></a><span style="font-family: verdana;"> <span style="color: #040404;">was a review of </span></span><span style="color: #040404;"><i style="font-family: verdana;">Diaghilev and the Ballets</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Russes, 1909-1929</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">, at the National Gallery. Before orchestrating the great dance series which exerted such a profound influence on modern art, Sergei Diaghilev had edited a journal dedicated to art history, </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Mir iskusstva</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">, meaning "World of Art." </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #040404; font-family: verdana;">The title was well-chosen. Diaghilev sincerely believed that art could affect society-at-large in new and inspiring ways. Working like a man possessed, Diaghilev devoted himself to translating vision into reality.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjTdAcEiAuP-FR7_LdQBmZMN5lUXWrWmw04olN-giz41cJWqITevfyAME_MLrI4R5tNRSps-MVsb05OcD_pVUIKOOjvtrpUWjzF2QNWItNCo8_cul6xDSlzDbbgXnkv3FrsaeQz1jCiOZxZDnhODK9jLl70dF8F3DGGEc5AGkTFWT1oKeMqG6RLmlS6xA/s1193/2006AM3727.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1193" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjTdAcEiAuP-FR7_LdQBmZMN5lUXWrWmw04olN-giz41cJWqITevfyAME_MLrI4R5tNRSps-MVsb05OcD_pVUIKOOjvtrpUWjzF2QNWItNCo8_cul6xDSlzDbbgXnkv3FrsaeQz1jCiOZxZDnhODK9jLl70dF8F3DGGEc5AGkTFWT1oKeMqG6RLmlS6xA/w430-h640/2006AM3727.jpg" width="430" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;"><b>Jean Cocteau's Poster for the Ballets Russes, 1913</b></span></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;">After several years of sensational success with the Ballets Russes, Diaghilev's hopes for a "world of art" were dashed by the outbreak of World War I. The Bolshevik Revolution and the Influenza Epidemic of 1918 followed in a chain of disaster which eventually led to even more, unspeakable, horrors. </span></p><p><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;">Today, as the world continues to grapple with the effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic and the outbreak of a major war in Europe, we seem to be reliving the experience of Diaghilev and his generation. Hopefully my fears are exaggerated, but there are many well-informed commentators writing in this vein, too.</span></p><p><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;">Art and adversity are certainly no strangers. One needs to remember that - constantly.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigq5Gg0rVtXDRgRIv5Qyce6Npkcfo625xC9NfXB_zAmUhe6AVSsXHYD4Wj8T6LzWZrrZzwem9zxLRLLtBLnCk9tNyHmkgRajiCUmq0NO36HVssxhmK3VMokz-v3pPTqFkSDWmYWxnEf1dirFOxTv1TLpPbY3MjgyGnYVHxLvMeCr17bFZ7alsfddLwJBk/s1203/Elizabeth%20I.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1203" data-original-width="910" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigq5Gg0rVtXDRgRIv5Qyce6Npkcfo625xC9NfXB_zAmUhe6AVSsXHYD4Wj8T6LzWZrrZzwem9zxLRLLtBLnCk9tNyHmkgRajiCUmq0NO36HVssxhmK3VMokz-v3pPTqFkSDWmYWxnEf1dirFOxTv1TLpPbY3MjgyGnYVHxLvMeCr17bFZ7alsfddLwJBk/w484-h640/Elizabeth%20I.jpg" width="484" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b;">Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2020)</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: verdana;"><b><i>The Rainbow Portrait of</i> <i>Queen Elizabeth I </i></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: verdana;"><b> Attributed to Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger, ca. 1602</b></span></div></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b;">Reflecting on my visits to the 2022 exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art,</span> <i><a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2022/12/art-eyewitness-review-portraits-of.html"><span style="color: #1100ff;">The Tudors: Art and Majesty</span></a></i>, <span style="color: #090909;">I am reminded of the contrast between courtly splendor and actual living conditions. The final years of the reign of Elizabeth I, ca.</span></span><span style="color: #090909;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">1600, were a positively wretched time for many in England and throughout Europe. Yet Shakespeare's </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Julius Caesar, Twelfth Night</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> and </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Hamlet</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">, Caravaggio's greatest paintings including </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">The Calling of St. Matthew</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (1599-1600) and </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Supper at Emmaus</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> (1601) and Cervantes' </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Don Quixote, </i><span style="font-family: verdana;">Part I (published in 1605) all date to this tormented period.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #090909;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The spring and summer months of 2020 brought a comparable time of suffering to our doorsteps. It is too early to dispassionately judge works of art or books created during the three years of the Covid-19 crisis </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">and contrast them with those mentioned above from the turn of the seventeenth century.</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #2b00ff;"> </span><i><a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2021/07/art-eyewitness-book-review-david.html"><span style="color: #1900ff;">Spring Cannot be Cancelled</span> </a></i><span style="color: #090909;">by David Hockney and Martin Gayford is certainly a worthy response to the Covid crisis which deserves to be so considered. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;">Time, the stern and capricious arbitrator of merit, will tell. But I believe that one judgment can be made - without hesitation. The art museum community rendered invaluable service as Covid-19 threatened the norms of cultural life and emotional well-being.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGByjM8KiXWm6H5H9KZvIGFFmsahz_ConMgWA0cP1gf1ZJNQLMT-nqRoDJK0rXRMtsrDXZStfeEvWBYF27k-T7l3JHAo4meMR8LxDgYXlEMUyMOJl82YgEmd1Tz87tBblxJFfLnUaJC6N11hQlgavKzbBxwpOuTLyD1PCCWXSmcG8Zgv1AN_FJllPEhO4/s991/degas%20Gallery%202a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="799" data-original-width="991" height="516" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGByjM8KiXWm6H5H9KZvIGFFmsahz_ConMgWA0cP1gf1ZJNQLMT-nqRoDJK0rXRMtsrDXZStfeEvWBYF27k-T7l3JHAo4meMR8LxDgYXlEMUyMOJl82YgEmd1Tz87tBblxJFfLnUaJC6N11hQlgavKzbBxwpOuTLyD1PCCWXSmcG8Zgv1AN_FJllPEhO4/w640-h516/degas%20Gallery%202a.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="color: #040404; font-family: verdana;"><b>Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2020)</b></span></div><div><span style="color: #040404; font-family: verdana;"><b>Empty gallery, Spring 2020, at the National Gallery of Art,</b></span></div><div><span style="color: #040404; font-family: verdana;"><b> showing paintings by Edgar Degas</b></span></div></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #040404;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">As art institutions closed in mid-March 2020, a widespread network of museum staff members - </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">museum directors, curators, IT and public relations specialists - </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #040404;">responded to the crisis by providing "virtual" access to great works of art, historical archives, digital tours of museum galleries and much more.</span> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b;">An</span> </span><a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2020/03/art-eyewitness-essay-art-in-time-of.html" style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #1100ff;">Art Eyewitness essay</span></a><a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2020/03/art-eyewitness-essay-art-in-time-of.html" style="font-family: verdana;"> </a><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;">I wrote at the time, focusing on the efforts of the Metropolitan Museum, gives a brief survey of the initiatives which shared a wide array of art resources with the public. This devotion to art lovers, everywhere, was undertaken when museum staff members had to deal with anxiety, sickness and privation in their own lives, too. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #090909;">The human toll of Covid-19 was "brought home" to me at the press preview of</span> <i><a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2022/07/art-eyewitness-review-new-york-1962.html"><span style="color: #3700ff;">New York: 1962-1964</span></a></i>. <span style="color: #060606;">On a scorching day in July 2022, Anne and I traveled to the Jewish Museum of New York for the opening of this major exhibit. </span></span><span style="color: #060606; font-family: verdana;">I was primed for a superb display of mid-century American art, but the unforgettable moment of the press event came during remarks by the director of the Jewish Museum, Claudia Gould.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiza7jZd6czJxfShiNieaP1PksOXm1y-G-t8qIJko5fjHPHOo9tYqV909Jes3204ztGlZNJaoUapUG6TSf6CoElXYrPFnzzfCWfpMBR8_5dPequTCdHCbzjgjgkbORe_1zf73smcEmQIr61bmkqp0sx7z2FdZaqfUWKXxZ-5H6xd0bhkNKYxhPk_bqwN5w/s787/Claudia%20Gould.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="730" data-original-width="787" height="594" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiza7jZd6czJxfShiNieaP1PksOXm1y-G-t8qIJko5fjHPHOo9tYqV909Jes3204ztGlZNJaoUapUG6TSf6CoElXYrPFnzzfCWfpMBR8_5dPequTCdHCbzjgjgkbORe_1zf73smcEmQIr61bmkqp0sx7z2FdZaqfUWKXxZ-5H6xd0bhkNKYxhPk_bqwN5w/w640-h594/Claudia%20Gould.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="color: #010101; font-family: verdana;"><b>Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2022)</b></span></div><div><span style="color: #010101; font-family: verdana;"><b>Claudia Gould, Director of the Jewish Museum, July 20, 2022 </b></span></div></div><p><span style="color: #010101; font-family: verdana;">Ms. Gould seemed "out-or-sorts" as she came to the podium. During her remarks, her voice bespoke of sorrow and emotional distress. Ms. Gould described how the <i>New York: 1962-1964</i> exhibition had been planned and organized by one of the great art scholars and curators of our contemporary era, Germano Celant.</span></p><p><span style="color: #010101; font-family: verdana;">Germano Celant, born in Italy in 1940, was a significant figure in the art world since the late 1960's. He was a major proponent of the Arte Povera movement and had been a curator for several years at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. His abundant talents and experience made Celant the perfect choice to lead the design of an exhibition devoted to the Manhattan art scene in the "Sixties."</span></p><p><span style="color: #010101;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">As he worked on the <i>New</i> <i>York: 1962-1964</i> exhibit, Celant contracted the Corona virus and died, aged 79. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Celant's shocking death could well have derailed the entire project, but Gould and the curators at the Jewish Museum rose to the challenge. </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">New York: 1962-1964</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> was truly an outstanding exhibition, an example of triumph arising from tragedy.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLjiKYXVtSY2Trbjfmyc9R4m59pmrDQ-E5qeyluCb9PTFd8FMkLbFUtAm_3_Dk5LmzWNL5W9p0RTf80IB3ABqbdkPCbsCyg_lHGPeD0zDA-gPLC-RVFPIQsl94FER8uoDwBvlnXd5vQ-bbNPMLsbwkpEegEKAO8I5GnXTIQfBewpci7N6RDQ08DIXWhiM/s932/K%20Noland%20Tropical%20Zone.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="932" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLjiKYXVtSY2Trbjfmyc9R4m59pmrDQ-E5qeyluCb9PTFd8FMkLbFUtAm_3_Dk5LmzWNL5W9p0RTf80IB3ABqbdkPCbsCyg_lHGPeD0zDA-gPLC-RVFPIQsl94FER8uoDwBvlnXd5vQ-bbNPMLsbwkpEegEKAO8I5GnXTIQfBewpci7N6RDQ08DIXWhiM/w640-h480/K%20Noland%20Tropical%20Zone.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;"><b>Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2022)</b></span></div><div><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;"><b> Gallery view of <i>New York: 1962-1964 </i>at the Jewish Museum, showing Kenneth Noland's <i>Tropical Zone, </i>1964.</b></span></div></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #090909;">As the Covid crisis abated and museums reopened, exhibitions which devoted curators had worked on during the "lockdown" began to go on display. One of the earliest and most significant was</span> <i><a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2022/05/art-eyewitness-review-winslow-homer.html"><span style="color: #0011ff;">Winslow Homer: Crosscurrents</span>.</a></i> <span style="color: #0b0b0b;">This exhibit appeared at the Met during the spring and summer of 2022, later travelling to the National Gallery in London.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkCfvo4we1h3HvWrH_guOvrZ0Nu_ga2C7KCOYonPKjEhfuvmRm5WaSTBz_WCH2oIjT03_kxgpUMEFPJefExGCGZ9wpE2EqL9bJ8nFdOcZhwIn58bD3DMQV2pvF5Rnrioq7rimoFA7f_EX5syiv2IIsZR1Tu9bcouhgwA2EfNSdHE9EX-a_MRtqES5Y7Is/s1000/Winslow%20Homer.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="875" data-original-width="1000" height="560" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkCfvo4we1h3HvWrH_guOvrZ0Nu_ga2C7KCOYonPKjEhfuvmRm5WaSTBz_WCH2oIjT03_kxgpUMEFPJefExGCGZ9wpE2EqL9bJ8nFdOcZhwIn58bD3DMQV2pvF5Rnrioq7rimoFA7f_EX5syiv2IIsZR1Tu9bcouhgwA2EfNSdHE9EX-a_MRtqES5Y7Is/w640-h560/Winslow%20Homer.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="color: #040404; font-family: verdana;"><b>Ed Voves, (Photo 2022)</b></span></div><div><span style="color: #040404; font-family: verdana;"><b> Gallery view of <i>Winslow Homer: Crosscurrents </i>at the Metropolitan Museum, showing Homer's <i>The Gulf Stream, </i>1899.</b></span></div></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #040404;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The key painting of</span><i style="font-family: verdana;"> Winslow Homer: Crosscurrents </i><span style="font-family: verdana;">was <i>The Gulf Stream</i>. This stunning work shows an African-American sailor in a battered schooner, menaced by sharks and an approaching storm. Will the crew of a ship in the distance see him and come to his rescue? However the viewer answers that question, there is no doubt that <i>The Gulf Stream</i> is a relevant painting for the travail of our time, as it was for Homer's.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #040404;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Winslow Homer (1836-1910) first gained renown as an illustrator for <i>Harper's</i> <i>Weekly</i>. His experience recording the American Civil War led Homer to take unexpected paths in his art. Many of his post-war paintings record the lives of melancholy </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">young women who may have lost husbands or lovers in the Civil War,</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> courageous seamen and their families, menaced by deadly storms, and African-Americans grappling with racial oppression. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #040404; font-family: verdana;">Homer's empathy for people confronting adversity is being carried on by the efforts of curators and art historians. A concerted effort is underway to present exhibitions of the work of artists - African-Americans, women, immigrants, "working-class" people - previously denied opportunity and fair treatment. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWHs-BdnOvVW3_ssoDdIztp7ov7kgJvLDNBlbWUFsOVg4qJh21MN8YJZp7ul9lCDmqnL6_F9KP8D079jDcooz0U3ITO95Df6oFd9yRKypVRXPBGFo3dQ3BqcTHZD_6D4H9YTTU3E9pQKYtDsNUu42FUU450kBGD9mOXKe-BbR6iH3smsGUbGFAOrYWTmM/s900/gallery%201a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="652" data-original-width="900" height="464" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWHs-BdnOvVW3_ssoDdIztp7ov7kgJvLDNBlbWUFsOVg4qJh21MN8YJZp7ul9lCDmqnL6_F9KP8D079jDcooz0U3ITO95Df6oFd9yRKypVRXPBGFo3dQ3BqcTHZD_6D4H9YTTU3E9pQKYtDsNUu42FUU450kBGD9mOXKe-BbR6iH3smsGUbGFAOrYWTmM/w640-h464/gallery%201a.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #060606; font-family: verdana;"><b>Ed Voves, (Photo 2019)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #060606; font-family: verdana;"><b> Gallery view of <i>Augusta Savage: Renaissance Women </i>at the New York Historical Society. <i>Boy on a Stump</i>, ca. 1930, in the foreground. </b></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #060606;">Art Eyewitness has been pleased to review a number of these, including the much-needed reappraisal of</span> <a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2019/06/augusta-savage-renaissance-woman-at-new.html"><span style="color: #1100ff;">Augusta Savage</span></a>, <span style="color: #0b0b0b;">whose brilliant sculptures are among the greatest works of art created during the Harlem Renaissance. This exhibition appeared at the New York Historical Society (NYHS) during 2019. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b;">The NYHS later mounted an exhibit devoted the German immigrant,</span> <a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2022/08/art-eyewitness-review-art-of-winold.html"><span style="color: #2200ff;">Winold Reiss</span></a>, <span style="color: #060606;">an amazingly versatile artist whose sensitive portraits of the leaders and community figures of the Harlem Renaissance complemented Savage's sculptures to perfection. Both were superbly designed shows, worthy additions to the long list of outstanding exhibitions at the NYHS.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #060606; font-family: verdana;">The Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia deserves special recognition for its exhibitions devoted to self-taught artists - and a happy 100th birthday salute from Art Eyewitness.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEght_ICO735qu1d1n8Rk60LnDrRbcqAvekoVgeIAz7KxYFEh22iaJ-IS8yzUo9tVJZLSJvFSEgcqEFfTuwTsB4qE4uL2M2QFLJ1IfL-RNqQZhVUb0Byz-eZbsg5mGpWkwRD5XA8CwD-NNA2pilvfEb8wGd2LzcbRT9lvKPHgfomROVsd7-3J9_JQXQeGa0/s821/DSC02401.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="741" data-original-width="821" height="578" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEght_ICO735qu1d1n8Rk60LnDrRbcqAvekoVgeIAz7KxYFEh22iaJ-IS8yzUo9tVJZLSJvFSEgcqEFfTuwTsB4qE4uL2M2QFLJ1IfL-RNqQZhVUb0Byz-eZbsg5mGpWkwRD5XA8CwD-NNA2pilvfEb8wGd2LzcbRT9lvKPHgfomROVsd7-3J9_JQXQeGa0/w640-h578/DSC02401.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #010101; font-family: verdana;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Ed Voves, (Photo 2020)</b></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> Elijah Pierce's <i>Your Life is a Book, </i>ca. 1940's, displayed<i> </i>at </b></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>the Barnes Foundation's 2020 exhibition, <i>Elijah Pierce's America</i></b></span></div></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #010101;">Among its recent, stellar exhibitions, the Barnes has documented the achievements of </span><a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2020/10/elijah-pierces-america-at-barnes.html"><span style="color: #0008ff;">Elijah Pierce</span></a><span style="color: #060606;"> and William Edmundson. These African-American sculptors, working during the early decades of the twentieth century, not only blazed a trail for later generations but powerfully demonstrated the importance of religious beliefs and community values in the creation of meaningful art.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #060606;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Trying to strike a balance in an appraisal of ten years of art exhibitions - and nearly three hundred reviews and essays - is not the easiest of endeavors. There is always the temptation to try and comment on this or that exhibit to make sure that the early years or a favorite artist receive their due.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #060606;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I am going to resist adding to the length of an already long anniversary essay. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Instead, I will mention one more exhibit and call it a "wrap."</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #060606; font-family: verdana;">During the autumn of 2018, the Neue Gallerie in New York devoted a special exhibition to the German Expressionists, </span><a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2018/10/franz-marc-and-august-macke-1909-1914.html" style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: blue;">Franz Marc and August Macke.</span></a> <span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;">I had hoped for years that these artists, both killed in World War I, would be the subject of a thorough examination, especially one that enabled viewers to grasp the spiritual, almost mystical, elements of their art. The Neue Gallerie exhibition lived up to my hopes and then some.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcXrjfpQ6ThgT9ojUFL6BvzgE8Th10fw4gTKMTtol2EpZtjSjfyEb8JeMHIsOAreiBPV2IwM1Xy8GJ32Ez9fF1RkGw-Hla-jPIlhUmFPVYG2M7MQMW9HmjNd3Th6scscJpW16ieJqrLTgOQK1FSkOKAhuwZaTQtg9G9vCuGLPwh63usYQZpMnhmRG2pxY/s1000/Marc%20deer.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcXrjfpQ6ThgT9ojUFL6BvzgE8Th10fw4gTKMTtol2EpZtjSjfyEb8JeMHIsOAreiBPV2IwM1Xy8GJ32Ez9fF1RkGw-Hla-jPIlhUmFPVYG2M7MQMW9HmjNd3Th6scscJpW16ieJqrLTgOQK1FSkOKAhuwZaTQtg9G9vCuGLPwh63usYQZpMnhmRG2pxY/w640-h640/Marc%20deer.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div><b style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #090909;">Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2018)</span></b></div><div><div><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;"><b>Franz Marc's <i>Deer in the Forest</i><i> II</i>, 1914</b></span></div></div></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;">Franz Marc is famous for valuing animals as spiritual beings. His inseparable companion was a Siberian Shepherd dog named "Russi" whom he painted several times, including a "metaphysical" portrait entitled <i>Hund vor der Welte </i>or <i>How a Dog Sees the World. </i></span></p><p><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;">Human beings see the world, partly through the prism of art. But animals and art museums are not a good fit. Or so I thought.</span></p><p><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;">Recently, Anne and I were paying a return visit to<span> </span></span><span style="color: #0011ff; font-family: verdana;"><i><a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2023/06/art-eyewitness-review-whistlers-mother.html">Whistler's Mother</a></i></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> </span></i><span style="color: #060606;">now on special loan to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. To our very great surprise, we watched as a fellow patron calmly walk down the grand staircase, with a Golden Retriever in hand.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVBpwWS9_WGTjDWk4jtTd_nqLGwYL549SB4gxNcejLdYV1bvTvBNA9WLVMqkoBFr99fY6sMHiC88SYzxgkYR1hbMgD0jCMs4suQVle5yXSdrvq_ujMvGyYhPGllC8shTXiif4La4GNcKWyJYaEBH-6MXNUMiVNe2vOj2Y_fsnpEuy7eukGMYdEjnEhHBE/s863/Art%20dog%201.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="863" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVBpwWS9_WGTjDWk4jtTd_nqLGwYL549SB4gxNcejLdYV1bvTvBNA9WLVMqkoBFr99fY6sMHiC88SYzxgkYR1hbMgD0jCMs4suQVle5yXSdrvq_ujMvGyYhPGllC8shTXiif4La4GNcKWyJYaEBH-6MXNUMiVNe2vOj2Y_fsnpEuy7eukGMYdEjnEhHBE/w640-h370/Art%20dog%201.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> <span style="color: #090909;"> Anne Lloyd, (Photo 2023)</span></b></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #090909;">Gallery views of Philadelphia Museum of Art, June 26, 2023</span></b></div></span><p></p><p><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;">We were incredulous, but nobody else seemed to mind, including the several guards in the vicinity. My guess is that the fellow with the dog trains service animals. It was all I could do to keep from asking, but I making it a rule never to intrude on someone else's art "moment."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE6xwAHJgorOF1SUeokvojfAa8BelnMKUlj9M80DXj2epNxw_0Zwb1jFngXljBjau6RJq_agY8bbKaTJDA77niCB_f1qjc82iWmqGZ_xhvx1IErrzBBlnXAX0Hy-z23sJ-DUfY1IoxltWXirdH_HKF59fH_4HiTkUf76coKc0epGDUMmQRQoiBiExXvxI/s903/Art%20dog%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="700" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE6xwAHJgorOF1SUeokvojfAa8BelnMKUlj9M80DXj2epNxw_0Zwb1jFngXljBjau6RJq_agY8bbKaTJDA77niCB_f1qjc82iWmqGZ_xhvx1IErrzBBlnXAX0Hy-z23sJ-DUfY1IoxltWXirdH_HKF59fH_4HiTkUf76coKc0epGDUMmQRQoiBiExXvxI/w496-h640/Art%20dog%202.jpg" width="496" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="color: #060606; font-family: verdana;">Then the guy with the Golden Retriever ambled into the gallery to spend some quality time with <i>Whistler's Mother</i>. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQoLs1he4kiSiugFhv5HXoWIx9zuYNwoKThURozGHw84aF_gGiunWbp0XDx4PwNPQweWxllH0dx6BafKM2pL1YftKZt2U2FL4pG4wvSDFY7vD5DiKdTg5HDpZYuCmMBsCwzmgtiJcvhR33rA1oKaZ7dMqVEAFkuJGjSSvTET-hl0FeMdyOynNthFgO4LM/s1223/Art%20dog%203.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1223" data-original-width="801" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQoLs1he4kiSiugFhv5HXoWIx9zuYNwoKThURozGHw84aF_gGiunWbp0XDx4PwNPQweWxllH0dx6BafKM2pL1YftKZt2U2FL4pG4wvSDFY7vD5DiKdTg5HDpZYuCmMBsCwzmgtiJcvhR33rA1oKaZ7dMqVEAFkuJGjSSvTET-hl0FeMdyOynNthFgO4LM/w420-h640/Art%20dog%203.jpg" width="420" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="color: #040404;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It was all so natural, so unscripted. They came. They saw. And, after a few moments of art appreciation, they went.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinVCcEYOQG5r4cEWL7DZSUgVNZ7snDJD2LFiD-vnvtHHKZzLKY7q31KAfJu0qC8NTwjv72wRJlWKkGANIGV-41DFjwZ5E1KNG30O4uOmsqoLTvSa2GDci96mzA4r3Uj92nUDjh6XFAwsImU1_hoQqhtlPkO4fGaHq_-p6BwGJg_tpKc8-v4fByibyNO6U/s975/Art%20dog%204.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="975" data-original-width="945" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinVCcEYOQG5r4cEWL7DZSUgVNZ7snDJD2LFiD-vnvtHHKZzLKY7q31KAfJu0qC8NTwjv72wRJlWKkGANIGV-41DFjwZ5E1KNG30O4uOmsqoLTvSa2GDci96mzA4r3Uj92nUDjh6XFAwsImU1_hoQqhtlPkO4fGaHq_-p6BwGJg_tpKc8-v4fByibyNO6U/w620-h640/Art%20dog%204.JPG" width="620" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;">Franz Marc would have loved this art moment. Russi would have loved it too. Anne and I certainly did.</span></p><p><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;">I have the zany thought that Franz Marc would have painted a picture of the scene and called it <i>Hund vor der Kuns</i>t! </span></p><p><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;">So how would a dog see "art"?</span></p><p><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;">If this gentle, well behaved Golden is any indication, art would be regarded as a part of life, a daily ritual that is both a necessity and something to be enjoyed. See it, embrace the moment and move on.</span></p><p><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;">So, instead of a quote from Kenneth Clark or Andre Malroux to bring this essay to a close, I'm serving-up these images of art as an element of everyday life. Anne and I have been doing this for ten years and aim to keep on for as long as we can make it up the art museum steps.</span></p><p><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;">From Art Eyewitness, thanks for ten great years.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> <span style="color: #010101;">***</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #010101; font-family: verdana;">Text copyright of Ed Voves, all rights reserved </span></p><p><span style="color: #010101; font-family: verdana;">Images copyright of Anne Lloyd, all rights reserved</span></p><p><span style="color: #010101;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Introductory image: </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022) View of Leo Villereal's <i>Multiverse,</i> 2008, National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #010101; font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022) Gallery view of the Sargent and Spain at the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., showing John Singer Sargent's <i>La Carmencita</i> <i>Dancing</i>, 1890.</span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #010101; font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2021)<i> Butterfly and Zinnia, 2021</i>.</span></div><p><span style="color: #010101; font-family: verdana;"><i>Modern Art in Detail: 75 Masterpieces </i>by Susie Hodge, 2017 (cover) Image credit: <b>Thames & Hudson</b></span></p><p><span style="color: #010101; font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2017) Gallery view of <i>Michelangelo: Divine Draftsman and Designer, </i>2017, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.</span></p><p><span style="color: #010101; font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2017) David Hockney at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, November 20, 2017.</span></p><p><span style="color: #010101;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">(2023) Gallery view of the </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Of God and Country</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, showing S.L. Jones' </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Preacher and Wife</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">, date unknown.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #010101;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2018) </span>Nichole R. Myers, Dallas Museum of Art, Sylvie Patry, </span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;">Mus</span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;">ee</span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"> d'Orsay, and Cindy Kang of the Barnes Foundation, curators of the Berthe Morisot exhibition at the Barnes Foundation.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #010101; font-family: verdana;">Jean Cocteau (French, 1889-1963) Poster advertising Nijinsky with the Ballet Russes, Theatre des Champs Elysees, Paris 1913. Printed poster: 189 cm x 129 cm. Collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.</span></p><p><span style="color: #010101; font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022) <i>The Rainbow Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I. </i>Attributed to Marcus Gheerearts the Younger, Ca. 1602.</span></p><p><span style="color: #010101; font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2020) Empty Gallery, Spring 2020, at the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., showing paintings by Edgar Degas.</span></p><p><span style="color: #010101;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">(2022) Claudia Gould, Director of the Jewish Museum, New York, July 20, 2022.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #010101; font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022) Gallery view of <i>New York: 1962-1964, a</i>t the Jewish Museum, New York, showing Kenneth Noland's <i>Tropical Zone,</i> 1964.</span></p><p><span style="color: #010101;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves, Photo (2022) Gallery view of </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Winslow Homer: Crosscurrents a</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">t the Metropolitan Museum of Art, showing Homer's <i>The Gulf Stream</i>, 1899.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #010101;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves, Photo (2019) Gallery view of </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Augusta Savage: Renaissance Woman a</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">t the New York Historical Society, showing <i>Boy on a Stump</i>, ca. 1930. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #010101; font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves, Photo (2020) Elijah Pierce's <i>Your Life is</i> <i>a Book</i>, ca. 1940's, displayed at the Barnes Foundation's 2020 exhibition, <i>Elijah Pierce's America.</i></span></p><p><span style="color: #010101; font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2018) Franz Marc's <i>Deer in the Forest II</i>, 1914, on view at the Neue Gallerie exhibition, <i>Franz Marc and Auguste Macke, 1909-1914</i>.</span></p><p><span style="color: #010101; font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022) Gallery views of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, June 26, 2023. Sequence of four photos.</span></p>Art Eyewitnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347317000349363690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8200843910512523791.post-18683642579353738782023-07-17T20:36:00.000-07:002023-07-17T20:36:02.333-07:00Art Eyewitness Review: Kabuki Prints at the Philadelphia Museum of Art<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg30rdGBV7Tu31zGVbVOuaaDdJtOkWvPMOCXZnkmXI8TSoRtJwc-3ZDuWDPS5-K6v3EBwtl_L7oQsYX2NjiEE_HCfaXYOY2e86byPYOWeMxdB1-d5asMkGT-_kC6O2-EOn7EMn8R_uvps1KxjAoY7N5V-bP3bpRm_5o0eOg9F94yimFl9NeUTiwuj0Uy2k/s866/Onoe%20Tamiz%C5%8D%20II%20as%20Sasaki%20Takatsuna%20(b,%20center.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="866" data-original-width="650" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg30rdGBV7Tu31zGVbVOuaaDdJtOkWvPMOCXZnkmXI8TSoRtJwc-3ZDuWDPS5-K6v3EBwtl_L7oQsYX2NjiEE_HCfaXYOY2e86byPYOWeMxdB1-d5asMkGT-_kC6O2-EOn7EMn8R_uvps1KxjAoY7N5V-bP3bpRm_5o0eOg9F94yimFl9NeUTiwuj0Uy2k/w300-h400/Onoe%20Tamiz%C5%8D%20II%20as%20Sasaki%20Takatsuna%20(b,%20center.jpg" width="300" /></a></p><h3 style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0f0f0f;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Scandal and Virtue:</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> Staging Kabuki in Osaka Prints</span></span></b></h3><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: verdana;"><b>Philadelphia Museum of Art</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: verdana;"><b> On view until July 24, 2023</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><p><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"><b>Reviewed by Ed Voves </b></span></p><p><b><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">O</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">riginal photography by Anne Lloyd</span></span></b></p><p><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">The word "Kabuki" refers to the hugely popular theater productions which flourished in Japan during the Edo period, 1615-1868. Kabuki plays continue to be highly regarded today, despite competition from films and television.</span></p><p><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">In contemporary Western usage, "Kabuki" has taken on an ironic meaning. People frequently use the word as synonym for political posturing and disingenuous election promises. Watch a presidential debate on television and it won't be long before the thought springs to mind or is ruefully uttered, "this is just kabuki."</span></p><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">The misappropriation of Kabuki is not just an instance of a word being "lost in translation." Rather, it is a fascinating case of how language and art change shape and appearance to fit the political and social circumstances of the times. In pre-modern Japan, Kabuki theater took on connotations and implied criticisms which the Shogun rulers of the nation looked on with disfavor - sometimes violently so. </span></p><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">The Philadelphia Museum of Art has been mounting a very fine exhibition of the woodblock prints created to celebrate Kabuki productions and performers during the Edo period. On view since April 2023, it has a couple of weeks left and is not to be missed.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWI1ic-JRhb2LbqnADRS6uDH0ufxjNaN-41N1lU2otxxhwRYJYlpfA_9kepfnlT6Fqk1muUm2nGkcau_NJ9W7NlA96dzKNbFbVx5kO-Gxw4zmNkcH2Re_zh88Zl4eCrmNNlAA3GaGDgPee14n1GiztR2JPPjqfUFI0Zs6Lbq9jP5zhOcFCafRdQf06gw0/s920/Costumes.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="920" data-original-width="704" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWI1ic-JRhb2LbqnADRS6uDH0ufxjNaN-41N1lU2otxxhwRYJYlpfA_9kepfnlT6Fqk1muUm2nGkcau_NJ9W7NlA96dzKNbFbVx5kO-Gxw4zmNkcH2Re_zh88Zl4eCrmNNlAA3GaGDgPee14n1GiztR2JPPjqfUFI0Zs6Lbq9jP5zhOcFCafRdQf06gw0/w490-h640/Costumes.jpg" width="490" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0a0a0a;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0a0a0a;">Detail<i> </i>of Osaka<i> </i>Woodcut Triptych Print </span></b><b><span style="color: #0a0a0a;">by Konishi Hirosada (1851)</span></b></div></span><p></p><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">Kabuki plays were lavishly mounted productions, incorporating music, mime, colorful costumes and extravagant make-up. Both drama and comedy were incorporated into the plays and the public responded with passionate "fan" acclaim.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi79Tjw1IWhT87HHzoV05s1ybfrQ4ohaCeQIVff1a5NaZtH8lEO1e96zM5vJH96s7SIiZQyI9xOCnFTb7HzStjM1qTucVTE9htiuVqpbkr4NjKCsujVnV7BD7FIrc1QxcBt-MzE49FDZYCii5g1fL8zLyyt0LODuD--Mn9DIWV72thYPHWUzHKMDhdIlJE/s1100/Kabuki%20scrapbook.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="802" data-original-width="1100" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi79Tjw1IWhT87HHzoV05s1ybfrQ4ohaCeQIVff1a5NaZtH8lEO1e96zM5vJH96s7SIiZQyI9xOCnFTb7HzStjM1qTucVTE9htiuVqpbkr4NjKCsujVnV7BD7FIrc1QxcBt-MzE49FDZYCii5g1fL8zLyyt0LODuD--Mn9DIWV72thYPHWUzHKMDhdIlJE/w640-h466/Kabuki%20scrapbook.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><div style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0a0a0a;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </span></b></div><div style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0a0a0a;">Kabuki fan album showing Osaka<i> </i>Woodcut Prints of leading actors </span></b></div></div><p><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The most attentive observation of Kabuki theater, however, came not from the enthusiastic audience but from government agents and censors. The ruling military elite of Japan, the </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Tokugawa shoguns, regarded Kabuki theater as a menace to the established political order. Kabuki plays might be tolerated but <i>never</i> ignored.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">The </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a;">Tokugawa shogunate also closely monitored the production of woodcut prints celebrating Kabuki plays and actors. The Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) has one of the greatest collections of Kabuki prints outside of Japan. In 2008, a major donation of 525 Kabuki prints was made by Jack Shear in honor of Anne D'Harnoncourt, the beloved PMA director who died that year. Many of these are on view in the present exhibition.</span> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ovX1dEnCZJyMNtjpUI_u3XOvOV88RIHEvFPUjrU5fViFrNnyTTOoeLMES358Loh2cbL9AEHFTpVAspMSQwTnU9p12ruB-LVHt3WCKJWhPQeqfkQoKj9TT-WAkQzv-N_SatDunkB3B2Oz5G-A4z0nP_qHVVgMwGjDihgDY-0-mJNHm-jwm_5C8ZddnKU/s1100/DSC02412.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="748" data-original-width="1100" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ovX1dEnCZJyMNtjpUI_u3XOvOV88RIHEvFPUjrU5fViFrNnyTTOoeLMES358Loh2cbL9AEHFTpVAspMSQwTnU9p12ruB-LVHt3WCKJWhPQeqfkQoKj9TT-WAkQzv-N_SatDunkB3B2Oz5G-A4z0nP_qHVVgMwGjDihgDY-0-mJNHm-jwm_5C8ZddnKU/w640-h436/DSC02412.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><div style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0a0a0a;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </span></b></div><div style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0a0a0a;">Detail<i> </i>of <i>Nakamura Utaemon IV (right) as the farmer Yasuka; Mimasu Baisha I as Senzaki Yagoro</i> (left) </span></b><b><span style="color: #0a0a0a;">by Konishi Hirosada (1851)</span></b></div></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVZq2kb7n16o8rHlAvyL-Lbph43FOVcyfAds6vM7zDi2c8r9RofdSEgr4eOTw1XpiPFR0b74pzU38monu9A89rBNWJPJQjbNVzwG-6PHZ5wjHoDSluAchjyGo3_H4Ju9gJEIspRbQMxksBMWQZscCGL-sPlBeaYg3MQKLrbeMnZg8uF_GgYdq85m8voQY/s1193/Bonzai%20tree.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="1193" height="458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVZq2kb7n16o8rHlAvyL-Lbph43FOVcyfAds6vM7zDi2c8r9RofdSEgr4eOTw1XpiPFR0b74pzU38monu9A89rBNWJPJQjbNVzwG-6PHZ5wjHoDSluAchjyGo3_H4Ju9gJEIspRbQMxksBMWQZscCGL-sPlBeaYg3MQKLrbeMnZg8uF_GgYdq85m8voQY/w640-h458/Bonzai%20tree.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div><b><span style="color: #0a0a0a;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </span></b></div><div><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"><b><i>Scene from a Kabuki Play </i>by Utagawa Kunisada (1858).</b></span></div></div></span><p></p><p><span style="color: #050505; font-family: verdana;">These spectacular color prints, also called Osaka prints, were created in the Kamigata region of Japan, which centers on the city of Osaka. The Tokugawa shoguns ruled from Edo (modern-day Tokyo) and were vigilant in preventing these theatrical pictures from being printed in the capital. It was impossible to stop the wide-spread circulation of these Osaka prints but that did not stop the warlords of Japan from trying.</span></p><p><span style="color: #050505; font-family: verdana;">Why the shoguns were so vigilant in regards to Kabuki theater can only be briefly sketched here. When the Samurai warlord, Tokugawa Ieyasua gained victory in the civil wars of the early 1600's, he closed the port cities of Japan to foreign ships - except for one Dutch vessel per year - and foreign ideas. A similarly repressive, though not quite so drastic, code of conduct was instituted for the domestic society in the "home islands" of Japan.</span></p><p><span style="color: #050505; font-family: verdana;">In Japanese, the word Kabuki denoted "unorthodox" or "unusual" behavior. If there is one absolute of militaristic regimes around the world it is their suspicion of anything smacking of nonconformity.</span></p><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">The seriousness - and severity - of the Tokugawa shogunate toward the Kabuki theater was notably displayed in a mid-19th century incident. This <i>cause celebre</i> involved Ichikawa Danjuro VII (1791-1859), one of the greatest Kabuki actors of all time. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh71MuyhqLxjlt1k5zFo3Fih6O6by3IMbqeNvqhWJpG-5KGNLqSFAdrwVAXFavk_qWFCK8JES3234UoFRP9knE7RyDpE4EKhOyJ6JjoAav1sVKtcni66gJYLaXolnhfwCWjw9NPat5yclgLuCLVhgkzUL-_drPImcKF8Kex2VrdQyFSTW8ksLAUFSg3Rt4/s1066/Ichikawa%20Danjuro%20VII.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="888" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh71MuyhqLxjlt1k5zFo3Fih6O6by3IMbqeNvqhWJpG-5KGNLqSFAdrwVAXFavk_qWFCK8JES3234UoFRP9knE7RyDpE4EKhOyJ6JjoAav1sVKtcni66gJYLaXolnhfwCWjw9NPat5yclgLuCLVhgkzUL-_drPImcKF8Kex2VrdQyFSTW8ksLAUFSg3Rt4/w534-h640/Ichikawa%20Danjuro%20VII.jpg" width="534" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0a0a0a;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"><i>Ichikawa Danjuro VII as Chichbu Shoji Shigetada </i></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"> </span></b><b><span style="color: #0a0a0a;">by Utagawa Kunisada (c. 1821)</span></b></div></span><p></p><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">A famous child actor in one of the leading theatrical families, Ichikawa Danjuro VII later specialized in playing epic hero roles. He helped to create the established repertoire of the eighteen greatest Kabuki plays or <i>Kabuki Juhachiban</i>. None of these achievements could save him from the fury of the Shogunate when he committed the major transgression of using real Samurai military gear and weapons (as opposed to stage props) in an 1842 play. He was arrested and exiled from the capital city of Edo. Furthermore, his mansion was destroyed as a warning to other actors.</span></p><p><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">There was no "kabuki" in the Shogun's policy toward the Kabuki theater.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicVUQwriNBfQKnLLes-t-h4RvT0QRRHcfAW8J0h1CQcTmqFNB-d_lHsc9FlzprJdOC1RrUSezrPsX5Bg11_Gw5LxVDv_hBhTZnONRT2LZ2t9ik7g7bKBXvW8OVr_gd4g4BvPMizWvczWl9GffRDlh7vMSzbETaLIiiHyjoikTVmB7I-p6KGQC5lEkIQTo/s1000/ONOEKI~1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicVUQwriNBfQKnLLes-t-h4RvT0QRRHcfAW8J0h1CQcTmqFNB-d_lHsc9FlzprJdOC1RrUSezrPsX5Bg11_Gw5LxVDv_hBhTZnONRT2LZ2t9ik7g7bKBXvW8OVr_gd4g4BvPMizWvczWl9GffRDlh7vMSzbETaLIiiHyjoikTVmB7I-p6KGQC5lEkIQTo/w640-h480/ONOEKI~1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0a0a0a;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </span></b></div><div style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"><b>Onoe Kikugo</b></span><b><span style="color: #0a0a0a;">ro III as the Ascetic Priest Nakasaina & Ichikawa Ebizo V as Nippon Daemon, </span></b></i><b><span style="color: #0a0a0a;">by Konishi Hirosada (1848)</span></b></div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">Kabuki theater
is a fascinating, if extremely complicated, subject (at least to
uninitiated Americans like myself). One of the factors which makes it
difficult to grasp the details of Kabuki history is the influence of acting dynasties. These played a dominant role, recycling the same or similar stage names for their members. </span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">An example is the Arashi “family” of actors, each bearing “Arashi”
as part of their stage names, which were handed down across the
generations as an almost sacred inheritance.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiVWnLW7Ro3mdKH4GTbm6fnwZKcvPReMjg5Y3xtMzqKz9aUqlkroVi4hf0uiLIkqXrvl93Z6WjNQcIYPrQA9P5XZfuwxEPlpOvf8UOZ2mUIzEi3OaCq3KSWUiBfUqqYmXLQrmqIuTus-Uz1Kxfpd8zAeBdZKfWOuA3AuSGUn_9g8Kx7a_LwNCmvxGs-Aw/s555/Arashi%20Kitsusaburo%20I%20as%20Gofukuya%20Jubei.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="555" data-original-width="527" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiVWnLW7Ro3mdKH4GTbm6fnwZKcvPReMjg5Y3xtMzqKz9aUqlkroVi4hf0uiLIkqXrvl93Z6WjNQcIYPrQA9P5XZfuwxEPlpOvf8UOZ2mUIzEi3OaCq3KSWUiBfUqqYmXLQrmqIuTus-Uz1Kxfpd8zAeBdZKfWOuA3AuSGUn_9g8Kx7a_LwNCmvxGs-Aw/w380-h400/Arashi%20Kitsusaburo%20I%20as%20Gofukuya%20Jubei.jpg" width="380" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0a0a0a;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0a0a0a;">A Kabuki actor of the Arashi dynasty, Arashi Kitsusaburo I</span></b></div></span><p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">The Arashi
actors included blood relation<i>s </i>and unrelated<i> </i>disciples.
