This is a unique museum in that none of the exhibits are permanent. I was surprised that we were able to take pictures, the only stipulation was that someone had to be in the shot.
These are some of the exhibits that were going on at the time of our visit.
John Shearer: America (Continued) June 27, 2010, to January 2, 2011.
This exhibit are pictures taken to tell a story about what is happening in that picture at that moment. most of the pictures are ink jet print on low-tack adhesive vinyl mounted on the wall.
KAWS June 27, 2010, to January 2, 2011
Brooklyn-based artist and designer Brian Donnelly, a.k.a. KAWS. His artwork includes graffiti writings and street art; graphic, industrial and product design, including limited toy editions and street wear fashion, sketches, drawings, paintings, murals and sculptures.
This is a picture of Jeth next to one of KAWS' creations called the companion.
Rackstraw Downes: Under the Westside Highway June 27, 2010 to January 2, 2011
I do not have a picture to show of Rackstraw's art works.
He does is paintings on sight as it is happening. He doesn't paint from a picture. Rackstraw may sketch it first, but he paints oil on canvas while he is at the place that is in the picture.
Gina Ruggeri: Immaterial Landscape June 27 to August 29, 2010
Gina has unique pictures that she has created. When you talk to different observers they all see the landscape in different ways.
When we visited this museum were not sure if we would like the art works. We did not think that we liked contemporary art, but we enjoyed. I am happy that we went and will most likely go back do to the fact that nothing is permanent in the museum.
This is where the museum used to be in that house which is up the hill from the current museum.
I hope that everyone had as much fun as we did, taking in all art in all the museums and finding that each one has something unique to share.
After we went to the Yale Center for British, we crossed the street and walked into the Yale University Art Gallery.
Yale University had two exhibits going on at the time of our visit. The first one was Italian Paintings from the Richard L. Feigen Collection. This exhibit is running from May 28 - September 12, 2010. This is a very nice exhibit to see. The exhibit had many great paintings and also the paintings were on several different medians. The second exhibit was Jane Davis Doggett: Talking Graphics. This exhibit is running from January 26 - July 11, 2010. The graphics move by the way they are looked at.
Unfortunately I can not share pictures of the exhibits, because picture taking was not allowed.
Below are some of the pictures that I was able to take.
This was taken in the Asian Art collection
Gerald Murphy
American, 1888 - 1964, B.A. 1922
Bibliotheque (Library) 1926
oil on canvas
Fernand Leger
French, 1881-1955
Elements mecaniques (Mechanical Elements)
1924
Oil on Canvas
There were many more nice art works to see. I was surprised that art works from the Hudson River School were in storage.
The Yale University Art Gallery had many of the art works in storage during the renovations that are going on. It would be nice to revisit the Art gallery when the construction is complete.
The Yale Center for British Art was a great experience to see and share with the class the beautiful oil paintings that is on display.
Alfred J. Munnings, 1878-1959
Paul Mellon on Dublin
1933. oil on canvas
This painting to the right is by George Stubbs
Samuel Scott, CA 1702 - 1772
Action Off the Cape of Good Hope
Oil on Canvas, CA. 1757
These five paintings are by Philip Mercier, 1689-1760. The titles of these paintings are:
The Sense of Sight; The Sense of Smell; The Sense of Taste; The Sense of Sight; The Sense of Smell; and The Sense of Hearing. I will let you decide which title goes with which painting. All the paintings are oil on canvas.
I decided to write about Philip Merceir and you can read about him in my paper below.
My visit to YaleCenter for British Art
Jeth and I visited the YaleCenter for British Art on June 27, 2010.We arrived at the museum around 12:30 p.m.We found parking a block away from the museum, on the New Haven Green.The museum was quit and not too many visitors. The lady in the front desk was very friendly and she gave us pamphlets about the history of the museum and the on going exhibits.Admission is free and you can take pictures at the 4th floor because that’s where the permanent collections are located. This museum is located in 1080 Chapel Street, New Haven, Connecticut right across the YaleUniversityArtGallery.
