The DaVinci Adventure

Foreword

With few exceptions, notably New York’s Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, a structure Frank Lloyd Wright designed to compel visitors along the gravitational pull of a spiraling ramp, art museums tend to be of the open plan variety. Large doorways, multiple options to and from each exhibition room. Vast floor plans that inspire the art lover, the art critic, the art student, and those whose motivation combines all three, to wander, to absorb the work slowly and intuitively until something catches one’s eye.

The purpose of an art museum is to encourage this sort of idle strolling. That is how discoveries are made. A painting that stops one in their tracks, a picture that triggers a memory, perhaps reignites a story that once sparked a nine-year-old imagination. An afternoon at the museum is a lecture with no exam, no required text, no pressure. And what visitors to museums take home from their leisurely afternoon is a personal art collection in their head. A randomly curated exhibition that may reveal something about its author.

Looking over this volume’s gathering of mostly paintings (there is one notable musical instrument) I see the man I’ve known for decades. An artist of a different medium. A musician fascinated with human interaction. Canvases that depict figures seen up close, far away, in conflict, at work, at play, lit sometimes by the tenebrism of the 17th century, and at other times by the brilliant color palette of the late 19th Style doesn’t matter. Stories dominate. Not a surprise coming from a songwriter.

Even the landscapes he chooses tend to be contextualized by a definitive human presence. But figure paintings dominate. The Louvre’s Oath of the Horatii, a tale of heroism from an Ancient Roman text, retold by Jacques-Louis David through the political lens of the French revolution, is here brought to my attention by a man I’ve played blues guitar with many times. For me that makes sense. The blues too address fate, lamentation, and resolve.

This collection is a shower of cultural refreshment that is neither polemic nor souvenir but organized intuitively at the gut level. Few art professionals would attempt to link Frederick Remington and Jules Bastein-Lepage. Artists who share little beyond the fact that they were contemporaries, albeit an ocean apart. But the choices of Dash for the Timber and Joan of Arc are linked by a century of cinema, an art form neither painter knew, but one for which we possess considerable knowledge. As Jorge Luis Borges suggested, precursors don’t exist until the later artist ties them together. In this instance, John Ford is perhaps the catalyst.

I suggest you wander through this book. Find a comfortable chair and stroll with the eyes and the heart through a picture gallery that promises to be delightfully unstructured like an afternoon at the museum with an old friend.

Peter Malone

Painter, critic and curator, visit Peter and see his wonderful art and writings for yourself. Oh, and he’s a pretty fine guitarist.

The Davinci Adventure

The summer of 2006 saw my business, Treasure Hunt Adventures, at its peak. Corporate team building had exploded at the turn of the millennium and my niche, orienteering with a map and compass, was just as popular. MSN, the Microsoft precursor to MSNBC, had reached out to me to run a grand event in Central Park that August for several hundred. The plan was to have them team up and scour the southern end of the park for clues in monuments that were circled on my detailed topographic map of the park. However, the forecast for mid-summer event was for powerful thunderstorms and we quickly decided on moving the event into the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The top movie at the box office was “The DaVinci Code” and I crafted an activity with that theme. I found a “Cryptex” just like the film and the rest, as they say, is history. Teams used a map of the museum to find specific artworks. When there, they had to interact with the art to answer the all-important clue questions. When they found them all, the clues would spell out the secret whereabouts of the Cryptex and the code to open it.

The DaVinci Adventure became a huge hit and I was able to market it to over fifty Fortune 500 companies around the country. By 2010 I had found my way to over twenty-five of the country’s top art museums, many of them repeatedly. The residual effect of “working” in all these wonderful places was that I slowly found myself recognizing the works of different artists around the country. Thomas Hart Benton was the first for me. I started to see his work from across a gallery and know that it was him. Monet’s Wheat Stacks and Waterlilies seemed to be in every city. And every museum had their own Rodin. The world’s greatest art was seeping into my DNA and I would look forward to returning to all of it. Raffaelo Monti’s “The Veiled Lady,” became a close friend. Upon arrival to Minneapolis’ Art Institute, I would make my way to the second floor just to visit her. And she seemed ecstatic over my return.

Fast forward to the dreaded pandemic and, overnight, my business literally evaporated. One night, scrolling through my photos on my iPhone, I realized I have hundreds of pictures of the world’s best art. Granted most of it was for my teambuilding game but I also had photographed everything I loved, ostensibly to enjoy back home. So, during the insanity of the pandemic, I decided to stop posting about this meme or that politician and just purify myself by only

discussing art. I started slowly and, as I found my voice, more and more people responded to the posts. Not a huge number but many were key people in my life: family, friends and co-workers. In this TicTok age of instant gratification and minimal communication, I found a little lightning in a bottle.

What follows are the posts, in chronological order, from the beginning, mid-pandemic. I have dressed up some of the earlier ones because I grew into a better format after several months. I have also left out many of the more recent pieces of art (created since 1926) as the licensing fees would have scuttled this project from the start. Much of my favorite new Western art is missing because of this. Norman Rockwell, a sentimental fav, is also missing as his pieces cost a minimum of $500 per. Maybe after this is a hit, I will add them in the second edition. But as it stands, there is more than enough classic art that predates 1926 (the cut off for Public Domain, as of this writing.)

I also will add art that I did not necessarily witness firsthand. While that was a feature of the early postings, I need to lower that bar because I will run out of candidates quickly. Besides, in this day of the “virtual experience” everything is available. I recently had a virtual treasure hunt in the Louvre as they have a wonderful “walk-through” experience (think Google Streets in galleries.) Google’s Arts & Culture is phenomenal and I utilize it often. My default for all of this is oil paintings (or the like.) Occasionally we will veer off with a sculpture or similar non-canvas work but for the most part, I love paintings, 1500-1900 AD being my favorites. Hopefully this will inspire you to find your “wheelhouse.”

Finally, I have included one of my own Davinci Adventure games in the appendices. This utilizes the art in this book only. Typically, you would get a map of the museum with red arrows pointing to the artwork you must find. I include it more as an example of how to assemble the game and I encourage you to run your own adventure for your family and friends. If that is above your pay grade, I have included the entire list of my app-based DaVinci Adventures made for ClueKeeper. They cost a nominal amount and you play on your phone. Same game: use the map to find art and answer clues that will eventually send you to a “secret place” that you scan and succeed!

Enjoy the several hundred postings of mine and have your own DaVinci Adventure!

"SundayMorningintheMines"

CharlesChristianNahl

1872

CrockerArtMuseum,Sacramento

PaintedjustafterthepeakoftheGoldRushinNorthernCalifornia,itisfitting thatthispaintinghangsintheCrocker.ThestatecapitolofSacramentois barelyfiftymilesfromSutter'sMill.Andanygoodschoolboyorgirl(whenI grewup)wouldknowthatSutter'sMillwaswheregoldwasdiscoveredin 1848.NahlandhisfamilyemigratedtoBrooklynin1849andsoonafter headedwesttotrytheirhandatpanningforgold.Hereturnedtoartdefeated bythegoldrushbutsoonwascommissionedbythewealthyofSacramento includingthemuseum'snamesakes,theCrockers.

TheCrockersaskedforthissceneinparticular,anallegoryshowingthe"good life"and"badlife"thatwaspossiblewiththeinstantfameandfortune. Withthelogcolumnofthecabinasadelineator,theleftside(sinisterinLatin) istheresultofmorallycorruptwaysandtherightisthevirtuouslife.

"TheLifeLine"

WinslowHomer

1884

PhiladelphiaMuseumofArt

Homergivesusmorestorythanwe'lleverwantwiththiscinematicvignette. Withoutanybackstoryweareplungedintoalife-or-deathmission.The subjectsaremovingfromthelefttotheright,betweenashipandtheshore. Anotherclueisthepresenceofominousrocksoffinthebreakofthewaves. Thereseemstobeashipindistresstotheleft,itssailsunfurled.Doesn'treally matterbecausethestoryisbeforeus:twopeople,onesemi-consciouswoman (shetriestogriptherope),theotherholdingherfordearlifeanddragginghis rightleginthewater.Smackinthecenterofthesceneisthatsplashofbloodredscarf,menacinglycomplicatingtherescue.AndHomer'sPOVis15-20 yardsoffinthewaves.Wecouldn'tbeanymoreintheactionunlesswe,too, werebeingrescued.

Thisisactuallya"BreechesBuoy"inventedbyCaptainGeorgeManbyin1866 buthisManbyMortarwhichshottheropefromshoretoshipwasinventedin 1806.Thisincrediblemanalsoinventedthefirstpressurizedfireextinguisher.

"Mrs.SiddonsastheTragicMuse"

SirJoshuaReynolds

1784

HuntingtonArtMuseum,SanMarino,CA

Consideredabenchmarkingreatpainting,thiswasareferencepointfor artistsandcriticsforyearsanddecadestocome.Anditisarguedthatitwas thebeginningofartist'sbrandingtheirimage.Foritwasafterthispainting thatherfameskyrocketed.Peoplefinallycouldseeherandgetcopiesofthis paintingtofawnover.IhadpostersoftheBeatlesandtheStonesonmywalls. Inthe18thand19thcenturies,copiesofthispaintingwereeverywhere. SheisaffectingtheposeofMelpomene,theGreekgoddessoftragedy.Over herrightandleftshouldersrespectivelyarePityandTerror.Onherheadisa diademorcrown-liketiara.Atthetime,shewasasfamousasaKardashianor MerylStreeporPrincessDiana.Theysaidshecouldhavetheaudience weepingwithherperformanceofLadyMacBeth.

Thesedays,nooneknowswhosheisbutnotthatlongago,1950,manystill understood.Thatiswhen"AllAboutEve"wasreleased.Itgarneredfourteen OscarnominationsandwonsixincludingBestPicture.InitBetteDavisand AnneBaxtervieforthefictitiousSarahSiddonsAward,astatuettederived fromthispainting.Lifeimitatedartandtheawardisnowreal.

"EcceHomo"

AntonioCiseri

1871

UffiziGallery,Florence

FromthebookofJohn,whenPilatebringsoutthescourged,beatenandthorncrownedJesustothecrowd.Pilate,remember,wantednothingofthisinternal dispute.ItwasthepoliticalgangofthePhariseeswhoworkedthecrowdand backedPilateintoacorner.PilaterealizedHewasaninnocentmanbut nothingcouldassuagethePharisees'bloodlustwhichisevidentinthisscene. "EcceHomo"orBeholdtheMan.Orbasicallyhewasaskingthecrowd rhetorically,hereheis.Isthisinnocentmantheoneyouwantcrucified? Really?

HehadalreadyofferedJesus'freedomtothecrowdasthecustomwasto releaseoneprisoneronPassover.CaiaphasandAnnashadthecrowdpaidoff andtheyscreamedforBarrabas!

Thispaintingisquiteremarkable.LookatthelightthroughPilate'srobe.The edgesofthehandsandJesus'shouldersarepreciseevenindarkness.Noone showstheirface,especiallyPilate,exceptClaudia,hiswifewhohasona crown.Shelaysadespondenthandonherservant,understandingHis innocence.Yetthecrowd,whichweseejustenoughtoknowthatitis enormous,screamsfromtherooftops.Checkoutthewide-eyedmaniacjustto therightofPilatethroughthefence.AndCiseriplayeddownthebrutalityof theRomans-noMelGibsonbloodfest.

"LaBohémienneEndormie"(TheSleepingGypsy)

HenriRousseau

1897 MuseumofModernArt,NYC

Wearealldreaminginthisdream.AttheheightoftheBelleEpoch,allthearts seemedtopushtheboundariesofconsciousnessandRousseaudoesitana verysimplifiedmanner.Thegypsy'smulticoloredclothingevokesJoseph's dreamcoatgiventohimbyhisfather,Jacob.Soreally,thisisveryspiritually infused.

Rousseau'sownwords:"AwanderingGypsy,amandolinplayer,lieswithher jarbesideher(avasewithdrinkingwater),overcomebyfatigueinadeep sleep.Alionchancestopassby,picksupherscentyetdoesnotdevourher. Thereisamoonlighteffect,verypoetic."Verymeditative. AndthepaintingevenmadeitintoanepisodeoftheSimpsons: https://youtu.be/LtHHYYBlGQ4

"DoverPlains,DutchessCounty,NewYork"

AsherDurand

1848

SmithsonianAmericanArtMuseum

DurandwasaHudsonRiverSchoolartistwhodidn'tneedtotraveltothe SierrasorSouthAmericatofindthevistasthatmovedhim.Herehefoundit actuallyintheHudsonValley.NotfarfromRoute22(Yeah,thatfamousroad) justsouthofthevillageofDoverPlainswasthisunassuminghillside.Yetit capturesallthefreedomandjoyfulnessthattheseartistssought.Thiswasjust beforetheCivilWarandthecountrywasseenasaGardenofEdenbymany.

TheclassicaltermisArcadian,afterthelandlockedareaofGreecethatexisted inthemythologicalage-aplacewhere"ambitionandcrimeswereunknown." Youcanfindthisexactspot,justsouthofthevillage,offShermanHillRoad's end.Thenlooknortheast.AndwheninDoverPlains,don'tmisstheStone Church(thereareNYSsigns)whichisanaturalcavernalmostseventyfeet highwithastreamrunningthroughit.Alltheartists(Cole,Church,Durand, etc.)visitedit.

"TheProcessionontheFeastDayofSaintRoch"

Canaletto 1735

NationalGalleryLondon

Canalettohadanincrediblememory.Afterwitnessingagrandevent,hekept thedetailsindeliblyinhismind.Nocellphonetotakeaquickshotbackthen. TheChurchofSaintRoch(SanRocco)wasspecialtothenorthernItalians becausetheybelieveditwashewho,withGod’sgrace,stoppedtheplagueor better,healedtheplaguestricken.AcrossItalytheystillcelebratetheFeastof SaintRochonAugust16.Itcommemoratestheman,wholikeSt.Francisof Assisi,gaveawayallhiscushypossessionstodoservicefortheLord. ButthispaintingcelebratestheFeastinthe1700’sasthedoge,theelected headoftheVenetianstate,isthecenteroftheprocession.Zoominandlook forthegoldumbrellathatmatcheshisgoldoutfit.TheyhavejustleftMassat SanRocco’s,thechurchwhichhousesRoch’sbones,amajorrelicand destinationforpilgrims. TheyproceedundertheundulatingbannerinfrontoftheScuolaGrandedi SanRocco,acharitableorganizationstillineffectthathousesmanypaintings abouttheSaint,byartistslikeTintoretto,TitianandCanaletto.Andintheir hands,theyallholdanosegay,asprigofflowerssymbolizingtheactualnose gayonewouldholdunderthenosetowardofftheterribleodorofthedeathly plague.