Periodically, they would change part of their stage name, the form
depending on theatrical conventions. <span> </span><span>Arashi
Kichisaburo II (1769-1821) was also known as Arashi Rikan. In March
1821, he changed his name to Arashi Kitsusaburo I.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">How
to keep the “cast” of Arashi actors straight? The hugely popular
prints made in Osaka were just the ticket, especially since these prints were regarded as cherished collectables. Kabuki fans often bequeathed their prints to family members, much as acting families passed down stage names.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0p4EdK3f3qIhxCd1KTLCe5r8yqUhEaylQ2UU1_brxMjBIZNNsiNj4aRIt2Gr79yV-7hcw36VD2mL1f4j2VXvhWM2nB79EwOGtOJCzNg9Zd0wbwYt81Qcyjb0h_4Uy8zYy-pl6bIFmhwXLblxNj2urlQFdWQ9QOicNIEQZvvm0B_gVT1Wo4BQFblGnn0A/s958/Arashi%20Kichisabur%C5%8D%20II%20as%20Koretaka%20Shinn%C5%8D,%20and%20Nakamura%20Utaemon%20III.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="958" data-original-width="658" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0p4EdK3f3qIhxCd1KTLCe5r8yqUhEaylQ2UU1_brxMjBIZNNsiNj4aRIt2Gr79yV-7hcw36VD2mL1f4j2VXvhWM2nB79EwOGtOJCzNg9Zd0wbwYt81Qcyjb0h_4Uy8zYy-pl6bIFmhwXLblxNj2urlQFdWQ9QOicNIEQZvvm0B_gVT1Wo4BQFblGnn0A/w440-h640/Arashi%20Kichisabur%C5%8D%20II%20as%20Koretaka%20Shinn%C5%8D,%20and%20Nakamura%20Utaemon%20III.JPG" width="440" /></a> </div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"> </span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"> Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="color: #0a0a0a;">Arashi Kichisab</span></b><b><span style="color: #0a0a0a;">uro II & Nakamura Utaemon III</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0a0a0a;">by Shunkosai Hokushu (1820)</span></b></div></span><p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #0c0c0c;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The above print shows Arashi </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Kichisaburo II (aka </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Kitsusaburo I)</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> facing-off against his great acting rival, Nakamura Utaemon III. These two actors detested each other's acting style, with Arashi emphasizing realism in contrast to </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Utaemon's flashy</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> technique. They refused to act together until their respective fan clubs arranged an elaborate dinner party in 1821.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> The two leading men agreed to share the stage in a joint production, but the long-anticipated event never occurred. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Arashi </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Kitsusaburo I died suddenly in September 1821.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;">The manner in which the acting dynasties passed down their stage names - and, no doubt, acting tips - </span><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;">recalls the parallel lives of the Japanese landscape artists, the </span><a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2015/05/ink-and-gold-art-of-kano-at.html" style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #0015ff;">Kano school</span></a><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #0015ff;">,</span><span style="color: #0c0c0c;"> which existed from the 1500's to the early twentieth century. Each painter was known by a variation of the Kano name, Kano Tan'yu (1602-1674), Kano Hogai (1828-1888), etc.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;">Japan, by holding the foreign world at bay through the <i>Sakoku</i> exclusion policy, created a very unusual social dynamic, of which Kabuki theater was part. But in one important respect, Kabuki reflected developments thousands of miles away in vastly different societies: namely in the narrowing sphere it gave to participation by women.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq3p6stWmdjregPzYqeWY7JP65NV0EUTHiR4z1Nz8GeKg1ZEJLqTCxPS_ClAKjTOKHclYCfF41pR2j1BKz-xEfEiEy5NIBLS0CYBhkJ0Z1laRJ049sVtS2V4yhKAhHk0Dcn0Wpen5E3OblNUm8k5z_9inDJ7mdEoPeT0Bl3TpFjeuRI7iJ0JXrI6nDPP8/s1134/DSC03014.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="861" data-original-width="1134" height="486" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq3p6stWmdjregPzYqeWY7JP65NV0EUTHiR4z1Nz8GeKg1ZEJLqTCxPS_ClAKjTOKHclYCfF41pR2j1BKz-xEfEiEy5NIBLS0CYBhkJ0Z1laRJ049sVtS2V4yhKAhHk0Dcn0Wpen5E3OblNUm8k5z_9inDJ7mdEoPeT0Bl3TpFjeuRI7iJ0JXrI6nDPP8/w640-h486/DSC03014.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #0a0a0a;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </span></b></div><div style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"><i>Parody of Kurumabiki; Four Famous Beauties Enacting the</i></span></b></div><div style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"><i> Oxcart Scene</i> </span></b><b><span style="color: #0a0a0a;">by Kitagawa Utamaro (1793)</span></b></div></div><p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">In the Western world, during the 1600's through the mid-1800's, the Scientific Revolution created many professional opportunities - for men. Women, during the Middle Ages had traditionally acted as healers and mid-wives. As science and medicine became more institutionalized, women were marginalized.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">So too, in Kabuki. Incredibly, Kabuki theater was founded by a woman named Okuni early in the 1600's. Okuni was an attendant at the Shinto shrine at Izumo. She was most likely a dancer, hence her title as a <i>miko</i>, or shrine maiden. </span><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">Okuni soon demonstrated organizational, as well as acting, skill. She recruited a female acting troup whose performances</span><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"> were heavily laced with eroticism. These were a big hit with the Japanese populace, reeling from the endless Samurai wars, but not with the shoguns.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">In 1629, in one of its early repressive measures, the </span><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">Tokugawa shogunate banished women actors from the stage. </span><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">This decree was proclaimed for the sake of "public morality". But this was </span><i style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">kabuki</i><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"> in the modern sense, as the Tokugawa shogunate was the major sponsor of Yoshiwari, the "red-light" sex-trade center. </span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUxLhuMXXg6LUXaYn2RzCwEKjyLWj7WeYMuzNqB2D-jO8dCnjv9v4_t8eK585rCFGhjQKKjFWS34NyZ-hw2A3zu8wqMQM98xqpzHLkUbZMOQR-vE5x5bife-9HOt1npVfX9ltyUKgEVZ2cICe_9OTbOF5I85tkODsppyVuIc9SWVdsN-9p41t1gGzB-Bg/s933/DSC08075.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="933" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUxLhuMXXg6LUXaYn2RzCwEKjyLWj7WeYMuzNqB2D-jO8dCnjv9v4_t8eK585rCFGhjQKKjFWS34NyZ-hw2A3zu8wqMQM98xqpzHLkUbZMOQR-vE5x5bife-9HOt1npVfX9ltyUKgEVZ2cICe_9OTbOF5I85tkODsppyVuIc9SWVdsN-9p41t1gGzB-Bg/w400-h300/DSC08075.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"> Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </span></b></div><div style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #0a0a0a;">Detail<i> </i>of <i>Yamashita Kinsaku IV as Yasuke's wife, Okayo</i></span></b></div><div style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #0a0a0a;">by Konishi Hirosada (1851)</span></b></div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #060606;">When we look at the numerous woodblock prints of Kabuki "actresses" on the gallery walls of the Philadelphia Museum exhibit, what we see are pictures of <i>onnagata</i>, male actors who specialized in portraying women.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #060606;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #060606;">During the Mejii Restoration which modernized Japan during the late 1800's, women actresses were permitted back on the stage of Kabuki theater but few availed themselves of the opportunity. Kabuki acting today, for the most part, remains a male profession.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #060606; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i style="color: #060606; font-family: verdana;">Scandal and Virtue: Staging Osaka Prints</i><span style="color: #060606; font-family: verdana;"> at the Philadelphia Museum of Art is a fantastic exhibition. It is the latest of many fine Asian art exhibits at the PMA. I have been to see these Kabuki prints at least three times, learning more each time and I hope to return for at least one more visit. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #060606;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #060606;">Ironically, the great "lesson" that I have learned from repeatedly viewing these wonderful prints is to look at them primarily for their intrinsic human values, while reserving the details of style and composition for later consideration.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV31YSnGd25W-Kfph2Vyd78aUGzDJ_XIIxHLG8Od_z2fhIdAW68IMPFzz7R1ZrbpJMAeCJledK3P2SxvkRrOPFx14dwhylDkbUzALHK3D5KWvrg2_Vwa5IaIipLJ5Z9F6xwuFi30NfzyJOQfaOx-05NphOGVyW-LPxuGa3NmOQHUzT9cTGaqi4p2vZQlY/s900/Fifth%20Month%20Ichikawa%20Ebizo%20V%20as%20Takechi%20Mitsuhide.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="676" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV31YSnGd25W-Kfph2Vyd78aUGzDJ_XIIxHLG8Od_z2fhIdAW68IMPFzz7R1ZrbpJMAeCJledK3P2SxvkRrOPFx14dwhylDkbUzALHK3D5KWvrg2_Vwa5IaIipLJ5Z9F6xwuFi30NfzyJOQfaOx-05NphOGVyW-LPxuGa3NmOQHUzT9cTGaqi4p2vZQlY/w480-h640/Fifth%20Month%20Ichikawa%20Ebizo%20V%20as%20Takechi%20Mitsuhide.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span>Fifth Month: Ichikawa Ebizo V as Takechi Mitsuhide</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span> </span></b></i><b><span>by Konishi Hirosada (1848)</span></b></div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #090909;">There is something primal about Kabuki or Osaka prints, totally appealing on a basic emotional level. You don't have to "know" much about Japanese history or culture - though of course it helps - in order to appreciate these strange, yet compelling, people. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhusMzUozChtUawFvzua7lNf0Vt2e4lYicl7MUYtzNkXBiBbaP0c8EmWH82_juAT0rTx6CsLSlGvACwqQahYtlyBe_Feh_MH4cVPq5KPG2rTjvMx2nx-psUOzarE-2VOdziOP0AZDrPSd5pDLGHpQehEitl6iABS8afYMp1MskAVjNXoTyHpfpFRAv3HWE/s1029/Arashi%20Kichisabur%C5%8D%20II%20as%20Yojir%C5%8D,%20a%20Monkey%20Leader%20(Sarumawashi%20Yojir%C5%8D).JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1029" data-original-width="795" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhusMzUozChtUawFvzua7lNf0Vt2e4lYicl7MUYtzNkXBiBbaP0c8EmWH82_juAT0rTx6CsLSlGvACwqQahYtlyBe_Feh_MH4cVPq5KPG2rTjvMx2nx-psUOzarE-2VOdziOP0AZDrPSd5pDLGHpQehEitl6iABS8afYMp1MskAVjNXoTyHpfpFRAv3HWE/w494-h640/Arashi%20Kichisabur%C5%8D%20II%20as%20Yojir%C5%8D,%20a%20Monkey%20Leader%20(Sarumawashi%20Yojir%C5%8D).JPG" width="494" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0a0a0a;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </span></b></div><div style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="color: #0a0a0a;">Arashi Kichisaburo II as Yojiro, a Monkey Leader </span></b></i></div><div style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"> </span></b></i><b><span style="color: #0a0a0a;">by Urakusai Nagahide (1798)</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5pfy_qYWG6ZnjI3r4ofvPafEeUX5IXM5GMQHXUd3w7RR_kOSCBHdr3jlAPxdskWWv-MwUq7FgsHw8zaSeekRpt8QKv2Nwxu16OsOSTUYTxGNoMmS6uuszoBipDGZ8LGszhDXFjjBrgimSIDUQSF2XeOGYTsoXgu2nXxi7oybWJNrmqALAOQ7maByu-NU/s1000/DSC03143.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="744" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5pfy_qYWG6ZnjI3r4ofvPafEeUX5IXM5GMQHXUd3w7RR_kOSCBHdr3jlAPxdskWWv-MwUq7FgsHw8zaSeekRpt8QKv2Nwxu16OsOSTUYTxGNoMmS6uuszoBipDGZ8LGszhDXFjjBrgimSIDUQSF2XeOGYTsoXgu2nXxi7oybWJNrmqALAOQ7maByu-NU/w477-h640/DSC03143.JPG" width="477" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #0a0a0a;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </span></b></div><div style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"><i> Nakamura Utaemon III as a Dancing Beggar </i>(detail)</span></b></div><div style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #0a0a0a;">by Asayama Ashikuni (1817)</span></b></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCVBoHFbM8B3byR2fqNt6WnFfNSd5Z8rYJFoZ8o42qPgASQesPekGcinY3uenpeArF8vSBsvzGXB5WyuVswh7ZsgQPHlHTj7EjXupqW4G_-ITX6Vr8nztpdk0EwQu7xLn-3ZtGtaoIrqfipk8X3lbNf6QvAURTvH5pfwdxXPkwwwg8--FOmDT6GEjsmoo/s1120/Jitsukawa%20Ensabur%C5%8D%20as%20Sakuramaru.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="840" data-original-width="1120" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCVBoHFbM8B3byR2fqNt6WnFfNSd5Z8rYJFoZ8o42qPgASQesPekGcinY3uenpeArF8vSBsvzGXB5WyuVswh7ZsgQPHlHTj7EjXupqW4G_-ITX6Vr8nztpdk0EwQu7xLn-3ZtGtaoIrqfipk8X3lbNf6QvAURTvH5pfwdxXPkwwwg8--FOmDT6GEjsmoo/w640-h480/Jitsukawa%20Ensabur%C5%8D%20as%20Sakuramaru.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #0a0a0a;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </span></b></div><div style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"><i>Jitsukawa Ensaburo as Sakuramaru</i> </span></b><b><span style="color: #0a0a0a;">by Konishi Hirosada (1851)</span></b></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #0d0d0d;">Just who is the fellow carrying a monkey on his shoulder? Who is the semi-clad man with a strand of rope around his hair? Who is the well-armed swordsman and why does he look so alarmed?</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #0d0d0d;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #0d0d0d;">Answers to these questions can be found in the fascinating, complex history of Kabuki. But there is a simpler, more meaningful way to identify these amazing characters. Look closely at them and keep looking. You will see them before long as they really are - people like us.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #040404;">***</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #040404;">Text: Copyright of Ed Voves. Original Photos: Copyright of Anne Lloyd</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span style="color: #040404;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Introductory image: </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) <i>Onoe Tamizo II</i> <i>as Sasaki Takatasuna</i> by </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">Konishi Hirosada (1849) Color woodcut, center panel of triptych: 9 3/4 x 7 inches (24.8 x 17.8 cm) Philadelphia Museum of Art.</span></span></p><p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: #040404;">Anne
Lloyd, Photo (2023) Detail of Osaka Woodcut Triptych Print by Konishi
Hirosada (1851) Color woodcut triptych (left panel showing actors ,
Yamashita Kinsaku IV & Nakamura Daikichi I) 9 15/16 x 21 ½
inches (25.2 x 54.6 cm) Philadelphia Museum of Art.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: #040404;">Anne
Lloyd, Photo (2023) Kabuki fan album showing Osaka Woodcut Prints of
leading actors.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: #040404;">Anne
Lloyd, Photo (2023) Detail of <i>Nakamura Utaemon IV (right) as the
farmer Yasuka; Mimasu Baisha I as Senzaki Yagoro</i> (left) by Konishi
Hirosada (1851) Color woodcut (overall) 9 ¾ x 21 inches (24.8 x 53.3
cm)</span></span></p>
<p align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: #040404;">Anne
Lloyd, Photo (2023) <i>Scene from a Kabuki Play</i> by Utagawa Kunisada
(1858). Color woodcut diptych: (each) 14 1/8 x 9 ¾ inches (35.9 x
24.8 cm) Philadelphia Museum of Art.</span></span></p>
<p align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span style="color: #040404;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Anne
Lloyd, Photo (2023)<i> Ichikawa Danjuro VII as Chichbu Shoji Shigetada</i>
by Utagawa Kunisada (c. 1821). </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt;">Color
woodcut triptych (center panel): 14 15/16 x 10 1/8 inches (37.9 x
25.7 cm) Philadelphia Museum of Art.</span></span></p>
<p align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span style="color: #040404;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Anne
Lloyd, Photo (2023) </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Onoe Kikugoro III as the Ascetic Priest
Nakasaina & Ichikawa Ebizo V as Nippon Daemon</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> by Konishi
Hirosada (1851). Color woodcut: 7 x 9 3/4 inches (17.8 x 24.8 cm) Philadelphia Museum of Art</span></span></p>
<p align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: #040404;">Anne
Lloyd, Photo (2023) A Kabuki actor of the Arashi dynasty, Arashi
Kitsusaburo I (detail) by Saikotei Shibakuni (1821). Color woodcut:
14 9/16 x 10 ¼ inches (37 x 26 cm) Philadelphia Museum of Art</span></span></p>
<p align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: #040404;">Anne
Lloyd, Photo (2023) Arashi Kichisaburo II and Nakamura Utaemon III
by Shunkosai Hokushu (1820). Color woodcut: 15 9/16 x 10 inches (39.5
x 25.5 cm) Philadelphia Museum of Art</span></span></p>
<p align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span style="color: #040404;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Anne
Lloyd, Photo (2023) </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Parody
of Kurumbiki; Four Famous Beauties Enacting the Oxcart Scene</i></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">
by Kitagawa Utamaro (1793) Color woodcut: 13 x 16 7/8 inches (33 x 42.9 cm) Philadelphia Museum of Art</span></span></span></p>
<p align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span style="color: #040404;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Anne
Lloyd, Photo (2023) Detail of </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Yamashita
Kinsaku IV as Yasuke's Wife, Okayo</i></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">by
Konishi Hirosada (1851). For measurements see above: Nakamura Utaemon
IV (right) as the farmer Yasuka and Mimasu Baisha I as Senzaki
Yagoro. </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">Philadelphia Museum of Art.</span></span></p>
<p align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span style="color: #040404;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anne
Lloyd, Photo (2023) </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Fifth
Month: Ichikawa Ebizo V as Takechi Mitsuhide</i></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">
by</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">
Konishi Hirosada (1848). Color woodcut: 9 3/4 x 7 inches (24.8 x 17.8 cm) Philadelphia Museum of Art.</span></span></p>
<p align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span style="color: #040404;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal;">Anne
Lloyd, Photo (2023) </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Arashi
Kichisaburo II as Yojiro, a Monkey Leader</i><i style="font-style: normal;"> </i>(Detail) </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal;">
by Urakusai Nagahide (1798). Stencil colored woodcut: 13 5/8 inches (34.7 x 14.9 cm) Philadelphia Museum of Art</span></span></p>
<p align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span style="color: #040404;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Anne
Lloyd, Photo (2023) </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Nakamura Utaemon
III as a Dancing Begger</i></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> (Detail) by
Asayama Ashikuni (1817). </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;"> Color woodcut (part of sheet): 10 x 28 1/4 inches ( 25.4 x 71.8 cm) </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">Philadelphia Museum of Art.</span></span></p>
<p align="LEFT" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span style="color: #060606;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Anne
Lloyd, Photo (2023) </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Jitsukawa Ensaburo as Sakuramaru </i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">by
Konishi Hirosada (1851). Left panel of color woodcut triptych: 9 15/16 x 22 inches ( 25.2 x 55.9 cm) Philadelphia Museum of Art</span></span></p><br /></span></div>Art Eyewitnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347317000349363690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8200843910512523791.post-50798339927363745822023-06-30T17:08:00.001-07:002023-06-30T20:39:21.775-07:00Art Eyewitness Review: Whistler's Mother at the Philadelphia Museum of Art<p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglEIbHmlI0k57eOkBxBqLehdyHgjTVSgnzXskoqYufIAhS2S5ogXwDlVxjOXdX-7DssSBosshB7DQXlu1tLAD_CkqJdi8ez8cI3jaMdDBAoeCBFWPTXgTW2OlBGlBNUFynZruxv6pSL8-AOQDhVzK_gym6eA5s8plDxdd7wN8bvsAh1lugvhyoTGJqfWY/s900/Whistler%20lead.jpg" style="font-family: verdana; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="830" data-original-width="900" height="369" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglEIbHmlI0k57eOkBxBqLehdyHgjTVSgnzXskoqYufIAhS2S5ogXwDlVxjOXdX-7DssSBosshB7DQXlu1tLAD_CkqJdi8ez8cI3jaMdDBAoeCBFWPTXgTW2OlBGlBNUFynZruxv6pSL8-AOQDhVzK_gym6eA5s8plDxdd7wN8bvsAh1lugvhyoTGJqfWY/w400-h369/Whistler%20lead.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #101010; font-size: medium;"><b>The Artist's Mother: Whistler and Philadelphia</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #101010;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #101010;"><b>Philadelphia Museum of Art</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #101010;"><b>June 10 - October 29, 2023</b></span></div></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;"><b>Reviewed by Ed Voves</b></span></p><p><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;"><b>Original Photography by Anne Lloyd</b></span></p><p><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;">It's been a long interlude between visits. The last time Anna Matilda McNeil Whistler - or rather her famous portrait - came to Philadelphia was 142 years ago. The occasion was an exhibition at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts of the painting by her son, now universally called <i>Whistler's Mother</i>. </span></p><p><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;">A.K.A.<i> Arrangement in Grey and Black: Portrait of the Artist's Mother,</i> the celebrated painting by James McNeil Whistler is back in the City of Brotherly Love. A true icon of American art, <i>Whistler's Mother</i> highlights a special exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, organized by </span><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;">Jennifer Thompson, the museum's curator of </span><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;">European Art. The exhibit will be on view </span><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;">until October 29, 2023. </span></p><p><span><span style="color: #090909;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It is important to note that the official designation of <i>Whistler's Mother</i>, noted above, is actually the anglicized translation of its French title,<i> Arrangement en gris et noir n</i></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana;"><i>° </i></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #090909;"><i>1</i>. That is an important distinction since the French government bought the painting in 1891, ten years after its first sojourn in Philadelphia.</span><span style="color: #0e0e0e;"> </span></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #0e0e0e;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #0e0e0e;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0e0e0e;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoZ4TLkt7bCCbFlX6PUCkIMtOeBOLTGPdVe_TY3Kt88kDNMWPAUyIf2AzNGVTJ08cgMb0uodufes0_1bXp1k91y33HFqIirPIt9XIIDO9F_9fewCX6mSmMNB9u7W8-k5WSZwdGokUgPl7YEhUz6Y8vLZMwC6MRcY-caSAyYOpqi7mQhTISxWVTFqjiSSc/s1000/Whistler%20framed.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="876" data-original-width="1000" height="560" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoZ4TLkt7bCCbFlX6PUCkIMtOeBOLTGPdVe_TY3Kt88kDNMWPAUyIf2AzNGVTJ08cgMb0uodufes0_1bXp1k91y33HFqIirPIt9XIIDO9F_9fewCX6mSmMNB9u7W8-k5WSZwdGokUgPl7YEhUz6Y8vLZMwC6MRcY-caSAyYOpqi7mQhTISxWVTFqjiSSc/w640-h560/Whistler%20framed.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div><span style="color: #0e0e0e;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div><span style="color: #0e0e0e;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #090909; text-align: left;">James Whistler's</span><i style="color: #090909; text-align: left;"> Arrangement in Grey and Black:</i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i style="color: #090909; text-align: left;"> Portrait of the Artist's Mother </i><span style="color: #090909; text-align: left;">(1871)</span></b></div></span></span><p><span style="color: #0e0e0e;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Arrangement en gris et noir </i>was the first acquisition of a painting by an American painter for the Louvre's collection. Initially, it was put on display in the </span></span><span style="color: #0e0e0e;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Luxembourg Museum,</span></span><span style="color: #0e0e0e;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> until Whistler died twelve years later. The galleries of the Louvre were reserved for deceased artists, who were deemed worthy to share the museum walls with Leonardo, Watteau and Gericault.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;">Thanks to a far-sighted French art critic, Gustave Geffroy (one of the first to appreciate Cezanne, as well), James Abbott McNeil Whistler (1834-1903) joined the company of the "immortals" of art in the Louvre. And, as we will see, the help of Anna Whistler was of crucial importance for securing the fame and fortune of her son!</span></p><p><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP-M5A4mI099B75mbqvQ6Ov_bgWgd5Yc6rnTnXDphZizsQhAl1IH9EDbQGgsZLmkf5pVIXpiJOVS6T22SiIPLlGj_JdOTveM0aMiXK3oyUG86apmuNzthFj1WxdbORHyaw9vYdgRF13Mb8pQ5SFLL_FJaYh-Rk1IpI8pF5xUFNt-AVqvtGuSzT36qgaug/s923/Whistler%20photo%20op.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="923" data-original-width="692" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP-M5A4mI099B75mbqvQ6Ov_bgWgd5Yc6rnTnXDphZizsQhAl1IH9EDbQGgsZLmkf5pVIXpiJOVS6T22SiIPLlGj_JdOTveM0aMiXK3oyUG86apmuNzthFj1WxdbORHyaw9vYdgRF13Mb8pQ5SFLL_FJaYh-Rk1IpI8pF5xUFNt-AVqvtGuSzT36qgaug/w300-h400/Whistler%20photo%20op.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><div style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: center;"><b style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #090909; text-align: left;">Gallery view of <i>Whistler's</i></span><i style="color: #090909; text-align: left;"> Mother </i><span style="color: #090909; text-align: left;">at the Philadelphia Museum of Art</span></b></div></div></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #0e0e0e;"><i>Whistler's Mother</i> is now the center of attraction at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. But it shares the stage with eight other works of art focusing on the theme of motherhood. Each of the eclectic cast of major artists, Cecilia Beaux, Henry Ossawa Tanner, John Sloan, Dox Thrash, Alice Neel and Sidney Goodman, follows Whistler's lead, but in their own unique way. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #0e0e0e;">All the artists have Philadelphia backgrounds, with the exception of a Venetian engraver, Francesco Novelli (1764-1836) who skillfully copied an etching by Rembrandt of his mother. Novelli's etching is believed to have influenced Whistler when he painted his mother's portrait in 1871.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #0e0e0e;"></span></span></p><p style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMsNYSfaxINGu_v3tvEn8ZDjsbAeLmfTLCBHThGbdJtaWRBamblr4fO_-mrBj35Aa6pCVrp4DOWstjdX1RD-TtPS8VoJpIpneke6CVUn3eqDz20ZfSbFmsFcDZET550gT2dA5gX3F4vMTw6-CbnEmzs1NQ-5Pd_KUR43pig7lMflJC-MWeR5jA2KHf4Ho/s900/The%20Artist's%20Mother%20Seated,%20in%20an%20Oriental%20Headress,%20Half%20Length,%201792,%20Francesco%20Novelli,%20Italian,%20etching,%20Philadelphia%20Museum%20of%20Art.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="766" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMsNYSfaxINGu_v3tvEn8ZDjsbAeLmfTLCBHThGbdJtaWRBamblr4fO_-mrBj35Aa6pCVrp4DOWstjdX1RD-TtPS8VoJpIpneke6CVUn3eqDz20ZfSbFmsFcDZET550gT2dA5gX3F4vMTw6-CbnEmzs1NQ-5Pd_KUR43pig7lMflJC-MWeR5jA2KHf4Ho/w340-h400/The%20Artist's%20Mother%20Seated,%20in%20an%20Oriental%20Headress,%20Half%20Length,%201792,%20Francesco%20Novelli,%20Italian,%20etching,%20Philadelphia%20Museum%20of%20Art.jpg" width="340" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Francesco Novelli (1792), after Rembrandt's </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b><i>The Artist's Mother Seated, in an Oriental</i> <i>Headress</i>, 1631</b></span></div><p></p><p><i style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;">Arrangement in Grey and Black </i><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;">received indifferent reviews during its exhibition at the Pennsylvania Academy of Art (PAFA) in 1881. The museum directors refused to purchase the painting, which, surprisingly, was for sale. Whistler was deeply in debt, following his disastrous libel suit against John Ruskin. Another effort to find a buyer likewise failed, this time in New York.</span></p><p><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;">It is ironical for a painting which has come to symbolize Motherhood, that Whistler was "shopping" his mother's portrait around the U.S., looking for a sale. </span></p><p><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;">Anna Whistler had died on January 3, 1881, only a short time before Whistler returned to the U.S. from England. </span><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;">One would have suspected that Whistler would try and keep this painting, of all his </span><i style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;">oeuvre</i><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;">, as a testimonial to his beloved mother. Not so! Whistler exhibited a baffling, mercurial mix of emotions, making it difficult to probe his true feelings. </span></p><p><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;">In fact, Whistler had posed his mother only when the young woman he was scheduled to paint that day failed to appear. Rather than discard a prepared canvas, Whistler decided to use it for a portrait of his mother.</span></p><p><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiyavxxFy1cJ1pUmlrsWFxgXKHcPmmlBsMOlm4uM1O03-mJ7-3BOFWvEJYu6jU66Q1_bwLmAs5oYd9FNPJhC06gRTPp9vI1rJDG9B1JPGavCmCYvpKeClGW3xaaIiu_poHKecf-_ypbWE898aq50SoiFDwwm7Q8UZB8xCYABDNfkpYvsbMZBUf88wAilo/s1041/Whistlers%20mother%20detail.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1041" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiyavxxFy1cJ1pUmlrsWFxgXKHcPmmlBsMOlm4uM1O03-mJ7-3BOFWvEJYu6jU66Q1_bwLmAs5oYd9FNPJhC06gRTPp9vI1rJDG9B1JPGavCmCYvpKeClGW3xaaIiu_poHKecf-_ypbWE898aq50SoiFDwwm7Q8UZB8xCYABDNfkpYvsbMZBUf88wAilo/w346-h400/Whistlers%20mother%20detail.jpg" width="346" /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo(2023)</b></span></div><div style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;"><div style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: center;"><b style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #090909; text-align: left;">James Whistler's</span><i style="color: #090909; text-align: left;"> Arrangement in Grey and Black </i><span style="color: #090909; text-align: left;">(detail)</span></b></div></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;">It's a sobering thought that </span><i style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;">Whistler's Mother</i><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;"> began its storied career as an "also ran."</span></p><p><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;">Anna Whistler was accustomed to her son's mood swings and changing priorities. She had supported her dear "Jemmie" with long-suffering patience, including his dismissal from the United States Military Academy. But even her forbearance had limits. </span></p><p><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;">After several days of standing for her portrait, the exhausted Anna insisted on sitting down. Whistler changed the orientation of the painting, with results which, thanks to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, we can now study close at hand.</span></p><p><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhynJyq4xqlI_sC-B8Kl1voEd48KV4NKhxWMN2bIHFYtRuRR7CXB7vAlxl6MfSMlGHy-jvv1L4KxQjQjXJJqwBWeWhU5Ft0n_uGk6H_x56vOurNZ_DS37uOSUOwfuvn21-qYpBazqTqoFo6rNnCzuGyWcf-2xe826lQmIsegxmpSlOTQheqlIaqpsN3Qr0/s993/DSC03636.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="993" height="517" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhynJyq4xqlI_sC-B8Kl1voEd48KV4NKhxWMN2bIHFYtRuRR7CXB7vAlxl6MfSMlGHy-jvv1L4KxQjQjXJJqwBWeWhU5Ft0n_uGk6H_x56vOurNZ_DS37uOSUOwfuvn21-qYpBazqTqoFo6rNnCzuGyWcf-2xe826lQmIsegxmpSlOTQheqlIaqpsN3Qr0/w640-h517/DSC03636.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Anne Lloyd, Photo(2023)</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> <b>Jennifer Thompson discussing the kimono wall </b></span><b><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">hanging depicted in James Whistler's </span><i style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Arrangement in Grey and Black</i></b></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #060606; font-family: verdana;"><span>As the artistic skill devoted to</span><span> his </span><span>portrait of his mother began to stir popular interest, Whistler professed himself bemused:</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;"><i>Take the picture of my mother, exhibited at the Royal Academy as "an Arrangement in Grey and Black." Now that is what it is. To me it is interesting as a picture of my mother; but what can or ought the public to care about the identity of the portrait?</i></span></p><p><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;">The "public" in America responded to Whistler's portrait of his mother with ever -incre</span><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;">asing regard. In part this was due to the fact that the French had anointed the painting as worthy of the Louvre. But nostalgia played a major role, too. The U.S. in the 1890's was undergoing massive social changes, many very unsettling. Frontier America was passing, the big industrial cities taking its place. A symbol of bedrock national values was needed. What better image, representing the moral absolutes of the U.S.A., could there be than a painting of an American mother?</span></p><p><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #090909;">Anna McNeil Whistler provided the human face, even if painted in profile, to the movement to create a national holiday in honor of American mothers. The first Mothers Day was celebrated in 1908 and, in 1934, the U.S. Postal Service issued a stamp, graced by a rather sanitized reworking of <i>Whistler's Mother.</i> </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #090909;">Neither the artist or his mother were acknowledged by name on the stamp. To make matters worse, a vase of flowers was added to the image of the unidentified matriarch. Then, along with a sentimental inscription, appeared the incredibly crass notification: three cents.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #0e0e0e;">Whatever value the U.S. Postal Service placed on motherhood, Philadelphia artists responded very quickly and favorably to <i>Whistler's Mother</i>, following its display at PAFA in 1881. The current exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art brilliantly underscores the influence of Whistler on succeeding generations of American artists. But the crucial point of this legacy is that none of these later works of art is a direct "quotation" of </span></span><i style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;">Arrangement in Grey and Black. </i></p><p><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnPuGTvgHt_VcB4MUYvlJQ7FZj9wWRkVYGyQpHH2wUEU_gNwoBZ4EJZIDzQPyoVyhGdkEWhyfO_gzCBQsm9sF24MfG8ZgVlzOiE_YMZRtNds9zo6PcxPXa-PsVuq8fCWkkULzNWl9yGfEeBXrfR_1gzZ1U8S0hWnGTCJqNpQUQUrvT8YSVflcV1sIXmAQ/s891/Tanner%20mother%20detail.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="891" height="618" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnPuGTvgHt_VcB4MUYvlJQ7FZj9wWRkVYGyQpHH2wUEU_gNwoBZ4EJZIDzQPyoVyhGdkEWhyfO_gzCBQsm9sF24MfG8ZgVlzOiE_YMZRtNds9zo6PcxPXa-PsVuq8fCWkkULzNWl9yGfEeBXrfR_1gzZ1U8S0hWnGTCJqNpQUQUrvT8YSVflcV1sIXmAQ/w640-h618/Tanner%20mother%20detail.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo(2023)</b></span></div><div style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><div style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Henry Ossawa Tanner's </span><i style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Portrait of the Artist's Mother </i><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">(detail)</span></b></div></div></div><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><div><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;">The work which most closely follows Whistler, is Henry Ossawa Tanner's <i>Portrait of the Artist's Mother</i>, but there are major differences.<br /></span><p></p><p><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;">Tanner saw </span><i style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;">Arrangement in Grey and Black </i><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;">in 1881.</span><i style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;"> </i><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;">He was a student at PAFA at the time. Tanner then went to France for further study, eventually settling there. He would have seen Whistler's increasingly famous painting at the Luxemborg, as well.</span></p><p><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;">In 1897, during a trip home to Philadelphia, Tanner posed his own mother for a portrait. The warm tones of brown, amber and the golden fabric of the shawl evoke feelings of life and well-being, in contrast to the somber, almost funereal, hues of Whistler's painting. Likewise, the relaxed, meditative gaze of Tanner's mother creates a mood vastly different from the frozen profile of Anna Whistler.</span></p><p><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDtZYIpDIGBfzHBX5MFE_1RXXgdKDl4ilnIA2r3qXrc1ndTpg_LaTDgq0Y_m4OwyM2OKH74-p4_YbmdBcVInR5eEPCgjz9Ccl5a-jTn1LHu9DOgqwrthTK7UHCDowxTQJ8QAL2qP5AsKiLD7FK6JnNeG6GWpur6wuWLEUonniOuDh5iXZYiwuM0p5VPjQ/s1200/Whistler%20gallery%20Beaux%20and%20Tanner.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="844" data-original-width="1200" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDtZYIpDIGBfzHBX5MFE_1RXXgdKDl4ilnIA2r3qXrc1ndTpg_LaTDgq0Y_m4OwyM2OKH74-p4_YbmdBcVInR5eEPCgjz9Ccl5a-jTn1LHu9DOgqwrthTK7UHCDowxTQJ8QAL2qP5AsKiLD7FK6JnNeG6GWpur6wuWLEUonniOuDh5iXZYiwuM0p5VPjQ/w640-h450/Whistler%20gallery%20Beaux%20and%20Tanner.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div><b style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Anne Lloyd, Photo(2023)</b></div><div><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> <b>Jennifer Thompson discussing Cecilia Beaux's early masterpiece,</b></span></div><div><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b><i>The Last Days of Childhood, </i>1883-1885</b></span></div></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;">Sharing the gallery wall with </span><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;">Tanner's </span><i style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;">Portrait of the Artist's Mother </i><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;">is Cecilia Beaux's <i>The Last Days of Childhood</i>. Painted over the course of two years, 1883-85, this deeply moving work of art established Beaux's reputation as one of America's premier artists.</span></p><p><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;"><i>The Last Days of Childhood </i>shares enough elements of setting and composition with </span><i style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;">Arrangement in Grey and Black</i><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;"> that we can be fairly certain that Beaux saw and studied the Whistler painting during its display at PAFA, where she was taking classes. Beaux, a strong-willed and immensely talented young woman, later asserted that she had not been influenced by Whistler. But the evidence points to the contrary.</span></p><p><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;">At the press preview, Jennifer Thompson discussed the "backstory" of <i>The Last</i> <i>Days of Childhood</i></span><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;">. The protagonists of Beaux's painting were her elder sister, Etta, and Etta's son, Henry. That would seem to technically disqualify Beaux's painting from inclusion in an exhibition dedicated to artists and their mothers, but Thompson detects a strong affinity with Whistler's masterpiece.</span></p><p><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;">Indirectly, Beaux's mother is very much present in the </span><i style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;">The Last Days of Childhood</i><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;">. The French title of the painting uses the word "enfance" and the translation might more appropriately be <i>The Last Days of Infancy. </i>That is certainly in keeping with Henry's age and Beaux's own life story.</span></p><p><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;">Beaux's mother had died when her infant daughter, Cecilia, was only twelve days old. Beaux directed her sister to wear a black dress for the painting sessions. According to social conventions in America at the time, such attire was a sign of mourning.</span><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;"> However, </span><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;">Etta, unlike Anna Whistler, was not a widow. </span><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;">The black dress may therefore be interpreted as a memorial of their long-dead mother.</span></p><p><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWpFJMrC30NzNnSDumgRfUlZpn51fTJdONavNiLY2PBhk0r9vrKnTWS_oIKfeN0uReIKZu7Div9Sb0K5d-dBi_FAYBUy1bMRcHEqIagIlyqSKAoZqp2DkG1mkDFkPvVxFsvQWDZsLlMZrdT6Z9u3gZpZzVZgQaR28jhJnbVc_td1MXff0O2xQ0xQY3M0U/s1066/DSC03632.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1066" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWpFJMrC30NzNnSDumgRfUlZpn51fTJdONavNiLY2PBhk0r9vrKnTWS_oIKfeN0uReIKZu7Div9Sb0K5d-dBi_FAYBUy1bMRcHEqIagIlyqSKAoZqp2DkG1mkDFkPvVxFsvQWDZsLlMZrdT6Z9u3gZpZzVZgQaR28jhJnbVc_td1MXff0O2xQ0xQY3M0U/w640-h480/DSC03632.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo(2023)</b></span></div><div style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><div style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Cecilia Beaux's </span><i style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">The Last Days of Childhood </i><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">(detail)</span></b></div></div></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;">What really impressed me about </span><i style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;">The Last Days of Childhood</i><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;"> is Beaux's ability to reprise the narrative of the entire work in "a painting within the painting." This is her astonishing treatment of the hands of the child, resting on those of his mother, which are folded over his body in an embrace of enduring love. Childhood may be passing but the bond of mother and son will never break. </span></p><p><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzE0yGdZRo1DKpPSCP8yWh7NZUHWxyTs3DMJM-jT7n-KGhVdWU4OWzWh2kmUhJf4loKfqMnE-gObFI1mJCZcFtgURX27rZHbdlRqwgwe2Kr3VZMgdw2M8po_o-OMZX4Y0RdsrNNFAexyamCYdqkPDG3IN6Cb7kKFwClIY0iJ9jZsg-oQK98-gwhTVfx5Y/s1000/Celia%20Hands.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="422" data-original-width="1000" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzE0yGdZRo1DKpPSCP8yWh7NZUHWxyTs3DMJM-jT7n-KGhVdWU4OWzWh2kmUhJf4loKfqMnE-gObFI1mJCZcFtgURX27rZHbdlRqwgwe2Kr3VZMgdw2M8po_o-OMZX4Y0RdsrNNFAexyamCYdqkPDG3IN6Cb7kKFwClIY0iJ9jZsg-oQK98-gwhTVfx5Y/w400-h169/Celia%20Hands.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;">Following the progression of magisterial paintings from Whistler to Beaux and Tanner, the exhibition shifts gears to three smaller works, <i>Sunday Morning</i> by Dox Thrash (c. 1939), <i>Aritist's Mother I</i> by Sidney Goodman (1994) and <i>Mother</i> by John Sloan (1906). The works by Thrash and Sloan are etchings, Goodman's is a charcoal and pastel drawing on cream paper.</span></div><div><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgadjrkogOC4G9uPYNQl7WgsaqLHgdKAKLpakasdJ2jvqd8C1-M56IESW1lZzOQcfGnfmtBo6ouS6IV4AvNnwDmyhEzibX0syBkVGklFUbr2sHfV4Mqior8uy1SQ9XkVaqs9j-UYZrF2hgUmMISed3hEN_QE4OROAv8yp5zRzN6BcoFyDhWTEZAE8H5wcM/s980/Sunday%20Morning,%201939,%20Dox%20Thrash,%20etching,%20Philadelphia%20Museum%20of%20Art.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="980" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgadjrkogOC4G9uPYNQl7WgsaqLHgdKAKLpakasdJ2jvqd8C1-M56IESW1lZzOQcfGnfmtBo6ouS6IV4AvNnwDmyhEzibX0syBkVGklFUbr2sHfV4Mqior8uy1SQ9XkVaqs9j-UYZrF2hgUmMISed3hEN_QE4OROAv8yp5zRzN6BcoFyDhWTEZAE8H5wcM/w589-h640/Sunday%20Morning,%201939,%20Dox%20Thrash,%20etching,%20Philadelphia%20Museum%20of%20Art.jpg" width="589" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Dox Thrash</span><i style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">, Sunday Morning, </i><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">c. 1939</span></b></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQzcUth2GF80c0EdiFow4F9dBfttSva81ByLk3d5Ni9KlK9VvZtBIA6cEc1wWMnYQqpCjTRvQ9Ydza9oaGOt-MIZuPkS8D4dU3OGobcVMHlZCcZ3OGtFTEyLebCPB1a_vpe0BmaCRNzreJ0JNvVs6KHcSXw2Q4FhSzEWjJFM1-Ocd6rwh--Ak46GQAw14/s727/Artist%E2%80%99s%20Mother%20I,%20Sydney%20Goodman,%201994,%20charcoal%20and%20pastel%20on%20cream%20wove%20paper,%20Philadelphia%20Museum%20of%20Art.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="727" data-original-width="572" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQzcUth2GF80c0EdiFow4F9dBfttSva81ByLk3d5Ni9KlK9VvZtBIA6cEc1wWMnYQqpCjTRvQ9Ydza9oaGOt-MIZuPkS8D4dU3OGobcVMHlZCcZ3OGtFTEyLebCPB1a_vpe0BmaCRNzreJ0JNvVs6KHcSXw2Q4FhSzEWjJFM1-Ocd6rwh--Ak46GQAw14/w504-h640/Artist%E2%80%99s%20Mother%20I,%20Sydney%20Goodman,%201994,%20charcoal%20and%20pastel%20on%20cream%20wove%20paper,%20Philadelphia%20Museum%20of%20Art.jpg" width="504" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> <b>Sidney Goodman, </b></span><b><i style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Aritist's Mother I, </i><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">1994</span></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZLcrBz2rSASU7uj2kdexUUeHVBSVSxwr1_e2nuTcGDOHXObaw6PmpwS5O_axIxwbOttzYxARa3tbAqgBRDq0W8H6AGJGPhL6BKLfTD3g8u1goFUiWrLo2UXbiRUUcI1JIletJFiID2I0syumE0gsW2oMAhu0Awm_1zM1jwoyUjZ4fRi9dPBNgSWE8mFc/s1000/DSC03621.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="881" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZLcrBz2rSASU7uj2kdexUUeHVBSVSxwr1_e2nuTcGDOHXObaw6PmpwS5O_axIxwbOttzYxARa3tbAqgBRDq0W8H6AGJGPhL6BKLfTD3g8u1goFUiWrLo2UXbiRUUcI1JIletJFiID2I0syumE0gsW2oMAhu0Awm_1zM1jwoyUjZ4fRi9dPBNgSWE8mFc/w565-h640/DSC03621.jpg" width="565" /></a></div><br /><b><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">John Sloan,</span><i style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> Mother,</i><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> 1906</span></b></div></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;">This trio may appear to be quite a "comedown" from the preceding oil paintings, but careful study validates their inclusion in the exhibition. All three are <i>"</i><span style="color: #090909;"><i>arrangements in gray and black" </i>worthy of Whistler's color scheme. Yet, the emotion-based sentiments underpinning each of these works of art is what merits them a place in the exhibition.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #090909;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;">Dox Thrash created this loving image of his mother, Ophelia, on her way to church, shortly after she died in 1936. Thrash's mother, like Whistler's, is shown in profile, but there is an incredible degree of mobility in this etching, a sense of serene progress through life which the many obstacles placed across his mother's path could never impede.</span></div><div><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;">The works by Sloan and Goodman present the two faces of motherhood which linger in the memories of their children. Sloan shows lively, animated interest in the expression of his mother, no doubt listening to the latest news about his life and career. Goodman's drawing, showing his mother arise from her sick bed, depicts the heroic efforts of ill, elderly mothers to keep living, keep striving on behalf of their loved ones.</span></div><div><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;">Goodman's <i>Artist's Mother I</i> sets the stage for the final work of art in the exhibition, Alice Neel's <i>Last Sickness</i> (1953). The painting is a loving, yet unsparing examination of the effect of age and illness on an "alert, tart woman" as Neel described her mother, who died the following year.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #090909;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;">Those fortunate to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art's sensational 2021 exhibition of Alice Neel's paintings will recall numerous examples of Neel's clear-eyed empathy for people of all ages and races, but especially those sick in body and in spirit. For those who were unable to visit the Met's</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> <i><a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2021/03/art-eyewitness-review-alice-neel-at.html"><span style="color: #2f00ff;">Alice Neel: People Come First</span></a></i><span style="color: #0004ff;">, </span></span><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;">the magnificent portrait on view at the Philadelphia Museum of Art provides the opportunity to see a life of artistic genius distilled into one superlative work of art.</span></div><div><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #090909;"><br /></span></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT-iQNcPE5m7M0g2uufJ2SB7ONsNyD3Ai5BrOvDkx7lUpWIQLOQ4nY1Y3ezfJd3yrkhfdE-Qh-ui4LfbZUnATqERfe8TBBHPKQMh2g54b3tibBrYzffYKUw1kvRjtq9_u3Kp3Kd8oOpHaw0WP5MkNW0UzA4Ztkx83MwYBTWsBSHcFJ-6pab0F1rU3tncY/s1140/DSC01953.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1140" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT-iQNcPE5m7M0g2uufJ2SB7ONsNyD3Ai5BrOvDkx7lUpWIQLOQ4nY1Y3ezfJd3yrkhfdE-Qh-ui4LfbZUnATqERfe8TBBHPKQMh2g54b3tibBrYzffYKUw1kvRjtq9_u3Kp3Kd8oOpHaw0WP5MkNW0UzA4Ztkx83MwYBTWsBSHcFJ-6pab0F1rU3tncY/w506-h640/DSC01953.jpg" width="506" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> Alice Neel's <i>Last Sickness</i>, 1953 </b></span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc6qy_kU_leuRP4YqJgoDD6T981Orn7G6hg7phuUXDmVku4qohumYIxceAKbdMQqRUJ_5EV4CbYc984m5un7eZ7e32OyCK3-mZAWGODQYGYbvvwVwoOaJaG3YXSSMmxVMrhokHl9fwxN-84oNzjZoOuI50VauMc17b51VEHbL8pNqRattV44S9AJRDf2E/s1039/DSC03638.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1039" data-original-width="787" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc6qy_kU_leuRP4YqJgoDD6T981Orn7G6hg7phuUXDmVku4qohumYIxceAKbdMQqRUJ_5EV4CbYc984m5un7eZ7e32OyCK3-mZAWGODQYGYbvvwVwoOaJaG3YXSSMmxVMrhokHl9fwxN-84oNzjZoOuI50VauMc17b51VEHbL8pNqRattV44S9AJRDf2E/w303-h400/DSC03638.jpg" width="303" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;">The look of recognition of life's short span which we see on the face of Alice Neel's mother brings <i>The Artist's Mother</i> exhibition full circle. Anna Whistler's face, seen in profile, betrayed no such emotion. But no one knows what she was thinking, as her son fumed and muttered about the difficulties he faced to get the look he wanted on the canvas.<br /></span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE_eC8wHV-67SzyZich3FaNDk20sAVbXj8d87KcBHRBAX0rbRgzz7KKe0NDVXuTLoSA2mcw2uGu669OpP4W5mjyIQ-GfDJh-rvi691H4pazR6oRYAmvqidLrFeIZaRlGWcXspwHK8BW6EULRiCyPEuqqdybwKYILVM69zv_5GMUmKkZATmpyivn33o2Es/s1043/DSC02392.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1043" height="490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE_eC8wHV-67SzyZich3FaNDk20sAVbXj8d87KcBHRBAX0rbRgzz7KKe0NDVXuTLoSA2mcw2uGu669OpP4W5mjyIQ-GfDJh-rvi691H4pazR6oRYAmvqidLrFeIZaRlGWcXspwHK8BW6EULRiCyPEuqqdybwKYILVM69zv_5GMUmKkZATmpyivn33o2Es/w640-h490/DSC02392.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #060606;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #060606;"> Gallery view of <i>The Artist's Mother: Whistler and Philadelphia</i></span></b></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p></div><span style="color: #060606; font-family: verdana;">Some commentators say that Anna Whistler was praying during the painting sessions that "Jemmie" would succeed with his portrait. If so, her prayers were answered.</span></div><div><span style="color: #060606; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #060606;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So too, are the prayers of those - like me - who never had an opportunity to view </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Arrangement in Grey and Black: Portrait of the Artist's Mother </i><span style="font-family: verdana;">in person. Seeing this magnificent painting is like being accorded an audience with a queen or a beloved author or actress.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #060606; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #060606; font-family: verdana;">My wife, Annie, said it best, during a pause in her picture-taking.<br /></span><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #060606; font-family: verdana;">"When you enter the gallery where <i>Whistler's Mother</i> is displayed, you just don't go to see it," Anne said. "You are admitted into her presence."</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #060606; font-family: verdana;">***</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #040404; font-family: verdana;">Text: Copyright of Ed Voves. Original Photos: Copyright of Anne Lloyd.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #040404;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Introductory Image: </span></span><span style="color: #040404; font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </span><span style="color: #040404; font-family: verdana;">James Whistler's </span><i style="color: #040404; font-family: verdana;">Arrangement in Grey and Black: Portrait of the Artist's Mother </i><span style="color: #040404; font-family: verdana;">(detail)</span><i style="color: #040404; font-family: verdana;">, </i><span style="color: #040404; font-family: verdana;">1871<i>.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #040404;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">James Whistler's </span><i>Arrangement in Grey and Black: Portrait of the Artist's Mother. </i>Oil on canvas: </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana;">144.3 x 162.5 cm (56 3/4 x 64"). </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana;">Musée d'Orsay, Paris, RF 699.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #040404;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) Gallery view of </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">The Artist's Mother: Whistler and Philadelphia </i><span style="font-family: verdana;">exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #040404;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #0e0e0e;">Francesco Novelli (Italian, 1764-1836) After Rembrandt van Rijn's <i>The Artist's Mother Seated, in an Oriental Headdress: Half Length</i>, 1792. Etching: 5 1/4 x 5 1/16 inches ( 13.4 x 12.9 cm.) Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1928-42-4413</span></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #040404;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) Jennifer Thompson of the Philadelphia Museum of Art discussing the kimono wall hanging depicted </span></span><span style="color: #040404; font-family: verdana;">Whistler's </span><i style="color: #040404; font-family: verdana;">Arrangement in Grey and Black: Portrait of the Artist's Mother. </i></p><p><span style="color: #040404;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana;"></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #040404;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) Henry Ossawa Tanner's</span><i style="background-color: transparent;"> Portrait of the Artist's Mother</i><span style="background-color: transparent;"> (detail), 1897. Oil on canvas: 29 1/4 x 39 1/2 inches ( 74.3 x 100.3 cm.) Philadelphia Museum of Art EW1993-61-1</span></span></span></p><p></p><p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #040404; font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) Jennifer Thompson of the Philadelphia Museum of Art discussing Cecilia Beaux's early masterpiece, <i>The Last Days of Childhood, </i>1993-85.</span></p><p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #040404; font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) Cecilia Beaux's <i>The Last Days of Childhood, </i></span><span style="color: #040404; font-family: verdana;">1883-85<i>. </i>Oil on canvas: </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #040404; font-family: verdana;">116.2 x 137.16 cm (45 3/4 x 54 inches). </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #040404; font-family: verdana;">Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. 1989.21</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="break-before: page; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; page-break-before: always; widows: 2;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Avenir LT Pro 55 Roman, serif;">Dox
Thrash (</span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">American,
1893–1965) </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Sunday
Morning</i>, around 1939. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Etching: 8 7/8 x 8 inches (22.5 x 20.3 cm.) </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Philadelphia
Museum of Art</span><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: Avenir LT Pro 55 Roman, serif;">, </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">1941-53-378</span></p><p style="break-before: page; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; page-break-before: always; widows: 2;"><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;">Sidney Goodman (American, 1936-2013) </span><i style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;">Artist's Mother I, </i><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;">1994. Charcoal and pastel on cream wove paper: 52 3/4 x 41 3/16 inches (134 x 104.6 cm.) </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Philadelphia Museum of Art</span><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;">, </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">2009-216-1</span></p><p><span style="color: #040404;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) John Sloan's <i>Mother</i>, 1906. Etching: </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">9 x 7 1/2 inches (22.9 x 19.1 cm.) </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Philadelphia Museum of Art</span><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;">, </span><span style="color: #040404; font-family: verdana;">1956-35-73f</span></p><p><span style="color: #040404;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) Alice Neel's <i>Last Sickness</i>, 1953. Oil on canvas: 30 x 22 inches (76.2 x 55.9 cm.) Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2003-148-1</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #040404;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) Gallery view of </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">The Artist's Mother: Whistler and Philadelphia </i><span style="font-family: verdana;">exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art..</span></span></p><p style="break-before: page; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; page-break-before: always;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><br /></p><span style="font-family: verdana;">
<p style="break-before: page; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p></span></div>Art Eyewitnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347317000349363690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8200843910512523791.post-40449099965112637612023-06-17T19:29:00.013-07:002023-06-18T08:07:51.426-07:00Art Eyewitness Essay: Meditations on Death and Mortality in the Of God and Country Exhibition, Philadelphia Museum of Art<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1XnJUagiZe4kE3u4sCgWd5DzSr6j4-MHRcK4h0YPaVJX1JsJC1a0A5A0yVLVdXRdeRVT4OT9KiOmA2MYP1SuaHe73nRDBydNKx1mHEPWkE6OVzDHajh17GRzVpGb16AN0aFzgfm9OttVKkaujOlUtVE6NIJNs2QzuLC70dgBNWtN9uQmGnsC5S4kE/s900/Dinosaur%20cropped%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="652" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1XnJUagiZe4kE3u4sCgWd5DzSr6j4-MHRcK4h0YPaVJX1JsJC1a0A5A0yVLVdXRdeRVT4OT9KiOmA2MYP1SuaHe73nRDBydNKx1mHEPWkE6OVzDHajh17GRzVpGb16AN0aFzgfm9OttVKkaujOlUtVE6NIJNs2QzuLC70dgBNWtN9uQmGnsC5S4kE/w290-h400/Dinosaur%20cropped%202.jpg" width="290" /></a></p><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #101010; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px;"><b>Art Eyewitness Essay:<br /></b></span><span style="color: #101010; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px;"><b> Meditations on Death and Mortality<br /></b></span><span style="color: #101010; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px;"><b>in the<i> Of God and Countr</i>y Exhibition </b></span></h2><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #101010; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #101010; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px;"><b>Philadelphia Museum of Art</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"> <b>May 19, 2023 - January 1, 2024</b></span></span></div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana;">Reviewed by Ed Voves </span></b></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana;">Original Photography by Anne Lloyd</span></b></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">When
the Saints Go Marching In</i><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"> is one of the most famous and popular
of African-American Spirituals. It has been so widely embraced as a
standard of the jazz repertoire, a favorite of pop and rock n' roll
singers and even as a chant at British rugby football games that the
religious nature of “The Saints” can easily be forgotten.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a;">A
key work of art in an exhibition currently at the Philadelphia Museum
of Art addresses the heavenly focus of “The Saints”. It also
treats the very special earthly locale where this immortal song
originated – New Orleans.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdrXoCjqgpr1oJkVNZlaeN-tHZa-1K_nCqAo-qVOS3FZAkKyHBx51FliVsa2x2ZxSXvPcY-hu9ENzVw1ZEhdPdwp680gqli8TP7uME_U1HjOq539xXlxZQtX4aIPleR2XwkAS8TxqlbDzLw6OGyuUZy-9Pl6QbKG8y4cA7iSKbbyiWI9Ek_q_BMInm/s1350/DSC00653.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="490" data-original-width="1350" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdrXoCjqgpr1oJkVNZlaeN-tHZa-1K_nCqAo-qVOS3FZAkKyHBx51FliVsa2x2ZxSXvPcY-hu9ENzVw1ZEhdPdwp680gqli8TP7uME_U1HjOq539xXlxZQtX4aIPleR2XwkAS8TxqlbDzLw6OGyuUZy-9Pl6QbKG8y4cA7iSKbbyiWI9Ek_q_BMInm/w640-h232/DSC00653.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #0a0a0a; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;"><span lang="en"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"><b><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;"><span lang="en"> Herbert Singleton's </span></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;"><span lang="en"><i>Going Home: McDonoghville Cemetery. </i></span></span></b></span></div></div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">The
carved wood relief, sculpted by Herbert Singleton, d</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">epicts a funeral procession, making its way through the
Algiers neighborhood of New Orleans. Members of an African-American
church and an accompanying brass band escort one of
their congregation on the journey to immortal life.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-eXibaFMHaMLZ7WpW5KNAJ3Kxp9Ez2a2kRWzwk6dD8GNnghGowj-D7RwrXxRpVfMvnj_w7k3OZYxksaAI1-cCkF1JFP6xxjlK0--P1-yvoZTqvyFnBhP5v1pYDHUVVQAf-2NRLg8JmXOSbZYf-ajxBzAXvOAtHMGCNMOGQHd5f98ie_M_elnsoWEz/s1146/DSC00654.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1146" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-eXibaFMHaMLZ7WpW5KNAJ3Kxp9Ez2a2kRWzwk6dD8GNnghGowj-D7RwrXxRpVfMvnj_w7k3OZYxksaAI1-cCkF1JFP6xxjlK0--P1-yvoZTqvyFnBhP5v1pYDHUVVQAf-2NRLg8JmXOSbZYf-ajxBzAXvOAtHMGCNMOGQHd5f98ie_M_elnsoWEz/w400-h261/DSC00654.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOLSvjoGsJE12gLIrrOzZWUng-ovU3oPB547xVrdcWmLU3qD9a7gPvU8swfD3MpLCcTIxWfEsRuk7-8yJHRjJCMuQo5Zp7j3QmWcxNkoQTaDvGhjplO_3Plq3TiSi2HA3fnO9OBx44x9qnhsXeS1krd7QXyAYpNr0h6NuvgWuOEsAw9KXbpvvkwrfL/s897/DSC00655.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="897" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOLSvjoGsJE12gLIrrOzZWUng-ovU3oPB547xVrdcWmLU3qD9a7gPvU8swfD3MpLCcTIxWfEsRuk7-8yJHRjJCMuQo5Zp7j3QmWcxNkoQTaDvGhjplO_3Plq3TiSi2HA3fnO9OBx44x9qnhsXeS1krd7QXyAYpNr0h6NuvgWuOEsAw9KXbpvvkwrfL/w400-h268/DSC00655.JPG" width="400" /></a></div></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;"><span lang="en"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="color: #0c0c0c;"><b><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;"><span lang="en"> </span></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;"><span lang="en"><i>Going Home: McDonoghville Cemetery </i>(Details)</span></span></b></span></div></div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #0c0c0c;"><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Going
Home: McDonoghville Cemetery</i><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">
is featured in the fourth and last gallery of the </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Of God
and Country</i><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"> exhibition. This exhibit presents works of Outsider
Art from the collection of two Philadelphia patrons of the arts, </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">Jill
and Sheldon Bonovitz. I commented upon the first three galleries of
</span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Of God and Country</i></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: #0c0c0c;">
in an</span> <a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2023/05/art-eyewitness-review-of-god-and.html"><span style="color: #000dff;">earlier review</span></a><span style="color: #0c0c0c;">. But – as I discussed there – I felt that
the weighty subject matter of the concluding gallery deserved
detailed study and reflection</span>.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a;">The
final gallery, fittingly enough, is all about Death and Mortality.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">As
I mentioned in the earlier review, many of the artists whose works
appear in </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Of God and Country</i><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"> were devout Christians. Many had
difficult and stressful lives. Herbert Singleton (1945-2007) spent
thirteen years in the Louisiana State Penitentiary on a drug charge.
