Art & Appetite at the Amon Carter Museum

The Amon Carter museum, invites you to a feast. “Art and Appetite” go together. From lush oil paintings of fruit to Norman Rockwell’s famous Freedom From Want picture of Thanksgiving turkey to Andy Warhol’s Campbells soup can, you can stroll through America’s changing approach to food. From times of depression to overindulgence, food has brought people together. Paintings of picnics and a half empty diner (Edward Hopper's Nighthawks) adorn the Amon Carter walls.  

One picture and poem stood out. Marsden Hartley’s “Fisherman’s Last Supper” shows a gathering after a funeral. Several members of a family drowned at sea. His poem for the painting begins

“For wine, they drank the ocean/

For bread, they ate their own despairs”

Quite heartbreaking. 

In contrast, best to grab lunch prior to your visit. Or after seeing Wayne Thibaud’s slices of pie painting, you’ll hanker for dessert.

Rolling Art Adventures in Fort Worth

Note - I'm still learning how to use my scanner. Saturday was art adventure day in Fort Worth for Ray and me. First the Kimbell. I got to view the Private Collections of Texas exhibit through Ray's eyes. He was busy counting how many times he heard the word "metaphor" as people discussed a piece or students scibbled furiously on paper for an art appreciation class. Ray rolled his eyes.

I enjoyed listening to a father discuss art with his three sons, ages four to eight or so. First discussion. The father says, "This one is called Guitar on a Table. What do you think?" (It's a Picasso. ) The youngest boy says, "He can't draw."

Moving on, they are in front of a Mondrian talking about the different size blocks and colors. The father says something about circles. Again the young wise child says, "Maybe he can't draw a circle."

That's what has held me back in the art world.

Onward to the Modern which had an Andy Warhol exhibit: Warhol, The Last Decade. Some of the prints and silkscreens are cool. Some are "different". Again Ray rolled his eyes. My favorite piece at the Modern, in their regular collection, is a floating ladder. Something about it appeals to me and I don't know that I can explain it. Perhaps it's a metaphor for life. (Ray rolled his eyes at me)

Finally, after lunch at Dos Gringos (yummy nachos), we strolled to the Amon Carter and enjoyed their American Moderns on Paper - stunning drawings and watercolors by Edward Hopper, Stuart Davis, Georgia O'Keefe, and one by my fave Andrew Wyeth. Subtle and detailed. Ray agreed and did not roll his eyes.

Visiting the three museums - experiencing so many facets of art, listening to people discuss art, seeing pictures through the eyes of a child, and rolling your eyes at some art - made for an excellent adventure day in Fort Worth