Delhi Durbar of Akbar II

The Delhi Durbar of Akbar II
Mughal Period, ca 1820
India, Delhi School
Painting on ivory with carved ivory frame
Painting: 18 1/4 x 14 1/2 in
Toledo Museum of Art, 2004.55

This beautiful Indian miniature on ivory is one of my favorite pieces at the TMA. It's description in our Masterworks catalogue uses the word dazzling, and it is quite on point. For more close up details check it out here. This painting commemorates a durbar (an imperial audience or state reception) and represents an image of Mughal power with the emperor, Akbar II, the resplendence of court, costumes, jewels and more. The ivory frame is carved in deep relief and depicts vignettes of Hindu deities. These type of paintings were produced in court schools of painters as souvenirs for high dignitaries and emperor's guests at the durbar.

Marvelous

Jehan Georges Vibert
French, 1840-1902
The Marvelous Sauce, ca. 1899
Oil on wood panel
25 x 32 inches (63.5 x 81.3 cm)
Bequest of Elisabeth H. Gates, 1899

A nostalgic painting for me, I remember seeing this painting on every trip to the Albright Knox Art Gallery when I was growing up. It's been one of the collection highlights of the Albright Knox Art Gallery for quite a long time.
A quick search for Vibert brings up my one of the more fascinating art websites out there, artrenewal.org. Check out their mission statement. They would be quite opposed to much of the art I post on this blog, but they do their historical research well.

Chinese textiles

Fragment of a hanging or cover
China, mid 19th century.
Silk, peacock feathers, metallic wrapped yarn.
The Textile Museum 51.30

I tend to usually be drawing to more contemporary art as well as art by known artists. Textiles is an area I am not very familiar with but whenever I come across supreme examples of them I am blown away. Techniques are also fascinating. This textile was created in China before the invention of synthetic dyes. Green, at this time, was incredibly hard to produce because while it occurs in nature, it never occurs as a steadfast dye. In order to create the green one needed to dye the fabric twice.

In this piece, instead of dye, peacock feathers were wrapped around silk threads. Not surprisingly, this was quite a task and was reserved for only special occasions. "Dating from the mid-19th century, this piece was likely part of a lavish hanging or cover used for Buddhist ritual. The colorful design depicts the “eight precious things” of the Buddhist faith: double fish, canopy, endless knot, lotus, vase, conch, umbrella, and the wheel of law." Textile Museum

The Handsome Michallon

Leon Cogniet (French, 1794-1880)
Portrait of Michallon, about 1818-19
Musée des Beaux-Arts d'Orléans
image: http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/artists/achille-etna-michallon


What a handsome young man! I started out looking for a work by the painter Achille-Etna Michallon (1796-1822), the subject of our painting today and quickly discovered this portrait. This young man was only ever handsome as he sadly, only made it to the age of 26 due to illness.

A quick search for additional work by Cogniet shows that this may be, in my humble opinion of course, one of his better works. I seem to only find his portraits aesthetically pleasing, as he captures a wonderful face. More works... and yes, my source is Google images as I can't find more than a couple of his works in any one place. This may also be due to the fact that Cogniet was an academic painter, never my first love.

Winter Scene

Winter Scene in Brooklyn, ca. 1819-20
Francis Guy (American, 1760-1820)
58 3/8 x 74 9/16 in.

Happy snow! A beautiful historical winter and Brooklyn scene. Check out the audio for a bit about the picture:

Dancers

Dancers in the Wings, 1880
Edgar Degas (French, 1834-1917)
Pastel and tempera on paper, mounted to paperboard
27-1/4 x 19-3/4 in.
Norton Simon Art Foundation M.1977.06.P
Norton Simon Museum

I love when you fall a work of art at first glance and then upon research and more you find out it is even more awesome than you originally thought. I have never been a fan of Degas, I found his subject matter a bit dull (sorry ballet fans) and have never been particularly attracted to the pastel colors of so much of impressionism. I never once doubted the awesome talent of the artist, it just wasn't for me.

While searching for something else I came across this gorgeous piece by Degas. Drawn in by both composition and the colors, which are almost juicy, I was excited to discover that the work is actually made up of at least 10 pieces of paper (Norton Simon Museum website) which were used to enlarge the drawing. I've always been fascinated by what pastel can be in the hands of someone like Degas. The work is also part tempera, but this is definitely something that cannot be discerned via the digital world (see as much art as you can in person!). I would love to see this work and really understand how the mediums are used.

