Finally Friday - Kimbell Art Museum Dazzles Again

The Kimbell Art Museum (Fort Worth,TX) once again brings a glorious exhibit of history and very shiny things.  The Holy Sepulcher - Treasures from the Terra Sancta Museum, Jerusalem is wonderful. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is the  place where, according to tradition, Jesus Christ  was crucified, buried, and rose  from the dead. So much treasure has stayed intact, cared for since the 1300s by Franciscan friars.  It's been safeguarded in  Jerusalem and rediscovered in the 1980s. 

This is a preservation of liturgical treasures - given by kings. The finest goldsmiths and embroiders from France, Spain, Portugal, the Holy Roman Empire, and the Italian states, used gold, silver, precious stones, and textiles to honor the holy.  
 (brochure blurb)

gold, precious stones - breathtaking

vestments embroidered in gold.  The detail is exquisite

This silver metal piece depicts Christ's rise from death.  In person, it's fabulous

gold with lapis lazuli inlay.  You have to say, "Holy......!!"

The Kimbell is a wonderful museum with lovely exhibition space. The spacing, the lighting, the magnificent art - awe inspiring history. 

Finally Friday - Myth and Marble at the Kimbell

The Torlonia family amassed a huge private collection of ancient Roman sculptures.  Now  fifty eight pieces are on tour - Chicago, Fort Worth, and then Toronto. The Kimbell is privileged to show these large scale pieces from 5th century BC to 4th AD. 

Gods,  Children, Mythology, Power  - the pieces are breathtaking.  Notice in the background, the busts showing succession of  emperors and their family. 

Stunning

This was a statue of a slave.   He was massive.   At each sculpture, there was a drawing showing what  was original and what had been "fixed" or "added on to" through the years.  This piece was perfect. 

Some statues had been "cleaned up" in the late 1600s by Bernini!   That man knew how to work the marble. 

Excavations on the Torlonia property yielded huge sarcophagi. The carvings signaled wealth and importance. 

Ray and I enjoyed our art stroll and learned a bit about ancient Roman sculptures.  

P.S.  We were not allowed to touch anything.  I SO wanted to.   But I also do not want to get kicked out of a museum.  There were a noticeable amount of guards for this special collection. 

Thank you Kimbell Art Museum and curators for  bringing us  fabulous shows.  
 

Whatever Wednesday - Art Adventure

Sunday June 22, I awoke and decided  on a Fort  Worth  art adventure.  Ray was off  to his family reunion (it's tradition - I don't go).  Anyway, I drove to  the Kimbell Art Museum  first.  The current exhibition - Modern Art and Politics in Germany 1910-1945 was  a WOW and very timely for our current fraught American situation.  And it was the last day - so  a must see, and the Kimbell had quite  a queue. I was glad to see so many people open to this exhibit. 

above - Christian Schad's Sonja depicted the so-called "new woman" of 1928.  In the aftermath of 1918's  wartime, women won  the right  to vote.  Lots of change afoot. 

Numerous works of this time period  were declared as "degenerate"  art - denounced and confiscated.   The artists were the earliest to express displeasure with what they saw brewing in Germany.  Emile Nolde, Kurt Gunther, Curt Querner, Otto Dix, Paul Klee, Max Beckman, and George Grosz pushed the envelope and many had to flee. 

Let's think about  today - art bans, book  bans, television and movies and more....hmmm

 Horst Strempel's Night Over Germany (oil  on burlap) is a stunning, shattering work.  Jewish families hiding in fear.  

There  was hushed admiration in the Kimbell.  I'm sure many people left thinking...
 

After a light lunch in the Kimbell cafe, I walked down the  block  to the Amon Carter.  Forty photos for forty years since Richard  Avedon's American  West exhibit.  I remember that one - I  was fairly new to  Texas.  The black  and white photos of  just regular folks are stunning.  Crisp, clear, and the people staring back at you - their eyes say so  much. 

Here's a compilation  of  photos  from  the opening  day.  Avedon  was THE photographer  for  famous people and Vogue.   Then he explored the West - oil workers, ranchers - a tough life in  the summer heat.  One of  the  coordinators for  the  project was a photographer in her own right  (Laura  Wilson - mother to actors Owen, Luke).  Her keen eye helped Avedon  on the shoots.  

I truly enjoyed my art afternoon.  Then home for a dip in the pool.  And Ray  arrived home after a fine  time  with family and full from BBQ. 

That's how  we  roll. 

Whatever Wednesday - Going Dutch

We don't have to "go dutch" at the Kimbell Art Museum. I can treat you with my membership guest privileges.  A friend, Trish, and  I enjoyed a lovely hour or so visiting this new exhibit - Dutch Art in a Global Age.  

Artists with bold strokes showed the  power of  the seas as ships transported goods. The  swirling skies  and rough waters are presented in dramatic  renderings. 

