An Afternoon at the Norton Simon Museum with John

Twas a beautiful day for a lunch in the garden and roaming around the museum with my friend John.  He has been my mentor and colleague in helping children and families in L.A. for over 3 decades.  On Wednesday we enjoyed reconnecting and taking in the glorious Spring Day in Pasadena.  Below are some of the sights that drew my special attention.

"Draped Reclining Woman" 1957 by Henry Moore, English, 1898-1986, a son of a coal miner formed a foundation supporting education and promotion of the arts.

"Air" (An Undraped Reclining Woman) 1938 by Aristide Maillol, French Catalan, 1861-1944
Maillol "spoke Catalan, wore traditional espadrilles, a shash and a barettina, danced sardanes....and proclaimed Catalonia my true homeland."  The subject of nearly all of his mature work is the female body.

"The Little Dancer," 1879-80 by Edgard Degas, French 1834-1917.  The sculpture was cast in Bronze, partly tinted, with cotton skirt and satin hair ribbon on a wooden base.More than half of his paintings, drawings, and sculptures depict dancers.  "His portraits are notable for their psychological complexity and for their portrayal of human isolation." 

"The Pont des Arts, Paris,"  1867-68 by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, French 1841-1919. Renoir painted at times a long side his colleague, Claude Monet, with strokes of saturated paint capturing the scenes of daily life. Here he shows the Paris men, women, children and dogs in their leisure along the Seine.. 

"Young Woman in Black," 1875-77 by Renoir.  This is a small facial study that later became a part of larger group scenes.