He was also the victim of a vicious beating by police officers. For
people living lives of adversity and privation, death is often a
release, an act of spiritual liberation. That is the sentiment evoked
by </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">When the Saints Go Marching In </i><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">and
in Singleton's </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Going Home.</i></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a;">Oh,
when the trumpet sounds its call</span></i></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a;">Oh,
when the trumpet sounds its call</span></i></p><p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-size: 11pt;"><i>Oh
Lord I want to be in that number</i><i><br /></i></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a;">When
the saints go marching in.</span></i></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">Death
wears many masks, however, and touches the emotions of people in very
different ways. If this final gallery in </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Of God and Country </i><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">has
a unifying theme it is, ironically, the bewildering diversity of
interpretations which artists devote to the subject of death.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_aT41McBQxE-lHc3ddB8hdNCoP3i8asgIDfbRbEPIxdhnWngdCIEsmO4LLt5UtLcikU0UTffnMcbjXV-fIU_qPKEtGsw5sa1kL_TfiYBMv1ChDs4kPVKte3sLUyBYjccEQQ4GEIoO0EOFfdpxvz-2zrKgqB2fq2r8XQ-LfkZkaIpAEyb-gIK8ya10/s1003/Purvis%20Young%20Funeral%20and%20Horses.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1003" height="510" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_aT41McBQxE-lHc3ddB8hdNCoP3i8asgIDfbRbEPIxdhnWngdCIEsmO4LLt5UtLcikU0UTffnMcbjXV-fIU_qPKEtGsw5sa1kL_TfiYBMv1ChDs4kPVKte3sLUyBYjccEQQ4GEIoO0EOFfdpxvz-2zrKgqB2fq2r8XQ-LfkZkaIpAEyb-gIK8ya10/w640-h510/Purvis%20Young%20Funeral%20and%20Horses.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;"><span lang="en"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><div><div><span style="color: #0c0c0c;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;"><span lang="en"><b> </b></span></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;"><span lang="en"><b>Purvis Young's <i>Funeral and Horses</i></b><i style="font-weight: bold;">, </i><span style="font-weight: bold;">late 20th century</span></span></span></span></div></div></div></div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">T<span style="color: #070707;">he
art works on view in the Death and Mortality gallery are certainly an
eclectic mix, with memorable creations by Jon Serl,
Eugene von Brueuchenhein and Howard Finster. Purvis Young's </span></span><span style="color: #070707;"><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Funeral
and Horses</i><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"> provides a somber contrast to Singleton's <i>Going Home.</i></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-OjIeaFO12wh2gs506ND_WT2WBPLhcV6Rxzw-nn0-5216EBckV2v_Sp8NxLMDu1gqvE5orRsJI5OgPv5zo8LtCIYHkoH5PL39EBrWEsfDPnXh90qmTiVd7idEKk0KtR1Z8Z60MJvxsHY9qjUlXXPJxTVFt4UgbWLqUcn8YtgSKApFjYPNBmzDmHRA/s1077/DSC00657.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1077" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-OjIeaFO12wh2gs506ND_WT2WBPLhcV6Rxzw-nn0-5216EBckV2v_Sp8NxLMDu1gqvE5orRsJI5OgPv5zo8LtCIYHkoH5PL39EBrWEsfDPnXh90qmTiVd7idEKk0KtR1Z8Z60MJvxsHY9qjUlXXPJxTVFt4UgbWLqUcn8YtgSKApFjYPNBmzDmHRA/w186-h400/DSC00657.jpg" width="186" /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #0c0c0c; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;"><span lang="en"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><div><span style="color: #0c0c0c;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;"><span lang="en"><b> </b></span></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;"><span lang="en"><b>Leroy Almon's</b><i style="font-weight: bold;"> Life, 1990 </i></span></span></span></div></div></div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">Leroy
Almon's ironically titled </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Life </i><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">updates the Vanitas tradition
of classic art with macabre, Outsider immediacy. A small mirror is
positioned for the viewer, just below the “Skull and Cosmetics”
motif. </span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: #050505;">The
transition from the art works in the earlier galleries to these
dealing with death is generally smooth and effective. This is
especially true for the works of Christian art which are displayed
just before one enters the Death and Mortality gallery. There is –
or seems to be – one exception.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">Simon
Sparrow's mosaic, </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Assemblage with Faces,</i><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"> is a real
“show-stopper”. The enigmatic faces which emerge from among the
swirls of glitter and Star Wars figurines grab on to one's
imagination. This is a tremendous work of art and it is hard to pull
yourself away from it. </span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #050505; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZHAG0aWTD6srOnADE5z-c83BGNovNrLki88b5Du3zMDZ_-3_evLg8tO82wWkJYl7QfHGBohw7PMDinzGqbO89Aj7Nfb9Anna15PAM2stm66DQaaXyEUcF7aSxxdG1oq4k7dRo5PcdESos7uXRvAFfnTPwEijKmv_Rvya40XRCMeb-dVsbvBndddkB/s988/Bonovitz%20gallery%20II.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="749" data-original-width="988" height="486" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZHAG0aWTD6srOnADE5z-c83BGNovNrLki88b5Du3zMDZ_-3_evLg8tO82wWkJYl7QfHGBohw7PMDinzGqbO89Aj7Nfb9Anna15PAM2stm66DQaaXyEUcF7aSxxdG1oq4k7dRo5PcdESos7uXRvAFfnTPwEijKmv_Rvya40XRCMeb-dVsbvBndddkB/w640-h486/Bonovitz%20gallery%20II.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #070707; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;"><span lang="en"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #070707; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;"><span lang="en" style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2023)</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;">Gallery view of the </span><i style="font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;">Of God and Country</i><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;"> exhibition, </span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">showing Simon Sparrow's <i>Assemblage with Faces</i></span></b></span></div><p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">So
far, I have made three visits to the </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Of God and Country</i><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">
exhibition. Each time, visitors are congregated before Sparrow's
sensational mosaic. By contrast, the Death and Mortality gallery
appears to be generating less interest. While I was there, a number
of visitors took a brief “look-see” before making quick
departures. At several points, the gallery was empty, except for me.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #050505;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #050505;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSz87CBiLqXn_hu5zyRh7ZGq4179dXzV1sqLlm1hbHjIF8UcstiwEHzQocL7uQoR5yN3LC12LiDmYhKykLK4kCl5ndW6ed30mjJRPpXuceNWHX6e9867FvD-StCXMNkP3MB4n7aj9dbLyhZcvHhnkyYGR1MTTqeu3_VrvaG35nCFgwFQBPZ8R1RepL/s1100/simon%20sparrow%20detail.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="825" data-original-width="1100" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSz87CBiLqXn_hu5zyRh7ZGq4179dXzV1sqLlm1hbHjIF8UcstiwEHzQocL7uQoR5yN3LC12LiDmYhKykLK4kCl5ndW6ed30mjJRPpXuceNWHX6e9867FvD-StCXMNkP3MB4n7aj9dbLyhZcvHhnkyYGR1MTTqeu3_VrvaG35nCFgwFQBPZ8R1RepL/w400-h300/simon%20sparrow%20detail.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #070707; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;"><span lang="en" style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2023)</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #070707;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;">Detail of </span></span></b><b style="font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #070707;">Simon Sparrow's <i>Assemblage with Faces</i></span></b></span></div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">I
may be reading too much into this situation, but I wonder if the
placement of </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Assemblage with Faces</i><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"> makes it difficult for
visitors to properly appreciate the art works in the following
gallery. Or might the subject of death be too emotionally charged in
the aftermath of Covid-19?</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: #050505;">Whatever
the answers to these questions, there is plenty to reward a lengthy
visit to the Death and Mortality gallery.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: #050505;">Howard
Finster (1916-2001) created some of the most vivid images to appear
in the <i>Of</i> <i>God and Country</i> exhibition, including its final gallery. A
Baptist minister in the American South, Finster said that he had a
vision from God bidding him to paint sacred art. Finster obeyed the
divine summons, though many of his thousands of paintings strain
the boundaries of traditional religion and art to the breaking point.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #050505;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfrcYNMxAQvjutPsRONl5ESkOPf8gzmlZm4K8yMIGnBehw6dfY8zbHwePPKFLXwtaupOM6Ot1bRMkcAKRLrAcb-w-ze1DvUw_kjYLZeTAt9eQnsTFr0rYRa6wRF4jRZN_uKc2HDr91G-2sd-TiUiDCMt_0wm2QkIGfLLtqXh9rL-_k2Xbf1l2ZXQxP/s1233/Dinosaur.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="1233" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfrcYNMxAQvjutPsRONl5ESkOPf8gzmlZm4K8yMIGnBehw6dfY8zbHwePPKFLXwtaupOM6Ot1bRMkcAKRLrAcb-w-ze1DvUw_kjYLZeTAt9eQnsTFr0rYRa6wRF4jRZN_uKc2HDr91G-2sd-TiUiDCMt_0wm2QkIGfLLtqXh9rL-_k2Xbf1l2ZXQxP/w640-h364/Dinosaur.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #050505;"><b style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;"><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #050505;"><b style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #050505;"><b><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;">Howard Finster's</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;"> </span><i style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;">People and Time Come Together..., #16,977</i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">Finster's
dinosaur in </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">People and Time Come Together . . . , #16,977</i><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">, created in 1990,</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"> is
unlike any creature which ever roamed the earth, despite a
superficial resemblance to a T-Rex. The giant reptile is covered with
scales, each bearing a human face. Around it are positioned signs
with warnings of impending doom. Although Finster was sometimes
challenged in the presentation of the full text of his dire messages,
his earnest concern for the future welfare of humanity is undeniable.</span></span></div><p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #050505;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #050505;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #050505;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipeQEuPFG6VPL0G2MEAkasL157AOa4je41SawZ9BDIUpTjPNfhUOot6SW-lTnV61vT0PDZF7-YqsVFOY_-pkREFA8hU_EjxzvwFzjogJ0pIUJWQpLXFlOAJoxgZny5z2Tx0py2WFZL0KUErwPPFPxhg5ppEpiKQkdE-ZLR_wJIe3AqLIrdaJ_WgKgs/s1000/Dinosaur%20detail%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipeQEuPFG6VPL0G2MEAkasL157AOa4je41SawZ9BDIUpTjPNfhUOot6SW-lTnV61vT0PDZF7-YqsVFOY_-pkREFA8hU_EjxzvwFzjogJ0pIUJWQpLXFlOAJoxgZny5z2Tx0py2WFZL0KUErwPPFPxhg5ppEpiKQkdE-ZLR_wJIe3AqLIrdaJ_WgKgs/w300-h400/Dinosaur%20detail%201.jpg" width="300" /></a></span></div><p></p><div style="color: #050505; text-align: center;"><div><b style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;">Ed Voves, Photo (2023) </b></div><div><b><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;">Howard Finster's</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;"> </span><i style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;">People and Time Come Together... </i><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;">(Detail)</span></b></div></div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">Along
with painting apocalyptic dinosaurs, Finster carved and painted this
elaborate clock frame, commenting on the passage of time.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #050505;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2StODY7O_yuVgGGaG7UbN_BbOhAgUU7s46D51wmfbwc5PRC5UP1HbQAnSPaLagohTHqs0JlhZ4lKbroU0JF6xtXON4MFCDz1QCAurZVWKzaQorpWqE8JjiwC0HUuVRveBGVcCsTKgYlX0z65iXRcyFzJUHlN3KugNVa9Pl0UiN23VtihkQyKMj9tK/s900/clock.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="648" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2StODY7O_yuVgGGaG7UbN_BbOhAgUU7s46D51wmfbwc5PRC5UP1HbQAnSPaLagohTHqs0JlhZ4lKbroU0JF6xtXON4MFCDz1QCAurZVWKzaQorpWqE8JjiwC0HUuVRveBGVcCsTKgYlX0z65iXRcyFzJUHlN3KugNVa9Pl0UiN23VtihkQyKMj9tK/w288-h400/clock.jpg" width="288" /></a></span></div><p></p><div style="color: #050505; text-align: center;"><div><b style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;">Ed Voves, Photo (2023) </b></div><div><b><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;">Howard Finster's</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;"><span lang="en"><i>Your the Clock That Counts My Time Away</i>, </span></span><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;">1990</span></span></b></div></div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">Even more mind-boggling is a shadow box filled with angelic figures and ghostly
faces – and more messages. This amazing piece was created in 1982
and is entitled </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Heaven is Worth It All, #2,798</i><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">. It invites
comparison to Simon Sparrow's </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Assemblage with Faces, </i><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">no
small achievement.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #050505;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji46Wy57MFgx69Sq87CZ6e9A-mVXPGPgOCWrlIQJMsB9vQEJcHnHnT6BZQ9LkDbasBksjismndrclHIEOmK6bWT3U9VJG9L25OJ2Wxidd9FQ7hBZ3LHEHw198KjuYybCeOIujJjPqyGV3-vzqxSZjrqlUAcUOkyTCQyvKGsULsXYvaGvFe_KC9RLHM/s1188/Shadow%20box%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1188" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji46Wy57MFgx69Sq87CZ6e9A-mVXPGPgOCWrlIQJMsB9vQEJcHnHnT6BZQ9LkDbasBksjismndrclHIEOmK6bWT3U9VJG9L25OJ2Wxidd9FQ7hBZ3LHEHw198KjuYybCeOIujJjPqyGV3-vzqxSZjrqlUAcUOkyTCQyvKGsULsXYvaGvFe_KC9RLHM/w485-h640/Shadow%20box%201.jpg" width="485" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #050505;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi83-iiIXsDZyhPM82w04YH2oUTfVP3Dxr-4PaO_wz_LO8hIYVpPlMSHgNFhA7xKYZMQ_6-PwVmtmCgGphbboYRbaVhC0ypbmM3O6eFWuWaEiTOOhNIuj9hK9yaTIM7I1hHiFnBI7q8oryAHORBObxS1YPbIzwmeonA_VM2HUPCEEVyXbRIGYRi6ccz/s1066/Jesus%20will%20come%20back.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="799" data-original-width="1066" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi83-iiIXsDZyhPM82w04YH2oUTfVP3Dxr-4PaO_wz_LO8hIYVpPlMSHgNFhA7xKYZMQ_6-PwVmtmCgGphbboYRbaVhC0ypbmM3O6eFWuWaEiTOOhNIuj9hK9yaTIM7I1hHiFnBI7q8oryAHORBObxS1YPbIzwmeonA_VM2HUPCEEVyXbRIGYRi6ccz/w400-h300/Jesus%20will%20come%20back.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div></span><p></p><div style="color: #050505; text-align: center;"><b style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><div style="color: #050505;"><b><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;">Howard Finster's</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;"> </span><i style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;">Heaven is Worth It All,</i><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;"> #2798</span><i style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;">, </i><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;">1982</span></b></div></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: left;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #050505; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #050505; font-size: 11pt;">There
is usually enough practical wisdom in Finster's works to balance the
evangelical fervor of his preaching. But with the paintings by Jon
Serl, which share space with Finster in the final gallery, there is
an ethereal quality which often transcends rational explanation.</span></div></span></div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;">“<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">You
don't see my paintings,” Serl once said, “you feel them.”</span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: #050505;">Jon
Serl (1894-1993) brought a tremendous sum of life experience to his
paintings. He was born in Olean, New York, to a theatrical family. He
was active in the Vaudeville circuit, at one point working as a
female impersonator known as “Slats”. Later, in Hollywood, he
provided voiceover for silent film stars challenged by the “talkies”.
During the Depression years, he made a living as a migrant fruit
picker.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: #050505;">Serl's
employment resume, however, does not explain his wonderfully strange
images. If he had visions, like Finster, he did not dwell on the
experience. Serl started painting late in life and painted what he
felt. Some critics have categorized his work as “expressionist”
but it would take a great deal of effort to fit Serl into any
“school” of art except his own.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: #050505;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #050505;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT5dXKyp3CItmYhcs3yZWp7UGeJOkeuUadALxpAQsi6yxN-81oPOBq_YxBIvsRBCzU9nPfRXnQNEDxvq2QfInsSDpmfLIWvG-49bIu44uElQfjjhigsZrrWZ0BGSh1XXKoxNj7eEBiplHf42myFNaw-K0VNuX8Sn6jMGZonIR28rZh1QtyvU7gNxPr/s1058/DSC00662.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1058" height="604" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT5dXKyp3CItmYhcs3yZWp7UGeJOkeuUadALxpAQsi6yxN-81oPOBq_YxBIvsRBCzU9nPfRXnQNEDxvq2QfInsSDpmfLIWvG-49bIu44uElQfjjhigsZrrWZ0BGSh1XXKoxNj7eEBiplHf42myFNaw-K0VNuX8Sn6jMGZonIR28rZh1QtyvU7gNxPr/w640-h604/DSC00662.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div><p></p><div style="color: #050505; text-align: center;"><b style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </b></div><div style="color: #050505; text-align: center;"><b><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">Jon Serl's </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">Between Two Worlds, </i><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">late 20th century</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;"> </span></b></div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: #050505;">Otherworldly
entities, birdlike creatures and haunted individuals populate Serl's
paintings. <i>Between Two Worlds</i> shows what appears to be funeral home
viewing for a man lying prone, the top of his coffin pushed back to
allow a gathering of ethereal mourners to pay their respects.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: #050505;"><i>Between
Two Worlds</i> is not going to allow its audience to walk away with just
one explanation, however. </span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: #050505;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW8CTPvAmjJj8wD9AySJv8G1wHvOdq57ui0jIrOye2IFQf4veKm8kFsgniTrNEBRETUadkU4TFjMTWl_zmjtvv5O7HtUr-1dWtaifeWqInMSS1qESJmiVzycmNqHfnpTX7GXEiCJK3wqo_SDoopel-TD3rRSKapFocg8DxGmc2x2y9-7hvbCS6oEFd/s963/DSC00666.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="790" data-original-width="963" height="329" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW8CTPvAmjJj8wD9AySJv8G1wHvOdq57ui0jIrOye2IFQf4veKm8kFsgniTrNEBRETUadkU4TFjMTWl_zmjtvv5O7HtUr-1dWtaifeWqInMSS1qESJmiVzycmNqHfnpTX7GXEiCJK3wqo_SDoopel-TD3rRSKapFocg8DxGmc2x2y9-7hvbCS6oEFd/w400-h329/DSC00666.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><div style="color: #050505; text-align: center;"><b style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="color: #050505;"><b><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">Jon Serl's </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">Between Two Worlds </i><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">(Detail)</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;"> </span></b></div></div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div style="color: #050505; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Take a second look. We see a
ghostly-being clutching the edge of the scene as if it were a painted
canvas or a movie screen being rolled back. Another “ghost” peers
over the top of the scene. We are left wondering if the funeral
viewing is taking place or is just a simulation, a real vision or
clever fake like a theatrical backdrop.</span></div><p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: #050505;">Is
life, indeed, but a stage and when the show is over, it's over? Or is
there an other, more mysterious, reality to come in the next act?</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: #050505;">The
final gallery of <i>Of God and Country</i> raises serious questions like
this. And the incredible artists whose work we see on view attempted
to come to terms with death and mortality from their own, unique
perspectives.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">Herbert Singleton's
</span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Going Home: McDonoghville Cemetery</i><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"> shows the prosaic, real
world appreciation of death. A Christian congregation in New Orleans
bids an extravagant farewell to one of their number, after which they
will get on with their lives.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #050505;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJQOWzbLvYKca7i1VhcG1T36_3fMNQ9r4I6WD4hawXDy65p6qkyAEL9egmTXaLI25dDzuXQ00v622x1ZxnO4hH1Kw4A1dWWd7PUcWZZMzTqevCfbfwCt4A2vviFdXckvj3_7MsP_a2_UGe0MKZ_w8VFau1kcUQOxwxZ-VmOuq0aP3pQWw2qck9d2Cx/s1066/DSC00675.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="798" data-original-width="1066" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJQOWzbLvYKca7i1VhcG1T36_3fMNQ9r4I6WD4hawXDy65p6qkyAEL9egmTXaLI25dDzuXQ00v622x1ZxnO4hH1Kw4A1dWWd7PUcWZZMzTqevCfbfwCt4A2vviFdXckvj3_7MsP_a2_UGe0MKZ_w8VFau1kcUQOxwxZ-VmOuq0aP3pQWw2qck9d2Cx/w400-h300/DSC00675.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><p></p><div style="color: #050505; text-align: center;"><b style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </b></div><div style="color: #050505; text-align: center;"><b><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;">Howard Finster's</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;"> </span><i style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;">People and Time Come Together... </i><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;">(Detail)</span></b></div><div style="color: #050505; text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">Howard Finster
was quite emphatic, “The World faces the cross roads of Time. We are
now at our last chance... it is now time for a Worlds change or the
end of the World."</span></div></div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: #050505;">Joh Serl
presents - or seems to – the point of crossing over, from this
world to the next, but leaves it to us to decide how valid his images
are.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">None
of this may mean a great deal, if we view life and death in Cosmic
terms. Is our brief existence in a universe of planetary systems, of
stars going supernova, all there is? Such is the realm evoked by
Eugene Von Bruenchenhein's </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">The Grand Mass of Titanium—Voyages
Through Space—No. 815</i><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"> (1959).</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #050505;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #050505;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIJLGGtcYiaD8wNZj6ePJjmpwIDYXKtsuc62hoS_axMm270dbKp8gle0cDjrFL9dA88qnSsN_F3OQqwLUlklicQ6DW59klrXN7z2Y2vQHGTdf1lPcIDxm9p4DLI-yBTJE_pDYOTVfy05FI1lDyv_O2VnASpVJ1T2GbEYNkTcSNvwNTPQCcL-m1_YAw/s989/Eugene%20von%20B%20detail.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="779" data-original-width="989" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIJLGGtcYiaD8wNZj6ePJjmpwIDYXKtsuc62hoS_axMm270dbKp8gle0cDjrFL9dA88qnSsN_F3OQqwLUlklicQ6DW59klrXN7z2Y2vQHGTdf1lPcIDxm9p4DLI-yBTJE_pDYOTVfy05FI1lDyv_O2VnASpVJ1T2GbEYNkTcSNvwNTPQCcL-m1_YAw/w400-h315/Eugene%20von%20B%20detail.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #070707; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;"><span lang="en" style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2023)</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: #070707;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;">Eugne Von </span></span></b><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #050505; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;"><b>Bruenchenhein's</b> </span><i style="color: #050505; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;"><b>The Grand Mass of Titanium</b> </i><b><span style="color: #070707;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;">(detail)</span></span></b></span></div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Cosmology, however, is cold comfort to most people when they finally come face-to-face with Father Time.</span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3nciFMQCU9TyJREm_Qp0XVGB2L-fGKAmzPk0pjdXVCTjC232PR38nzDCysZ_KZgFEeriWn6s3xbtZ8z8UMEqsD0k952OWl3H9Ga3cKsSbl4XtzFQRZQOqM0GKUC4J9EBKGxpKQz7J5Fjm7EeU6_nIv4HvgSIwIhkdq2j6_J8JKPC3qSVkt6o11RT0/s895/Father%20time.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="895" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3nciFMQCU9TyJREm_Qp0XVGB2L-fGKAmzPk0pjdXVCTjC232PR38nzDCysZ_KZgFEeriWn6s3xbtZ8z8UMEqsD0k952OWl3H9Ga3cKsSbl4XtzFQRZQOqM0GKUC4J9EBKGxpKQz7J5Fjm7EeU6_nIv4HvgSIwIhkdq2j6_J8JKPC3qSVkt6o11RT0/w400-h313/Father%20time.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #070707; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;"><span lang="en" style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;">Elijah Pierce's <i>Father Time</i> (detail), 20</span><sup style="text-align: left;">th</sup><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;"> century</span></span></b></div><p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: #050505;">If
we, as human beings, live with our heads in the clouds, our feet
always remain on the ground. Every step we take is ultimately
directed toward that point when each one of us must confront and make
peace with our mortality.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: #050505;">Such
reflections come naturally after spending some time in this extraordinary exhibition gallery. A debt of
gratitude needs to be accorded to Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz and the
curators of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. They have shared with us
provocative works of art on a subject which none of us can ignore,
however much we try.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="color: #050505;">***</span></span></p>
<p align="JUSTIFY" lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="color: #050505; font-size: 11pt;">Text:
Copyright of Ed Voves, all rights reserved
</span></span>
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">Original
photography, copyright of Anne Lloyd and Ed Voves, all rights
reserved.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">Introductory
Image: Ed Voves, Photo (2023) Gallery view of the Of God and Country
exhibtion at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, showing Howard Finster's
</span><i style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">People and Time Come Together .
. . , #16,977.</i><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"> The Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz Collection.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><span lang="en">Anne
Lloyd, Photo (2023) Herbert Singleton's </span></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><span lang="en"><i>Going
Home: McDonoghville Cemetery. </i></span></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><span lang="en">Date
Unknown. Alkyd industrial paint, including metalic paint, on carved
red cedar with yellow pine battens: 12 3/4 by 60 inches (32.4 x 152.4
cm)</span></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><span lang="en"><i>
</i></span></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><span lang="en">The
Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz Collection, </span></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><span lang="en">
Promised Gift to the Philadelphia Museum of Art.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><span lang="en">Anne
Lloyd, Photo (2023) Purvis Young's </span></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><span lang="en"><i>Funeral
and Horses</i></span></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><span lang="en">,
late 20</span></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><sup><span lang="en">th</span></sup></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><span lang="en">
century. Paint on wood construction, record sleeve displays.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><span lang="en">Anne
Lloyd, Photo (2023) </span></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><span lang="en">Leroy
Almon's </span></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><span lang="en"><i>Life,
</i></span></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><span lang="en">1990.</span></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><span lang="en"><i>
</i></span></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><span lang="en">Paint
and mirror on carved wood. </span></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><span lang="en">The
Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz Collection. </span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">Ed
Voves, Photo (2023) Gallery view of the </span><i style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Of God and Country</i><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">
exhibtion, showing Simon Sparrow's <i>Assemblage with Faces</i>, date
unknown. The Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz Collection.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">Ed
Voves, Photo (2023) Simon Sparrow's <i>Assemblage with Faces</i> (detail),
date unknown. Glitter, paint, and other found objects on wood;
artist-made painted wood frame: 56 1/2 inches × 8 feet 11 inches ×
3 1/2 inches (143.5 × 271.8 × 8.9 cm. The Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz
Collection.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">Anne
Lloyd, Photo (2023) Howard Finster's</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">
</span><i style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">People and Time Come
Together..., #16,977</i><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">,
1990.</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"> Paint on wood cutout: artist-made frame of
Douglas fir branded with artist-made metal stamps: Framed: 15 1/4 x
15 inches (38.7 x 38.1 cm) The Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz Collection.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #111111;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><span lang="en">Anne
Lloyd, Photo (2023) Howard Finster's </span></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><span lang="en"><i>Your
the Clock That Counts My Time Away</i>, <i>#16,294</i>, </span></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">1990.
Carved, stained, and burned wood; paint and Sharpie permanent marker
on board; General Electric clock. </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><span lang="en">Collection
of Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz.</span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #111111;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">Anne
Lloyd, Photo (2023) Howard Finster's </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Heaven
is Worth It All, #2,798</i><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">,
1982. Shadowbox construction of wood with acrylic sheet front,
painted inside and out; artificial flowers; metal chains; cut
sheet-metal figures: 28 x 19 1/2 x 3 3/4 inches (71.1 x 49.5 x 9.5
inches) </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">Collection
of Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz,</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">
Promised Gift to the Philadelphia Museum of Art.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #070707;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">Anne
Lloyd, Photo (2023) Jon Serl's </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Between
Two Worlds</i>, late 20</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><sup>th</sup></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">
century. Oil on board, artist-made frame: </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">24.25
x 26.25 inches.</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">
</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">Collection
of Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz.</span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #070707;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><span lang="en">Ed
Voves, Photo (2023) </span></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">Eugene Von Bruenchenhein's </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">The
Grand Mass of Titanium—Voyages Through Space—No. 815, (detail)</i><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">
1959. Oil on Masonite: 24 x 24 inches. </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><span lang="en">Collection
of Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz.</span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #070707;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><span lang="en">Anne
Lloyd, Photo (2023) </span></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">Elijah
Pierce's <i>Father Time</i> (detail), 20</span><sup style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">th</sup><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">
century.</span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> </b><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">Paint, glitter, and varnish on carved white
pine with corrugated cardboard background: 18.5 x 12 inches.
</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">Collection of Jill and Sheldon
Bonovitz, Promised Gift to the Philadelphia Museum of Art.</span></span></p><p align="JUSTIFY" lang="en" style="line-height: 0.07in; margin-bottom: 0.14in;"><a name="__DdeLink__1178_212930988011"></a></p><p align="JUSTIFY" lang="en" style="line-height: 0.07in; margin-bottom: 0.14in;"><a name="__DdeLink__1178_21293098801"></a></p><p align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.07in; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p>Art Eyewitnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347317000349363690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8200843910512523791.post-86798396999713931232023-05-27T20:40:00.004-07:002023-05-27T21:41:47.005-07:00Art Eyewitness Review: Of God and Country: American Art from the Jill & Sheldon Bonovitz Collection, Philadelphia Museum of Art<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmRVT7Uxxz4R13fYQfsqnDeZCGDT6gy8B5W0abWrHnqwLbTDLhJIwpdIw_q-03QhrxF2_GtkVzM7Hooa6GPr-h3NKgZGoL8nmc4OHhA_bEuEZFWfdehuAKe6OI4c9IKcxK29eeGVKyXa6fN2qmaK3DuSuKDkkInYkk1k_fKo8MBDZSLAZ_KasaGuNT/s693/God%20and%20country%20lead.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="447" data-original-width="693" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmRVT7Uxxz4R13fYQfsqnDeZCGDT6gy8B5W0abWrHnqwLbTDLhJIwpdIw_q-03QhrxF2_GtkVzM7Hooa6GPr-h3NKgZGoL8nmc4OHhA_bEuEZFWfdehuAKe6OI4c9IKcxK29eeGVKyXa6fN2qmaK3DuSuKDkkInYkk1k_fKo8MBDZSLAZ_KasaGuNT/w400-h258/God%20and%20country%20lead.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><h2 style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="color: #040404; font-family: verdana;">Of God and Country:</span></span></span></div></h2></blockquote><h2 style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #040404; font-family: verdana;"> American Art from the Jill & Sheldon Bonovitz Collection</span></span></div><span style="color: #040404; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">Philadelphia Museum of Art</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">May 19, 2023 - January 1, 2024</span></div></span></h2>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><b><span><span style="color: #040404; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></b></div><div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><b><span><span style="color: #040404; font-family: verdana;">Reviewed
by Ed Voves <br /></span></span></b><b><span><span style="color: #040404; font-family: verdana;">Original Photography by Anne Lloyd </span></span></b></div><div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #040404; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #040404; font-family: verdana;">Some
special exhibitions stay in the mind long after the art works are
taken down from the gallery walls. It may be the oeuvre of a
particular artist, an especially accomplished display of curatorial
talent or the unusual subject of the art works in the exhibition
which make for an unforgettable show.</span></div><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #040404;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><i>“</i></span><span><span><i>Great
and Mighty Things”: Outsider Art from the Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz
Collection</i> was definitely an exhibition which met the criteria of
“all of the above.” </span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">And so does its sequel, </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Of God and Country:
American Art from the Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz Collection.</i></span></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span style="color: #040404;"><span><i>“</i></span><span><span><i>Great
and Mighty Things”</i> was presented in the spring of 2013. It was my
first real exposure to “outsider” art. Self-taught artists like
Bill Traylor (1854-1949), Elijah Pierce (1892-1984), William L.
Hawkins </span></span><span><span>(</span></span><span><span>1895-1990)</span></span><span><span>
and many others in the exhibit were unfamiliar names. Their paintings
and sculptures were radical departures from what I normally beheld on
museum walls.</span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span><br /></span></span></span></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #222222;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #222222;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNGEC27qOmTINCCgKE96rDBlKaprqVkW9UQwU-In66KRYAj8G_85AGTcNOQP8ZQ20J5hL7wVx6wKIMR0bu2c7ueA2ujeuNi9YscUdG6-z-AnOCuAIEizEVnXLtF2eYmj97oiCts8AX8EwMDN4C1QbtYWgKm-34f0esUQAUDxN__nO0SJ1ElCo5rBpO/s827/Boffo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="733" data-original-width="827" height="355" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNGEC27qOmTINCCgKE96rDBlKaprqVkW9UQwU-In66KRYAj8G_85AGTcNOQP8ZQ20J5hL7wVx6wKIMR0bu2c7ueA2ujeuNi9YscUdG6-z-AnOCuAIEizEVnXLtF2eYmj97oiCts8AX8EwMDN4C1QbtYWgKm-34f0esUQAUDxN__nO0SJ1ElCo5rBpO/w400-h355/Boffo.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #090909; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #090909; text-align: left;"> William L. Hawkin's <i>Boffo</i>, 20th </span><span style="color: #090909; text-align: left;">century</span></b></div></span><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;">Ten
years have gone by and these “Outsiders” are back at the
Philadelphia Museum of Art. Like the art works on view in the earlier
show, all of the paintings and sculptures in <i>Of God and Country</i> come
from the collection of a dynamic duo, Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz.
Their perceptive eye for great folk art is matched by their
magnanimous generosity. The Bonovitz collection is a promised gift to
the Philadelphia Museum of Art.</span></span></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaVBDlpt4LqHKRKYpwrn7hZk8JFRxx3MudA56jAT_P0pnqy09lddyGvqtafUc3PErq_zrP8b06KvtCYE9q-akS3PTa0lF33bMewvZLCR7--rR3WZ36SuH5PlaqNAMOpyBsVI-MQVHtGDuldZllfIBk1AI62EpbHjcfUOoQGhYcIlP8CLvTUVoSB-Wd/s900/Jill%20and%20Sheldon%20Bonovitz.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="662" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaVBDlpt4LqHKRKYpwrn7hZk8JFRxx3MudA56jAT_P0pnqy09lddyGvqtafUc3PErq_zrP8b06KvtCYE9q-akS3PTa0lF33bMewvZLCR7--rR3WZ36SuH5PlaqNAMOpyBsVI-MQVHtGDuldZllfIBk1AI62EpbHjcfUOoQGhYcIlP8CLvTUVoSB-Wd/w294-h400/Jill%20and%20Sheldon%20Bonovitz.jpg" width="294" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Sheldon and Jill Bonovitz at the </span><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i>Of God and Country </i>exhibit.</span></b></div><p></p>
<p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana;">The
new exhibition, <i>Of God and Country</i>, takes its name from the
deeply-held religious sentiments and personal convictions of these
“outsider” artists.</span></span></p>
<p lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana;"><span><span>When
considered in conjunction with notable events in twentieth century
U.S. history, the art works on view in <i>Of God and Country</i> share in
the idealism and civic spirit which motivated the Civil Rights
movement and efforts to preserve the natural environment of our
nation. </span></span>
</span></p>
<p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana;"><span>Use
of the term “outsider art” to describe the work of artists
lacking formal training is a matter of some controversy. </span><i>Outsider
Art</i><span> appeared as the title of a 1972 book by a British scholar,
Roger Cardinal, and was embraced by the art community in the
English-speaking world.</span></span></p>
<p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana;">Personally,
I think “inspired art” is far more accurate than “outsider.”
