Parker at Hawthorn 4-8-25

 

Your Water

Front Porchin'

Very Last Day

Heaven Sent

Real Thing

Dammit

MFA Boston

I wandered into this beautiful art class as the instructor was encouraging students to really see the ancient sculptures in the gallery space. It reminded me of a time when my brother and I would catch a bus to the Cleveland Museum of Art on Saturdays and participate the same sort of ritual on our fold-out stools. We were just kids but the experience of being around and studying great art is something that stays with you forever (I believe).

I saw this great image of David with the head of Goliath. I could not resist sharing the image via text to two of my friends named David. I have several friends named David. (They are most significant people in my life. Dave Drimer and Dave Shogren each saw the humor in my sharing the image. I would venture to guess that David Cox, David Brunner, David Dassenbrock would also smile at this image.) 

Cezanne self portrait (about 1898-1900)

Renoir 1886

 Helen Sears,1895 by John Singer Sargent

 

Appeal to the Great Spirit

Appeal to the Great Spirit, 1909 by Cyrus Dallin (1861-1944) 

The Museum of Fine Arts Boston is an amazing place and I am thrilled to have visited this place again on February 28, 2025. I lived with my cousin Philip around 1979-80 as an Admissions Representative of the University of Miami. The iconic sculpture in front of MFA Boston is an image that has stayed with me and I was so happy to see it again. I wandered through this great building again. 

I saw an entire gallery space devoted to Monet. I am past the halfway point in reading of Monet: The Restless Vision A groundbreaking look at the life and art of one of the most influential, modern painters of the late nineteenth century and founder of the Impressionist movement (by Jackie Wullschläger).

I feel joy as I see masterpieces by artists I have studied and so many others who on view at great places like MFA Boston.

 

William J. Glackens NSU

Young Woman in Green 1915 (at Saint Louis Art Museum)

William J. Glackens Collection

The Glackens Art Collection, 

bequeathed to NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale in 1991 

by Ira Glackens, son of William J. Glackens, 

covers the artist’s versatile talent from 1892, 

when he made a living as an artist/reporter, 

to 1938, the year of his death, 

when he was internationally known as America’s Renoir. 

This encyclopedic collection boasts a wide variety 

of examples of Glackens’ artistry – from casual crayon sketches 

to a unique hand-carved wooden panel, from rare etchings 

to heartwarming family photographs.

Artist Biography

William Glackens (1870–1938)

William Glackens was a member of the artists group, The Eight, who favored cheerful subjects of leisure activities over the dark manner and social realism of others in that circle. Born in Philadelphia, Glackens attended Central High School along with John Sloan and the collector Albert C. Barnes. In 1891 he began a career as an artist-reporter for various Philadelphia newspapers and in the evenings, attended classes at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. That same year Sloan introduced him to Robert Henri, with whom Glackens shared a studio for a year and a half. After traveling to France and The Netherlands in 1895, Glackens moved to New York, where he continued working as an artist-reporter, magazine illustrator and painter. In 1898 he accompanied the U.S. Army to Cuba to record the Spanish-American War for McClure’s magazine.

Glackens gave up illustration in order to devote himself to painting in 1904. He made a second trip to Europe in 1906, returning to New York to prepare for an exhibition of paintings by The Eight held in 1908. In the same year, one of Glackens’ paintings was shown at the National Academy of Design, where the New York public was surprised at the change in the artist’s palette. After nearly a decade and a half of producing paintings that reflected the influence of Robert Henri in their muted colors and gestural brushstrokes, Glackens, inspired by his visits to France and the Netherlands, had turned to depicting outdoor scenes, using bright, lively colors. His change in style was reinforced by frequent trips to France, including a 1912 journey sponsored by his friend Albert Barnes, who sent Glackens to France as his agent to purchase contemporary French paintings, including works by Cézanne, Matisse, and Renoir. Glackens served as chairman of the committee that selected American art for The Armory Show in 1913, and later, in 1917, was first president of the Society of Independent Artists.

