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Treasures by Old World Masters The Golden Age of European Painting June 14 thr ough September 14
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Golden Age and illustrate the people and objects that made the two centuries between 1600 and 1800 such a rich artistic age. Tremendous changes swept through Europe during the years in which the art in this exhibition was produced. Religious upheavals changed the way people thought about and utilized art. Trade routes to faraway lands, such as China and India, became more established ensuring a steady stream of exotic goods for European consumers. Advances in the sciences transformed long-held views on the way the universe worked and the place of humans within that universe. These exciting times resulted in a “Golden Age” when painting reached an artistic height.
uxuriously festooned princesses and soldiers, saints and sinners, and maids and maidens are vividly depicted in the exhibition The Golden Age of European Painting, on view in the Museum of Art June 14 through September 14, 2014. This special exhibition, drawn from the collection of the Speed Art Museum in Louisville, Kentucky, showcases 70 17th- and 18th-century major paintings by European masters Rembrandt, Rubens, Tiepolo, Gainsborough, Hogarth and others. Highlighting work from Italy, France, Spain, Flanders, the Netherlands, Germany, and England, The Golden Age of European Painting offers a comprehensive exploration of an era of rich cultural, religious, and economic changes that radically transformed western civilization.
A virtual pantheon of gods and goddesses parade though the artworks inspired by the ancient world. Mythical scenes, including Jan Brueghel’s riotous A Bacchanal, relate an obsession with classical Greece and Rome. Adélaïde Labille-Guiard (French, 1749–1803) Portrait of Madame Adélaïde, By contrast, depictions of everyday life about 1787, oil on canvas, 107 3/4 x 73 3/4 in. Collection of the Speed Art provide tantalizing glimpses of what Museum, Gift of Mrs. Berry V. Stoll 1982.21 people and places might have looked like in Western Europe 400 years ago. Paintings like Pieter Cornelisz van Slingellandt’s Interior of a Kitchen capture in loving detail the minutiae of daily existence—household goods, interior decoration, and daily chores. Other painters chose less industrious scenes, such as Jacob Duck’s imagery of carousing soldiers—a seamier side of life, but no less real. The colorful and detailed portraits in The Golden Age by Rembrandt and his contemporaries proclaim social status, portray wealth, and illustrate high fashion. The grand portrait of the French royal princess Madame Adélaïde, for example, is an imposing image of a meticulously dressed woman surrounded by objects that allude to her importance and accomplishments.
Families will enjoy the two interactive activity galleries in the exhibition where visitors can take their own Golden Age portraits, explore artist materials and methods, and create personal masterpieces. Admission to the exhibition is free to MWPAI members. General admission is $10, there are discounts for students, and children 12 and under are free.
Celebrate the opening of
Religious paintings, landscapes, and still lifes are also featured in The
With Thanks to Our Local Exhibition Sponsors: Mohawk Valley Regional Economic Development Council New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature
The Golden Age
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with a festive evening of art and appetizers
Empire State Development’s Division of Tourism Market New York Funds
Saturday, June 14 4 p.m., Lecture 5 to 7 p.m., Reception and exhibition viewing
KeyBank
$20 MWPAI Members; $30 General Admission
The Gilbert and Ildiko Butler Family Foundation, Inc.
Art After Hours: New Evening Hours for the Museum of Art Beginning June 20, the Museum of Art’s main galleries will be open each Friday until 8 p.m. We will kick off our extended hours by hosting a Mixer in the Museum of Art Edward Wales Root Sculpture Court. Begin your weekend surrounded by 300 years of American masterpieces in a festive and relaxing atmosphere of friends, music, and cocktails.
includes exhibition entrance, hearty hors d’oeuvres, wine and beer, and music by Utica Philharmonic Tickets sold in advance at 315-797-0055 or at the door. A Public Obsession: Dutch and Flemish Masters, from Rubens to Rembrandt and Vermeer will be the topic of art historian Dr. Nathaniel Prottas’s engaging 45-minute exploration of the skillfully detailed and richly colored Dutch and Flemish painting in the exhibition The Golden Age. Dr. Prottas, an expert in the painting of Northern Europe, recently taught at the Frick Collection in New York City. Jan Brueghel the Elder (Flemish, 1568 - 1625) and Hendrik van Balen I (Flemish, 1575 1632), A Bacchanal, about 1608-16, oil on panel, 23 5/16 x 32 1/2 in. Collection of the Speed Art Museum, Museum purchase 1967.24
The Golden Age of European Painting is organized by the Speed Art Museum, Louisville, Kentucky