New Spaces at the NGA

After a chunk or two of expensive and really heavy marble fell off of the exterior of the National Gallery of Art's east building a couple of years ago, the NGA wisely used the experience as an opportunity to refurbish the entire structure and to extend it's capacity with new gallery spaces.  One is this wonderful rooftop sculpture garden.

Amazing Map of Delft

Included in the exhibit space for the new blockbuster show at the National Gallery of Art entitled: "Vermeer and the Masters of Genre Painting" is a little "reading room" space.  Only one work of art decorates it's walls: this amazing printed map of Delft featuring images of important buildings and landmarks.  It's from the National Gallery's Library collection, a portion of its holdings that rarely sees the light of day.

A New "Friend" to Me, Too!

And here's a really lovely thing that can happen when you go to an art exhibit. You think you're going to see and appreciate one thing, and then you discover and appreciation another thing for an entirely different reason. Thus was my experience today at the National Gallery of Art. I went to the exhibit "Vermeer and the Masters of Genre Painting" expecting to see some Vermeers and a smattering of other Dutch artists of the latter part of the 17th century. That did happen. Yet, I was delighted by the works of one of those other painters in particular, one whom I'd never singled out before, and in such an amazing way. How wonderful is that?

Frans van Mieris (1635 - 1681) was born in the same year as Johannes Vermeer, and managed to live past him by 6 productive years. Nearly all of his paintings included in this exhibition were small. Many would fit within an 8" by 8" frame. Yet their detail in execution was stunning. Dare I say, meticulously represented? Tiny item after tiny detail created with pinpoint accuracy. My friend, Barbara, even commented as to what size brush could accomplish such clarity on that small of a scale. Sometimes REALLY good things do come in small packages!

"Woman Playing a Theory-Lute" 1663
National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh

"Woman Writing a Letter by Candlelight" 1670
Private collection

"Woman Sealing a Letter by Candlelight" 1667
Private collection

"Woman Feeding a Parrot" 1663
The Leiden Collection, New York City

"The Duet" 1658
Staaliches Museen Schwerin/Ludwigslust/Güstrow

"The Doctor's Visit" 1657
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna 

"Brothel Scene" circa 1658-59
Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis, The Hague

A Couple of Vermeer's "Friends"

There were other Dutch genre masters included in the exhibition "Vermeer and the Masters of Genre Painting" that I went to today. Here are some of the non-Vermeers paintings that caught my fancy.

First, "Woman at Her Toilet" by Caspar Netscher. It was painted around 1665 and is part of a private collection in London. To see any work held in a private collection is always a tremendous gift. This one was so exquisite in it's detail from the texture of the carpet to the shimmer in the satin dress.

Second, "The Serenade" by Jacob Ochtervelt. It was painted around 1669 and is also part of a private collection without any geographic assignation.

The next one is "Man Visiting a Woman Washing Her Hands" by Gabriel Metsu, circa 1663-66. It is housed at Waddesdon Manor near Aylesbury, England, as part of "The Rothschild Collection".

And Finally, a pair of paintings from the National Gallery of Art of Dublin, also by Metsu. "Woman Reading a Letter" and "Man Writing a Letter" were painted as a pair and are rich with metaphor. I'd seem both before in the Metsu retrospective at the National Gallery of Art--a show also curated by Arthur Wheelock. It was nice to see them again.

Vermeer is Back

So why did my friend and I choose to go to the National Gallery of Art today?

To see the latest blockbuster exhibition titled: "Vermeer and the Masters of Genre Painting". Disclaimer, I did have the good fortune of being in a relationship with the man who was the office manager of the special exhibitions department of the National Gallery of Art back when the original Blockbuster exhibition of Vermeer paintings occured at the Naitonal Gallery of Art in 1995-96. It was cache enough to get me into the opening reception, and then I returned twice again. The exhibit was the largest number of Vermeers ever assembled in one exhibition to date (21) and was then topped by itself when it moved to the The Hague in the Netherlands and they picked up two additional paintings not sent to the NGA.

Given that, and the fact that it was Vermeer compared to his contemporaries and the specific form of "genre" painting, I expected a couple of Vermeers and lot of other "stuff". After all, there are only 34 works on the planet assigned to Vermeer, and a couple of those are lost. So it was a great delight to discover that 10 Vermeers were included in this leg of the exhibition. There are 12 in the catelogue, but two were not part of this third and final leg of the show. The exhibition originated at the Louvre in Paris, and then moved to the National Gallery of Dublin in Ireland before crossing the Atlantic to show here in Washington, DC.