Glackens’ mature style suggests Monet’s paintings of the 1860s in the broad and direct treatment of color, quick touch, and jewel-like dashes of color that denote foliage and the sun’s shimmering reflections on the water. Glackens distinguished himself from impressionism, however, by not allowing light to dissolve the contour of his forms. From about 1925 to 1932 he divided his time between New York and France, but he continued his involvement in the New York art world and his friendship with other artists associated with The Eight until his death in 1938.

Educator Caucus Panorama

It's a drizzly and grey Saturday (March 29, 2025) in Saint Louis but our impromptu gathering of random educators comes together nevertheless.   

Tammy Slater says this pic of her is horrible. Kathy McCaslin says the pic of Marty (her husband in plaid) is bad too. Marty wonders how the Panorama Restaurant can call it a Chef's Salad without any Romaine Lettuce. Tim Neckerman assures me that the temp who was teaching gym is covering the art classes at Old North (the classes once covered by Wes Morgan). Kathy provided adorable Voodoo dolls as attendance prizes for each of us. Nicole enjoyed her pancakes but doesn't like blueberries. Kelly Hock is in Barbados at her daughter's wedding. Brian McCalpin is recovering from pneumonia. Candace Baker is a no show. So Wes' reservation for six at the Panorama Restaurant in the East Building at the Saint Louis Art Museum is perfect (In spite of persnickety critiques of photo skills and food prep).

The Panorama Restaurant gets high marks from me on courtesy, friendliness, service and artful food presentation. 

The group was treated to a mini tour from former art teacher Wes Morgan of some of his favorites, subject to limited attention spans.

("Did you know that of the Saint Louis Art Museum collection, only 16% can be on view at any given time?")   

Rothko is back. This piece has not been on view for a while.  

 

Louise Nevelson is a favorite.

This Bull is something like 4,000 years old. I hope I look that good at age 4,000. It's from the Early Dynasic III era, maybe 2600 BC. 

The group departs as the grey skies continue as the rain subsides. 

The Mountain by Aristide Maillol (1861-1944)

ART STILL HAS TRUTH 

TAKE REFUGE THERE

Elevator to the Gallows

 

SLAM Cinema—Elevator to the Gallows

Friday, March 14, 2025 | 6:30–8:15 pm CDT | Free

In honor of 314 Day, SLAM celebrates the cinematic contribution of jazz icon and East St. Louis–native Miles Davis, who created the groundbreaking soundtrack for this 1958 French crime thriller. Directed by Louis Malle, the film noir and French New Wave classic stars Jeanne Moreau and Maurice Ronet as illicit lovers whose murder plot starts to unravel after one of them becomes trapped in an elevator. In French with English subtitles. Not rated. 91 minutes.

Tornado warnings and potential hail did not keep me from going to the Saint Louis Art Museum Farrell Auditorium for a Black & White movie in French with subtitles featuring jazz music by Miles Davis. I used the parking garage for fear of hail damage that did not happen. In fact I was home in Creve Coeur in time to watch an evening of weather updates and storms that interrupted my DVR while I slept. 

Good Friday at SLAM

 

I'm a frequent visitor to the Saint Louis Art Museum. Sometimes I like to suggest that it's my stuff in that incredible institution that dates back to the late 19th Century. I go so often that I notice when they move things and when one of my favorite paintings or sculptures is not on view (for whatever reason). Saint Louis is finally showing signs that Spring might be coming. On this Good Friday (3/7/2025) I return to my museum in Forest Park.

Fading Cloth, 2005 by El Anatsui (born Ghana,1944) is a stunning piece on display as I entered the East Building entrance. The piece is made of discarded liquor bottle tops strung together with copper wire. I lingered in front of this work for a time. I noted significant installations in progress and signage for an upcoming exhibition in the East Building - having something to do with France and automobiles.  

 

 

Praise for Elohim Adonai, 1966 by Mark di Suvero (b. 1933) On display between the parking garage and the Case Gilbert building is a piece by an artist I have come to know through my role as docent (roughly between 2012-2022) at Lauemeier Sculpture Park in Sunset Hills and even more-so on visiting Storm King in New York. This sculpture, in my frame of reference, just sort of appeared within the last year or so. Today I read the plaque and was sort of amused, on Good Friday (after I had traveled to a Bat Mitzvah in the Boston area). I wonder if G-d is trying to tell me something. Elohim means godhood and Adonai means my lord/my master in Hebrew. Hmmm.

