Tag Archives: Cleveland museum of art

Roman Elvis?

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Is it just me or does he look a little like Elvis? I am ashamed to say that I have no useful context for this picture. It’s a close up of a relief on a larger piece at the Cleveland Museum of Art. I snapped the picture because he resembled the King of Rock and Roll but didn’t think to photograph the card that talks about it.  Luckily, Google Image Search came to the rescue with a few basic details.

It’s from a sarcophagus made of Greek marble. Did you know that sarcophagus is the Greek word for “flesh-eating” and is now used generically for coffin? 

Note the somewhat curled lip and sort of pompadour hairstyle. He looks very Elvis-like to me and as though he could break out into a rousing chorus of Burning Love any minute now. This piece is magnificent in detail and massive in size. It’s certainly a focal point in the museum’s Roman room. I guess you could say it’s the rockstar of the Romans. 

Speaking of Elvis Presley, he died on this day in 1977. Incidentally, it was the day my parents brought me home from the hospital. I have always enjoyed his music and the shock waves he sent through pop culture across the world. The ‘68 Comeback special was my favorite era but I also really liked his early music and style before Colonel Tom Parker got ahold of him. 

If you’ve never been to his Memphis home, Graceland, it’s worth a visit even if you aren’t an Elvis fan. It ain’t the Cleveland Museum of Art but it’s a fun little slice of the extravagant, over-the-top life of one our most famous people.

Side Eye

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Someone at the Cleveland Museum of Art has a sense of humor. Zoom in on the picture and note the painting on the right. This woman appears to be giving the side eye to the sculpted woman in the middle who is doing the same to the painted lady on the left.

Look closer and you’ll notice the side eye being returned by the painted lady on the left!

These pieces are not part of a collection but they sure do go together. Evidently, women have been a little catty for a long time and some curator has great fun at work.

Surprises At The Cleveland Museum Of Art

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The Cleveland Museum of Art is filled with surprises around nearly every corner.

With about 60,000 pieces in a collection that ranges from African and Chinese art to Renaissance art and even armory. The building itself is spectacular with a gorgeous exterior and an atrium that somehow makes you feel like you are at once inside and outside.

Adam and I met four friends and it was striking how different everyone’s interests were and how much we all responded to seeing things that we automatically enjoyed and things that were perhaps a little foreign.

A gorgeous Tiffany glass window, a wall sized tapestry, some Japanese statuary and a room of Impressionist paintings were among my favorites.

 I have said here before and will say again that I don’t have much to say about art that’s especially insightful or intelligent. I do know what I like and what moves me. While I enjoy hearing expert analysis of artwork, I also think it’s important to remember that art was meant to be enjoyed and appreciated. 

Wherever you are in this world, if you’re near an art museum, I suggest you go look around and see what you think. You may find a new passion or you may simply have something new to think about.

If you’re near Cleveland, go check out this museum. There is a fee to park but admission is free. If you want to spend the day, they do have a museum cafe and plenty of seating to rest a while and think about all the beauty this museum holds.

Learn more here.

Visiting Monet In Cleveland

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This long weekend found me headed to points north. There’s a Monet exhibition happening at the Cleveland Musuem of Art and my fella and I were meeting friends to see it. While there, of course we had to explore beyond the Monet. Even if you don’t like or know anything about the art, this is an incredible place to visit just for the variety of it all.

The Monet exhibition is five pieces including including three late period paintings that are borrowed from the Musee Marmottan Monet in Paris. The showstopper though is a six foot tall Monet that was purchased by the museum in the sixties. At fourteen feet wide, this painting is the centerpiece of the show and probably the centerpiece of any room the museum chooses to display it in. 

The walls in that room are a rich eggplant and the light dramatic so it’s the perfect place to showcase the beautiful pastels that Monet mastered so beautifully. 

I took a few art history classes in college but do not pretend to understand art at all. I do know what’s pretty and what I like and Claude Monet, the Frenchman who gave the world Impressionism, created countless paintings that I think are beautiful. His work and that of other Impressionists is so different than anything that came before that they’re easy to spot. It’s also easy to understand why the French art establishment despised these paintings. They were considered unfinished and amateurish. They defied convention. 

He often revisited the same subject matter, painting the same scene several times. Each of these paintings was different, of course, because time of day, changing seasons and consequential changing light made the view look different. I’m clearly no Monet but I love to walk in the same places and photograph the same things to see how changing light each day influences appearance. I relate to the idea that a rich understanding of a place comes with careful study under all kinds of light.

I like the softness of Monet’s work and that moving away and moving closer reveals something new. Stand close to see the paint strokes and the way the colors melt together into something indistinguishable. Move further away to see how those colors and brush strokes work to reveal a scene. 

It’s possible that the real reason I like Monet and the Impressionists so well is that the way space and light can change the artwork is similar to how time and distance can change our perceptions in life. When you’re too close to a situation, it’s easy to focus on the flaws. Step away and the big picture reveals itself to be something greater and often better than you expected. 

Isn’t it funny how a spin around a room full of paintings can change how you view the world? When in doubt, step back to see the big picture. I promise you won’t regret it.

Want to see this exhibition? Admission is free but you only have until August 11. Click here for full details.