Museum of Fine Art Boston

Posts Tagged ‘Museum of Fine Art Boston’

Matisse with Textiles & More

Posted in Travel, tagged Matisse, Matisse in The Studio, Museum of Fine Art Boston on June 9, 2017| Leave a Comment »

One of the most striking things at the Matisse in the Studio exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston was the fabrics he used in his works.

He had some rich textiles with interesting shapes and colors that he used as backdrops and drapes in many of his paintings.

Sometimes he just used the shapes and designs and changed up the colors to suit his need.

It was fascinating to see them side by side with the paintings. This may be the best exhibit I have ever visited.

It was just amazing! I have so many more photos but I think with the ones posted earlier this week as well as the ones today you have gotten a good idea of what the exhibit was about and how Matisse went about his process.

I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

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Matisse’s Chocolate Pot

Posted in Serendipity, Travel, tagged Matisse, Matisse in The Studio, Museum of Fine Art Boston on June 8, 2017| Leave a Comment »

What struck me most as I saw the Matisse in The Studio exhibit is how he used his collection of objects time and time again in his paintings. He had a group of items that were special to him and often put them in his still-life set-ups. In this series today you will see his chocolate pots.

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Continuing the Matisse Journey

Posted in Serendipity, Travel, tagged Henri Matisse, Matisse, Matisse in The Studio, Museum of Fine Art Boston on June 7, 2017| Leave a Comment »

We are continuing today with more from the “Matisse in the Studio” exhibit at Museum of Fine Art Boston.

As I mentioned yesterday, it was AMAZING! Here you can click to check out more information. From the MFA-Boston website: “Inspiration is everywhere! Henri Matisse—who revolutionized 20th-century art—believed that a treasured group of objects was instrumental to his studio practice. “Matisse in the Studio” is the first major international exhibition to examine the importance of Matisse’s personal collection of objects, offering unprecedented insight into the great artist’s creativity. See these rare pairings of Matisse’s major works with objects of inspiration in “Matisse in the Studio” in its only US venue at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.”

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Matisse in The Studio

Posted in Little Known Facts, Serendipity, Travel, tagged Matisse, Matisse in The Studio, Museum of Fine Art Boston on June 6, 2017| 3 Comments »

20170606_074521 I made a day trip to Boston yesterday (yes, it’s a long way for a day trip) to see the Matisse exhibit. What an amazing display!!! I admit that I am a BIG fan of Matisse. But anyone who appreciates art and creating it would love this exhibit.

The premise of the exhibit is to feature the many objects, fabrics, furniture and more that Matisse collected over the years and how he used them in many of his paintings.

Over the next few days I will attempt to share with you some of the wonderful things I saw.

20170606_080522 Enjoy!

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Tip 1: Make an Hour; Look an Hour

Posted in Tips for Better Painting, tagged art lessons, Boston, Boston MFA, Calder, Calder Cow, daily painter, Museum of Fine Art Boston, Painting Tips, Virginia Artist, Warhol on January 6, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Art in Bloom at Boston Museum of Art – 2012

“Dog Bed” – Boston Museum of Fine Art

This new year I am going to introduce a few different concepts on my blog. The first is “Tips to Being a Better Painter”. This is the first one.

When I first became serious about painting I would read and study everything I could find about different styles of painting. I would go to as many galleries and museums as possible to see art. And then a good friend who is also a painter (and she studied painting in college) said that her professor used to tell her that for every hour you make art you should spend an hour looking or studying art. I have made that a habit.

The Souper Dress – Boston Museum of Fine Art

Here are some examples of art that I have studied. These photos are from my trip last year to the Boston Museum of Fine Art. I took many pictures and pull them up on my computer and look at them over and over. Many times the things I “study” are not necessarily paintings as I have shown you here. I love to see other types of creativity. I especially love the “Calder Cow”!

The Calder Cow – Boston Museum of Fine Art

For instance, the floral arrangement was a special show the garden clubs in the Boston area were doing on this particular day that I was at the MFA. They did arrangements that interpreted a painting or work of art. It was interesting to see because obviously they had to look closely at a work to pull out their interpretation.

So to be a better painter don’t just spend more time painting. Also spend more time looking and studying art of all types. You’ll see a difference in your work.