Asafirstandsecondgrader,IattendedtheCatholicelementaryschoolofSaint Roch’sinByram’sItalianneighborhoodofChickahominy(namedfortheCivil WarveteransofthebattleontheriverinVirginiaofthesamename.)There arenocoincidences.

“The Lictors Bring to Brutus the Bodies of His Sons”

Jacques-Louis David

1789

Louvre Museum

Painted and exhibited during the peak of the revolution, the overall tone is one of sacrifice everything for your country. Here, Brutus, finding out his sons were in on a coup that would have invested him as a monarch, had them killed for the sake of the republic. Some say to look at Brutus’ feet and notice their tense twisting to understand his anguish. His wife, daughters, and nurse are in agony as their bodies pass by. This huge painting (10’x15’) is tremendously powerful.

Albert Bierstadt

1859

Detroit Institute of Arts

One of my favorites of the Hudson River School, Bierstadt travelled across the globe to find majestic scenery. Here he has a simple river crossing in an ordinary forest but with evidence of the seemingly gentle life of the Comanche in flat Kansas. They moved down to more temperate weather from Wyoming once they had horses from the Spanish. Wolf River was also a fording for the Oregon Trail. Remember, he shines light where he believes God’s work is being done.

“The Wolf River, Kansas, ca.1859”

“The Beeches”

Asher Brown Durand

1845

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Hudson River School again. I just love these guys. Tranquil mood, heavenly light source and man’s diminished size in the scale of things. They all almost always capture a specific spot that moves them. However, this is probably fictitious in its totality. Maybe the sheep were never there. The mountains in the distance could be added. He did tell us that he painted an oil sketch for this in plein-aire and brought that work back to his studio to recreate.

Since I moved to Southern California and miss my northeast terribly, I can always get a quick dose of home with these artists.

“AThrillingMoment”

JohnGeorgeBrown

1880 PrivateCollection

BrownwasanEnglishex-patriatewhosettledinNewYorkCity.Hebecame fixatedon“streeturchins”andeverydaykidslikenewsboysandbootblacks.

ManyofBrown'spaintingswerereproducedaslithographsandwidely distributedwithpackagedteas. These“littlerascals”remindedhimofhimself,andhekepttrackofmany modelshepainted.Hesaidmostwentontobesuccessful.

"TheLastSupper"

LeonardodaVinci

1498

SantaMariadelleGrazie,Milan

Leonardo’s"LastSupper"islocatedinitsoriginalplace,onthewallofthe diningroomoftheformerDominicanconventofSantaMariadelleGrazie, exactlyintherefectoryoftheconventandithassurvivedNapoleon'stroops usingtheoutsidewallofthechurchfortargetpractice.Italsosurviveda WorldWar2bombingwhichblewtheroofoffthechurchandleftthefresco opentotheelementsforseveralyears!

Itismammoth...4.6mx8.8moralmost16'x29'.

Itwasmadewithtemperaandoilonagypsumpreparationinsteadofthe techniquecommonlyusedinthefrescoperiod-wetcement.Hefinished paintingthismasterpieceonadrywallin1498andby1517itwasstartingto peelandflake.Whatremainsishardlyanyoftheoriginalasithasbeen restorednumeroustimesinthelastfivecenturies. Theystillgivetoursbutverylimited.Youget15minutesfor12Euros($13). andonly1300peopleaday. Thenthereareallthetheories,fromMITtoDanBrown.Youcanlook'emup.I justwantedtosetthetoneofthisHolyWeek.

Oh,andIalwaysthoughtthatwasJudas,atthefarleft,readytobolttothe Romans.AllindicationssaythatisBartholomewandJudasisthedark-sinned Apostle,fourthfromleft.

"TheCrowningwithThorns"

MichaelangeloMersi(Caravaggio)

1607

KunsthistorischesMuseum,Vienna

Themaster,Caravaggio,exploresthetortureoftheSonofGodwiththree sadomasochists.TomockChrist'sauthority,theycrownhimwithpainful jujubethornsandputaruler’sstaffinhisrighthand.Littledotheyknowthat HewillsitattheRightHandofHisFathersoon.Checkoutthecavalierattitude ofthearmoredguyincharge,leaningontheraillikeheisatasportingevent.

Christ'sposeisreminiscentoftheBelvedereTorso,amarbleRomansculpture thatinfluencedeveryone.

Gottalovethechiaroscuromethod,hisuseoflight,especiallythebrightest sourcecomingfromabove.Theentiresordidaffairisbeingclockedbythe Father.Therewillbehelltopay.

“A Merchant by Candlelight”

Petrus van Schendel

1850

Royal Museum of Fine Arts of Belgium

Von Schendel was a master of the Romantic style, and his “thing” was nighttime paintings illuminated with a candle, the height of chiaroscuro. So much so, he earned the nickname, "Monsieur Chandelle".

What is interesting in this piece is the location of the flame. He could have put it anywhere but there it is, enticing us all and upping the ante.

"The Destruction of Pharaoh's Army"

Philippe-Jacques de Loutherbourg

1792

Art Institute of Chicago

Where do your eyes fall first? Mine went directly to the brightest light, the sun bursting through the clouds. The artist wanted that because, I can only guess, his interest was the power of God. That is Who opened the Red Sea and also Who closed it on the Egyptians. Even Moses is pointing to the source of the miracle. And there was no need to wallow in the actual bodily destruction. The force of the water lets us know that those boys went fast.

Interesting fellow, Louthebourg, he painted huge naval battles along with the fires of London. But painting bored him eventually and he palled around with the con man, Alessandro Cagliostro, whose life is worthy of a thriller by a Dan Brown type. He was accused of an elaborate plot of stealing Marie Antoinette's diamond necklace and was lucky to leave France with his head.

"The Seven Works of Mercy"

Caravaggio

1607

Pio Monte della Misericordia, Naples

Made for and still housed in the altar of the Pio Monte della Misericordia, this can only be called monumental. Caravaggio originally planned on seven distinct panels with each portraying one of the seven Christian acts of mercy listed by Jesus in Matthew 25 (and foreshadowed in Isaiah.) And from above, Mary and the Child watch as God's Angels bring Grace to mankind (Grace= unmerited divine assistance.) Perhaps some New Years' resolutions?

Visit the imprisoned, and feed the hungry:

On the right, a woman visits an imprisoned deputy and gives him milk from her breast (seen on his beard.) This image alludes to the classical story of Roman Charity.

Shelter the homeless:

A pilgrim (third from left, as identified by the shell in his hat) asks an innkeeper (at far left) for shelter.

Clothe the naked:

St. Martin of Tours, fourth from the left, has torn his robe in half and given it to the naked beggar in the foreground, recalling the saint's popular legend.

Visit the sick:

St. Martin greets and comforts the beggar who is a cripple.

Refresh the thirsty:

Samson (second from the left) drinks water from the jawbone of an ass.

Bury the dead:

In the background, two men carry a dead man (of whom only the feet are visible).

“Children by the Christmas Tree”

Leopold Graf von Kalckreuth

1912

Muzeum Narodowe w Warszawie, Warsaw, Poland

This small (16”x 19”) painting packs a lot of wonder, joy and energy as the children behold the creche near their tree. The figures in the model are hard to make out but that’s fine. We all know the plot. It’s the wonder on their faces that is the main attraction as they reflect the miracle that is Christ’s birth. It seems the light from their faces is larger than the sum of all the candles. Their respect and even prayerfulness is to be admired over a hundred years later. No Switch or iPad or collectible sneakers here. No, they are happy that they can simply witness the scene. Maybe some candies and a goose dinner later to celebrate.

“The Light of the World”

Francois Boucher

1750

Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon, Lyon

Originally called “Adoration of the Shepherds” and commissioned by Madame de Pompadour as Louis XV’s Official Court Mistress (!) This is a perfect example of the rococo style that existed in art and architecture (notice the frame as well.)

Rococo contains a strong sense of theatricality and drama, influenced by stage design, with soft lighting all within classic content, biblical and mythology. This work was erected on the altar of the Château de Bellevue.

That’s husband, Joseph, to the left and young John the Baptist at Jesus’ side with John’s parents, Zechariah and Elizabeth looking down adoringly.

“The Annunciation” (a fresco)

Fra Angelico

1445

Convent of San Marco, Florence

“Hail, Mary, Full of Grace,” many know the prayer and here as we approach the birth of Christ, is some art that followed the timeline up to the big day. Of course, this is nine months before. But the story is so perfect and the subjects so delicate that modern day hustle-and-bustle runs right over the sweetness of the story. The Angel Gabriel, in all his humility, brings the news (read Luke) and gets as close as he can without entering into Mary’s space. The column divides them, even if they are in the same room. She is “blessed amongst women” because God has chosen her to carry His seed. And she covers her abdomen as a reflex.

The Annunciation is a favorite subject with a plethora of Renaissance artists including da Vinci, Caravaggio and Titian. But Fra Angelico painted this on wet plaster, a considerably harder chore to complete. Throughout them all, the Angel is seen entering from Mary’s right, the side of Jesus’ reign alongside His Father. The left side being “sinister” in Latin, the side of the Devil. Quite often (not here, though) there are lilies in the scene, an indication of purity.

Commissioned by Cosimo de Medici with a “money is no object”, gold was used in the halos, even if this was for the meditating monks and nuns of the Convent. In fact, the Latin at the base implores all who view it to say an "Ave" (a series of prayers to Mary, like a Novena) upon viewing the intimate scene.

"Mending the Fishing Nets"

Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida

1901

National Museum of San Carlos, Mexico City

Spain's bright sun became an additional character in Sorolla's work, omnipresent and always oppressive. Here the women, ostensibly the wives of the fishermen, mend their second-string nets in the shade, where shade is a high commodity. It's lonely, meditative work and they trudge on in the only life they know. Sorolla's reverence for luminism is evident here as he gives us a small window of sunlight and a few little splotches of random light. This painting is so very quiet.

"Indian Vespers"

Asher Durand

1847

The White House

From the White House Historical Association's website:

"The Indian, his arms raised to the sun in praise, is bathed in a yellow- and pinkhued light. He is further emphasized by the brilliant path of the sun's reflections on one of those 'lakes embosomed in ancient forests' that Durand praised as original features of the American landscape . . . . ". . . The central stand mediates between the fallen trees, tangled growth, and misty hills on the left and, on the right, the blossoming plants and the young trees on the shore of the unspoiled lake. At its base, like a cenotaph, is a blasted tree trunk. . . . Durand has summoned virgin forests, vast waters, insubstantial mists, man in his natural state, and the sun's unifying eye to evoke the ancient roots and yearnings of mankind."

“The Wreck”

Frederic Edwin Church

The Wreck

1852

The Parthenon, Nashville, Tennessee

Luminism, the power of nature, the smallness of humans, and ultimately, the Power of God. This becomes a perfect calling card for the Hudson River School. Church was second generation, having been taught by the founder, Thomas Cole. He romanticized the Hudson Valley (and Niagara, and the Andes) by making them almost Eden-like. You east coasters should visit his home, Olana in Hudson, NY, up in Columbia County. https://www.olana.org/

“Dante Drinking the Waters of Lethé”

Jean Delville

1919 Private Collection

A lot to unpack here but start with just the shimmer of this gorgeous painting. Jean Delville was a symbolist painter, utilizing powerful images that triggered deeper meaning within the viewer. Wikipedia says it best: “The main underlying theme of his paintings, especially during his early career, has to do with initiation and the transfiguration of the inner life of the soul towards a higher spiritual purpose.” So we have the writer, Dante, drinking the water of Lethe as a goddess and the actual water of the River Lethe that runs beneath their feet. Drink this water and your sins will be forgotten (not forgiven, just wiped from your memory.) Lethe’s waters bring forgetfulness and oblivion. So, Dante is wiping his sins clean, not unlike confession in the Catholic faith and Yom Kippur’s Tashlich or casting off of sins. Deville reminds me of the illustrator, Maxfield Parrish with his magical sparkle and soft focus.

¡Triste herencia! (Sad Inheritance!)

Joaquin Sorolla

1899 Savings Bank of Valencia (now CaixaBank)

A gigantic work (almost 7’ x 10’) meant to shock the viewer as Sorolla was dually shocked on the beach when he witnessed this scene. A group of disabled and naked children were brought to the beach in Valencia by a monk from San Juan de Dios to bathe and enjoy the healing factors of the Mediterranean on the Spanish coast, halfway between France and Gibraltar. According to the artist, these were the “detritus of society, blind, mad, disabled or leprous. Needless to say, that the presence of those unfortunates made a painful impression on me.” He won Grand Prize in Paris’ Expostion Universelle. Interestingly, he gave a sketch study to John Singer Sargent. He ran in those circles.

“At the Louvre”

1894

I love when the artist plays with us. (Remember, we saw a painting about a sculpture in the same room: https://tinyurl.com/4e5xacws). But the elegance of this work is infectious. Her calmness makes me feel more centered just watching her. She exhibits perfect balance on the ladder and check that posture. I can identify with her friend who is mesmerized behind her as she copies Botticelli’s “Venus and the Three Graces Presenting Gifts to a Young Woman.” He created the fresco (painting on wet plaster) for a Medici banker’s wife. The Graces deliver Brightness (Aglaia,) Joyfulness (Euphrosyne,) and Bloom (Thalia.) And Venus is handing her roses symbolizing, beauty, fertility and love.

Étienne Azambre

Musée du Louvre

“Taking a Break from the Dance at an Alsatian Peasant Wedding”

Benjamin Vautier

1878

Dresden, Staatliche Kunstsamlungen Dresden, Galerie Neue Meister

Love this piece because it's so full of action. It's noisy and vibrant, and raucous yet beautiful. Check out the trombonist cleaning his valves from spit. A real slice of life. And all the town's virgins are lined up for viewing. I wonder if they tossed the bouquet then.

Vautier was a genre painter who devoted his life to depicting the peasants of a certain region in the Swiss Alps called the Bernese Oberland. These peasants led a hard life and he found their joyous moments and captured them.