Not only were many of these artists devout members of Christian
congregations, but several of the leading figures testified that
actual religious visions motivated them to create their amazing - and
occasionally alarming - art.</span></span></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMY0B5DEFySdNQhDam6Ril78cH4X-5YLfQNAJrAg0aA5FUE0kOzUm-hODG4smd2-X5ECPyvvucbj_J6cGpFb8NtbU6OttjyzsURifHEZsx0BSTzH9rgCo20khusEmwJB7ZeD8DFkJfwX_DtUX6iJepROYDRu-S3c73DryrL-vNs6Vevj33fU-fQRn2/s1000/DSC00689.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="558" data-original-width="1000" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMY0B5DEFySdNQhDam6Ril78cH4X-5YLfQNAJrAg0aA5FUE0kOzUm-hODG4smd2-X5ECPyvvucbj_J6cGpFb8NtbU6OttjyzsURifHEZsx0BSTzH9rgCo20khusEmwJB7ZeD8DFkJfwX_DtUX6iJepROYDRu-S3c73DryrL-vNs6Vevj33fU-fQRn2/w640-h358/DSC00689.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> Howard Finster’s <i>Angel, #3,236</i>, </span><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">1984</span></b></div><p></p>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;">Howard
Finster (1916-2001) claimed that at age 60, God's message appeared to him on a
paint smudge on his finger and commanded him to make “sacred art.”
Finster, who had been a preacher at religious revivals since his
teens, heeded the divine calling, as we will examine in some detail
later in this review.</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLIHCoG7Av8kzfYgpLolQF63jvfC7hfA8FJMIMwRsC7f-86MyRfI0aRtcapTcM5uDjq4raSzI7n-vfeAnOtSd2VmOJChUbSltfxWIjs2CbJxduSxOcPe9CdPwAZnBqRDfTYHjhS6v9TPbKdOMM_CpvjutRHRT9PQMoEsSkg9kiTFFIei9ildD6txHO/s934/DSC00570.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="934" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLIHCoG7Av8kzfYgpLolQF63jvfC7hfA8FJMIMwRsC7f-86MyRfI0aRtcapTcM5uDjq4raSzI7n-vfeAnOtSd2VmOJChUbSltfxWIjs2CbJxduSxOcPe9CdPwAZnBqRDfTYHjhS6v9TPbKdOMM_CpvjutRHRT9PQMoEsSkg9kiTFFIei9ildD6txHO/w385-h400/DSC00570.jpg" width="385" /></a></div><p></p>
<p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #090909; text-align: left;"> <b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </b></span></span></span><b><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #090909; text-align: left;">Gallery view of the </span><i style="color: #090909; text-align: left;">Of God and Country</i><span style="color: #090909; text-align: left;"> exhibit, </span></span></span><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">showing three of Felipe Archuleta’s carved animals.</span></b></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: verdana;">Felipe
Archuleta (1910-1991) is on record on how he came to sculpt his
incredible animal statues, stating that “I asked God for some kind
of miracle, some kind of thing to do, to give me something to make my
life with. I started carving and they just came out of my mind after
that.”</span></p>
<p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: verdana;">The
most succinct statement on “outsider” inspiration – and one of
the great quotes in American art history – is Bill Traylor's terse,
ironic remark on the origin of his impulse to create art: “It just
come to me.”</span></span></p>
<p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: verdana;"><span>Of
God and Country's inspired art is organized in four thematic
sections:</span><span> </span><span><i>U.S.
History & Life in America, The American Landscape, Christianity
and Spirituality </i></span><span>and
</span><span><i>Death and Mortality. </i></span><span>All
of the artists brought unique viewpoints to these topics, as might be
expected. But many, indeed most, of their works are very subtle, open
to different interpretations.</span></span></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN6go4EQXgzbroK-Xo_mL640ARiI8x0HalzWUEtaMFn6D9DZFdPaS6BJnOgGj76DkvWst7vBnZuUOw7T44rhFkpMton3LFuYq_axu8g59HEuyHkq7mRdS-4z-FsxU91rCd5589vEhdmG1Nu8krgItDxaQuF9bR9us2OOi53jHelY0AW5clGuKnfO66/s900/Bill%20Traylor.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="588" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN6go4EQXgzbroK-Xo_mL640ARiI8x0HalzWUEtaMFn6D9DZFdPaS6BJnOgGj76DkvWst7vBnZuUOw7T44rhFkpMton3LFuYq_axu8g59HEuyHkq7mRdS-4z-FsxU91rCd5589vEhdmG1Nu8krgItDxaQuF9bR9us2OOi53jHelY0AW5clGuKnfO66/w261-h400/Bill%20Traylor.jpg" width="261" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #090909; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #090909; text-align: left;">Bill Traylor's<i> </i></span><span style="color: #090909; text-align: left;"><i>House with Two Men, a Turkey, and a Dog</i>, c. 1939-42</span></b></div></span><p></p>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span style="color: #0d0d0d;">One
of </span><a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2018/09/between-worlds-art-of-bill-traylor-at.html"><span style="color: #000dff;">Bill Traylor</span></a><span style="color: #0d0d0d;">'s signature, </span></span><span style="color: #0d0d0d;">silhouetted
drawings is a good example of the challenges posed to quick and easy
interpretation. The drawing is entitled</span><span style="color: #0d0d0d;">
</span><span style="color: #0d0d0d;"><i>House with Two Men, a Turkey, and a Dog</i>,
c. 1939-42. We see a top-hatted man climbing-up on a roof top to
snatch a large bird, while another fellow, protected by a ferocious
guard dog, appears to have passed-out, the victim of one drink too
many.</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></div><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0JvcGcbw-seujVYIGQx0koAYvgurP8Sb2Dsc03s6Wjz8NwwJJQhtVvHa0hHUFVRSKG5nvGsp7IXIfHEmbEQELh4OII7_bOfXNIeaR061yAl94CK96hOXUIuaV8kQVt2UWAjYEpMvaY88qnhx6NnHes3EYIzUD1eJtZn7HEMskVqlGxPMzHdsFX-0g/s730/DSC00602.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="730" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0JvcGcbw-seujVYIGQx0koAYvgurP8Sb2Dsc03s6Wjz8NwwJJQhtVvHa0hHUFVRSKG5nvGsp7IXIfHEmbEQELh4OII7_bOfXNIeaR061yAl94CK96hOXUIuaV8kQVt2UWAjYEpMvaY88qnhx6NnHes3EYIzUD1eJtZn7HEMskVqlGxPMzHdsFX-0g/w400-h274/DSC00602.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="color: #090909; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </b></span></div><div><b><span style="color: #090909; text-align: left;">Bill Traylor's<i> </i></span><span style="color: #090909; text-align: left;"><i>House with Two Men, a Turkey, and a Dog </i>(Detail)</span></b></div></div></span><p></p>
<p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;"><span>That
is a conventional explanation for this cryptic scene. However birds
frequently figure in Traylor's drawings. These birds are depicted in
a generalized, schematic fashion, as with this supposed “turkey.”
Art scholars have speculated that Traylor's avian imagery may reflect the folk memory of a sacred bird, </span><span>the
</span><span>Sankofa from Ghana.</span></span></p>
<p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #121212; font-family: verdana;">The
African-American community preserved much of the heritage of their
ancestral cultures during the long years of slavery, so this may well
be the case for Traylor's drawing. Whether this intriguing drawing
evokes a memory of a specific incident from Traylor's early life or
an mythic image from Africa is only one of the many, many
fascinating questions posed by works of art in the Bonovitz collection.</span></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span lang="en"></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #222222;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYiccborx5_zvEMyBTaxZn9k70s5ohSh56YrYPVcYWctDO4x-YygWce_pZDUAwqRIRGLKEKHgEDOtGXK4xcPZDbPZwBhTlpocAFWziuOouTxzzPHqG3EYk_GnU2-8hqa8WRr741C6xout3m1dGQ_kMc0KCMlGlYTRvPVtrFBbMi1i_d_DNy5IY7_xI/s900/Ed%20Flag.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="900" height="462" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYiccborx5_zvEMyBTaxZn9k70s5ohSh56YrYPVcYWctDO4x-YygWce_pZDUAwqRIRGLKEKHgEDOtGXK4xcPZDbPZwBhTlpocAFWziuOouTxzzPHqG3EYk_GnU2-8hqa8WRr741C6xout3m1dGQ_kMc0KCMlGlYTRvPVtrFBbMi1i_d_DNy5IY7_xI/w640-h462/Ed%20Flag.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #090909; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #090909; text-align: left;"><b>Gallery view of the <i>Of God and Country</i> exhibition, showing William L. Hawkin's </b></span><i style="color: #090909; text-align: left;"><b>American Flag with Cone-Shaped Fireworks</b></i></div></span></span><p></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #060606; font-family: verdana;"><span><span lang="en"><i>Of
God and Country</i></span></span><span><span lang="en">
</span></span><span><span lang="en">opens
with an appealing and easy-to-appreciate icon. The carved and painted
<i>American Flag with Cone-shaped Fireworks</i> by William L. Hawkins
recalls the Rogers and Hammerstein lyrics from <i>South Pacific</i>: </span></span><span><i>High
as a flag on the Fourth of July!</i></span>
But most of the works<span><span lang="en">
of art which follow are less straightforward. </span></span><span><span lang="en"><i>Of
God and Country </i></span></span><span><span lang="en">has
a lot of gray area, mixed in with the red, white and blue.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span><span style="color: #060606; font-family: verdana;">Consider
<i>Uncle Sam</i> by Leroy Almon (1938-1997). Is Uncle Sam a star-spangled
superhero, returning to Capital Hill to rid the halls of Congress of
corrupt politicians? Or has he become a demonic figure, his hands
choking the American Eagle and crushing the symbolic arrows it
normally holds in its talons?</span></span></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi94bQGyyzwsoK7NhNxflcvvw7_CUhBdr0GeJm7V3MTtaTEFEIUH0jurfqQe7QsUgJsQjrcpeoBx-w-7erHhD651FrqRtg3GCiJ-uwttbiYfHT-BHFuo_DxGUC3TLJQFx5qhBwOzyJu1xoNvLwENz1bOvyYMNuJc77VF68NMze2yVq5TwSwhoy3eGQE/s1170/Uncle%20Sam%20Leroy%20Almon.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1170" data-original-width="809" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi94bQGyyzwsoK7NhNxflcvvw7_CUhBdr0GeJm7V3MTtaTEFEIUH0jurfqQe7QsUgJsQjrcpeoBx-w-7erHhD651FrqRtg3GCiJ-uwttbiYfHT-BHFuo_DxGUC3TLJQFx5qhBwOzyJu1xoNvLwENz1bOvyYMNuJc77VF68NMze2yVq5TwSwhoy3eGQE/w276-h400/Uncle%20Sam%20Leroy%20Almon.jpg" width="276" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Leroy Almon’s <i>Uncle Sam</i>, late 20</span><sup style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">th</sup><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> century</span></b></div><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;">Whatever
is going on in this brilliant, disturbing work, it was surely based on deep thinking in the mind of its creator. Almon, who trained as a wood
carver with Elijah Pierce, often addressed the theme of good and evil
in his work. As we see here, the issue was often left very much in doubt.</span></span></p>
<p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;">Another
talented African-America artist, Josephus Farmer, created two narrative scenes
dealing with the experience of slavery in the American South. Both
focus on the role of Eli Whitney, whose 1793 invention of the cotton
gin led to
the extension of African-American slavery at a time when many thought
or hoped it was on the decline. Whitney, a New Englander, was also a
central figure in the development of heavy industry which was a key
factor in the Union war effort which ultimately triumphed over the
Cotton Kingdom of the South.</span></span></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQFLAk1uXg5e7C2aDQFcguMwthqcdcL7zqUOO00BuQ3YNHeYNptnzAnEmkQJZddYsZgsmuySKBKbF6dFl_uCBqNOsSswu-iKbCTfAjjcMxYOlowwr5IHCgPnDDD5yl-JzA4Juflj_KwWgTNsJNanFf5i5UNiYTJRgldhm9lsvXIy9J6f9qOJjeJ1Vv/s1100/cotton%20and%20cotton%20gin.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="531" data-original-width="1100" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQFLAk1uXg5e7C2aDQFcguMwthqcdcL7zqUOO00BuQ3YNHeYNptnzAnEmkQJZddYsZgsmuySKBKbF6dFl_uCBqNOsSswu-iKbCTfAjjcMxYOlowwr5IHCgPnDDD5yl-JzA4Juflj_KwWgTNsJNanFf5i5UNiYTJRgldhm9lsvXIy9J6f9qOJjeJ1Vv/w400-h193/cotton%20and%20cotton%20gin.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ1_VM60-fi4e0znbSUseqMJsV144gU_LD52HHAUP9V3rhgpaVZTBfi0LRW0-LafRxaXtRrevuKs5A50n93GMKuPSjIjBcdYru_uKUS2FnjhfxRHUfSUyku2CC-EhRwZxhGiUTc4lnaenPjmdnUdgApV-duyCnkITnfXLI5xxTLJeoHQfUTK8T5H20/s797/Cotton%20gin.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="797" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ1_VM60-fi4e0znbSUseqMJsV144gU_LD52HHAUP9V3rhgpaVZTBfi0LRW0-LafRxaXtRrevuKs5A50n93GMKuPSjIjBcdYru_uKUS2FnjhfxRHUfSUyku2CC-EhRwZxhGiUTc4lnaenPjmdnUdgApV-duyCnkITnfXLI5xxTLJeoHQfUTK8T5H20/w400-h316/Cotton%20gin.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Josephus Farmer 's <i>Eli Whitney Nemesis of the South</i>, c. 1985</b></span></div><p></p>
<p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: verdana;">Josephus
Farmer describes Whitney as the “Nemesis of the South.” Did this
reference allude to Whitney's unintended role in spreading slavery or
in laying the foundation for the Northern military machine? Either
answer is valid but the decision is ours to make.</span></span></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHF_qzN5KW-faabYVQfPm2DaEjO5McJZukA07ZfS7jRsxGmtCBif2shMp_Ux8BnXzio3sphoJc9C_xLVlvphVSnNJBK0tQB6i9UdhlISxgbLbLY8DIHH6niUaVVwNeNHkM4FiuUwNfERSYuT6NpHhgnJWjIH_ChrAuLFooDRLBPszcbonK9sdDFCAO/s800/MLK.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHF_qzN5KW-faabYVQfPm2DaEjO5McJZukA07ZfS7jRsxGmtCBif2shMp_Ux8BnXzio3sphoJc9C_xLVlvphVSnNJBK0tQB6i9UdhlISxgbLbLY8DIHH6niUaVVwNeNHkM4FiuUwNfERSYuT6NpHhgnJWjIH_ChrAuLFooDRLBPszcbonK9sdDFCAO/w300-h400/MLK.jpg" width="300" /></a></span></div><span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </b></span><b style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Elijah Pierce's <i>Love (Martin Luther King, Jr.)</i></b></div></span>
<p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b;">We
are - seemingly - on much firmer ground in judging works dealing with themes
related to Christianity. Many of these are portraits of heroic figures,
exemplified by </span><span><a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2020/10/elijah-pierces-america-at-barnes.html"><span style="color: #000dff;">Elijah Pierce</span></a><span style="color: #0b0b0b;">'s iconic </span></span><span style="color: #0b0b0b;"><i>Love
(Martin Luther King, Jr.</i></span><span style="color: #0b0b0b;">
or </span><span style="color: #0b0b0b;">based on readings from the
Holy Bible. </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #101010; font-family: verdana;">The gallery devoted to religious art is dominated by works of art by two other artists: the nearly life-sized <i>Preacher and his Wife</i>, carved by S.L. Jones, and Simon Sparrow's <i>Assemblage with Faces</i>. Both are sensational works and, though sharply different in technique, these two masterpieces work together to anchor the entire exhibition. </span></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #101010; font-family: verdana;">Both S.L. Jones and Simon Sparrow were men of deep religious faith, tempered by lives of poverty and toil. Their contrasting approaches to art embody the two essential aspects of religion: the practice of lives of devotion by members of a faith community and the mystical, contemplative experience of God by individual believers. </span></p><div><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlD0T3lZk6MBzeT2il_23xOat36G2JvcD7kKunh1UrPQkvAxZM2kiLoyR4AsrP0y9UvRNkOlQ8EZU6ekMez2h2aqwUF8idRgnph8AJ_kg73bhysvXPuUYfZ2H5UkYUrmSWYkjIHufjTHftEVJfKuyRDt7XfAk3qVO6y_l-kV3nmVtCzBSFK3aTX2Ue/s1053/preacher%20and%20wife.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="813" data-original-width="1053" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlD0T3lZk6MBzeT2il_23xOat36G2JvcD7kKunh1UrPQkvAxZM2kiLoyR4AsrP0y9UvRNkOlQ8EZU6ekMez2h2aqwUF8idRgnph8AJ_kg73bhysvXPuUYfZ2H5UkYUrmSWYkjIHufjTHftEVJfKuyRDt7XfAk3qVO6y_l-kV3nmVtCzBSFK3aTX2Ue/w640-h494/preacher%20and%20wife.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #222222;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Gallery view of the </span><i style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Of God and Country</i><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> exhibition,</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> showing S.L. Jones’ </span><i style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Preacher and His Wife, </i><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">date unknown</span></b></div></span><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span><span style="color: #101010; font-family: verdana;">Jones, a sharecropper's son from West Virginia, worked long years for the Chesepeake and Ohio Railroad. A devoted member of the Primitive Baptist Church, he started carving religious figures to ease the pain in his heart, following the death of his wife. According to the beliefs of the Primitive Baptists, every man and woman can be called to preach the Gospel. There is no need for an ordained clergy as in other denominations.</span></span></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span><span style="color: #101010; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSKicJEdh81G60dS-T9aTlIBm2Q1l8BhgU3G6CF4BfMRCr0JxkUi8CYWEu1kUtHyuNa783fUFNerFfbNUDGOIghSvrlSxWeuwD1F0eRXlJRyoN1fYUoc-STecWHwNpGDcTDRuprqrXYi6hOXm8jTLFmFhP_HC6_m9VepA4YQG0JGvEs2YkbE1Dul0E/s894/preacher.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="894" data-original-width="869" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSKicJEdh81G60dS-T9aTlIBm2Q1l8BhgU3G6CF4BfMRCr0JxkUi8CYWEu1kUtHyuNa783fUFNerFfbNUDGOIghSvrlSxWeuwD1F0eRXlJRyoN1fYUoc-STecWHwNpGDcTDRuprqrXYi6hOXm8jTLFmFhP_HC6_m9VepA4YQG0JGvEs2YkbE1Dul0E/w389-h400/preacher.jpg" width="389" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #222222;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222;"><b style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222;"><b style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Details of S.L. Jones' <i>Preacher and His Wife</i></b></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLH_-AkGba4COD_2i70q-H8uShTh27Ve1BBsv8X8qus-5vaDjSTA8vMNToMGTqfUbjONtZMvbulxHWr9SMnXVaiRQG_sgcMqbXYotDxte5Rn3F3uXmPVWMDiw7I1NLUkrEeUZsdgqx7ctHYmhy0HanPxpMCk9n7mpaMIxLDGIMGczaKszBVzI0NFjn/s905/Of%20God%20and%20Country.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="692" data-original-width="905" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLH_-AkGba4COD_2i70q-H8uShTh27Ve1BBsv8X8qus-5vaDjSTA8vMNToMGTqfUbjONtZMvbulxHWr9SMnXVaiRQG_sgcMqbXYotDxte5Rn3F3uXmPVWMDiw7I1NLUkrEeUZsdgqx7ctHYmhy0HanPxpMCk9n7mpaMIxLDGIMGczaKszBVzI0NFjn/w400-h306/Of%20God%20and%20Country.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> </b></div></div></span><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #090909;">Jones did not aim to carve portraits of specific individuals but rather to evoke the expression of faith on the features of two Christian believers. Their faces radiate the inner light of grace, as they proclaim the word of God. Jones' <i>Preacher and Wife</i> is a brilliant illustration of communal worship, of the famous quote from the Gospel of St. Matthew.</span></span></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;"><i><span style="color: #090909;">For where there are two or three gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (</span><span style="color: #090909;">Matthew, 18:20)</span></i></span></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #090909;">For Simon Sparrow (1925-2000), the "variety" of religious experience devolved to a personal relationship with God. Sparrow had an amazing life-story. His father was a member of the Yoruba community from West Africa, his mother a Native-American. Details of his childhood are few and conflicting. Sparrow may have been born in Africa, but at some point his family moved to a Cherokee reservation in North Carolina, where he grew-up.</span></span></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #090909;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEDxE2qZBuBsE2dscXnoozadA6q_pTTrCsrk4oA-XQecUjD7SWN5vv63XaHkTBeuCdp36x9RYZYu-qls4OYx-hN2ssD4dGEjeKJn35xoGhNAAicE10VPP57KcfVopzOFFLZMPJK6A9OnJcr7PpGZs71IKQxGgSeOSx-dPldL-46-XRhRK4YUuD4__8/s954/Simon%20Sparrow%20gallery.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="954" height="470" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEDxE2qZBuBsE2dscXnoozadA6q_pTTrCsrk4oA-XQecUjD7SWN5vv63XaHkTBeuCdp36x9RYZYu-qls4OYx-hN2ssD4dGEjeKJn35xoGhNAAicE10VPP57KcfVopzOFFLZMPJK6A9OnJcr7PpGZs71IKQxGgSeOSx-dPldL-46-XRhRK4YUuD4__8/w640-h470/Simon%20Sparrow%20gallery.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Gallery view of the <i>Of God and Country </i>exhibition,</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> showing Simon Sparrow’s </span><i style="color: #090909; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Assemblage with Faces</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">.</span></i></b></div><p></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: verdana;">The spiritual traditions of his ancestors exercised a powerful influence, but Sparrow's approach to art was so unique that it is best to let him speak for himself. Sparrow said that when he began a work of art, he would allow his mind to go blank and let God take over. The process was "sweeter than anything on earth... I feel like I'm climbing."</span></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixdMzepBJbSEx1hZYKF-drkMXwU5PRDr4OmIp4dAiczm9jRTxPIHhhDossGxq_0_mobDMF7ZckwWE9KcFu_Z_BpG32Qter4kkezmA__xc8woNnCMSb8-Y5uDSi5wNT6f2fdjH2bl1muIzdH6tPXA6F2lD5Z0julH680E43NwlK1ur_fmrNJgp1n2Rs/s1000/Simon%20Sparrow%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="751" data-original-width="1000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixdMzepBJbSEx1hZYKF-drkMXwU5PRDr4OmIp4dAiczm9jRTxPIHhhDossGxq_0_mobDMF7ZckwWE9KcFu_Z_BpG32Qter4kkezmA__xc8woNnCMSb8-Y5uDSi5wNT6f2fdjH2bl1muIzdH6tPXA6F2lD5Z0julH680E43NwlK1ur_fmrNJgp1n2Rs/w400-h300/Simon%20Sparrow%202.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;"><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #090909; text-align: left;"> <b> Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </b></span></span><b><span style="color: #090909; text-align: left;">Simon Sparrow’s </span><em style="color: #090909; text-align: left;">Assemblage with Faces.<span style="font-style: normal;"> (D</span></em><span style="color: #090909; text-align: left;">etail)</span><span style="color: #090909; text-align: left;">, date unknow.</span></b></p></span><p></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana;">Before letting his mind ascend the "stairway to heaven", Sparrow collected a vast store of found objects, trinkets, shells, small toys and glitter... lot's of glitter. These, Sparrow would place at the service of his God-directed creative power. </span></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: verdana;">The resulting works are depictions of the numinous, the emergence of the divine presence into the prosaic reality of human life. Sparrow's "assemblages" are as close as an artist can go, I believe, to showing what it would be like to open one's eyes and glimpse heaven. </span></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-kX3A4VhbpxfbEJEWnEMshx5qj-9CRRe2upj95R94T4M-Gc_xtd2tblCPFa6Dhn5ohFjWZHhVRD2cvzox1FZPcwgG66mZru6xBfSE0sYOiim_uTnyL_LPLw7iELc_UrCikzwoO2ZFJvU2AhlekGNL3zLVqYWf3E6QBKbIrFV15WB5LIUnYZQ3k2gJ/s900/Simon%20Sparrow.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="750" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-kX3A4VhbpxfbEJEWnEMshx5qj-9CRRe2upj95R94T4M-Gc_xtd2tblCPFa6Dhn5ohFjWZHhVRD2cvzox1FZPcwgG66mZru6xBfSE0sYOiim_uTnyL_LPLw7iELc_UrCikzwoO2ZFJvU2AhlekGNL3zLVqYWf3E6QBKbIrFV15WB5LIUnYZQ3k2gJ/w334-h400/Simon%20Sparrow.jpg" width="334" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #090909; text-align: left;"><b> Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </b></span></span><b style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #090909; text-align: left;">Simon Sparrow’s </span><em style="color: #090909; text-align: left;">Assemblage with Faces.<span style="font-style: normal;"> (D</span></em><span style="color: #090909; text-align: left;">etail)</span></b></div><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: verdana;">Faces and patterns materialize on the mosaic-like surface of Sparrow's art works, seemingly from nowhere. These leave an indelible imprint on the mind of the beholder. But trying to grasp and understand these images is almost impossible, except perhaps by an act of faith. To see, as Simon Sparrow did, one needs to believe.</span></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: verdana;">The final gallery of <i>Of God and Country</i> is, in some ways, the most affecting and perplexing.</span></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b; font-family: verdana;">To do justice to the treatment of <i>Death and Mortality</i> really requires an additional review. This will appear shortly in Art Eyewitness</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;">.</span></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4FWvNPtt5HQwD1sx7un8NXGAlb2OjByQQXeZJD5wJOV0x6aEYApyI8iVu6eFL6WdpqtELNMIvsuX6ID8xSyq8F7tfzHJU_dSK0Yf80Pd45eVInUc6zrJt0MUg46sLM0K8sn0Fi_GEbPw-SpYWStdf0VDjiOmDPrY5Gm9ANLppgzcVDfRbkTljciNF/s1109/Going%20Home.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="376" data-original-width="1109" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4FWvNPtt5HQwD1sx7un8NXGAlb2OjByQQXeZJD5wJOV0x6aEYApyI8iVu6eFL6WdpqtELNMIvsuX6ID8xSyq8F7tfzHJU_dSK0Yf80Pd45eVInUc6zrJt0MUg46sLM0K8sn0Fi_GEbPw-SpYWStdf0VDjiOmDPrY5Gm9ANLppgzcVDfRbkTljciNF/w640-h216/Going%20Home.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;"><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #090909; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #090909; text-align: left;"> Herbert Singleton's </span><i style="color: #090909; text-align: left;">Going Home: McDonogh Cemetery</i><span style="color: #090909; text-align: left;">. Date unknown</span></b></div></span><p></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;">No one returns from the "undiscovered country" as Hamlet said so memorably. But judging from the extraordinary works of art in <i>Of God and Country</i>, I would not be surprised if some of the visionary artists in the exhibition had a few sneak previews. </span></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;">***</span></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;">Text, copyright of Ed Voves. Original photography, copyright of Anne Lloyd.</span></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;">Introductory Image: Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) William L. Hawkin's <i>American Flag with Cone-Shaped Fireworks</i> ( Detail), 1983. Paint on plywood: 48 x 57 inches (121.9 x 144.8 cm) Collection of Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz, Promised Gift to the Philadelphia Museum of Art.</span></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #090909; font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) William L. Hawkin's <i>Boffo,</i> 20th century. Alkyd house paint on Masonite, fiberboard, alkyd paint mixed with broken starch chunks (possibly dried glue): 44 1/2 x 51 1/2 inches (113 x 130.8 cm) <span>Collection of Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz, Promised Gift to the Philadelphia Museum of Art.</span></span></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #090909;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) Sheldon and Jill Bonovitz at the Philadelphia M</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">useum of Art's <i>Of God and Country </i>exhibition.</span></span></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #090909;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) Howard Finster’s <i>Angel, #3,236</i>, </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">1984. Paint on wood cutout: Collection of Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz. </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #090909;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) Gallery view of the Philadelphia Museum of Art's <i>Of God and Country</i> exhibition, showing three of Felipe Archuleta’s carved animals, <i>Donkey</i> (1981), <i>Spotted Boar</i> (1981) and <i>Mule</i> (1975). Cottonwood, paint, sisal, sawdust, glue. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Collection of Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz, Promised Gift to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #090909;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) Bill Traylor's<i> </i></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>House with Two Men, a Turkey, and a Dog</i>, c. 1939-42. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Graphite on thin cream card; punched for hanging:</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Sheet: 22 × 14 1/2 inches (55.9 × 36.8 cm).</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><em style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Collection of Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz, </span></em><em style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Promised Gift to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. </span></em></span></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #090909;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) Gallery view of the Philadelphia Museum of Art's <i>Of God and Country</i> exhibition, showing William L. Hawkin's </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">American Flag with Cone-Shaped Fireworks. </i></span></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #090909;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) Leroy Almon’s <i>Uncle Sam</i>, late 20</span><sup style="font-family: verdana;">th</sup><span style="font-family: verdana;"> century. Paint on carved wood. Collection of Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz.</span></span></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #090909;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Josephus Farmer 's <i>Eli Whitney Nemesis of the South</i>, c. 1985. Paint and ink on carved wood. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span lang="en">The Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz Collection. </span></span></span></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #090909;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) <i>Elijah Pierce's </i></span><em style="font-family: verdana;">Love (Martin Luther King, Jr.).<span style="font-style: normal;"> Paint, glitter, and local applications of varnish on carved wood; artist-made frame: 19 x 16 inches (48.3 x 40.6 cm) </span></em><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><em style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Collection of Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz, </span></em><em style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Promised Gift to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. </span></em></span></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #090909;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) Howard Finster's </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span lang="en"><i>The Big Push, #1,765</i>, 1980. Paint on plywood; artist-made frame of Douglas fir branded with artist-made metal stamps: Framed: 15 1/4 x 15 inches (38.7 x 38.1 cm) The Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz Collection. </span></span></span></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #090909;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) Gallery view of the Philadelphia Museum of Art's <i>Of God and Country</i> exhibition, showing S.L. Jones’ <i>Preacher and His Wife</i>. </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #090909;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) S.L. Jones’ <i>Preacher and His Wife</i> (Detail), </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span lang="en">date unknown. Paint on wood with nails; leather belt: Preacher (a): 62 1/2 x 19 x 14 inches (158.8 x 48.3 x 35.6 cm) Wife (b): 54 x 15 x 18 inches (137.2 x 38.1 x 45.7 cm) The Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz Collection. </span></span></span></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #090909;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) Gallery view of the Philadelphia Museum of Art's <i>Of God and Country </i>exhibition, showing Simon Sparrow’s </span><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">Assemblage with Faces</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">. </span></i></span></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #090909;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) Simon Sparrow’s </span><em style="font-family: verdana;">Assemblage with Faces.<span style="font-style: normal;"> (D</span></em><span style="font-family: verdana;">etail)</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">, date unknown. Glitter, paint, and other found objects on wood; artist-made painted wood frame: 56 1/2 inches × 8 feet 11 inches × 3 1/2 inches (143.5 × 271.8 × 8.9 cm. </span><em style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Collection of Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz, </span></em><em style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Promised Gift to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. </span></em></span></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #090909;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) Herbert Singleton's <i>Going Home: McDonogh Cemetery</i>. Date unknown. Alkyd industrial paint, including metallic paint, on carved red cedar with yellow pine battens: 12 3/4 x 60 inches (32.4 x 152.4 cm) </span></span><em style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #090909;">Collection of Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz</span><span style="color: #222222;">.</span></span></em></p><p style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></p><p align="JUSTIFY" class="western" lang="en" style="line-height: 0.07in;"><br /></p></div>Art Eyewitnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347317000349363690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8200843910512523791.post-21734806910133344812023-05-13T22:07:00.002-07:002023-05-14T07:58:22.454-07:00Art Eyewitness Review: The Sassoons at the Jewish Museum, New York<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghN1X9b0D3rJvwkkVW6kOROiOPOmgfmYD3_pgxdXT2nrA8b0gILrMe4t34wLG_BxdLrGkqXx8rDo3igqR8dmu1WZJMCAgHVmqAf1et-go5vI_BmJwmjgnnGWfzyiGl6GkrtV-ZKFX5oX_8HPBIad68JwvIUyyJUmbAgu1aZSZwhy3sfICPwCn4x_Ne/s1000/Sassoons%20lead.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="517" data-original-width="1000" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghN1X9b0D3rJvwkkVW6kOROiOPOmgfmYD3_pgxdXT2nrA8b0gILrMe4t34wLG_BxdLrGkqXx8rDo3igqR8dmu1WZJMCAgHVmqAf1et-go5vI_BmJwmjgnnGWfzyiGl6GkrtV-ZKFX5oX_8HPBIad68JwvIUyyJUmbAgu1aZSZwhy3sfICPwCn4x_Ne/w400-h206/Sassoons%20lead.jpg" width="400" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #111111; font-size: large; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The
Sassoons</span></b></p>
<p align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-US"><b><span style="color: #111111; font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Jewish
Museum, New York </span>
</span></b></p>
<p align="CENTER" class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: verdana;"><b>March
3- August 13, 2023</b></span></p>
<p align="LEFT" class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.21in;">
<span style="color: #111111; font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>Reviewed
by Ed Voves </b></span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="color: #111111; font-size: small;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The
Jewish Museum of New York has a well-deserved reputation for
presenting unusual exhibitions which provide expansive, yet
incisive, views of complex subjects. The current exhibit, <i>The
Sassoons</i>, certainly deserves such accolades. </span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="color: black;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: verdana;">From
the Ottoman Empire to the British Raj to the splendor of Edwardian
Britain and the subsequent horrors of World War I, <i>The Sassoons</i>
tells the story of a Jewish dynasty which gained (and lost) huge
fortunes and bequeathed a rich legacy in art and philanthropy.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="color: black;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: verdana;">And
what a story! Normally, such a saga, spanning several generations, would feature in a multi-episode television series rather than on the
gallery walls of a New York City museum. </span></span></span></span></p><p class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="color: black;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></span></span></span></span></p><p class="western" lang="en-US" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpDnL5b7VyXPRgaq9lMEssRLTXuNOi2bLBIkhmg4pFxyNltRuzhxfEFqi4tjxvCfxNGfNoBIYiEsRHj6E6FiNYGqFBQN-18tF__g9rvBu9BZEpiwdTwgehDgMUJhU9NgMJNeCzdpnxC5ehf7Z4fVYEQHCHeaJdEBGsaK_IK_Or_CQiGxBi_ZkvKiZ6/s1000/Sassoon%20group.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="1000" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpDnL5b7VyXPRgaq9lMEssRLTXuNOi2bLBIkhmg4pFxyNltRuzhxfEFqi4tjxvCfxNGfNoBIYiEsRHj6E6FiNYGqFBQN-18tF__g9rvBu9BZEpiwdTwgehDgMUJhU9NgMJNeCzdpnxC5ehf7Z4fVYEQHCHeaJdEBGsaK_IK_Or_CQiGxBi_ZkvKiZ6/w640-h298/Sassoon%20group.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></span></div><span style="color: black;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="text-align: -webkit-left;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: -webkit-left;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2023)</b></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: -webkit-left;"><b>Gallery view of <i>The Sassoons</i> exhibit at the Jewish Museum, </b></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: -webkit-left;"><b>showing a photo montage of members of the Sassoon family</b></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><p align="LEFT" class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: verdana;">Escapes from danger,
breathtaking risks in the world of high finance, battlefield
exploits, bitter family feuds and savvy, strong-willed heroines, it's
all here in </span><i style="color: #111111; font-family: verdana;">The Sassoons</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: verdana;">.</span></p></div></span></span></span><p class="western" lang="en-US" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">The
Jewish Museum exhibition</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"> highlights this stirring drama with a fascinating
display of sacred religious artifacts of Judaism which the Sassoon family
commissioned or helped to preserve. Among the many examples of Judaica on view is the </span><i>Sassoon Haggadah</i><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">, an exquisite illuminated manuscript containing the service read during the Passover </span><i>Seder</i></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d;">. It dates from the early fourteenth century and was most likely created in Spain or perhaps the south of France</span>. </span></span></p><p class="western" lang="en-US"><br /></p><p class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="color: black;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255);"></span></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe9JZuTEmp3AiYthN720HEt77QmYpkhDHifArPwesQyjfDm4VcDzieabHuljfBXrnwsqGOXmu0lbWlk8C_QoFwsWldb917VjB_M45uxcPO6LBPE2jaWhVBx3NaR_GUp3msoPcFaFGhku0k3BnSc2jo77m0_bSYCwMtqQ6bSh4sutJd2nIX1lM2twXI/s1245/JM%20Nahson%20Sassoons%20fig.%2046%20Sassoon%20Haggadah-Press%20Image%20-%203000px%20W%20(300dpi).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="779" data-original-width="1245" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe9JZuTEmp3AiYthN720HEt77QmYpkhDHifArPwesQyjfDm4VcDzieabHuljfBXrnwsqGOXmu0lbWlk8C_QoFwsWldb917VjB_M45uxcPO6LBPE2jaWhVBx3NaR_GUp3msoPcFaFGhku0k3BnSc2jo77m0_bSYCwMtqQ6bSh4sutJd2nIX1lM2twXI/w640-h400/JM%20Nahson%20Sassoons%20fig.%2046%20Sassoon%20Haggadah-Press%20Image%20-%203000px%20W%20(300dpi).jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></span></div><span style="color: black;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="color: black;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="text-align: -webkit-left;"><b><br /></b></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: -webkit-left;"><b>JM Nahson, Photo (2022)</b></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: -webkit-left;"><b><i>The Sassoon Haggadah, </i>Spain or Southern France, c. 1320</b></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #161616; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #161616; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Now in the collection of the Israel Museum, the </span></span></span><span style="color: #161616; font-family: verdana;"><i>Sassoon Haggadah </i>had special</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #161616; font-family: verdana;"> relevance for the Sassoons, who were driven from their home in Baghdad during a campaign of persecution, just as the Sephardic Jews of Spain had earlier suffered in 1492. This splendid hand-written and decorated book is a testament to the enduring faith of devout Jews like the Sassoons across the centuries.</span></div></div></span><p class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="color: #161616; font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">The Sassoons also devoted much effort and discernment to collecting works of Old Master art and rare books, especially after numerous family members relocated to England in the late 1800's. And being “eminent” Victorians and Edwardians, these later Sassoons could not resist having their noble faces preserved for posterity by the finest portrait painter of their age: John Singer Sargent.</span></span></p><p class="western" lang="en-US"><br /></p><p class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="color: black;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUd3Rx5zQ8CCcVfq3vlka0SyT9R7_l7wyokpspu4n-R2Z4ITxl9Z12qM_OqrtoqOe1wQ7lVSF3avyiVJKP90IgGMvR6JGwS5fAGwTkaqupPNNcyT0RrdKjj3R1pCMP7LlxnFooP0b_ceDvfWPXmUW4pfnyjiYWiaUyeB4RZVnYu602ODrSI7PyBirP/s1000/Sassoon%20portraits.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUd3Rx5zQ8CCcVfq3vlka0SyT9R7_l7wyokpspu4n-R2Z4ITxl9Z12qM_OqrtoqOe1wQ7lVSF3avyiVJKP90IgGMvR6JGwS5fAGwTkaqupPNNcyT0RrdKjj3R1pCMP7LlxnFooP0b_ceDvfWPXmUW4pfnyjiYWiaUyeB4RZVnYu602ODrSI7PyBirP/w640-h480/Sassoon%20portraits.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></span></div><span style="color: black;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="color: black;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: -webkit-left;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2023)</b></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="text-align: -webkit-left;"><b>Gallery view of <i>The Sassoons</i> exhibit, </b></span></span></span></span><b style="text-align: -webkit-left;">showing portraits</b></span></div><div><b style="text-align: -webkit-left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> of the Sassoon family painted by John Singer Sargent</span></b></div></div></span></span></span><p></p>
<p class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>The
Sassoons </i></span><span style="font-size: small;">begins in the Middle East during the
rule of the Ottoman Turkish Empire.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span>Skilled
in military matters, the Turks delegated much of the administration
of their domains to Jewish or Christian subjects. Sheikh
Sassoon Ben Saleh Sassoon (1750-1830) was the finance minister for
the Turkish Pashas of Baghdad, Iraq, a post he held with honor for many
years. </span></span>
</span></p>
<p class="western" lang="en-US"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #070707;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: verdana;">During
the 1820’s, a ruthless Pasha, Dawud, began harassing Baghdadi Jews in order to curb their influence – and to enrich
himself. Sheikh Sassoon’s eldest son, David, was taken hostage in
1828 and placed under guard until a hefty ransom could be paid to the
Pasha. David managed to escape and the family, including the aged
Sheikh Sassoon, made a daring bid for freedom. Eluding Dawud’s
troops, some of whom had been paid a hefty “bakhshesh” or bribe
to look the other way, the Sassoons fled Baghdad. They made their way
to Iran, where Sheikh Sassoon died in 1830.</span></span></p>
<p class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">David
Sassoon (1792-1864) was now the patriarch of the Sassoon clan. This
resourceful, clear-sighted business man carefully studied the
international scene and decided to secure his family’s fortune with
the British Raj in India. The British were notably indifferent to
matters of religion. Loyalty to the British Empire and skill in trade
and finance were what mattered to the British “sahibs.” David
Sassoon and his sons and heirs were ready to oblige.</span></p><p class="western" lang="en-US"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span></p><p class="western" lang="en-US"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJ8AVWS0owyxdLOZN6XjfvxnoaPAhoQrVsd90ukPEdMHvTEpzLEssHX9obaPJCSYyF5kcH5Y6Q2xENLr6MrSIAxMgK5hOdPHHlWvKSdQb60ehvmAo7J-hIyBtykBGf6P7cvkXr1to0Gi1wrmuHGGP5g75cYLarNGGauZ2chUddU4U6WaR8RQBl5Bm/s965/DSC06742.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="965" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJ8AVWS0owyxdLOZN6XjfvxnoaPAhoQrVsd90ukPEdMHvTEpzLEssHX9obaPJCSYyF5kcH5Y6Q2xENLr6MrSIAxMgK5hOdPHHlWvKSdQb60ehvmAo7J-hIyBtykBGf6P7cvkXr1to0Gi1wrmuHGGP5g75cYLarNGGauZ2chUddU4U6WaR8RQBl5Bm/w597-h640/DSC06742.jpg" width="597" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="color: #070707; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: -webkit-left;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2023)</b></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;"><span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="text-align: -webkit-left;"><b><i>Portrait of David Sassoon</i>,</b></span></span></span></span><b style="text-align: -webkit-left;"> attributed to William Melville, mid-1800's</b></span></div></div><p class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;">David
Sassoon was a skilled linguist, fluent in most of the languages of
the Middle East and India (though he never mastered English) and a
skilled investor. He established the Sassoon fortune, initially in
the lucrative cotton and silk trades. He dispatched his numerous sons
to important trading cities in Asia, including China. In a relatively
short span of time, the wealth and political influence of the Sassoon
family was secured.</span></p>
<p class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;">In
1857, the time for loyalty to the Raj became a paramount concern.
Triggered by fears of modernization to the traditional society of
India and by the arrogant and insensitive behavior of their British
officers, many of the regiments of the Indian Army rose in revolt.
The Sassoons supported the embattled Raj with all the resources at their
disposal. </span></p><p class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;">When the Great Mutiny was defeated and British rule
reasserted, the “sahibs” were very grateful to the Sassoons for
their timely support. In 1863, David Sassoon was awarded a British coat of arms. The armorial emblem depicts symbols with biblical references and the Hebrew motto, <i>Emet ve-emunah</i> (Truth and Faith).</span></p>
<p class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;">The
early years of the Sassoon saga are brilliantly illustrated in the
exhibition by a number of works of art including a portrait of <span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255);">David
Sassoon (shown above). The portrait is attributed to William
Melville, a British merchant who took up painting while in India.
Although not a major figure in British art, Melville certainly
captured the intelligence and quiet tenacity of David Sassoon.</span></span></p><p class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="color: #0c0c0c; font-family: verdana;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /></span></span></p><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="color: black;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh16pnl9fSkc3YmhTpBHeWWGqqC4hEx-MLKsShOhCouqV50kM4oKksAAGEUs8j82mmKF5_mz6RtW2xUTfcu-wGAR1FVZ0GpynPprIrgdnB81RzHpEQCb0RDKevnqy4fxjCl42x9iwfdSjJr9SdaLbKSXCXDCCcJPqp_wFodNiweV7RcnqpZhoycheGz/s995/DSC06734.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="809" data-original-width="995" height="520" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh16pnl9fSkc3YmhTpBHeWWGqqC4hEx-MLKsShOhCouqV50kM4oKksAAGEUs8j82mmKF5_mz6RtW2xUTfcu-wGAR1FVZ0GpynPprIrgdnB81RzHpEQCb0RDKevnqy4fxjCl42x9iwfdSjJr9SdaLbKSXCXDCCcJPqp_wFodNiweV7RcnqpZhoycheGz/w640-h520/DSC06734.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="color: black;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: -webkit-left;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2023)</b></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: -webkit-left;"><b>Gallery view of <i>The Sassoons</i> exhibit, showing</b></span></span></span></span></div><div><b style="text-align: -webkit-left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> <i>the Wedding Robe of Ezekial Gubbay</i>, c. 1852</span></b></div></div></span></span><p></p>
<p class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The
“star” of this part of the exhibition, however, is t</span></span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255);">he
</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span lang="en"><i>Wedding Robe
of Ezekiel Gubbay</i></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span lang="en">.