This museum was opened in 1977 and presented to the university by Paul Mellon, a Yale graduate of 1929.This museum is also a research institute for study of British art and culture.My wife and I really like the architecture and design of this building.The sky lit rooms and spacious space provide a nice environment while looking the paintings.What I liked most about the museum was that the floor plan was open and had a few rooms off the main gallery.This made it easy to navigate through the museum and see all the galleries and exhibits. This building is a masterpiece of modern architecture, was designed by American architect Louis I. Kahn.This is Kahn’s final work and was completed after his death in 1974 by the firm Pellechiaand Meyers. Kahn was a gifted artist and his architecture was famous for its simple geometric forms with the use of natural lights and materials.In 2005, the Center received the Twenty-five Year Award from the American Institute of Architects. This award honors architectural landmarks that plays a significant role in American life and architecture and have stood over time.
The YaleCenter for British Art had two exhibits going on at the time of our visit.The first one that we saw was the Art For All: British Posters For Transport which is running from May 27 – August 15, 2010.This museum serves for the opening venue for this exhibit.The exhibit has more than one hundred posters that were designed for the Underground and the British railways.These posters were nice to observe and take in about historic sight stops along the British railway system.The posters’ also depict the advertisements of the time and British propaganda.I always enjoyed viewing items that depict were happening in the past.The second exhibit was Seeing Double:Portraits, Copies, and Exhibitions in 1820s London.These paintings were done by John Scarlett Davis.In Davis’ art works he had copies of other persons art works inside his paintings, portraits and copies.One of his paintings is the Interior of the British Institution.The painting seems to provide a record of how the British Institution appeared in the 1820s.The painting itself is a pictorial of the gallery itself, showing replicas of the paintings that were on exhibit inside his own painting.There was a third exhibit going on also, this was Structured Elegance:Bookbinders and Jewelry by Romilly Saumarez Smith.The exhibit was being displayed from June 24 – September 19, 2010.This was a unique display, but it was not something that interested me or Jeth.
This Center houses the most comprehensive collection of British art outside United Kingdom.They have a large collection of oil paintings.
The museum had so many beautiful oil paintings, but the ones that caught my eye were the five paintings of the five senses by Philip Mercier and he is the artist that I am writing about.Each painting depicts one of the five senses; hearing, seeing, touch, smell and taste.Philip Mercier was born in Berlin in 1689 and died in London 1760.Philip trained under Antoine Pesne, a French born artist, from 1711.Philip traveled to Italy and France going over the works of Watteau.Philip settled in England in 1715.He started painting for courtiers at the Hanoverian Court.He later became Frederick, Prince of Wales principle painter from 1729 – 1736, where he produced conversation pieces and portraits.He left London in 1736, but returned a year later when he fell out of good graces.When he returned in 1737, his focused was story line paintings and he was influenced by Chardon.In 1739 he moved to York for 12 years, which proved to be his most productive years.He made visits to Ireland in 1747, Scotland in 1750 and Portugal in 1751-1752 receiving English merchants’ portrait commissions.He exhibited three works at the first summer exhibition at the RoyalAcademy in 1760.He passed away later on that year.
Egg tempera, methyl cellulose, and oil on Masonite
If you would like to know more about Thomas Hart Benton, please read my paper on The New Britain Museum of American Art.
Arthur Segal, Romanian 1875-1944
Strasse auf Helgoland II, 1924
Oil on board with painted frame
I took a picture of the painting, because of the different shapes and colors that look like shadows.
The Met has everything you could amagin to see. It starts with ancient art and goes through all the diffent periods to today's modern art.
The Temple of Dendur (1978), an Egyptian monument (ca. 15 B.C.) that was given to the United States by Egypt
Man with a Lollipop
Mougins, August 20, 1958
Oil on paper, mounted on canvas
Picasso
this could be a conversation piece.
Woman and Musketeer
Mougins (Notre-Dame-de-Vie), February 22-March 1, 1967
Oil on Canvas
signed in upper left Picasso
The unique thing about art at least for me is that the more you look at it, the more you appreciate it.
