Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery: Appropriation & Inspiration at the NBMAA

This post comes to us from Alexandra Torbick, Curatorial Intern. Appropriation, the act of direct duplication, copying or incorporation of an image (painting, photograph, etc) by another artist[1], has been endogenous within the art world since antiquity, especially in the times of the Roman Empire. Using Greek bronze sculptures as their guide, the Romans took [...]

Read Full Post »

Using Holes to Reveal History’s Blindspots

  Upon a quick glance, the newest addition to the Colonial Gallery at the New BritainMuseum of American Art has left some visitors panic-stricken – an understandable  reaction considering the fact that the painting has two large holes cut out of it. But do not worry, the NBMAA has not been vandalized, in fact, the [...]

Read Full Post »

A Life-Sized Testament to Love

Just a few days ago, the NBMAA purcahsed a full-scale, life-sized portrait of Emeline Arnold Souther (Mrs. Edmund Charles Tarbell.) Edmund Charles Tarbell painted this masterpiece early on in their relationship, in fact it was painted in the year they were married (1888) right before he became a teacher for several decades at the Boston Museum School. [...]

Read Full Post »

The Last Man to Paint The First President

Rembrandt Peale is known for his portraits of George Washington, one of which the New Britain Museum of American Art is delighted to have as a new acquisition this Presidents month. Rembrandt Peale is supposedly the last artist for whom Washington sat shortly preceding his death. Born in 1778 in Pennsylvania to the famous painter [...]

Read Full Post »

A Rogue Minimalist

Although he will continue to teach, former Dean of the Hartford Art School at the University of Hartford Power Boothe now has the chance to commit all his efforts to painting, as his job only allowed him a few weeks of artistic focus in the summer. The exhibit Power Boothe: Out of Order at the New Britain Museum [...]

Read Full Post »

(Painted) Patented Pigs and Genetic Debates

If a work of art reflects the time it was created, what are we to make of the NBMAA’s recent acquisition, Patented Pigs by Marcus Jansen? The painting was inspired by an article that appeared in Greenpeace Magazine titled “Monsanto Files Patent for New Invention: The Pig.” The article addresses this multinational agricultural biotecnology company’s attempt in [...]

Read Full Post »

Contemporary Artwork, Classic Materials

There are countless contemporary artists who have appropriated classic materials to create their works of art. In selecting acculturated media, such as stained glass, these artists infuse the resulting artworks with powerful connections to the past. They confront the traditions of society to engage the viewer in a conversation about what art is, where it [...]

Read Full Post »

A 21st Century “Peep-Show”

Jimmy Sanders was born in Brownsville, a small town located east of Memphis, Tennessee. In 1985, Sanders was granted a full scholarship to study at the Memphis College of Art. After only one year, he became dissatisfied with the training and decided to leave the institution. In 1993, after several years of self-instruction, Sanders attended [...]

Read Full Post »

Contemporary Classicism: The Art of Graydon Parrish

Graydon Parrish was born in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1970. From a young age, Parrish was exposed to artwork within his household and he had an instant fascination with the arts. Parrish attended the Booker T. Washington High School for Visual and Performing Arts in 1988 and thus began his formal training as an artist. His [...]

Read Full Post »

Photographer David Ottenstein Captures the “Disappearing America”

Lorenzo Webber House #1, 2006. David Ottenstein (b. 1960). Inkjet print. New Britain Museum of American Art, Gift of the artist, 2010.45. My photographs, first and foremost, are about beauty. In structures that most people agree are ugly, I see the opposite: surfaces rich in texture and patterns, bold forms molded by light. The translation [...]

Read Full Post »