by Sandy | Jul 19, 2018 | Art, Blogroll, Exhibits, Museums
The San Francisco Musem of Modern Art treats us to over 70 pieces from Surrealist artist Rene Magritte, 1898 – 1967.
“This exhibition, the first to look exclusively at Magritte’s late career, examines his most important bodies of work from the 1940s through the 1960s, and shows how they marked a fundamental shift in painting from Modernism to our own time…the works reveal Magritte as an artist acutely attuned to the paradoxes at work within reality, and an enduring champion of the role of mystery in life and art. “
René Magritte: The Fifth Season
Until October 28, 2018
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
151 Third Street, San Francisco, CA
(Image: Rene Magritte – “L’heureux donateur” (The happy donor) 1966; Belgium)
by Sandy | Jul 13, 2018 | Blogroll, Books, Culture, Education, Learning
The Harlem Book Fair is celebrating its 20th anniversary with spoken word events, exhibit booths, music, panel discussions and children’s activities. It’s a great way to spend a Saturday in the city.
“The vision of the Harlem Book Fair is to partner with local
and national leadership organizations under the banner of literacy
awareness, affirming HBF as the nation’s largest African American
literary event celebrating family literacy, community empowerment,
and community cooperation. “
Saturday, July 21, 2018 * 10 AM – 6 PM
West 135th Street (Betw. Malcolm X Boulevard &
Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Boulevard) Harlem, NY
by Sandy | Jun 8, 2018 | Blogroll, Books
Originally posted July 2007
How does he stay so thin? On his Travel Channel TV series, “No Reservations”, author and Chef Anthony Bourdain wanders the world in search of “good” food. His 5th season is now in reruns, the 6th begins in August. Our traveling Chef doesn’t use the word “gourmet” – but, he does intone the word “simple” a lot. Plain simple French bistro eats, simple, fiery Indian street food, plain simple family style Italian food, and so on. He feels that the worst thing to be is a “tourist”. We should risk and explore, meet real people and find the good, simple food the natives eat. (It is sometimes unusual/bizarre – rattlesnake in Texas, assorted crunchy critters in a tasty sauce while in Asia, etc.) His favorite lines “this is sooooo good” ‘this is reeeealllly good”.
He has given up his cigarettes, but he still appears to eat tons of food as he explores the sights. Bourdain samples several courses, just about always has a dessert and washes it all down with the local brew, show after show – but, he doesn’t seem to gain a pound. Is it his metabolism or just the plain “simple” food? If it’s the food, I want what he’s having. (I really want his job 🙂
I also enjoy visiting the interesting places Chef Bourdain takes us – a food market in Thailand, the sewers of Paris, a Dacha in Russia, the bars of Iceland and even the wilds of New Jersey. Whether you are an intrepid world trekker or an arm chair/couch potato traveler, “No Reservations” can be a fun show.
by Cybel Martin | May 28, 2018 | Artist
(Above: “Falling down stairs saves time”)
Last night, I was googling for images regarding “falling down” and accidentally came across this artist’s site called Exploding Dog. I loved it. I loved his images. They are so simple yet convey so much. I suppose it could be easy to dismiss them for their simplicity. Many of us artists have that insecurity/drive to prove in every single painting that we indeed know how to draw, use color theory etc. Just look at the popularity of Dad’s post on “Learning How To Resolve a Painting”. On a similar note, I finally saw the “Glitter and Doom” exhibit at the Met. Its a very full exhibit on German portraits in the 1920s (Otto Dix, Max Beckmann etc). The paintings are phenomenal and many border on caricatures (so simple yet convey so much.)
***
(Post first appeared in 2011)
by Sandy | May 17, 2018 | Art, Arts, Entertainment and Music, Blogroll, Museums
“The 1940s and 1950s were a pivotal time for sōsaku hanga, the “creative prints” movement in Japan. Artists who had been trained primarily as oil painters turned to traditional woodblock printing to give full expression to their often somber images. Some of the most haunting portraits produced in Japan were created in this era, and they speak to the effort these artists made to imbue their subjects with a depth and psychological nuance entirely new to the medium.
This exhibition features the work of two such artists, Onchi Kōshirō (1891–1955) and Saitō Kiyoshi (1907–1997).”
Modern Japanese Portraits – Until July 1, 2018
AIC / The Art Institute of Chicago
111 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Il
by Sandy | Apr 16, 2018 | Art, Blogroll, Museums
“To mark the centenary of the deaths of Gustav Klimt (1862–1918) and Egon Schiele (1890–1918), the MFA presents an exhibition of rarely seen drawings by the Austrian artists…”
“Klimt and Schiele: Drawn examines both the divergences and compelling parallels between the two artists—particularly in their provocative depictions of the human body.”
Klimt and Schiele: Drawn
Until May 28, 2018
Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Avenue of the Arts
465 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts
(Image: Egon Schiele, The Artist’s Mother, Sleeping, 1911)
by Sandy | Apr 12, 2018 | Artist, Blogroll, Exhibits
American artist Leon Golub (1922–2004) “occupies a singular position in the history of mid- to late 20th-century art. His devotion to the figure, his embrace of expressionism, his fusion of modern and classical sources, and his commitment to social justice distinguish his practice as an artist.
“The artist’s work has much to teach us in the 21st century, as does his belief in the ethical responsibility of artists.”
Leon Golub: Raw Nerve
The Met Breuer
Until May 27, 2018
(Image: Gigantomachy II, 1966)
by Sandy | Apr 5, 2018 | Art, Blogroll, Exhibits, Museums
There is a huge Jasper Johns exhibition at The Broad, a contemporary art museum in Los Angeles, until May 13, 2018. On display are more than “120 extraordinary paintings, sculptures, prints and drawings by one of America’s greatest artists.”
“One hopes for something resembling truth, some sense of life, even of grace, to flicker, at least, in the work” Jasper Johns, 2006
Jasper Johns: ‘Something Resembling Truth’
The Broad
221 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA
(Image: Cicada II, 1981)
by Sandy | Apr 2, 2018 | Art, Blogroll, Museums, Photograhy
The High Museum in Atlanta presents civil rights photographs from 1956–1967. “This installation of over forty photographs examines the history and legacy of the civil rights movement. Iconic prints drawn from the High Museum’s celebrated collection demonstrate the power and potency of photography during that significant era, while contemporary works point to the ongoing struggle for equal rights.”
“A Fire That No Water Could Put Out”: Civil Rights Photography
Until April 29, 2018
High Museum of Art, 1280 Peachtree Street, N.E., Atlanta, GA
(Image: “Grass Roots Organizer”, 1968)
by Bob Martin | Mar 19, 2018 | Art
I had the great opportunity to be interviewed by my friend Alvin Galloway for his radio show. I started out simply terrified, knowing that I sometimes I don’t know when to stop talking and that often I have the feeling that I should not have said what I said.
If you did not hear what I had to say about myself or art, have a listen.
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