I did not care for Picasso's work at the Wadsworth. Once viewing his collection at the Met, I do appreciate Picasso's work.
In my paper on the Met, I will write about Picasso
My visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art
My wife Jeth and I visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art on June 19, 2010.We first stopped at our Aunt and Uncle’s home in Queens for an early lunch.Once lunch was over our relatives offered us a ride to the museum and pick us up once we were finished looking at the art works.We were so thankful to them because we did not have to worry about the parking and driving into the city. We arrived at the Met between 1:00 and 1:30pm.
Upon our arrival, we took some pictures outside the building and were surprised that there were a lot of people sitting on the steps in front of the Met listening to music performed by group of people for tips.Also, on the sidewalk leading up to the Met there were vendors selling some portraits and items about the museum.I was fascinated about the architecture of the building and how big this museum is compared to the ones I already visited and also the amount of people visiting the museum from around the world.
As we entered the building, there are several guards to check on your belongings.We proceeded to the cashier and paid the admission fee of $ 20 for Adults and $10 for students.Then I went to pay and she said pay what you wish, so we gave a $20 dollar donation.This part of the building is called the Great Hall. This is very high ceiling and the design is very beautiful.
This museum is often called by New Yorkers as the MET.This was founded in 1870 by a group of American citizens who wanted to create a museum that will bring art to every person in America.This museum is one of the world’s largest and finest art museums.In 1880, the museum moved to its current location in Central Park along 5th Avenue (from 80th to 84th streets).The original gothic-revival-style building has been expanded in size and a lot of additions surrounded the original structure of the building.In 1926, the present structure along 5th Avenue was completed.By 1971, a comprehensive architectural plan was approved and the construction was completed by 1991.The Architects for this project were Kevin Roche John Dinkelou and Associates.The additions to the museum as part of the master plan are:The Robert Lehman Wing which houses the vast collection of old masters, Impressionist and post-impressionist; The Temple of Dendur; The American Wing; The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing; The Lila Acheson Wallace Wing which house Modern Art and the Henry R. Kravis Wing which houses European sculptors and decorative art.
The museum collections include more than two million works of Art from pre-history to the present and from around the world.Now, I know why this is one of the must see museum with the course because you will learn and grasp art from every form and shapes in this museum.There are 17 Curatorial departments at the MET and to see and learn the whole collections; it will take ten full days.This is according to a documentary DVD we bought at MET about the MET.When watching the DVD, we realized that we missed some exhibits.This gives us reasons to revisit the MET, not that we need a reason.
Jeth and I checked and there were no tours available at that time so we got our map and start navigating the museum.This was very challenging because the museum is very crowded and we wanted to see as many galleries as we can, even with the map it was difficult to navigate.There were smaller galleries (rooms) inside the main gallery and it seemed to us to be set up like a maze.Our first stop was Greek and Roman Art galleries.There were vast collections of bases, jewelries and sculptures and this were it is know to be where western art received its routes. It took us 2 hours to finish this gallery.
Then we proceeded to Arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas. Here we saw wood sculptures, an example was a canoe that was carved and was only used for spiritual offerings.This canoe was not used to carry people. There was also objects from Pacific islands and from the Americas; clothing from the Eskimos (dress parka) that was worn on for special occasions and rituals and stone sculptures from Mexico.One exhibit was the Kwoma Ceiling.The ceiling is made up of many works of art.These ceilings are used as ceremonial houses.The Kwoma people live in New Guinea.
One amazing exhibit or wing, because this is a permanent part of the museum, which is a must see, is the Temple of Dendur.This exhibit that the Met put together was a gift from Egypt.The temple was moved from Egypt to New York.It is amazing to look at and when you look at the stones of the temple graffiti started back as early as the 1800s or even before.People have written their names on the stones with dates.
