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Archive for the ‘Trivia’ Category

More on Van Gogh

Posted in Little Known Facts, Trivia, tagged Van Gogh, Vincent Van Gogh on March 31, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Much has been written about the mental state of Vincent Van Gogh. It’s been proposed that he had paint poisoning, schizophrenia, syphilis, or bipolar disorder. Any of these can account for the periods of mania followed by deep depression that he suffered. Whatever it may have been, surely had he lived in our time he could have enjoyed a cure. But what would that have meant? Would he still have produced the multitudes of beautiful art that he gave us?

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Happy Birthday Vincent

Posted in Little Known Facts, Trivia, tagged Art Camp, Blossoming Almonds, Starry Night, Van Gogh, Vincent Van Gogh on March 30, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Born on March 30, 1853, Vincent Van Gogh was a Dutch Post-Impressionist who didn’t paint until his late twenties but produced more than 860 oil paintings, as well as several thousand drawings and watercolors before he died of a gunshot wound at the age of 37. And while his bright, colorful, energetic work was not appreciated by the art world and collectors during his lifetime, he is now one of the most recognizable artists in history.

Of all the paintings by famous artists that I have done with my kids classes and at Art Camp the one, by far, that the kids know and want to paint is Starry Night.

Van Gogh’s brother, Theo, who was an art dealer, supported him throughout his life. Theo died six months after Vincent. Theo’s wife, Johanna, inherited the bulk of Vincent’s paintings and it was she who promoted his work after his death and because of her constant promotion, we know Vincent Van Gogh today as the wonderful painter he was. One of my favorite Van Gogh paintings, Blossoming Almond Tree, is one that his family cherished. Van Gogh painted this piece as a gift to his brother’s newborn baby. Vincent was deeply moved when they name the baby Vincent. It is an excellent example of the Japanese influence in art that he admired.

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A Follow-up to the Theft

Posted in Little Known Facts, Trivia, tagged Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum theft on March 19, 2013| Leave a Comment »

The FBI has set up a special web page about the theft of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum that I wrote about yesterday. They are offering a $5 million reward!

They also announced yesterday that they know the names of the two men involved in the theft but they still do not know the location of the paintings. Read more here and here. It’s fascinating!

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Largest Art Heist in History

Posted in Little Known Facts, Travel, Trivia, tagged Boston, Boston Art Theft, Isabella Gardner Museum, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Largest Art Theft, Largest Art Theft in History, Travel on March 18, 2013| 2 Comments »

Twenty-three years ago, early on the morning of March 18, 1990, two thieves dressed as police officers entered the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum while everyone outside was preparing for the St. Patrick’s Day parade and committed the largest art robbery in history. Thirteen pieces were stolen including a Rembrandt, a Vermeer, five Degas drawings, a Manet and more. The estimated value is over $500 million! Read more about the art here.

And the theft is still a mystery. The art has not been recovered and there are really no leads bringing the FBI closer to recovering the art. When I was in Boston a few years ago I visited the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and saw her unusual collection. (Read about that visit here.) But the really weird part was to walk by a wonderful painting and then see an empty frame right next to it (see above) where the thieves cut the art right out of their frame. The Board of Directors chose to leave the frames exactly as they were since Gardner had left explicit directions that the art remain as she left it.

Isabella Stewart Gardner by John Singer Sargent

The museum is fascinating in that is a home that houses a wonderful collection. Asked in 1917 about building a museum and Gardner said,

“Years ago I decided that the greatest need in our Country was Art… We were a very young country and had very few opportunities of seeing beautiful things, works of art… So, I determined to make it my life’s work if I could.”

She was a fascinating woman. I hope you spend a little time reading more about her and her museum.

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What is a Museum?

Posted in Little Known Facts, Travel, Trivia, tagged Boston Museum of Fine Art, National Gallery of Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art on March 11, 2013| Leave a Comment »

The Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia

Have you ever wondered just “What is a museum”? Museum gets its name from the Greek word mouseion, meaning “seat of the Muses”. The began as places to discuss math, philosophy, science and politics. In the 17th century museums developed into fancy houses devoted to collecting and categorizing curiosities that belonged to noblemen. Today many museums are free or cost little to enter.

They are more than just a huge places that hold artifacts, or in the case of the ones I prefer, art. They also provide classes, workshops, guided tours, interactive exhibits and gift shops.

Museum of Fine Art, Boston

I have been lucky to get to see many wonderful museums over the years in several countries and I still take every opportunity to go to one today when I can whether I have been to it before or not. I see something different every time. Here are a few posts from one of my favorite museums – the National Gallery of Art. Click here and here for more. So on my list of things each day that I am grateful for one toward the top is that I get to enjoy so much beauty at these wonderful places. Make sure you go enjoy them too!