The Netherlands, 1600s, was the world's marketplace.  The Dutch East India Company had trade routes to every exotic land. Commodities flowed. Money was made. Artists were fueled by Dutch society.  Hals, Rembrandt, Ruisdael - these artists commemorated their world with portraits, landscapes, seascapes, and rich silver and ceramic objects. 

This still life by Jan Davidsz de Heem shows the mastery.  The gleam of glass, the rich rare fruits, the realism.  From across the exhibit room, this painting positively glowed. 

Amsterdam was a cosmopolitan hub. Numerous  maps, paintings of homes and interiors, churches - all of the works demonstrated a rich and vibrant life.  This  exhibit brings home the power of  a small nation in a global economy. The Dutch had it all - tea, coffee, sugar, spices, tobacco, silks. One underlying issue is the slave trade that accompanied this  wealth.   There's always more to  the story. 

Well done Kimbell by way of Boston Museum of  Fine Arts. Start your year off right  and visit a museum.  Your eyes and brain will thank you.
 

Whatever Wednesday - Renaissance Tapestries

Once again the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth brings us Renaissance treasures to enjoy.  This stunning Italian armor is  our introduction to the Battle of Pavia, fought on February 24, 1525 by the forces of Charles V (Habsburg ruler, Holy Roman Emperor) versus the King of France, Francis I. 

After a long siege in Pavia in northern Italy, Charles V proved the victor. His technological superiority was thanks to powerful weapons and riflemen. 

 Seven tapestries were designed by court artist Bernard van Orley and woven in the Brussels atelier of Willem and Jan Dermoyne.  They were presented as a gift in 1531.  They've been restored and are now on display.  Absolutely stunning in color, depth, detail, and size.  I was in awe as I spent over an hour studying the detail and historical story told in these tapestries. 

Here's an example of just one teensy piece. Notice the rich colors, the teeming masses, action, detail, and expressions.   Every piece has a huge story to tell of battle, Pavian life, and death. 

Along with the tapestries are pieces from the Farnese Armory - masterworks of steel carving and fretwork. 

Thank you Kimbell Art  Museum in Fort Worth.  Go visit and support your local museums.  They are a treasure unto themselves. 
 

Finally Friday - Bonnard's World

another part of a Sunday art stroll involved the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth. Just a stunning museum with amazing exhibits. Bonnard's World did not disappoint. 

Pierre Bonnard, first famous starting in 1890, he explored almost a new version of impressionism based on the influences of Claude Monet and Edgar Degas. His color treatments and use of light were innovative - almost rivaling his pal Henri Matisse

This exhibit is not by date, it is by category. The landscapes - often a point on a hill above the target (a home, a village). Windows - a view within a view. Patterns of light and color with a mix of composition.  Dining and Living - meals, a chandelier, fruit, or an open cupboard. Bonnard's worked invited you into the kitchen and a meal.  Bedroom and Bath - He met Marthe in the 1890s and did not marry until 1925. She was his muse - a modern women performing the rituals of bathing, dressing, strong in  her own body. 

The colors in this collection glowed in the galleries. I loved the compositions, the landscapes, and the views of Pierre Bonnard. The Kimbell honors a very special artist with this exhibition. Glorious!
 

Labor Day Monday Moment - Maya Art

Finally visited the Kimbell Art Museum last week for their Maya Divinity Art exhibit.  Truly amazing. 

Ancient art that is in glorious form. So many symbols and artistic tradition on display.  The hieroglyphs are fantastic - Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico.   Ancient civilizations that flourished and that were brilliant. 

Just look 

We look at the lives of the gods. The balance of the Sun and the Moon.  Kings. Goddesses. So many sculptures, vessels, and ornaments.  This was organized from the Met in NYC and the Kimbell.  We are so fortunate locally to have the expertise and eye to pull this together.  Thank you!
 

Whatever Wednesday - Murillo

17th century Seville, Spain.  Golden Age painter Bartolome Esteban Murillo focuses on earthly subjects like these two women leaning out a window. 

Or he often depicts life on the streets for beggars, street urchins, and the general masses. 

Plus he looks to the heavens with secular works of the divine. 

I had to kick off 2023 with a visit to the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth to appreciate this special exhibit of fifty paintings done by Murillo.  From Heaven to Earth is a wonder - huge canvases with such rich colors and realism. Excellent exhibit to open the eyes and heart of this Murillo fan. 

Support your local museums in 2023 and enrich your life. 
 

Wednesday Art Splash

 Ray joined me at the Kimbell Art Museum for this rather cool exhibit. Always  good to explore different art and this was no  exception. It's an  incredible compilation of African masks, figures, applied arts, and jewelry giving meaning  to daily and ritual life. 

Concepts of beauty are created in  art and the word utotombo means  beautiful and good. 

The art in this exhibit explores Western appreciations and appropriations. The skill and beauty are different to my eyes, but intriguing. I wanted to touch the art - so many intricately carved pieces. So many pieces pay homage  to the female  figure and to male strengths. Religion plays a big part in much of the art. There is also ugliness meant for humor. 

