The Norton Simon, 3-1-15

The Norton Simon. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

1) Van Gogh:

2) Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

Manet:

So much Degas

 Zurbaran:

This fabulous creature:

The paintings of architecture:

and 17th century Fabio:

I assumed before going to the Norton Simon that such a small museum would have a quaint little art collection I could digest and leave behind in an hour or so.

I was wrong. A friend and I spent at least 3 hours in the 19th century collection alone. The modern and contemporary art collection didn't get me as excited as the earlier work, but was still respectable.

Highlights were: Van Gogh, though it sounds a bit cliche to say as he is such a globally well-liked artist. I feel a connection to him through his paintings I have a hard time describing. There is evidence of the man in his brushstrokes, full of character.

The friend who accompanied me is a public health nurse and not involved in the arts which offerend a refreshing perspective on the works. She mentioned, very seriously, while looking at "The Mulberry Tree," 1889, that if she were to ask one of her mentally handicapped patients to paint her a tree, that is what she would see. It was a sad little moment for me, knowing how Van Gogh's mental health was in question and his tragic early death and further solidified my fond feelings for him.

Vincent van Gogh, The Muberry Tree, 1889

The Manet piece, "The Railway," was being exhibited at the time and was surrounded by people coming in for a closer look. I didn't spend very much time contemplating it because of the crowd and instead moved on to a room filled with Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Degas.

Manet, The Railway, 1873

I remember studying Lautrec in Modern Art but hadn't thought much of his paintings at the time. In person, however, they completely transform. The complexity of mark making is mind blowing and the subtlety of color shift is beautiful. At a distance, his faces seem washed out, pale and sickly, up close they are alive with tiny brush strokes. It seems almost a commentary on the prostitutes and performers he painted.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Red-Headed Woman in the Garden of Monsieur Foret, 1887

And finally, Zurbaran. The week before this museum visit, I came across his work 3 separate times, culminating in happening across them at the Norton Simon. Having never heard of him previously, I have taken this as a sign to sit up and pay attention.

Zurbaran, Still Life with Lemons, Oranges and a Rose, 1633

I was particularly taken by his use of dramatic lighting as an essential element to the narrative of his paintings. I have to spend a little more time really diving into the content of these paintings. Particularly, this still life which is the image that seems to be coming up the most often. Each item has a distinct personality and story to tell.

This museum visit was the hightlight of this weekend and I am looking forward to visiting in the future.

Bruce Conner: Somebody Else's Prints

Bruce Conner, Bombhead, 2002/1989 

San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art, 560 South First Street, San Jose, CA 95113

Feb. 7 - May. 16, 2015

On February 13th a couple friends and I made the trip to San Jose for the opening of the Bruce Conner "Somebody Else's Prints" exhibit in the San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art. The pieces included in this show were selected Bruce Conner works over the last 60 years. It was primarily his work with printmaking though there was a video piece, photography collages, and a large textile created from a collage.

I hadn't really been exposed to much of Conner's work before this exhibit so I went in with very little expectations. First impression: OVERWHELMED.

The highlight for me were his very complex lithographs similar to this (photos were not allowed at this exhibit, so I'll have to rely on Google a bit):

Bruce Conner, Untitled No. 113, Lithogaph

The complexity and enormity of these prints en mass were enough for an exhibit unto themselves. I saw them as worlds, swirling and teeming, chatotic but obsessively ordered. This image conjures up images of mandalas and spirituality while others like this one:

Bruce Conner, Untitled, Lithograph

are fields of blackness, threatening, ominous, otherworldy. When I attept to describe these works, I find myself using words that are contrasting: dangerous, safe; simple, complex; chaos, order. I think this is a testament to how much depth was in these prints.

In addition to these drawings, there were a number of collage pieces, masterfully pieced together which, when reprinted, became a completely new image. They were done carefully and nearly seamlessly. I'm currently taking a collage class and have a newfound appreciation for the skill required to make the individual elements of the collage shed their origins and become part of the world created by the artist. 

Bruce Conner, Blindmans Bluff, 2003/1987, Jacquard Tapestry

Overall, it was a really nice exhibit. The opening reception had a great atmosphere and it put Bruce Conner on my radar for future inspiration.