Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller

In addition to the glorious permanent collection of the Belvedere in Vienna, we enjoyed seeing an impressive special exhibit there, too-- the Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller Retrospective.

I was not familiar with Waldmüller before, but I instantly admired his paintings on first sight. The retrospective featured around 120 of his realist paintings, including portraits, landscapes, and scenes of everyday rural life in the changing society of Austria during the mid-1800s. Waldmüller influenced the later Pre-Raphaelite painters of England who favored Waldmüller's spontaneous painting methods and careful observation of nature.  

My favorite piece in the exhibit was this portrait that was also selected as one of the two poster images advertising the show throughout Vienna:

The young woman's slouching pose is very informal compared to the postured poses of the rest of Waldmüller's commissioned portraits. Although her pose may have been a flagrant disregard for the very stiff conventional manners of her time, the more natural pose and direct, thoughtful gaze makes her absolutely alive. 

The Belvedere and Gustav Klimt

The Belvedere in Vienna, Austria (above)

Just back from the art adventure of a lifetime, in celebration of our wedding anniversary. First stop: The Belvedere in Vienna, Austria.

Here lives the largest collection of paintings by the Viennese artist, Gustav Klimt, including one of the most romantic paintings ever created-- Klimt's sparkling gold masterpiece, The Kiss.

The Kiss by Gustav Klimt (above)

The Belvedere is an incredibly beautiful place— Two art-filled palaces with an opulent garden in-between with flowers, fountains, and statues including several sphinxes.


Here is a beautifully designed web site all about the artist Gustav Klimt that features more of his masterpieces: iklimt

Chuck Close

Yesterday we went to the Akron Art Museum in Akron, Ohio, to see an exhibit of portraits by Chuck Close. We also enjoyed exploring the museum's permanent collection. Three years ago, the museum tripled its size (new addition pictured above). The expansion makes this museum well worth a day-trip to Akron.

Self-Portrait by Chuck Close (above)

Familiar Faces: Chuck Close in Ohio Collections demonstrates why Chuck Close is one of America's most important contemporary portraitists, capturing his subjects in exacting photo-realism by employing the grid method. His monumental portraits in a variety of media are fascinating to study in person. Across the room, the image melds together to depict the texture of skin, hair, etc. Up close, you may find the image is no more than a grid of painted circles, or of torn paper, or just made up of the artist's own thumbprint, varied perfectly to create a pixelized image of staggering accuracy.

Juliette Aristides

Two good instructional art books by Juliette Aristides that are a pleasure to read:

Classical Drawing Atelier: A Contemporary Guide to Traditional Studio Practice by Juliette Aristides

Classical Painting Atelier: A Contemporary Guide to Traditional Studio Practice by Juliette Aristides (cover pictured above)

These instructional books which emphasize classical techniques using examples from the old masters and contemporary realists, are quite well written. I would recommend them to anyone who is a student of drawing or painting. I bought the painting one a few months back, and just checked the drawing one out from the library. In my opinion, the painting one (which is Aristide's most recent) is superior, but both are excellent. She reminds us that the history of art is always today's artists' greatest resource.

Cy Twombly

Hero and Leander (To Christopher Marlow), oil painting on canvas by Cy Twombly

"The painter paints the appearance of things, not their objective correctness, in fact he creates new appearances of things." - Cy Twombly

soulpurpose

A few of the works by local artists on view at 709 Penn Gallery, just a small sample of Pittsburgh's talent that will be on display during the G-20 summit:

Fern, glass by Gary Guydosh (above)

Gary Guydosh's glass works are like something out of a wonderland-- flowers as tall as people, exotic birds, and other forms abstracted from nature. See more on his web site: http://www.gallerygglass.com/

The Boy Who Could Fly, sculpture by Vanessa German (above)

Vanessa German is an inspiring performance artist, poet, and visual artist -- another star in our midst here in Pittsburgh.

These works and more are on display in soulpurpose, up now through November 6.

(show postcard image by Susan Constanse)

National Museum of Women in the Arts

I have a lot of catching up to do with this blog. I'll start with our visit to the National Museum of Women in the Arts. I hadn't been there in years, and it was great to see it again. Just look how beautiful it is:


Pinkish marble and chandeliers set the stage for a feminine aesthetic. The museum is the only in the world dedicated exclusively to women artists. Its permanent collection hosts over 3,000 works by women artists, including a small Camille Claudel sculpture, an etching by Mary Cassatt, lithographs by Elizabeth Catlett, a portrait by Cecilia Beaux, and this wonderful self-portrait by Frida Khalo:

Self-Portrait Dedicated to Leon Trotsky by Frida Kahlo, 1937 (above)

Historically, women artists didn't have the same education or opportunities as males, but nevertheless they created wonderful works of art. Strolling through the museum, you can gain insights about the female gaze, a distinct perspective.

p.s. note - In the car on the way home to Pittsburgh, we saw this rainbow:

Nature is a wonderful artist!