New Orleans Museum of Art Sculpture Garden

On Friday, the 12th, my friend Mary and I roamed around the beautiful Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden at the New Orleans Museum of Art.  This garden is next to the Museum and next to City Park in Central New Orleans.  It is open every day and free.  We enjoyed the beautiful picture perfect day and the meandering footpaths around a lagoon lined with Spanish Moss decorated trees.  Over sixty sculptures greet the visitors from small children to Seniors like us.  Most of the sculptures were donated by the Besthoff from their personal collection.

The "Virlane Tower," 1981 commands the lagoon made of stainless steel by Kenneth Snelson, American born 1927.

"Large Seated Cardinal," 1983, bronze, by Giacomo Manzu, Italian 1908-1991

"The Future Generation," 1942-47 by William Zorach, Lithuanian-born American, 1887-1966.

"Three Figures and Four Benches," painted bronze, 1979, by George Segal, American, 1924-2000.
My friend Mary is visiting two of the figures.

"Monkeys," 1998-2001, stainless steel, by Rona Pondick, American born 1952

"Overflow," 2005, stainless steel, by Jaume Piensa, Spanish born 1955

Untitled, 1997, stainless steel, by Anish Kapoor, British, born in Bombay, India, 1954

"Two Sitting Figures," 1979-80, bronze, by Lynn Chadwick, British, 1914-2003

"Karma," 2011, brushed stainless steel, by Do-Ho Suh, Korean, born 1962

"Traveling Light," 1999, bronze, by Alison Saar, American, born 1936
The title is taken from a popular Billy Holiday song.  The sculpture was created by noted African American artist to commemorate the suffering of Black Americans over the centuries.  The man is formally dressed but hanging a tortuous position while remaining resolute and maintaining his dignity.  The artist has made the sculpture into a bell.  When one pulls a chain in the back, a deep mournful sound is heard.

"Pablo Casals' Obliques," 1983 bronze by Armand Fernandez, French, born 1928

"Diana, The Huntress," 1886 gilded bronze, by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, American, 1848-1907

"Mother and Child," 1988 bronze by Fernando Bolero, Colombian, born 1923
(note the Mother with the child are standing on top of the man...who is in charge here?)

Beautiful Spring Day at the Huntington Gardens and Galleries

The gardens were popping big time on this amazingly beautiful 80 plus degree Spring day at the Huntington in San Marino.  Below are a few pictures of "nature's artwork."

Tis Cherry Blossom Time (Doubles)

Wisteria helped to frame the picture of the Japanese Gardens

Roses and Iris Together....what a gift!

I strolled through several Galleries including a special exhibit of Maurice Merlin and the American Scene, 1930-1947.

Mr. Merlin lived from 1909 to 1947 and recorded the social and political upheavals of the U.S. during the depression and war years.  He was born in Sioux City, Iowa and moved to his family to Chicago, where he studied at the Art Institute.  In 1937 he moved to Detroit and worked with the Federal Arts Project of the Works Progress Administration.  He depicted the gray, gritty reality of American life at that time.  He also took aim at the injustices of his period with paintings of poverty and discrimination of the African Americans who had left the South during the Great Migration and encountered racism in the North.

He and his family moved to Los Angeles after World War II where he worked as a commercial artist.  He died from cancer in 1947 at the age 38.

"Little Negro Boy" 1930's
The boy is collecting discards perhaps to sell.

"Public Demonstration", 1939

The next exhibit is called "Where they Were Wild, Recapturing California's Wild Flower Heritage."  This exhibit pulls together 300 objects drawn from the archives of the Huntington, Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Gardens and the Theodore Payne Foundation.  Here are a few samples:

"California Poppies" Orginal linoleum block print by Henry Evans, 1918-1990.  He depicted 1400 botanical prints beginning in 1958.

Next, I strolled the a gallery with paintings by American artists and found these landscapes where one could meditate and imagine walking into the paintings and exploring the misty scenes a far.  (How about these Doug?)