Here are images of some of the Vermeers. It was also a crowded exhibition, which I really like--never bad when art draws crowds. They were taken with my little poorly understood (by me) camera, so clearly, like all art I photograph, they are poor representations of the actual works--images online of which would be better viewed if you are really liking them. The two images of the men are the only images of a man alone that he painting and both are Anton van Lowehook, a friend and the scientist who invented the microscope. In one he depicted as a Geographer and in the other as an Astronomer. The final image of the woman holding the balance is what I consider his masterwork. I don't think I'm alone.

"Woman with a Lute" circa 1663-64,
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City

"Woman with a Pearl Necklace" circa 1662-65
Staatliche Museen zu Berlin-Preußischer, Gemäldegalerie

The next two paintings are the only two Vermeer works with a single male subject.  It is agreed that the model depicted here is non-other than Anton van Leeuwen Hook, who was a friend of Vermeer's and also the inventor of the microscope.

"The Geographer" 1669
Stäfel Museum, Frankfurt am Main

This is my personal favorite of Vermeer's intimate catalogue of paintings.

"The Astronomer" 1668
Musée du Louvre, Paris

"Woman Writing a Letter, with her Maid" circa 1670-71
National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin

"Woman with a Balance" circa 1664
National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC

Visit to the National Gallery of Art

Met up was a dear friend on Saturday and we went down to the National Gallery of art together to see the Dutch Genre painters exhibit featuring Vermeer.  Had time to tour around the place.  Love the Grand Rotunda in the West Building with its Mercury Fountain.  Also glad to see that it wasn't all decked for Christmas yet.

Selected Works from the National Gallery of Art

 "The Last Valley--Paradise Rocks" 1867-69, 

by John La Farge (1836 - 1910) 

I love the stunning way he depicts the time of day with the setting sun drawing such a stark contrast against the ridge.

 "Ruins of the Parthenon" 1880, 

by Sanford Robinson Gifford (1823 - 1880) 

Completed shortly before his death, I thought this image very apropos after visiting the Hellenistic Bronze sculpture exhibition! And it also is a refugee. The Corcoran Gallery of Art went belly-up this past year--a local tragedy, and the NGA grabbed the bulk of the collection. This is one of the works formerly owned by the Corocoran and deemed worthy of not auctioning off by the NGA.

 "Mount Tom" 1869, 

by Thomas Charles Farber (1849 - 1891) 

At such a young age, he nails the reflection in the water--mesmerizing.

 "Winter Harmony" 1890-1900, 

by John Henry Twachtman (1853 - 1902) 

I am a longtime fan of Mr. Twachtman's impressionist works. And his winter landscapes are among his finest.

 "Hunting in the Pontine Marshes" 1833, 

by Horace Vernet (1789 - 1863)

In the first half of the 19th century and group of painters embraced the idea of the sublime in nature. For them this meant not simply the awesome power and beauty, but also the ever present danger. Tied into this was the notion of man attempting to hold dominion over nature against improbable odds. You can recall that this was an era of tremendous technological innovation that displayed man's prowess over the natural world. The steam engine alone was reshaping the ability of man to move from place to place in days instead of weeks. We were quite full of ourselves, eh? And here Vernet shows this little man hunting duck. All around him lay dangers he is blissfully unaware of--not least of which the huge tree trunk perched precariously over his head! I wish you could also see how Vernet paints the twisting trees to look like collections of woodland creatures/spirits. I'll wager you can see how even the root/branch at the bottom of the painting looks like the silhouette of a serpent.

 Here is a detail of the hunter. Can you see the mallard?

 "Wind From The Sea" 1947, 

by Andrew Wyeth (1917 - 2009) 

You must be familiar with his greatest painting "Christina's World" at the Chicago Art Institute? This must be the view of that very setting from within the house--don't you think?

 "Ground Swell" 1939, 

by Edward Hopper (1882 - 1967) 

A departure from his lonely houses, his stark room with lonely women in them, and yet, his ability to paint silence persists.

 "Head of an Old Man" c. 1630, 

by Abraham Bloemaert (1564 - 1651) 

No trip is ever complete without a looksee into the three intimate galleries of the Dutch Cabinet, curator Arthur Weelock's gift to us all. And here I found this beautiful portrait.

 "Leisure and Labor" 1858, 

by Frank Blackwell Mayer (1827 - 1899) 

Here's the painting I spent a little extra time with today. A relatively small painting in a ornate frame. I show a second version with the frame clipped back. Leisure in his fancy pants and white shirt and rich man's canine, watching Labor. Labor stooped and straining showing power of the horse. Notice how the woman in the background turns her attention to Labor, too. And the poster on the wall next to Leisure depicts a runner with the words "Stop Thief!" It's delicious allegory.

