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.
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.
When my pal Jerry and I planned to visit Alan Cottrill’s studio, Jerry arranged for us to also meet artist Mike Seiler in his downtown Zanesville studio. Little did we know that we would also meet Mike’s wife Kathy and that the studio is also their home.
I will be very honest with you. Jerry arranged the visit but I had little understanding of where we were going or why. Nor did I care. I was simply delighted for the adventure.
So imagine my surprise when Mike opened the door and welcomed us into their kitchen! Kathy, who was sitting at their dining table potting seeds, welcomed me with a smile. “You must be Brandi” she exclaimed.
We chatted about the Four O’Clocks she was planting and about the therapeutical qualities of having hands in soil. Then she asked if I was interested in architecture and she whisked me away on a tour of their home.
It is an old Christian Science Church that they have thoughtfully transformed into a studio/home that feels both spacious and intimate. Their home is filled with color, life and creativity. It’s positively inspiring.
And then there’s the art. Oh my goodness. Mike’s paintings are astounding. You won’t believe the medium he is working with. It’s liquid asphalt and alkyd. The asphalt is shiny and smooth and it reflects the colors around it.
The results are extraordinary. I especially appreciate the way it changes and seems to be alive in the light. It looks different when you stand close than it does when you view it from across the room.
He can skillfully explain the science behind the art and even makes the science sound like an art form. I absorbed none of that but did absorb the beauty of it all.
Kathy is a prolific poet who gifted me a volume of her work. She writes independently and he paints independently but they pair their works, finding poems and paintings with similar emotional tone. It’s a lovely collaboration too.
Another meaningful collaboration is their marriage as they clearly are partners in every way. They held court on the sofa while Jerry and I sat on the edge of our seats. They finished each other’s sentence as they shared their life stories. And what a fascinating life it has been!
He recalled a conservative religious upbringing where he knew from the age of two he would be an artist. A home next door was inhabited by a series of artists who exposed him to an intriguing new world. From a scantily clad bohemian woman who kept a skull as part of a still life on her kitchen table to a man who introduced him to clay, these years were clearly formative in more ways than one.
Kathy has a gentleness about her and a sense of faith that clearly defines her actions and thoughts. She said that they met in college and decided to marry when they realized they would be better together than apart.
There is evidence this is true. They have devoted themselves to making the world a better place. Their current project is in their own neighborhood where they are rehabbing their community one structure at a time. They have actively pushed out drug dealers and prostitutes, replacing them with families and artists. They foster a sense of community among their neighbors where they look out for each other and where art and beauty are central to the community’s health.
They have worked hard and it shows. They are near what many would call retirement age but don’t appear to be slowing down at all. I believe they said they are now rehabbing their sixth structure and when I asked why they are still at it, their answer was simultaneous and heartwarming. They do it because they can and because it matters.
Every town should have people like Mike and Kathy who take it on themselves to serve others and to build rather than tear down.
Friends, Jerry and I went to see art but what we found was so much more than paintings. The life they have built together is beautiful. The conversation we had seemed like something from a grand design, a conversation we were meant to have. I’m grateful to them for so generously opening their home to us.
After stepping into Van Gogh’s world and paintings at Immersive Van Gogh, I drove across town to the Columbus Museum of Art. Here I was able to take a step back and enjoy the real paintings.
They currently have a special exhibition called “Through Vincent’s Eyes: Van Gogh and His Sources.” There are several paintings and drawings by Van Gogh himself along side a carefully curated collection of artwork that inspired him.
It’s easy to spot the Van Gogh pieces as they are all presented on an electric blue wall. While it makes them stand out, I found the blue wall distracting. Nonetheless, it was pretty incredible to stand in the presence of the work of this remarkable artist.
I most appreciated the commentary that accompanies each work of art. Curators used Van Gogh’s own words to describe each work and what he took away from it.
I was partial to several including French Modernist Armand Guillaumin who often exhibited with the Impressionists. Van Gogh frequently used books and flowers in his work as well.
Then there was Danish-French Impressionist Camille Pissarro who often looked for inspiration around the fields and gardens near his Normandy home.
I also liked Dutch Realist Anton Mauve whose oil on canvas “Carting the Log” reminded me of my family who have been loggers and sawmill workers for generations.
Narcisse Virgilio Diaz de la Pena, a French painter of the Barbizon school was one of my favorites because the light and color are extraordinary.
This event requires an additional ticket on top of your museum admission but is worth every penny. Take your time and enjoy!
Want to read about the Immersive Van Gogh experience? Click here!
The only place in America where you will find a Leonardo da Vinci painting is the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC.
It is not large, measuring in at just 16.5”x 14.5” on wood. I read that it’s an early work of his and quite rare as he painted fewer than twenty oil paintings in his lifetime. Even the wealthiest American collectors can’t acquire them as European collectors have held on to these rare gems for generations. Acquiring this painting was quite an achievement for this museum.
Dating to the 1470s, it features the teenage daughter of a wealthy Florentine banker. On the reverse side is a painted wreath.
This museum has the best collection of Italian art in America and this is the most important piece in that collection. Consequently, this area of the museum was quite busy and the Da Vinci maintained a steady crowd.
Incidentally, we learned about it when I struck up a conversation with a museum employee. I always ask employees if they have a favorite thing to see and he was quick to recommend this and another piece.
The National Gallery of Art is enormous and is made up of two buildings connected underground. Learn more at their website.
