NBMAA has its Own Armory Show

This post comes to us from artist and NBMAA docent Ronald Abbe.

Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2, 1912 by Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968) was among the most radical works exhibited at the 1913 Armory Show. Oil on canvas, 57 7/8 x 35 1/8 in. Philadelphia Museum of Art.

One hundred years ago New Yorkers reacted with shock and awe to the Armory Show of 1913. This was their first encounter with European modernism as represented most notably by Picasso and Matisse.  When the show moved on to Boston and Chicago the reception slipped to actual dismay.  Students at the Art Institute of Chicago burned paintings by Matisse (in effigy).

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George Bellows: An American Spectator

This post comes to us from Bethany Gugliemino, Curatorial Intern.

“It seems to me that an artist must be a spectator of life; a reverential, enthusiastic, emotional spectator, and then the great dramas of human nature will surge through his mind.”

The Big Dory, 1913. George Bellows (1882-1925). Oil on panel, 18 x 22 in. Harriet Russell Stanley Fund, 1944.21.

Currently on view at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. is a retrospective exhibition of American artist George Bellows. This exhibit, which is the first complete exhibit of his career in over thirty years, will feature around 130 paintings, drawings, and lithographs. Among these works is one the NBMAA’s own masterpieces, Bellows’s The Big Dory.

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City Canvases, New Britain: Sol LeWitt

This post comes to us from Sara Cotter, Curatorial Intern.

A large detail of Sol LeWitt’s “Wall Drawing #1105 “Colored bands of arcs from four corners”” which resides on the Dakille Building on Columbus Blvd.

Today in downtown New Britain a newly-created and highly anticipated Sol LeWitt (1928-2007) wall mural will be unveiled. Wall Drawing #1105 “Colored bands of arcs from four corners” was painted on the exterior of the Dakille Building on Columbus Boulevard as part of Connecticut’s City Canvases Project, which aims to revive urban areas across the state by promoting the visual arts and the work of local artists. This initiative was funded by the Department of Economic and Community Development and the Connecticut Office of the Arts, with support from the National Endowment for the Arts. The City of New Britain, in partnership with the NBMAA and the LeWitt Estate, was thrilled to have the opportunity to create a public mural that will not only enliven the downtown area and an already thriving local arts community, but also pay homage to Sol LeWitt, a longtime resident of New Britain and lifelong patron of the NBMAA.

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To Kill or Not to Kill? Exploring Themes of Preservation and Destruction in Art

Portrait of John James Audobon, 1826. John Syme. Oil on canvas. 35 1/2 x 27 1/2 in (90.2 x 69.8 cm). White House, Washington DC.

Since the early days of America’s founding, the close association between hunting and virility has remained unchanged. During the Victorian Era, outdoor, recreational sports  became increasingly popular among urban males. The hunt, formerly a recreational privilege of the rich and powerful in Europe, was democratized in America in the 1850s when private and public land became accessible to all. Hunters were free to exploit the wilderness and its wildlife with unfettered zeal, leading to a great reduction in the wildfowl population and the extinction of several species. Professional bird hunting became an accepted annual right for urban business men.  Mimicking the migrations of thousands of birds flocking along the east coast, men from the city would take fall and spring vacations to camp in the salt marshes and shoot all forms of wild fowl.  While hunting was purely recreation for some, others practiced the sport professionally.  Market gunners arose in great numbers during the 1850’s, responding to an urban demand for the inexpensive, abundant and undeniably tasty birds.

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Contemporary Art Glass Featured at the 54th Venice Biennale & at the NBMAA

Norbert Brunner (b.1969), an artist whose name may be familiar to visitors of the New Britain Museum of American Art, is one of many contemporary artists participating  in the 54th Venice Biennale. The Venice Biennale was started in 1895 and was originally based around the decorative arts of Italy. Its focus gradually expanded, and after World War I it began to spotlight contemporary artists from all over the world. Several art movements including Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art had their debut at the Biennale.

