The Knights of Columbus Museum

Poland - made of wood

Ireland - made of sandstone

France - papier mache

Poland - made of wood with colored paper and tinfoil - the Szopka tradition.A slight change in plans this weekend. I had intended to go to the New Britain Museum but wound up instead in New Haven at the Knights of Columbus Museum. I am attaching some Nativity scenes but there is so much more to see. The Knights of Columbus was founded in New Haven in 1882 by Father Michael J. McGivney. The museum was founded by former Supreme Knight Virgil C. Dechant. Christopher Columbus is the patron for this order. He was chosen by Father McGivney for his discovery of the Americas and there are several statues of Columbus as well as a gallery in the museum devoted to him. There is also a Wall of History, statues of Saint Peter, a library and a theater. But this blog is just devoted to the many Nativity scenes from Italy, Spain, Poland, Ireland, the Czech Republic and France just to name a few. Hopefully, it will put you in the holiday mood. I noticed the Nativity scenes from the Eastern Bloc countries like Croatia, Poland and the Czech Republic were so much more vivid and bright than the western European countries. The German exhibit was made of Mikasa crystal, the Spanish scenes are terracotta and cloth, the Russian display is carved wood and Portugal is molded clay. Every country has a story to tell but what I found the most interesting was that the first known depiction of a creche was in Naples, Italy in 1567. There are several gorgeous Italian dioramas at the museum that depict the birth of Christ. In these scenes you will see the ruins of Greek and Roman temples to signify the demise of the pagan world and the birth of Christianity.

The Knights of Columbus promote charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism. How fitting at this time of year to remember these principles.

Rembrandt and the Metropolitan Museum of Art

The day after Thanksgiving, I headed out to the Met. When I left my house it was hailing but by the time I hit the highway the sun was out and shining and the temperature rose to 48 degrees. It turned out to be a great day and I left the Met thinking 8 hours is not enough! I was overwhelmed and excited all at the same time. The place was packed. In fact, I saw someone with an Albertus Magnus sweatshirt on and I wondered if she was one of my classmates - KJ, was that you?

The portraits above are oil on wood done by Rembrandt and entitled "Portrait of a Man" (1632). Rembrandt (1606-1669) was born Rembrandt Harmenszoon Van Rijn and is "regarded as the greatist artist of Holland's Golden Age". His style and his subjects were constantly changing but this painting attracted me because of the detail. It looked more like a photograph than a painting. Notice the bags under his eyes, the cragginess of his face (no airbrushing here!) and the hair wispys. His ruffled collar is so finely detailed and so stark white against the darkness of the picture. In fact, his whole face seems to be lit up against the darkness of the portrait. I was unable to get a good shot of the buttons on his coat because of the darkness.

Besides portraits, Rembrandt also painted landscapes and religious-themed pictures. It is estimated his works include 600 paintings, 300 etchings and 1400 drawings. He is considered to be a master of light and shadow and was particularly curious about direct observation of his subject matter. Besides light and shadow, this observation included "atmosphere, modeling, texture and human situations". In the early 1630's, Rembrandt's style was to use rich colors with "chiaroscuro" - Italian for light-dark. This is an art term for contrast between light and dark which I think is hilighted by the portrait I chose to show above. By the late 1630's, he began to paint quieter, warmer paintings. This may have been attributed to the turmoil in his life. Rembrandt married Saskia van Uylenburgh in 1634 and over the next few years, 3 of his 4 children died in infancy. One son, Titus (1641-1668) lived to adulthood. His wife passed away in 1642 of tuberculosis.

Can you see the signature of Rembrandt in these pictures?

Early in his career, Rembrandt signed his pictures either R or RH (Rembrandt Harmenszoon). In 1629, he used the initials RHL with the L standing for Leiden, where he was from in the Netherlands or RHL-van Rijn. In 1632, he began using Rembrant (the original spelling of his first name) which he changed to Rembrandt in 1633.


This is a self-portrait of Rembrandt done in 1660. When he had no models, he painted or sketched his own image. It is estimated there are between 50 and 60 self-portraits. Again, I love the detail in his painting. You see a man who has probably lived a good life with the soft jowls, a double chin, the hair that is turning white and the creases in his forehead.

Titus (1641-1668), son of Rembrandt, done by an unknown artist in the style of Rembrandt. This is an oil on canvas probably done in the 17th century or later.

Works Cited:

"Rembrandt (Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn): Portrait of a Man (64.126)". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropoitan Museum of Art, 2000-. http://metmuseum.org/toah/hd/rmbt/ho_64.126.htm (October 2006)

Liedtke, Walter. "Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (1606-1669): Paintings". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000-. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/rmbt/hd_rmbt.htm (October 2003)

The Florence Griswold Museum

Today is Saturday, November 22, 2008 and I made my way to Old Lyme, CT to visit the Florence Griswold Museum. It wasn't what I expected. The museum itself is currently showing an exhibit by Bessie Potter Vonnoh in the Krieble Gallery and Saturday was the first day of their holiday exhibit - beautiful Christmas trees designed by 4 very different artists - a papercutter, a woodworker, a glass artist and a printmaker. There is no photography allowed in the galleries or museum at all.

