Entrance Photo of the Stein Family. Photography is not allowed at the exhibit, so this was the only one I could get. All my other photos are from postcards or the Internet.
The Stein family consisting of Gertrude, her brother Leo and another brother Michael and his wife Sarah lived in Paris in the WWI era. The family held real estate and investments in San Francisco, the income of which supported them, not luxuriously, but well enough that they didn’t have to worry about working for a living.
Leo Stein one day after visiting an art exhibition in Paris became determined to become an artist. He found a two-bedroom studio at 27 Rue de Fleurus in Paris near the Luxembourg Gardens. In 1910 Gertrude moved to this apartment where she lived with Alice B. Toklas.
Michael worked for the Cable Cars in San Francisco, but quit and moved with his wife Sarah to Paris. They were planning on staying a year, but that turned into 30 years. They lived at 58, Rue Madame. Michael was considered the most business minded one of the family, therefore he took over the job of handling the family finances.
The Steins Painting Collection in their Paris Apartment
This family had a real eye for art. With every spare dollar they bought paintings made by their arty friends, like Picasso and Matisse, whom they introduced to each other. They could see that they were great artists before anyone else could. In the exhibit, there are photographs of their studio with their paintings covering the walls so it is easy to see what was in their collection. The paintings were mostly sold off either before or after WWI, but because of photographs of their studio it’s possible to see what was in their collections throughout the years. The curators at the MMA have reassembled from many sources much of their original collection. The collection consists of early works of Matisse, Picasso, Gris, and others not quite as famous. Below are two of the pictures that were among the ones I liked the best.
“Tea” by Matisse (oil on canvas 1919) The two women look as though they are posing for someone to snap their photo, and the dog is looking directly at the viewer as it would look if a camera were taking its photo.
What I loved most about the exhibit were the huge photographs of the Stein’s studio and of the Steins that were presented on a screen like a still movie. Since photographs of the exhibit aren’t allowed, my photos herein are from postcards that are sold at the exhibit.
In 1926 Michael and Sarah Stein had LeCorbusier build them a house in Paris–named the Villa Stein-de Monzie. In the exhibit, there is a short one-minute film showing the house. Following is a short film–with music by Louis Armstrong–about the Villa I found on YouTube, but it isn’t the same film as in the exhibit. The one in the exhibit, about the same length, looks like a home movie taken at the time.
in 1935 Michael and Sarah Stein, because of financial reasons, returned to Palo Alto, California where they lived the rest of their lives.
The Bay of Nice by Henri Matisse (Oil on canvas 1918)
Check out the Exhibit on the Metropolitan Museum of Art site on the internet from which I took the “Boy with Butterfly Net. by Matisse.”
Below are a few photos that I took–that aren’t in the above video–last year, during some of my visits to the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York City. Whenever I go there, I always take my camera and click away. The building itself, like the Guggenheim, is a work of art. These photos concentrate less on the art objects and more on the building and views of the surrounding neighborhood of midtown Manhattan, for me, one of the most visually exciting neighborhoods in the world.
MOMA Stairwell decorated with a Calder MobileA MOMA InteriorThe Highrises from MOMA’s 53rd Street sideLooking out a MOMA window on 53rd St. That’s me in the reflection taking the photo.
Yesterday, Sunday 1/15/2012, I attended a member’s showing of the new version of the American Wing at the Met. American Art as well as American history are two of my favorite subjects. The American Wing has been under renovation for some time. The new galleries that were added are beautiful. I took some photos. A few are below of paintings that I particularly like.