Two exhibitions at the Met that were happening during our visit were American Woman:Fashioning a National Identity.This depicts the developing American woman from the 1890’s to the 1940’s and how this affects the way they are seen today.This also depicts on the movement of the American movement in their social, political and sexual liberation.Unfortunately we missed this exhibit and I am sure that would be another must see and the exhibit runs from May 5 – August15, 2010.If the opportunity arises we will go back to see this one.The second exhibit is Picasso in The Metropolitan Museum of Art.This exhibit runs from April 27 – August 15, 2010.This exhibit shows only works of Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881-1973).It features over 300 works including paintings, drawings, sculptures and ceramics by Picasso.This is a definitely must see exhibit.
It is humorous, that when I saw Picasso at the Wadsworth, I did not care for his art work.Once I saw the collection of Picasso, I can appreciate his art work. This is why I chose to write about Picasso.Picasso was born in October 25, 1881 in MalagaSpain. He died in France, in April 1973.In his lifetime he created more than 22,000 works of art.His works covered a variety of mediums, including sculptures, ceramics, mosaics, stage design and graphic arts.At the age of 15, Picasso was taking advanced classes at the Royal Academy of Art in Barcelona.Picasso’s art works is classified in different periods.The blue period was 1901-1904 were must of the paintings were done in tones of blue and depicted the world of the poor.1905-1906 was considered to be the “rose period” where his art works depicted characters of circus life.In 1907 he started painting in more abstract and the beginning stages of what later became cubinism and in 1912 his forms became larger and more represent cubinism. Later in his life he turned to fantasy and comic invention.He worked mainly in sculpture, ceramics and in graphic arts producing thousands of drawings, illustrations and stage designs.When you get a chance to see Picasso’s accomplishments you have to admire his artworks.
I could go on and on of all the amazing items to see in all the wings, rooms and galleries that hold different art works, sculptures, jewelry, antique furniture, Period Rooms, musical instruments.The Met is a must see museum.Once you have thought that use visited everything, I recommend that you buy the DVD about the met and you will be surprised at how much you missed, we were.
The visit to Wadsworth Antheneum on Sunday June 13, 2010.
It was surprising that the museum did not have a lot of visitors. We arrived at about 12:45pm and stayed to almost 4:30. I took a tour, with my wife, of the museum with approximately 8 other visitors.
I recommend taking a tour, because it is great to hear other persons perceptions of the paintings. Interacting with the people helps understand that there are many different ways to look at the art works.
Pablo Picasso Spanish, 1881 - 1973
Still Life with Fish, 1923
Oil on canvas
The Philip L. Goodwin collection, 1958.220
Pablo Picasso Spanish, 1881 - 1973
Woman of Algeries (after Delacroix), 1954
Oil on canvas
Gift of the Carey Walker Foundation, 1994,2.2
Picasso is a great artist, but his paintings are not my favorite. What is interesting about his artworks is that you need to take time and read into them in order to understand them. I was able to appreciate them more with while looking at them with the tour group. It is nice to have other people prospective on the art works. The art works are what is called cubism, which for me is hard to understand what the artist is trying to tell me.
Salvador Dali Spanish, 1904-1989
Apparition of Face and Fruit-Dish on a Beach 1938
Oil on canvas
The Ella Gallup Summer and Mary-Catlin Summer Collection Fund, 1939.269
This painting I enjoyed do to it has many different images inside the painting. When you look at the painting you can see a dog, a face, the dogs collar is a bridge, a vase on a table, the table could be a beach, and I am sure their are more images in the painting.
Willem Claesz Heda Dutch, 1594 - 1680
Still Life with Goblet, 1631
Oil on panel
You can tell from this painting that this table setting is of a wealthy family, because of the plates and the goblet.
Nicolaes Berchern
Dutch, 1620-1683
A Moer Offering a Parrot to a Lady, c 1660-70
Oil on canvas
Benjamin West
American, 1738-1820
Saul and the Witch of Endor, 1777
Oil on canvas
John Trumbull
American, 1756-1843
The Death of General Mercer at the Battle of Princeton, January 3, 1777, 1831
Oil on canvas
John Trumbull is going to be the artist that I will write my second paper on. I enjoyed his artworks on the battles of the United States fighting for independence. He also has a painting of the signing the Declaration of Independence.