"The Balcony"

Eugene von Blaas

1911 Private Collection

Eugene von Blaas was from an Austrian father and Italian mother who raised him in Venice where his dad taught art. Considered an "academic classicist," his style has a wonderful neoclassical look. He did an entire collection of "Balcony" paintings. What I love about him is the curiosity the poses elicit. The flowers are bursting forth just like the girls. What ARE these young ladies discussing?

“

Isaac Levitan

1880

The Israel Museum, Jerusalem

Russian realism at its finest. Levitan died at age 39 but produced almost a thousand works including paintings, watercolors, pastels, graphics, and illustrations. He and Anton Chekov became close until the latter wrote a short story ostensibly about an affair Levitan was having. They made up before either died. He was so beloved by the Russian people, a national astronomer named a minor planet after him.

For some reason, the Russian Realists get short shrift in the art world. I find them exhilarating and exceptional. He even developed a new genre, "mood landscape." The monastery mentioned in the title is 30 miles west of Moscow.

In the Vicinity of the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery"

"Giant Redwood Trees of California"

Albert Bierstadt

1874

Berkshire Museum, Pittsfield, MA

The Master of Luminism has a subtle lighting scheme here among the massive sequoias. For scale, he gave us four figures. Can you find #4? This tribe lived literally within the big trees. Bierstadt painted these scenes not because he was part of a "movement" to save them. Saving these climax forests was a given for those who could paint like this as well as admire the art so deeply. What this shows this art lover is that even the Indians were practically insignificant in the scheme of things.

“The Incredulity of Saint Thomas”

Caravaggio

1602

Private Collection

The Baroque master created two of these paintings, this “ecclesiastical” version and one secular that is hanging in Sanssouci in Potsdam. The major difference is that this one shows Jesus’ bare thigh and that couldn’t be hung in a church for some reason. Regardless, this power of the doubter being forced to eat humble pie is delicious. Actually, Thomas is so struck he looks off in the distance after having his finger guided into Jesus’ side by Him. And it’s a good thing He is the Son of God because those dirty fingernails of Thomas are a site. Again, a wonderful example of the artist’s masterful chiaroscuro with the light source emanating from almost directly above (hint, hint.)

The story was one we Catholic school kids were taught very early on. The other ten apostles all got to meet Him, but Thomas threw a hissy fit saying unless he could put his finger in His wound, he wouldn’t believe. The lesson was, “Blessed is he who doesn’t see and still believes.” Jesus performed thirty-seven miracles when He was “alive.” His resurrection was His greatest performance.

“Joan of Arc”

Jules Bastien-Lepage

1879

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Bastien-Lepage’s mighty painting (8’x9’) depicts the moment the future saint received her calling through the vision of Archangel Michael (in armor). Behind him are two patron saints of France and Lorraine. Saint Catherine beholds God’s child while St. Margaret weeps with knowledge of her future execution. We see the moment when she was inspired, as she leapt up from her spinning wheel and toppled her chair.

The significance of this subject when the artist painted it was that France was bottoming out in its war with Germany. Just as Joan rallied the troops at Orleans in 1429, she also gave a boost to morale through this image.

“Heart of the Andes”

Frederic Edwin Church

1859

Metropolitan Museum of Art

A student of the Hudson School father Thomas Cole, Church enlarged the tradition of “heroic landscape” painting. Cole traveled to Italy, Church to South America twice. That second visit in 1857 brought him to Ecuador where he, overwhelmed by the magnificent vistas, sketched and watercolored his heart out. This prodigious oil (10’ x 5’) was so well received when it was shown in NYC, twelve thousand people a month paid twenty-five cents to witness it in a darkened room lit with special gas jets. A hundred and sixty years later, the Met continues the honor with a setting befitting such a great work. They embedded it within a much larger chestnut frame that implies a giant bookcase. When they originally displayed it, the room was darkened, and black curtains hung all around to give the viewer the feeling of looking out a window. The foot of the work was almost on the floor so that the horizon was at eye level. Go see it at the Met’s American Wing. Truly sublime, the painting shows a microcosm of the earth with weather from all seasons and continents. Zoom in to see incredible detail, like the peasants at a memorial grave.

“Last of the Buffalo”

Albert Bierstadt

1888 National Gallery of Art, D.C.

In my work in museums, at the top of my list was the National Gallery not for any other reason but that I had many requests from that city. It became a home away from home and I knew several paintings intimately, like this one. Go up the main stairs off the mall and take a left down the main hall. At the end in the first small lobby, all by itself, was this painting. They separated it from the rest for a reason.

This was Bierstadt’s final work, and it was immense at six feet by ten feet. Painted in his New York studio, it was a composite of scenes he had witnessed. But that did not make it any less important. No, he had never seen an Indian battle a charging buffalo quite like this, but it doesn’t matter. There was a bit of agenda evident here that had a pronounced effect. Yes, the buffalo had been reduced from 30 million to about 1000 in just a hundred years and Bierstadt’s work drove the Smithsonian’s taxidermist, William Hornaday, to become overwhelmed by the loss, he brought back live specimens for the National Zoo, which brought forward the national discussion and put an end to the destruction.

That said, he has a wonderful array of wildlife in this painting, possibly to show the incredible numbers of buffalo compared to others. Try to find them: elk, coyote, antelope, pronghorn, fox, rabbit and my fav, the prairie dog

“The Rocky Mountains, Lander's Peak”

Albert Bierstadt

1863 Metropolitan Museum of Art

Bierstadt accompanied Col. Lander on his trip through the Rocky Mountains for the U.S. Government. The purpose was to find a suitable path for a new railroad line. Lander actually created a wagon trail that cut down travel time. This is the south-western part of Wyoming, the Wind River Range (see the film of the same name starring Jeremy Renner. Excellent and superb photography.) Several years after this journey, Bierstatdt finished the painting to much acclaim and Lander, a competent leader for the North in the Civil War, developed pneumonia. languished and died soon after his last battle in 1862. The mountain was named for him posthumously.

The Shoshone people who populate the meadow in the painting were of particular interest to Bierstadt. He insisted on “keeping their memory alive.” Don’t let the re-writers of history try to tell you that a painting such as this is somehow against the Shoshone. The exact opposite is true. While the Hudson River school painters lived and breathed Manifest Destiny, the end of the Indians came whether they agreed with it or not. Bierstadt did everything he could to protect their memory.

Side note: the town of Lander, about 200 miles over the range, is the home of NOLS, the renowned National Outdoor Leadership School.

“Weeping Angel”

Full Title: “The Angel of Grief Weeping Over the Dismantled Altar of Life”

William Wetmore Story

1894 Protestant Cemetery, Rome, Italy

Story abandoned a bountiful law practice in Massachusetts to a life of neoclassical sculpture in Rome. Among his most famous are “Cleopatra” (the Met,) “Delilah”

(DeYoung, San Francisco,) and “Medea” (High Art, Atlanta.) But this was his last and crowning achievement as it became therapy for a broken soul as it celebrates his wife. He was dead himself as soon as he finished. The iconic image has so often been imitated “Weeping Angel” is now part of the lexicon of gravestone art.

(Photograph by Einar Einarsson Kvaran / Carptrash, via Wikimedia Commons)

“Thoreau Fishing at Walden Pond”

N. C. Wyeth

1936

Brandywine Museum of Art

Chadds Ford, PA

Newell Convers Wyeth was the father of Andrew and a successful illustrator. Among his classics is the 1911 printing of “Treasure Island”.

This painting of Henry David Thoreau captures the naturalist/essayist’s humanity.

"The dear wholesome color of shrub-oak leaves, so clean and firm, not decaying, but which have put on a kind of immortality, not wrinkled and thin like the whiteoak leaves, but full-veined and plump as nearer earth. Well-tanned leather on the one side, sun-tanned, color of colors, color of the cow and the deer, silver-downy beneath, turned toward the late bleached and russet fields. What are acanthus leaves, and the rest, to this? Emblem of my winter condition. I love and could embrace the shrub oak, with its scanty garment of leaves rising above the snow, lowly whispering to me, akin to winter thoughts, and sunsets, to all virtue; coverts which the hare and the partridge seek, and I too seek. What cousin of mine is the shrub oak? Rigid as iron, clean as the atmosphere, hardy as virtue, innocent and sweet as a maiden, is the shrub oak. In proportion as I know and love it, I am natural and sound as a partridge. I felt a positive yearning toward one bush this afternoon. There was a match found for me at last. I fell in love with a shrub oak."

-From Thoreau's Journal; December 1, 1856.

“Трамвай” ("Tram")

Oleksandr Bogomazov

1914

Private Collection

Ukrainian Bogomazov (actually a Kiev native) excelled at a niche of cubism called cubo-futurism. His world is composed of triangles. In many ways, most of the classical painters utilized geometry this way only they hid it within their story. He does utilize a sweeping arc for the tramway which disappears at a vanishing point of his choosing. His world, his laws. I have found that some paintings need time and then they explode with meaning. For me, I focused on the red front of the engine car. The people and the whole scene are in motion along with the driving force of the painting, the tram. And his colors. Give it time.

"Summer is Icumen"

Herbert Arnould Olivier

1902

Private Collection (UK)

Olivier was an accomplished portrait and landscape artist at the end of the 1800's. He was appointed official War Artist by the government at the end of WW1. His painting of the table where the peace was signed at the table in Versailles brought him accolades. But this airy, light and soft-focus work caught my eye. Oh, and he was Lawrence Olivier's uncle.

"Spring"

Lawrence Alma-Tadema

1894

Getty Museum, LA

"Spring" is Lawrence Alma-Tadema's masterpiece of an amalgam of May Day festivals from ancient Rome. It was painted during a neo-classical revival which became the "line in the sand" between the classicists and the impressionists who had had enough of the return to ancient Rome and Greece. But Alma-Tadema's works were the inspiration and go-to resource for several important films including Cecil B. DeMille's "Cleopatra" and Ridley Scott's "Gladiator" among many others. His detail with the precise clothing, architecture and even the strains of marble in the columns were relied upon by many directors.

Great HD enlarged scenes of “Spring” https://youtu.be/jlVmhI5N1Ws

Costume designer from Gladiator on reliance upon Alma-Tadema

https://youtu.be/qb-DxZ1Dl9M

Good overview on the artist: https://youtu.be/vCwrVWrcbDs and this still from 1963's film and Cleopatra's entrance into Rome: https://www.gettyimages.com/.../actress.../110957267...

"Snowfield at Louveciennes (Névé à Louveciennes)"

Camille Pissarro

1872

Museum Folkwang, Essen, Germany

Pissarro is noted for his embrace of pointillism, of which there is hardly any here (small dots of paint). Whether this is the morning or the evening, we still notice that grey-white sheen of haze that spreads when the temperature crosses the dew point. And his use of light cements his membership in the Impressionists. The shadows from the tree line that cover the snow, the distant hillside that gets lighter as it recedes and the snowbank at the door to the house looks just like it was shoveled.

Short video about his use of light and small canvasses.

https://youtu.be/lXMIde_CdG0

More in-depth bio: https://youtu.be/ES5_kkOxKvM

“Gassed”

John Singer Sargent

1919

Imperial War Museum, London

Dimensions: 7′ 7″ x 20′ 1″ (huge)

Sargent was commissioned to document the war by the British War Memorials Committee. After he arrived in northern France along the Western Front he went directly to the action. His witness to the gassed allied soldiers moved him so much that he had to paint what moved him.

What is chilling about this scene is the casual nature of the outcome of war. These two columns of blinded soldiers are heading to the medical tent just off scene to the right. Visible are its guy ropes. The “blind lead the blind” after a typical mustard gas attack which destroys the respiratory system and all the tissues in the eyes. But life goes on and those not injured play a game of soccer in the sunlit background while gassed victims sprawl everywhere in varying degrees of pain in the immediate area. This all was a vast difference from Sargent’s high-classed portraits of his Gilded Age clients. This short video shows the installation of this massive painting: https://youtu.be/iXTM6zgsmLk

"Samson and Delilah"

Peter Paul Rubens

1610

National Gallery, London

From the Book of Judges comes the story of Samson and Delilah. His super-human strength let him, a giant among the Jews, kill a thousand Philistines with just the jawbone of a donkey. The Philistines bribe his lover, Delilah, to lure him to sleep and then as a one cuts the source of his strength, his hair, they wait in the hall ready to pounce on him. Notice that the barber’s hands are crossed, an old symbol of treachery. Also, in the wall behind and above her are statues of Venus and Cupid with a gag on his mouth, referencing his doom because of love. Samson will soon lose his sight as the Philistines gouge his eyes out.

Try this for more info: https://youtu.be/Ms1ArBpF5xM

And this: https://youtu.be/G9EPvq0C1EA

"An Out-of-Doors Study"

John Singer Sargent

1889 Metropolitan Museum of Art

Here we have a painter painting his friend while he is painting. It really is an inside look at how it's done. Called "en plein aire" it started in the 1700's but took hold once tubes of oil paint were readily available for most artists in the early 1800's. Thus, the Impressionists, the Hudson River School and the Barbizon folk all produced many landscapes that dealt with light the way the artist saw it, not what they imagined in the studio. Here Sargent captures a friend, Paul Helleu, in the act of painting. His friend, Claude Monet, had painted a similar scene and recommended it. In 1889 Sargent was renting a home in Fladbury in the Cotswolds district of England and invited Helleu. The painter brought his wife out in the canoe with him which might have been a mistake, judging by her complete disinterest in his art. What is of note is the agility Helleu shows as he keeps seven wet brushes in play while he works. More on Sargent with this 60 minute documentary: https://youtu.be/8LqeJEYWqlA

"The Gulf Stream"

Winslow Homer

1899

Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC

More Homer.

This has everything for me: gripping story, superb composition, lively palette and menacing motion of the sea. This poor sailor is literally at the end of his rope. His mast has broken, and sail lies helplessly over the side. While he seems resigned to his fate (that the waterspout will toss him to the sharks before that ship ever rescues him) he still positions his body as best he can to keep the boat from capsizing. He will do anything to stay alive. And the sharks seem to be ready to climb onto the deck, a la Quint in "Jaws". Homer has us wonder, what would you do?

"Snap The Whip"

Winslow Homer

1872

Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC

Known for his exceptional maritime scenes (like “Breezin’ Up,” “Fog Warning” and his award-winning “Gulf Stream”) Homer touched a nostalgic nerve with this well-known kids’ game. Finished in the post-Civil War era “Snap The Whip” exudes the sense of teamwork that was necessary for the country to achieve. The little red schoolhouse in the background reminds us of the world we used to have. You know, where kids played games where some won and some lost.