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Boxcar Graffiti

Posted in Abstract, Travel, Trivia, tagged Boxcar graffiti, train graffiti, Virginia Inland Port on March 4, 2013| 1 Comment »

Most mornings while we are at the dog park we see a train come by. Jed loves to chase the trains along the fence so I usually try to wait for one before we leave. I have noticed that almost every boxcar is covered with graffiti. It made me curious. Graffiti is defined as writings or drawings scribbled, scratched or sprayed on walls or other public places. In most cases it is illegal.

I have learned that there is a specific culture of “Freight Train Graffiti” artists. It’s a vibrant art form that allows these anonymous artists to have their art seen by hundreds of people each day.

Usually painted using aerosol cans of paint, I can only imagine where it is being created and how. It’s almost a stealth art form. We get to see a lot of it as these trains head in and out of the Virginia Inland Port here in Front Royal. The port brings a great deal of boxcars and a great deal of “art” into the community for anyone who will look.

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Impressionism, Fashion and Modernity at the Met

Posted in Travel, Trivia, tagged Degas, Impressionism Fashion and Modernity, Metropolitan Museum of Art on February 28, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Degas’ Millinery Shop

A new show opened yesterday at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. I WANT TO GO! Of course, I do. 🙂 It takes a look at the role of fashion in the work of the impressionist painters. It should be fascinating as that work takes place in the mid to late 1800’s when fashion was amazing. One of my favorite Degas paintings, “The Millinery Shop” is in the show. Hats like these are glorious. The wonderful thing about these special exhibits is that some wonderful curator has pulled together paintings from wonderful museums all over the world and put them in one place for us to see. This show features works from The Art Institute of Chicago, The Boston Museum of Fine Art, The Nationalmuseum in Stockholm, The Museum Folkwang in Essen and several others. Some of these paintings have never traveled to the United States. That is the ingenious things about these shows. And we get to see it. Did I mention I WANT TO GO! 🙂 You can see more about the show by clicking here.

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Happy Birthday Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Posted in Little Known Facts, Trivia, tagged impressionism, Luncheon of the Boating Party, Renior, The Barnes Foundation, The Large Bathers, The Phillips Collection on February 25, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Renoir’s, Luncheon of the Boating Party, 1880-81, The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC

Happy Birthday Renoir! He was a French painter and pioneer in the Impressionist painting style and is best known for his painting of feminine beauty and nudes. One of his most famous paintings, Luncheon of the Boating Party, painted in 1880-81, can be seen at The Phillips Collection in Washington DC. I can recall the first time I saw the painting in person there. I had seen prints of this amazing painting all my life but when you walk into the gallery and see it hanging it is an overwhelming experience. It’s very large, for one thing, and the colors are just gorgeous and no matter how many reproductions you see of it you have to see it in person to truly appreciate its beauty.

Renoir’s, The Large Bathers, 1887, Philadelphia Museum of Art

The last twenty years of his life he experienced severe arthritis and often had his brushes strapped to his hand so he could continue to paint.

He was a prolific artist painting several thousand paintings, many that featured the warm sensuality of style he made famous. Most people recognize his work as it is one of the most well-known and frequently reproduced works in the history of art. The single largest collection of his works—181 paintings in all—is at the Barnes Foundation in Philly. Read more about it here.

Happy Birthday Renoir. We do so appreciate the beauty you have brought to us!

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Happy Birthday Winslow Homer

Posted in Little Known Facts, Trivia, tagged Boys in a Pasture, Breeezing it Up, Travel, Winslow Homer on February 24, 2013| 2 Comments »

Winslow Homer’s “Breezing Up”, 1876, National Gallery of Art

Born on February 24, 1836 in Boston, Massachusetts, Winslow Homer was an American landscape painter best known for his marine paintings. His mother was an amateur watercolor painter and was his first teacher. He was an average student but always showed an aptitude for art and upon graduating from high school his father helped him get a job with a lithographer as an apprentice. He spent twenty years doing illustrations for Harper’s Weekly and other local publications before opening a studio.

One of his most well know paintings, Breezing Up, depicts a father and three boys out for a sail. In 1962 it was released as a commemorative stamp honoring Homer.

Boys in a Pasture, 1874, Winslow Homer, Boston Museum of Fine Art

In 2010, the Post Office issued another stamp as part of their American Treasure series. It was the Boys in a Pasture from 1874. I was lucky enough to have seen it in Boston last year at the MFA. Considered one of the finest American painters of the 19th Century he died in September 1910 at the age of 74. Today we wish Winslow Homer a happy birthday and remember his art with admiration.

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More on Georgia O’Keeffe

Posted in Travel, Trivia, tagged O'Keeffe, poppy, St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Art on February 16, 2013| Leave a Comment »

O’Keeffe, Poppy, 1927

O’Keeffe, Grey Hills Painted Red, 1930

While visiting Florida last week I got to see St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Art. It was a wonderful museum with a nice variety of art. I was drawn to the Georgia O’Keeffe paintings especially after my kids had just painted an O’Keeffe the week before. (See that here.) You can learn more about the poppy painting by clicking here. You can learn more about the St. Petersburg Museum by going to www.fine-arts.org .

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