Jeth and I visited the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art on June 13, 2010.This was a Sunday afternoon and we found free parking on the streets of Hartford.The museum is located on 600 Main Street in Hartford.The museum is very easy to find by using either I-84 or I-91.
The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art is America’s oldest public art museum.The museum opened in 1842.Daniel Wadsworth founded the Wadsworth Atheneum to share the excitement of art with the public.The fine arts were only available to the wealthy at this time and the acquired the arts for their one enjoyment.Daniel Wadsworth founded the museum so the public also could enjoy the fine arts (paintings, sculptures and antiques…).
Daniel Wadsworth (1771-1848) was an amateur painter, architect and scenic traveler.His father earned a fortune in trade, banking, and insurance and introduced Daniel to the arts and architecture of the royal courts of Europe. Daniel later married Faith Trumbull in 1794.Faith was the daughter of Jonathan Trumbull, the celebrated historical painter.
The Wadsworth museum was the first to lead the way in art collecting new art movements.It was the American museum to acquire works by Caravaggio, Frederic Church, Salvador Dali, Joan Miro, Piet Mondrian, Balthus, Joseph Cornell and many more.Today the museum holds Hudson River School landscapes, Old Master paintings, modernist masterpieces, Meissen and Severs porcelains, early American furniture and the MATRIX contemporary art.
I was surprised, again, this is a famous museum in downtown Hartford and the museum was relatively empty with patrons.Maybe a lot of people are like my wife and me and do not think about traveling to a museum in their free time to take in the history and appreciate the fine arts.
When we entered the museum a tour was just starting, so we decided to join the tour.I highly recommend taking these tours, because they give great insight about the artist and what is happing during the period the artist is making the art works.The tour guide also invites communication among the people taken the tour to give their opinions of the art works.It is fascinating to hear the different views of the art works and what people like and dislike about the art works.The tour is very in lightening and lasted about an hour and we viewed about 10 different artist.
When entering the museum the first area that you enter is the Renaissance to Romantic, which featured El Greco from The Prado.This gallery has European works from the mid-15th to the mid-19th centuries.Avery Court, which is to the left of Renaissance to Romantic, holds European Art of the 20th Century and has three smaller galleries surrounding one corner of European Art of the late 19th Century.This collection is from Western Europe.
The next gallery is Hudson River School Collection, which is to the right and behind Renaissance to Romantic gallery.This is my favorite collection of paintings.The paintings are all of fabulous landscapes.I was so fascinated with the paintings that I bought a book called “Hudson RiverSchool – Masterworks from theWadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art”.One of the paintings that caught my eye was Coast Scene, MountDesert, 1863 by F.E.Church.I thought about writing about him but decided on someone different.Now, when I enter a museum, I look to see if they have a Hudson River School Collection.I was surprised that Yale did not have a gallery set up.They told us that those paintings were in storage.
Another gallery we went into was a gallery of Contemporary Art.This is a collection of Mid-Century Abstraction, Pop Art, Contemporary Art and video.This section was helpful with the tour, because with these works of art it was nice hearing different prospective.
Three special galleries that were going on during our visit were Sol Lewitt, Matrix and High Water Marks: Art & Renewal After Katrina.Sol Lewitt is a Hartford-born artist (1928-2007).Sol Lewitt was a leader in art movements of Conceptualism and Minimalism.Justin Lowe/Matrix 159.There are four interconnected rooms with different environments to engage the individual, quite unique.High Water Marks: Art & Renewal After Katrina is a collection of black artist on how they documented the destruction of New Orleans from Katrina and how they are committed to its recovery.These paintings and art works of High Water Marks really do depict what those people went through.