Painting of Saint-Gaudens painting (great frame)George Washington Crossing the Delaware by Emanuel Gottlieb Lentze 1851 in one of the new galleries.The Thinker: Portrait of Louis N. Kenton by Thomas Eakins (1900), one of my very favorite American ArtistsMrs Hugh Hammersley by John Singer Sargent (1892)F. Ambrose Clark (obviously one of the 1%) by Robert Henri (1904)
Diego RiveraDiego Rivera Poster at MOMA (It's beyond me why anyone would choose this Rivera painting for a poster to represent him)
Visited the Museum of Modern Art in midtown NYC this morning to see the Rivera Murals which are on display now at MOMA. I wasn’t allowed to take photos of the exhibit, but I found that I could buy postcards of the two Rivera Paintings that I liked the best, which are his paintings of his version of New York City. I love this city. I also love paintings with clear, clean lines line Rivera. I was able to take two photos: the one of Rivera which is outside the exhibit and the one of the Rivera poster.
Frozen Assets by Diego Rivera
This picture’s message could apply today just as well as NYC back in the 1930’s. Perhaps that’s the reason Rivera’s work is now being shown again. The theme being the difference between the rich and the poor. The middle, yellowish, band with the guard in front are what look like Mexican laborers sleeping. Hard times seem to bring out much more social commentary in art than during the better times, because art is just another way of communicating our feelings.
When I visited the Museum of Modern Art last week to see the deKooning exhibit, I also saw this exhibit called Sum of Days by Brazilian artist Carlito Carvalhosa [born 1961]. MOMA usually has at least one exhibit that is participatory and this is the one going on now. It consists of shear, gauzy white, circular, curtains, about two floors high, that you have to maneuver through to get to the center of them. As you can see the people in the video trying to get through them. The experience of walking through the curtains to get to the other side of them, I found a little frustrating. It wasn’t all that enjoyable. However, it’s fun to have an exhibit that one participates in. The stark white curtains are broken up by hanging microphones that record the sounds of the museum and then play them back.
The Guggenheim doesn’t allow people to take photos above the main floor, so all I could get was a photo looking up at the sign and a photo of bored bartenders standing at the cash bar with no people in the room. I think there were more bartenders than people in the museum. Unfortunately, I have the habit of showing up for these kinds of events either early or on time and I seem to miss all the people who like to arrive fashionably late to these kinds of events. I could have waited around to see other people arrive–I hope they did–but I was too bored myself to do so.
What Lee Ufan does is find big rocks that appeal to him artistically (at a quarry on Long Island) and place them in conjunction with man-made objects like a black wall or he set them on pillows and places them in zen fashion around a room. See photo below. The spacing of the cushions is supposedly significant. (I’m yawning as I write this.) It seems to me that God Sculpts the rocks and all that Lee Ufan does is place them in an arrangement that God tells him is right.
Cash Bar at the Guggenheim on Opening Night of Ufan Exhibit--
I think the cash bar another example of “Marking Infinity.”
The literature that the Guggenheim puts out on Lee Ufan says that he “radically expanded the possibilities for painting and sculpture since the 1960’s.” Call me middlebrow, but I find this hard to take in. It seems to me that God sculpted the Rocks not Ufan. All he did was pick them up and place them on cushions or in front of black panels. Maybe the reason that other artists haven’t done this before, was not because they didn’t think of it, but it was too boring.
Lee Ufan's Rocks on Cushions--it's all about placement.
This idea of the emphasize on placement reminds me of feng shui. If everything is placed entirely right, one should gain a feeling of peace and well being. Looking a the rocks on cushions really didn’t do it for me. Maybe that means I’m insensitive. If I had studied the rock placement more than just glancing t it and walking away, perhaps I would have gotten more out of it. I can understand how placing everything entirely correctly according to laws of art and nature takes an artist, but is that a great art?
I’ve studied Buddhism and Zen for years. What Ufan is doing is to visualize these Buddhists concepts–I think. Looking at his work does rather give some feelings of peace or tranquility, but it can’t compete with meditation. Looking at his art is a little like being in a Zen garden, but I can’t see why it’s superior to being in a zen garden. It’s interesting in that Nature is interesting. Not only the arrangement on the floor of the cushions is significant to his concept, but also the kind of cushions that they are is significant. If you are interested enough to know why, I suggest you visit the Guggenheim web page.