Made of silk, gold metallic thread and cotton around 1852, it was
worn by Ezekial Gubbay when he married Aziza Sassoon, the
granddaughter of David. Like the Sassoons, Gubbay was a refugee from
the Ottoman Empire, though his base of commercial operations for many
years was China not India.</span></span></span></p>
<p class="western" lang="en"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: black;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">This
magnificent robe is fascinating on many counts. It reminds us of the
Asian roots of the Sassoons and of the adaptability of Jews and Judaism
to whatever geographic region they find themselves. </span></span>
</span></p>
<p class="western" lang="en"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The
design of the <i>Wedding Robe of Ezekiel Gubbay</i> is Iraqi. While
in India and China, the early Sassoons and Gubbay dressed in the
fashion of their native land (at least for special occasions) even
after they had to flee for their lives. Like many refugees, they
still preserved a heart-felt affinity for the place of their birth.</span></span></p><p class="western" lang="en"><span style="color: black;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span></span></p><p class="western" lang="en"><span style="color: black;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEzqDBxj6QgBNR32E4rYKMDW8ApLqfsmuwZnrXbaW3H8XNDLLF9TTn9xS8bLuAc2VlvdYU-u-wuqEro9q7CQ3TikwHLWWeftjSWs2tVnsnfh6UwrxXGC3PzysDRf4nu7wzO9oJW5-JJOp3yMBMF5YwnWAvYN8dEXm4NM45_vKUoc-Qps2Jw_Em4aHz/s1066/Gubbay%20wedding.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="785" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEzqDBxj6QgBNR32E4rYKMDW8ApLqfsmuwZnrXbaW3H8XNDLLF9TTn9xS8bLuAc2VlvdYU-u-wuqEro9q7CQ3TikwHLWWeftjSWs2tVnsnfh6UwrxXGC3PzysDRf4nu7wzO9oJW5-JJOp3yMBMF5YwnWAvYN8dEXm4NM45_vKUoc-Qps2Jw_Em4aHz/w472-h640/Gubbay%20wedding.jpg" width="472" /></a></span></div><span style="color: black;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="color: black;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: -webkit-left;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2023)</b></span></span></span></span></div><div><b style="text-align: -webkit-left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> <i>The Wedding Robe of Ezekial Gubbay</i>, c. 1852</span></b></div></div></span><p></p>
<p class="western" lang="en"><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Another
interesting point about Ezekial Gubbay and his wedding robe is that he
frequently loaned it to grooms who could not afford such splendid
attire for their marriage celebrations. Generous and thoughtful,
Gubbay was a deeply religious man. His daughter, Flora, as we will
see, became a brilliant scholar of Jewish theology and culture. </span>
</span></p>
<p class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;"><a name="__DdeLink__6_140602410"></a><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">David
Sassoon died in 1864, bequeathing a huge fortune worth over </span><span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">£</span></span></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">4
million</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">, an impressive
network of charitable institutions throughout Asia - and a
complicated family situation. By his first marriage, he had fathered
two sons and two daughters; by his second marriage, six sons and
three daughters. With trading bases throughout Asia, these eight sons
had provided David Sassoon with reliable representatives for his
business transactions. But after his death, the House of Sassoon
became a house divided. Beginning in 1867, two bitterly hostile
companies, </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span lang="en"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255);">David
Sassoon and Co. and ED Sassoon and Company, competed with each other
for the lion's share of the wealth of Asia. </span></span></span>
</span></p>
<p class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">An
important part of the Sassoon's profits came from Indian cotton,
especially when the American Civil War interrupted the flow of cotton
from the American South to British factories. After 1865, American
cotton flooded the market and the Sassoons invested in another
lucrative product of Indian agriculture, opium.</span></p>
<p class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">The
exhibition curators are quite candid about the controversial nature
of the opium trade. In a very effective wall-text, they detail the resistance of the Chinese
government to the ruthless efforts of European powers, especially the British, to e</span><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;">xport the addictive drug to China. When China banned opium, the British responded with a military campaign, the First Opium War, in 1842. The British incursion forced the Chinese to open "treaty ports" to merchant trade, including opium.</span></p><p class="western" lang="en-US"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span></p><p class="western" lang="en-US"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgttA3_0jBuVzhTImLq8PiAhTYDqnIXLfXbDHALs5YrVHCTjAa4Z3f1A5j3u1vh_jLjlgLvdpYc5tazCAEeNP-9p7XQlMvx5HI7evx9LgC8NL0aPIrGCWjCwM0eyaNfc37y3X96V7ceRx9iSmm8nZv7bMc-R0Da2dHS6jFsryZw8PDWxTNY1qVU52L-/s933/Chinese%20casket.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="933" height="586" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgttA3_0jBuVzhTImLq8PiAhTYDqnIXLfXbDHALs5YrVHCTjAa4Z3f1A5j3u1vh_jLjlgLvdpYc5tazCAEeNP-9p7XQlMvx5HI7evx9LgC8NL0aPIrGCWjCwM0eyaNfc37y3X96V7ceRx9iSmm8nZv7bMc-R0Da2dHS6jFsryZw8PDWxTNY1qVU52L-/w640-h586/Chinese%20casket.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="color: black;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: -webkit-left;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2023)</b></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: -webkit-left;"><b>Ivory Casket from China, with a painting of Bocca Tigris,</b></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: -webkit-left;"><b> a strait of the Pearl River Delta, early 1800's</b></span></span></span></span></div></div><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><p class="western" lang="en"><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">The Sassoons entered the opium trade after these strongarm tactics had taken effect. Moreover, it is worth noting, the Sassoons were not operating as an illegal drug cartel similar to the dangerous
global narcotic dealers of today. Opium was legal worldwide and
indeed could be purchased without a doctor's prescription in the U.S.
until 1914 and in Britain until 1916. Still, it is rather disturbing
to note that by the 1870's, </span><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"><span lang="en"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255);">D</span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">avid
Sassoon and Co. controlled 70% of the Indian opium production.</span></p></span><p class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"> By now, it should be obvious that the full story of the Sassoon family is way beyond the scope of a online journal like <i>Art Eyewitness. </i>Suffice it to say that when </span></span><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"><span lang="en"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255);">D</span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">avid Sassoon and Co.moved its corporate headquarters from Bombay to London in 1872, the narrative shifts from Asian affairs and empire-building to a more cultural focus. This will allow us to concentrate on the art collecting activities of the "English" Sassoons.</span></p><p class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">The late Victorian and Edwardian eras were a golden age for amassing art collections. Among wealthy art lovers, the art of the eighteenth century and medieval manuscripts were favored genres. The Sassoons subscribed to these trends and their collections were well-stocked with portraits of Age of Enlightenment celebrities like the sculptor Jean-Jacques Caffieri by Adolf Ulric Wertmuller (1784) and Thomas Gainsborough's <i>Major John Dade of Tannington, Suffolk </i>(c.1755).</span></p><p class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUuCqEEO3B5jal_1jUgSy7ToYBDKQWnRqpgFAjwD1N-wdv3Ea3Ey6dTqpnQjeTnmw6-8nKVmegXlk4GV3GTzHitzi5IwtlBagbLb0r_GJPBjEhNrFNiOxo7XJ8ElbPJKBmnXPGFN6KsmzFr-b1gCzHBP1wnrifFYl49OXc99y5pT_bU4ULVhormcJC/s1000/DSC06730.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="775" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUuCqEEO3B5jal_1jUgSy7ToYBDKQWnRqpgFAjwD1N-wdv3Ea3Ey6dTqpnQjeTnmw6-8nKVmegXlk4GV3GTzHitzi5IwtlBagbLb0r_GJPBjEhNrFNiOxo7XJ8ElbPJKBmnXPGFN6KsmzFr-b1gCzHBP1wnrifFYl49OXc99y5pT_bU4ULVhormcJC/w496-h640/DSC06730.jpg" width="496" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="color: #070707; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: -webkit-left;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2023)</b></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; text-align: left;">Adolf Ulric Wertmuller</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">, </span></b><b style="color: #070707; text-align: -webkit-left;"><i>Jean-Jacques Caffieri</i>, </b><b><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">1784</span></b></span></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9SNzNzXtaHyHYtFxHQsnhVnP70EB2d8zPED5zlVnG_fqwqZ3QB-l3egRicBdula7J61U4w7XpixzsVLo2AZpT67mcoX58gOp6_gV2VpSK4nYxStHrqjP0U3d1FA5c9GNOh8jkxGRZ1Zy5SLzNt5LcyMEC7hpb4lw5xynadKtu-WLDXXIkVJdl9yHF/s900/Gainsborough%20Hunter.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="761" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9SNzNzXtaHyHYtFxHQsnhVnP70EB2d8zPED5zlVnG_fqwqZ3QB-l3egRicBdula7J61U4w7XpixzsVLo2AZpT67mcoX58gOp6_gV2VpSK4nYxStHrqjP0U3d1FA5c9GNOh8jkxGRZ1Zy5SLzNt5LcyMEC7hpb4lw5xynadKtu-WLDXXIkVJdl9yHF/w542-h640/Gainsborough%20Hunter.jpg" width="542" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="color: #070707; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: -webkit-left;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2023)</b></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; text-align: left;">Thomas Gainsborough</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">, </span></b><b style="color: #070707; text-align: -webkit-left;"><i>Maj. John Dade of Tannington, Suffolk, </i>c. 1755</b></span></div><div><b style="color: #070707; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-left;"><i><br /></i></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">The</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">medieval manuscripts collected by Sassoon family members is one of the most fascinating displays of the exhibition. On view are outstanding examples with a direct relevance to Judaism, like the </span><i style="color: #161616; font-family: verdana;">Sassoon Haggadah </i><span style="color: #161616; font-family: verdana;">(shown above), and illuminated books from the Christian and secular spheres like the <i>Astronomical Anthology</i> from Catalonia, created around the same time as the<i> Haggadah</i>. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #161616; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj__Bonwl4qijk0ATDXlvnFpkHd753uqXNjsYjXH84UAbZ_20D63VhgThIF5oOmGlORNcbSKtxAKTG7jB7nC9PuWU1xUqpJVZMUG-NJ_3WA54R1VZgpm4VDl0fBOgIDiVuZbc6ZAdxZ2PYe_L0EIyJQsPGsL2o9angajlztpUmqREoI9ILNgS_HQ12O/s915/Astronomical%20anthology.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="915" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj__Bonwl4qijk0ATDXlvnFpkHd753uqXNjsYjXH84UAbZ_20D63VhgThIF5oOmGlORNcbSKtxAKTG7jB7nC9PuWU1xUqpJVZMUG-NJ_3WA54R1VZgpm4VDl0fBOgIDiVuZbc6ZAdxZ2PYe_L0EIyJQsPGsL2o9angajlztpUmqREoI9ILNgS_HQ12O/w640-h454/Astronomical%20anthology.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="color: #161616; font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="color: #070707; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: -webkit-left;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2023)</b></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; text-align: left;"><i>Astronomical Antholgogy</i></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">, </span></b><b style="color: #070707; text-align: -webkit-left;">from Catalonia,<i> </i>c. 1361</b></span></div></div><p class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">Given the importance of Asian trade to the Sassoons, it should come as no surprise that Chinese art featured in their collections. Astonishing examples of Qing Dynasty ivory sculpture, carved from single pieces of ivory, are on view in the gallery devoted to Asian art.</span></p><p class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="western" lang="en-US"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6JyxeG8uuw0Qzah069u_Ae2CBeUoMaIIHq9f8H9iQ0F00cmSXWJrBCNcABRseeNHk4kTNz6p_LS5m4Om105rXGZ1o0PSWTzrdRt9K0UY4VQnt0NM95fFCSWlNRUo1IFKroDJs76eQeWhYdpeAYpNYjHM5hfmEqOKNZQ7R9tsJ8RZoeEDOrlpUs9gX/s1090/Sassoon%20china%20a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1090" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6JyxeG8uuw0Qzah069u_Ae2CBeUoMaIIHq9f8H9iQ0F00cmSXWJrBCNcABRseeNHk4kTNz6p_LS5m4Om105rXGZ1o0PSWTzrdRt9K0UY4VQnt0NM95fFCSWlNRUo1IFKroDJs76eQeWhYdpeAYpNYjHM5hfmEqOKNZQ7R9tsJ8RZoeEDOrlpUs9gX/w588-h640/Sassoon%20china%20a.jpg" width="588" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="color: #070707; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: -webkit-left;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2023)</b></span></span></span></span></div><div><span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="color: #070707; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: -webkit-left;"><b>China, Qing Dynasty, Ivory Carving</b></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #070707; font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">From left,<i> Miniature Mountain, </i>19th century,</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"> & </span></b><b style="text-align: -webkit-left;"><i>Table Screen</i>,<i> </i>1775</b></span></div></div><p class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">Pride of place among the Sassoon collectors ought to go to the remarkable Flora Sassoon (1859-1936). Born as Farha Gubbay (daughter of Ezekial), Flora married Solomon David Sassoon (the son of patriarch David, from his second marriage). When her husband died in 1894, Flora Sassoon took over the management of </span><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"><span lang="en"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255);">D</span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">avid Sassoon and Co. She was so successful that her jealous male relatives reorganized the company structure to oust her! </span></p><p class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2f6s2jppktNzO_CBnh9HZVN8XguWhQMBHDV1_bKSuhsBijOYKfqrRNG2fg_d-biZlYTPCoo9zOumX_JnrSd2r6VxciOwf5NvmgZF8ik6Awag98SMaGxnrTOgoyYIhuzAAJ7pVLseYJ4VSYLIuXDRp2F1aRF-BnVUjIXeFB51BcqL_aJvwTyaBCurr/s791/JM%20Nahson%20Sassoons%20fig.%2030%20Flora%20Sassoon-Press%20Image%20-%203000px%20W%20(300dpi).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="791" data-original-width="700" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2f6s2jppktNzO_CBnh9HZVN8XguWhQMBHDV1_bKSuhsBijOYKfqrRNG2fg_d-biZlYTPCoo9zOumX_JnrSd2r6VxciOwf5NvmgZF8ik6Awag98SMaGxnrTOgoyYIhuzAAJ7pVLseYJ4VSYLIuXDRp2F1aRF-BnVUjIXeFB51BcqL_aJvwTyaBCurr/w354-h400/JM%20Nahson%20Sassoons%20fig.%2030%20Flora%20Sassoon-Press%20Image%20-%203000px%20W%20(300dpi).jpg" width="354" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"><b>Flora Sassoon, 1900</b></span></div><p></p><p class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">Instead of founding a third Sassoon company to rival the others, Flora moved to Britain with her invalid daughter, Mozelle, and directed her formidable intellect and generous spirit to theological scholarship, philanthropy and patronage of the arts. She became so famous and beloved that letters were simply addressed to her, "Flora Sassoon, England."</span></p><p class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">Flora Sassoon was so devoted to the correct observance of Jewish religious law that she traveled with a <i>minyan, </i>a quorum of ten Jewish men needed for a public prayer service,<i> </i>and her own <i>shohet</i> or ritual butcher, so that she could always eat<i> kosher</i>. </span></p><p class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="western" lang="en-US"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjccOc9MmhELITbZ17XzIIFyK57QcUPGQ9Z2kHMjwUMNBeyi2wjE3E1EslcKgFQ5s_R43Z1lwbqI9a7EDrfmrokw5u3l5UX0oNSQxdPBzGsSrW56oKGCyexyAcc8JYdjuoPbIQK4Nt5JahNyjJmIsLLAZk3qIxlU4H6jQY2TgBDLM5Q0VbKSf3TTk_/s1000/JM%20Nahson%20Sassoons%20fig.%2020%20Scroll%20cases-Press%20Image%20-%203000px%20W%20(300dpi).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="818" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjccOc9MmhELITbZ17XzIIFyK57QcUPGQ9Z2kHMjwUMNBeyi2wjE3E1EslcKgFQ5s_R43Z1lwbqI9a7EDrfmrokw5u3l5UX0oNSQxdPBzGsSrW56oKGCyexyAcc8JYdjuoPbIQK4Nt5JahNyjJmIsLLAZk3qIxlU4H6jQY2TgBDLM5Q0VbKSf3TTk_/w525-h640/JM%20Nahson%20Sassoons%20fig.%2020%20Scroll%20cases-Press%20Image%20-%203000px%20W%20(300dpi).jpg" width="525" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: -webkit-left;"><b>JM Nahson, Photo (2022)</b></span></span></span></span></div><div><span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: -webkit-left;"><b>Torah and haftarah scrolls in cases,</b></span></span></span></span></div><div><b style="text-align: -webkit-left;"><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: verdana;"><i> </i>commissioned by Flora Sassoon, 1888-93</span></b></div></div><p></p><p class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">The exhibition showcases Torah and haftarah scrolls, protected in gilt silver and enamel cases, which were commissioned by Flora Sassoon. These beautiful examples of Judaica are now in a private collection, making the Jewish Museum exhibit a rare opportunity to admire both the tremendous workmanship of the craftsmen who made these precious works of devotional art and the religious convictions of the remarkable woman who sponsored them.</span></p><p class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p class="western" lang="en-US"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYWkZ85Fn9459Obq_91d9YwCZaW-CdjMpHkqfzWW_6C2eL2UA0GMXEc-OQ1KMI8iyco0UoQEbiuP6y9qKcOQ1Z5xQ8dx_u2G9PSAinNSPlIqzReKcGstt4aO3avtS0uo88eaG0JMuteQWF-H7nvzecx0EIBPTTkEh48PYlK2XYERoZIXE84jNpTRXw/s1000/DSC06738.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="1000" height="548" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYWkZ85Fn9459Obq_91d9YwCZaW-CdjMpHkqfzWW_6C2eL2UA0GMXEc-OQ1KMI8iyco0UoQEbiuP6y9qKcOQ1Z5xQ8dx_u2G9PSAinNSPlIqzReKcGstt4aO3avtS0uo88eaG0JMuteQWF-H7nvzecx0EIBPTTkEh48PYlK2XYERoZIXE84jNpTRXw/w640-h548/DSC06738.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="color: #111111; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: -webkit-left;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2023)</b></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #111111; font-family: verdana;"><span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="text-align: -webkit-left;"><b>Gallery view of <i>The Sassoons</i> </b></span></span></span></span><span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="text-align: -webkit-left;"><b>with </b></span></span></span></span><b style="text-align: -webkit-left;">Torah and haftarah scrolls</b></span></div><div><span style="color: #111111; font-family: verdana;"><b style="text-align: -webkit-left;"> in cases commissioned by </b><b style="text-align: -webkit-left;">Flora Sassoon</b></span></div></div><p></p><p class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">Another sacred artifact owned by Flora Sassoon is a gilt silver Torah pointer, made in the Netherlands during the mid-nineteenth century. It is inscribed with the words "(For) the honor of God and His Torah." A Torah pointer, also called a "YAD" from the word for hand, is used during readings of the Torah in order to keep track of the text without physically touching the sacred scroll. Of all the wonderful works of art on view in <i>The Sassoons</i>, this was my favorite!</span></p><p class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p class="western" lang="en-US"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsp_EGQ7jPVjWaJb7bDGzYM5TlSYr9tDQH6B7GkwUXHsw3Q8zR_M_---cNNL7GMyigdNVCjaMnAcg3JY1R3uSsY1N6-EpjZJHVB_Gtn0jzsHaYoY7mR9MbEv3X91pi8E1qdSaJyNusBLia3OZ7DAzu7R3Ive2GIN8M8Ink34Zu5SHyTmiYIvHPN0CZ/s940/Pointer.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="940" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsp_EGQ7jPVjWaJb7bDGzYM5TlSYr9tDQH6B7GkwUXHsw3Q8zR_M_---cNNL7GMyigdNVCjaMnAcg3JY1R3uSsY1N6-EpjZJHVB_Gtn0jzsHaYoY7mR9MbEv3X91pi8E1qdSaJyNusBLia3OZ7DAzu7R3Ive2GIN8M8Ink34Zu5SHyTmiYIvHPN0CZ/w400-h297/Pointer.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="color: #111111; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: -webkit-left;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2023)</b></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #111111; font-family: verdana;"><b style="text-align: -webkit-left;">Torah pointer, c. 1840-1853, from</b><b style="text-align: -webkit-left;"> </b><b style="text-align: -webkit-left;">Flora Sassoon's collection</b></span></div></div><p></p><p class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">The narrative of</span><i style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"> The Sassoons </i><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">turns from displays of Old Master paintings, Chinese carvings and precious examples of Judaica to a moving consideration of World War I. On view are a number of oil paintings by John Singer Sargent, created during his 1918 tour of the Western Front which would lead to the monumental painting, <i>Gassed</i>, arguably the most searing depiction of war by a major artist. </span></p><p class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">Fourteen members of the Sassoon family served in the British military, 1914-1918. But the exhibit focuses - wisely - on two of these "Lost Generation" soldiers. </span><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">Sir Philip Sassoon (1888-1939) and Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967) both served with distinction in the war, but their experiences were markedly different. Their portraits are placed side-by-side in the exhibition, yet they seem like strangers from different realms of experience rather than second-cousins and comrades-in-arms.</span></p><p class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="western" lang="en-US"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8z2pAX5tpzRwWR5vwEiRA2mBDaobKeAeHcuT6vOBFELrMOfBDIWTrw5JSRwMm-pIVRJB5lPwvJAio6eSRLwGw51G2i5n7yJ2mLgTB9-fx7nrtBBnjHB2gShwXA2gD5xoSvuiOOLnqRgLzdtOOUB5lJRdEWEYEsLptD5arUwPXo6-T8Fh8YcuOza_U/s1000/Sassoons%20WWI.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="664" data-original-width="1000" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8z2pAX5tpzRwWR5vwEiRA2mBDaobKeAeHcuT6vOBFELrMOfBDIWTrw5JSRwMm-pIVRJB5lPwvJAio6eSRLwGw51G2i5n7yJ2mLgTB9-fx7nrtBBnjHB2gShwXA2gD5xoSvuiOOLnqRgLzdtOOUB5lJRdEWEYEsLptD5arUwPXo6-T8Fh8YcuOza_U/w640-h424/Sassoons%20WWI.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: -webkit-left;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2023)</b></span></span></span></span></div><div><b style="text-align: -webkit-left;"><span style="color: #0e0e0e;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">World War I portraits, Sir Phillip Sassoon (at left) & Siegfried Sassoon</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"> </span></span></b></div></div><p class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">Philip Sassoon (1888-1939) served as a staff-officer, private secretary to the British commander-in-chief, Sir Douglas Haig. Charming yet diligent, he was fluent in French, an important skill since the British and French fought side-by-side at the Battle of the Somme, 1916. He was also a close friend of Sargent and helped facilitate his painting expedition to the front.</span></p><p class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">Siegfried Sassoon, by contrast, was a front-line infantry officer, wounded in action, awarded the Military Cross for valor. He was nicknamed "Mad-Jack" for his almost suicidal gallantry. The very passion which fueled his courage on the Somme and at Arras also triggered his anger at the futile frontal attacks which squandered thousands of lives and the political duplicity on the Home Front.</span></p><p class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="western" lang="en-US"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY0sABgUv7nZ8CU8PJhClfsvuoRJtUlfB105AX_zUZBPuajVRvRcSRNH5ILImYCPZcos1u0dpu0KG7izUO4tnRMF7FVEBmz5aW11izOMQvnSj2ElSX6iMyToibywUxMlEAWI3pHUFi-h3sIlCfW5kFGlgG_qhDFQp7Wjh90Trg3iCvzpzeVy3MdvYh/s1238/Siegfried%20Sasson%20WWI.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1238" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY0sABgUv7nZ8CU8PJhClfsvuoRJtUlfB105AX_zUZBPuajVRvRcSRNH5ILImYCPZcos1u0dpu0KG7izUO4tnRMF7FVEBmz5aW11izOMQvnSj2ElSX6iMyToibywUxMlEAWI3pHUFi-h3sIlCfW5kFGlgG_qhDFQp7Wjh90Trg3iCvzpzeVy3MdvYh/w640-h414/Siegfried%20Sasson%20WWI.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"><div style="color: black; text-align: center;"><span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-size: small;"><div style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="color: #111111; font-size: small;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="text-align: -webkit-left;"><b><br /></b></span></span></span></span></div><div style="color: black;"><span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="color: #111111; font-size: small;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="text-align: -webkit-left;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2023)</b></span></span></span></span></div><div style="color: black;"><span style="color: #111111;"><b style="text-align: -webkit-left;">World War I-era journals of Siegfried Sassoon </b></span></div><div style="color: black;"><span style="color: #111111;"><b style="text-align: -webkit-left;">Appearing at left is the April-June 1917 journal containing the draft of Sassoon's "Statement against the Conduct of the War"</b><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-left;"> </b></span></div></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div>For a sensational display, the Jewish Museum curators were able to secure a trove of Siegfried Sassoon's notebooks and journals. These include the draft copy of his "Statement against the Conduct of the War" which was quoted in a speech in Parliament. This might have led to a court martial -and possibly a firing squad for Sassoon. Instead, he was sent to a hospital for the "shell shocked" and then released to fight again and be wounded again on the unquiet Western Front.</span><p></p><p class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">The <i>Sassoons</i> goes on to look at the family's post-World War I experiences. Attempts to revive the economic fortunes of the family by major investment in China, especially the booming real estate market in Shanghai in the 1920's and early 1930's, promised success. But the coming of a second "Great War" and the Communist take-over of China devastated the hopes and the finances of the Sassoons.</span></p><p class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;">As the sun set on the British Empire, so too did it fade upon the Sassoon family.</span></p><p class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="western" lang="en-US" style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh7JCBWFAzlO-xXUPWuxJbj1NUcq2c_oE90gKVNHBSrVLbjERbLMCa34bg8yTcQy-eGlxYfH0fwrOUrV39tihZV4yxQM6OU-EF44yNiTS3WpBP5gZzUSSasDUSGWUlpWGmgEf289lUwTW2YCKyx_xOtb3VJq-2nYfGbo5grJ335nb5tyfJvpMbLZ7O/s1066/Claudia%20Nahson%20Esther%20da%20Costa%20Meyer.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh7JCBWFAzlO-xXUPWuxJbj1NUcq2c_oE90gKVNHBSrVLbjERbLMCa34bg8yTcQy-eGlxYfH0fwrOUrV39tihZV4yxQM6OU-EF44yNiTS3WpBP5gZzUSSasDUSGWUlpWGmgEf289lUwTW2YCKyx_xOtb3VJq-2nYfGbo5grJ335nb5tyfJvpMbLZ7O/w480-h640/Claudia%20Nahson%20Esther%20da%20Costa%20Meyer.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="color: black;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: -webkit-left;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2023)</b></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: -webkit-left;"><b>Claudia Nahson (left) and Esther da Costa Meyer, curators of</b></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="text-align: -webkit-left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> <i>The Sassoons</i> exhibit at the Jewish Museum</span></b></span></span></span></span></div></div><p class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"><i>The Sassoons</i> at the Jewish Museum is a wonder of an exhibition. There are almost too many themes, too many characters, too much geography to cover - and yet it succeeds memorably in bringing this vital story to life. For that triumph, we have the exhibition curators, Claudia Nahson and Esther da Costa Meyer, to thank. The Sassoons is a fascinating, thoughtful investigation of an incredible family, flesh-and-blood human beings who never - or almost never - forgot the God of Israel.</span></p><p class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"><span>In a final testament to the Sassoons, let us end with the exhibit display which shows the heart-shaped i</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">nscription
from a Torah ark curtain donated by Rachel Sassoon (1857-1911) in memory of her only child and an embossed silver plaque from another Torah ark curtain, this time dedicated to Hannah Khatun Sassoon, who died in 1895. Let the words of the final invocation on the plaque speak for all the Sassoons - and hopefully for us too!</span></span></p><p class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span></span></p><p class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge4q-otLXxF9erWo1eMaaTB2NQ4j57PPMtbNW09lT_qQcrypssudp_190TJo6Rgzgot-yhyoys1cMW69an9z1mJ1In8ES4CgHd4DNinxgQQsanaFTpXSzrFT1NPRjC-Bcp4kF4FLnH8a4hZ-PiUV7Gicayxyvf4DIgse5a3puEh0-I6s_lV6eIMGKQ/s1049/DSC06733.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1049" height="488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge4q-otLXxF9erWo1eMaaTB2NQ4j57PPMtbNW09lT_qQcrypssudp_190TJo6Rgzgot-yhyoys1cMW69an9z1mJ1In8ES4CgHd4DNinxgQQsanaFTpXSzrFT1NPRjC-Bcp4kF4FLnH8a4hZ-PiUV7Gicayxyvf4DIgse5a3puEh0-I6s_lV6eIMGKQ/w640-h488/DSC06733.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="color: black;"><span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="color: #111111; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: -webkit-left;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2023)</b></span></span></span></span></div><div style="color: black;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: verdana;"><b style="text-align: -webkit-left;">Torah ark curtain memorials for Sassoon family members, late 1800's</b></span></div></div></span><p></p><p class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>This Torah Curtain is consecrated upon the passing of the noble, modest, elder Lady Hannah Khatun bat No'am, may she abide in Eden, wife of Sir Abdullah David Sassoon, may God protect and keep him, to the Yagel Yaakov Synagogue in the Holy City of Jerusalem, may it be rebuilt and reestablished quickly in our days, amen. She passed away in Bombay on Wednesday, 13 Tevet 5655 (January 9, 1895). May her soul be bound up in the Bond of Life.</i></span></span></p><p class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="color: #0a0a0a;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><i>***</i></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><p class="western" lang="en-US" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Text: Copyright of Ed Voves, all rights reserved. Original Photography by Ed Voves, all rights reserved. </span></p><p class="western" lang="en-US" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Exhibition images courtesy of the Jewish Museum, New York </span></p><p class="western" lang="en-US" style="text-align: left;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span>Introductory
image: Ed Voves, Photo (2023) Gallery view of <i>The Sassoon</i>s exhibit,
showing a photo montage of members of the Sassoon family.</span></span></p><p class="western" lang="en-US" style="text-align: left;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span>Ed
Voves, Photo (2023) Gallery view of <i>The Sassoons</i> exhibit, showing a
photo montage of members of the Sassoon family.</span></span></p><p class="western" lang="en-US" style="text-align: left;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span>JM
Nahson, Photo (2022) <i>The Sassoon Haggadah</i>, Spain or Southern
France, c. 1320. <span style="color: black;"><span lang="en"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Ink,
tempera, and gold and silver leaf on parchment 8 5/16 × 6 ½ in. (21
×16.5 cm) Israel Museum, Jerusalem, purchased by the State of Israel
through an anonymous donor, London, L-B75.0583, formerly in the David
Solomon Sassoon Collection.</span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="western" lang="en-US" style="text-align: left;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span>Ed
Voves, Photo (2023) Gallery view of The <i>Sassoons</i> exhibit, showing
portraits of members of the Sassoon family, painted by John Singer
Sargent.</span></span></p><p class="western" lang="en-US" style="text-align: left;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span>Ed
Voves, Photo (2023) <i>Portrait of David Sassoon</i>, attributed to William
Melville, mid-1800's. Oil on canvas: 41 ½ × 33 in. (105.4 × 83.8
cm) Private Collection </span></span>
</p><p class="western" lang="en-US" style="text-align: left;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span>Ed
Voves, Photo (2023) Gallery view of <i>The Sassoons </i>exhibit, showing <i>The
Wedding Gown of Ezekial Gubbay</i>, c. 1852.</span></span></p><p class="western" lang="en-US" style="text-align: left;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span>Ed
Voves, Photo (2023) <i>The Wedding Gown of Ezekial Gubbay</i>, c. 1852.
<span style="color: black;"><span lang="en">Silk, gold metallic thread, and cotton: L 54in (137.2
cm) Private Collection, New York. </span></span></span></span>
</p><p class="western" lang="en-US" style="text-align: left;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span>Ed
Voves, Photo (2023) Ivory Casket from China, with a painting of Bocca
Tigris, a strait of the Pearl River Delta, early 1800's. <span style="color: black;"><span lang="en"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Ivory:
4 9/16 × 9 7/8 × 4 11/16 in. (11.5 × 25 × 11.8 cm) Collection of
the British Museum. </span></span></span></span></span>
</p><p class="western" lang="en-US" style="text-align: left;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span>Ed
Voves, Photo (2023) Adolf Ulric Wertmuller's <i>Jean-Jacques
Caffieri</i>, 1784. <span style="color: black;"><span lang="en">Oil on
canvas: 50 3/4 x 37 3/4 in. (128.9 x 95.9 cm) Collection of the
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. </span></span></span></span>
</p><p class="western" lang="en-US" style="text-align: left;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span>Ed
Voves, Photo (2023) Thomas Gainsborough's <i>Major John Dade of
Tannington, Suffolk</i>, c. 1755. <span style="color: black;"><span lang="en"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Oil
on canvas: 30 × 25 1/2 inches (76.2 × 64.8 cm) Collection of the
Yale Center for British Art. </span></span></span></span></span>
</p><p class="western" lang="en-US" style="text-align: left;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span>Ed
Voves, Photo (2023) <i>Astronomical Anthology</i>, from Catalonia, c. 1361.
<span style="color: black;"><span lang="en"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Ink
and paint on parchment 11 3/8 × 8 13/16 in. (28.8 × 22.4 cm)
Lawrence J. Schoenberg Collection, Kislak Center for Special
Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania. </span></span></span></span></span>
</p><p class="western" lang="en-US" style="text-align: left;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Ed Voves, Photo (2023) </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">China</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">, Qing Dynasty, Ivory Carving. <i>Miniature Mountain</i>, 12 1/4 x 4 9/16 in. (31 x 13.5 cm) 19th century (left) and <i>Table Screen</i>, 11 7/16 x 3 15/16 in. (29 x 10 cm), 1775. Both from collection of the British Museum.</span></p><p class="western" lang="en-US" style="text-align: left;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">JM
Nahson, Photo (2022) Copy of a Portrait Photo of Flora Sassoon, 1900.</span></p><p align="LEFT" class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span><span style="color: #0e0e0e;">JM
Nahson, Photo (2022) Torah and haftarah scrolls in cases,
commissioned by Flora Sassoon, China and Iraq, 1888–93. Cases: gilt
silver and enamel; scrolls: ink on parchment Heights 37 3/8 in. (95
cm); 30 in. (76.2 cm) Private collection. </span></span></span></span>
</p><p class="western" lang="en-US" style="text-align: left;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span>Ed
Voves, Photo (2023) Gallery view of <i>The Sassoons</i> exhibit, with <span style="color: #0e0e0e;">Torah
and haftarah scrolls in cases, commissioned by Flora Sassoon,
1888-93.</span></span></span></p><p align="LEFT" class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #111111;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span><span style="color: #0e0e0e;">Ed
Voves, Photo (2023) </span>Torah
pointer, c. 1840-1853, from Flora Sassoon's collection. M<span style="color: black;"><span lang="en"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255);">ade
in the Netherlands by Hedde Buys. Gilt silver with precious and
semiprecious stones (possibly later additions): L 13 1/2 in. (34.4
cm) Weitzman Family Collection.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="western" lang="en" style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="color: #0e0e0e;">Ed
Voves, Photo (2023) World War I portraits, from left, Sir Philip
Sassoon by Philip Alexius De Laszlo, 1915, collection of Houghton
Hall, U.K.,and Siegfried Sassoon by Glyn Warren Philpot, 1917,
collection of the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge University.</span></span></span></span></span></p><p align="LEFT" class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span><span style="color: #111111;">Ed
Voves, Photo (2023) World War I-era journals of Siegfried Sassoon,
with (at left) the the April 11 -June 2, 1917 journal containing the
draft of Sassoon's "Statement against the Conduct of the War".
</span><span style="color: black;"><span lang="en"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Ink
on paper; leather binding: 5 x 3 in (12.7 x 7.6 cm) Cambridge
University Library, United Kingdom. </span></span></span></span></span></span>
</p><p class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: black;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span><span style="color: black;">Ed
Voves, Photo (2023) Claudia Nahson (left) and Esther da Costa Meyer,
curators of </span><span style="color: black;"><i>The
Sassoons </i></span><span style="color: black;">exhibit
at the Jewish Museum.</span></span></span></span></p><p class="western" lang="en-US" style="text-align: left;">
</p><p class="western" lang="en-US" style="text-align: left;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span>Ed
Voves, Photo (2023) Inscription from Torah ark curtain donated by
Rachel Sassoon (1857-1911) to Shalom Shabazi Synagogue, Jerusalem.
Probably made in Mumbai (Bombay), c. 1886. Velvet embroidered with
metallic thread: 15 x 11 in (38.1 x 27.9 cm) and <span style="color: black;"><span lang="en"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Plaque
from a Torah ark curtain in memory of Hannah Khatun Sassoon,
dedicated to Yagel Yaakov Synagogue, Jerusalem Probably Mumbai, 1895
Embossed silver Diam. 6 1/8 in. (15.6cm) </span></span></span>Both
works in the collection of the Jewish Museum, New York.</span></span></p></span></span></div><p></p><p class="western" lang="en-US"><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: verdana;"></span></p>Art Eyewitnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347317000349363690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8200843910512523791.post-16334298932551537512023-05-01T17:56:00.005-07:002023-05-03T07:38:28.262-07:00Art Eyewitness Book Review: Picasso: the Self-Portraits by Pascal Bonafoux<p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvoaOOne1uEWfd7rxKoov7H4bzqSNjKSBTpmCofFZu2RjYKX4qhyWIrJt3xZIbmg2x-r_PQUQ3xRWQ6iBdUCi4HLsiPNBZlz34r9O1CcUfyU_7LBdhSjLnICFtA4t1KDcjQpeSIMXhvGjG63GsxZ22dkMzZQcAlb-xDKV-q1jw8AQS8sSULzCH_s5O/s1200/Picasso%20The%20Self-Portraits%209780500025833.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="887" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvoaOOne1uEWfd7rxKoov7H4bzqSNjKSBTpmCofFZu2RjYKX4qhyWIrJt3xZIbmg2x-r_PQUQ3xRWQ6iBdUCi4HLsiPNBZlz34r9O1CcUfyU_7LBdhSjLnICFtA4t1KDcjQpeSIMXhvGjG63GsxZ22dkMzZQcAlb-xDKV-q1jw8AQS8sSULzCH_s5O/w296-h400/Picasso%20The%20Self-Portraits%209780500025833.jpg" width="296" /></a></div></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><b>Picasso: the Self-Portraits</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>By Pascal Bonafoux</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Thames & Hudson/$45/223 pages</b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Reviewed by Ed Voves</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Often times, when a great writer, actor or artist of advanced age dies, the reaction is a bemused exclamation, "I didn't know he (or she) was still alive."</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">When Pablo Picasso died a half century ago, on April 8, 1973, that was not the response. No one thought of Picasso in the past tense, but rather with shock that he<i> could </i>die.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Yes, Picasso had lived a very long time, 1881-1973. Yes, many of his best works were already on museum walls years before his passing. Picasso, however, was such a legendary figure, an artist of genius caliber, that it was hard to conceive of the art world without him.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Fifty years on, art historians are still grappling with the legacy of Picasso. Museums around the world have announced exhibitions to mark the anniversary of his death - and his continuing importance. While these upcoming exhibits will doubtless provide new insights, museum curators are already facing stiff-competition from an impressive new book, <i>Picasso: the Self-Portraits</i>, written by the French art historian, Pascal Bonafoux.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">There are a number of surprising aspects to this outstanding book. Perhaps the most glaring one is the fact that this is the first systematic study of Picasso's self-portraits. Considering the exhaustive treatment of Picasso's <i>oeuvre</i>, it is a bit perplexing that this trove of revelatory art has been little regarded by scholars, at least as a body of work - and an extensive one at that.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsCL5uhxLU996rFicJgrD_9namNwn266eYCdCnUVHONspGV1mskttFISZOAuvpFcvFlsMiUeVHFU6eKeXYkSml1nFN5uPdc_9x1N0CZSmrKSLLqdl5TC88XArUl_CDP7PJGDnkmYuX3o22OncDFOCMY7M3e38n_qdzF985wbX591Ks4oSIy7qoT67z/s1018/Picasso%20Philly%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1018" data-original-width="777" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsCL5uhxLU996rFicJgrD_9namNwn266eYCdCnUVHONspGV1mskttFISZOAuvpFcvFlsMiUeVHFU6eKeXYkSml1nFN5uPdc_9x1N0CZSmrKSLLqdl5TC88XArUl_CDP7PJGDnkmYuX3o22OncDFOCMY7M3e38n_qdzF985wbX591Ks4oSIy7qoT67z/s320/Picasso%20Philly%202.jpg" width="244" /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;">Pablo Picasso, <i>Self-Portrait </i>(detail), 1906</b></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><i style="font-family: verdana;">Picasso: the Self-Portraits</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> examines 170 </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">paintings, drawings and photos. Beginning with an 1894 drawing of himself, aged thirteen, Picasso continued to record - and in some cases, disguise - his features up until a few months before he died. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Most of these self-portraits, however, were created before 1918. In November of that year, Picasso heard the shocking news that his great friend, Guillaume Apollinaire, had just died during the Influenza pandemic. According to legend, Picasso was shaving when the message arrived and could not bear looking into a mirror after that terrible moment. Doing so reminded him of the painful passing of </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Apollinaire - and of his own mortality.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The second surprise factor is the curiously "old-fashion" look to the present volume. The book opens with the text, eighty-plus pages of solid print, <i>en bloc</i>. Then come the pictures, treated with superb fidelity whether color, sepia or black and white, but lacking explanatory captions. Given that the publisher is Thames and Hudson, who practically invented the process of closely integrating pictures with text in art books, this arrangement did come as a bit of shock when I first leafed through the pages.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Any doubts about </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Picasso: the Self-Portraits </i><span style="font-family: verdana;">vanished by the time I finished reading the first couple of paragraphs. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">It was a master-stroke to use Bonafoux's brilliant narrative to engage the reader's imagination, followed by the pictures. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Bonafoux is an exceptional writer, a French intellectual whose scholarship is tempered with warm human empathy and philosophic insight. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">In many ways, Bonafoux's text is a meditation on life, Picasso's and ours. Quoting a remark by Picasso that "a painting only lives through the person looking at it," </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Bonafoux invites us to join in this silent dialog. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Alone. I am alone before Picasso's self-portraits. You are alone before these same self-portraits... And perhaps that is the purpose of a self-portrait, to make us examine our own solitude.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So let the words and the images of </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Picasso: the Self-Portraits </i><span style="font-family: verdana;">speak for themselves without constant referring back and forth. The best way to use this intriguing book is to savor the text and images as complementary essays. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Bonafoux begins his narrative by relating how he met Picasso's widow, Jacqueline, at a dinner party. Bonafoux's specialty in art scholarship is the study of self-portraits from the Renaissance to the contemporary world.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv8fH9pxQkW1Gxpevj2bNQcGw7mgK4JYqayIsUPvCVEeY5SLR0X8oOSCc7x9StPvVMIeVrBdeHA4Qkcz7WTR463FNMyHet_sQehFGTCIrCpJfJ4moN3Z-gMb8R7L4AzLGImgH-fqGKvNi-9hDNKXlvYv12DuvU2jTIvnbbzrDNDRZCNmuRq6yHJrDm/s2000/Picasso%20SP%20pl%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1436" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv8fH9pxQkW1Gxpevj2bNQcGw7mgK4JYqayIsUPvCVEeY5SLR0X8oOSCc7x9StPvVMIeVrBdeHA4Qkcz7WTR463FNMyHet_sQehFGTCIrCpJfJ4moN3Z-gMb8R7L4AzLGImgH-fqGKvNi-9hDNKXlvYv12DuvU2jTIvnbbzrDNDRZCNmuRq6yHJrDm/w460-h640/Picasso%20SP%20pl%201.jpg" width="460" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Pablo Picasso, <i>Self-Portrait</i>, 1917</b></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">During their discussion about art, Jacqueline Picasso asked if Bonafoux had referred to Picasso's self-portraits in his research. Bonafoux replied by mentioning the mirror incident, which the photographer Brassai had related. Jacqueline Picasso contradicted Brassai's account, telling Bonafoux that Picasso had continued to create self-portraits after 1918. This exchange launched Bonafoux on a forty-year exploration of how Picasso came to depict himself in paintings and drawings over the course of his life.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Later, Jacqueline showed Bonafoux a self-portrait by Picasso, (above) dated to 1959. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">The 1959 date referred to the occasion when Picasso presented it to her. The drawing was actually created in 1917. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The<i> Self-Portrait </i>is exceptionally crisp and well-delineated, worthy of the classical style of French drawing, especially the portrait sketches of Jean Auguste Ingres (1780-1867). Picasso executed several more in this manner, but almost all before the end of <a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2016/03/picasso-great-war-experimentation-and.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0400ff;">World War I.</span></a> The self-portraits he created in the years that followed the war were few in number and very varied in composition. Apparently, there was an element of truth in <i>both</i> what Brassai and Jacqueline Picasso had stated.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Bonafoux discounts a shattering event like </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Apollinaire's death (which was certainly upsetting to the artist) as having any real effect on Picasso's production of self-portraits.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">For Picasso, self-portraits were more documents of experimentation than documentation. That is why most of the self-portraits were created when Picasso was very young. He was finding his way in the world, especially when he made the decision to settle in France, despite the vibrant culture of Barcelona and the fellow-artists whose friendship he celebrated in a poster for the fabled cafe, </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Els Quatre Gats. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinF610nrp2ORx7u2csDQHp4Szr5kO-VUx595XJtP_Xr5xBPKvs8KjXCTh0O2xy0FOsGThj1xsev1Bl2SKZYw46U4Xz6gXhNlwVSWxHMmrPVD4hWb_pWSDM51LTcTHbZz3jfsneYfLX5Jz_xR46VEeE7IqvCS6axg_owZl_jluEpWPbwKLVDk0g8QqB/s1000/Picasso%20SP%20pl%2058.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="771" data-original-width="1000" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinF610nrp2ORx7u2csDQHp4Szr5kO-VUx595XJtP_Xr5xBPKvs8KjXCTh0O2xy0FOsGThj1xsev1Bl2SKZYw46U4Xz6gXhNlwVSWxHMmrPVD4hWb_pWSDM51LTcTHbZz3jfsneYfLX5Jz_xR46VEeE7IqvCS6axg_owZl_jluEpWPbwKLVDk0g8QqB/w640-h494/Picasso%20SP%20pl%2058.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Pablo Picasso, <i>Poster for Els Quatre Gats with self-portrai</i>t, 1902</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Picasso is shown i</span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">n the foreground, with Pere Romeu’s dog</span></b></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The self-portraits of Picasso's early years how him in many guises: dressed as a top-hatted Parisian <i>boulevardier</i> (despite being nearly destitute); sporting a mustache, making him look much older than his age in 1901; even a rather silly pose, wearing the crown of an Egyptian </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Pharaoh, in a composite drawing.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUrLIzUHcFUbWRKHpdtPAHlBpT1H-CCfLkwh_o00MgJRPMrfSNV-RptdmPH5tFhMnoY0q2bt_E6zG8BWNeDd4QKsFpU2G2elVAeIIpcHZxJaSNFQSukjCV4nO9b4zhaeBdOaU0h9REOSVmRWLE7gBWh_s7nVudql3XgvgQ3QwR0WefMSNGKRnVxsus/s1324/Picasso%20SP%20pl%2049.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1324" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUrLIzUHcFUbWRKHpdtPAHlBpT1H-CCfLkwh_o00MgJRPMrfSNV-RptdmPH5tFhMnoY0q2bt_E6zG8BWNeDd4QKsFpU2G2elVAeIIpcHZxJaSNFQSukjCV4nO9b4zhaeBdOaU0h9REOSVmRWLE7gBWh_s7nVudql3XgvgQ3QwR0WefMSNGKRnVxsus/w242-h320/Picasso%20SP%20pl%2049.jpg" width="242" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Pablo Picasso, <i>Picasso with a Woman</i>, 1901</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUdIrYP_0WYfPBIlubxdPjfop7ZfL2ljX68y0qBkGdXGGI5iMDw2XwY1eNO7U_TQHPhQD0MXQ9O9hoIUH5WUGcSdP6uHwOSeNEF4v3hOGM2P3gN-rC8vRbawCAvPAoG3FxoMnwJpJSFCgA6Ebt7HqhUaNym-IyvsewKhohfK9iaMNDpovB0dMVdG9C/s1677/Picasso%20SP%20pl%2039.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1677" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUdIrYP_0WYfPBIlubxdPjfop7ZfL2ljX68y0qBkGdXGGI5iMDw2XwY1eNO7U_TQHPhQD0MXQ9O9hoIUH5WUGcSdP6uHwOSeNEF4v3hOGM2P3gN-rC8vRbawCAvPAoG3FxoMnwJpJSFCgA6Ebt7HqhUaNym-IyvsewKhohfK9iaMNDpovB0dMVdG9C/w191-h320/Picasso%20SP%20pl%2039.jpg" width="191" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <b style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Pablo Picasso, Profile, 1901</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdbmFyxxdDWv6_QgUPeDMKpSgmHytf3S4KnzfWjjrkQFmStc6NFmoo36R4kLRImMe-Um_y6FrQFG_CRrrYlqjqUqxEsKZgelVc2m8haFOrnvJiJdMCMx9ptbp3DC5p7LF9mfeoSfuhjjkzH7HsbLxfOVTnzshenysWawt_tcVDxq1TMkwvWE9FPIdV/s1998/Picasso%20SP%20pl%2074.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1998" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdbmFyxxdDWv6_QgUPeDMKpSgmHytf3S4KnzfWjjrkQFmStc6NFmoo36R4kLRImMe-Um_y6FrQFG_CRrrYlqjqUqxEsKZgelVc2m8haFOrnvJiJdMCMx9ptbp3DC5p7LF9mfeoSfuhjjkzH7HsbLxfOVTnzshenysWawt_tcVDxq1TMkwvWE9FPIdV/w640-h320/Picasso%20SP%20pl%2074.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b>Pablo Picasso, <i>Self-portrait as a Pharaoh</i>, 1903-4</b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Many of these early self-portraits would be of little interest today except that Picasso had created them. But create them he did, as he investigated the life around him and within, with abundant explorations of sexuality as evidenced by the accompanying nude sketches on </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Self-portrait as a Pharaoh. </i></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Bonafoux notes that a constant factor in Picasso's life was his devotion, indeed obsession, to change. From early on, he set himself to oppose the established conventions of art, summed-up under the disparaging term, <i>style</i></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">. This leads Bonafoux to the "paradoxical conclusion" that "it is the very changeability of Picasso's work that makes it endure."</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">"Perhaps," Bonafoux muses, "we should therefore view Picasso's self-portraits as symbols of these changes that look like him... When he paints himself, he is not so much seeking to <i>represent</i> Picasso as he is seeking to be <i>a </i>Picasso."</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">If many of the early self-portraits merely reflect the "changes that look like him," several were major, monumental likenesses. The haunting, 1901 Blue Period<i> Self-Portrait</i> and the 1906 "Iberian" <i>Self-Portrait</i> from the collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art are works which evoke Picasso's moods and interests at the time he painted himself on these canvases. But both works probe deeply below surface details, into Picasso's soul and psyche. Together these self-portraits forecast the mature Picasso's role as the Magus of Modern Art.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZGKw8d2dniIEt0TVzkqDwpudpUcUOc6xSvYIiAl9xNeSczyNb-UxRpUS1UIbODiVIB37OyNKYEhiA0fS36jV6qZb_AqHhqlOkik24gyFolKc4OeeI4c8n_jdEAPad1qMh5a8eVB058uJFPOwrYaTNQ6zCh1zIcjo2ii0syYXOoXHOxV7smAWCGvX4/s1055/Picasso%20Philly%201a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1055" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZGKw8d2dniIEt0TVzkqDwpudpUcUOc6xSvYIiAl9xNeSczyNb-UxRpUS1UIbODiVIB37OyNKYEhiA0fS36jV6qZb_AqHhqlOkik24gyFolKc4OeeI4c8n_jdEAPad1qMh5a8eVB058uJFPOwrYaTNQ6zCh1zIcjo2ii0syYXOoXHOxV7smAWCGvX4/w341-h400/Picasso%20Philly%201a.jpg" width="341" /></a></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;">Pablo Picasso, <i>Self-Portrait</i>, 1906 </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;">Philadelphia Museum of Art Collection</b></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">None of the self-portraits which Picasso created during the inter-war years, 1918-1939, or the period following the Second World War, approached these early works in skill or interest. Some are technically significant, others little more than sketches.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This takes us back to the "mirror image" question. This time, we can safely say that Picasso now had little need to represent himself. He was now painting and drawing "Picasso" in each and every one of his works. The painter of <i>Guernica</i> had little need to limit himself to autobiography. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Only very late in life, when Picasso was indeed confronting his mortality, did he return to a serious focus on self-portraits. In 1972, only months before he died, Picasso created several skull-like depictions of himself, looking like apparitions from beyond the grave. These leave little doubt as to where his thoughts were directed.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">In one of the most poignant reflections in his compelling narrative, Bonafoux affirms that the real, lasting value of self-portraiture is the way it encourages, indeed insists, that artists remain true to themselves:</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>The only model who is always available to a painter, the only model who they can be sure will never recoil, offended or disappointed, on seeing the final portrait, is themselves. Their own image is what artists have always measured themselves against, time and again, to establish their visual identity.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Delete the words "painter" or "artist' from these wise words and forget about Pablo Picasso for the moment. Apply Pascal Bonafoux's sage reflection to ourselves. This I think will make for a very telling experience, the next time we look into a mirror. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">***</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Text: Copyright of Ed Voves, all rights reserved. Original photography by Anne Lloyd, all rights reserved. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Images of works by Pablo Picasso, courtesy of <b>Thames and Hudson</b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Introductory Image: Cover art of </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Picasso: the Self-Portraits</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">, by Pascal Bonafoux, courtesy of <b>Thames and Hudson, </b>2023.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2020) </span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;">Pablo Picasso's <i>Self-Portrait</i>, 1906. Oil on canvas: 36 3/16 inches x 28 7/8 inches.</span><b style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"> </b><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;">Philadelphia Museum of Art. (Photo by Anne Lloyd, 2020)</span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Pablo Picasso, <i>Self-Portrait</i>, 1917, pencil on paper, 34 x 23.5 cm. Private collection.