We played this game along with Johnny on a Pony, Buck Buck, Kick The Can and Hide and Go Seek.

“Diana and Actaeon"

Titian (Tiziano Vecelli)

1559

National Gallery of London

Diana, the chaste goddess of the hunt, has her bath interrupted by Actaeon, the deer hunter. He tries to look surprised but how could he not have heard the giggling nude nymphs with all their splashing? And that huge red curtain is like a flag. Titian foreshadows the poor boy’s demise, first by Diana’s stern look. Then there’s that skull above them. Look carefully above her arm and you’ll see a small vignette of Diana hunting the deer because she will turn him into a stag for this mistake. He will be torn apart by his own hounds, one of whom is by his side.

More here, from the National Gallery, UK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9bwa8-M5TY

"Hylas and the Nymphs"

John William Waterhouse

1893

Manchester Art Gallery

The suppressed libido of the Victorian Age gave rise to sexual expressions being forced right before the public’s eyes. There’s a lot to unpack in Waterhouse’s working of the Ovid myth. Hylas’ father was killed by Hercules who then took the lad under his wing, and not long after, under his sheets. He’s got that going for him when he is sent on a mission by the Argonauts to find fresh water. He finds more than he can handle as the Nymphs muster their female spirit and lure him into the pond, never to be seen again. Waterhouse captures their curiosity and devilish fascination even as they toy under the water lilies.

I had this poster on my dorm room wall, totally oblivious to the lesson it was giving.

“Writing the Declaration of Independence, 1776”

Jean Leon Gerome Ferris

1900 Virginia Historical Society

Ferris was named after the famous French classicist, Jean Leon Gerome, who advised his namesake, “paint that which you are familiar.” He followed that advice creating his “Pageant of a Nation” which contained 78 works from the Mayflower to the Civil War. “Pageant” solidified his position as the only artist to attempt such a feat.

Here, the three primaries in the Declaration, Ben Franklin, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, gather at Jefferson’s apartment in Philadelphia as they hash out the world’s most famous document. It is said, Congress, before sending the document off across the Atlantic, toned down much of Jefferson’s rhetoric. Ferris puts us in that room.

"View of Fredensborg with Children on a Path"

Peder Mørk Mønsted

1893

Dahesh Museum of Art, NYC

Danish realist Mønsted travelled the world and never really settled down. His paintings made me, and many others do double takes. They were that real, almost photographic. Search him and see his wonderful works.

"Girl Peeling Onions"

Elizabeth Forbes

1889

Penlee House Gallery and Museum, West Cornwall, UK

Forbes has many wonderful works that you should find and appreciate. But this one is a stand-out. She fell under the influence and friendship of James A.M.

Whistler. While this scene could remind of Whistler's arrangements and even his Mother, this is a Dutch girl. Painted in Holland. And it has Vermeer all over it.

Light coming from the outside left. A young girl with a pensive look gazing at an angle out the window. And the action always has a meaning. Onions? Crying?

Her "School Is Out" will be next.

"Auf der Waldwiese" (In The Forest Meadow)

Hans Thoma

1876

Städel Museum, Frankfurt

Another pre-Raphaelite (I seem to have an affinity for them) Thoma preferred to harken back to bucolic scenes of his childhood in the Black Forest. While my eyes are drawn to the girl (his wife in reality) I can't stop looking at the wonderful shadow of the copse of trees to the right and the swampy stream that meanders around it.

This survived the Nazi's purge in the late 30's of "degenerate art". They took out of the Städel over 700 works they deemed unworthy of the public's eye.

"Mount Corcoran"

Albert Bierstadt

1877

National Gallery of Art, D.C.

I can't get enough of Bierstadt.

The Corcoran Gallery of Art was one of the first art museums in the US, opened in 1869. It closed recently by court order after decades of mismanagement. Its main thrust was American art and as it is closing, all of its art is being distributed to the National Gallery and other museums across our country. Bierstadt's massive canvas was considered a perfect example of American art, calling attention to the American soul that was exhibited in the painting. Oh, and by massive, we do mean massive. Five feet high and eight feet long, it was the size of a typical room wall at the time. He named the painting after the mountain which he named after his benefactor

"Windflowers"

John William Waterhouse

1902

Private Collection

Windflowers is pure Waterhouse from his later period, after much of his religious and mythological scenes. The nymph in nature still is one of his go-to characters.

To deal with the wind she decides to bend backwards into it. Many artists, like Monet, painted the same scene in many differing lights. Here Waterhouse makes us feel the power of the wind which holds the maiden up but blows her hair and dress away.

His palette has a lot of purple in it: her dress, the tree trunks, the distant mountains, the flowers (anemones) and even her cheeks.

"The Monks of Mount Saint-Gothard"

Louis Hersent

circa 1824

The Lourve

Hersent was a French painter born in Paris on March 10, 1777. One of the most distinguished pupils of Jacques-Louis David, and later becoming one of the most noted painters of the Restoration. He painted this for Bourbon Restored King

Charles X

Monks from the many monasteries in the Alps would perform service by patrolling the passes looking for waylaid travelers. St. Gothard and the monastary you all know, St. Bernard, are famous for their alcohol-cask carrying dogs.

Active during the Restoration this painting was was exhibited in the Salon in 1824

"The Butterfly"

John Henry Dolph

1870

private collection

Dolph was from Lake George, NY but studied in Europe doing portraits. He found his sweet spot with kittens and puppies, believe it or not. The tension in this one is palpable. A paper called the Reporter offered: "What J.G. Brown has done for the American street urchin, Dolph has done for the American Cat."

Les Quatre Visages (The Four Faces)

Pablo Ruíz Picasso

1940s painted in Málaga, Andalucía

Private Collection

I noticed this months ago and thought it too predictable to post but it kept gnawing at me, how good it was. I didn't know what it was about it that drew my attention, but it still does, with much energy.

I see four different colors, possibly different races, all united around the dove of peace. And are those tears that surround the painting? What do you see?

"Harbor Life"

Frederick Mulhaupt

Undated (he lived 1871-1938)

Private Collection

Mulhaupt was born in Missouri and studied at the Art Institute of Chicago before heading to Paris to learn the Impressionism ropes at the Salon. He then settled into painting his favorite subject: the wharves and sailors at Gloucester, MA. We have close friends up there and spend time at the Vista Hotel whenever we can. That red barn is iconic as every tourist in the world snaps it. We also chose to shoot a music video in frozen Gloucester here: https://vimeo.com/252060451

"Woman with a Parasol"

Claude Monet

1875

National Gallery of Art, DC

Monet took on a huge challenge when he decided to paint the woman backlit by the sun. Not only backlit but she is in a full eclipse of the sun. There is sweeping movement as she moves across the canvas. There is intrigue as her friend and her both gaze at the artist who is below both. His blues and greens are his strong suit and add a buoyancy to the scene.

“Rosina Ferrara, Head of a Capri Girl”

John Singer Sargent

1878

Denver Art Museum

I’m not a huge fan of Sargent’s only because I’m not all that into portraits. But this stopped me in my tracks. He spent a lot of time in Italy and Capri is like the Hamptons or Aruba- a real tropical isle feel. He had young Rosina pose for him for other portraits until the subject could make it in and then he’d paint the face and details. This work just gets me.

"Surprised!"

Gaetano Chierici

1888

Private German Collection

Trained at the Academy of Fine Arts Bologna under Guilio Ferrari, Chierici also pushed back from the standards of the time to explore different themes and content. He didn't paint that long a period but what he did produce seemed to say light, fun, provocative and entertaining. I say he is the Italian Norman Rockwell.

"Cosiendo La Vela (Sewing The Sail)"

Joaquin Sorolla

1896

Ca'Pesaro, Venice, Italy

More and more, impressionism and post impressionism attract me and, judging by the responses, you too. Here is a Spanish painter who excelled in luminism. There seems to be a pergola above the sewing circle, (notice the blue columns) possibly woven with wisteria vines as many are. That breaks up the direct sunlight and gives the artist plenty to play with. There is a lot of activity here and the sail itself is the main character, taking up most of the canvas.

“View of the Two Lakes and Mountain House, Catskill Mountains, Morning”

Thomas Cole

1844

Brooklyn Museum

Cole actually stayed at the grand hotel with his student, Frederic Edwin Church. Here, Thomas Cole, as he often did, painted himself into the action. The mountain house was a destination of sorts for many of the elite in NYC. They would steamboat up the Hudson and take a small gauge train to Palenville. There they would take a funicular up the 1600’ incline compliments of the Otis Elevator Company from Yonkers. (See here: https://youtu.be/dIfOW853zpc )

This has particular meaning for me as we (with a group of my beloved hippy friends) would spend weekends in Haines Falls in the early 70’s and a lot of time on this wonderful cliff with its views of the Hudson Valley floor and even the Green Mountains of New Hampshire off in the distance.

"Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May"

John William Waterhouse

1909

Fairlight Art, Sussex, UK

Based on a popular 17th Century poem by Robert Herrick, "To the Virgins, To Make Much of Time". Perhaps you remember it from "Dead Poets Society" when the Robin Williams character recited it while teaching the theme of Carpe Diem (Seize the Day) to his class.

"Gather ye Rose-buds while ye may, Old Time is still a-flying: And this same flower that smiles to day, To morrow will be dying. The glorious Lamp of Heaven, the Sun, The higher he's a getting; The sooner will his Race be run, And neerer he's to Setting. That Age is best, which is the first, When Youth and Blood are warmer; But being spent, the worse, and worst Times, still succeed the former. Then be not coy, but use your time; And while ye may, go marry: For having lost but once your prime, You may forever tarry.

The fascinating part of the painting's provenance was it lay unknown in an old Canadian farmhouse for over a century. The new owners insisted that the painting be part of the sale and the owner, not realizing the worth, threw it in. When they brought it for an appraisal in 2002, the art dealer "nearly fell off his chair." We are big fans of Antiques Roadshow and this could be a perfect episode.

"Summer"

Frank W. Benson

1909

Rhode Island School of Design Museum

Benson was one of "The Ten", a spin-off of impressionists who bonded together to show their work. “Impressionism” itself was a satirical remark by a cruel critic who used a Claude Monet painting to define the movement for them. While Benson studied and painted in the Boston area, he found his muse at his retreat in Maine called Wooster Farm. That’s his daughter, Eleanor, standing and his wife and sisters sitting. Again, the light explodes off the canvas. If you get up close, the little dabs of paint don’t make as much sense as when you stand away from it.

“The Course of Empire”

Thomas Cole

1883-1886

New York Historical Society

Cole created the five-panel masterpiece for his patron, Lumen Reed and it would adorn his fireplace wall with the peak painting, “The Consummation” being the advanced state of humanity. The Course of Empire –

(1)The Savage State; (2) The Arcadian or Pastoral State; (3) The Consummation of Empire; (4) Destruction; and

(5) Desolation.

You can see the same out-cropping with a unique boulder on top to prove that this is the same land, almost like the Time Machine.

“The Pic-Nic”

Thomas Cole

1846

Brooklyn Museum

The king of the Hudson River School, Cole worked quite often en plein aire, setting up his canvas and painting box right in the middle of the action. This joyful afternoon was commonly called “fete champetre” or garden party and almost always was in a pastoral setting. We used to do this...at Pound Ridge Reservation.

“Glass Armonica”

Benjamin Franklin

1761

London

Having watched with great enthusiasm the Ken Burns’ special on Ben Franklin, it was a wonderful addition to see his invention receive such status. He had witnessed a dinner guest in London “play” tuned crystal glasses and realized it would be easier if the glasses moved instead of the fingers. Mozart and others composed for it. I have witnessed the instrument in several museums: the Met, Museum of Fine Arts Boston and Philadelphia Museum of Art. He built 5000 of them and, as was his philosophy, never trademarked his work, believing that society should reap the benefits. While Mozart composed a rondo for the quirky instrument, Tchaikovsky’s “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” truly merits the sound. https://youtu.be/eQemvyyJ--g

“Sunset in the Yosemite Valley”

Albert Bierstadt

1868

Haggin Museum, Stockton, CA

A German emigre, Albert Bierstadt taught painting in the Boston area until he worked his way onto a western survey party that was to travel through the Rockies. His landscapes were so popular then, he sold tickets to their viewing. While considered a member of the second-generation Hudson River School, he was in a class all by himself. HIs work was dominated by his elegant luminism. The visual arts as well as literature and music, all expressed a new vision of the Creator, his with a powerful, seductive light source intimating a God in the Heavens. Here, the Sun sets at the end of the Yosemite Valley with El Capitain to the right and Cathedral Rocks to the left. The sleepy Merced River meanders along the valley floor.

“The Drowned Fisherman”

Michael Ancher

1896

Art Museums of Skagen, Denmark

Based on a true story about a fisherman and his rescuer who also perished. The poet, Holger Drachmann, wrote a laudatory short story about the incident and the death of the rescuer which became national news.

We are presented with what amounts to a stage, where several fishermen in front step aside to reveal the drama on the sunlit scene. This would be one of Ancher’s last paintings with fishermen as subjects. Throughout the 1870’s and 80’s it was his main focus.

“A Storm in the Rocky Mountains, Mt. Rosalie”

Albert Bierstadt

1866

Brooklyn Museum, NY

Ah, I must return to the Hudson River boys even though Bierstadt did almost all his work west of the Mississippi. His magnificent landscapes were composed on trips with the US Government explorers. This very large oil (7’ x 12’) was painted in his studio in NYC but the collection of sketches, and he was constantly drawing, was created out on the Oregon Trail, the Wind River Range and down at Pike’s Peak

Although he mostly sketched, he would set up his rig whenever he could to “get the colors right.” Bierstadt’s “peaceable kingdom” scenes and his ever-present Divine Light make his work so identifiable as well as incredibly magnetic. We are drawn to his Heavenly Source as much as that raptor in the clouds heading into the sun.

“Snow in New York”

Robert Henri (Cozad)

1902

National Gallery of Art, DC

Henri (pronounced hen-rye, by his relatives)was one of the founders of the Ashcan School, if the informal group could have them. After studying Impressionism in Paris, he returned with a new love of realism and desire to speak for the downtrodden. All the Ashcaners loved lively discussion especially on readings of Emerson, Whitman and Thoreau. The interesting fact was that this same emotional creative move was happening in all the arts, most notable the stark realism of Steven Crane and Theodore Dreiser and other muckrakers. The art critic of the time, Robert Hughes, was quoted, "Henri wanted art to be akin to journalism. He wanted paint to be as real as mud, as the clods of horse-shit and snow, that froze on Broadway in the winter, as real a human product as sweat, carrying the unsuppressed smell of human life.”

