by Sandy | Jul 24, 2015 | Art, Arts, Entertainment and Music, Blogroll, Exhibits, Museums
At the Museum of Arts and Design, their latest exhibit highlights photo realism. “Spanning from the mid-1960s to the present, Richard Estes: Painting New York City presents works by this quintessential New York artist and enduring leader of the Photorealist movement. Providing an unprecedented insight into the artist’s creative process, the exhibition reveals a full range of Estes’ paintings and works on paper, including his photographs, silk screens and woodcuts and their various proofs, states, and art-making tools.”
Richard Estes: “Painting New York City”
Until September 20, 2015
Museum of Arts and Design
2 Columbus Circle, New York, NY
(Image: Study XIII, Theater 1997)
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by Sandy | Jul 17, 2015 | Art, Blogroll, Exhibits, Galleries, Museums
In April, the “Neue Galerie New York opened “Gustav Klimt and Adele Bloch-Bauer: The Woman in Gold,” an intimate exhibition devoted to the close relationship that existed between the artist and one of his key subjects and patrons. Included in the exhibition will be a display of Adele Bloch-Bauer I, paintings, related drawings, vintage photographs, decorative arts, and archival material.”
When I saw “Adele” a few years ago, I was surprised because at a distance, she looked paler than I expected, but as I moved closer, the painting became more vibrant. The silver and gold on canvas is the glitter/glint shine of the Sun and a gentle silvery Moon-like glow surrounding her. (You can see why it took Klimt 3 years to complete this layered, elaborate work. It is beautiful.)
“Gustav Klimt and Adele Bloch-Bauer: The Woman in Gold “
Until September 7, 2015
Neue Galerie Museum for German and Austrian Art
104 E 86th St, at 5th Ave, NYC
(Image: Adele Bloch-Bauer, Gustav Klimt 1907, oil, silver and gold on canvas)
FYI: Klimt was a member of the “Vienna Secession”, a group of artists that broke away from the traditional way of painting.
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by Sandy | Jul 5, 2015 | Art, Blogroll, Exhibits, Museums
“Discover how they left their mark on Detroit. And how Detroit left its mark on their art. Exclusively on view at the Detroit Institute of Arts, Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo in Detroit brings together nearly 70 works of art that depict the evolution of these two extraordinary artists’ careers, including eight of Rivera’s epic preparatory drawings for the Detroit Industry murals and 23 pieces by Kahlo, whose work has never before been shown at the DIA.”
“Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo in Detroit”
Detroit Institute of Arts / DIA – Until July 12, 2015
5200 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, Michigan
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by Sandy | Jun 19, 2015 | Arts, Entertainment and Music, Blogroll, music
Barbara Cook continues to sing, interpret and represent Broadway and its’ composers in great style.Some of the songs are famous, some not, but, you can hear and see “Broadway” nevertheless with full orchestra and marquee lights blazing.
She is famous for singing the work of Stephen Sondheim, great music, great lyrics. Ms Cook weaves the listener into the fabric of his bittersweet little song stories with such feeling, you are there – Not a Day Goes By, Losing My Mind, Loving You – the songs are not new, but, she makes them so, each time.
Barbara Cook and Stephen Sondheim, together – brilliant!
(Such amazing octogenarians)
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by Sandy | Jun 14, 2015 | Blogroll, Books, Culture, Writers
Africa: Altered States, Ordinary Miracles, by Richard Dowden
Do you ever get the feeling that westerners do not understand Africa at all? Even after so many years of subjugation and interference, Europeans still don’t have a clue about the people they colonized. They, along with we Americans, black or white, don’t really get how a continent beset by such poverty, misery, cruelty and waste can still produce men and women who keep going. Putting one foot in front of the other, bringing children into their world and expecting good things to happen – somewhere/sometime.
English correspondent Richard Dowden attempts to explain it in his book, Africa: Altered States, Ordinary Miracles. He proposes that the African has a different approach and reaction to life, a different appreciation:
“Terrible times produce strength. Grief enhances joy. Death invigorates living…Africa lives with death and suffering and grief every day, but to be alive is to talk and laugh, eat and drink – dance”.
Africa: Altered States, Ordinary Miracles, by Richard Dowden
btw: The author also thinks that “only Africans can develop Africa.” (Hmmmm.)
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by Sandy | Jun 11, 2015 | Arts, Entertainment and Music, Blogroll, dvd, Film, Movies
I loved the documentary, “20 Feet From Stardom” a music and reminiscence filled ode to the back-up singer released last year on DVD. Some added their voices to those early Phil Spector songs (“Da Do Run, Run“) and Rock & Roll tunes featuring great vocals by Darlene Love and Patti Austen. They also did back ground for Elvis and rockers like the Rolling Stones. Anonymous trios and quartets still sing a few feet behind the main acts of today like Bruce Springsteen, Bette Midler, Stevie Wonder.