Personally, I would rather visit the Mount Loretto Beach Rock sculptures that are on the South Coast of Staten Island along the Atlantic Ocean. The difference between these rock sculptures and Lee Ufan’s work, it that these rocks were handled and put into some kind of form by man. For me this seems more like an interplay between nature and man than doing more with a rock than placing it on a cushion or in front of a black board.
Rock Garden by Doug Schwartz on Staten Island's South Shore with my Dog Mary (1993-2008)
Besides the rock sculptures, Lee Ufan also does paintings that are minimalistic to an extreme. You can see the top of one in one of the photos. What is below that which you can see isn’t much more than what is visible.
In art the concept of minimalism seems to always be identified with the concept of infinity. As though when there is empty space, one can see infinity, but you can’t see infinity because it’s only a concept, not an object. However, isn’t art more about objects rather than the lack of them? It doesn’t seem revolutionary to me to express infinity by just showing emptiness or wide open spaces, but I can’t imagine any other way of expressing it, because once one sees an object that’s the end of the concept of infinity.
However, I do believe that Ufan is a true artist. I could feel his creativity. If you are looking for experiencing peace in New York City, may I suggest visiting the Chinese Garden Court at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
If you would like an outing from the city of Manhattan
I suggest visiting the rock garden on Staten Island’s south shore. Take the Staten Island Ferry to Staten Island. From the Ferry Terminal in Staten Island take the #78 bus and get off at Lemon Creek Pier on Hylan. You can walk to it on the beach from the pier. It makes a nice day and you can sun yourself at the beach at the same time.
Postscript
I found an article about Lee Ufan in Art in America (international Review) about Lee Ufan. It seems that he was the most important artist to come out of the Mono-Ha, a Japanese art movement which lasted from 1968 to 1973, and until now hasn’t got much attention. And now it’s mostly getting attention because of the Lee Ufan exhibit at the Guggenheim. The article I read insinuated that art dealers are really hard to try to find new works to make money from. The Mona-ha was a group of artists most of whom graduated from Tokyo’s Tama Art University during the unrest of the late 1960’s. Their work is exemplified by Mr. Ifan’s work.
This morning I got up early to get to the Met in order to be there when they opened to see the Alexander McQueen exhibit, so as to beat the crowds, but I didn’t, even though I was there not more than 15 minutes after the museum opened. I didn’t have to wait in line, but it was already so crowded I found it uncomfortable. As I left the exhibit, the line was already long. I’ve never seen any exhibit get this much attention. I returned in the afternoon to see the exhibit again, and there were people in a line that had an 1-1/2 hour wait. It wound around the museum. However, if you are a Met member, you can go right in and don’t have to wait in the line. It’s worth becoming a member just not to have to wait in line for 1-1/2 hours.
On the weekends the museum is crowded with people of all ages, but during the week, children arrive at the museum by the bus load. I don’t think all of McQueen’s dresses are appropriate for children to see. Some are transparent or leave certain areas of the body that are usually covered, uncovered. To quote McQueen: “I especially like the accessory for its sadomasochistic aspect.” Leave the kiddies at home. The following dress is called ‘Highland Rape.” McQueen says he is a romantic. No kidding. In “Highland Rape,” he is romanticsizing rape.
Dress Highland Rape, autumn/winter 1995–96
Green and bronze cotton/synthetic lace
Courtesy of Alexander McQueen
Photography by Sølve Sundsbø
“I’m a romantic schizophrenic”…Alexander McQueen — You don’t say. Call me an old fuddy duddy, call me Puritanical, but a woman dressing as though she has been raped seems a little twisted to me. Didn’t McQueen ever watch “Law and Order, SVU?” However, I like the colors and the primitiveness. In the exhibit, wind fans were used on some of the outfits (like above). I guess to show how pretty the outfit would be in a high wind–something that is obviously concerning. I always ask myself “How will this dress look if I’m hit by wind?”