“The Haymarket, Sixth Avenue”

John Sloan

1907 Brooklyn Museum

Sloan is one of the “Eight” and and strong member of the Ashcan Group who had had it with genteel, over-romanticized art. They chose the more seedy underbelly like this after-hours dance hall that allowed “unaccompanied” women in. Look at the lounge lizard awaiting them at the door. I’m sure has only one thing on his mind. But to show this was revolutionary for the time.

“St. Mark’s Lion, Venice”

Maurice Prendergast

1899 Private Collection

This piece follows Sundell’s “Moonlight” because they both share a very similar palette. However, since discovering Prendergast, I also was introduced to “The Eight” and also the Ashcan School (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashcan_School...)

This is atypical of the Ashcan ideals (poorer NYC neighborhoods with PostImpressionist styles) but we shall do a deep dive into their movement because it is rich as can be.

“Moonlight”

Thure Sundell

1905

Not much is known about this Finnish landscape painter except he worked mostly in the Swedish archipelago. But I love it. This light is exceptional, wouldn’t you agree?

"Supper at Emmaus"

Caravaggio, Michaelangelo Merisi

1601

National Gallery, London

In the Gospel of Luke (24: 30-31) we have a thriller of a story. Two of the Apostles, having witnessed the torture and execution of their rabbi, are walking several miles outside Jerusalem when a stranger joins them, seemingly out of nowhere. They are amazed that he knows nothing of the previous week's proceedings as Jesus does not reveal himself. He takes up their invitation to join them for supper where he takes the bread and blesses it, breaks it and offers it to them saying that it is his body. Now they know. And just as quickly as he joined them, he is gone. (There are more than a few short films portraying this incident on YouTube.)

Caravaggio's painting captures the instant before they realize who their guest is, with all of the artist's classic boldness, strong lighting and frozen action

“Women at the Empty Tomb”

Peter Paul Rubens

1639

Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena, CA.

Rubens takes freedom in his interpretation of the Evangelists who all differ in numbers of women and angels. Regardless, this is the moment that humanity is informed of the Resurrection. Mary, His mother, and Mary Magdeline led the group to anoint Jesus’ body only to find the stone rolled away and two angels to give the news. (I’m liking the southern rocker hair styles on the messengers that our Flemish Baroque painter gave them. )

“Noli me Tangere” (Don’t Touch Me)

Titian (Tiziano Vecellio)

1514 National Gallery, UK

The scene is the garden of Gethsemane, not far from His tomb and Mary Magdeline is awestruck. She needs to touch her Lord to make sense of the moment.

Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father.” John 20:14-18

“Christ of St. John of the Cross”

Salvatore Dali

1951

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow

Painting from a vision he had in a dream, Dali omitted all signs of wounds and blood, not even a nail. Many consider the surrealist a little wacky, especially during his “public” phase when he moved to California ( he appeared on the Dick Cavett Show in his cape and his handlebar mustache, holding an anteater). However, the chief of MoMA was quoted, “His conduct may be undignified…but his art is a matter of dead earnest.”

His reemergence into his Catholic faith can be witnessed here. He was a huge fan of the Jesuit philosopher, Teihard de Chardin and here was see Dali’s interpretation of Teilhard’s “Cosmic Christ.”

And he often spoke of himself in the third person and pronounced his name “dahLEE!”

“Mother and Son”

Daniel Garber

1933

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts

A massive piece (80” x 70”) “Mother and Son” continued Garber’s dedication to the tranquility of the family. He settled in Bucks County on the Delaware River north of Trenton. Just downstream was the New Hope Art Colony where he taught for 40 years.

We explored his “Tanis” here earlier but this one clearly is talking to us. Known for his landscapes, here the outside world is just part of the thought. He has given us something of value, his wife and son engaged in a chess match, she, older, tired, life waning is seated while he is in the sunlight, full of life and even has taken one of her pieces early in the game. The inevitability of life is a strong theme.

“A Young Girl Defending Herself Against Eros”

William-Adolphe Bouguereau

1880

The Getty Museum, Los Angeles

The young lady half-heartedly fights off the little troublemaker as he threatens her with his arrow. As the Getty plaque says, she struggles unconvincingly. But why? Perhaps there is a young man out of view that she longs for. Or more likely, she has the face of a patron’s child and he wanted to immortalize her.

It is this perfectionism that the Impressionists like Renoir and Cezanne rebelled against. I kind of like it.

“A Dash for the Timber”

Frederick Remington

1889

Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, TX

Remington had a knack for the dramatic. In fact this painting is a long landscape that evokes a theater’s wide screen, say, like in Cinemascope. And what he has given us is a real theatrical cliffhanger.

Remington was obsessed with the American Southwest in the 2nd half of the 19th Century and the Apache Wars figure directly into many of his story lines. If these eight cowboys can only make it to the tree line, they could stand a chance. And they are doing their best. All the horses seem to be flying. Only one hoof of nine animals is on the ground.

"Evening"

Jules Breton

1888 Museum of Fine Arts Boston

Breton worked in France in the last half of the 19th Century painting rural peasants in his wonderful realist style. Almost always his subjects were women working early before dawn and into the evening, well after the sun set. Here, a "gleaner" has filled her sack with the remnants of what was left after the wheat was harvested. Tough work, on the ground, trying to save whatever grains were left. And always, Breton has the sun as another character. Look him up and you'll find 179 works with many of the same scenes.

“Venus and Adonis”

Titian (Tiziano Vecellio)

1560

Getty Museum, Malibu, CA

The Venetian Renaissance master painted or oversaw the painting of at least thirty versions of this same scene. Again, taken from Ovid’s “Metamorphoses”, Venus was struck mistakenly by an arrow of Cupid’s who sleeps under a nearby tree. His bow and quiver full of arrows hang in the tree’s branches.

Venus knows or senses an ominous end for Adonis and erotically begs him to stay. But strong headedness wins out and we know from our mythology class that soon after he is off on the hunt with his hounds where he is mortally wounded by a wild boar. Venus’ airborne chariot high in the light of the sun, confirms that part of the sad story. She tried to warn him but she was too high and couldn’t be heard.

Titian called this kind of story painting “posies” or poetry painting, and he did many of them and made a good living off of them.

“La Grenouillere” (The Frog Pond)

Claude Monet

1869

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Side by side, friends Monet and Renoir painted the same seemingly bucolic scene. What the happy museumgoers don’t see is the seedy underbelly of the frog pond. Enjoy the wonderful reflections off the gentle waves before the spoiler alert goes off.

It is quite wonderful, as is Renoir’s below. But the paint belies the actual characters and their motives. The water is fetid, this part of the Seine being downstream from Paris. And the term Frog should be a clue. So why anyone would swim in it is a mystery. But the area is a well-known pick-up spot for prostitutes and all that comes with the lifestyle. Perhaps the two artists wanted a scene they could make their own. Maybe they just wanted to have some fun while working. I look at it and enjoy it for what it does for me. I don’t dwell on the seedy nature of what was really there. Monet has given us a timeless animated GIF. Yes, it’s in motion, isn’t it?

Pierre August Renoir, “Le Grenouillere” 1869

"Haskell's House"

Edward Hopper

1924

National Gallery of Art, D.C.

Hopper is far too well-known for one painting, "Nighthawks," in the all-night diner where four faceless characters sit. Here, and with most of his work, there is not a soul. In fact, this 2nd Empire home seems to have a life of its own, like it is almost inhaling, cartoon-like. And it has every right to be happy, as it looks out at Gloucester's busy harbor on a sunny day.

Hopper painted it on his honeymoon. His wife called it the "wedding cake house" and now it is a tourist stop in busy, downtown Gloucester.

It arouses particular sentiment with me for several reasons. First, it is very typical of the grand Victorian from Port Chester in which I grew up. Ours had a third story and very similar gables that a young boy could climb out upon and lay claim to all of the Long Island Sound I could see. Ours also did not have the "widow walks" that adorns the Haskell's house. And these were no doubt actually walked by brides awaiting their husband’s long sea journeys. Secondly, my wife's good friends from her work set up shop there and we visit when we can. So now you have a reason to visit Cape Ann.

“The Fighting Temeraire, tugged to her last Berth, to be broken up”

Joseph M. W. Turner

1838

National Gallery, UK

Turner is including us in this sad national story. The 93-gun Tremeraire was a star in the last victorious British battle of the Napoleonic wars, the Battle of Trafalgar. The old dog is embarrassingly being sold for scrap, for all the city to see. The dying ship is pale white, ghostly and almost angelic compared to the dirty tug. This painting was voted most popular in Britain in 2005. In 2020 it was on the twenty-pound note. It was Turner’s favorite also. He called it “his darling.”

“Rideau, Cruchon et Compotier”

(Curtain, Jug and Fruit Bowl)

Paul Cezanne

1893

He wrote that, "Painting from nature is not copying the object, it is realizing one's sensations".

Gauguin loved Cezanne’s still life so much he had one on his wall and painted it into his “Woman in Front of a Still Life by Cezanne” 1890. Pablo Picasso often admitted his great debt to the older master. Henri Matisse called Cézanne, "...the father of us all."

What stands out for me today are his outlines. Once you notice them you can’t unsee them. There are books written about the wallpaper textures as well as the balance of the reddish peaches.

Woman in Front of a Still Life by Cezanne

Paul Gauguin

1890

Art Institute of Chicago

Gauguin chose to include a Cezanne masterpiece within his own subject matter. Cezanne’s “Still Life with Fruit Dish,” finished in 1880 and now hanging in the Museum of Modern Art, NYC Gauguin possessed six Cezanne’s, and this was his favorite, vowing to never sell it. Eventually, in Tahiti, health won out and he had to part with it to pay medical bills.

“The Black Brook”

John Singer Sargent

1908

The Tate, London

This portrait of his niece is really overshadowed by the nature setting, in Aosta in northern Italy. The ominous black water rushes powerfully by her as Sargent puts her fifteen-year-old face in the shadows, perhaps to suggest the delicate teenager is not that much stronger than the little yellow flowers around her that augment her dress. So well balanced: dark-light, motion-stillness, strength-weakness, soft-hard. So, it’s not just a simple portrait but a study in dynamics as Rose-Marie is expressed in “thick, loosely handled paint.”

(The day after the 2022 Oscars)

“A Slap In The Face -The Unwanted Advance”

Salvatore Frangiamore

1899

Not much is known about our Italian painter who lived from 1853-1915. The story seems to be that one of the guests found the housekeeper dusting in the room alone and proceeded to go Harvey Weinstein on her. She slapped him hard enough to knock his tri-corner hat off his wigged head, much to the amusement of the rest of the upstairs crowd (doesn't that one look like Bill Clinton?)

But Frangiamore did understand the impact of a strong swat in the kisser.

"Women Planting Peasticks"

Camille Pissarro

1891

Private Collection

Pissarro grew into his radical Impressionism of pointillism slowly. Here he is a full-on pointillist. Almost painting the pixels themselves, he transcends the medium and involves us in the DNA of the action. And that one peasant is almost weightless as she leans away. Pissarro painted alongside Cezanne. Learned from Corot, taught Gaugin and was asked to put up Van Gogh, all the while being a “father” figure to them all. As my Dad told me, “Surround yourself with winners.” Check that box, Camille.

“Delicious Solitude”

Frank Bramley

1909 Private Collection

Bramley was a post-impressionist Englishman who moved to the southwestern tip of Britain, the fishing village of Newlyn. He became associated with the colony and school of art of the same name. Here he turned his interest to a simple, lazy figure of a lady in comfort reading her book as the sun peeks through the leaves. He was a leader in the “square brush technique” seen here where he would use the square brush and flatten it against the canvas, applying little cubes of paint in a jigsaw pattern. Whatever he’s doing is working for me.

"Apollo Pursuing Daphne”

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo

1760

National Gallery of Art, D.C.

Backstory: (from Ovid's "Metamorphoses") Apollo mocked Cupid's marksmanship so the little god of love shot him with his golden arrow. Then he shot the sea nymph, Daphne, with the lead arrow which froze her passions. At this moment, Apollo is moving in on his target as her father, Peneus, transforms her into a laurel tree, the symbol of Diana and chastity. Peneus is from the sea, hence the spilling water from the jug. But Daphne is in mid-trans as she is turning into a laurel tree (arms and left leg). Meanwhile, the little guy cowers behind them, a little shocked probably at his pranks. The swirling action brings the myth to life.

“A Song of Springtime”

John William Waterhouse

1913

Private collection

Innocence. Fertility. Rebirth. These are all virtues in Waterhouse’s ideal woman. Four children in joy around her and she seems to want more. Need I point out the flowers and their array? Like a neon sign. This has such a softness and sense of wonder that I want to be there picking flowers for her. (Right…)

Giuseppe Arcimboldo

1563

Louvre Museum, Paris

Arcimboldo finished four of these for each season. Our woman is composed totally of flowers and fruits. Skin and face is rose petals and buds. Eyes are belladonna berries. Daisies adorne her neck and how about those cabbage shoulders?

“Springtime”

Pierre-Auguste Cot

1873

Metropolitan Museum of Art

A Cot benefactor remarked that the two youngsters “were drunk with love.” We all know that feeling of intoxication from love. Two butterflies hover above, and delicate wildflowers bloom below as the sun warms their backs. This image is unique in its subtle and quite G-rated erotic way. First, they are in motion, slowly rocking on the swing. Their clothes are barely hanging on them and the girl’s translucent, gauzy chiffon is all the boy can stand. His knee extends at the angle of arousal. C‘mon. Queen Victoria would have banned it.

Cot also painted a Met stalwart, “The Storm,” with the same two kids running for cover. Same tingling electricity.

William Holman Hunt

1873

Manchester City Art Gallery, UK

Today is the 3rd Sunday in Lent so a perfect time for a piece about symbolic premonitions of the upcoming Passion. Here is Jesus in his father’s workshop before he started his ministry at age 30. As he finishes his work, he stands and stretches, casting an ominous shadow for his mother, Mary, to see against all the tools including hammers on the wall. She is attending to three gifts in the lilyadorned cabinet (lilies are the flower of purity and rebirth): gold, frankincense and myrrh. Finally, a star above the doorway reminds us of the star in the east. This was loaned to the Met about 15 years ago when I was able to see it.