The cradle

Berthe Morisot (French, 1841-1895)
Le Berceau (The cradle), 1872
oil on canvas
image: Musee d'Orsay http://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/collections/index-of-works/notice.html?no_cache=1&nnumid=001132&cHash=366b77b867

A beautiful picture by Berthe Morisot. Focused on the daily life of the Modern woman, Morisot captured beautiful moments. Morisot's sister modeled for this painting and she is looking down upon her own baby. The simple beauty of the cradle curatin and focused attention of the mother. Admittedly, Morisot falls into a number of artists I neglected for a long time. It took me awhile to develop not only an appreciation for Impressionism but an aesthetic interest in these more quiet paintings.

Along with Mary Cassatt, Morisot is considered one of the most important women painters of the late 19th century. Very good friends with Edouard Manet, Morisot was not just a woman painter but exhibited alongside other Impressionists of her time (she was the first woman to join the circle of French Impressionists). Despite her connections with this group, she was not as well known during her lifetime.

Madame X

Madame X (Madame Pierre Gautreau), 1883–84
John Singer Sargent (American, 1856–1925)
Oil on canvas

82 1/8 x 43 1/4 in. (208.6 x 109.9 cm)
Arthur Hoppock Hearn Fund, 1916 (16.53) Metropolitan Museum of Art

One of my mom's favorite artists, John Singer Sargent's portraits never cease to delight the viewer.

The portrait of the young socialite in Paris, Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau, was requested by Sargent instead of commissioned. Gautreau agreed to the portrait but it resulted in a scandal for the artist. "The image's erotic suggestion is of a distinctly upper-class sort: unnaturally pale skin, cinched waist, severity of profile and an emphasis on aristocratic bone structure all imply a distant sexuality "under the professional control of the sitter", rather than offered for the viewer's delectation.^{[16]" (}Prettejohn, Elizabeth. "Interpreting Sargent", page 25. Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 1998.) The painting was originally shown and denounced at the Paris Salon of 1884 and at this time the right shoulder strap of the Madam's dress fell down her shoulder (Sargent later repainted its position). The painting remained in Sargent's studio (see above) for a number of years and was sold to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1916, where it is today.

Madame X

Cradle

Child's Cradle, c. 1895
J. & J. Kohn, Josef Kohn and Jacob Kohn (Austrian)
Ebonized bentwood, 80 1/4 x 56 1/4 x 25 7/16"
Manufactured by Jacob & Josef Kohn, Vienna. Gift of Barry Friedman
Museum of Modern Art 163.1993 Image: moma.org

I've seen this cradle at MoMA and always thought it was pretty fantastic. While it stands beautifully as sculpture on its own, when lined with thick cushions it served an infant pretty well.

"The sinuous and sensual design, with the elegant, curved forms of the cradle and the long vertical arm that supported draped netting, reflects the popular Art Nouveau style of the time. Such cradles could be found in stylish, bourgeois homes all over Europe." How I wish we still lived in such style.

Glassy Napoleon

Bottle, Figure of Napoleon Bonaparte (Late 19th c.)
American
7 1/4 x 2 x 2 in.
colorless, pressed glass
Brooklyn Museum of Art

Fantastic little caricature of Napoleon. This reminds me of a quirky little museum that I went to in Munich called ZAM (I must mention the awesomeness of the internet here, as I would never have remembered the name of the museum or where it was without it). It was a museum of little museums. There was a chamber pot museum, an Easter bunny museum and some others. I particularly remember the chamber pots. Many had illustrations in the bottom of them, often of unsavory people such as Hitler. Definitely elicited some giggles.

A unique way to create a novelty item, in pressed glass. The technique of pressed glass allowed a faster, lower cost way of creating glass objects (as opposed to glass blowing).

Dignity and Impudence

Dignity and Impudence, 1839
Sir Edwin Henry Landseer (1802-1873)
Oil on canvas
Tate Collection
Image: tate.org.uk

Not usually much of a fan of animals in art but I discovering otherwise lately. I discovered Sir Edward Henry Landseer today, a 19th century British painter whose paintings usually depicted animals with human attributes. A significant talent from a very young age, exhibiting at the Royal Academy at only age 13 and became one of the most famous English painters of his generation.

The hound is Grafton and the terrier is Scratch, dogs of his friend and patron, Jacob Bell.

More animal paintings by Landseer.

Springtime

Springtime ca. 1894-99
Maurice Denis (French, 1870-1943)
Oil on canvas; 31 1/2 x 38 1/2 in.
Double-sided canvas
Metropolitan Museum of Art (image)

This awful weather we are having, wet snow and chilly temperatures, needs to stop. It has inspired thoughts of spring (which was here on Saturday!) so here is a painting with a perfect title, springtime. As we are also nearing Easter, Denis' painting is particularly fitting.