So much of the art on display was from the 1800s and early 1900s. I had to reflect on  the history. How much was pillaged and plundered, and thus preserved? That's a sad and yet worthy question. There were pictures from various African villages. Were these pieces taken from in front  of villagers homes? 

Alas,  that issue was not discussed. Nonetheless, the pieces are nicely displayed and now cared for as a part of African history. We must respect the ART!

Whatever Wednesday - Turner's Modern World

Always enlightening to pop into your local art museum and check out what's new. Currently at the Kimbell in Fort Worth - Turner's Modern World.  I learned the J.M.W. Turner (1775-1851) embraced his time and covered a lot of subjects. Themes of conflict, technology, social and political causes were addressed in his paintings and sketches. 

 exhibit brochure - As time passed, he employed increasingly luminous color and innovative brushwork. Turner's radical approach to paint and composition in his mature work shows the artist paying tribute to the transformed world of modern experience. 

I spent about an hour at the exhibit and came away even more impressed and entranced. His colors - skies, seas - are so distinctive. And indeed,  his brushwork gives texture and drama to any scene. I've always been a Turner fan and this show made for a fun Sunday afternoon. 

Art stirs the soul

Monday Moments - Fort Worth Art Adventure

I enjoyed an art Sunday over Labor Day weekend. The Kimbell offered an exhibit from the John D. Rockefeller 3rd collection of Asian Art.   Seventy works entitled Buddha, Shiva, Lotus, Dragon. Fabulous work from India, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and Thailand. The history, the beauty, and the complexity of cultures embraced in the art was wondrous. I love this museum. 

Big contrast over at the Modern Museum of Fort Worth. Sean Scully - the Shape of Ideas proved colorful and interesting.  The stripes proved rather hypnotic. 

I really liked the colors in this piece

 The ebb and flow and the inserts added a neat dimension.  Modern art is not necessarily an instant like. And stripes - we all paint those in kindergarten. But on a huge scale, and reading words like "juxtaposition" - Sean Scully experimented and succeeded in some powerful pieces. 

I had fun and enjoyed a tasty quiche at the Kimbell cafe.  Explore your backyard folks - arts, museums, expand the mind.   (And everyone wore masks - thoughtful patrons!)

Members Only Preview - Queen Nefertari's Egypt at the Kimbell

Took a vacation day last Friday so Ray and I could enjoy the members only Kimbell Art Museum's exhibit - Queen Nefertari's Egypt. 

This is a celebration of women - goddesses, queens, and artisans in the New Kingdom period (c.  1539 - 1075 BCE). Queen Nefertari ("Beautiful companion ") was a celebrated favorite wife of Pharaoh Ramesses II.  The Queen's tomb was found in 1904 in the Valley of the Queens - a significant discovery. The exhibit sheds light on palace life, roles of women in ancient Egypt, the work  of artisans, and insight into the belief system/ritual practices of death and the afterlife. 

Tomb fragments - sarcophagus lid of Queen  Nefertari

Ray is reading about ancient tomb coverings. The colors and preservation is amazing to see

Funerary stelae - decorated stone slab depicting the deceased receiving offerings to sustain them in the afterlife. 

There was so much to see and read - The exhibition covered  1. Pharaohs,  Goddesses, and the Temple. 

2. Women in Ancient Egypt   3. Deir el-Medina - the Worker's Village 4. The Afterlife  5. Queen Nefertari's tomb  6. Egyptian Tombs. 

Statues, jewelry, carvings, elaborate coffins, and scrolls of history. I know I need to read and research a LOT to learn more and appreciate this aspect of history. I have a goal for 2021, and I'll need to try to go back  to the exhibit before it leaves in March.  

 

Monday Moments - Italian Style

 Saturday - I ventured to Fort Worth to the Kimbell Art Museum for their special exhibit - Flesh and Blood.  Italian masterpieces were featured from the Capodimonte Museum in Naples.  Nothing like the Renaissance  - the shadows and lights.  From across the room, they glow.

Nothing like a Caravaggio (The Flagellation of Christ) to make one feel holy. I worshiped in this house of art

 Poor Saint Jerome.   As you can tell - not many people were at the Kimbell. Not like a usual Saturday. Everyone wore masks, stayed respectfully apart, and there was no touching.

 Feasts.  So much going on in this picture. The wrath of God does await.

 Chiaroscuro - dramatic contrasts between light and dark.

And I liked this still life of morning glories and snow ball flowers.

So many of the still-lifes were lovely -rich table settings and yet always - a goat's head plopped in the middle. Not appetizing to me.

I enjoyed my time at the Kimbell and the step back to the late 1500s - 1600s.  Art enriches the soul.
Then home for a lazy swim on a very hot day - our pool is now mid-90s. Whew!