“The Shadow of Death”

“The Small Meadows in Spring”

Albert Sisley

1881 National Gallery, UK

Sisley’s bare trees seem about to explode with life. One of the characteristics of Impressionism is the feeling of movement. This scene, along the Seine, is vibrating and he puts his daughter front and center as an homage to Botticelli’s “Primavera.”

Enjoy your vernal equinox.

“Morning in a Pine Forest”

Ivan Shishkin & Konstantin Savitsky

1886

Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

You read it correctly. A painting by two artists. Shishkin painted the forest and Savitsky put in the playful bears. After they had a falling out of sorts, Savitsky effaced his signature. So the art world now considers it totally Shishkin. But here we are explaining it anyway.

Russian landscapes are quite dramatic and grand as this one. We are deep in a primeval forest, with no contact of people at all. The mother bear and her three cubs have nothing but play on their minds, being oblivious to fear.

These bears are so well known in Russia, they are part of the culture. “Clumsy Bear” chocolate is very popular.

Caravaggio

1600

Contarelli Chapel, San Luigi del Francesi, Rome

Caravaggio excelled at telling key Biblical and mythological moments, at the exact instant of reveal. Here (from Matthew 9:9) Jesus and St. Peter while enlisting the Apostles, stop at a tavern. As Christ points to his choice, there could be ambiguity as even the bearded Matthew points to the fella next him as if, “You mean him, right?” But Caravaggio makes it crystal clear with a line drawn right to his face and a spotlight on the future evangelist. The exact moment of divine inspiration is at hand. Once you get used to Caravaggio’s setting and clothes, all from the current Renaissance time, it really starts to work

“The Calling of Saint Matthew”

“La Mort de Cesar” (“The Death of Caesar”)

Vincenzo Camuccini

1806

National Museum of Capodimonte, Naples

Beware, the Ides of March.

Camuccini stretched the facts with his grand neoclassical masterpiece. Caesar was assasinated at the Theater of Pompey. This is clearly a throne room with the Emperor’s followers cowering in horror around the throne. No one has struck yet but Caesar is in “Et Tu, Brute?” mode, as Brutus (the “honorable man” according to Marc Anthony) is in a tan toga. The artist borrowed the Caravaggio chiaroscuro technique with the light streaming through the middle of the hall. Note the the action in a triangle around Caesar. And whar’s going on behind the curtain? A little grab ass during an assassination?

"Indians Spear Fishing"

Albert Bierstadt

1862 Museum of Fine Arts Houston

Bierstadt is a monumental treasure. His grand, western panoramas leave one breathless. Although born in Germany, he truly assimilated and grew to love the west, especially Yosemite. And he applied many of the same themes that the Hudson River School used: man=small, nature=huge; big sky and forest drama and always a sense of the Divine with light from above. Search his name under images. Breathless.

“Kindred Spirits”

Asher Brown Durand

1849

Metropolitan Museum of Art

A student of Thomas Cole’s, Durand was devastated by his death. A wealthy patron hired him to paint this scene that included Cole and William Cullen Bryant, as he also subsidized both. Bryant gave a powerful eulogy, invoking Keats’ “O Solitude”. Here, Bryant and Cole (in his hat) stand on a ledge in a common Catskills clove or gorge, probably Kaaterskill Falls where he loved to paint, not far from the town of Haines Falls.

“Maids With Pigeons”

Frederick William Elwell

1918

Beverley Art Gallery

East Yorkshire, UK

A nice sunny, happy artwork, to take our minds off all the insanity out there. Elwell was a member of the Royal Academy who excelled at indoor scenes like this. He did landscapes and portraits and as such, was commissioned to paint King George V in 1932.

“Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way”

EMANUEL GOTTLIEB LEUTZE

1861

Mural study, U.S. Capitol, western staircase of House of Representatives &

“Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way: Near Council Bluffs, Iowa”

ANDREW MELROSE

1867

Autry Museum of the American West

The US Capitol mural was painted after a famous poem of the time by Bishop George Berkeley. All assume Manifest Destiny and the US Promised Land that the “Israelites” of pioneers and wagon trains who fulfilled God’s plan. How lucky to have such high art available all around the Capitol. I wonder if congress ever understands that. Both paintings show the dark, forest primeval giving way to the promised land of America on two sides of the paintings. The Yellowstone prequel, “1883”, brings this to life.

“Verses on the Prospect of Planting Arts and Learning in America”

by George Berkely

Westward the course of empire takes its way; The first four Acts already past, A fifth shall close the Drama with the day; Time's noblest offspring is the last.

“Woman Holding a Balance”

Johannes Vermeer

1664

National Gallery of Art, DC

Another artist who died in debt, his greatness unnoticed until well after his death, Vermeer has become a stalwart of the stable of artists from the Baroque Dutch Golden Age (including Rembrandt, Hals and von Honthrost).

Vermeer was clearly a master of light and color, of muted action and life questions. Questions like, should we follow Ignatius of Loyola’s Spiritual Exercises (a prelude to the Twelve Steps) and clear our souls of sin before trying to enter Heaven? Notice the perfect balance of the scales and she holds them before the Last Judgement, on the wall behind her. Or is it just a pretty picture of a lovely lady in perfect light?

“The Death of Socrates”

Jacques-Louis David

1787

Metropolitan Museum of Art

David packed an incredible amount of emotion into this, the final moments of the great philosopher’s life. In what can only be described as the ultimate cancelling, Socrates tries to explain that he must die to stand for what he believes. (Remind you of anyone else in the news?)

At the foot of the bed mourns Plato. Crito, another devout student, reaches out in disbelief. Most symbolic are his chains which lie at his feet, and he is free at last.

“View From Mount Holyoke, Northampton, Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm”

(Known as “The Oxbow”)

Thomas Cole

1836

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Thomas Cole, arguably the rock of the Hudson River School, found a home in the Catskills and Berkshires. I retraced his steps to find exactly where he perched his easel. The top of Mt. Holyoke has a Summit House and he quite possibly painted on its porch. Although he painted himself into this one. Look closely. He also “cut” a secret message into the far hillside in Hebrew letters that spell “Noah” ( חֹ֫נ ) and (from above - in God’s position) “Almighty” - Shaddai.

The hydrology of the Oxbow is drifting over time but it still is humbling to sit where the master sat.

Want more? https://rb.gy/iov4ez

His perch from the Summit House, present day. And, below, Google’s map of the area

DETAIL (with Cole and his perch)

“The Elder Sister”

William-Adolphe Bouguereau

1869

Museum of Fine Arts Houston

Bouguereau was prolific, a top painter in the Salon world of 19th century Paris. He would work from dawn to dusk and even later, painting twenty pieces a year. At his death he had painted 822 classic works. Most are of women, classical characters (Venus, Cupid, Psyche, and more,) but this is a showstopper at MFAH. His kids were his models.

“Fight for the Waterhole”

Frederic Remington

1909 Museum of Fine Arts Houston (from a 1909 Collier’s Magazine)

Illustrator, sculptor and painter, Remington quickly found his niche in art of the Old dying West. Supposedly this happened or could have happened right around 1900 in Arizona. I believe the cowboys held the advantage. They are all alive and have been picking off the Plains Indians (perhaps Apache) with their superior Winchester 1895’s or Model 94’s. That’s why their opponents are so far away.

Those rifles are deadly at 200 yards. As one cowboy fires in the back left, the fella in the near left casually ignores the round that kicked up dirt barely 4 feet from him.

While Remington truly respected the Indian, his world was built around the tough, old cowboy coming out on top and winning the battle or breaking the horse. Interesting trivia: he did what I do (and all this time I thought it was “cheating”). Small portable cameras were just available, and he would snap away the scenes that captured his fancy, only to develop them and reference them back at his NY studio. I use an iPhone and Procreate. He would have too.

“The Jungfrau”

August Becker

1853

In the Royal Collection

Becker studied at Düsseldorf with Bierstadt and Hans Gude (that gorgeous Norwegian fjord). I seem to get more response from these dramatic landscapes than anything else (except Norman Rockwell). The good news is, I love them as well.

Becker sold this to Prince Albert for £70 in 1854 who promptly gave it to Queen Victoria. (Hey, it was her cash.) The Jungfrau (or virgin) was one of three peaks in a row, including the Mönch and the Eiger (as in Sanction). All are in the 13 club with the Virgin clocking in the highest at 13,642’. Besides the Matterhorn, this range is quintessential Swiss Alps. It’s hard to tell where the snow stops and the clouds start.

“Eve of Saint John”

Peter Hurd

1960

San Diego Art Museum

Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptist, was born 6 months earlier, almost on midsummer’s night. A very important day for Christians, especially devout Hispanics in the southwest where this is staged. Hurd became skilled in the craft of chiaroscuro. Here, the single candle highlights his daughter’s face. The vibrant yet subtle colors come from the tempera (think poster paint, with egg yolk for binding) applied to wood.

Remember, midsummer’s night is the beginning of the year’s fertile period. The young girl more than symbolizes fertility holding the lighted candlestick in the middle of the barren field. Oh, and it bears mentioning that Hurd was born in Roswell.

“Watson and the Shark”

1778

John Singleton Copley

National Gallery of Art, DC

Copley gives us a snapshot in time of a furious set of events. Young Brooke

Watson went skinny dipping in Havana Harbor when he became fast food for this man eater. While the story is all true, Copley never visited Cuba but consulted experts and maps to set the scene correctly. Watson survived and went on to be a successful businessman and British politician, sans right foot. It is said that the artist modeled the lad with the spear after Raphael’s Archangel Michael driving Satan out of Heaven.

“Saint Michael Trampling the Dragon,” 1518 Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino)

“Early Spring”

Kyriac Kostandi

1890 National Art Museum of Ukraine, Kyiv

Kostandi was a a member of the Peredvizhniki or Russian Realist School although this piece tips towards impressionist. That said, he worked and taught almost exclusively in Odessa, Ukraine’s 3rd largest city.

“The Matchmaker”

Gerrit van Honthorst

1625

Centraal Museum in Utrecht, Netherlands

Caravaggio was a master at the interplay of light and dark usually with a single light source. And van Honthorst went to Rome to study with him. Here, a lone candle lights up their faces so dramatically and simplifies the story for us. Three characters, three objects are on and, voila, a short story. The old man to the left is our pimp. Middle man has a pouch of coins and is negotiating with the young lady who, as we all can see, has a lot to offer. The lute which she grips is often considered a symbol of sexual desire. Once you embrace chiaroscuro, you will be drawn to it as a moth to a single candle flame.

“The Mississippi”

John Steuart Curry

1935

Saint Louis Art Museum

His first sketch was called “Mississippi Noah” and was referencing the most destructive flood (in recorded history) in 1927 where the big muddy measured 60 miles across in one place! And the destruction fell upon the widespread poor of the area, during the massive inflation before the crash.

Instilled with Hope and Faith, this family (including their cat) symbolized courage that could be summoned if the belief was there. This is another “friend” of mine and when I visit Forest Park for my team builders, I check in on her and your heart skips when you encounter it.

Curry is part of the American Regionalism school that includes Thomas Hart Benton (see “The Kentuckian” earlier), Grant Wood (“American Gothic”), Andrew Wyeth and, yes, Norman Rockwell.

Led Zeppelin “When The Levee Breaks”

“Oath of the Horatii”

Jacques-Louis David 1787

The Louvre, Paris 10’ x 13’ (approx.)

Considering the state of Eastern Europe right now, they could use this solution to war. According to Livy, in the 7th Century BC, two cities, Rome and Alba Longa, decided instead of going to war they would each send three soldiers to fight it out.

So three Roman Horatii brothers battled three Curiatti brothers to the death for their respective cities.

David (pronounced da-VEED) captures the moment the three brothers salute their father as he passes out the swords. Notice the vanishing point behind his left hand.

Pure neoclassicism as the subjects are all lit and balanced, the background is muted greys and this is one huge painting. The two ladies are grieving the inevitable outcome, as Camilla Horatti is in love with a Curatti.

So get the Putin and the Zelensky boys out on the battlefield and save a lot of lives.

“La Yole” (The Skiff)

Pierre-Auguste Renoir

1875 National Gallery, London

Renoir painted this along the Seine, about twenty miles west of Paris and downstream of Monet and Manet’s Argenteuil. He would paint his masterpiece, the $78 million “Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette,” a year after this. But this has vibrancy and movement that leaps off the canvas. He also was ahead of the curve of that new style, pointillism, but with slightly larger dabs. All this, and a steam locomotive.

“La Morphine”

Albert Matignon

1905

Metropolitan Museum of Art

This diaphanous Belle Époque beauty tells a cautionary tale. Three women hitting the fashionable new drug of the age as it was recently refined from the poppy. The intravenous needle was only invented in 1855 so this was all a new fad. But the question remains, are there three women here or three stages of the drug use in the same woman?

“The Promenades of Euclid”

Rene Magritte

1955 Minnesota Institute if the Arts

Magritte is a Surrealist more known for his painting, “The Son of Man” (man in a bowler with a green apple) and its inclusion in the plot of 1999’s “Thomas Crown Affair”. He tests us here. Is that a painting of what really is behind the canvas? Or is it the way he wants it to be? Or is that simply a piece of glass held up? I love the two people in the road that seem to form castle arrowslits.

“May Night”

Willard Metcalf

1906 National Gallery of Art

Interesting fellow, Metcalf, he was his own worst enemy. Having studied in France, especially in Monet’s Giverny where he excelled at the basics of Impressionism, he bounced around the US’s east coast art colonies (especially Old Lyme and Cornish) painting mainly landscapes. He never was settled with a location and was always on the move for the next best spot. But booze and the high life (mainly during the Roaring Twenties) wore him down and he died in 1925 at 66. ”May Night” won him the gold prize at the Corcoran Gallery (a top museum in DC until the Mapplethorpe controversy eventually closed it). After the Corcoran closed, it donated its $2 billion worth of art to the National Gallery, and that’s where it hangs.

“Loch Lomond”

Gustave Dore

1875

St. Louis Art Museum

“You'll take the high road and I'll take the low road, And I'll be in Scotland afore ye. Where me and my true love will never meet again, On the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond.”

A national song about two soldiers, one who is dying. The low road has a couple of figures, with a spot of red. And the loch is at eye level. Never done before or since. Dore was a prolific wood engraver, carving over 241 illustrations for a Bible.

“Fra Hardanger”

Hans Gude

1847

This is a fjord in Norway and represents true Norwegian romantic nationalism, very similar to our Hudson River School and guys like Albert Bierstadt whom Gude met at the Düsseldorf school.