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Figure – Fabric – Fantasy

Posted in Travel, tagged Boston, Museum of Fine Art Boston on May 22, 2012| 1 Comment »

YSL-Refined Sportive (designs by Yves Saint Laurent) by Kenneth Paul Block, American 1925-2009

Figure * Fabric * Fantasy is another of the extraordinary shows that I saw recently in Boston at the Museum of Fine Arts. It featured drawings of ready-to-wear that appeared in fashion magazines. Photography gradually pushed out the sketches. But check out the skill of the artists who depicted the drape and texture of the fabric. They are certainly works of art.

Geometric Patterns mid-1970″s (design by Hurbert de Givenchy) by Kenneth Paul Block

The sketches in the show dated from the 1940’s – 1980’s and were intended for print publications.

Formal Ball Gown, late 1950’s by Jack Potter for Ayres Department Store, Indianapolis, IN

Bathing Beauties, autumn 1965 by Larry Salk, American 1936-2004

Joan Crawford in tailored sheath with matching coat, 1955, for Paramount Studios, by Grace Sprague; and Model in red plaid by Teed, 1946

The wonderful thing about fashion art is that it does more than illustrate the garments…it also show the social life of the time.

You’ve gotta love these!

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More Impressionism from MFA-Boston

Posted in Travel, tagged impressionism, Monet, Museum of Fine Art Boston, Plein Aire, Renoir on May 8, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Monet, Grainstack (Snow Effect), 1891, oil on canvas

Renoir 1841-1919, Girls Picking Flowers in a Meadow, oil on canvas

Renoir, Grand Canal Venice, 1881, oil on canvas

Monet, Grand Canal, Venice,1908, oil on canvas

Monet, Ships in a Harbor, about 1873, oil on canvas

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Impressionists – Hasty Impressions

Posted in Travel, tagged impressionism, Monet, Museum of Fine Art Boston, Renoir on May 7, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Claude Monet’s Field of Poppies near Giverny, 1890, oil on canvas.

Of course, one of the favorite galleries I visited at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston recently was the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist. In 1874 a group of young painters including Monet, Renoir, Degas, Cezanne, and Pissarro, organized in Paris an exhibit to demonstrate their independence from traditional painting. They were criticized because much of what was on display was unfinished canvases based on “hasty impressions of nature” and the group was dubbed Impressionists.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir, The Seine at Chatou, 1881, oil on canvas

This Renoir is a great example of this period. This radiant landscape on the Seine just west of Paris shows distinct feathery brushstrokes from long to short, thick to thin. Renoir wrote to a friend at the time of the painting, “I’m struggling with trees in flower, with women and children, and I don’t want to look at anything else.”

This is what happens when painters begin to work outside in “plein-aire”. You begin to see everything differently and can’t wait to get out there and try to capture it on canvas.

Monet’s Poplars at Giverny, 1887, oil on canvas.

Renoir, Rocky Crags at L’Estaque, 1882, oil on canvas

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Paper Zoo

Posted in daily painter, Travel, tagged Museum of Fine Art Boston, paper drawings on May 5, 2012| Leave a Comment »

There were so many interesting exhibits at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston last week. One was called Paper Zoo. It was a variety of prints, drawings, and photographs of animals dating from about 1500 to the present. It featured about 35 pieces by Rembrandt, Audubon, Picasso, and more.

Porcupine, Leonard Baskin (American, 1922-2000), 1951, woodcut.

Toad, Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881-1973), 1949, Lithograph on Zinc Plate.

American Flamingo, Robert Harell, Jr. (English) based on a water-color by James Audubon, 19th century, Etching and aquatint, handcolored.

Top, Prowling Cat, Theophile-Alexandre Steinlen (French 1859-1923), Pastel and black chalk.

Bottom, Cats, Gerhard Marcks (German 1897-1969), 1921, woodcut.

It was very interesting to see so many different artists take on the same animal. And there were many children looking at this particular exhibit. I could see why it was so popular.

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Art in Bloom

Posted in Travel, tagged Boson, flowers, Museum of Fine Art Boston on May 4, 2012| Leave a Comment »

While in Boston last week at the Museum of Fine Arts I got to see several terrific exhibits. One of the most fascinating ones was called “Art in Bloom”. All throughout the museum there were about 75 floral arrangements that had been provided by international and regional designers who had been invited to interpret specific works of art. It was interesting seeing them setting in front of beautiful paintings and sculptures.

There were small ones.

And some really huge ones.

And I kept running across groups from the Garden Clubs who had designers who had been invited to participate and they were sharing information with their members about the floral works of art. It was fun to watch and hear.