Rockwell Kent's Burial of a Young Man

I can't tell you how many times I've been to some museums. Part of it was that my ex- worked at both the National Gallery of Art and the Phillips Collection, which gave me uncommon access to both, as well. At the National Gallery we attended every opening gala from the autumn of 1994 through the spring of 2002. That's how I came to consult the recently late John Glenn's wife on Chinese fruit at the dessert buffet, and eat a meal featuring a side of morel mushrooms and fiddlehead ferns sitting next to the notorious RBG! and pee next to the former PBS anchor and presidential debate moderator, Jim Lerher.

It has been a great gift to have access to such amazing art and for some years I made it a practice whenever I visit any museum, but expecially one with which I am very familiar to let my eye choose one or two works and spend some serious time just "being" with the art. Let it speak to me, tell me it's secrets. Today at the Phillips, one of those paintings was this one by Rockwell Kent called "Burial of a Young Man".

Before long I am channelling my inner Sister Wendy. My front teeth go slightly buck, and I begin reciting the narrative of what I am seeing in my mind: This was a work that Kent accomplished between 1908 and 1911. It reflects his experiences in stark places like Alaska and Greenland where he travel many times and stayed for many weeks to months. He even took a lover in Greenland. (Sister Wendy always finda a way to being in the sex!) The brush strokes in the painting are crude, rudimentary, harsh. The mourners nearly a uniform group of faceless silhouettes until you come the widow and her daughter who are dressed in an ephemeral crystal blue like angels floating in a forest of mortals. And the body of the young man floats, too--prone and naked, without shame, free from the trappings that burden and overwhelm the mourners. Next to him walks his spirit, as naked as he, but invisible to the others. And look at the mountians. All of them are formed with contrours of a maudlin shade of blue, shadows of forms that flow like water, like terrestrial tears weeping for this young man's untimely death. It's a magnificent work!

And what SIster Wendy's spirit doesn't know, but I do, is that this painting was not a random purchase by Duncan Phillips. It was purchased in 1918, after the death of his beloved brother in the Spanish Influenza epidemic. Few if any other of the works in the collection held for Phillips the emotional resonance of this painting. It is also significant that the Phillips Collection itself owns more Rockwell Kent paintings than any other gallery in the United States; Kent himself donated the vast majority of his large works to the Soviet Union in protest of his coming under suspicion of being a communist during the McCarthy Witchhunts of the 1950's. One of the things I love about Kent, his "in for a penny, in for a pound" devil may care approach to life. Today, his greatest works reside in 3 museums in Russia and 1 in Armenia.

Phillips Collection Holiday Exhibitions: Jacob Lawrence and Whitfield Lovell

After lunch, I went over the Phillips Collection since I was in the neighborhood and visited some old friends in their collection and toured a pair of exhibits that are about to close. 

The first was the complete works of Jacob Lawrence's Migration series. His iconic rendering of the movement of African Americans from the rural south to the industrial north and west coast. The museum owns part of the series and usually has it on desplay, to see all 60 in one place gives the individuals works a collective significance not unlike those hundreds of thousands of Black Americans risking the unknown in search of a better life. 

A last little gallery contained half a dozen contemporary works inspired by the series. This is where the little print of the lynched man was--chilling. 

The other special exhibition was an exhibition of the works of Whitfield Lovell from his Kins series and related works. I first encountered Lovell back in March at the Seattle Art Museum with two of his works on display in their recent acquisitions gallery. He combines beautifully rendered portraits with common and profound objects. Some works are done on "found" wood. While admiring one of this works an African American couple standing nearby were discussing it, when the man just said, "Why have I never heard of this artist before?" And I thought the same thing.

Reunion DC-Style

Lovely afternoon spent with a dear friend, and it's been too long in coming. I realize the last time I saw Jan was at her wedding to David (1997?). And today their beautiful daughters An Mei and Mei Li, became real to me in a way the photographs over the years just never conveyed. 