You may not know the singers by name or by sight, but you will know them by ear. A talented bunch, back in the day they sang everything, from “do wop, du wahs”, to the now classic line, “rape, murder, it’s just a shot away” (Merry Clayton on “Gimme Shelter” – called to the session late at night, she did 3 takes while dressed in night gown, fur coat & curlers).
2014 Oscar Winner for Best Documentary, “20 Feet From Stardom”, directed by Morgan Neville, never showed up at my local movie theater, thank goodness for the DVD, I would have missed a thoroughly entertaining chance to fit the names and faces to the background voices on some of my favorite songs. Included in the documentary are old concert footage, interviews with singers (those that tried to move 20 feet forward and those that enjoyed singing backup) and stars that hired the voices with great stories about the music biz – a lot of fun, a lot of memories. Watched it twice 🙂
“20 Feet From Stardom”
Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer, Judith Hill, Patti Austen, Claudia Lennear, Táta Vega, the Waters, the Ikettes and many more.
FYI: “Da Do Run, Run” The Crystals, 1963 – I still know all the words 🙂
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by Sandy | May 31, 2015 | Arts, Entertainment and Music, Blogroll, Directors, Film, Movies
“Alfred Hitchcock Premiere Collection“
This is a DVD collection of 7 early films, 1927 -1947, from the master of suspense. The movies may have different plots and locations – spies in South America, the trials of a new wife, London court room intrigue, people lost at sea – but, they all have that element of surprise/edge of seat tension that director Alfred Hitchcock does so well.
The Lodger, 1927 – (Rare silent film)
Young and Innocent, 1937 – (Spies/intrigue)
Rebecca, 1940 – (The housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, gave live-in help a bad name)
Lifeboat, 1944 – (Chance to see Tallulah Bankhead at her best)
Spellbound, 1945 – (Ingrid Bergman & Gregory Peck – lovely!)
Notorious, 1946 – (Ingrid Bergman & Cary Grant – also lovely!)
The Paradine Case, 1947 – (Gregory Peck, Charles Laughton-courtroom maneuvering)
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by Sandy | May 27, 2015 | Arts, Entertainment and Music, Directors, Film, Movies
Famed director Ingmar Bergman’s “The Seventh Seal”,(1957) with Max von Sydow and the rest of his stable of actors (Gunnar Björnstrand, Bengt Ekerot, Nils Poppe, and Bibi Andersson) gained a cult following when first seen in the U.S. I was introduced to this black and white film about a chalk faced man in a black cloak in the late 60’s. I still think it’s terrific.
In short, the story is about a 14th century Swedish knight that returns from the crusades after 10 years. He is followed home by the cloaked figure thru the devastation of a war torn and plague infested countryside, he plays a game of chess with “death” to save his life. Lots of stark landscapes, lots of symbolism and abstraction – “The Seventh Seal” isn’t shown much now, so I am grateful for the DVD.
Hugely prolific, below are only some of Ingmar Bergman’s films that are available on discs:
1950s: Smiles of a Summer Night, Wild Strawberries
1960s: The Virgin Spring, Through a Glass Darkly, Persona
1970s: Cries and Whispers, Scenes from a Marriage , Autumn Sonata
1980s: Fanny and Alexander
Ingmar Bergman, 1918 – 2007
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by Sandy | May 5, 2015 | Art, Artist, Arts, Entertainment and Music, Blogroll, Exhibits, Museums
“This exhibition features Warhol’s depictions of the persona that forever embedded celebrities like Marilyn Monroe, Sylvester Stallone and Prince – to name a few – into America’s cultural conscience as well as several of his self-portraits including silkscreen works…”
“Andy Warhol: Portraits includes nearly 200 portraits, paintings and drawings produced by Warhol from the 1940s to the 1980s.”
“Andy Warhol: Portraits” – Until June 21, 2015
Phoenix Art Museum
1625 N. Central Avenue Phoenix, AZ
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by Sandy | May 1, 2015 | Art
The De Young Museum’s latest “exhibition highlights works by many of the greatest painters from the Renaissance to the early 20th century”
“Paintings selected from the collection include masterpieces by Sandro Botticelli, Diego Velázquez, Johannes Vermeer, Rembrandt van Rijn, Sir Henry Raeburn, Frederic Edwin Church, Claude Monet, Paul Gauguin, Georges Seurat, Pablo Picasso, and Georges Braque.”
Botticelli to Braque
Masterpieces From The National Galleries of Scotland
Until May 31, 2015
De Young Museum, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA
(Image: Diego Velázquez, “An Old Woman Cooking Eggs”, 1618)
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At the Museum of Arts and Design, their latest exhibit highlights photo realism. “Spanning from the mid-1960s to the present, Richard Estes: Painting New York City presents works by this quintessential New York artist and enduring leader of the Photorealist movement. Providing an unprecedented insight into the artist’s creative process, the exhibition reveals a full range of Estes’ paintings and works on paper, including his photographs, silk screens and woodcuts and their various proofs, states, and art-making tools.”
