by Sandy | Oct 28, 2013 | Art, Blogroll, Culture, Exhibits, Museums
Living in California for the last few years has brought to my attention certain holidays that frankly I didn’t really notice while living in NYC. One of the most popular is “Dia de los Muertos” (Day of the Dead). Posters, event notices, etc are often adorned with beautifully rendered and stylized skulls or skeletons to acknowledge the sentiments of the occasion. The influence of most of the images came from the work of Mexican artist José Guadalupe Posada, (1852 – 1913).
The Museum of Fine Arts offers a presentation that “commemorates the 100th anniversary of the death of José Guadalupe Posada (1852–1913), considered the father of Mexican printmaking. Calaveras Mexicanas: The Art and Influence of José Guadalupe Posada showcases a group of approximately 50 of the artist’s prints that explore the continuing resonance of his work.”…” The exhibition also features the work of artists who were inspired by Posada, such as Manuel Álvarez Bravo, Trenton Doyle Hancock, Graciela Iturbide, Luis Jiménez, and Earl Staley.“
Calaveras Mexicanas: The Art and Influence of José Guadalupe Posada
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 1001 Bissonnet St, Houston, TX
by Sandy | Oct 10, 2013 | Art, Artist, Blogroll, Museums
The Museum of Modern Art’s exhibition, Magritte: The Mystery of the Ordinary, 1926–1938… “is the first to focus exclusively on the breakthrough Surrealist years of René Magritte, creator of some of the 20th century’s most extraordinary images. Beginning in 1926, when Magritte first aimed to create paintings that would, in his words, “challenge the real world,” and concluding in 1938—a historically and biographically significant moment just prior to the outbreak of World War II—the exhibition traces central strategies and themes from the most inventive and experimental period in the artist’s prolific career. “
Magritte: The Mystery of the Ordinary, 1926–1938
Museum of Modern Art, NYC
by Sandy | Oct 6, 2013 | Art, Blogroll, Exhibits, Museums
I love cats. Grew up with them in my home – they’re so independent and often funny. (Yes, I am one of the millions of people that watch those cat videos online:) The Brooklyn Museum’s latest exhibition may not have them live, but the cats on view are beautiful.
“From domesticated cats to mythic symbols of divinity, felines played an important role in ancient Egyptian imagery for thousands of years. Divine Felines: Cats of Ancient Egypt explores the role of cats, lions, and other feline creatures in Egyptian mythology, kingship, and everyday life through nearly thirty different representations of cats from our world-famous Egyptian collection. Likely first domesticated in ancient Egypt, cats were revered for their fertility, associated with royalty and a number of deities, and valued for their ability to protect homes and granaries from vermin.“
Divine Felines: Cats of Ancient Egypt
Brooklyn Museum, 5th Flr, 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, New York
by Sandy | Sep 10, 2013 | Art, Arts, Entertainment and Music, Blogroll, Events, Exhibits, Museums
San Francisco’s Legion of Honor museum presents Impressionists on the Water. On view are a large assortment of paintings “that explores the significant role sailing played in the lives of the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists.” 
“Experience the artistic side of nautical life through more than 80 remarkable paintings and works on paper by Impressionists such as Monet, Caillebotte, Renoir, and Pissarro and Post-Impressionists such as Denis and Signac—artists whose breathtaking artistry reflects their own deep understanding and engagement with pleasure boating and competition”
Impressionists on the Water
Until October 13, 2013
Legion of Honor – Lincoln Park
34th Avenue & Clement Street, San Francisco, CA
by Sandy | Aug 26, 2013 | Art, Blogroll, Exhibits, Museums
Riding Tall: The Cowboy in Art at the Phoenix Art Museum. 
The image of the lone man on horseback has intrigued us for decades. “Few characters personify a region in quite the same way the cowboy atop his trusted horse represents the American West. Long a standard subject in popular culture, the cowboy has come to symbolize everything from the hard-working, chivalric individualist to the heavy-drinking, thieving gunslinger. Whether wearing the symbolic white hat of the good guy or the villain’s black hat, the cowboy is recognized world-wide, instantly identified by his unique style of clothing. From the 19th century to today, artists have played to and against the stereotypes, helping to further the collective fascination with this Western American icon.”
Riding Tall: The Cowboy in Art
Phoenix Art Museum / Lyon Gallery Until 9/15/2013
Phoenix, Arizona
by Sandy | Aug 12, 2013 | Art, Blogroll, Exhibits, Museums, Photograhy
The Art Institute of Chicago / AIC offers “Abelardo Morell: The Universe Next Door”: 
“Over the course of the past 25 years, Cuban-born American artist Abelardo Morell has become internationally renowned for works that employ the language of photography to explore visual surprise and wonder. This exhibition of over 100 works made from 1986 to the present is the first retrospective of Morell’s photographs in 15 years. Showing a range of works and series—including many newer color photographs never exhibited before—the exhibition reveals how this persistently creative artist has returned to a photographic vocabulary as a source of great inspiration.”
Abelardo Morell: The Universe Next Door
Until September 2, 2013
The Art Institute of Chicago, 111 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois
(Image: Abelardo Morell. Motion Study of Falling Pitchers, 2004)
Living in California for the last few years has brought to my attention certain holidays that frankly I didn’t really notice while living in NYC. One of the most popular is “Dia de los Muertos” (Day of the Dead). Posters, event notices, etc are often adorned with beautifully rendered and stylized skulls or skeletons to acknowledge the sentiments of the occasion. The influence of most of the images came from the work of Mexican artist José Guadalupe Posada, (1852 – 1913).