We met at the Phillips Collection art museum where we toured their current exhibition "Made in the USA" as well as what was up of the their permanent collection. Afterwards we walked to my favorite Thai restaurant, Taiphoon on the north end of the Dupont Circle neighborhood for dinner. (I had the Honey Ginger Duck--I always have the Honey Ginger Duck.) 

And here's the thing--the barometer of true friendships. It was like no time had passed between us. We just picked up where life had last left us apart.

They are staying in a rental apartment in DC for the week. And we'd all arrived via the Metro, ergo after dinner we walked to and entered the metro together to return to our residences. We were chatting and not paying intense attention to the arrival of the train. As is the custom, riders exiting a train take priority and then as soon as they have vacated, those waiting on the platform enter. Well, An Mei and Mei Li were intent on entering, and I let go of the conversation between their parents and me and followed close by (call it the inner eye of the teacher) without any conscious effort. But no sooner had the three of us entered than the train's doors shut with an uncharacteristic finality. I turned to see my friend Jan's foot in the closed door, and it didn't open back up! (The damn thing ALWAYS opens back up when it encounters an obstacle. I've seen a frantically inserted pinky finger open the doors and keep the train in place.) As she pulled her foot free, I tried to say through the closed door's window, "We'll see you at the Chinatown station." And then woosh!--the train was movin' on down the line.

In the end, that is what happened. The girls and I arrived 12 minutes ahead of Jan and David. Yet, such is the stuff of a good story. An unexpected plot twist, a moment of danger, a hastily sent communique before the lines fall dead, strangers making light banter, anxiety at the moment of rendezvous, a momentary let down, a miraculous reunion. Alls well that ends well.

Here are three of the works from the exhibition that I especially liked.  If you're in DC in the near future, do take in the show.

 December Moonrise, by Charles Burchfield (1893-1967)

 Lunch Counter, by Isabel Bishop (1902-1988)

Still Life with Doily, by Alfred Maurer (1868-1932)

Belief 101

I did happen to overhear the following conversation during my visit to The Phillips Collection, and I thought it rife with spiritual ambiguity.

"Oh, no, that's Daniella. She's the tall one. Poor Emily's so short for her age. We all have our fingers cross that Someone upstairs will change that this year. I mean, it ought to be her turn after all. But, whatever, she has such a good attitude about it."

Where would one begin to unpack all that is present in this innocent reflection? What the hell does she believe in? Luck? God? Karma? Fate? Dame Fortuna? All of the above?!

I loved it.

Art I'm Seeing #37

moranditpc, originally uploaded by Randuwa.

I went to The Phillips Collection today to tour the current exhibition: "Morandi: Master of Modern Still Life". Morandi is an italian artist who was active from the early 1910's through his death in 1964. He made the bulk of his career out of painting the same set of bottles, jars, vases, pots, bowls, and other domestic elements for about 40 years. Over than span the quality and complexity of the paintings gradually waned; they flattened, the colors fleshed out, the number of objects lessened. And while earlier times included a few landscapes and organic components like flowers, for the most part the latter work grew more and more stark.

As it happened, I toured this modest exhibit in reverse chronological order.

This....inspite of some Dutch women who would not SHUT UP and her boyfriend who egged her on with a flurry of "uh hughs" and "okays" while all the time manuevring her to allow him a better view at the art on the walls.....proved very interesting.

My initial reaction to the later paintings was disdain. They're really poorly executed. I found myself asking whether or not Morandi drank. Especially, as the earlier works grew more complex and aesthetically appealing.

And then I did a time check and toured the exhibit in the correct chronological order. His early works are clearly derivative of the Impressionists, and from there you see influences leading all of the way up to a pre-minimalist sensibility. The works offer more than the casual eye can see, and much for me to ponder.