Diebenkorn @ NGA

Power and Pathos: Bronze Sculpture in the Hellenistic World

What a gloomy break it has been here in DC! What to do? What to do? I know go to the National Gallery of Art! I mean, it is DC, there's always something to do. The show to see there is called "Power and Pathos: Bronze Sculpture of the Hellenistic World". Just over 50 of the couple hundred examples that have been discovered and survived from antiquity. The most stunning aspects? I loved the busts. They were so full of detail and individualism. You feel like you are looking at a man or woman 3000 years old who doesn't look a day of 25 or 45 or 70! And the feet! Well, the footwear. It swear it was all so intricate and folded over on itself with ties and flaps and I honestly could imagine what the actual thing would look like or how you'd go about putting it on... Something so basic and so mysterious in design. Here are some of the works on display. The equestrian was of table top size, while the others here where to human, or faun, scale!

Alexander on Horseback, 100 - 1 BC; bronze, copper, and silver. Lent by the The National Archaeological Museum, Naples (MANN).

Portrait of a North African Man, c. 300 - 150 BC; bronze, copper, enamel, and bone. Lent by the Trustees of the British Museum, London.

Portrait of Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus Pontifex, 15 BC - AD 15; bronze. Lent by the National Archeological Museum, Naples (MANN).

Weary Herakles, AD 1 - 100; bronze, copper, and silver. Lent by the Museo Archeologico Nazionale dell' Abruzzo, Villa Frigerj, Chieti.

Dancing Faun (Pan), c. 125 - 100 BC; bronze and silver. Lent by The National Archeological Museum, Naples (MANN).

Gustave Caillebotte: The Painter's Eye

Went to the National Gallery of Art today to see the new exhibition, Gustave Caillebotte: The Painter's Eye.  I have long been a qualified fan of Caillebotte.  When he's on, he's 100% on, and then when he not...ugh.

The best aspect of this exhibit for me was the education of exactly who Caillebotte was and how he used his talent to express his understanding of the world around us all.  And there was the prominence of paintings from Private collections--over half of them are not on public display.  No wonder I didn't understand this artist better.

The Floor Scrapers, 1875 ~ Musee d'Orsey: Paris, France

The first grand work was this one.  It holds a degree of beauty that is transcendent and celebratory of the male form like Michelangelo's David in Florence, Italy.  He used only one model over and over again--perhaps the reason there's only glass of wine in the composition?

private collection

This is a lunch in his home not long after the death of his father. The figures are his mother and servant and his younger brother Rene. Within 2 years Rene would be dead and shortly there after his mother, too. The light through the glassware is amazing.

private collection

It stood out to me today, how often he chooses to paint people from behind. He loves to create a sense of intimacy by structuring his compositions from a perspective that is participatory. It's not just that you are seeing a thing. It's that you are standing or sitting right there in that moment. Can you feel the humidity? The heat of the harsh sun, the slight respite in the shadow of the awning? And don't you just want to step up a little closer to see what the gentleman is looking at?

The Pont de l'Europe, 1876 ~ Association des Amis du Petit Palais: Geneva, Switzerland

What the modern eye fails to comprehend in viewing Caillebotte's paintings is their radical depiction of modernity.  His paintings of this bridge are so cutting edge and demanding of a response by his contemporaries.  I just love the addition of the dog.

Private Collection

A radical perspective for a painting in his time and really a beautiful composition.

Man at His Bath, 1884, Museum of Fine Arts: Boston, USA

This painting was hung on a feature wall dividing the largest of the 6 galleries. When you turn to enter it this painting slaps you in the face! While sitting in the previous gallery listening to audio tour, I noticed a family of tourists enter with others. The parents where mundanely engaged and the children were bored--listless. As the departed there was a sudden excited outburst of laughter. I turned to look into the next gallery and saw this painting there for the first time and both the kids were beside themselves with childlike reaction to it. Now, wouldn't that just have made Caillebotte's day?

As he approached his 40's, Caillebotte left Paris for a home in the country.  He bought a home in Petit-Gennevilliers.  He continued to paint even as he pursued his love of rowing and sailing and cultivated his love of gardening.  These paintings come from that period.

L'Yerres, Pluie, 1875, Indiana University Museum of Art: Bloomington, USA

Isn't this wonderfully unusual as a composition?

A Boating Party, 1878, private collection

One of my long standing disappointments with Caillebotte's work is his lack of accuracy in depicting the human form. He really struggles with this. And he fails at times in a catastrophic way that diminishes the composition in its entirety. Worst of all is his awkward portrayal of perspective. And that is why this painting, made toward the end of his life is so astounding a triumph to me. There was no hint of who the man was in the audio annotation. But I think it was Caillebotte himself. Look at the last image I include. The man on the right in that boat is thought to be himself. He is wearing the same shirt. It's certainly a reasonable conjecture.

Two later paintings in private collections