Florence Griswold (1850-1937) herself was not an artist but rather the owner of a boardinghouse that was her family home. It was known as a retreat for approximately 200 artists from the hustle and bustle of NY and Boston and became known as the center of the Art Colony and the home of American Impressionism. The home is set in the time frame of the early 20th century (1910) and though many of the items in the house are reproductions, there are also original paintings and furniture. Miss Florence (as I discovered everyone who worked there affectionatey called her) was born on Christmas Day in 1850. Due to some bad investments made by her father, she sold off everything she owned piece by piece including the house in 1936. The home has wonderful wide plank uneven wood floors and I swear there is a fireplace in every room but not one bedroom had a closet!

From the 1880's until the early 1900's, the most common type of painting was known as the Tonalism. This style of painting "is characterized by the use of harmonious colors and delicate effects of light to create vague, suggestive moods" and consisted most of landscapes.

(http://www.flogris.org/exhibitions/2006/06americanplace.html) To be honest, they seemed very dark and depressing to me although they also had an ethereal aura about them. The most famous of the Tonalist painters was Henry Ward Ranger (1858-1916), also considered the founder of the Art Colony. It was Ranger who "discovered" the boardinghouse of Miss Florence in 1899. He was later joined by Childe Hassam (1859-1935) and Willard Metcalf (1858-1925) and the Tonalist style gradually gave way to a style known as American Impressionism. This style sought more to convey the effects of atmosphere and sunlight and many of paintings were done "en plein air" or out of doors. This style definately suited my personality more than the Tonalist style. Similar to the French Impressionists like Monet and Renoir, these paintings are more colorful, light and cheery. You can really see the difference in the styles as you admire the paintings while moving through the upstairs bedrooms. The American Impressionists chose to focus more on the grand Colonial houses, churches, gardens and landscapes - a simple, old-fashioned way of life while all about them times were changing.

As the decade of the 1910's dawned, Prince Ito in Japan had been assasinated, Robert Peary reached the North Pole, plastic was invented and the Boy Scouts were founded. By the end of the decade, we had entered World War I, Henry Ford created the car assembly line and the first traffic lights were installed. (http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/) Who can blame the artists for wanting to remember a time where life seemed a little quieter, a little tamer?

The Yale University Art Gallery

Today, I visited the Yale University Art Gallery. Before I even got there, I saw a protest on the New Haven Green. I wished I had not stopped to see what all the ruckus was about because by the time I walked into the museum, I had missed the start of a tour and the start of a lecture being given in the main entrance. However, the people at the Information Desk were very helpful as they instructed me about me about the temporary and permanent exhibits. I was very interested in finding the early European art paintings, especially those from the Tuscan region of Italy as I think that part of Italy is just so beautiful. There were so many different styles and paintings of the Virgin Mary and Christ but what caught my eye was a painting by Antonio Pollaiuolo (1432-1498). The painting is titled Hercules and Deianira (1470) and it depicts a centaur by the name of Nessus, the beautiful Deianira and Hercules. Legend has it that Nessus abducted Deianira who was the lover of Hercules. Hercules shot Nessus with a poison arrow but before he died, he convinced Deianira that his blood would make a very powerful love potion. Believing Nessus, Deianira sent Hercules a cloak that had been soaked in Nessus' blood. Once Hercules put it on the cloak, he died. Deianira was so devastated that she committed suicide. Pretty powerful stuff. It made me think of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare but that wasn't written until about 120 years later.

During the time Pollaiuolo was painting this oil on canvas, Europe was in the middle of the Renaissance (1300's-1600's). This period essentially brought western Europe out of the Dark Ages and into the beginning of the modern world. Florence, in the Tuscan region of Italy was the center of the Renaissance. During this time, artists discovered how to paint in 3 dimensions bringing new life and a touch of realism to their paintings. The most powerful family was the Medici family known for nurturing artists like Michaelangelo, Botticelli and Pollaiuolo and great thinkers like Leonardo Da Vinci. In the rest of the world, Ivan the Great was ruling Russia, the Turks had conquered Constantinople, ending the Byzantine Empire and starting the Ottoman Empire and the Incas had built Machu Picchu in Peru. This "lost city built in the clouds" was abandoned after the Spaniards defeated the Incan Empire and brought smallpox to the area. It was "rediscovered" in 1911 by Hiram Bingham (http://www.new7wonders.com/)

Florence, Italy is in the Arno Valley and if you look closely in the background of the picture, you can see the Arno Valley depicted. I tried to get close up so that you can see the rolling hills and the architecture of the day. By the year 1400 the city was a vibrant trading center and headquarters of an international banking network.