The Artist that I chose to write about is John Trumbull.I enjoyed his paintings of the revolutionary war.John Trumbull (1756-1843) was born in Lebanon, Connecticut.He was the son of Governor Jonathon Trumbull.He served in the Continental Army early in the Revolutionary War as an aide to Washington.He resigned his commission in 1777 and devoted his time to painting.He went to London and studied under Benjamin West in 1780.He was imprisoned and finally deported on suspicion of treason.John went back to London in 1784 and with the suggestion of Benjamin West and the encouragement of Thomas Jefferson; he started painting scenes of national history.In 1784, in West studio, he painted Battle of Bunker Hill and Death of General Montgomery at Quebec which are at the Wadsworth. These two paintings are what gave me the idea to write about him.In his lifetime, he produced about 250 small paintings of the War of Independence and miniature portraits.
Trumbull sold a series of 28 paintings and 60 miniature portraits to Yale for annuity of $1000 in 1831.These paintings were originally kept at classical art gallery, designed by Trumbull on Yale’s old campus.I assume that these paintings are in storage, because they were not available for viewing at Yale Art gallery.
The John Trumbull birthplace in LebanonConnecticut was declared a national Historic Landmark in 1965.
I would recommend on a museum visit to ask if any of John Trumbull’s painting are available for viewing.It is always nice to take in a part of American History, especially from someone who actually lived it.
My wife and I went to the New Britain Museum of American Art on Saturday June 5th.
This is not something that we ever think about doing, we have taken friend's children to science museums, but I cannot remember when was the last time that I have been to an art museum.
I did enjoy the experience and looking forward to to the next museum.
This is a picture of my wife Jeth and I in front of a wall surrounded with painted plastic cups. It's amazing how the colors light up the whole stair case. The title is The Gravity of Color by Lisa Hoke
This is a stunning painting of the collapse of the Twin Towers in New York City.
The title of the painting is The Circle of Terror and Tragedy by Graydon Parrish.
Artist: Thomas Hart Benton will be the the artist that I will write about first. I enjoy his paintings of American History. The paintings seem to be of the time of the mid 1800s to early to mid 1900s.
The paintings are called The Arts of Life in America.
Other exhibits that might be of interest to the ladies is an exhibit of shoes. Another good exhibit of watercolor paintings.
I will leave you with the most unique sculptures.
These sea creatures are made from pencils
I was planning on going to Wadsworth Antheneum on Sunday, but I had to go to work. I am planning on going this Sunday depending on my work schedule.
Thank you, Tod
The New Britain Museum of American Art
My wife Jeth and I visited The New Britain Museum of American Art on June 5, 2010. We went on a Saturday morning and I was surprise that it was so quiet and not too many people there. As we pulled in the parking lot I was impressed about the architecture of the building, the landscape and the adjacent Landers House. As we went to the lobby there was another surprise, there is no entrance fee because it’s a Saturday morning; its free admission between 10:00am through noon so I just give a donation. The New Britain Museum of American Art is located next to historic Walnut Hill Park, designed by well known landscape architect Frederick Law Olmstead. This museum has a new state of the art building which is the Family Chase building and was opened on April of 2006. This building was design by Ann Beha architects of Boston. The Museum is a 43,000 square foot building which includes 10 galleries inside and it is a 2 storey building. This museum was founded in 1903 and became the first museum in the country that dedicated to American Art. In 1934, a wealthy widow name Grace Judd Landers donated her house as a museum which is now called the Landers House next to the new building. This museum has collections of approximately 10,236 works of arts. It dated from 1739 to present. As a first timer visiting an art museum, I was happy to see paintings that I can only dream of or seen in text books. I was impressed of the whole collection. I enjoyed the Colonial and early republic, the earliest painting I’ve seen is a portrait of Benjamin Coleman, 1739. This is oil on canvas by John Smibert. He was responsible of bringing this type of merchant portrait in America. The Hudson River School and The Met paintings gallery was next to the Colonial and Early Republic gallery. These paintings caught my attention due to fact they are landscape paintings. I have always enjoyed going on vacations and looking at the landscape that surrounds you. These are the type of paintings that you see in many of peoples homes. One such artist’s works that stuck into my mind is The Parthenon, painted in 1871, oil on canvas. The painting