They are very proud of their beautiful, majestic country. This is in southwestern Norway, one of the larger fjords (cruise ships can motor all the way up) not far from Bergen. When I visited Sweden, everyone was going here to orienteer and drive the famous, dangerous Atlantic Ocean Road.

Jacques-Raymond Brascassat

“A Bull Fight”

1855

Museum of Fine Arts Houston

More from the museum in which I worked the most, the Museum of Fine Arts

Houston. Again, I love story, and this has it all. Are the two bulls fighting over

Elsie, in the background? What caught my eye is the scrape of mud down into the ditch as the rear left leg of the losing bull signals an end to the fight is coming.

“The Angelus”

Jean-François Millet

1859

Mentioned as a source for Tanner’s color scheme of ”The Banjo Lesson,” this quiet reverent scene was common 170 years ago. The church off in the distance (Chailly-en-Bière) would have just rung the afternoon Angelus bells (4 pm) to remind the faithful to recite three Hail Marys as devotion. Our local Catholic Church, Corpus Christi, in Port Chester, would ring the Angelus 3 times a day (6, Noon and 4) into the 70’s. Millet was a rebellious member of the Barbizon school, the town in the distance.

“The Banjo Lesson”

Henry O. Tanner

1893

Hampton University Museum, Hampton, VA

I had a poster of this powerful work in my dorm room at Fordham. I never paid attention to the abject poverty it showed as I do now. No, I loved the determination of the grandson and the patience of his grandad. Tanner studied with Courbet and Millet, actually borrowing this palette scheme from the latter’s “The Angelus”

“The Captive Charger”

1854

Karl (Charles) Ferdinand Wimar

Saint Louis Art Museum

German American Wimar painted almost exclusively in the Great Plains and up the Missouri River. His most famous is ”The Abduction of Boone’s Daughter”. I love art that is infused with story and everything he did (including massive murals in the old St. Louis Court House) has back story, including this group of Sioux who undoubtably had some violent contact with US soldiers. They know they’re being hunted, hiding in the swamp but the waning moon above and the setting sun symbolize the inevitable end of the line for the tribe.

“Tanis”

Daniel Garber

1915

Philadelphia Museum of Art

Garber painted his daughter at his farm along Cuttalossa Creek in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. He studied with Thomas Eakins and that explains the transcendent light.

“La Clairiere” (“The Glade”)

Julius Stewart

1900

Detroit Institute of Arts

Stewart’s dad was a sugar millionaire, so he led quite a privileged life while maturing in the Barbizon school. The money certainly doesn’t diminish his talent and talent was his. He had a knack for describing the Greek ideal of nymphs, perfect young women who frolicked through the forest. Never mind that the ravages of the outdoors never seem to bother them, it’s what we would like to see is what he paints. They evolved into personifications of nature, what with their opulent fertility for all to see.

“Indian Telegraph”

John Mix Stanley

1860

Detroit Art Museum

Tragically, most of Stanley’s works of depictions of America’s early West were lost in a huge fire at the Smithsonian in 1865. Thank God, this remained for it is not simply a slice of life. With bold and powerful color and strokes, he puts the communicating Indians on a level of higher intellect.

“Walking The Chalk”

Charles Deas

1838

Museum of Fine Arts Houston

Old world sobriety test. Lots of pro and anti-secession clues in this as well.

“Jolly Flatboatmen in Port”

George Caleb Bingham

1857 St. Louis Art Museum

Bingham did several paintings on the same subject, another Jolly Flatboatmen hangs in the National Gallery in DC. But this one has a jovial pyramid of musical activity. And check out that light. For some reason I don’t think they were as gay (old meaning) as this. Working on the river must have been a tough life. Still, that one doing the jig always captures my heart.

Art imitates life imitates art.

Randolph Rogers’ “Nydia, the Blind Girl of Pompeii” 1856 Museum of Fine Arts Boston. & “Museum Epiphany III” (2012) by Warren Prosperi from his wife’s photograph. This was all created with the blessing of the MFAB’s director who wanted to punk the visitors with an interactive exhibit about an exhibit. Gotta admit, it’s fun to stand there and feel like you’re in the painting.

Nydia, in the book, “The Last Days of Pompeii,” led two friends out of the cataclysm of destruction as Mt. Vesuvius rained down lava and the pyroclastic cloud on the city.

More here: https://www.wbur.org/.../11/07/mfa-museum-epiphany-three

"Wheatstacks, Snow Effect, Morning"

Claude Monet

1891 Getty, LA

Between the fall of 1890 and the summer of 1891, Monet painted thirty variations of the Wheatstacks. Just about every major museum has one. This is the Getty's. Ever in LA? The Getty is FREE and not to be missed.

“Among the Sierra Nevada, California”

Albert Bierstadt

1868

Smithsonian American Art Museum

Bierstadt was a member of the Hudson River School (including Thomas Cole, Church, Cropsey, Durand, et al) who painted larger than life pastoral landscapes and they believed man and nature were one. This is a perfect example of their common trait of luminism, where a heavenly light source implied a glorious Creator at work.

Carrefour à Sannois (Crossroads in Sannois)

1937

Maurice Utrillo

This is one of 15 paintings stolen by the Nazis that were "historically" returned by France to the heirs of the original owners last week. Utrillo means something to us sibling Cassone's because our Mom hung a print of Utrillo's in our den. So, we grew up with him.

Jean-Léon Gérôme “Tiger on the Watch”

1888 Museum of Fine arts Houston

Gérôme always has drama in his work. As a kid I was captivated by his “Thumbs Down” of a gladiator in the colosseum about to dispatch his opponent because the crowd wanted blood. And the Chinese New Year of the Tiger begins tomorrow.

“Pollice Verso” Jean-Léon Gérôme - 1872 - Phoenix Art Museum

“The Veiled Lady”

Raffaelo Monti, 1860

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Marble

When I first stumbled upon her, she took my breath away. Ever since, the sculpture is like a close friend and when I get there, I must go directly to the 2nd floor to see her. The veil is other worldly. Again, this is one piece of marble.

Once you fall in love with Thomas Hart Benson, you’ll spot his paintings everywhere (he’s in over twenty museums.) Here is his commissioned artwork for the film, “The Kentuckian” starring Burt Lancaster (1953.) also I found a picture of the sitting. You can see it at LA’s LACMA when it reopens in 2024 (rebuilding.)

“Girl and Laurel”

Winslow Homer

1879.

Detroit Institute of Art

I thought he just painted boats. But he studied with Manet and Courbet. More here: https://www.thehistoryofart.org/winslow.../girl-and-laurel/

“A Harbor in Moonlight”

Joseph Vernet

1787

Saint Louis Art Museum

French painter in love with Napoli. Notice the four sources of light in the painting.

“The Drawing of the Black Bean”

Frederic S. Remington

1896

In 1843 Gen. Santa Ana captured 200 Texans in a border dispute. After much pressure, he decided not to execute them all but rather 1 in 10. White bean=live. Black bean= firing squad. Very dramatic.

Hanging in the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, one of my faves. A complete short story in the frame.

“Mountain of the Holy Cross, 1890”

Thomas Moran

watercolor and gouache over graphite on paper

National Gallery of Art

Moran did a few. I like the softer watercolor look. This is in Colorado.

"Shotgun Hospitality"

Frederic Remington

1908

Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire

Remington’s name is automatically connected to the Wild West. Yet he grew up in upstate NY, had a studio in New Rochelle and died in his home in Ridgefield, Connecticut. The Met called him “a raconteur of frontier life.” Almost every major museum in the country possesses a cast of one of his enigmatic sculptures. But for me, it is the drama he captures in his work. The tension in this scene is palpable as everyone is armed yet our host seems to be as cool as a cucumber with his guests. I doubt if he had a good night’s sleep. And his chiaroscuro is as powerful as Caravaggio's.

“Aurora Borealis”

Frederic Edwin Church

1865

Smithsonian American Art Museum, More evidence that the Hudson River School insisted on traveling to get dramatic scenery to paint. They weren't happy with just the Hudson Valley. Church ran in the same NYC circles as explorer Captain Isaac Hayes whose ship got stuck in the ice looking for the mythic Northwest Passage. This painting is, first, a story of rescue (see the dog sled approaching); second, a view of scientific phenomenon of the aurora and third, a symbolic message about the Civil War which was in full fury during the painting. Many in the country had no clue what the northern lights were

and this display was an exceptionally bright one, being seen in NYC and all the way to Cuba. So ignorance created its own reasoning –that God was unhappy with slavery and was giving the country a sign. The captain lost three toes to frostbite on his first mission in 1854 (and almost starved to death eating only lichen) but this trip he brought two Eskimos to help hunt for food on the expedition. He named that hill, “Church’s Mountain,” after the artist. The dogsled was their saving grace, leading the survivors back to Greenland.

Watch this Smithsonian video that delves deeper: https://youtu.be/Hwf6y4_3_h0

"AbrahamLincoln"

WFKTravers

1865

NationalPortraitGallery,DC

Whilemystorytellingbackgrounddemandsartthathassomethingmorethan justtheimages(e.g.,stilllife)agoodfriendhasshownmethevalueanddepth oftheportrait.“Butthey’renotdoinganything.”Thatmightbetruebutlet’s usethisoneasanexampletoseethevalueofawell-drawnportrait.Firstof all,itssize.Itistruly“lifelike”asthefullpaintingstandsninefeettalland encompassesafullystanding16th President.Lincolnstoodforthisportraitin 1864andtheartist,WFKTravers,finisheditoverthenextyear,April15being theassassination.Whenitwasunitedwiththeuber-famousimagebyGilbert StuartofWashingtonatthecountry’sCentennialin1876Philadelphia,the worldfirstsawthetruest,fullsized,fullcolorimageoftheirmartyredman.In fact,MaryLincolncametoviewitandreportedlyfaintedstraightawayathow trueitwas.Shewascarriedoutofthehall.Nowthat’slifelike.

TheartistgivesussuperbsymbolisminthisworkthatbolstersLincoln’slore: theConstitutionopenedtotheThirteenthAmendment,abustofWashington andapaintingofhimcrossingtheDelaware,theglobespuntorevealHaiti, whichLincolnrecognizedasanindependentnation.ButIsuspectthatfaceis likenoneother,especiallyanyotherportrait.I’veneverseenthosedimpleson him,andheexudesapeacefulsoftnessthatiseasingandattractive. Andashoutouttocurrentportraitartist,PeterMalone.Peterisamaster portraitartist,teacher,andartcritic.HealsograciouslywroteaForewordfor mysoontobepublishedcollectionoftheseposts.Visithimandgivesome love.https://www.petermalone.com/

“GrandCanyon”

ThomasMoran

1912

TheNelson-AtkinsMuseumofArt, KansasCity,MO

MoranwasconsideredamemberofboththeHudsonRiverSchoolandthe RockyMountainSchool.Thisrelativelysmallwork(approx.16”x24”)oilan boardpacksapowerfulpunch.Theusualsweepingvistaofthecanyonsbelow isnothisview.Heinsistsonshowingusthescaleofourpartinthebigpicture. ThecypressandJoshuatreesintheforegroundaresoclose.Theactualrocks underoutfeetareevenintheframe.

“McSorley's Cats”

John French Sloan

1929

The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens

Pasadena CA

Sloan created this unique story for Harper’s Weekly Magazine, but he also had a slew of McSorley’s Bar paintings. Perhaps he loved to hang there. Here he not only shows us the atmosphere of the bar (Seventh Street & Third Avenue) with its crowd of bowler-hatted, cigar chomping well-dressed me but also includes a story that drives the lore of the place even further. Seems old man McSorley, Bill’s father (that’s Bill feeding the cats,) after establishing the ale house, adopted an old mouser to help keep the vermin number down. Everyone knew that plague was carried by rats and a vermin-free saloon was a plus in the 1850’s. Here we see John’s son, Bill, the second generation of McSorley’s feeding some bull livers to his brood who are dancing around in the sawdust. Remember, John French Sloan was a member of the Ash Can School of painters, even if he detested the moniker. He sought out and painted American Realism, which included the dregs of society. However, many a leader of industry frequented the McSorley establishment as can be seen here. Around the bar stand and sit men smoking, laughing and drinking. Included in this painting are militant anarchist Hippolyte Havel, cartoonist Art Young and artist Alexander Kruse. McSorley opens an icebox and the cats come a-running and begging.

McSorley’s was “Men Only” until NOW sued and forced the admission of women in 1970. Among its most notable patrons, John Lennon had a stint where he drank there with Harry Nilsson while estranged from Yoko. And the artifacts around the main room have been there since the turn of the 19th century. They include a pair of Houdini’s handcuffs which have been locked to the bar rail.

“Impression:Sunrise”

ClaudeMonet

1872

Musée Marmottan Monet, Paris

ThisisthearguablytheoneworkthatstarteditallfortheImpressionists. Andpleasedon’t discountitassomeblurrypieceofnonsense.Thereisalotgoingonhere.Throughouthis life,Monetwouldpainttheexactsamecontent(thisharbor,waterlilies,wheatstacks)but atdifferenttimesandlightthroughouttheday. ThispaintingwasexhibitedatanexhibitioninParisin1874andwiththeotherrogue artists(Renoir,Pissarro,DegasandSisley)becamethetorchbearerforthenewmovement thatwasemerging.Impressionismcontained“small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage of time), ordinary subject matter, unusual visual angles, and inclusion of movement as a crucial element of human perception and experience.” (Wikipedia)

It is more of a transference of the effects of light and movement by the artist to the canvas and then to the viewer. Its total effect is what the artist is vying for. And we get that early morning hazy effect of the harbor of Le Harve, kind of seeing ships and smokestacks through the haze but not totally.

"SkullofaSkeletonwithBurningCigarette"

VincentVanGogh

1886 VanGoghMuseuminAmsterdam

VanGoghwasarebelandpaintedthisprobablyforavarietyofreasons.Primarilyhe rebelledagainsttheartschoolsandtheirlivemodels.HewasatschoolinAntwerp attendingtheRoyalAcademyofFineArtswhichboredhimtonoend.Buthewasin declininghealth,andthiswasmoreofa"mementomori,"orareminderthatdeathis coming.Heexploredtheskullandskeletonfortheperiodandevenpainted"Hanging SkeletonwithCat"trueirony.

Ifyouheldaguntomyhead,IwouldnothavepickedVanGoghastheartist.

