The Sketch

Page from George Grosz's sketchbook, Manhattan Skyline, 1950-51
George Grosz (1893-1959)
38 pages of off-white wove paper; 23.3 x 15.3 cm.

My intentions were to share with you one of George Grosz's paintings of Manhattan but I had some trouble finding a good image of one, but I am including it here as well (Lower Manhattan, 1934, oil on cardboard, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco) I did in my inquiry find something very exciting though, a digitization of a sketchbook focused on the Manhattan skyline and mice! Why mice, I'm not sure, but being able to see the sketches of an artist such as Grosz is excellent. The sketchbook was part of an the exhibition, Under Cover: Artist's Sketchbooks held at the Fogg Art Museum at Harvard which has a large collections of intact artist sketchbooks. They digitized a portion of them, which can be accessed on the Harvard art museums website.

George Grosz is well known for his bitter satirical images but spent a lot of time with his adopted city of New York in imagery as well and being a sucker for nyc images, well, I think my choice is obvious. For today, I am more interested in the aspect of sketchbooks as an entry into the mind and work ethic of an artist, from vague sketches (check out Fragonard's) to full-fledged works of art.

More online sketchbooks

Fascinating little article from 1932, when George Grosz first came to the U.S. to teach at the Art Student's League.

Cranked Fish

Goldfish Bowl, 1929
Alexander Calder
Private Collection

As a child, Calder mobiles were some of my favorite works of art. I loved to just stand under them in galleries, waiting for a breeze to make them move (I think I even blew at them, but from a child's height it doesn't do much good). No wonder, considering their movement, and affinity with toys. I am happy that not only have I discovered a whole world of Calder I was unfamiliar with at the Whitney Museum of American Art a few years ago when I saw Calder's circus, but a new exhibition catalog at work has introduced me to where much of the wonderful came from.

Goldfish Bowl was Calder's first mechanized wire sculptures Calder made when he was in Paris (1926-1933). It is crank-driven and when cranked, the fish "swim"! ("Alexander Calder: 1898-1976, NGA press release 1998) These wire sculptures were his form of expressive drawing in space, which we can see by the fluid yet marked connections made by the wire.

The catalog was produced to accompany the exhibitions "Alexander Calder: The Paris Years 1926-1933" which opens at the Whitney October 16 and at the Centre Pompidou sometime next spring, so you must check it out if you luckily live in NYC (been experiencing some withdrawal syptoms this week) or Paris! The Whitney has Calder's circus up on permanent display (and play the film of Calder performing the circus) so next time you are in the city or just on the upper east side, stop by. Here is a taste... and notice in my blogroll, a new artistquote of the day...