</span><b style="font-family: verdana;">© Succession Picasso 2022</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Pablo Picasso, <i>Poster for Els Quatre Gats with self-portrai</i>t, 1902, pen and ink on paper, 31 x 34 cm. In the foreground, the artist and Pere Romeu’s dog; background, from left to right, Pere Romeu, Rocarol, Fontbona, Àngel F. de Soto, Sabartés. Private collection. </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">© Succession Picasso 2022</b></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Pablo Picasso, <i>Picasso with a Woman</i>, 1901, ink and watercolor on paper, 17.3 x 13 cm. Private collection. <b>© Succession Picasso 2022</b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Pablo Picasso, <i>Profile</i>, 1901, ink on paper, 21 x 13 cm. Private collection.
</span><b style="font-family: verdana;">© Succession Picasso 2022 </b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Pablo Picasso, </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Self-portrait as a Pharaoh</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">, 1903-4, Chinese ink and colored pencils on paper,
26 x 36 cm. Private collection.
</span><b style="font-family: verdana;">© Succession Picasso 2022</b></p>Art Eyewitnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347317000349363690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8200843910512523791.post-17730493091324584842023-04-25T18:30:00.001-07:002023-04-25T20:30:33.987-07:00Art Eyewitness Review: Innocence and Experience at the Metropolitan Museum of Art<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioyS-dwhhHU1PqAhlYnSi0mHqd3nQXjSgqShgpGtwyBT7-mKePqrZrt1jqt1zDvl-C7sHBGi8Mlbzmfpp3rnbeEfXuQwW2RX6JcfZGQwXqrcVQ_nPXwNkf7c-lKfw-N9ACVlNSrmZhHE61LgOIoP9taaXQp2mOlIHRXMEmi8H52mpKJAFO93ryKX7L/s399/Innocence%20lead.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="330" data-original-width="399" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioyS-dwhhHU1PqAhlYnSi0mHqd3nQXjSgqShgpGtwyBT7-mKePqrZrt1jqt1zDvl-C7sHBGi8Mlbzmfpp3rnbeEfXuQwW2RX6JcfZGQwXqrcVQ_nPXwNkf7c-lKfw-N9ACVlNSrmZhHE61LgOIoP9taaXQp2mOlIHRXMEmi8H52mpKJAFO93ryKX7L/w400-h331/Innocence%20lead.jpg" width="400" /></a></p><p></p><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i><b>Innocence & Experience: <br /></b></i></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Selections from the Dept. of Drawings & Prints </span></b></i> </span></h3><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Metropolitan Museum of Art</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>February 09, 2023 – May 16, 2023 </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reviewed by Ed Voves </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Original photos by Anne Lloyd </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Metropolitan Museum of Art has 5,000 years worth of art works to display. It goes without saying that even the Met, vast as it is, needs every square foot of space to present its encyclopedic collection.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Make that every square inch. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">What other museums might treat as a transit corridor, the Met curators see as prime exhibition real estate. Gallery 690 is a case in point. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Essentially, Gallery 690 is a passage way on the second floor of the Met, located just to the left of the grand staircase. It is the path most people take as they hasten toward the Impressionist galleries and special exhibition venues like the Tisch Galleries, the site of blockbuster exhibits like last autumn's <i>The Tudors: Art and Majesty.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9H7qsrYU8X4Pbs-jo3dl1wWnVotRI8AY8I6siB-8yk63dy7n99z2Cfd7YGzWHxc-tIG7580Pv0IL3-dwmf8pSK0ZP3nk5hTscJJS7pdjAMeujpNa9gbv5FwpY19tz5TK2BEdsFg2SGAgQoE8XiswRo3PxomTCo4JZhqpAACD38Ir_IXYatAgeGsZX/s900/Met%20print%20gallery.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="890" data-original-width="900" height="632" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9H7qsrYU8X4Pbs-jo3dl1wWnVotRI8AY8I6siB-8yk63dy7n99z2Cfd7YGzWHxc-tIG7580Pv0IL3-dwmf8pSK0ZP3nk5hTscJJS7pdjAMeujpNa9gbv5FwpY19tz5TK2BEdsFg2SGAgQoE8XiswRo3PxomTCo4JZhqpAACD38Ir_IXYatAgeGsZX/w640-h632/Met%20print%20gallery.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Gallery 690 </span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">at the Met, showing </span></b><b style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i>Innocence and Experience: Selections from the Department of Drawings & Prints</i> </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Gallery 690 (also known as the Robert Wood Johnson Jr. gallery after a generous benefactor) gets a lot of pedestrian traffic. Many people who traverse it just keep going without stopping to look at the works of art displayed on its walls. I'm nobody to criticize such behavior. I've done exactly that, countless times, including my recent "audience" with the Tudors. I did not want to keep Henry VIII or Elizabeth R waiting! </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJJWaFMEkm4LtyD7lIqzKwAJfuFAVAJQD4LkzTSvUmLPgVh4CcdN-tkVinrFV3HOiOt7uvEASiwqCBiTqOK30OAmH2eLIUBuV7XsAd0K9khZT7KEyVf9Q5eAfbJPyS5v6c6acJOW7R2fvXHcb21Ab6aknuvyGrPIUTiuaXlJB4wRnBPx3BNHn4n-Td/s900/MET%20Gallery%20Ed.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="900" height="520" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJJWaFMEkm4LtyD7lIqzKwAJfuFAVAJQD4LkzTSvUmLPgVh4CcdN-tkVinrFV3HOiOt7uvEASiwqCBiTqOK30OAmH2eLIUBuV7XsAd0K9khZT7KEyVf9Q5eAfbJPyS5v6c6acJOW7R2fvXHcb21Ab6aknuvyGrPIUTiuaXlJB4wRnBPx3BNHn4n-Td/w640-h520/MET%20Gallery%20Ed.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </b></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Gallery view of </span></b><b style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i>Innocence and Experience, </i>showing </b></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">William Blake's <i>Angel of the Revelation</i>, 1803-05</b></div></div></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I have had reason to rethink my hasty behavior. Gallery 690 is the primary site for the display of the riches of the Met's Drawings and Prints Department. Four times each year, the Met's curators mount rotations of prints and pictures, in themed presentations which certainly deserve prolonged study and appreciation.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Founded in 1916, the Drawings and Prints Department at the Met now totals well-over one million works on paper, including 21,000 drawings and 12,000 illustrated books. Along with Gallery 690, the Met has a special study room where art lovers can schedule appointments to study prints and drawings at close hand.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The current display in Gallery 690 made it impossible for me to simply breeze through on my way to the Tisch Galleries. In fact, Anne and I made a special point to visit the Met so that we could immerse ourselves in the winter/spring 2023 rotation of treasures from the Drawings and Prints Department. Entitled <i>Innocence & Experience</i>, this superb display is highlighted by the Met's sensational holdings of works by William Blake, notably his <i>Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience. </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC9KIMct9hOkpsCfRs8gqBJ1mKrHF8eSf_THIGAdxs62-oPNkxqkwZBUiQxJOn83vPbvIqpkxTuiFKmkRAUYvW6c-DG2Ls5aFhPwM-cMc64D7NwCr84WLIOADhM9Veyc_oJHDzVDwOgzYAzmvp8lc5GLwOaeT_FNROXPplBBX_8ANF5IlHKeLShHW4/s1000/Songs%20of%20innocence%20experience.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="859" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC9KIMct9hOkpsCfRs8gqBJ1mKrHF8eSf_THIGAdxs62-oPNkxqkwZBUiQxJOn83vPbvIqpkxTuiFKmkRAUYvW6c-DG2Ls5aFhPwM-cMc64D7NwCr84WLIOADhM9Veyc_oJHDzVDwOgzYAzmvp8lc5GLwOaeT_FNROXPplBBX_8ANF5IlHKeLShHW4/w550-h640/Songs%20of%20innocence%20experience.jpg" width="550" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>William Blake (1757-1827), </b></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">Title page of </span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i>Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience</i>, 1794</span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> </span></b></div></div></span><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2022/11/art-eyewitness-book-review-william.html"><span style="color: #0d00ff;">William Blake (1757-1827)</span></a> is, of course, one of the greatest names in British art and literature. Given the importance of <i>Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience</i>, you might expect that these masterful "illuminated" pages to be one of the highlights of the Met, constantly on view. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">In fact, like all light sensitive prints and pictures, <i>Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience</i> must spend long years in darkened solitude. This is done to help mitigate damage done by exposure. The last time <i>Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience</i> were displayed en bloc was the Met's "once in a lifetime" <i>William Blake </i>exhibit in 2001. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">William Blake, ignored and disparaged during his lifetime, spent a lot of time himself in seclusion. Moreover, it took long decades after his death in 1827 for his skill as an artist and printmaker to be fully recognized. But, by 1917, Blake's works were being sought by museums and collectors in Britain and the U.S. When a copy of <i>Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience</i> was placed on the art market, the Met purchased this rare illustrated book for its new collection of drawings and prints. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It was a bold decision. If William Blake's visual imagery was gaining recognition by the early years of the twentieth century, his poems remained unsettling and controversial.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> Blake's verse mixed prophetic visions, his own and from the Holy Bible, with interpretations of classical mythology and </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">"contrarian" social theories. Blake's writings are among the richest and most challenging works in all of English literature.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj098abAuDb6RTbAvR1YAO8pdApdFegK4iwCVKgZzjICSen6yY99xbk4gOErddWWd3y26XsysrfwFLQp2ztipLw4QZX4Q3_j3UTzQB6facbVpSsA7dwclLMiXZH7WiJFSW9ZZGOEpe_72j6AF1N6L7FsMKyiEFiU3GF0eG-lNfnR6IuF9rq_oAbuyIJ/s937/Blake%20shewing.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="235" data-original-width="937" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj098abAuDb6RTbAvR1YAO8pdApdFegK4iwCVKgZzjICSen6yY99xbk4gOErddWWd3y26XsysrfwFLQp2ztipLw4QZX4Q3_j3UTzQB6facbVpSsA7dwclLMiXZH7WiJFSW9ZZGOEpe_72j6AF1N6L7FsMKyiEFiU3GF0eG-lNfnR6IuF9rq_oAbuyIJ/w640-h160/Blake%20shewing.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </b></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Subtitle of Blake's </b><b><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i>Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience</i></span></b></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Blake published </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Songs of Innocence</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> in 1789. </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Songs of Experience</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> followed in a combined volume, </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">, issued in 1794. Blake continued to print separate copies of </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Songs of Innocence</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">, as well, turning the proper sequence of publication of the two editions into a chronic headache for literary scholars.</span></div></span><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The twenty-seven printing plates for <i>Songs of Innocence</i> in 1789 were created by a process called relief etching, which Blake had invented several years before. In this technique, the words of the poem were etched directly onto the plate along with the illustration. This entailed inscribing the words backward, so that they would be readable in the finished print. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTUbG2r7xNqHuI02oCC2D4t8yWRsYCFt2kYNRCzAEIwdwcQbNS6QQak75R44E7vstTc4313A09DdgHvIfExwYe7MGE8uXAx21rkww-i0zM3rVdIq_2sDaKFIOSzXoqC82ZllJVrzS0GzcpElKE36ZtDdCWY2G_SOsuLl8dQ-pMw0_GhVFVHnbxeSUt/s934/Divine%20image.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="934" data-original-width="849" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTUbG2r7xNqHuI02oCC2D4t8yWRsYCFt2kYNRCzAEIwdwcQbNS6QQak75R44E7vstTc4313A09DdgHvIfExwYe7MGE8uXAx21rkww-i0zM3rVdIq_2sDaKFIOSzXoqC82ZllJVrzS0GzcpElKE36ZtDdCWY2G_SOsuLl8dQ-pMw0_GhVFVHnbxeSUt/w582-h640/Divine%20image.jpg" width="582" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>William Blake (1757-1827), </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i>Songs of Innocence: The Divine Image, </i>1789 (printed 1825)</span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> </span></b></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The heightened level of mental acuity and technical skill involved in this process reveal Blake to have been one of the most accomplished artists of his era. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The astonishing degree of Blake's accomplishment is made all the more incredible when one sees the actual printed pages of<i> Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience</i> displayed on the walls of Gallery 690. Each is a masterpiece in its own right, a "pocket-sized" miracle of integrated word and image.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrHMStQgveQ9C8kqTcpgaxGTGTT780purcpvTIW5LkcNI40e-cR4BYyxT1tPg1zutdQuelOgmxlWVMpPePQsv2QaNqtw8xmwyHuAPEOr3mFZlJruBnkad4PbSQ0kzBL9loW71USDqy-Ov4eIHs4DHLy0njFhKXNd6ru0Fs0Ar-7aDdLW06CYfyNrPa/s1000/Blake%20gallery%20(2).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="1000" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrHMStQgveQ9C8kqTcpgaxGTGTT780purcpvTIW5LkcNI40e-cR4BYyxT1tPg1zutdQuelOgmxlWVMpPePQsv2QaNqtw8xmwyHuAPEOr3mFZlJruBnkad4PbSQ0kzBL9loW71USDqy-Ov4eIHs4DHLy0njFhKXNd6ru0Fs0Ar-7aDdLW06CYfyNrPa/w640-h448/Blake%20gallery%20(2).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </b></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Gallery view </span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">of the </span></b><b style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i>Innocence and Experience </i>exhibit, showing</b></div><div><b style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">pages from </b><i style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience</b></i><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> </span></div></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Blake continued to print copies of <i>Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience</i> upon request over the succeeding years. The Met exhibition displays the set of prints commissioned by Edward Calvert in 1825, only a short time before Blake died. Calvert (1799-1883) was a talented artist (several of his otherworldly prints are displayed in the exhibit) and a member of The Ancients. This small band of young idealistic artists led by <a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2021/09/art-eyewitness-essay-samuel-palmers.html"><span style="color: #0400ff;">Samuel Palmer</span> </a>embraced Blake as their mentor.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Calvert's copy of <i>Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience</i> is known as Copy Y to distinguish it from earlier copies. Because each copy was hand-colored, there are often great variations in the different finished books. The Met's Copy Y has a congenial, "child-friendly" look which is very different from that of Copy F in the collection of the Yale Center for British Art. This variation can be seen in the following comparison of the prints of Blake's immortal poem, <i>The Tyger,</i> from these two respective copies.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicZB7W0l7F_azhMnlKUlAiH_waez-kCckjVVI6KTHYdWG25CkbjDy8duVkklyQ0EmK7RD2J3_zvMGObE581b7l0xf95DrDUHuVojKfeb-krcbU_XzZjuH_TA-zuExwVsLUpifo0Dw_EsloewxgK651LzbyRxG7u_fGbxPDiBadQbwvC9EKX7Ix2L-9/s906/Tyger%20Met.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="906" data-original-width="567" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicZB7W0l7F_azhMnlKUlAiH_waez-kCckjVVI6KTHYdWG25CkbjDy8duVkklyQ0EmK7RD2J3_zvMGObE581b7l0xf95DrDUHuVojKfeb-krcbU_XzZjuH_TA-zuExwVsLUpifo0Dw_EsloewxgK651LzbyRxG7u_fGbxPDiBadQbwvC9EKX7Ix2L-9/w400-h640/Tyger%20Met.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;">William Blake's <i>The Tyger</i>, 1794 (Copy Y, Metropolitan Museum)</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVTc6Qi5OQUPu1osobeAS9xks6JDGgdYSTD42zCAP3AH97rhaBd3hw_0YimNWYbDcb8m58Av_C9L-mLsfKK1hnyMMY5xrgwWVCYb_MsgADyjYSQN4K37MJK1jlA67PLkFzysbfwfJ7p4_xaA1J0wSx3j7Koy9WnWTcA2KZLq6mhIxW8a2qwKP1TcwJ/s1150/Yale%20Tyger.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1150" data-original-width="677" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVTc6Qi5OQUPu1osobeAS9xks6JDGgdYSTD42zCAP3AH97rhaBd3hw_0YimNWYbDcb8m58Av_C9L-mLsfKK1hnyMMY5xrgwWVCYb_MsgADyjYSQN4K37MJK1jlA67PLkFzysbfwfJ7p4_xaA1J0wSx3j7Koy9WnWTcA2KZLq6mhIxW8a2qwKP1TcwJ/w376-h640/Yale%20Tyger.jpg" width="376" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;">William Blake's <i>The Tyger</i>, 1794 (Copy F, Yale Center for British Art)</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Blake had great hopes for </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Songs of Innocence</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> when he first published it in 1789. He envisioned childhood years as a time of creative exploration which would lead to lives of freedom and self-fulfillment. His view shared in the ideals of Jean Jacques Rousseau, embraced and celebrated by the French Revolution launched that very year. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggCHqX98GtRQGy5vCXbSCEyBMjs0sYoPafdYCnTutAKYgvZhQ3zlBSjeYkJqkmKXEws0vDXnjqyDMaX8yL4Lk18bVwcAA7vS4TT4Vk_83MPiwlZdJYHEAQnyETC_hkRMpq4vchhMeT6CD1LDCKglE12B2kj2H3g65CV8xA2qK5LkCW4NtJQif2_LC-/s1043/Echoing%20green.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1043" data-original-width="729" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggCHqX98GtRQGy5vCXbSCEyBMjs0sYoPafdYCnTutAKYgvZhQ3zlBSjeYkJqkmKXEws0vDXnjqyDMaX8yL4Lk18bVwcAA7vS4TT4Vk_83MPiwlZdJYHEAQnyETC_hkRMpq4vchhMeT6CD1LDCKglE12B2kj2H3g65CV8xA2qK5LkCW4NtJQif2_LC-/w448-h640/Echoing%20green.jpg" width="448" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>William Blake (1757-1827), </b></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i>Songs of Innocence: The Ecchoing Green, </i>1789 (printed 1825)</span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> </span></b></div></div></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">By 1794, when the combined volume appeared, the mood in Britain had dramatically turned. The initial hopes for peaceful reform in France had been dashed, war between the two nations was declared and idealists like Blake were increasingly viewed with suspicion. In 1803, Blake was accused of sedition after an argument with a drunken soldier. Although the jury returned an innocent verdict, Blake's artistic career never recovered.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Blake expressed his visions in a personal vocabulary and a cast of unique protagonists much as J.R.R. Tolkein would later do. And just as initial incredulity about Tolkien's Hobbits gave way to world-wide acclaim, so Blake's prophecies would over-time be vindicated.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">"Over-time" however took a very long time. Blake's <i>The Chimney Sweeper</i> from <i>Songs of Experience</i> testifies to just how prolonged the process of social reform in Great Britain could be.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl6t2rsdLuBpoEtjpMkJnLBvroWpF5R1gRUtHcTzKhTNKnfwmkdzpN0FhfH4FRkCmCVnpi3V6oSWDk48Qwnb0asVWVKBvkKPYKcTIdkP3HMN1lDJSmPGG32gy7dhAL540yphcKRwRQFjednQJk5ddUW6WJXr_R-fMhcsfk7cytwE5-ZMe4ihkA-0sH/s1195/Chimney%20sweeper.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1195" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl6t2rsdLuBpoEtjpMkJnLBvroWpF5R1gRUtHcTzKhTNKnfwmkdzpN0FhfH4FRkCmCVnpi3V6oSWDk48Qwnb0asVWVKBvkKPYKcTIdkP3HMN1lDJSmPGG32gy7dhAL540yphcKRwRQFjednQJk5ddUW6WJXr_R-fMhcsfk7cytwE5-ZMe4ihkA-0sH/w428-h640/Chimney%20sweeper.jpg" width="428" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>William Blake (1757-1827), </b></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i>Songs of Experience: The Chimney Sweeper, </i>1794 (printed 1825)</span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> </span></b></div></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">In this passionate protest, Blake denounced the appalling practice of forcing pre-teen boys to clean filthy, begrimed chimneys. This dangerous task was done often with fires still lit or smoldering while the boys brushed away the noxious coal dust and soot. Despite Blake's passionate protest, the horrifying practice was not outlawed until 1873.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">When <i>The Chimney Sweepe</i>r is contrasted with <i>Little Boy Lost</i> or <i>Infant Joy,</i> the sentimental words and images of these pages from <i>Songs of Innocence </i>seem as if they come from a lost pre-Industrial Revolution paradise. Blake knew that such a realm had not existed, at least in recent times, in Britain. Instead, the nation, despite its wealth and power, was gripped by the "cold and usurous hand" which figures so memorably in <i>Holy Thursday </i>from <i>Songs of Experienc</i>e.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Yet, Blake, despite the derisive criticism and threadbare poverty which blighted his life, never lost faith that rays of God's light would bring the "mercy, pity, peace and love," which serve as the refrain of <i>The Divine Image</i>, to our all-too human hearts.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdMHcQpiBBxGC7wZtovMSV7zSKk4laZrPjIpTy8rbOKkeyliiUJA_e3j4pUb5wV2bUarqd2A2kZIXsf8L1zhFhJMRxrlp991gxxIUlAJY2YXxRQemu-7NfQTck2inmKJTUK-patHTTLxMVWKTsi1iZnbUHiILhJOK5wRauRanq8gCEE5mp5Wu9ULoY/s897/Infant%20Joy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="747" data-original-width="897" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdMHcQpiBBxGC7wZtovMSV7zSKk4laZrPjIpTy8rbOKkeyliiUJA_e3j4pUb5wV2bUarqd2A2kZIXsf8L1zhFhJMRxrlp991gxxIUlAJY2YXxRQemu-7NfQTck2inmKJTUK-patHTTLxMVWKTsi1iZnbUHiILhJOK5wRauRanq8gCEE5mp5Wu9ULoY/w400-h333/Infant%20Joy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </b></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Detail of </span></b><b style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i>Infant Joy </i></b><b style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">from </b><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b><i>Songs of Innocence, </i>1789<i> </i></b></span></div></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">"Mercy, pity, peace and love" feature in many of the works of art which accompany those of Blake in the <i>Innocence & Experience</i> exhibition in Gallery 690. Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Edgar Degas, Mary Cassatt, Berthe Morisot, Edgar Degas and Kathe Kollwitz are all represented (or depicted) by images which stress the common - and quietly extraordinary - aspirations which bond all of humanity.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglmTI7gzFKmEzLQ_A2CdPx32NIBxq_w-oAMauk8fGDnSB-I8p5aw-Ro6TExWjkVxf3Iv-oqaFmlVo32Flh1__TGQNuyH0aojVN8HRGSgwOkj2EyT0cCXdmjnnS8hXsgrKz7xMFZlAOCy7TVrcalUsaIcTGgSiWfiwurmyn0Z6rfGGVBVVPuAN3xJec/s1000/Kollwitz%20Municipal%20Shelter.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1000" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglmTI7gzFKmEzLQ_A2CdPx32NIBxq_w-oAMauk8fGDnSB-I8p5aw-Ro6TExWjkVxf3Iv-oqaFmlVo32Flh1__TGQNuyH0aojVN8HRGSgwOkj2EyT0cCXdmjnnS8hXsgrKz7xMFZlAOCy7TVrcalUsaIcTGgSiWfiwurmyn0Z6rfGGVBVVPuAN3xJec/w640-h484/Kollwitz%20Municipal%20Shelter.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Kathe Kollwitz, </b></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i>Municipal Shelter, </i>1926</span></b></div></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The works of art chosen for the quarterly rotations in Gallery 690 are linked by subject themes or technical elements which provide an underlying unity to these wonderful displays of prints and drawings. Often the emotional impact is quite moving, as I have commented upon at some length in this review.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">But there is always room for humor in most artistic endeavors. Even <i>Hamlet</i> is enlivened by a moment or two of comic relief. I was glad to see that the Met curators had wittily chosen a rather jaunty, non-threatening lion by George Stubbs to join Blake's fearsome Tyger on the walls of Gallery 690. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFLRh-0nYPv6byjerhLixBk6OUiEunMhqrgakiRHh_gREniF-xJBW6Tt7k0X6vvvi8SMrN667TZ720joSzdMJr6iGNk1L3OnQx5eup0p13-quMsXGt1jc_Ni6yhsZbzQBe_altd3MY6EB5ZkNQVlvDR3YSmevHpkAf0ax3onBbVUtRt2XqZDUj2oFK/s907/Stubbs%20lion.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="907" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFLRh-0nYPv6byjerhLixBk6OUiEunMhqrgakiRHh_gREniF-xJBW6Tt7k0X6vvvi8SMrN667TZ720joSzdMJr6iGNk1L3OnQx5eup0p13-quMsXGt1jc_Ni6yhsZbzQBe_altd3MY6EB5ZkNQVlvDR3YSmevHpkAf0ax3onBbVUtRt2XqZDUj2oFK/w640-h494/Stubbs%20lion.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>George Stubbs, <i>A Lion (A Lion Resting on a Rock)</i>, 1788</b></div></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">One look at Stubbs' noble lion and you know that he won't be gobbling up Blake's woolly lamb or the infant who embraces it on the nearby print of <i>Spring (second plate)</i> from <i>Songs of Innocence</i>. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Did the "immortal hand" which "made the lamb make thee", lion? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhShSjCkISDQbERifc5j8VAZ7RndjxfhJmn4dv0cDilhuignjPXdMEqmHfjxGL5d8LHu5F8tT-bqbFzOpzsou-NipScGT2Sg0jO9ncNGx6R4YZ_iMGHYAM08kwrU37hElvBzbX_dUkqJTlArIThVS8fOkNB2qir5lM6Bum-4ssPEiNT3dfF0BX-1-bH/s900/Blake%20lamb.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="900" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhShSjCkISDQbERifc5j8VAZ7RndjxfhJmn4dv0cDilhuignjPXdMEqmHfjxGL5d8LHu5F8tT-bqbFzOpzsou-NipScGT2Sg0jO9ncNGx6R4YZ_iMGHYAM08kwrU37hElvBzbX_dUkqJTlArIThVS8fOkNB2qir5lM6Bum-4ssPEiNT3dfF0BX-1-bH/w400-h275/Blake%20lamb.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023)</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;"> </b><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">Detail of Blake's </span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i>Spring (second plate) </i>from <i>Songs of</i> <i>Innocence</i></span></b></div></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I, for one, have no doubt that the answer to Blake's existential question in <i>The Tyger </i>is yes! God made the tiger, the lion and the lamb. And me and you.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Here at last, </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">in Gallery 690 at the Met, is a </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">"Peaceable Kingdom" of sorts. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Stubbs' lion and Blake's lamb can rest together in the spirit of "mercy, pity, peace and love." </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">And so can we.</span></p><div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">***</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Text: Copyright of Ed Voves, all rights reserved. Original photography by Anne Lloyd, </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Images courtesy of the </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Metropolitan Museum of Art. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Introductory Image</span>: <span style="font-family: verdana;">Detail of the Frontispiece of William Blake's <i>Songs of Experience</i>, </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">created 1794, printed ca. 1825. Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold: sheet: 6 3/16 x 5 9/16 in. (15.7 x 14.1 cm) Metropolitan Museum of Art. #17.10.28</span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) Gallery 690 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, showing the exhibition <i>Innocence and Experience: Selections from the Department of Drawings & Prints</i>. </span></div><div><br /></div><div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) Gallery view of the I<i>nnocence and Experience</i> exhibition, showing William Blake's <i>Angel of the Revelation</i>, ca. 1803–5, Watercolor, pen and black ink, brush and wash, over traces of graphite. Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">William Blake (British,1757–1827) </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Title page of </span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i>Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience</i>, 1794. </span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold: </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">sheet: 6 3/16 x 5 9/16 in. (15.7 x 14.1 cm) Metropolitan Museum of Art collection</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Subtitle of Blake's </span><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i>Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience.</i></span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">William Blake (British,1757–1827) </span><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i>Songs of Innocence: The Divine Image, </i>created 1789, printed 1825. </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold sheet: 6 3/16 x 5 9/16 in. (15.7 x 14.1 cm) </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Metropolitan Museum of Art collection</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) Gallery view of the <i>Innocence and Experience </i>exhibition, showing </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">showing </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">pages from William Blake's </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">William Blake (British,1757–1827) <i>Songs of Experience:</i> </span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><i>The Tyger</i>, 1794 (Copy Y, Metropolitan Museum) </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold: sheet: 7 1/4 x 4 3/4 in. (18.4 x 12.1 cm) </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Yale Center for British Art collection.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">William Blake (British,1757–1827) </span><span><i>The Tyger</i>, 1794 (Copy F, Yale Center for British Art) </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Relief etching with watercolor on textured, cream wove paper: </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> 6 3/16 x 5 9/16 in. (15.7 x 14.1 cm) </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Metropolitan Museum of Art collection</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">William Blake (British,1757–1827) </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i>Songs of Innocence: The Ecchoing Green, </i>1789, printed 1825. </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold: sheet: 6 3/16 x 5 9/16 in. (15.7 x 14.1 cm) </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Metropolitan Museum of Art collection</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">William Blake (British,1757–1827) </span><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i>Songs of Experience: The Chimney Sweeper, </i>1794, printed 1825.</span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold: sheet: 6 3/16 x 5 9/16 in. (15.7 x 14.1 cm) </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Metropolitan Museum of Art collection</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) <span style="font-family: verdana;">Detail of William Blake's <i>Infant Joy</i> from <i>Songs of Innocence</i>, </span>created 1789, printed 1825. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold: sheet: 6 3/16 x 5 9/16 in. (15.7 x 14.1 cm) </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Metropolitan Museum of Art collection</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) Kathe Kollwitz' </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i>Municipal Shelter, </i>1926. </span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Lithograph: image: 17 1/4 x 21 1/4 in. (43.8 x 54 cm): </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">sheet: 21 x 29 7/8 in. (53.3 x 75.9 cm </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Metropolitan Museum of Art collection</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="text-align: center;">George Stubbs</span><b style="text-align: center;"> </b></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">(British,1724–1806)</span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;">, <i>A Lion (A Lion Resting on a Rock)</i>, 1788. Etching with roulette work; only state: 13 1/4 x 10 1/4 in. (33.7 x 26.0 cm) </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Metropolitan Museum of Art collection</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </span><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Detail of William Blake's </span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i>Spring (second plate) </i>from <i>Songs of</i> <i>Innocence. </i></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold: sheet: 6 3/16 x 5 9/16 in. (15.7 x 14.1 cm) </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Metropolitan Museum of Art collection</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div></div><div><br /></div></div>Art Eyewitnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347317000349363690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8200843910512523791.post-91144706475600911702023-03-25T14:36:00.006-07:002023-03-27T08:23:37.798-07:00Art Eyewitness Review: Lives of the Gods: Divinity in Maya Art<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXB908KBtF-OqU1hJoFF9DXH3FsLctoKbhRzyyk7DrlmJvPHTazeyiYZ0DAwSQBvdqQW2AzBisAHqIceqsRnZEGE7AQgSWDMehnZJsY0hxOX0XxItsDugw6nZnpeJZMWK1-ZOaxval_XztvkmSNlhaFMuQQpxte4c-4IzOZ-9dMi5SMIDulZo_XqCv/s950/Maya%20lead.jpg" style="font-family: verdana; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="950" data-original-width="684" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXB908KBtF-OqU1hJoFF9DXH3FsLctoKbhRzyyk7DrlmJvPHTazeyiYZ0DAwSQBvdqQW2AzBisAHqIceqsRnZEGE7AQgSWDMehnZJsY0hxOX0XxItsDugw6nZnpeJZMWK1-ZOaxval_XztvkmSNlhaFMuQQpxte4c-4IzOZ-9dMi5SMIDulZo_XqCv/w288-h400/Maya%20lead.jpg" width="288" /></a></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: medium; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><b><i>Lives of the Gods: Divinity in Maya Art</i></b></span></span></h2><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;">Metropolitan Museum of Art, Nov. 2022 - April 2, 2023</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><b>Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth TX, May 7 - Sept. 3, 2023</b></span></span></div></span>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reviewed by Ed Voves</b></span></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Original photography by Anne Lloyd</b></span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">To compare ancient peoples, separated by thousands of miles and
hundreds of years, is always problematical. The danger of emphasizing
superficial resemblances between two cultures can easily lead to dubious or
untenable conclusions. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt;">Despite this risk, I think that the astonishing Mayan kingdoms
of southern Mexico and Central America rank with the ancient Greeks as the most
dynamic cultures of their respective regions. What the Greeks were to the lands
bordering the Mediterranean Sea, the Maya equaled in their influence on the
Mesoamerican world.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt;">After visiting the </span><i style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt;">Lives of the Gods: Divinity in Maya Art </i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt;">exhibition</span><i style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt;">,
</i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt;">now in its final weeks at the Metropolitan Museum, one is struck by the
singular nature of Mayan civilization. The parallels with Greece, however, are
certainly interesting. The small Mayan kingdoms, like the Greek city-states,
never formed a united coalition or empire. But that can be said of other native
peoples of the Americas as well, like the Moche of Peru.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwBsN8W6GNgCmHIaBNFb_L7kON6vYRBhnKrMExtvdIsOab8bvZ_zMgelG3olxTBiLKIZiXM42-eTQdSbVIKPPS9kKwAtJIgldoGJw_VCsxqKy69KNK4qKYOrZT85DtumKTt4jNwj7Tq6WU2LXYeQR6om7UAxfH2IZakDlAF6DMhtc4sCdbIwnnAhZq/s1282/Maya%20gallery%20new.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1282" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwBsN8W6GNgCmHIaBNFb_L7kON6vYRBhnKrMExtvdIsOab8bvZ_zMgelG3olxTBiLKIZiXM42-eTQdSbVIKPPS9kKwAtJIgldoGJw_VCsxqKy69KNK4qKYOrZT85DtumKTt4jNwj7Tq6WU2LXYeQR6om7UAxfH2IZakDlAF6DMhtc4sCdbIwnnAhZq/w450-h640/Maya%20gallery%20new.jpg" width="450" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022)</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;"> Gallery view of the </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">Lives of the Gods Art</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;"> exhibit,</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;"> showing </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">Column</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">, from Campeche, Mexico, c. 800-900</span></b></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt;">The fundamental influence of religion on both the Maya and the
Greeks is what really counts in comparing the two cultures. As the subtitle of
the Met's exhibition, </span><i style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt;">Divinity in Maya Art,</i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt;"> affirms, religion was
fundamental to the Mayan peoples.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><i style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Lives of the Gods: Divinity in Maya Art </span></i><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #333333;">is a superb exhibition, very much in
the grand tradition of the Met. Inevitably, it will be compared with the </span><a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2018/03/golden-kingdoms-luxury-and-legacy-in_9.html"><span style="color: #000dff;">2018 <i>Golden
Kingdoms</i></span></a><span style="color: #333333;"> exhibit which presented 200 treasures, notably exquisite gold
jewelry, of the Aztecs, Incas and Mayas. There is little glitter in the 100 works of art on view in </span><i style="color: #333333;">Lives of
the Gods</i><span style="color: #333333;">, but visitors should not be disappointed. The Maya regarded jade
as far more valuable than gold and they honored their gods with a another precious
substance which cannot be put on view in a modern art museum: blood.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDbtfl8kSL2kywCbNa7JBq1H7kBLBPf_1DKiVRiWhX1M0BEicfwIODkoO53HbWGy1NVehVZMH2IAYAz9iaRixS2CqbwM_ntejK6Hp2tY_1I2KPpdPliY09HsaOGI5wmom4XlD0uXT9-R9BxDAC1q51GDzl4zXoNN456jiK4SPt58nEiC-mAJU_bhJi/s1000/Maya%20jade.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="843" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDbtfl8kSL2kywCbNa7JBq1H7kBLBPf_1DKiVRiWhX1M0BEicfwIODkoO53HbWGy1NVehVZMH2IAYAz9iaRixS2CqbwM_ntejK6Hp2tY_1I2KPpdPliY09HsaOGI5wmom4XlD0uXT9-R9BxDAC1q51GDzl4zXoNN456jiK4SPt58nEiC-mAJU_bhJi/w338-h400/Maya%20jade.jpg" width="338" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">Maya jade pendants, 7th-9th century</span></b></div></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Mayan gods were powerful, capricious beings, willful and cruel like Zeus and company. But they were different, too. Mayan gods,
especially the youthful and much-loved Maize God, could perish and be reborn. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZXQW_N3ZukENXXHFFRHbau6kN9vrdVzeQvMpEz9kCErsbmi5yrCLhNaoSkkhQi9i59-ov_ABOPf0GXfzoFHbhsZGXAO7hcxhEWqAfG4CvMcAMzS05G1BHYD_Nsat1AnC72CTlc5IcpUfRTFvWHcGyNiyYBVv-MYyFFxl6Z20AQXgBLBOGD6F8zTnU/s900/Maize%20god.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="727" data-original-width="900" height="516" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZXQW_N3ZukENXXHFFRHbau6kN9vrdVzeQvMpEz9kCErsbmi5yrCLhNaoSkkhQi9i59-ov_ABOPf0GXfzoFHbhsZGXAO7hcxhEWqAfG4CvMcAMzS05G1BHYD_Nsat1AnC72CTlc5IcpUfRTFvWHcGyNiyYBVv-MYyFFxl6Z20AQXgBLBOGD6F8zTnU/w640-h516/Maize%20god.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022 )</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;"> Gallery view of </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">Lives of the Gods</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">, showing </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">Maize God</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">, from Copan, 715</span></b></div></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The gallery devoted to images of the Maize God is centered on a sensational limestone carving from Copan in Honduras. The exhibition text, expressed in almost poetical terms, deserves quotation here because it demonstrates the emotional appeal of certain aspects of Mayan religion:</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.8667px; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Maize God is an eternally youthful being who endures trials and overcomes the forces of death. Maya artists portrayed him as a graceful young man with glossy skin and a sloping forehead, his elongated head resembling a maize cob crowned with silky, long locks of hair... Formally appealing and conceptually rich, the Maize God’s transit through death and his subsequent rebirth were metaphors for regeneration and resilience.</span></span></i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt;">Not all of Mayan cosmology touched the hearts of the people with the reassuring symbolism of the Maize God. Religion for the Maya was an
awe-inspiring, often terrifying system of belief.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiHjCXoIjonAAy7rHMfVPLbgbo17wjNeXAq53ElLnJUYY8Jq1I1FADhBbwBpdcGacSQ8ioER46TJ381m9BHBXk05egY-6oeK6-7naU2LwRMNgfxvjpEkYK_sKSyDB9QBAbOqhoX4LXXpVuVd-XuLNgd-O1SJSkQdQW6hMXNuCOTOF3hOLzJisNIsbe/s1000/Maya%20censer%20animal.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="483" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiHjCXoIjonAAy7rHMfVPLbgbo17wjNeXAq53ElLnJUYY8Jq1I1FADhBbwBpdcGacSQ8ioER46TJ381m9BHBXk05egY-6oeK6-7naU2LwRMNgfxvjpEkYK_sKSyDB9QBAbOqhoX4LXXpVuVd-XuLNgd-O1SJSkQdQW6hMXNuCOTOF3hOLzJisNIsbe/w310-h640/Maya%20censer%20animal.jpg" width="310" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;"> </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">Censer Stand</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">, from Palenque, Mexico, c. 690–720</span></b></div> </span><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt;">Among the first images to greet visitors to</span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt;"> Lives of the Gods</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt;">
are fearsome-looking censer stands, on the top of which were placed vessels of
smoldering incense. Often these censers bore the image of jaguar gods, incarnations of nocturnal menace. Jaguars, stealthy predators lurking in the jungles surrounding
the Mayan cities, were an obvious choice to symbolize divine wrath.</span><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzHzpvGoZUp5tcK72qTe76-ZZ8uYDIJLStfouSQiWxZcgwqrbQjKrntASzHrkebptVm8dx7KTooAvL_Q3rSFGcOly4k28iTcKsj4ItoVMkk9-klI6NcRlvjozD8_Cey0PrYD2eQzCWR97qYVOcw4N_O4sZtCcaVJEnPBM8fgNWvCk1gm-Lv47Isewn/s1100/Maya%20Jaguar.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1100" data-original-width="835" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzHzpvGoZUp5tcK72qTe76-ZZ8uYDIJLStfouSQiWxZcgwqrbQjKrntASzHrkebptVm8dx7KTooAvL_Q3rSFGcOly4k28iTcKsj4ItoVMkk9-klI6NcRlvjozD8_Cey0PrYD2eQzCWR97qYVOcw4N_O4sZtCcaVJEnPBM8fgNWvCk1gm-Lv47Isewn/w486-h640/Maya%20Jaguar.jpg" width="486" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;"> </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">Jaguar God Censer Stand</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">, from Palenque, 7th–8th century</span></b></div></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt;">The terrifying aspect of statues and paintings of the Mayan gods
was emulated by the kings or </span><i style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt;">ajaws </i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt;">of Mayan states like Palenque or
Tikal. This wasn't just "dress-up" on the part of Mayan rulers like
the formidable King Jaguar Bird Tapir of Tonina in southern Mexico. The rulers
of Mayan kingdoms assumed the personality of gods for important ceremonial and
religious functions.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ffU30Aubq9nNys7K-oeE35e0pFQbS2Z9baBQjlG9TkpIYGohIanNAFno9Z996ebSsSE8KK6QmOg7EAbneGUS7WD73w6XixexN1s699E7OnK764Z1eeDlt7Pochjrwiz2C3De78n5Wd8GOOSJUkiH4vWSJxeDCX5GjNcqlr900L93vITRCd-htLND/s900/Jaguar%20Bird%20Tapir%202.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="683" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ffU30Aubq9nNys7K-oeE35e0pFQbS2Z9baBQjlG9TkpIYGohIanNAFno9Z996ebSsSE8KK6QmOg7EAbneGUS7WD73w6XixexN1s699E7OnK764Z1eeDlt7Pochjrwiz2C3De78n5Wd8GOOSJUkiH4vWSJxeDCX5GjNcqlr900L93vITRCd-htLND/w304-h400/Jaguar%20Bird%20Tapir%202.JPG" width="304" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;"> </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">King Jaguar Bird Tapir</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">, from Tonina, Mexico, early 7th century</span></b></div> </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt;">For all of the "divine-right" authority with which
Jaguar Bird Tapir and his peers were invested, being a Mayan monarch was no easy
task. And of all the royal burdens of state, none was more significant than
keeping the gods "happy."</span><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Due to the challenging natural environment of the Mayan world, which the Met
exhibition evokes with brilliant video and sound clips, the gods of the Maya needed to be constantly placated.</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5oPBFoQEY1qILeH3v97rSbaKaHxMJmu2K58R0n_nWScoWSZiSv6EQaA2cfeBK-mwdpvoQBFInPU3GpZ3YKZA0v_8p6HkaQlLbB7ZI-AEMUWSs5W9qHZboRGy54SFSrB_fnJxthLGI61kjEPyafJgKIwR1zyln0fXM676QpomnaYvZYAq1JL630gmP/s1039/Maya%20gallery%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1039" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5oPBFoQEY1qILeH3v97rSbaKaHxMJmu2K58R0n_nWScoWSZiSv6EQaA2cfeBK-mwdpvoQBFInPU3GpZ3YKZA0v_8p6HkaQlLbB7ZI-AEMUWSs5W9qHZboRGy54SFSrB_fnJxthLGI61kjEPyafJgKIwR1zyln0fXM676QpomnaYvZYAq1JL630gmP/w554-h640/Maya%20gallery%202.jpg" width="554" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022)</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;"> Gallery view of the </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">Lives of the Gods</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;"> exhibit,</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;"><b> showing video of Tikal and El Mirador, filmed by Ricky Lopez Bruni</b></span></span></div></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">The Mayas - like their northern rivals in the great city of
Teotihuacan in central Mexico, lived in danger of frequent droughts, the annual
hurricane season, periodic earthquakes and the occasional volcanic eruption.