"Mt.Hood,Oregon"

ThomasHill

1878

GilcreaseMuseum,UniversityofTulsa

ThomasHillisconsideredaHudsonRiverSchoolmemberbyjustthequality ofhiswork.Mostlylandscapes,hisoeuvrecoversYosemite,theWhite MountainsandtheSierras.Hismostfamousworkisahistoricalpaintingof theDrivingoftheLastSpikewiththecrowdatPromontoryPoint,Utah.He paintedandsketchedmanyworksofMt.Hoodbutthisparticularonestands out.Itissofterthantheothers.Thelightblue-greysmokeoftheIndians’fire blendsrightintothemountainbase.Thepinksintheglaciersofthemountain seemtowarmtheentirepainting.Andthere’sthatgroupofIndians,withtheir petdogs.Verywelcoming.HudsonRiverpaintersalldrewhumansonasmall scale,saying,intheschemeofthings,wearejustalittlebliponthecanvas.

"TheApotheosisofHomer"

Jean-Auguste-DominiqueIngres

1827

LouvreMuseum,Paris

Pureneoclassicism,theartsmeldasanoilpaintinggivesaccoladestothe fatherofliterature.Setinperfectsymmetry,Ingresincludedforty-four charactersinhishomagetoHomer.Anapotheosisglorifiesthepersonand raiseshimtoagod-likestate.

Soasthewingedangelofvictory(somesayUniverse)crownstheman,they aresurroundedwithwitnessesfortheevent,witnessesfromthehallsofthe world'sbestart.Athisfeetsitthepersonificationsofhisgreatestworks.

ItmightbetimetoreadtheIlliadandOdyssey.

“AnEveninginArcadia”

ThomasCole

1843

WadsworthAtheneumMuseumofArt

HartfordCT

ColeisthenotonlythefatheroftheHudsonRiverSchool,butheisfirmly plantedintheRomanticerawiththisstunningwork.Ahighlyemotionalpiece withadeepconnectiontonatureandthegloriouspast.ColepaintedGodinto everyoneofhispieces.Arcadiaitselfisanidealizedplace,almostEden-like, thatwegettoenjoy.Coleevendreamtofthisplace.Inalettertohisclose friendandartist,AsherDurand,heexplained "ItookatriptoArcadiainadream."Arcadiawasarealplaceforhim.

HeagreedwholeheartedlywithJohnMuirwhosaid:"InGod'swildnesslies thehopeoftheworld."

"TheDeathofViriatus,ChiefoftheLusitanians"

JosedeMadrazoYAgudo

1807

MuseoNacionaldelPrado

Madrid Thisverylarge(10’x15’)neo-classicalmasterpiececannotbeoverlooked.Not onlydoesittellthestoryofthebelovedViriatus,rebelleaderofthe Lusitaniansitalsoworksinits(then)presenttimeasacautionarytaleabout Napoleon.DuringthesecondcenturyBCtheLusitanianspushedbackagainst theRomanincursionontheIberianpeninsula.Theirstrongholdwasroughly wherePortugalis.AfteryearsoffightingtheRomansgaveinandrecognized themandtheirleader.ArenegadeRomanConsulpaidoffthreeassasinstodo himin.Audax,DitalkonandMinurusareexitingtotherightjustafterthedeed whilehisloyalfollowersareheartbroken,totheleft.Evenaservantboyis weeping.

In1807,Napoleonwasdrivingintothesamelandtoattempttoconquer.This paintingwasunderstoodonbothlevelsatthetimeandhelpedtorallythe SpaniardsandEnglishtofightthedouble-crossingFrench.

Greatvideo:https://rb.gy/irtngf

"Ulysses and the Sirens"

John William Waterhouse

1891

National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia

The greatest piece of western literature, Homer's The Odyssey, is the source for this story. On his ten-year journey home after the ten year Trojan War, Odysseus had one trial after another. And all he wanted was to return to his love, Penelope. Here the Sirens engage him with their deadly song. He was warned by Circe, so he had his crew fill their ears with beeswax and wrap their heads in cloth. They also tied him to the mast to withstand the Sirens' call.

The Sirens are half witchy woman and the other half, bird. Waterhouse's depiction struck a big chord with the Academy and his Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood. Even if you didn't know the story, the painting is so compelling. First, the viewer is put up higher than the action of the Sirens. And look how bright each of their faces is. They glow but Ulysses is the focal point in his white clothes.

"TheDinnerHorn(BlowingtheHornatSeaside)"

WinslowHomer

1870

NationalGalleryofArt,D.C.

WhileHomerisknownforhisnauticalworksandCivilWarpieces,thisis extraordinary.Atthetimeofthispainting,thisraisedeyebrowsasbeingquite erotic.Herdressclingstoherlightlyasthebreezefromrighttoleftblowsit upjustenoughtorevealanankleandpetticoat.(Clutchyourpearls!)Andshe isblowingahorntocallthemalefarmhandswhoareoffinthedistance mowinghay.Thisisanactthathappenswithregularityasthewell-wornpath shows.Theemptymilkcansymbolizes,well,spiltmilk.Andthethornyvine growinguptheedgeofthebuildingisfedbythatmilk.Butalleyesareonthe girlwhoglowsinirradiatedwonder.

Letitworkonyouandyou'llsee.Why,it'salmostRrated.

"RiverEpte,Giverny"

GuyOrlandoRose

1910 PrivateCollection

GuyOrlandoRosewasaCalifornian,actuallyfromSouthPasadena,whofellin lovewithsketchingwhilerecuperatingfromaseriousinjury.Heloveditso muchhewenttoartschoolandbeforeyouknowit,hewastravellingto Francetolearnwiththemasters.Hefellinwiththepleinaireenthusiastsand completelyembracedimpressionism.HispaletteevenleanstowardsClaude Monet.WhilehehasmanysuperiorlandscapesofsouthernCalifornia,this riverbendinMonet’sbackyardsaysitall.Thelightonthebigoaksyieldsa purplethatMonetseemedtomaster.SodoesGuyRose.Checkouthisseaside paintingfromLagunaaswell.

“Laguna” Winslow Homer

GerritDou

“DentistbyCandlelight”

1665

KimbellArtMuseum,FortWorth

DouwasaDutchGoldenAgemasterwholivedexactlywithintheBaroque period(17thCentury).HelivedinLeidenandstudywith,amongothers, Rembrandtwherehelearnedtheskillsofchiaroscurowhichisondisplayin thisone.HewasamemberoftheFijnschildersor“finepainters”who specializedinminutedetailwithasmoothenamel-likesurface. Theypaintedsmallexactworkswithextremeprecision.Hisearlystudyof stainedglasswithhisfatherpreparedhimforthisverydetailedwork.Hegot sofamousinhisworldthattheQueenpaidforarightoffirstrefusalonany newwork.

Thepaintinghasawonderfulunderstandingfeeltoit.Weallknowthepain involvedinpullingteethbutlookatthedentistandhiswife.Bothhaveloving handsonhim,helpinghimthroughit.Meanwhilethepoorguyisfixatedon thealligatorsuspendedfromtheceiling.Thiswasverycommon,likeabarber pole.Analligatorshowedthatbarber-surgeon-dentistworkedthere.

“VillageTavern”

JohnLewisKrimmel

1814

ToledoMuseumofArt,OH

Krimmelwasbornnotlongafterthebirthofournationandinthisone painting,hewasabletogiveaperfectsliceoflife.Firstofall,thealmanac pinnedtothecolumntellsusthisis1814.Thetaverninthosedayswasas goodasatowncenter.The“mail”manatthedoorisdroppingoffmailand paperstothetavernowner,agovernmentrepresentativeiftherewasone.All newsfilteredthroughhim.Aroundtheroomyoucanseethedifferentlevelsof class.Thetradesmenhavetheiraprons.Theeducated,probablylanded gentry,arereading.Thenthere’sthemoralofthestory.Ayoungbridebegs herhusbandtocomehome.Sheevenhasherbabywithhertocinchthedeal. ThemoralityofJohnBarleycornwasprevalenteventhen.

Picasso and Pollack, side by side

See

More

Pollack

https://youtu.be/CrVE-WQBcYQ

APPENDIX 1 CLUEKEEPER HUNTS

CA

CROCKER ART MUSEUM

Sacramento

DC NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART

DC NATIONAL AIR & SPACE MUSEUM

MA MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS BOSTON

MI DETROIT INSTITUTE OF ARTS

NY METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART

NY ESCAPE FROM CENTRAL PARK

NY AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

PA PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART

TX MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS HOUSTON

WA SEATTLE ART MUSEUM

Screenshots from the hunt for the Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento:

After participants download the app and the hunt, they are presented with a map with 20-25 clues. They must decide in what order and which direction they must go. When they arrive at the correct work of art, they then answer a detailed question (that can only be answered when standing there) and enter the solution into the Decoder Sheet. When all are solved 60-120 minutes, they will have a “secret message” that tells them where to scan a certain sign, plaque or artwork with the app. The augmented reality kicks in and if they are correct, their team name is recorded for all to see. Typically, different teams like to debrief afterwards and share stories on the hunt as well as the beautiful art.

This is not a race and we make that clear that there is no running in any museum. We like to emphasize the quality over the quantity here and remind all to enjoy the art while they walk. Not all clues are about the most famous or iconic art but they will bring you nearby the Van Gogh’s, the Monet’s and the Warhol’s.

APPENDIX 2

Team Building Programs

STRATEGY | COMMUNICATION | LISTENING | TIME MANAGEMENT | PROBLEM SOLVING | PURE FUN!

APPENDIX 3 – MUSEUMS

An arbitrary list of museums that house much of the art included in this book.

American Museum of Natural History

Art Institute of Chicago

British Museum, London

Carnegie Museum of Art

Cleveland Museum of Art

Computer History Museum

Crocker Art Museum

Dallas Museum of Art

Detroit Institute of Arts Museum

Getty Museum

Hermitage, St. Petersburg

High Museum of Art

KunsthistorischesMuseum,Vienna

Legion of Honor Fine Arts Museum, SF

Los Angeles County Museum of Art LACMA

Louvre, Paris

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Milwaukee Art Museum

Minneapolis Institute of Arts

Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid

Museum of Contemporary Art MOCA

Museum of Fine Arts Boston

Museum of Fine Arts Houston

Museum of Modern Art MOMA

National Air & Space Museum, DC

National Gallery of Art, DC

National Gallery, London

Perez Art Museum

Philadelphia Museum of Art

Phoenix Art Museum

Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Saint Louis Art Museum

San Diego Museum of Art

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

San Jose Museum of Art

Seattle Art Museum

Tampa Museum of Art

Uffizi Gallery, Florence

Vatican Museums

APPENDIX 4

Your Own Personal DaVinci Hunt (using this e-book)

Now it’s time for you to try your own hunt to get the feel for how it is played. Everything you need is right in this book. My hope is that you will be inspired to create your own DaVinci Hunt for friends and family at your local museum. I always use a map, forcing the participants to navigate as a team to each work of art. This little sample cannot do that. Since all we have is this book, you will “navigate” through the book to find the answers to the clues.

Use the questions below to locate the correct work of art and then delve deep to answer the clue. When you have finished (be sure to download and fill out the PDF “decoder sheet”) you will have a thirteen-letter phrase that is three words long. Make sure you separate the words with “underscores” that look like this: _

Again:

Sample Hunt Questions below each yield a one-word answer.

Thirteen clues will spell out three words with those thirteen letters in the boxes. Print out the “Decoder Sheet” below and fill in your answers. No need to jumble as they are in their order already.

Assemble these words after the final slash in:

https://treasurehuntadventures.com/

(Use _ for spaces. There should be three words.)

Then click on that URL and see what happens.

DaVinci Hunt Clues

1. What color bird is on the tapestry before the Emperor in “Pollice Verso” (Thumbs Down)?

2. What animal is approaching the lake’s edge in Bierstadt’s “Mount Corcoran?”

3. In Thomas Cole’s “The Pic Nic” what objects are hanging on the tree?

4. What State Park is listed right next to Thomas Cole’s perch where he painted the Oxbow? (see Google Map)

5. What does Brutus wear on his feet in “The Lictors Bring Brutus the Bodies of his Sons” by David?

6. How many birds are at the window of “Maids with Pigeons”?

7. In Bierstadt’s “Rocky Mountains Lander’s Peak” what animal is the crowd of Indians watching get butchered?

8. Asher Durand’s shepherd drives a herd of ________.

9. In which country does “Watson and the Shark” take place?

10. In Cot’s “Springtime” on what playground object does the couple play?

11. In “Spring” by Alma-Tadema, what instrument does the young person play who leads the parade?

12. What kind of tree is Daphne turning into, in “Apollo Pursuing Daphne” by Tiepolo?

13. In Vernet’s “Harbor in Moonlight” there are four sources of light: the Moon, the reflection of the Moon off the water, the campfire and the __________.

This is a convenient way to demonstrate the mechanics of the game. The real fun is playing the game in the museum using a map, just like Robert Langdon. I love to devise clues that have participants following sight lines of statue figures. Sometimes I use themes of similar works of art in the same gallery. The Getty had Venice as a theme in one room. Another favorite is contemporary art with decoupage or, really, any random letters that can spell out a secret phrase.

Of course, if the event has a special theme, like a birthday or a family reunion or company milestone, then you can devise the decoded message to spell out that message. I use a CRYPTEX for them to find. The location is in the decoded message and the final phrase is in the cryptex. I would have all sorts of prizes and gift bags with me at the secret location. The players never even noticed them. They are so focused on the solving of the puzzle that they all have tunnel vision. Just remember when you design the hunt, work backwards from the final answer (which is a place that people could run to from the lobby or café and safely gather.)

Remember, the hunt is divided into these parts:

1. The Introduction – Usually in the lobby (make sure they have their tickets before you start.) After you hand out the clipboards with all the info (map, clues, instructions including your phone.)

2. The Hunt – This is where they go off as teams of 3 or 4 hunting for the works of art that are marked on the map. The corresponding question in the clues will only be answered when they are standing in front of the art.

3. Decoder Sheet Handout – Usually at the café or lobby again but be aware that even if you say it isn’t a race, they race anyway. This levels the playing field to the team that found all the clues and answered them PLUS the team that works the best together filling in the decoder sheet and getting to the secret location.

4. Secret Location – A public spot that you cannot see from the Decoder Handout spot. But that is also not too far away either. In the Met I used the top of the Grand Staircase as the location of the cryptex (which I held onto) and the hunters came up the stairs from the lobby. In the Getty I used the desert garden out on a western promontory (mentioned on the map.)