Unfortunately, taking photographs at the exhibit is verboten. I tried to take some photos when the security guards had their backs turned, but I was caught pretty fast and told to put my camera away, and what I took came out blurry because the exhibit is totally dark except for the creations which are lit. This makes the exhibit so dramatic, which emphasizes the drama of the designs. The exhibit also incorporates videos and there is even a hologram, which is the first one I’ve ever seen. The hologram of a flowing white dress is very beautiful.
I see McQueen as being a mad genius driven to suicide by his own genius. However, maybe I’m the one being romantic here. I don’t mean to romanticize suicide. He’s like the Vincent Van Gogh of Haute Couture. McQueen sometimes used materials other than fabric, like in the two dresses pictured below.
I pilfered the photos below from the The Met Site that you should visit to see more of his masterpieces. It’s a beautiful web page. These photos are also in the slide show.
Click on Photo to see original site on the Internet that I borrowed this photo from. The right front side of the bodice is bare. The glass medical slides that make the top of the dress also are transparent even though they are painted red.
VOSS, spring/summer 2001 Red and black ostrich feathers and glass medical slides painted red Courtesy of Alexander McQueen Photography by Sølve Sundsbø
This shoe has beautiful shape and lines, but the shape and lines have no relation to the shape and lines of the foot. The higher fashion the shoe, the more the shape of the foot is hidden or distorted.
One thing I hate about modern fashion is this invention of the 4″ heal in women’s shoes. He seems to be one of the main instigators of that trend. I always thought the 3″ heal was obscene. Ruining the feet of women just for some subjective idea of beauty. I think the fashion of the 3- or 4-inch heel is western’s civilization’s version of the ancient Chinese custom of binding women’s feet so they can’t grow and will remain small, even though it will make the woman almost crippled. When you look at a beautiful woman, does anyone say, “She’s beautiful, but her shoes could have a higher heel? Or “She’s so beautiful, but her feet could be a little smaller.” Audrey Hepburn mostly wore flats. Not only in real life, but in her movies, and she looked very stylish in them.
McQueen was a tailor before becoming a designer. I think all designers should start out as tailors. He seemed to learn his craft by on-the-job-training, which I think is the best way to learn. He said “You have to learn how to construct clothes before you can deconstruct them,” which is an insight into how he approached his craft.
I’ve seen some movie stars dressed in his gowns being interviewed on one red carpet or another, and the dresses were beautiful and not as far out as the ones shown in this exhibit. These clothes in this exhibit are creations like a painting or a sculpture except they are in costume form. They are to be looked at and admired for their creativity, but have little, if any, utilitarian purpose. It’s a little like designing chairs that are just to be looked at as art objects, but not to sit in.
For me, like photography, fashion only becomes an art at a certain point. The clothes in this exhibit are all clothes in which the fashion has reached the point of being an art object. However, when fashion reaches that point, it is no longer wearable (except maybe if you are Lady Gaga). It becomes an art object, which means it’s an “object.” Not something to be used for utilitarian purposes.
I read that McQueen studied the dress of primitive African tribes. This primitive feeling is in many of his creations. The Razor clam-shell dress is beautiful to look at, but no one could wear anything like this. It seems to me making clothes that are only to show off the creative talent of the designer, and have no utilitarian use, is quite egotistical. People who commit suicide are usually totally self-absorbed. They are locked into themselves and can’t get out and therefore commit suicide in order to free themselves from their hell. Self-absorbism is what is hell. Would people be lined up around the museum to see this exhibit if McQueen hadn’t committed suicide? I doubt if he would even have had an exhibit. The exhibit is also in the main part of the museum and not in their couture department, where the Met’s fashion exhibits are usually held.
Clam Shell DressAlexander McQueen (British, 1969–2010)Dress VOSS, spring/summer 2001 Razor-clam shells stripped and varnished Courtesy of Alexander McQueen Photography by Sølve SundsbøAlexander McQueen (British, 1969–2010) “Bumster” Skirt Highland Rape, autumn/winter 1995–96 (re-edition from original pattern) Black silk taffeta Courtesy of Alexander McQueen Photography by Sølve Sundsbø
“Bumster Skirt.”