At The Phillips Collection through May 24, 2009

Art I'm Seeing #25

tbatmonet
Originally uploaded by Randuwa

“Impressionists by the Sea” is an exhibition at The Phillip's Collection here in D.C. that focuses on assembling paintings created from 1860 to 1890 by leading artists of the Impressionist movement of subjects in and around the environs of Le Harve, France. The content of the show really speaks to two subjects: 1) the antecedent works of seascapes in the region and across Europe, and 2) the paintings of the super-stars of Impressionism depicting the Brittany coast’s beaches and towns from Villers in the west to Les Petites Dalles in the east.

The early works failed to inspire me, let alone interest me; However, the actual paintings from the Impressionist school did. I found several Monet's very interesting for their unfamiliar subjects: The image here included is a case in point. And one image entitled “Etretat, Rough Sea” was so an atypical Monet, that I swear it could have been a Van Gogh. And there were paintings by Renoir that were also interesting, and in particular “Low Tide, Yport” which read like a seascape on acid! But my favorite image was by Caillebotte.

“Villers-sur-Mer” is a landscape painting depicting the village from above looking down on the sea. It is an astute rendering of a rather common image. And as a Caillebotte, it's a tight, well-executed composition...which is to say that not all of his paintings can claim this.

The show ends on Sunday and then moves on to the Wadsworth Athenaeum in Worcester, Massachusetts for it's third and final venue. If you missed it here, by all means, plan to experience it in Worcester.

Art I'm Seeing #9

kleeinamerica
Originally uploaded by Randuwa.

Went to the Klee exhibition at the Phillips Collection this afternoon.

Klee is so playful and delightful. These works inspire me to play with my fabrics and quilts. The show is nice. Not amazing, but nice.

What is amazing is the renovated Phillips Collection museum. So much more space for art. So many rooms dedicated to the works of one or two related artists. SO MANY wonderful paintings from the vaults of the collection that I have never before seen.... And photographs, too!

The addition includes an intimate space on the back of the museum for sculptures and two were installed at the time of my visit. The more interesting to me was the Ellsworth Kelly piece: a minimalist work in bas-relief.

Planning a trip to DC? Plan to visit the Phillips Collection.

Hiroshige@PhillipsCollection.DC

pcollectionhiroshow
Originally uploaded by Randuwa.

While in the midst of a multi-year rennovation/expansion, the Phillips Collection continues to host interesting and modest shows. The Hiroshige wood prints is a delightful example. The show features the 55 prints from Ando Hiroshige's first major series: Tokaido, scenes from the highway between Edo and Kyoto -- the Hoeido edition. The images cover the movements of travelers and pilgrims in all seasons and all forms of weather. Hiroshige's trademark depictions of rain, snow, and fog all present in the series. As is a lively mix of majestic rural and bustling urban moments along this road.

These carefully crafted images with their subtle coloration and stylized, assymetrical compositions are thoughtfully juxtaposed next to works from the Phillips Collection. Works by a variety of artists, mostly in oils, with some gauche, watercolor, and a lone print by Whistler. As lovely as the Hiroshige prints are, I will confess that some of these other works, rarely displayed (many of which I had never seen before except in print) where the gems of the show.

There were two of the PC's 5 Charles Burchfield watercolors: one a nocturne and the other a rural landscape, both repleat with his trademark egnimatic symbolism. There was a lovely intimate Paris street scene by Pierre Bonnard, several Twachtman's, a couple of atypical and gently beautiful works by Augustus Vincent Tack, two stunning guaches by Herald Weston, and a simply exquisite Gaugan entitled "Bathers and Fishermen".

A great way to spend a hot, humid afternoon. Unfortunately, there was not a catelogue, but you can find all 55 images of Ando Hiroshige at:
www.hiroshige.org.uk/hiroshige/
From there you want "The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido Road," and then the top link "Hoeido Edition (1831-4)" will take you to the ones on display at the Phillips Collection. This is a great website for all of his work...easy to get lost there, too.