As I walked around the museum, I realized how important art is and how it can impact us at the time it happens and 100's of years later. Did Pollaiuolo paint for the sheer love of it or did he actually believe his artwork would survive all these years later for so many of us to enjoy? I don't always understand the subject matter but different paintings can evoke so many emotions. Sometimes it is so serious and sometimes it is almost comical. Looking at pictures in the museum of the Crucifixtion of Christ brought tears to my eyes. But then I would think of the African masks I saw on the 2nd floor. Some made me smile and laugh out loud while one wall of miniature masks scared me - I thought they might have been shrunken heads! The Monet and Matisse paintings made me happy with their colors. Everything on every floor that you look at makes you stop and think. There is currently an exhibition on display called Grand Scale: Monumental Prints in the Age of Durer and Titianled. There is a painting by Erhard Schon (1491-15420) called "What Do You See". Looking at the picture face on, the picture looks stretched out and you see things like a fire breathing dragon. But looking at the painting from a different angle shows a "squatting peasant defacating". Quite gross but there were a group of us that got a kick out of squatting and looking in the bottom left angle of the picture for the peasant. Luckily for everyone, that exhibit does not allow any photography.

When I returned home, I looked on the internet for more information on Antonio Pollaiuolo. He had a younger brother named Piero (1441-1496) who was also an artist. Antonio was considered to be the better artist of the two brothers. His main contribution during the time of the Renaissance was his analysis of the human body in movement or under strenuous conditions. The picture of Hercules and Deianira is meant to be a "portrayal of the human body in dramatic action" although I don't think my camera captured that. Antonio was also known for being a sculptor and a metal worker (goldsmith). (http://www.wga.hu/bio/p/pollaiol/biograph.html).

All in all, it was a very enjoyable visit to the Yale University Art Gallery.

Wadsworth Athenaeum, Part II

I just wanted to attach more pictures that I took at the WA Thursday evening. There are pictures of the Parlor Memorial constructed of cherry wood, seashells, daguerreotypes and tintype pictures that Eliza Trask had of her husband Adoniram Judson Trask, a Maine Civil War infantryman. The other pictures are mainly of the walls and ceilings. I found them to be more interesting that the paintings. Maybe it was just because the music was blaring and a few drunks were staggering around all over the place!

Wadsworth Athenaeum

I went to the Wadsworth Athenaeum (WA) Thursday evening in a driving rain thinking the whole way I must be crazy. By the time I got there, my nerves were so frazzled and I was sure my car was not parked in a valid spot and would be towed or ticketed by the time I got back to it. Neither one happened and my sister and I congratulated ourselves on the great parallel parking job and that it was free! We were let into the museum by a guard named Helen that had the most wonderful sense of humor. The WA is not simply a place to go to experience art. On the first Thursday of every month, they offer Phoenix Art After Hours. This month the theme was "a mischievous evening of masquerade and mystique". It was a type of happy hour with a DJ and everyone was in some sort of costume. You could bring your own or they would supply you with one. The 70's disco music was blaring, people were mingling and dancing and my sister and I wondered how in the world the museum could be so blase about so many people eating and drinking around all those paintings. We were unable to see very much on the first floor due to the crush of people and the makeshift bar and buffet line set up so we headed straight to the second floor.

This museum was so different from the Yale British Art Center (YBAC). They have a mystery you can solve as you walk around the different exhibits. It's called To Catch a Thief. There are clues scattered throughout the paintings and you must solve a riddle. You will start in the Art and Curiosity Cabinets gallery and then proceed to the Baroque Art gallery. Next is the Art in the Netherlands gallery, The Age of Pleasure and Enlightenment, the Neoclassical and Romantic Era and finally ending up in the Art of the Renaissance gallery. I wish I had more time because I would have loved to have put on my Inspector Closseau hat and see if I could find out who was the thief of the Wadsworth Athenaeum.

There is also an exhibit currently going on entitled "What Lies Beneath? Revealing Painters' Secrets". This exhibit of 10 paintings claims the artists have hidden secrets within their paintings. Modern technology (X-rays and infrared reflectography) has been used to reveal images not seen with the naked eye that are underneath the paint layers.

Other current exhibits include a Gustav Stickley furniture exhibition and a quilt exhibition (Who was Anna Tuels?). For both of these exhibits no pictures were allowed. As a matter of fact, before I could get past the information desk, I had to fill out a form and receive a PHOTOGRAPHY badge.

The WA did not seem as strict as the YBAC. We only saw two guards the entire evening. Everything seemed to also be laid out in a better order than the YBAC. I found that I took more pictures of sculptures and collections than I did of paintings. I was drawn to the walls, ceilings and decorative pieces. My favorite was a door that belonged to Luman Reed (1785-1836). It had paintings within the door done by Thomas Cole (1801-1848). I am attaching some pictures I took but they do not do it justice. There was also a piece by Eliza Trask called Parlor Memorial (1870). It was created in honor of her husband, a Civil War infantryman from Maine. I am afraid I will run out of space for all the pictures so I will end this blog now and post more of my pictures to a second WA blog.

I'm Going Crazy

Ok, the blog is making me insane because it's only accepting certain pictures and kicking out the rest. I will try this one more time. I am attaching 2 pictures of Lord Granville-Leveson Gower. The first picture is a full shot of "Adonis". With the second shot, I tried to focus in on the eyes so you could see if they follow you.