This seems to me, the high-fashion version of the working-class male version of wearing the pants down as though they are falling off. It’s like using fashion to say “In your face.” It’s getting close to mooning. And the psychology behind it is close to mooning. It’s like mooning done with more class than mooners usually have, but the anger is the same.
High-fashion influenced from prison and ghetto fashion. The wealthy copying style from the poor. Cotton denim replaced by silk taffeta, but the underlying idea is the same.
One thing I came away with after seeing this exhibit, is the idea of using materials, like clam shells, and different varieties of woven materials that I’m not familiar with, in different ways that one doesn’t usually use them. That’s being creative.
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Postscript 8/7/11–Today is the last day of the exhibit. Below is a photo from the Gothamist showing the line outside yesterday. The article in the Gothamist said they stopped letting Met museum members in first. I’m really glad that I went when the exhibit first opened.
People lined up outside the Met to see the McQueen exhibit on its penultimate day.
Spent last evening at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. They are open on Friday and Saturday nights with live music as you can see in my video. Today worked on my video from pictures I took last night. In it, I attempt humor.
The Cathedrals of Broadway by Florine Stettheimer (1929)
I like how she put the then Mayor of NYC Jimmy Walker into it. It looks like a newspaper clipping. I like the look of mixed-media art. It’s nice how she continues the theme of the painting with the frame. I’ve never seen this painting before in the museum although I’ve been going there for years. Sometimes it takes a long time to get recognized as great. I also think that after a period of time, the general taste in what is considered great art changes somewhat.
Manny Moe and Jack from a previous lifeClouds and Water by Arthur Dove
Currently in New York City, there are two major art exhibits going on, one at MOMA called Picasso Guitars: (1912-1914), and one at the Metropolitan Museum of Art called Guitar Heroes, in which the well-crafted guitar is presented as an art object.
Photos of the exhibit aren’t allowed as you can see by the sign below.
The exhibition features about 80 guitars and other stringed instruments made by John D’Angelico, James D’Aquisto, and John Monteleone, three New York master luthiers. All are Italian descent. There seems to be some kind of Italian tradition in this craft. (see that movie “The Red Violin”).
The Met is also presenting concerts with stringed instruments on Thursdays at 2:30.
I could only take photos of things outside, like the door to the exhibit, because photography inside the exhibit is not allowed.
I found the exhibit very inspiring. I wanted to come home and start making my own pictures. The guitar he made out of cardboard was brilliant, as well as everything else.
These pictures during this period 1912-1914 are made using different materials, something that is much in vogue today. Not all that is shown in the exhibit are guitars, but it is all mixed-media art rather than oil paintings.
A Cardboard Guitar by Picasso
Picasso combined things like grit, newspaper clippings, gesso, wallpaper cardboard and other cut paper, charcoal, pencils to make these pictures that are on display in this exhibit. If you love mixed-media art, like I do, you will love this exhibit.
Check out
Picasso--Notice painting with guitar motif in back of him
The following is a slide show I made of photos I took yesterday when I once again visited the Abstract Expressionist Exhibit (October 3, 2010–April 25, 2011) at the Museum of Modern Art (aka, MOMA) in Manhattan. I’ve been back a couple of times to see the exhibit. Since I’m a member, I don’t have to pay for my individual visits.
I just signed up for this class next month at the Guggenheim on Abstract Expressionism. It’s a six-hour class in which one learns about Abstract Expressionism, sees examples in the museum, and then the students get to paint a painting of their own in that style. How groovy is that?
Abstract Expressionism was the first art movement in which the United States took the lead, and MOMA greatly facilitated that historic event in art.
Willem de Kooning was an illegal from Holland, so it shows that some illegals can make a real contribution to the American scene.
Old Woman on a Bicycle 