Grand Canal, Venice, Italy

This year, the main exhibition running from June 4, 2011, to November 27, 2011, is called ILLUMInations. Curator Bice Curiger explains the concept of the show: “The title of the 54th International Art Exhibition, ILLUMInations, literally draws attention to the importance of such endeavours in a globalized world. As the biggest and oldest Biennale, la Biennale di Venezia has always been buoyed by an international spirit, and even more so now in an age in which artists themselves have become multifaceted, discerning migrants and cultural tourists.”

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Technology & Museum Experiences

How much does the physical setting in which works of art are presented matter? Works put in contest of their original physical setting (such as churches and homes) can change the perception of the objects, as context endows certain values.

In the same way that a temple can plays a key role in the interpretation of the art within, the museum organizes the visitor’s experience, and the guest engages in an activity much like a ritual. The objects in the museum become its voice and face, and the decorative elements form a logical whole as an iconographic program that clarifies purpose. Although the museum is a ceremonial monument, the conventional art historian may ignore the meaning the work acquires in the museum, insisting on the viewer’s own experience of the art shaped by the artist’s intention.

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The MFA Boston’s New American Wing

The Arts of the Americas Wing at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

The new Arts of Americas Wing at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, opened on November 20, 2010. The Wing was planned to bring together a more inclusive vision of “American” Art and its 53 galleries that house over 5,000 works. After a recent visit, it is safe to say that the new galleries do a remarkable job of presenting a cohesive display of the MFA’s vast and impressive collection. The Wing is divided into four floors,  arranged chronologically, each consisting of differing aesthetic interiors that compliment the works on display.

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Politically-Charged Seeds (An Installation)

Sunflower Seeds, 2010. Ai Weiwei (b.1957). Temporary installation at the Turbine Hall of the Tate Modern, London.

You might have heard about Ai Weiwei’s Sunflower Seeds, an installation in the Turbine Hall of the Tate Modern in London, England. Initially, visitors were encouraged to interact with the artwork but due to health and safety concerns the museum decided to close access to the public. Now, the work can be viewed from a bridge that goes across the gallery or from behind a rope. This is the third show at the Tate that experienced safety issues. The first occured in 2006 when visitors were injured in Carsten Höller’s exhibit of Test Site. This was an installation of a series of slides-the longest one being 58 meters (approximately 190.2 feet) long. The second issue arose during Doris Salcedo’s Shibboleth when three visitors fell into the crack on the floor.

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Funding For the Arts In This Economy

The NEA symbol and motto

In a time when our economy is in a volatile state, we worry about maintaining the arts at all levels.  On the local level, schools face budget cuts each year, and many public schools are losing funds for their arts programs.  Most of the arts programs are supported by federal grants, and are not considered a fixed part of district budgets. Due to this, the funding for the arts is constantly in danger of being reduced. Across America, officials at the local, state, and federal levels understand the importance of the arts for community development and life.  There are many art advocates who are doing everything they can to provide a solid future for the arts in America, despite the tough economy.  

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Victorian Ideals in Pictorialist Photography: Gertrude Käsebier

The Picture Book (alternate title: Instruction), 1903. Gertrude Käsebier (1852-1934). Gravure print, 15.7 x 20.7 cm. Library of Congress. Published in Camera Work X, 1905.

The study of the female form has been a reccurring theme in artworks for millenia and many museum masterpieces focus on the exploration of a woman’s body . In the late 19^th century, this theme was often explored either as the study of beauty or as a representation of motherhood. The Pictorialist photographers concentrated their attention on softly focused images of elegantly dressed women that exuded a certain kind of mystery. Unfortunately, these photographs only showed the charm and stylishness of their sitters instead of the “individual[‘s] strength of character.” An affiliated theme is that of showing women and children occupied with a leisure activity or playing in a home or garden. These types of photographs interested both female and male photographers and they subsequently created images that showed romanticized versions of informal family life.

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