These disasters involved the anger of deities like Chahk, the god of rain and
storms, or K’awiil, the celestial lord of lightning. These heavenly overlords lashed out when provoked by human failure
to pay them due homage.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt;">To keep the gods pleased required rich gifts, chiefly of human
blood. This sacrificial bloodletting is not pleasant to consider but it is
necessary given the role it played in Mayan religion.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt;">Blood sacrifice among the Maya came in two forms. The first
involved the ritual execution of captives, an almost universal practice by the
peoples of Mesoamerica. We will address this briefly later in the essay.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">The other form involved shedding one's own blood, an act largely
reserved for the Mayan kings, queens and nobility at moments of high
importance, such as transition points on the calendar cycle or the opening of a
military campaign. This act of personal mutilation was known as </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>ch'ahb</i>' meaning "penance" and was often
inflicted by stabbing with a stingray spine.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYGwEP14QvYEAXk1rU0E85NHSYGZigaIssQdc4DQHbscX-1-SWQ6Sm7iJodG21quVQ6LZ1lTfco-2wDt5IdBaLrCdV8RdT8Mg0ajWW0wMKKGICm4Z1pp0g3BZ8oZBPWiyUR7Q6Y90PzZztTMfCLp5b9Nlsfr2KIjyioqK0_w7IfcV4dZHanGdzzrS_/s1066/Lady%20K'abel%20Xok.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="864" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYGwEP14QvYEAXk1rU0E85NHSYGZigaIssQdc4DQHbscX-1-SWQ6Sm7iJodG21quVQ6LZ1lTfco-2wDt5IdBaLrCdV8RdT8Mg0ajWW0wMKKGICm4Z1pp0g3BZ8oZBPWiyUR7Q6Y90PzZztTMfCLp5b9Nlsfr2KIjyioqK0_w7IfcV4dZHanGdzzrS_/w518-h640/Lady%20K'abel%20Xok.jpg" width="518" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022) </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">Lady K'abal Xook Conjuring a Supernatural Warrior</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">, Yaxchilan, Mexico, 725</span></b></div></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">One of the key works of art in the exhibition is a carved
limestone lintel which depicts such an act of blood sacrifice. It is entitled Lady K'abal Xook
Conjuring the Spirit of a Warrior. </span><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Lady K’abal
Xook, was the wife of Shield Jaguar III, king of Yaxchilan, located on the
border of Chiapas, southern Mexico, and Guatemala. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY_Tp0nOOQRxwcwlTl3zQgFXz4Fm9K7oGQvJzDP50fFBuAC9kcKRjZTRemzohPjRqIVBfM8cs-7mTIDOZvyEWhJLDHWvg-plkC1JXq6k40CtWEIUWS2F9wlDunbv7OBklf-KSpbd5i7Tnlj42y5DrMCbcqkpcvudk7yj-txVJCFVnZRG9JyWeGLxm9/s1005/Lady%20K'abel%20Xok%20detail.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1005" data-original-width="776" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY_Tp0nOOQRxwcwlTl3zQgFXz4Fm9K7oGQvJzDP50fFBuAC9kcKRjZTRemzohPjRqIVBfM8cs-7mTIDOZvyEWhJLDHWvg-plkC1JXq6k40CtWEIUWS2F9wlDunbv7OBklf-KSpbd5i7Tnlj42y5DrMCbcqkpcvudk7yj-txVJCFVnZRG9JyWeGLxm9/w309-h400/Lady%20K'abel%20Xok%20detail.jpg" width="309" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">In this work from the British Museum collection, Lady K'abal
Xook</span><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"> has pieced her tongue and is bleeding into a
bowl containing pieces of cloth. These, most likely made of cotton fabric, will
absorb the blood and then be burned as an offering. Weakened by bleeding and
related rituals such as fasting, Lady K’abal Xook will be enabled to enter into
a trance state and commune with the other world. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFnbkljlMbxB1mAVS5ZClxzret_fP_5e1fAEHqAzWcZrlY1f05OcYbeeQ-gWPprja0uQP5F8a8iJVGaubyeZCZNUc8TDw_onRZMdMw7lJzY9pxuyKoQqbSnVs3yO2ejsvD4vRHymKWmS3_g2BOoRVVbQuMM2623_V3pfB2Z61LGFLdIz5Xv_2n8mz1/s940/Lady%20K'abel%20Xok%20detail%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="940" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFnbkljlMbxB1mAVS5ZClxzret_fP_5e1fAEHqAzWcZrlY1f05OcYbeeQ-gWPprja0uQP5F8a8iJVGaubyeZCZNUc8TDw_onRZMdMw7lJzY9pxuyKoQqbSnVs3yO2ejsvD4vRHymKWmS3_g2BOoRVVbQuMM2623_V3pfB2Z61LGFLdIz5Xv_2n8mz1/w383-h400/Lady%20K'abel%20Xok%20detail%202.jpg" width="383" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">This is exactly what is depicted in the detail above. A
spirit warrior, armed with shield and spear, emerges from a giant serpent's
mouth, in order to converse with </span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Lady K'abal Xook.
The scene most likely refers to preparations for war, as her husband's kingdom,
</span><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Yaxchilan, was one of the most aggressive Mayan
states.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">The impressive carving of Lady K'abal Xook and the spirit
warrior bears a few faint traces of the vivid colors with which it was painted
when created around the year 725. Whatever guidance she received in her vision
ultimately failed to help Lady K'abal Xook's homeland. The population of </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">Yaxchilan, worn-down by constant warfare and drought,
abandoned the city a century later, during the widespread collapse of the
Classical Mayan kingdoms.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg34IOdr7sKcBjOsPeDrXoMj2MT3MtoJ9d-EjPfUq0Gfgu3EM2hRU0OVytiP7SpXt1dcfiRQyTAx2zU3IFycipdITJW5ySBVd6VQytNP7kaw3vXoufD3hchK_m2vtwLPkxTLTcMtcWZYaU_YhIhIJYtAp_FC_0tbAu04zSJriUgq2BoIAmNpZDlzH6H/s925/Throne%20back%20gallery.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="775" data-original-width="925" height="536" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg34IOdr7sKcBjOsPeDrXoMj2MT3MtoJ9d-EjPfUq0Gfgu3EM2hRU0OVytiP7SpXt1dcfiRQyTAx2zU3IFycipdITJW5ySBVd6VQytNP7kaw3vXoufD3hchK_m2vtwLPkxTLTcMtcWZYaU_YhIhIJYtAp_FC_0tbAu04zSJriUgq2BoIAmNpZDlzH6H/w640-h536/Throne%20back%20gallery.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022) </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">Gallery view of the </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">Lives of the Gods</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;"> exhibit,</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;"> showing </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">Throne Back</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">, from Mexico or Guatemala, 7th-9th century</span></b></div></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">A very different visit by a celestial being was carved into the
upright back panel of a throne (above). It was discovered in Guatemala, at a site on
the Usumacinta River not far from Yaxchilan. The date of its creation is unknown, but is projected as occurring between the seventh and ninth centuries. I don't profess to being an expert in Mayan art, but I suspect that this wondrous work of art (my favorite in the exhibition) was created in the earlier range of these dates.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt;">This carved backrest to a throne shows a Mayan king (at right) conversing with a small, supernatural visitor (center). This unearthly creature has the face of a jaguar deity and wings. His upward gaze meets that of the Mayan <i>ajaw</i>. It is truly a meeting of two worlds.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; text-autospace: ideograph-numeric ideograph-other;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcmYZ00-d0KcHmsAQj1oRWf8I7Kfb-RA6l89lpxC4CMy4Xs41Jxc5GcuLOkcKAenjHr5tnc3EBGOkwL6aoDivwLbQNN5eklD846p9XSCwXKesWsJ1vuTlVkO9BqeDyuhfx8vlwXvAgq4rGAWg4I04EP9H8Ns5RnblC1tRS1R2a4Yxe-ESIjXNNxf3F/s1000/Maya%20throne%20back%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="686" data-original-width="1000" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcmYZ00-d0KcHmsAQj1oRWf8I7Kfb-RA6l89lpxC4CMy4Xs41Jxc5GcuLOkcKAenjHr5tnc3EBGOkwL6aoDivwLbQNN5eklD846p9XSCwXKesWsJ1vuTlVkO9BqeDyuhfx8vlwXvAgq4rGAWg4I04EP9H8Ns5RnblC1tRS1R2a4Yxe-ESIjXNNxf3F/w640-h440/Maya%20throne%20back%201.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6wyyqQCRWwsAMujkr31rld1lj0A7bN2zFaVrpNZABhAioU4WOFOMQqrBBuzZVj4Oir1LjUZHyOtHxT5oWjJGJQuKHLnndOuccBIMck_5uiRxY9cPCGXXEfGg6Uq7_xMr4UlAARPj5gzSaUBiShX1jm8NMqyVHZxIwlNpgOZLWDD2q_iB9UAsFlFdN/s900/Throne%20back%20jaguar%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="675" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6wyyqQCRWwsAMujkr31rld1lj0A7bN2zFaVrpNZABhAioU4WOFOMQqrBBuzZVj4Oir1LjUZHyOtHxT5oWjJGJQuKHLnndOuccBIMck_5uiRxY9cPCGXXEfGg6Uq7_xMr4UlAARPj5gzSaUBiShX1jm8NMqyVHZxIwlNpgOZLWDD2q_iB9UAsFlFdN/w300-h400/Throne%20back%20jaguar%202.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">Details of </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">Throne Back</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">, 7th-9th century</span></b></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px;">Oddly enough, the face of the jaguar deity resembles that of a shipwrecked Spanish sailor, though centuries before Columbus. Behind him, a royal attendant takes in the interview, perhaps mystified, as we are, at what is going on.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px;">What message does the jaguar deity impart to the intently-listening king? Of course, we cannot know. But experts in Mayan art and religion locate the scene to a cave, sacred places to the Maya. Whatever communication is being given, it is certainly of importance. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px;">What impresses me with this magnificent carving is the tone of a style and presentation. It is free of the frightful imagery which we see on carvings from the eighth and ninth centuries when the Mayan kingdoms were in their death spiral. That is why I surmise that it should be dated earlier, before the fatal steps to the dissolution of the Classical Mayan age had been taken.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px;">Indeed, Mayan art of the earlier periods, (proto-Classical and early C</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px;">lassical, third-fifth centuries) often demonstrates humane values and a sense of humor. There are quite a few examples of early Mayan art on view in <i>Lives of the Gods</i>, making this part of the exhibition a very enjoyable and compelling trip back in time.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcE542EyjHMUJ_3Sb9iv4eknMoQmZuAAWDAbfBSbqohNIy-ySCExrPqnbP7i70_gtqz9lWJHlhsuIzzte-qc5SFDTJOWTYlfSADXfO3PHy-Qq4YDrWBRWXV3EBZiWs8zro8C-unA92E2rdgmRyMwcmjELp36gAuhTs5TOQhwOmzgouVmpbHjhf51Fz/s985/Maya%20gallery%205.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="985" data-original-width="881" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcE542EyjHMUJ_3Sb9iv4eknMoQmZuAAWDAbfBSbqohNIy-ySCExrPqnbP7i70_gtqz9lWJHlhsuIzzte-qc5SFDTJOWTYlfSADXfO3PHy-Qq4YDrWBRWXV3EBZiWs8zro8C-unA92E2rdgmRyMwcmjELp36gAuhTs5TOQhwOmzgouVmpbHjhf51Fz/w572-h640/Maya%20gallery%205.jpg" width="572" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022) </span></span><i style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">Whistling Vessel</i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">, 5th century</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px;">Displayed close to the <i>Throne Back</i> carving is a whistling device showing another mythical scene. Activated by being filled with water, the ceramic vessel mounts a vignette showing a trickster tale. A fearsome bird deity confronts a kneeling human being, unaware of a cat climbing-up the side of the vessel, ready to pounce.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px;">Other ceramic masterworks on view comprise a group of lidded vessels for feast days, topped with animal knobs or handles. Howler monkeys, a peccary and a turtle with a grinning man's head emerging from its mouth attest to the Maya kinship with the animal realm and a generous helping of fun. It's hard to resist a smile when looking at these wonderful examples of Mayan pottery.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim_i4F1HWfZsTDpHnwNjXQpK_MtYX7SBA-d_MsvkPuZSrwZgUvzJcQWU0jgreZUc54TFIFdEpk83JlQ2bn1VyFQi8uPme4Ec212rSBGDzflyUUB0a4EzEA9ty7_yrckDtEGwvuGRRu-AAp9Ko1MgbhWQgm22qHlPofkfyh1mZ8ibwu-47ZHf9tq-IS/s720/Peccary%20dish.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="720" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim_i4F1HWfZsTDpHnwNjXQpK_MtYX7SBA-d_MsvkPuZSrwZgUvzJcQWU0jgreZUc54TFIFdEpk83JlQ2bn1VyFQi8uPme4Ec212rSBGDzflyUUB0a4EzEA9ty7_yrckDtEGwvuGRRu-AAp9Ko1MgbhWQgm22qHlPofkfyh1mZ8ibwu-47ZHf9tq-IS/w400-h375/Peccary%20dish.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022) </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">Lidded vessel with Peccary Handle</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">, 4th century</span></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy2eblqD8iLBaxFUcNdMix5i073UpsiaVqSp1WeJwrgAYStr4MblnddaTWJPEc28gITZthyhhCiiQOr081Uab64sQ6zqrs9DY0VC0Zc0h49_hydXLbf6INaXAHeILnbPIzvLUdHyUojbSWkIzMdFsrLFJDd-DpjNyfetSasAD_X-MUB07UVgBCp2YW/s888/turtle%20man.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="760" data-original-width="888" height="343" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy2eblqD8iLBaxFUcNdMix5i073UpsiaVqSp1WeJwrgAYStr4MblnddaTWJPEc28gITZthyhhCiiQOr081Uab64sQ6zqrs9DY0VC0Zc0h49_hydXLbf6INaXAHeILnbPIzvLUdHyUojbSWkIzMdFsrLFJDd-DpjNyfetSasAD_X-MUB07UVgBCp2YW/w400-h343/turtle%20man.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;"> </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">Lidded Vessel with Mythological Turtle</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">, 4th century</span></b></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px;">As the timeline of </span><i style="background-color: transparent; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px;">Lives of the Gods </i><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px;">reaches the eighth and ninth centuries, the Mayan success story began to turn to ashes. The complex turn of event, drought, soaring population, hardening class distinctions are still being studied by historians. One thing can be certain, during the 700's, the time of </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px;">Lady K’abal Xook's vision quest, warfare in the Mayan world escalated from low-intensity raids to secure a few captives for sacrifice to rampaging campaigns of wholesale destruction.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ9zooLLTW5ffLqMcs4ZAfJVRzuANBzTBTb7OUc75ybEbwM3KspgbG-YYXeBXc-oHuIqXjz8_zOBeupdL41PGhRPt6EwQ4mg-LBRj4aMb3qTKZVQ6uIXw06E7PP1lbqx2A2rr_XSgBk4Rrx1zHI3u6pnoSGs_ENL4R55sZeH9jlfyPlX_LvtCnFauQ/s886/Maya%20war.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="886" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ9zooLLTW5ffLqMcs4ZAfJVRzuANBzTBTb7OUc75ybEbwM3KspgbG-YYXeBXc-oHuIqXjz8_zOBeupdL41PGhRPt6EwQ4mg-LBRj4aMb3qTKZVQ6uIXw06E7PP1lbqx2A2rr_XSgBk4Rrx1zHI3u6pnoSGs_ENL4R55sZeH9jlfyPlX_LvtCnFauQ/w640-h434/Maya%20war.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Anne</span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;"> Lloyd, Photo (2022)</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;"> Gallery view of </span><i style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">Lives of the Gods</i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">, showing statues of captive warriors</span></b></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px;">The terrible eclipse of Classical Mayan civilization is evoked in the carved images of bound prisoners awaiting execution. As part of his humiliation, a captive warrior named Yak Ahk' has been dressed as a jaguar deity, who had been tortured and killed in a tale from Mayan myth. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJn-sAMVCx8WARRjOEqEXyWUHcIVFxNq72LK_1o3nhW_f7C0anJeHhM3yRLNerkG98mIn_7reQ_uVnTSarytv8ATr0NPkpC2qjPvgvGkrrUfvXJB7oDWiccXmNw-FvboAn-qvtNBeloJa8vRmv09d-TWZG1pxlHiX0IR_E96yPlpzxGxPD2R-TJf6X/s1200/Maya%20War%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJn-sAMVCx8WARRjOEqEXyWUHcIVFxNq72LK_1o3nhW_f7C0anJeHhM3yRLNerkG98mIn_7reQ_uVnTSarytv8ATr0NPkpC2qjPvgvGkrrUfvXJB7oDWiccXmNw-FvboAn-qvtNBeloJa8vRmv09d-TWZG1pxlHiX0IR_E96yPlpzxGxPD2R-TJf6X/w480-h640/Maya%20War%201.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">Yak Ahk' as Captive, Impersonating a Jaguar Deity</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">, c. 700</span></b></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px;">The precise chronology of the Maya wars is still incomplete and likely to remain so. Looking at this one carving is quite sufficient, however, to illustrate the suicide of the Classical Maya kingdoms. The image of </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px;">Yak Ahk's suffering recalls the haunting 1971 photo of a young Vietnamese girl, Phan Thi Kim Phuc, set aflame by napalm. One picture tells us all we need to know.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px;">The Mayan people proved able to survive the apocalypse of the Classical kingdoms. After the great cities were abandoned, by the year 900, Mayan life reconfigured on a localized, village basis. This decentralized community structure produced less in the way of great art, but enabled the Maya to survive the Spanish invasions of the 1500's and the epidemic diseases which followed in the footsteps of the Conquistadors.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px;">The Met exhibit pays tribute to contemporary Maya life with a colorful video clip of a modern day festival. <i>Dance of the Macaws in the Santa Cruz Verapaz</i>, <i>Guatemala,</i> was filmed by Ricky Lopez Bruni. <i>Dance of the Macaws</i> exudes the life and spirit of the Maya, filling the exhibition gallery with incandescent light - and a palpable feeling of life!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXGmylmKzv_SJQAPQbFOCn5qSE95hJhB7CkIQnlXoCKCB6YZbRV8iK2hNhK1lh8U5uxyRWFsWVS2L8OnH53S7kjyDM1NsB4m8uxo7QqGxiDk9dNmZ-Mvsj6s7cejquZW2VL_k78BXn6BFg4-MhRzZQ_SzHBP4DIuEerjew1RP392XC1VuoSxfdiEwg/s823/Maya%20gallery%206a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="823" data-original-width="679" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXGmylmKzv_SJQAPQbFOCn5qSE95hJhB7CkIQnlXoCKCB6YZbRV8iK2hNhK1lh8U5uxyRWFsWVS2L8OnH53S7kjyDM1NsB4m8uxo7QqGxiDk9dNmZ-Mvsj6s7cejquZW2VL_k78BXn6BFg4-MhRzZQ_SzHBP4DIuEerjew1RP392XC1VuoSxfdiEwg/w528-h640/Maya%20gallery%206a.jpg" width="528" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;"><b>Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022) </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;"><b>Gallery View of the <i>Lives of the Gods</i> exhibit, showing</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;"><b> <i>Dance of the Macaws</i>, filmed by Ricky Lopez Bruni</b></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px;">The survival of the Maya over the ages and their still-flourishing folk-culture is as remarkable a phenomenon as the pyramids, statues and paintings their ancestors created over twelve hundred years ago.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Happily, <i>Lives of the Gods: Divinity in Mayan Art</i> will be traveling </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px;">to the Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas, after it closes at The Met. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Kimbell Museum and I can't conceive of better company for this celebration than the Maya, ancient and modern.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">***</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Text: Copyright of Ed Voves, all rights reserved </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Original photography, copyright of Anne Lloyd</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px;">Introductory Image: </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022) <i>Maize God</i>, 715, from the British Museum. Details below.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022) Gallery view of the <i>Lives of the Gods: Divinity in Maya Art</i> exhibit, showing <i>Column</i>, from Campeche, Mexico, c. 800-900. Limestone: H. 68 3/4 x 29 in. Metropolitan Museum of Art. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022) Gallery view of the <i>Lives of the Gods </i>exhibit, showing Maya jade pendants, 7th-9th century. Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022 ) Gallery view of the <i>Lives of the Gods </i>exhibit, showing <i>Maize God</i>, from Copan, Honduras, 715. Limestone: H. 35 1/16 x W. 22 1/4 in. x D. 11 13/16 in. 264.6 lbs. British Museum.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022 ) <i>Censer Stand</i>, from Palenque, Mexico, c. 690–720. Ceramic, traces of pigments: H. 44 × W. 22 × D. 12 1/4 in.,103 lb. (111.8 × 55.9 × 31.1 cm, 46.7 kg) Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, TX</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022 ) <i>Jaguar God Censer Stand</i>, from Palenque, Mexico, 7th–8th century. Ceramic: H. 26 × W. 14 9/16 × D. 6 5/16 in., 132.3 lb. (66 × 37 × 16 cm, 60 kg) Museo de Sitio de Palenque Alberto Ruz</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022 ) <i>King Jaguar Bird Tapir</i>, from Tonina in Chiapas, Mexico, early 7th century. Limestone: 8 ft 5 9/16 in. x 28 3/4 in. x 20 1/16 in. 881.8 lb. Museo de Sitio de Tonina, Mexico.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022 ) Gallery view of the <i>Lives of the Gods</i> exhibit, showing video of Tikal and El Mirador, Guatemala, filmed by Ricky Lopez Bruni.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022) <i>Lady K'abal Xook Conjuring a Supernatural Warrior</i>, Yaxchilan, Mexico, 725. Limestone: H. 47 5/8 × W. 33 11/16 × D. 5 5/16 in., 509.3 lb. (121 × 85.5 × 13.5 cm, 231 kg) British Museum.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022) Detail views of <i>Lady K'abal Xook Conjuring a Supernatural Warrior</i>.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022) Gallery view of the <i>Lives of the Gods</i> exhibit, showing <i>Throne Back</i>, from Mexico or Guatemala, 7th-9th century. Limestone: H. 43 11/16 x W. 65 3/8 x D. 9 1/4 in. 937 lb. Museo Amparo Collection, Puebla, Mexico</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022) Detail views of <i>Throne Back</i> (See above). </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022) <i>Whistling Vessel</i>, from Guatemala or Mexico, 5th century. Ceramic: H. 11 7/8 x W. 7 3/4 x D. 5 1/4 in. Metropolitan Museum of Art</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022) <i>Lidded vessel with Peccary Handle</i>, from Guatemala, 4th century. Ceramic: H. 10 5/8 x Diam. 12 5/8 inches. Museo de Nacional Arqueologia & Ethologia, Guatemala.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022) <i>Lidded Vessel with Mythological Turtle</i>, 4th century. Ceramic: H. 9 5/8 x Diam. 10 7/16 inches. Museo de Nacional Arqueologia & Ethnologia, Guatemala. Anne</span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px;"> Lloyd, Photo (2022) Gallery view of the </span><i style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px;">Lives of the Gods</i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px;"> exhibit, showing statues of captive warriors, Yak Ahk' (left) and Muwaan Bahlam, </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) <i>Yak Ahk' as Captive, Impersonating a Jaguar Deity</i>, c. 700. Sandstone: H. 22 7/16 x W. 18 1/8 x D. 4 5/16 in. 176.4 lb. Museo de Sitio de Tonina, Mexico.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022) Gallery view of the <i>Lives of the Gods </i>exhibit, showing video clip of Dance of the Macaws. Filmed by Ricky Lopez Bruni. </span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 15pt;"><br /></p></div>Art Eyewitnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347317000349363690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8200843910512523791.post-39341606704293992952023-03-16T20:35:00.002-07:002023-03-16T20:41:49.585-07:00Art Eyewitness Review: Black Founders, the Forten Family of Philadelphia<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheSP7wOOfYL18j4-Nq3mD9AXv0qhQKobt3cdX28lAGCDQHXkyNWZ0oSwM8iXsXVynoQSt8C4op7vFoHw38Xg2fwzvqafm9rO76JPu2fBDlH7Fw9-KMBtWdFXx8hZ7mJBHXyzVlJd0MAAY7kt-ZKzgwCRzWKPOR2PcSVkZm6ADrEZmk1vfO3g0OU1WY/s935/Forten.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="935" data-original-width="594" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheSP7wOOfYL18j4-Nq3mD9AXv0qhQKobt3cdX28lAGCDQHXkyNWZ0oSwM8iXsXVynoQSt8C4op7vFoHw38Xg2fwzvqafm9rO76JPu2fBDlH7Fw9-KMBtWdFXx8hZ7mJBHXyzVlJd0MAAY7kt-ZKzgwCRzWKPOR2PcSVkZm6ADrEZmk1vfO3g0OU1WY/w254-h400/Forten.jpg" width="254" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: left;"><i style="font-family: verdana;">Black Founders</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">, </span></b><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i><b>the Forten Family of Philadelphia</b> </i></span></h3><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>The Museum of the American Revolution</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>February 11, 2023 - November 26, 2023</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reviewed by Ed Voves</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Bethel African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church is one of the most historic buildings in Philadelphia – and the United States. Founded in 1794, Mother Bethel, as the church is popularly known, was the site of a crucial meeting in early U.S. history. Three thousand African American men assembled there on January 15, 1817 to discuss a proposal for emigration to a site in West Africa where a colony, free of racial discrimination, would be founded.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">To the surprise of the clergymen and civic leaders who had convened the meeting, the proposal was emphatically rejected. Virtually without dissent, the answer shouted from the church pews was a ‘tremendous no.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCRv0auY13XKrR8aJ_H1Y4zfrFofeSBI7ucoFM3oPf8kVA7NWuggBE5BmzFN8Ftw_vHBkMBUHPawsbHexIdAQY7eyY93fEDWuHcwrijxH1sdK8-20ixhof9pfhYg55_-27kmxHiwtd5OXHbO3TLo7jz9J1lvVKYhKzugApOKsSR8jtiO4n3qT4nSX1/s1000/Actor%20and%20pew.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="777" data-original-width="1000" height="498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCRv0auY13XKrR8aJ_H1Y4zfrFofeSBI7ucoFM3oPf8kVA7NWuggBE5BmzFN8Ftw_vHBkMBUHPawsbHexIdAQY7eyY93fEDWuHcwrijxH1sdK8-20ixhof9pfhYg55_-27kmxHiwtd5OXHbO3TLo7jz9J1lvVKYhKzugApOKsSR8jtiO4n3qT4nSX1/w640-h498/Actor%20and%20pew.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Nathan Alford Tate, who portrays James Forten at the Museum of the American Revolution, posing with a pew from Mother Bethel Church. </b></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Many of the three thousand African-Americans crowding into Mother Bethel were native-born and a number had fought in the Revolutionary War. The United States was their country, their home. They would not leave <i>their</i> land. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">One of the most prominent participants at the Mother Bethel meeting was a Revolutionary War hero named James Forten. The Museum of the American Revolution, located in Philadelphia, has recently opened a special exhibition entitled <i>Black Founders</i>, devoted to James Forten and his extraordinary family. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">James Forten (1766-1842) was born in Philadelphia, a member of the city’s free Black population. As a young boy, he heard the Declaration of Independence proclaimed on July 8, 1776. After witnessing a regiment of African-American and Native-American troops of George Washington’s army march en route to the siege of Yorktown in 1781, the young Forten determined to join the Patriot cause. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVouCfpf4v6X1vNE8emNrQkBMGy3EoViCRdVMXZjg5759hY22FYybDJQimRZQT_P16fCBGMk06uSex8o9aYFo-q2twmv4CJtjXvXeULejLeeQLT1_mh3Oj3-4C8Mjb5jB1FIloJSRTBF9tFYhXjb5v6tQn2xlbdOa45tYE3orZ2dTuqn1EqswO-cO_/s900/Troiani%20painting.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="735" data-original-width="900" height="522" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVouCfpf4v6X1vNE8emNrQkBMGy3EoViCRdVMXZjg5759hY22FYybDJQimRZQT_P16fCBGMk06uSex8o9aYFo-q2twmv4CJtjXvXeULejLeeQLT1_mh3Oj3-4C8Mjb5jB1FIloJSRTBF9tFYhXjb5v6tQn2xlbdOa45tYE3orZ2dTuqn1EqswO-cO_/w640-h522/Troiani%20painting.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Gallery view of the <i>Black Founders</i> exhibition, showing</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> Don Troiani's painting, <i>Brave Men as Ever Fought, </i>2020</b></span></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">This moment is celebrated by a painting by<a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2021/10/art-eyewitness-review-liberty-don.html"> <span style="color: #1100ff;">Don Troiani</span>,</a> whose accurate depictions of the American Revolution were featured in an earlier</span><i style="font-family: verdana;"> Art Eyewitness</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> review.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYE0AnLMPdq20yX_BjnPAI20MV2-sw_MrlwfwrUQX53c2VCTTSNJNbGXBU6I1glRx0cBBT0zt1pGEk2Gnf5860EfAFW4ZsH0KQ23JxZvWlnODI7n5XMI0rZkX1Fbl5TR9TuCAPxzf42GJqW_bg0BqXu9UENh7eRExKREP7V01KKyNrfDQHKfPAzVgf/s1000/Ship%20model.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="1000" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYE0AnLMPdq20yX_BjnPAI20MV2-sw_MrlwfwrUQX53c2VCTTSNJNbGXBU6I1glRx0cBBT0zt1pGEk2Gnf5860EfAFW4ZsH0KQ23JxZvWlnODI7n5XMI0rZkX1Fbl5TR9TuCAPxzf42GJqW_bg0BqXu9UENh7eRExKREP7V01KKyNrfDQHKfPAzVgf/w640-h452/Ship%20model.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>A ship model for a prototype vessel for the Continental Navy, made in 1777 by Joshua Humphreys of Philadelphia.</b></span></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Forten enlisted in the American navy. The ship he served on, the <i>Royal Louis</i>, was captured by the British and Forten endured a harsh captivity on a prison ship moored in New York Harbor. And that was just the beginning of his extraordinary life story!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">After the Revolution, Forten worked his way to owning a maritime supply company making sails and rope for the merchant ships based in Philadelphia. A partial reconstruction of Forten's sail loft is the centerpiece of the exhibition at the Museum of the American Revolution.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2aefyypFOsqnfx64SzQ00J0kP9EhYtOHUBrRtXgVrH2MOisk_EBMPQgVdft1wSVkAiX6yxfehcyh4FdblSD5ZEmZ3cNXtDHGYHrdexfe_GA4QP9Omn9YF0oMA9qp1lCSsVizt4cwfiCMNjt21nfY3kZNdaYEzb_87upxB1ycIkn0_DfNOeOgHdkZT/s1100/Sail%20loft.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1100" data-original-width="825" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2aefyypFOsqnfx64SzQ00J0kP9EhYtOHUBrRtXgVrH2MOisk_EBMPQgVdft1wSVkAiX6yxfehcyh4FdblSD5ZEmZ3cNXtDHGYHrdexfe_GA4QP9Omn9YF0oMA9qp1lCSsVizt4cwfiCMNjt21nfY3kZNdaYEzb_87upxB1ycIkn0_DfNOeOgHdkZT/w480-h640/Sail%20loft.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Gallery view of the <i>Black Founders</i> exhibition, showing a recreated sail loft similar to James Forten's. </b></span></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Following this business success, Forten dedicated himself to the struggle to end slavery in the U.S. In 1813, Forten wrote a pamphlet, </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Letters from a Man of Colour</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">, which powerfully argued the case for emancipation and opposed measures of discrimination against free African Americans which were being implemented in Northern states, including Pennsylvania. </span></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">As well as documenting Forten’s life, the exhibition extends his family’s story to the Civil War era of the 1860’s. Forten's wife, children and grand daughter, Charlotte Forten Grimke (1837-1914), who compiled an important diary of the Civil War years, were ardent activists in the anti-slavery cause. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCk43Y_0hYSI23C_IgOUkkTBUzg-IIJaLX5pi50uoxU80PObYmisODP-YWfnzOpwA5q20JoWPiD0BuJqlmz9NiZ37pj_CwLN5mhPhml8Yif58MXNH4L8Lvn48yJiuudTVWlh-95Uim16uMJaLaqBsMp8bIz_blutXwrIv6TtNNMVzT7YbSi6USWiGt/s796/Charlotte%20forten.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="796" data-original-width="700" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCk43Y_0hYSI23C_IgOUkkTBUzg-IIJaLX5pi50uoxU80PObYmisODP-YWfnzOpwA5q20JoWPiD0BuJqlmz9NiZ37pj_CwLN5mhPhml8Yif58MXNH4L8Lvn48yJiuudTVWlh-95Uim16uMJaLaqBsMp8bIz_blutXwrIv6TtNNMVzT7YbSi6USWiGt/w351-h400/Charlotte%20forten.jpg" width="351" /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>A portrait photo of </b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Charlotte Forten Grimke</b></span></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Along with the rise of the Abolitionist movement in the U.S., the exhibition also surveys social life, entrepreneurship and “self-reliance” in the African-American community during the early Republic era.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">History is often a frustratingly complex subject. One would think that the life of a patriot like James Forten and the anti-slavery cause might evade some of the moral entanglements which feature in other historical incidents. However, James Forten was actually one of the leaders who initially favored the African colonization scheme. He was the presiding officer at the Mother Bethel meeting and one of the recipients of the ‘tremendous no.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Mother Bethel meeting was a lesson in democracy. Forten and fellow African American leaders were amazed by the unanimous decision of "rank-and-file" citizens not to relinquish their birthright of liberty for a "promise" of greater prosperity elsewhere. And it is to Forten's credit that he listened and followed their lead.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">With renewed determination, Forten joined in the resistance to the colonization scheme. Years later, he wrote with quiet conviction, "We are contented in the land that gave us birth and which many of us fought for during the war which established our Independence."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The topics covered so brilliantly in the<i> Black Founders</i> exhibit are, for the most part, political and social ones. However, a number of the artifacts on view provide insight into the visual art scene in the U.S. during the first decades of the nineteenth century. This was a time of considerable difficulty as many promising American artists went to Europe and remained there, sometimes for life. Little of what we might now deem as “fine” art was created, though there were some tentative efforts in landscape painting. Art related to the lives of African Americans was extremely rare.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuz24ljAjGGUE7W7nobAYQq8h-zkjdwb4nQV08eF2JlHQmNZglHxDMdBRmu4IRNju5VRmo880uwtp2J1wEa0HPJI6IY94Dw6Xgo6Tv9QyGD4KFnMElS8Btc2C5JX7KMwwrVWIA8sTDmn36xwDkKTL4fLcuKT5LzhAQdXi9YSh0rn2CHhRfB4dP_QUs/s1000/Music%20and%20Dance%20in%20Beaufort%20County.%20The%20Colonial%20Williamsburg%20Foundation.%20Gift%20of%20Abby%20Aldrich%20Rockefeller..jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="655" data-original-width="1000" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuz24ljAjGGUE7W7nobAYQq8h-zkjdwb4nQV08eF2JlHQmNZglHxDMdBRmu4IRNju5VRmo880uwtp2J1wEa0HPJI6IY94Dw6Xgo6Tv9QyGD4KFnMElS8Btc2C5JX7KMwwrVWIA8sTDmn36xwDkKTL4fLcuKT5LzhAQdXi9YSh0rn2CHhRfB4dP_QUs/w640-h420/Music%20and%20Dance%20in%20Beaufort%20County.%20The%20Colonial%20Williamsburg%20Foundation.%20Gift%20of%20Abby%20Aldrich%20Rockefeller..jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Attributed to John Rose (1752/53-1820)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i>Music and Dance in Beaufort County, S.C.</i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i></i>from the collection of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation</b></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Despite these unpromising conditions, a vigorous, “homespun” art began to develop in the United States during the early 1800’s. Thus, the exhibition objects on view in Black Founders are hugely important. These artifacts document the African American experience and the efforts of American artists to gain recognition on their home turf. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The most significant feature of the <i>Black Founders </i>exhibit is its demonstration of how "material culture", treasured personal items or the objects of daily life, relates to high-sounding concepts. One can recite "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness" but the sight of a family Bible or a regimental battle flag supplies a tangible reality to these noble words.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlS6FOuBKgqjeoVQqscwzlifh5cuRO7a07iYJShE4I414-zr2SsmdDKSMvGAJrCqPEbF6k--iAh5xIkAp8EFUsDUjOPFTpaepqeJ05Z1pCwFJqp0nNEV0FKjkn56749CcDddzuGYJQgFFci1kPkdmszfKbQOfsJgNi19BwHeBCJ0Qu37F2oM0IW-Tj/s1000/Forten%20family%20season.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="761" data-original-width="1000" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlS6FOuBKgqjeoVQqscwzlifh5cuRO7a07iYJShE4I414-zr2SsmdDKSMvGAJrCqPEbF6k--iAh5xIkAp8EFUsDUjOPFTpaepqeJ05Z1pCwFJqp0nNEV0FKjkn56749CcDddzuGYJQgFFci1kPkdmszfKbQOfsJgNi19BwHeBCJ0Qu37F2oM0IW-Tj/w400-h305/Forten%20family%20season.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves, Photo (2023)</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><i>Holy Bible</i>, printed in 1838, owned by the</b></span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> Forten Family </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqHCG1Go723nDTqKLruUFigtTZx8lSwnWCxKweaRPsYz6ETOihGoyVRj8yUax_uuN14gtieyLWEsAdZ6_BaNmwhWl-Qny9jP9P5wqciBNCdjyrn8-b7UyZGRrZHHxgyT5Hnvw-0Cbk2qTQc5ru2ejpGT3WznHKq-dVz64aHag95je9v0oxJGuH884m/s819/DSC06700.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="819" data-original-width="805" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqHCG1Go723nDTqKLruUFigtTZx8lSwnWCxKweaRPsYz6ETOihGoyVRj8yUax_uuN14gtieyLWEsAdZ6_BaNmwhWl-Qny9jP9P5wqciBNCdjyrn8-b7UyZGRrZHHxgyT5Hnvw-0Cbk2qTQc5ru2ejpGT3WznHKq-dVz64aHag95je9v0oxJGuH884m/w394-h400/DSC06700.JPG" width="394" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves, Photo (2023)</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Detail of the Regimental flag of the 127th U.S. Colored Troops </b></span></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The signature work of the exhibition is an impressive portrait in profile of an African-American gentleman. It is on loan from the collection of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Dating to around the time of the Mother Bethel meeting, it has long be regarded as a portrait of James Forten. However, it lacks any formal title and is not signed on the back of the canvas. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0M5YkRppcZYfCcC-l3xciYFkCtCYMNmh9wG7Hx6gCFnvwNFzhMew6IZEkTOTgvWZgRnYcIWwao8o1adDnPFhu_HLsvkrUgxkzca6dsrEYxthGx3NuKAtCfae2vwLMmEx_XVsgCvu4LqfAOI4xyXWMs-GSXfFPf7PMc3heBmHeaxw1dg2FaHCMTNQn/s1134/James%20Forten%20portrait,%201818.%20Credit%20the%20Collection%20of%20the%20Historical%20Society%20of%20Pennsylania..jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1134" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0M5YkRppcZYfCcC-l3xciYFkCtCYMNmh9wG7Hx6gCFnvwNFzhMew6IZEkTOTgvWZgRnYcIWwao8o1adDnPFhu_HLsvkrUgxkzca6dsrEYxthGx3NuKAtCfae2vwLMmEx_XVsgCvu4LqfAOI4xyXWMs-GSXfFPf7PMc3heBmHeaxw1dg2FaHCMTNQn/w452-h640/James%20Forten%20portrait,%201818.%20Credit%20the%20Collection%20of%20the%20Historical%20Society%20of%20Pennsylania..jpg" width="452" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;">Artist unknown, <i>Presumed Portrait of James Forten</i>, c. 1820</b></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Is it James Forten? We know that Forten’s wife treasured a portrait of him after he died in 1842. Charlotte Vandine Forten lived until 1884, so that there was no need to identify the painting on her behalf. By the time the portrait reached the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, its reputation as being a likeness of Forten was secure.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">That is far from the kind of exacting detail required by art historians. The curators of the <i>Black Founders</i> exhibit are quite forthright about the lack of positive documentation. Two other works, one of them an early photo, are also considered. Judging from the evidence, neither of these is likely to portray Forten.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">From a purely artistic point of view, the profile portrait is a professional caliber, though second-rank, painting. It is exactly the kind of work that an affluent, “self-made” man like Forten would have favored. A fair likeness and a good investment! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">This is also the type of portrait, typical of American painters working in the domestic market during the early 1800's. These "limners", often unknown today and under-appreciated, laid the foundation for subsequent American art. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">With other works of art on view in <i>Black Founders</i>, we are on firmer ground when it comes to proof and provenance. Thanks to the generosity of descendants of James Forten, a table from the Forten home, the Forten family Bible and needlepoint "samplers" by his daughters, Mary and Margaretta, are on view in the exhibition.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9VnG7KuVhF-oqsVbq0OpK5_ZNrnfN_-1WbOUcPSAkhVkmODsbu_ydxR0lXeiPWwrGrO6UhCA9svDMJcpX4RSOxOWV4LbgS9EwIonugFkwHszAUT-gcMIVmtnrwPWN-4uoioNWUMzXjyFhkbDXEO1keLs1DTSym6Jx_eLkbRKUnfDFY-IseKCT891w/s999/Forten%20table.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="999" data-original-width="789" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9VnG7KuVhF-oqsVbq0OpK5_ZNrnfN_-1WbOUcPSAkhVkmODsbu_ydxR0lXeiPWwrGrO6UhCA9svDMJcpX4RSOxOWV4LbgS9EwIonugFkwHszAUT-gcMIVmtnrwPWN-4uoioNWUMzXjyFhkbDXEO1keLs1DTSym6Jx_eLkbRKUnfDFY-IseKCT891w/w506-h640/Forten%20table.jpg" width="506" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Gallery view of the <i>Black Founders</i> exhibition, showing</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> a table owned by James Forten, made in Phila., c. 1790-1805</b></span></div></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikMZZYaFy4IViGDlv-wedfPeOFnQTpbl-YrAb1DDlzcN4Lj8ZB19ZmbNtS2mWGPtJvq3YE_-D4CTcEnuvUtdPtGnT9YV6L9B2UyugEIfcgG3hQGFo-T6xn1xvbBZp1KFJ4L1PncBFXwoFiEyMQO03JzGgxvAx-fllpuLLqKZ3dmqbOiJ-LWRwEDeGc/s941/Margaretta%20Forten%20Sampler.%20Courtesy%20of%20Marcus%20and%20Lorri%20Huey..jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="941" height="612" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikMZZYaFy4IViGDlv-wedfPeOFnQTpbl-YrAb1DDlzcN4Lj8ZB19ZmbNtS2mWGPtJvq3YE_-D4CTcEnuvUtdPtGnT9YV6L9B2UyugEIfcgG3hQGFo-T6xn1xvbBZp1KFJ4L1PncBFXwoFiEyMQO03JzGgxvAx-fllpuLLqKZ3dmqbOiJ-LWRwEDeGc/w640-h612/Margaretta%20Forten%20Sampler.%20Courtesy%20of%20Marcus%20and%20Lorri%20Huey..jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Margaretta Forten<i> </i>Sampler, Collection of Marcus & Lorri Huey</b></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Such examples of the "material culture" of social life in the early Republic are priceless. These works underscore the identification of African American citizens like James Forten with American culture and the democratic values of the nation.</span></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGfjnD7xnvijp482k9gBQKwn17ZkZwvvah_SkCJNx82F8gr8QlRVHjNOCpIPJfcVMuAMnrSqWPOAhTipWl0XY8VfPwl_uUAfRcm9-E1L7vKTTTl4yL2x9ZHVcl-fae0Ij_XO_vQbLEOjEmqAGpd5RwMChm1wPC64zJWmSZ6FdpOzaiNSsgwTZjaMeV/s928/Ship%20Trophy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="928" data-original-width="696" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGfjnD7xnvijp482k9gBQKwn17ZkZwvvah_SkCJNx82F8gr8QlRVHjNOCpIPJfcVMuAMnrSqWPOAhTipWl0XY8VfPwl_uUAfRcm9-E1L7vKTTTl4yL2x9ZHVcl-fae0Ij_XO_vQbLEOjEmqAGpd5RwMChm1wPC64zJWmSZ6FdpOzaiNSsgwTZjaMeV/w480-h640/Ship%20Trophy.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2023)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Silver Urn presented to Capt. Isaac Hull, </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>commander of<i> USS Constitution,</i></b><i> </i></span><b style="font-family: verdana;">1812</b></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">James Forten was a seafaring man and a business executive involved with maritime trade. When the news of the naval victory of the<i> USS Constitution</i> over the British warship <i>Guerriere</i> during the War of 1812 reached Philadelphia, Forten subscribed to a fund to present a silver urn honoring Captain Isaac Hull, the commander of "Old Ironsides".</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Along with the Civil War battle flag of the 127th U.S. Colored Troops (shown above), this silver urn reinforces and reminds us of the patriotism of James Forten and African American heroes like him. The Museum of the American Revolution is devoted to such noble sentiments. But there is much more involved here than merely placing relics of the past in glass cases.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">In an impressive initiative, the curators of the Museum of the American Revolution are teaming with Ancestry® to make available an archive of 200 documents relating to African American and Native American soldiers who served during the Revolutionary War. These primary sources of historical record - muster rolls, pay vouchers, enlistment papers, and discharge forms - will soon be available for online searching, free of charge.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2vlYrO7tZqKqPnWuFLvxA1X_r4U_jJeeVt-CM7-rUeErSBJorizIQQUf9PcA-w5P41_1AsDBcjlWzM9g8BMecR5bxl4xxCqrBUAEuq8gqJJAwpr5wwQCgXGxRXLJmVYDjeK2EpGXCtoa6m0UyrrOS8477pEu-fL-tvUiZRPvfzOAu9x3O849NXXoV/s1100/Troiani%20detail.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1100" data-original-width="762" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2vlYrO7tZqKqPnWuFLvxA1X_r4U_jJeeVt-CM7-rUeErSBJorizIQQUf9PcA-w5P41_1AsDBcjlWzM9g8BMecR5bxl4xxCqrBUAEuq8gqJJAwpr5wwQCgXGxRXLJmVYDjeK2EpGXCtoa6m0UyrrOS8477pEu-fL-tvUiZRPvfzOAu9x3O849NXXoV/w444-h640/Troiani%20detail.JPG" width="444" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves</b><b style="font-family: verdana;"> Photo (2023)</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;">Detail of Don Troiani's, <i>Brave Men as Ever Fought, </i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana;">showing the young James Forten in 1781</b></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">James Forten was born ten years before the Declaration of Independence and died twenty years before the Emancipation Proclamation. His life -and the superb exhibition at the Museum of the American Revolution - bring to mind the memorable words of John Adams in 1818. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Long before the first shots at the battles of Lexington and Concord, "the radical change in the principles, opinions, sentiments and affections of the people" had already occurred. This, Adams wrote, "was the real American Revolution." </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">One of the hearts where this "real American Revolution" took place was James Forten's.</span></p><div>***</div><div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Text: Copyright of Ed Voves, all rights reserved </span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Introductory image:</span></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves, Photo (2023) The logo and signature image of the <i>Black Founders, the Forten Family of Philadelphia </i>exhibition at the Museum of the American Revolution.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves, Photo (2023) </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Nathan Alford Tate, who portrays James Forten at the Museum of the American Revolution. A pew from Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church is shown in this gallery view of the <i>Black Founders </i>exhibition.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves, Photo (2023) </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Gallery view of the</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Black Founders</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">exhibition, showing</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> Don Troiani's painting,</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Brave Men as Ever Fought, </i><span style="font-family: verdana;">2020 (collection of the Museum of the American Revolution).</span></div></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves, Photo (2023) </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">A ship model for a prototype vessel for the Continental Navy, made by Joshua Humphreys of Philadelphia, 1777. Independence National Historical Park Collection, Philadelphia, PA.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-style: normal;">Ed Voves, Photo (2023) </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-style: normal;">Gallery view of the </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Black Founders</i><i style="font-family: verdana; font-style: normal;"> </i><span style="font-family: verdana;">exhibition</span><i style="font-family: verdana; font-style: normal;">, </i><span style="font-family: verdana; font-style: normal;">showing a recreated sail loft similar to James Forten's.</span><b style="font-family: verdana; font-style: normal;"> </b></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: left;"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-style: normal;"><br /></b></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-style: normal;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves, Photo (2023) </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">A portrait photo of </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Charlotte Forten Grimke. Collection of the New York Public Library.</span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div><div><i style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><br /></i></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;">Attributed to John Rose (1752/53-1820)<b style="font-style: italic;"> </b><i>Music and Dance in Beaufort County, </i>c. 1785. Watercolor on laid paper: 11 11/16 in. x 17 7/8 in. </span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;">The collection of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Gift of Abby Aldrich Rockefeller. #1935 301.3 A&B</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves, Photo (2023) </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Holy Bible</i>, printed in 1838, owned by the</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> Forten Family. Collection of Atwood "Kip" Forten Jacobs.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves, Photo (2023) </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Detail of the Regimental flag of the 127th U.S. Colored Troops. Collection of the Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta Historical Center.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;">Artist unknown (Perhaps Robert Douglass Jr.) <i>Presumed Portrait of James Forten</i>, c. 1820. Oil on paper. Leon Gardner collection, Historical Society of Pennsylvania. #0008.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves, Photo (2023) </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Gallery view of the </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Black Founders </i><span style="font-family: verdana;">exhibition, showing </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> a table owned by James Forten, made in Philadelphia, c, 1790-1805. </span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;">Collection of Marcus & Lorri Huey,</span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;">Margaretta Forten<i> </i>Sampler, Collection of Marcus & Lorri Huey. Image courtesy of </span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;">Marcus & Lorri Huey and Museum of the American Revolution.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves, Photo (2023) </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Silver Urn presented to Capt. Isaac Hull,<b> </b></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">commander of<i> USS Constitution,</i><i> </i></span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;">1812. Created by Thomas Fetcher and Sidney Gardner, Philadelphia silversmiths. Sterling silver: 29.5 in. (height) x 22 in. (width) x 12 in. (depth). Private collection, </span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;">on loan to USS Constitution Museum.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: center;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> Photo (2023) </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Detail of Don Troiani's, </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Brave Men as Ever Fought </i><span style="font-family: verdana;">(2020)</span><i style="font-family: verdana;">, </i><span style="font-family: verdana;">showing the young James Forten in 1781.</span></div></span></div></div></span></div></span></div></span></div>Art Eyewitnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347317000349363690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8200843910512523791.post-65113393650320325932023-02-19T14:40:00.007-08:002023-02-20T08:04:59.803-08:00Art Eyewitness Review: She Who Wrote: Enheduanna at the Morgan Library<p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ1bMfcVmKzS7OxCNg9a31UoMKXv059oluogK2nwUdqMbCxAGoCXana69CKsdMQBPVkcgsdHzMk7AX8j5MpCofSFNKbbbXIK1ap_Td-ya6bBf1tWKArXIo40jPF0QHdU8zEuMd4OQFfumnDzzSxoYJy5LrsvgDWr_2VtKS4UN_KJGhKOP0Q4d8e67W/s2825/Enheduanna_12_53_Statue_Enthroned.jpg" style="font-family: verdana; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2825" data-original-width="1433" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ1bMfcVmKzS7OxCNg9a31UoMKXv059oluogK2nwUdqMbCxAGoCXana69CKsdMQBPVkcgsdHzMk7AX8j5MpCofSFNKbbbXIK1ap_Td-ya6bBf1tWKArXIo40jPF0QHdU8zEuMd4OQFfumnDzzSxoYJy5LrsvgDWr_2VtKS4UN_KJGhKOP0Q4d8e67W/w324-h640/Enheduanna_12_53_Statue_Enthroned.jpg" width="324" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i><b>She Who Wrote:<br /></b></i></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i> Enheduanna & Women of </i></span><i style="text-align: left;">Mesopotamia</i><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">,<i> ca. 3400-2000 BC</i></span></b></h3><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="text-align: left;"><b>Morgan Library & Museum</b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i><b>October 2022 - February 19, 2023</b></i></span></div></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Reviewed by Ed Voves</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Over the years, the Morgan Library and Museum has mounted a number of outstanding exhibitions highlighting the brilliant achievements of women writers and artists.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Here are just a few of these Morgan presentations that spring to mind: <i>A Woman's Wit: Jane Austin's Life and Legacy (2009-2010)</i>; <i>I'm Nobody! Who are You? the Life and Poetry of Emily Dickinson</i> (2017); and one of my "top ten" exhibits, <i>Charlotte Bronte: an Independent Wil</i>l (2016-2017).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">During 2020-2021, many centennial events were planned by museums in tribute to the 19th Amendment giving American women the right to vote. It was only to be expected that the curators at the Morgan would mount an exhibition to celebrate a notable woman or a theme related to women's history - and indeed they did have one scheduled for the autumn of 2021. Their choice of topic was brilliant, if unusual: the story of Enheduanna, history's first writer.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcA7yO4L-1Ia6FMbiIz5ps6e0uOmkDyN4cXgTIkURwWkt7s0Lt1HTxZXxV10JAVfdvYgPmNNyOvPDr9dqwQT_FcSmHiLtRfmU1di7LlBnn69MOKIt11LlVqdg_Ze8VVu1J8CfYNEsLeO5x941UTleVXi6-TwA8cjhGDaKZZOZQqj06FK23X5hEmMEs/s906/Enheduanna%20entry%20a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="906" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcA7yO4L-1Ia6FMbiIz5ps6e0uOmkDyN4cXgTIkURwWkt7s0Lt1HTxZXxV10JAVfdvYgPmNNyOvPDr9dqwQT_FcSmHiLtRfmU1di7LlBnn69MOKIt11LlVqdg_Ze8VVu1J8CfYNEsLeO5x941UTleVXi6-TwA8cjhGDaKZZOZQqj06FK23X5hEmMEs/w640-h442/Enheduanna%20entry%20a.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2022)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> Entrance to </span><i style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">She Who Wrote: Enheduanna and Women of Mesopotamia, </i><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">at the Morgan Library & Museum</span></b></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Let us underscore this fact, Enheduanna, a noble woman from ancient Mesopotamia, was the first author, <i>male or female</i>, to be recorded in the annals of civilization. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Events - in the shape of the Covid-19 pandemic - interfered with the Morgan's exhibition. Entitled <i>She Who Wrote: Enheduanna and Women of </i></span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Mesopotamia</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">,<i> ca. 3400-2000 BC</i>, it was delayed until October 2022. The exhibit, now in its final days, is a splendid one, but Enhedeuanna's long wait for recognition is actually a very long story and a rather complicated one.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_LMO265HSlzp3h2zmdR7FVfiRStdeIOOR8VCDuGP-vHIwZvc5NGWB83kTgoDcqRAjbVJci9YJA-qzDNk8arGZfrhZpNu8aDeFznfb9k1VL-uDrS4hqe1NqLUzDm2CHFaQ6-9mz0nxccKW_3YMOsDUJRhpSdAOYuoss-zBvAE1hT6GBJ8s9pjvvUDQ/s889/DSC06868.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="606" data-original-width="889" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_LMO265HSlzp3h2zmdR7FVfiRStdeIOOR8VCDuGP-vHIwZvc5NGWB83kTgoDcqRAjbVJci9YJA-qzDNk8arGZfrhZpNu8aDeFznfb9k1VL-uDrS4hqe1NqLUzDm2CHFaQ6-9mz0nxccKW_3YMOsDUJRhpSdAOYuoss-zBvAE1hT6GBJ8s9pjvvUDQ/w640-h436/DSC06868.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Ed Voves, Photo (2022) </span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Gallery view of</span></b></div><div><i style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> She Who Wrote: Enheduanna and Women of Mesopotamia</b></i></div></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Enheduanna was the daughter of Sargon of Akkad, the conquering warlord who united the city states of Mesopotamia into what many regard as history's first empire. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQzeDZS3NvLtB8CzxGvoFAs0RSSEglnt9gixHdI2zJCbYYW5B_nDkUezLkWM1CE_LanyL2-Dig5YpMc_rFPy3U2bTPNmhS9eV3-vOU1RJNzfgF1PFBUUbBtecOvJ6xqt041iKUj5dU2a244TsUGAfWoRPYKpKDS02AufoShYpTheb9hWO2eW7TFTs9/s915/Enheduanna%20name.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="457" data-original-width="915" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQzeDZS3NvLtB8CzxGvoFAs0RSSEglnt9gixHdI2zJCbYYW5B_nDkUezLkWM1CE_LanyL2-Dig5YpMc_rFPy3U2bTPNmhS9eV3-vOU1RJNzfgF1PFBUUbBtecOvJ6xqt041iKUj5dU2a244TsUGAfWoRPYKpKDS02AufoShYpTheb9hWO2eW7TFTs9/w400-h200/Enheduanna%20name.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2022) Enheduanna's Name in Cuneiform </b></span></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Enheduanna, whose name means "high priestess, ornament of heaven," lived around 2300 BC. She was a politically powerful figure during her lifetime and remained influential through her writings for many centuries afterward.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGsEYC6uZnSSUl-TQ1CMyrMW_DtVc1i6l0jVUDQE5Pz8U4gAVpKcDS-xi8BOJSIFf6USneb09fPeL3uYgZ1vUPmj1sgjlhxdQP1sChVh-VSaoN3DR5_q0igdtEKU9pNZChrJztpJfbCMlbgHYCOGprfRDK1LbGsx4i3tn1qJLDjsOveuWtLpGt0gby/s889/Disk%20of%20Enheduanna.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="813" data-original-width="889" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGsEYC6uZnSSUl-TQ1CMyrMW_DtVc1i6l0jVUDQE5Pz8U4gAVpKcDS-xi8BOJSIFf6USneb09fPeL3uYgZ1vUPmj1sgjlhxdQP1sChVh-VSaoN3DR5_q0igdtEKU9pNZChrJztpJfbCMlbgHYCOGprfRDK1LbGsx4i3tn1qJLDjsOveuWtLpGt0gby/w400-h366/Disk%20of%20Enheduanna.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2022)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> </span><i style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">The Disk of Enheduanna, </i><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">2300 BC</span></b></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Eventually, Enheduanna faded into the dust of the past. Then, in 1927, a circular stone object was uncovered in an archaeological "dig" in present day Iraq. Measuring 10 1/8 inches (25 cm) in diameter and 2 3/4 inches (7 cm) thick, the alabaster <i>Disk of Enheduanna</i> had been smashed into fragments thousands of years ago. But once it was pieced together, it portrayed Enheduanna, in a profile view, showing her as a priestess engaged in a religious ritual. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">A cuneiform tablet, created at a later date in antiquity, displayed a poem written by Enheduanna, </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">The Exaltation of Inanna</i><span style="font-family: verdana;">.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhspK3BkYEmIVXu5PiWgoGGjcjhrxXuEigAZTvntvHuSsAh2hL9F4cYj5ogKqWnY6TqEvZF-JnAKdI_rA1NUk__15yQBQkVtRASF-1KB3PVxK36465I8NiBq2990QfQYMne9q2mXY0peQAdUab6rRJioYjtH28Cjx4JjBg5Glp_8z9VtYzi-jqI67S3/s1212/Exaltation%20of%20Inanna.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1212" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhspK3BkYEmIVXu5PiWgoGGjcjhrxXuEigAZTvntvHuSsAh2hL9F4cYj5ogKqWnY6TqEvZF-JnAKdI_rA1NUk__15yQBQkVtRASF-1KB3PVxK36465I8NiBq2990QfQYMne9q2mXY0peQAdUab6rRJioYjtH28Cjx4JjBg5Glp_8z9VtYzi-jqI67S3/w476-h640/Exaltation%20of%20Inanna.JPG" width="476" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2022)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> Tablet inscribed with <i>The Exaltation of Inanna</i></b></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">These archaeological finds are immensely important, proving that Enheduanna was a major writer, many centuries before Homer or Herodotus. Yet, it has taken decades since these discoveries for her status and literary stature to be fully recognized.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The announcement of firm, archaeological evidence of the first author in history should have been a "stop the presses" event. Had the identity been that of an already well-known figure like Sargon or a person in some way related to the Holy Bible, the event would have almost certainly received greater publicity. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">As a woman, virtually unknown to history, Enheduanna had one strike - a big one - against her. Two more strikes made it even more difficult for her to get the credit she deserves. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">In 1922, the discovery of the tomb of King Tutankamun raised the bar of ancient celebrity status to a very high degree. And then, in the same year that the <i>Disk of Enheduanna</i> was unearthed, another dramatic discovery was made, this time at Ur, Enheduanna's own "backyard." This revelation all but consigned her to the footnotes of the annual archaeological reports of field work in Mesopotamia. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGhS2lI8MYv9v9_hUAcyLwwP2myzYpYOLkVUpr8OxNwiqaKsMfBzpLtvhGTQLkSBPGVoAX_aV4GbwyjM9Hib8YHzODkjRt1wkL-ZV4VRr8rNNWlaXFKFsL5Y59uRRJZ_cFO2ZDPo2ktCLhjecWMl4-KsIP06-0GJJ56c3Na5ifjlButg0_zD-YERbK/s1197/Puabi%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1197" data-original-width="665" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGhS2lI8MYv9v9_hUAcyLwwP2myzYpYOLkVUpr8OxNwiqaKsMfBzpLtvhGTQLkSBPGVoAX_aV4GbwyjM9Hib8YHzODkjRt1wkL-ZV4VRr8rNNWlaXFKFsL5Y59uRRJZ_cFO2ZDPo2ktCLhjecWMl4-KsIP06-0GJJ56c3Na5ifjlButg0_zD-YERbK/w356-h640/Puabi%202.jpg" width="356" /></a></div><b><br /></b><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Ed Voves, Photo (2022) </span><i style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Queen Puabi’s Funerary Ensemble</i></b></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">In 1927, Leonard Woolley, the same archaeologist who found the battered pieces of the <i>Disk of Enheduanna</i>, excavated the tomb of <a href="http://arteyewitness.blogspot.com/2018/04/university-of-pennsylvania-museums-new.html"><span style="color: #2200ff;">Queen Puabi</span></a>, filled with exquisite treasures including her glittering headdress, ear rings and necklaces, believed by some art lovers to be the most beautiful royal regalia in all of history. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfCKhaqH175RgYYU1k0numA6xmEG1kUlHwTtSe8MrKXfKdvaliAJqNePL5ddxRD2udgIRkERrV-obJxKgTCOHB8h6PFNxWzFUBp4-u9fp0lCE436TBZeM217lG4H0792z9ke34j3-jogw_i_t4UgRGyyE0efWS8YAdvY01f0xEyb61NE0Xoan-TuSE/s1300/Enheduanna%20%20Puabi.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1300" data-original-width="918" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfCKhaqH175RgYYU1k0numA6xmEG1kUlHwTtSe8MrKXfKdvaliAJqNePL5ddxRD2udgIRkERrV-obJxKgTCOHB8h6PFNxWzFUBp4-u9fp0lCE436TBZeM217lG4H0792z9ke34j3-jogw_i_t4UgRGyyE0efWS8YAdvY01f0xEyb61NE0Xoan-TuSE/w452-h640/Enheduanna%20%20Puabi.jpg" width="452" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2022) Gallery view of the Enheduanna exhibition showing <i>Queen Puabi’s Funerary Ensemble</i></b></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">One of the major incentives in visiting the Morgan exhibition is the impressive display of Puabi's "crown" or headdress, on loan from the University of Pennsylvania Museum. In a sense, Puabi is upstaging Enheduanna again, as the breathtakingly beautiful ensemble of gold jewelry and precious stone beads dominates much of the exhibition gallery. But thanks to the Morgan's curator, Sidney Babcock, Enheduanna eventually asserts her own royal presence.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPNPf80sRXdLf_46KQwao1VvXjzFSTXARVG58trz9wH0wuesu352cQUAKwVKxGhcnmVfX01vecTvXu8uhknH7jyXBgN1-hBLHez_5uMtECDMSxV-faiOF3RZ9QTSI9V_qz3XnhFaHmJWIJv7G7TJEEre0hQ0L2vWadjD56Oe34F73UPuSq9nXO7fJl/s1000/Sidney%20Babcock.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPNPf80sRXdLf_46KQwao1VvXjzFSTXARVG58trz9wH0wuesu352cQUAKwVKxGhcnmVfX01vecTvXu8uhknH7jyXBgN1-hBLHez_5uMtECDMSxV-faiOF3RZ9QTSI9V_qz3XnhFaHmJWIJv7G7TJEEre0hQ0L2vWadjD56Oe34F73UPuSq9nXO7fJl/w640-h480/Sidney%20Babcock.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2022)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> Curator Sidney Babcock, with</span><i style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> The Disk of Enheduanna</i></b></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Throughout much of in the twentieth century, Enheduanna languished in the shadows of the fine print of scholarly journals. Then in 1968, a very detailed study of Enheduanna's poem, <i>The Exaltatation of Inanna</i>, was made by a noted scholar, William Hallo, assisted by J.J.A. van Dijk. Hallo's book is the kind of academic work almost never read by the public, but it established beyond doubt that Enheduanna was one ot the pioneers of world literature:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">...<i>at or near the beginning of classical Sumerian literature, we can now discern a corpus of poetry of the very first rank which not only reveals its author's name, but delineates the author for us in truly autobiographical fashion. In the person of Enheduanna, we are confronted by a woman who was at once princess, priestess and poetess, a personality who set the standards in all of her roles for many succeeding centuries, and whose merits were recognized, in singular Mesopotamian fashion, long after.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">This is precisely what the Morgan exhibition asserts, so memorably and cogently, with a trove of treasures related to Enheduanna and the women of Mesopotamia.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwB_CVBr4wd22ysj8uzmqrep9IOB0wQXeLAYBDqpnlY2LLn8x_3mMVkzTEnsGeOed8rLTQqeCwYpI6wkEsf4G88MLlFKmjTDaXiffo7QaPBDZgowpCgNSzzP8M_r7l0lA4xrdMGQSHha_Ia0HO9osX_kuSSDc_zOlvIPnhwP38F20sYyZCy5lc6m8s/s1000/Enheduanna%20gallery.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="876" data-original-width="1000" height="560" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwB_CVBr4wd22ysj8uzmqrep9IOB0wQXeLAYBDqpnlY2LLn8x_3mMVkzTEnsGeOed8rLTQqeCwYpI6wkEsf4G88MLlFKmjTDaXiffo7QaPBDZgowpCgNSzzP8M_r7l0lA4xrdMGQSHha_Ia0HO9osX_kuSSDc_zOlvIPnhwP38F20sYyZCy5lc6m8s/w640-h560/Enheduanna%20gallery.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div><b><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Ed Voves, Photo (2022) </span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Gallery view of</span></b></div><div><i style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> She Who Wrote: Enheduanna and Women of Mesopotamia</b></i></div></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Queen Puabi lived around 2500 BC, approximately two centuries before Enheduanna. Both women resided in the city of Ur and were Akkadians, that is members of the Semitic-speaking nobility, rather than the indigenous Sumerians, who had been subjected to Akkadian rule. Although the focus of the Morgan's exhibit is the role of women in Mesopotamia, a subtext - which cannot be ignored - is the dynastic politics which directly engaged both Puabi and Enheduanna.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">When Sargon completed the Akkadian take-over of Mesopotamia, Enheduanna was installed as high priestess of the cult of the moon god, Nanna, of Ur. But her most important duty was to promote the assimilation of Sumerian religious beliefs to those of the Akkadian ruling elite. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Enheduanna the poet is given credit for a major poem or hymn, <i>The</i> <i>Exaltation of Inanna</i>. To Akkadians like Enheduanna, Inanna was known as Ishtar or Istar. Over the centuries, Inanna/Ishtar would reappear in the Greek world as Aphrodite, goddess of love. Inanna/Ishtar certainly promoted beauty and fertility in Mesopotamia but, especially as Ishtar, this goddess was also a terrifying exponent of war.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The dual faces of Inanna/Ishtar are brilliantly contrasted in the Morgan exhibition by two important artifacts. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdsH8YSpz02_4a9FaqoQ9ohVnbo_LtS3DSM0T0UuvuKDA1wLrVVbDbyLaXWpHE0MtLxCorEy6H6TuajDXSqvU-IPOFJiZjcZ6dPW1d-SJiLvtJlgtCLntp0KpFeY5_YGk_p1ohw7gP9RAtuR6AqyQhG1Ig-87FtefuXjMIewfWUj9BmgDkhyK51G9b/s953/Sumerian%20goddess.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="953" data-original-width="741" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdsH8YSpz02_4a9FaqoQ9ohVnbo_LtS3DSM0T0UuvuKDA1wLrVVbDbyLaXWpHE0MtLxCorEy6H6TuajDXSqvU-IPOFJiZjcZ6dPW1d-SJiLvtJlgtCLntp0KpFeY5_YGk_p1ohw7gP9RAtuR6AqyQhG1Ig-87FtefuXjMIewfWUj9BmgDkhyK51G9b/w498-h640/Sumerian%20goddess.JPG" width="498" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2022)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> <i>Fragment of a Vessel with Frontal Image of a Goddess</i>, ca. 2400 BC</b></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The first is a fragment of a vessel showing a Sumerian goddess, probably Inanna. Dating to ca. 2400 BC, this divine being reveals an earth goddess character. It evokes the nourishing, life-sustaining agricultural revolution which made Sumer the template for all of the later Mesopotamian - and Western - societies.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim3It78ug9H14b64YVN5_RJMUlzcaHKF_bttKdt-OOcFxYrETfoHr1T-xuq0Ow00nEjJf5e_bddw1LLbCX8ewWg_lU78KVxuMOjVz8nkFx6UHlxdShXK0SUnwU5NdCx2LEE2r0Vx1yjfzzc2TiKwtJ5h7TiwCviuMqv6anjHn2J2-CPktJ6kWAJ7Ik/s1000/Ninishkun%20and%20Ishtar.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="527" data-original-width="1000" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim3It78ug9H14b64YVN5_RJMUlzcaHKF_bttKdt-OOcFxYrETfoHr1T-xuq0Ow00nEjJf5e_bddw1LLbCX8ewWg_lU78KVxuMOjVz8nkFx6UHlxdShXK0SUnwU5NdCx2LEE2r0Vx1yjfzzc2TiKwtJ5h7TiwCviuMqv6anjHn2J2-CPktJ6kWAJ7Ik/w640-h338/Ninishkun%20and%20Ishtar.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Ed Voves, Photo (2022)</span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> Cylinder seal & modern impression</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> <i>The </i></span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i>Goddesses Ninishkun and Ishtar</i>, ca. </span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">2334–2154 BC</span></b></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ishtar, as she is appears in an impression made by a cylinder seal, is very different. Her face, masterfully carved by the intaglio process, so that the diminutive seal could be pressed into clay, projects an impassive savagery. This withering look is reinforced by the lion she grips by a leash and the battle-axe or mace which she holds in her other hand. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9l8apM8D2Ewi7MgQcoB0s6Z7-vJpUiGHQYkxBNFdQJAIBR7X8iOBEYpBcRAhtiQuv4KEHKCpe6kF2wTToxA-fxttzHaDbIxWIJBvcoMULa35lVLiTis16dPgnIjwhAI0IYdymKoGx9M6kGi-TQXEGa92LWBtDCtJNfqXXBrWI397IpPzxqwxOwQ2e/s897/ninishkin%20and%20ishtar.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="797" data-original-width="897" height="568" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9l8apM8D2Ewi7MgQcoB0s6Z7-vJpUiGHQYkxBNFdQJAIBR7X8iOBEYpBcRAhtiQuv4KEHKCpe6kF2wTToxA-fxttzHaDbIxWIJBvcoMULa35lVLiTis16dPgnIjwhAI0IYdymKoGx9M6kGi-TQXEGa92LWBtDCtJNfqXXBrWI397IpPzxqwxOwQ2e/w640-h568/ninishkin%20and%20ishtar.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Enheduanna's own words, as set-down in cuneiform on a one-tablet edition of <i>The Exaltation of Inanna</i>, dating to 1750 BC, reveal the shifts from nurture to aggression which could happen without warning. At first, we are regaled with visions of Inanna's benevolence.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Queen of all cosmic powers, bright light shining from above, </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Steadfast woman, arrayed in splendor, beloved of earth and sky,</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">In the second stanza, the mood shifts to images of destruction and war.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>You spew venom on a country, like a dragon. </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Wherever you raise your voice, like a tempest, no crop is left standing</i>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">These are hardly the comforting, humane sentiments provided by the Morgan's exhibitions on Jane Austin and Emily Dickinson! Needless-to-say, Enheduanna's era was very different from England and America during the 1800's. It was a very violent world. The foot of Ishtar, firmly planted on the lion's rump on the cylinder seal impression (above), likely symbolizes the military campaigns waged by Sargon and his successors to repel raiders from the deserts surrounding Mesopotamia</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Enheduanna composed hymn poems to appease Inanna/Ishtar, who could turn from a caring, protective deity to a wrathful one with the suddenness of a river in flood or a blinding sandstorm. Enheduanna knew from personal experience what rapid shifts in political fortune could bring. At one point, she was driven into exile when a usurper seized control of Ur.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Morgan curators utilize the surviving archaeological evidence to confirm what Hallo asserted back in 1968. Enheduanna, as "princess, priestess and poetess" did "set the standards in all of her roles for many succeeding centuries..."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ0JGdHsUbSzI5t682F14geP34UQY3s3Td3aeQD-dmUlcxsCWH8zBKDCzmfcb5UScBuvgOx3zKnHcTHBvt_1mjQc3qADlbfvgj9WZtDXTxlc0U81yqFa1hq6a9XMrPTrxRpbD9suL886SlKAKkqwNaJJPVExW2RmRGjJOOQCXxZSfof3-0RwCpMfGf/s972/Enheduanna%20gallery%202.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="696" data-original-width="972" height="458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ0JGdHsUbSzI5t682F14geP34UQY3s3Td3aeQD-dmUlcxsCWH8zBKDCzmfcb5UScBuvgOx3zKnHcTHBvt_1mjQc3qADlbfvgj9WZtDXTxlc0U81yqFa1hq6a9XMrPTrxRpbD9suL886SlKAKkqwNaJJPVExW2RmRGjJOOQCXxZSfof3-0RwCpMfGf/w640-h458/Enheduanna%20gallery%202.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Ed Voves, Photo (2022) </span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Gallery view of</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> She Who Wrote: Enheduanna and Women of Mesopotamia</b></i></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Two principal means of illustrating Enheduanna's life and times are used: a brilliant selection of cylinder seals with modern-day impressions and an imposing array of statues and figurines depicting the women of Mesopotamia, perhaps Enheduanna herself.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgdIryYAF9pixq8Hif4GLr_qjtM1zQpjoUxQtqxKLDhAoMC4SqE10SCAM7xXEim-1VMi7CFyzybeYrx8ZdmZh_tXydYMwHzyLM0wBQmGn8bzN0E0mR-pRGY_rl3nDz9kQVrj4jAySSv_E46DZlyes7mQK2o4yM_kLpoEuQ_Fs26NL7fswbXRxDa5Hk/s892/Enheduanna%20profile.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="892" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgdIryYAF9pixq8Hif4GLr_qjtM1zQpjoUxQtqxKLDhAoMC4SqE10SCAM7xXEim-1VMi7CFyzybeYrx8ZdmZh_tXydYMwHzyLM0wBQmGn8bzN0E0mR-pRGY_rl3nDz9kQVrj4jAySSv_E46DZlyes7mQK2o4yM_kLpoEuQ_Fs26NL7fswbXRxDa5Hk/w640-h430/Enheduanna%20profile.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">Ed Voves, Photo (2022) Detail of </span><i style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">The Disk of Enheduanna</i></b></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It is almost a miracle that Enheduanna's image in profile survived the smash-up of the <i>Disk of Enheduanna</i>. This was certainly an act of politically-motivated vandalism. Enheduanna is shown to be an older, full-faced woman on the<i> Disk</i>. It is tempting to think that perhaps the serene <i>Seated Female Figure with Vessel in Hands</i>, from Ur, III period (ca. 2112–2004 BC) might be a representation of Enheduanna. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxQs4lYvLroFkpYacnX2NHJWPHxQnFA7kEMgFlPQj1eUhUZkFgNqbydPDKfVEQ0wCMbQY2utujvwGz0UAyvXNp5fSK7mu4tSHX4HjvZUvoW7fIJFZ1KvKskL-wQxgRHy3oC9roOxhIZsVE1V-rNCK80ESZEvU-KIWBbU6_hg4K_0MObtz3FexhmJ46/s815/Lead%20Seated%20Figure%20Ur%20III%20period%20a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="815" data-original-width="585" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxQs4lYvLroFkpYacnX2NHJWPHxQnFA7kEMgFlPQj1eUhUZkFgNqbydPDKfVEQ0wCMbQY2utujvwGz0UAyvXNp5fSK7mu4tSHX4HjvZUvoW7fIJFZ1KvKskL-wQxgRHy3oC9roOxhIZsVE1V-rNCK80ESZEvU-KIWBbU6_hg4K_0MObtz3FexhmJ46/w460-h640/Lead%20Seated%20Figure%20Ur%20III%20period%20a.jpg" width="460" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2022)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> <i>Seated Female Figure with Vessel in Hands</i>,</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> ca. 2112–2004 BC</b></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Could the fragmentary statuette of a woman with arching "Frida Kahlo" eyebrows be Enheduanna? Or might she be the formidable High Priestess with glaring inlaid eyes?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxqUR45gc172GKbgdb_OiNyPeyD1aUG5hty5J14cHcMyfWNAFv7Xr85Vpow3icIeHxb0NoN081rX1XopDhflyJSoHSTE38Z1L3aJVnk4NxOslXwR_8S7Z9VJ60i6lLLbn0Pz0jvJbc0KHxjhRyvvaDY369bh6_wfqpRHrUsDrLM_wkWpmlHWACKD4t/s900/Statuette%20Umma.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="728" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxqUR45gc172GKbgdb_OiNyPeyD1aUG5hty5J14cHcMyfWNAFv7Xr85Vpow3icIeHxb0NoN081rX1XopDhflyJSoHSTE38Z1L3aJVnk4NxOslXwR_8S7Z9VJ60i6lLLbn0Pz0jvJbc0KHxjhRyvvaDY369bh6_wfqpRHrUsDrLM_wkWpmlHWACKD4t/w324-h400/Statuette%20Umma.JPG" width="324" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2022)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b> <i>Fragment of a Statuette of a Female Figure</i>, 2334-2154 BC</b></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMmtG1oIMtifasAwDTwk8qI58JzEWDudS8LM2FWitCBpVXtMmDSz491iSUiEmTpoAyUGeiiIOzr7b6y3DNypOqgnBGcq1jN_hu86aYn5f2txozhScPlbx-y-IxzZOh_hLXRZcspvwPEmGinmwjKhVgyxAQIBWx_EOLGXqLB5B-SNG86E_8lZNd3g_V/s1000/Head%20of%20priestess.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="443" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMmtG1oIMtifasAwDTwk8qI58JzEWDudS8LM2FWitCBpVXtMmDSz491iSUiEmTpoAyUGeiiIOzr7b6y3DNypOqgnBGcq1jN_hu86aYn5f2txozhScPlbx-y-IxzZOh_hLXRZcspvwPEmGinmwjKhVgyxAQIBWx_EOLGXqLB5B-SNG86E_8lZNd3g_V/w284-h640/Head%20of%20priestess.jpg" width="284" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2022) </b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i>Head of a High Priestess</i>, </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">ca. 2334–2154 BC</span></b></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">All this is idle, almost silly, speculation. What these small statues identify is not a particular person but the strength, intelligence and resilience of the women of Mesopotamia, talents which Enheduanna certainly exemplified.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Resilience, most of all. The ability to endure hard work, the constant risk of famine or floods and the ever-present threat of war characterized the lives of the women of the ancient Sumerian cities. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTdWJpdvY3vsUnnYGSKQsY1M5ufpmUw3pWEW8vzKhBuWsq93hMkU4dmlig7JO0OJI4gmzIMWBtTJuAMl-7GB9F7JnYvyDgmRnqDiqRQS5xN-Ev_6puvXJad1V8wqQycHWMISQlIGgvOCe7432thUSXH9fgYZb3Q8-OcQZc7l5jF_BnhNh1MvnVidGM/s1170/Ishtar%20Assur.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1170" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTdWJpdvY3vsUnnYGSKQsY1M5ufpmUw3pWEW8vzKhBuWsq93hMkU4dmlig7JO0OJI4gmzIMWBtTJuAMl-7GB9F7JnYvyDgmRnqDiqRQS5xN-Ev_6puvXJad1V8wqQycHWMISQlIGgvOCe7432thUSXH9fgYZb3Q8-OcQZc7l5jF_BnhNh1MvnVidGM/w492-h640/Ishtar%20Assur.jpg" width="492" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Ed Voves Photo (2022) </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b><i>Standing Female Figure, </i>from<i> </i>Assur</b><b>, ca. 2400 BC</b></span></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">This durability seems to have rubbed-off on the striking alabaster figure of a be-robed woman, found by German archaeologists in a temple complex in Assur, the birthplace of the later Assyrian Empire. This lady worshiper, battered but unbowed, survived the destruction of the Assyrian strongholds during the seventh century BC. Then, after being unearthed shortly before World War I, she nearly succumbed to the aerial bombardment and Soviet assault on Berlin during World War II. That's a lot of history to endure!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">While these statues anchor the Morgan exhibition (along with Puabi's regalia), perhaps the most important works to complement </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">The Disk of Enheduanna</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> are the amazing cylinder seals. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">When pressed into clay or other substances, the cylinder (carved into a rare, precious stone like lapis lazuli) created a sealing bond over documents, vessels, containers, even doors, a bond that could not be broken except when properly mandated.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnzOzH5h0AFPynIc51nbsF1U_WfAf7pNvAivWVUJZeBe8FYOz5QqBf6bmgL6O8PWz0qy7hRYoIm0kqPxuOjfLoLaDqyv_3NztxUiw4of6XigrYN_stz74jB4bUahbTYWyUN-Iv9_N4MFmduIvYkli8Oq7sR1sGx5Znq-WOAlh57Yk8N25oPWCpJufo/s900/Cylinder%20seal%20Shumsani%20a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="395" data-original-width="900" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnzOzH5h0AFPynIc51nbsF1U_WfAf7pNvAivWVUJZeBe8FYOz5QqBf6bmgL6O8PWz0qy7hRYoIm0kqPxuOjfLoLaDqyv_3NztxUiw4of6XigrYN_stz74jB4bUahbTYWyUN-Iv9_N4MFmduIvYkli8Oq7sR1sGx5Znq-WOAlh57Yk8N25oPWCpJufo/w640-h280/Cylinder%20seal%20Shumsani%20a.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2022) </b></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> Cylinder seal and modern impression</span></b></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i> </i></span></b><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i><b>Shumshani, High Priestess of the Sun God,</b></i></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i> </i>ca.</span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> 2250 BC</span></b></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><br /></span></b></div>Cylinder seals thus provided testimonials that the rule of law, instituted by the gods and the monarch-priests who served them, was being obeyed. As a priestess, Enheduanna devoted herself to uphold correct forms of social conduct, as well as religious belief. This was no easy task. Inanna/Ishtar, as mentioned earlier, was a capricious, unpredictable goddess. Enheduanna composed hymn poems to appease the gods and keep their rage at bay.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKrLae819VSWn2MMjF3313A_Lw1SlIzW1Gpr_q6lmWF_Wxqx_xsf_94osWgN0Sep-T-W1MyzjsDVIbIYW_TzskZkHBcaxcbCVMIMnU9YGjXeGBdYDNIIuR56hYw4u2YQ67ocC-W_xzGtWMv9Q6hgYjxigJbnTNJqcOy7PTsNxs-et8veqFv2nzaCw-/s900/cylinder%20seal%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="900" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKrLae819VSWn2MMjF3313A_Lw1SlIzW1Gpr_q6lmWF_Wxqx_xsf_94osWgN0Sep-T-W1MyzjsDVIbIYW_TzskZkHBcaxcbCVMIMnU9YGjXeGBdYDNIIuR56hYw4u2YQ67ocC-W_xzGtWMv9Q6hgYjxigJbnTNJqcOy7PTsNxs-et8veqFv2nzaCw-/w640-h268/cylinder%20seal%202.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><b>Ed Voves, Photo (2022) </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"> Cylinder seal and modern impression</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><i> Ishtar receiving Worshipper: Hero Combating Lion,</i> </span><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">2250 BC</span></b></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The scenes which emerge, as if by magic, when the cylinder is rolled over clay illustrate Enheduanna's beliefs and poems, in short, her world. There is no better way to comprehend Enheduanna and Mesopotamian culture than to spend time studying cylinder seals, of which the Morgan possesses one of the finest collections among American museums.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFFI9PESfZlGEgYPLrcAaSn_7ytvxcBjLTxd4YUMWXrIRwq1udnyzXehJnCbkZ5ssl_YwHpNjQnEB0sz6HS9Bx6iu9qS71QgDuVGdvHFeMVMxDYTcxQJ5Ciu0-LnfojlSO-IawmpoWF0g2CzkDubWyI3rHtB9e7mOy9nXE9WyOhZBjPXrGTbOl0hah/s1003/Cylinder%20Shumsani%20last%20pic.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="655" data-original-width="1003" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFFI9PESfZlGEgYPLrcAaSn_7ytvxcBjLTxd4YUMWXrIRwq1udnyzXehJnCbkZ5ssl_YwHpNjQnEB0sz6HS9Bx6iu9qS71QgDuVGdvHFeMVMxDYTcxQJ5Ciu0-LnfojlSO-IawmpoWF0g2CzkDubWyI3rHtB9e7mOy9nXE9WyOhZBjPXrGTbOl0hah/w640-h418/Cylinder%20Shumsani%20last%20pic.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">It is some regret to me that I was only able to make one short visit to <i>She Who Wrote: Enheduanna and Women of Mesopotamia</i>, and post a last-minute review. But the Morgan exhibition is so brilliant that I could not let it go without the notice and praise which it deserves.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Thanks to <i>She Who Wrote: Enheduanna and Women of Mesopotamia </i>at the<i> </i>Morgan Library and Museum, Enheduanna's honored place in literature and history now seems secure. That could change, however. Our world, built on apparently secure foundations is actually a fragile edifice, as Enheduanna well knew. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Vulnerable to desert storms, political folly and human forgetfulness, civilization can soon return to the sands.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">***</span></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Text: Copyright of Ed Voves, all rights reserved </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Introductory image courtesy of the Morgan Library & Museum and the Louvre</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Introductory Image:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Seated Female Figure with Vessel in Hands</i>. Mesopotamia, Neo-Sumerian, Girsu (modern Tello) Ur III period (ca. 2112–2004 BC). Musée d' Louvre © </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">MN-Grand Palais</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves, Photo (2022) Entrance to the exhibition,<i> She Who Wrote: Enheduanna and Women of Mesopotamia, ca. 3400-2000 BC</i>, at the Morgan Library and Museum.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves, Photo (2022) Gallery view of <i>She Who Wrote: Enheduanna and Women of Mesopotamia, ca. 3400-2000 BC </i>at the Morgan Library and Museum.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves, Photo (2022) Enheduanna's Name in Cuneiform from the gallery of the Morgan exhibition, <i>She Who Wrote: Enheduanna and Women of Mesopotamia, ca. 3400-2000 BC</i>. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves, Photo (2022) <i>The Disk of Enheduanna</i>. Mesopotamia, Akkadian, Ur (modern Tell el- Muqayyar), gipar, ca. 2300 BC. Collection the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves, Photo (2022) Tablet inscribed with<i> The Exaltation of Inanna</i>, poem by Enheduanna. Mesopotamia, Nippur (modern Nuffar), ca. 1750 BC. Collection the University of Pennsylvania Museum.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves, Photo (2022) <i>Queen Puabi’s Funerary Ensemble.</i> Mesopotamia, Sumerian, Ur (modern Tell el-Muqayyar), Early Dynastic IIIa period,ca. 2500 BC. Collection of the University of Pennsylvania Museum. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves, Photo (2022) Gallery view of the Enheduanna exhibition at the Morgan Library and Museum showing <i>Queen Puabi’s Funerary Ensemble</i>. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves, Photo (2022) Sidney Babcock of of the Morgan Library and Museum, with<i> The Disk of Enheduanna</i>. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves, Photo (2022) Gallery view of <i>She Who Wrote: Enheduanna and Women of Mesopotamia, ca. 3400-2000 BC</i> at the Morgan Library and Museum.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves, Photo (2022) <i>Fragment of a Vessel with Frontal Image of a Goddess</i>. Mesopotamia, Sumerian, Early Dynastic, IIIb period, ca. 2400 BC. Collection of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin-Vorderasiatisches Museum.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves, Photo (2022) Cylinder seal (and modern impression) <i>The </i></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Goddesses Ninishkun and Ishtar</i>. Mesopotamia, Akkadian, ca. 2334–2154 BC. Collection of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves, Photo (2022) Gallery view of<i> She Who Wrote: Enheduanna and Women of Mesopotamia</i>, with a votive figurine in the foreground and <i>Queen Puabi’s Funerary Ensemble</i>. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves, Photo (2022) Detail of <i>The Disk of Enheduanna</i>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves, Photo (2022) <i>Seated Female Fgure with Vessel in Hand</i>s, ca. 2112–2004 BC. (Details above). Collection of the Musée d' Louvre. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves, Photo (2022) <i>Fragment of a Statuette of a Female Figure</i>, possibly from Umma (modern Tell Jokha). Akkadian period, 2334-2154 BC) Collection of the Musée d' Louvre. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves, Photo (2022) <i>Head of a High Priestess (?) with inlaid eyes.</i> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Mesopotamia, Akkadian, Ur (modern Tell el-Muqayyar), ca. 2334–2154 BC. Collection of the University of Pennsylvania Museum. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves Photo (2022) <i>Standing Female Figure</i>. Mesopotamia. Assur, Ishtar Temple, ca. 2400 BC. Alabaster. Collection of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin-Vorderasiatisches Museum</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves, Photo (2022) Cylinder seal (and modern impression) Shumshani, High Priestess of the Sun God. Mesopotamia, Akkadian, Sippar (modern Tell Abu Habbah) , ca. 2250 BC. Lapis Lazuli. Collection of the Morgan Library and Museum.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves, Photo (2022) Cylinder seal (and modern impression) <i>Ishtar Receiving Worshipper: Hero Combating Lion</i>. Mesopotamia, Akkadian, ca.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> 2250 BC. Lapis lazili. Collection of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin-Vorderasiatisches Museum</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ed Voves, Photo (2022) Cylinder seal (and modern impression) <i>Shumshani, High Priestess of the Sun God</i> (as above).</span></p><p><br /></p><div><br /></div>Art Eyewitnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05347317000349363690noreply@blogger.com0