"Denis draws a parallel between the flowering sapling in the center (a symbol of spring, renewal, and Easter) and the maidens." (Heilbrunn Timeline)

Maurice Denis was a founding member of the Nabis group and associated with the Symbolists, active in the late 19th century (1888-1899). Spirituality and theory drove his work. The Nabis blurred the boundaries between art and craft, rejecting representational painting, preferring to focus on shape and color which is particularly evident in this work by Denis. While this is a study for a much larger, more detailed painting, many of Denis' works maintain this soft color palette, idealizing figures, presenting an abstract idea as opposed to a specific event through the flatness of the picture plane. This flatness was one of the lead ins to the modernism of the early 20th century.

Camille Claudel

Camille Claudel (1864-1943)
The Waltz, 1892-1905
Neue Pinakothek, Munich

Unfortunately, Claudel's life story often overshadows her accomplishments as a sculptor. Both a student of Rodin and his lover until she was 30 years, their tumultuous relationship and her later incarceration in a mental asylum for the last 30 years of her life seep into the details of her work. While I am never one to think that biography is separate from creativity, talent and genius, it is important to look and see how an artist's work stands on its own.

Due to Claudel's connection with such a revered and well-known artist, it was difficult for her to shine on her own as a sculptor once their relationship ended. Some believe that her work is derivative of Rodin's others see its special beauty and her unique talent. Claudel's sculptures are intimate and flowing as you can see in The Waltz. At the same time it is fascinating to see read about discussions of the affect of Claudel on Rodin's work (she remains a source of inspiration for his work)

The original version of this sculpture was criticized for its too blatant nudity and it was strongly suggested to Claudel to add the drapery which she did. While the drapery may detract from Claudel's original intentions it showcases her sculptural talent.

An exhibition at the Detroit Institute of Art focused on the relationship and work of the two, both influencing the other in their work. Camille Claudel & Rodin: Fateful Encounter

La Coiffure

Edgar Degas (183401917)
Combing the Hair ('La Coiffure') ca. 1896
Oil on canvas
114.3 x 146.7 cm.
National Gallery, London.

One of my favorite paintings in the National Gallery. I think the initial pull was the monochromatic color. Despite the limited color palette (though there exists a wonderful red palette), the painting stands out. The pedestrian subject matter creates a focus on the detail.

Degas is most well-known for his paintings of dancers, subject matter which has never particularly appealed to me. I prefer these simple interior scenes, reminding me of Vuillard (yet his interiors have a greater focus on pattern). I find it fascinating that the maid has the same color hair as the girl who's hair she combs. It creates an affinity between the women, one that most likely doesn't actually exist outside of the scene Degas presents to us.

The National Gallery is collaborating with the London Film School on a project (Transcriptions) in which the students choose a work in the gallery as inspiration for a short film piece. Here is Mistress inspired by La Coiffure.

A Bar

A Bar at the Folies-Bergere, 1881-82
Edouard Manet
oil on canvas
The Courtauld Gallery

The first exposure to this painting that I remember is from a print hanging in the seminar room of Seidlin Hall (English building). I wasn't a huge fan of the image, and now I believe it was because I didn't give it the attention it deserved.

The image is fascinating. We see the barmaid facing the viewer (customer) directly, placed in the center of the painting, yet she is not interacting with her customer, she appears alone and secluded, absorbed within herself, depressed despite the rich nightclub activities surround here (Manet' keeps thse in the reflection, possibly to keep them at an additional remove from the barmaid). We are not only presented with this solitary woman, as Manet has created another view in the mirror's reflection, where we see the barmaid leaning in and making contact with her customer. Manet often created images of urban leisure, focusing on the spectacle of higher society, while this painting takes this as its background subject we see him juxtapose it with the solitary and ordinary appearance of the barmaid. She is visually a part of her surroundings, merging with the still life of bootles and fruit on the bar. Her "wide hips, stong neck, and closely combed golden hair are echoed in the champagne bottles" (Stokstad 1027) The club itself was a well known elaborate variety show, with various attractions (note the legs of a trapeze artist in the upper left hand corner). One of the attractions was also the barmaids who were assumed to be clandestine barmaids (Getty exhib. 2007).

This painting continues to spark debate over visual inconsistencies, and discussion about Manet's intentions. An exhibition at the Getty in Los Angeles (Manet's Bar at the Folies-Bergere, 2007) focused on the questions surrounding the painting, stop by the website for further inquiry as well as audio from the curator and more.


The wonder of internet resources, and oh how I love great art museum websites, check out an X-ray of the painting.

