Musea E-mail Club #156
TomHendricks474
the exhibit of turn of the century paintings from the Smithsonian.
I love turn of the century American art. It is big in size, often sensual,
but Puritan too in that there is seldom much clutter in the paintings - mostly
just the essentials - simple portraits etc.
Favorites were the first painting you see and the last.
The first was the luscious Sargent portrait of a socialite.
The last, Thayer's painting of an Angel, based on his
daughter who was later lost. It seems many children were lost in childhood
then.
It adds a sad overtone to all the family and children's portraits. The entire
show is recommended and I could talk about my favorites for hours.... Go see
for yourself.
While there I looked at the other exhibits and the rest of the museum.
Some notes:
It now costs $6 to enter. It used to be free. That's sad that it's come to
charging an entry fee now. The photos in the hall were badly displayed.
There needs to be a separate room for the best photos they own. The
museum doesn't open till 11 AM. I'd like to see it expand its hours.
They own a Twombly - a modern artist that I think is a real goof.
I saw his painting from across the room - its huge and looks like
a blackboard with handwritten connected chalk
'o's all over it. I began to laugh out
loud and the guard just looked at me wondering. The room for
Texas artists is too slim and small - perhaps 10-20 works total.
I mean it is the DALLAS Museum. It should have Dallas and Texas
works and lots of them.
But all of that is minor compared to my two main complaints.
The Wendy Reeves exhibit is absurd. They've recreated her home in the Museum,
but you can't see the paintings across the roped off rooms. Notes say
that somewhere on the back wall is a Renoir, Van Gogh, Manet, etc.
But you're not allowed to come any closer than 20 feet to them!
Reeves is a nut. A nut that should have donated her art without the
idiotic restrictions
And finally this most important complaint of all -
There was sunlight falling on the right bottom corner of
an Albert Bierstadt landscape!. Do you know what direct sunlight
does to 150 year old oil paintings? Of course you do - everyone
knows. It hurts the paintings, fades the colors, damages the art.
I was really shocked that this was going on.
This is a major error of a major museum. It should not happen.
And I told them so - and they agreed. Let's hope it is quickly
fixed.
In my mail
e and snail
1. It's sweeps month (along with Feb, and Mar.) That's why the
tv is better. Why don't they do this all year round?
2. zines:
The Blind Man's Rainbow - poetry and art
Timelike Report Sheet, etc from Yul Tolbert - always great envelopes too.
The Incredibly True adventures of a Kid and his Starship, V Knid.
Tom Hendricks, ed. of Musea
(now celebrating our 10th year)
http://musea.digitalchainsaw.com
For a list of the Corp. Art Weasels
http://cjr.org/owners/