by Sandy | Jul 15, 2019 | Art, Blogroll, Culture, Exhibits
“Barnes created some
of the twentieth century’s most iconic images of African American life. Known
for his unique “neo-mannerist” approach of presenting figures through elongated
forms, he captured his observations of life growing up in North Carolina,
playing professional football in the NFL (1960–1964), and living in Los
Angeles.“
“For many fans of
1970s American television, Ernie Barnes’ (1938–2009) painting The Sugar
Shack is no doubt instantly familiar. The 1976 work depicting a dance
scene—which was the cover art for Marvin Gaye’s album I Want You—achieved
cult status…”
Ernie Barnes: A Retrospective
Until September 8, 2019
California
African American Museum: CAAM
Exposition Park, Los Angeles,
California
(Image: The Sugar Shack (1976) Acrylic on canvas)
by Sandy | Jun 16, 2019 | Art, Blogroll, Exhibits, Museums
“The
MFAH is the only venue for this major survey that brings together more than 50
masterworks by one of the most iconic artists in the history of Western art. Vincent
van Gogh: His Life in Art follows Van Gogh (1853–1890) through four key stages
of his career, from early sketches to final paintings.”
Vincent
van Gogh: His Life in Art ~ Through June
27, 2019
Museum
of Fine Arts, Houston, 1001 Bissonnet St, Houston, TX
(Image: Vincent van Gogh, Tarascon Stagecoach, 1888, oil on canvas)
by Sandy | May 29, 2019 | Actors, Arts, Entertainment and Music, Directors, Film, Movies
The “Film Noir” genre, a label used primarily for crime dramas of the 1940’s and 1950’s, were mostly in black & white. They’re famous for their evocative, often lurid, pulpy titles, (This Gun For Hire, I Wake Up Screaming, Phantom Lady, The Blue Dahlia, etc) the snappy dialogue, the scrappy, tough guys in trench coats, (Bogart, Robinson, Ladd) and the dangerous, smart, tough women in wedgies (Joan Crawford, Gloria Graham, Barbara Stanwyck).
These broody “who dunnits” are experiencing a resurgence in popularity (along with the coats and the shoes) and are soooo entertaining.The men are menacing, the women are manipulative and both are inclined to make some bad choices.
Small, independent movie theaters around the country, those that are left, often plan double bill weekends for these clever little gems. There are also DVD box sets featuring the films of major directors of the era – Nicholas Ray, Fritz Lang and Samuel Fuller. The most famous of the group, Billy Wilder’s, Double Indemnity (’44) and Otto Preminger’s, Laura (’44) show up on PBS every few years. 
.
According to a PBS documentary about “German Hollywood”, the dialogue and subject matter of “Noir” might come from American crime writers, like Dashiel Hammet and Raymond Chandler, but the shadowy mood lighting, the scenes shot at night on rain slicked streets were influenced by the German expressionist movement of the 20’s (Pabst, Murnau) and was also colored by the melancholy of those who just escaped Hitler’s net: Peter Lorre, Marlene Dietrich, Paul Henreid, Peter Lorre, Conrad Veidt, Fritz Lang and Michael Curtiz (he directed “Casablanca”, 1942. Most of the extras were refugees – that impassioned “La Marseillaise” gets me every time.)
Just an example of typical dialogue:
Out of The Past, ‘47 – “Is there a way to win?”, the femme fatale asks and Robert Mitchum replies, “No, but there is a way to lose more slowly”. (Love it! Goes great with popcorn.)
***
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by Sandy | Apr 1, 2019 | Art, Arts, Entertainment and Music, Blogroll, Culture, Exhibits, Museums
If you missed it
when it was at MoMA / NYC, LACMA (Los
Angeles County Museum of Art) is presenting
this important Charles White (1918-1979) exhibit from Feb 17 thru June 9, 2019.
“The
exhibition includes approximately 100 drawings and prints along with
lesser-known oil paintings. A superb draftsman, White focused on images of both
historical and contemporary African Americans, depicted in ideal portraits and
everyday scenes. He extolled their dignity, humanity, and heroism in the face
of the country’s long history of racial injustice and encouraged his viewers
and fellow artists of color to project their own self-worth.”
“Charles White: A Retrospective” * 2/17/19 – 6/9/19
LACMA/
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles
FYI: Charles White and the Contemporary (March 6–August 25, 2018) will be presented at the California African American Museum
by Sandy | Mar 25, 2019 | Art, Blogroll, Exhibits, Museums
“Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power shines light on a broad spectrum of Black artistic practice from 1963 to 1983, one of the most politically, socially, and aesthetically revolutionary periods in American history. “
“Black
artists across the country worked in communities, in collectives, and
individually to create a range of art responsive to the moment—including
figurative and abstract painting, prints, and photography; assemblage and
sculpture; and performance.
This
exhibition brings together for the first time the excitingly disparate
practices of more than sixty Black artists from this important moment, offering
an unparalleled opportunity to see their extraordinary works side by side.”
(Image: Black Children Keep Your Spirits Free, 1972 – Carolyn Mims Lawrence)