was done by Frederic Edwin Church (1826 – 1900). He was born in Hartford Connecticut. These collections were on loan, so we were unable to take pictures. The next exhibit was Ruthie Davis Shoes. This exhibit is mainly for the ladies, due to the fact that they are all ladies shoes. Ruthie Davis is a designer and has her studio in New York City. The exhibit has many different styles pumps and pictures of movie starts and singing artist wearing them. One such artist wearing Ruthie Davis’s shoes was Beyonce. When you check Ruthie Davis’s web site, she does design men’s shoes as well, but the exhibit didn’t have any men’s footwear. The illustration collection has a chandelier, which looks like it was made from blown glass. I did not get the artist name for this work of art. The other one was a work called The Gravity of Color by Lisa Hoke. This art work was on the walls as you climb the stairs to the second floor. You do not realize it until you get close to the art work that it is made from painted plastic cups. The first exhibit that you come to when entering the second floor is The Great American Watercolor. This exhibit is open from April 24 – July 3, 2010. I learned to appreciate these works of art, because I painted with water color when I was a child. The paintings are vibrant, but I was told it is the most difficult because it is hard to hide mistakes. These paintings need to in dim light, because the light will cause them to fade. One other fun exhibit to look at was at a distance it looks like sculptures of sea anatomies and other sea creatures that are so life like. When you approach these sculptures, you realize that they are made of sharpened pencils that are put together to form these animals. I need to take better notes, because I did not write down the artist name. One painting that I did not fully understand was by Greydon Parrish, The Cycle of Terror and Tragedy: September 11, 2001, 2002-2006. The painting had three young boys, blind folded and two of them holding a plane. I believe that the two planes represent the ones that went into the Twin Towers. The three boys playing might mean the innocence that no one fore seen what was about to happen. Two young men were standing and screaming and both were blind folded. My thought was that were screaming in terror and anger. One young man and one old man was lying on the ground, this might represent death that occurred on that day. The three ladies in the picture were I was confused on what they could symbolize. They were partial nude and two of them were handcuffed. Hopefully someone can help me with this one. The paintings or I should say mural by Thomas Hart Benton. Thomas Hart Benton has his own exhibit in the New Britain Museum of American Art. I enjoyed looking at his work. The first one that caught my eye was The Arts of Life in America, Indian Arts, 1932. As I looked over his morals they painted pictures of what American life was like in the 1920’s through the 1930’s. Thomas Hart Benton was born in Neosho Missouri 1889. He studied in the Art Institute of Chicago in 1907. Thomas then spent five years in Paris was he formularized himself with new trends and especially with cubism. He returned to the United States in 1912, when he became an advocate of synchronism (nonobjective mode of painting, featuring intersecting planes, close to French orphism, which is a branch of cubism). In 1916 Benton submitted works that showed influences of synchronism to Forum Exhibition of American Painting. During this time Benton could not resolve his conflict felt between nonobjective and realism in his painting. Benton was in the Navy from 1918-1919, which he felt that set him on the course to devote art entirely American subjects in a realistic manor. Benton made studies between the years of 1919 and 1924 for his projected series of mural decorations based on American history. From 1924 to around 1931 he traveled the mid-west and the south taking notes of the people he observed and incorporated that into his paintings. Benton has painted scenes of mining, farming and lumbering, also turbulent growth of a boomtown. He also made paintings that showed corruption and inequality that was going on at that time. Benton continued painting well into his 80’s. He painted a portrait of Harry Truman and it was completed shortly before Truman’s death. Benton died in January, 1975, just as he finished the basic work of a mural illustrating the origins of country music, commissioned by the Country Music Foundation in Nashville. Benton is truly a fan of American way of life and it is nice to look at his art work and appreciate the painting and murals of American history through his eyes.
Hello, my name is Tod Wood. I am just creating my blog and will share my upcoming schedules to visit the museum tonight. I work as a contractor at Pratt & Whitney under Belcan Corporation & work part time at Stop & Shop. This is new to me blogging & excited to go to the different museums.
This is where the museum used to be in that house which is up the hill from the current museum.