"Strawberrying" 1854 by Asher Brown Durand, 1796-1886.  Hudson River School founder.



"Scenes on the Upper Delaware River State of New York" 1876 by Thomas Worthington Whittredge,
Hudson River School, 1820-1910



"Mountain Landscape with Cattle," 1879 by William Keith, 1819-1911
Mount Tamalpais, Marin County, California

"A Mountain Stream," 1869 by Thomas Moran, 1837-1926
Near Lake Superior

Back on the Beach with Chris

Twas a beautiful day for lunch at Santa Monica's Back on the Beach with my friend Chris, painter, photographer, writer and poet.
     "If I had a mind to write
      I would do it late at night
      in my boudoir smoking a cigar
      And chasing the morning star."

She is a fellow Roamer and she is amazingly creative.  Today, her ideas included poetry by Billy Collins and an art center/theater in Venice called Beyond Baroque (see picture below).  It is exciting to get great tips on new places to roam and appreciate creativity.

We strolled over to the Annenberg Beach House gallery and admired some art pieces donated to the city and are shared in public spaces.  Below are a few of my favorites from the City of Santa Monica "Art Vault."

Renoir

I attended the French movie, "Renoir."  It is about Pierre Auguste Renoir who lived in France From 1841 to 1919.  The movie takes place in 1915 during WWI at the estate of Renoir on the Mediterranean coast.  He moved there due to his severe Rheumatoid Arthritis that kept him in a wheel chair and with bound hands to hold a paint brush.  He has three sons, two at war, and one young son, about 13, who lives on the estate and doesn't attend school...a free spirit that comes in and out of the scenes. 

Renoir is most concern about his son Jean who was reported injured and eventually comes home to recuperate.  Meanwhile, a beautiful young red headed damsel has been hired as Renoir's new model.  He loved to paint nude women...almost obsessed with skin... and this beautiful Andree is painted while she enchants both father and son.  She is played by Christa Theret.

We learn that after the war, Jean made movies, marries Andree who stars in his movies during their 10 year marriage.  Jean eventually moves to Beverly Hills and makes movies for Hollywood.  He died in 1979 and donated the painting below of him by his father to the L.A. County Museum where I viewed it today.

"Jean, as a Huntsman," 1910 (age 16)

Finds on the Forth Floor of LACMA

The elevator took me up to the top floor of the Ahmanson Building at LACMA and low, I found Middle  Eastern and Asian Art.  Below are several pieces that drew my attention.

                 

This tile panel is inscribed:The world is the seed bed of the next world."  It is "Fritware," underglaze-painted from the second half of the 16th century, Turkey, Iznik.  The large panel greets visitors at the beginning of the Islam Art Exhibits.

This Fritware piece is a section of a "Mihrab" from the early 14th century Iran, Kashan.
A Mihrab is often in Mosques and tombs throughout the Islamic world.  It indicates the direction of Mecca toward which Muslim prayer is oriented.  The inscription reads:  "In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.  But the righteous will surely be amidst gardens and fountains (they will be told):  We shall cleanse their hearts of rancor; as brothers they shall be upon (couches face to face)."

This Fountain is from a reception room in a Damascus house that was built in 1766.  The house was being torn down.  LACMA is in the process of acquiring the entire reception room.  Each piece of the walls, floors and ceiling are painted and made of, stone,tiles and carved wood.  All the pieces are being restored and being prepared to be reassembled.   

Tile, Turkey, Iznik, 1580-90

Dish, Turkey, Iznik, first half of 17th century

Tile, Syria, 1600

Rosewood inlaid with ivory cabinet, India or Pakistan, 1650-70

Female Ascetics (Yoginis) India, Rajasthan, Bikaner, 1730-40
Opaque watercolor on paper

Mother Goddess and Child, India, 500-550

Head of Bodhisattva, Pakistan, Gandhara region, 2nd-3rd century

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.