Turret

Turret rue de l'Ecole de Medicine 22 Paris, 1861
Charles Meryon
Etching on laid paper
Smart Museum of Art, Univ. of Chicago

There is an unending pot of art that I can choose from daily, yet it is amazing how difficult it sometimes is to just pick something. Even sitting at work, surrounded by art books, I sometimes struggle. Many of my entries are well thought out, time spent reading and exploring whatever artist or work I've chosen. Other entries are quick choices (and I am sure you can figure out which ones), something catches my eye, I post it and comment briefly. It is a little inconsistent but then again, so am I :). Here is the quick (and late) entry for today.

Yay for etching!

Burghers of Calais

Burghers of Calais, modeled 1884-95
Auguste Rodin
bronze cast - 1985
lost wax casting of plaster model
H. 82 1/2 in.
Metropolitan Museum of of Art

Right hand image - first casting of sculpture in Calais, France. Installed 1895.
Image: http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/fnart/rodin/rodin_calais.html

One of the fascinating things about sculpture is the reproduction ability. Note the sculpture owned by the Met was cast in 1985, while the original was cast in 1895.

I discovered The Burghers of Calais during study for my first lecture hall lecture in graduate school. The work, along with much late 19th century work was strikingly different from my initial focus on Impressionism. The expression imbued in this monument is incredible, it works out now only of the subject matter (click on title above to get an overview of the story) of the sculpture but the texture and modeling, the position of the figures, facial expression, arm gestures and the hanging of heads. This approach to the monument was controversial because Rodin did not portray the burghers as heroes but as worn individuals. Rodin wished for the statue to be presented at the same level as the viewer, not on a pedestal, adding to the personal, real nature of the work.

Penelope

Penelope Unraveling her Work at Night, 1886
Dora Wheeler (American, 1856–1940) for Associated Artists (New York City, 1883–1907)
Silk embroidered with silk thread
45 x 68 in.
Metropolitan Museum of Art

Daughter of Candace Wheeler, who founded, among many other accomplishments, Associated Artists, a women-run decorating/design firm. Candace Wheeler also patented the technique of embroidery seen in this work. Dora created this design and others, but this is one of the few which has not completely disintegrated.

Dora studied with the painter, William Merritt Chase (painter of the portrait of Dora Wheeler to the right). You can see the brilliance of Wheeler's experience with painting as she applies it to the painterliness of the silk embroidery.


Dora Wheeler, 1882-83
William Merritt Chase
Cleveland Museum of Art

Victoria Dubourg

Portrait of Victoria Dubourg, ca.1866-68
Edgar Degas (1834-1917)
Oil on canvas
81.3 x 64.8 cm
Toledo Museum of Art
image by me.


One of my favorite paintings at TMA is not what one expects from Degas. While I've always thought Degas paintings were nice to look at, I was never a fan of the focused subject matter of the ballerina (I've learned there is more, but we get so blinded by the popular). This painting shifts far from that focus. There is something intriguing about this wonderful portrait. It is one of those works that simply caught my eye as I was on my way to look at something else, now I can't walk by it without giving it a little attention.

Paintings can be realistic in that they give us a faithful reproduction of what one may see in real life, but this oftentimes is only topical in its realism. Portraits are often dolled up, the sitter overly aware that this is a portrait, they looking what they may consider their best (this a choice of the artist and/or the sitter). Here, with her relaxed position, her gaze towards the viewer, she could be simply be listening to a companion's story or just shifting leaning in because someone called her name. I think this portrait achieves an additional layer of realism, one in which you can really get a taste of this woman, who she might be. Victoria Dubourg is a fellow painter )of flowers) as well as the wife of Henri Fantin-Latour another peer of Degas.

Rouen

The Portal of Rouen Cathedral, 1894
Claude Monet
Image and location: Getty Center Los Angeles

One of over 30 paintings of the Rouen Cathedral
in Rouen, France, the series of the Rouen Cathedral is a favorite of mine. I was never a fan of Monet. Looking at his work as an introduction to Impressionism I found his paintings, in the mind of a teenager, pretty boring. I focused on the late 19th century for a lecture when I was a TA in grad school and as a result my thoughts have shifted dramatically. While I am still not particularly interested in the most famous of Monet's works such as his water lilies (maybe it is the subject matter) much of his other work is fascinating to me.

His focus on one subject throughout the varying lights of day is beautiful and smart. Monet positioned himself in a studio across the street working through 2 different periods of time over the course of 2 years, 1892-93. Most of the paintings are dated 1894 due to Monet returning to his regular studio in order to complete the paintings. He worked from life but reworked the paintings in order to get the full affects he wanted. I've always been a fan of architecture in painting, and the range of mood expressed through one building (and one view) is wonderful.