 

Elvira Resting on a Table 1918-19 oil on canvas by Amedeo Modigliani (Italian active in France 1884-1920) Well, welcome back Elvira. It was not on display for a while. Maybe it was on loan to another museum. I first met this painting when a docent shared that the piece was donated by Joseph Pulitzer Jr. in memory of his wife. It seems like St. Louis is home for Elvira.

Interior at Nice c.1919 oil on canvas by Henri Matisse (1869-1954) This piece was moved, but I understood why as it was part of a Saint Louis Art Museum exhibition entitled Matisse and the Sea. I was happy to see it closer to where I expected to find it but I was surprised to see it hanging in a spot where a I usually expect to see a Picasso painting of mother and child done by Pablo Picasso when he was about 20 years old. This open door with a peak at the sea in Nice, France reminds me a bit of the time my parents enjoyed living on Key Biscayne, Miami, Florida. 

The Promenade with the Railroad Bridge, Argenteuil, 1874 by Claude Monet (1984 - 1926) Monet painted this Painting the same year as the Impressionists first exhibition. It is a wonderful example of the artists approach in that time. This piece is overshadowed in this gallery somewhat, however, as it is adjacent to one of the three panels of a remarkable Water Lillies triptych that was in Monet's studio after he died. The three triptych panels are now on view in Kansas City (Nelson Atkins Museum), Saint Louis (SLAM) and Cleveland (Cleveland Museum of Art).  

Mandolin and Vase of Flowers, 1934 by Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) The Saint Louis Art Museum has Picasso paintings just steps apart that celebrate his lifetime. Pablo had his first of four children with his first wife, Olga, a ballet dancer. His next muse was just 17 when they met. (She gave birth to his second child). He was in his 40s. The yellow in this painting hints at the golden hair of Marie-Therese. Around the corner at SLAM is a cubist representation of Francois Gilot (his Muse from about 1943-1953 and mother to two more children). After Olga died in 1955, Jacqueline Rogue became Picasso's wife from about 1957 until Picasso's death in 1973. Jacqueline Rogue. 

I had the pleasure of seeing a remarkable exhibition Picasso and Paper at the Cleveland Museum of Art earlier this year. I also read Francois Gilot's book Life with Picasso. 

All of the above continues to support my contention that in Art - Picasso is the GOAT. A complex but talented and driven man.

The Mountain, 1937 by Aristide Maillol (1861-1944) Maillol might be my favorite sculptor. The model for this work was Dina Vierny. She led the creation of a museum in Paris celebrating the life and work of Maillol. This sculpture is a truly heroic presentation in Saint Louis. The Columbus Art Museum in Columbus, Ohio also has one. The Columbus sculpture is positioned beautifully by a reflecting pool. 

Maillol's The River is on display in downtown St. Louis at City Garden and in the sculpture garden of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). 

Where's my Stuff ?: (Errrrr, well some things I haven't seen in a while at SLAM). 

• Zenobia - mid 19th century sculpture by Harriet Hosmer
• Mother and Child - Picasso painting from 1901 or 1902
• Mark Rothko - orange color field painting
• St. Luke - Early 16th century limestone/Renaissance era sculpture
• George Wesley Bellows painting of his Woodstock, NY house
• Trova - Falling Man

New Stuff: (Or at least newish for being on view):

• Mark di Suvero (piece mentioned above)
• Ellsworth Kelly piece adjacent to sculpture garden
• Most of an entire gallery room dedicated to German artists - Expressionists and more.

Never seems to change

• Max Beckmann gallery (seems a bit much for one artist with not all that much variety in work. I'd settle for just keeping Titanic, Blue suit self portrait, portrait of wife Mink, the bust of his head and maybe one or two others.
• The Donald Judd on the floor probably will never move given all the care they made to mark it off.

Good Stuff

• I feel Anything in which Simon Kelly is curator is gold: Millet, Monet/Mitchell, and Matisse and the Sea to name a few.
• Sculpture Garden - much better presentation of work outside but accessible: Maillol, Renoir, Whiteread, Roxy Paine.
• The St Louis sculpture Niehaus plaster cast in St, Louis (bronze)
• The Richard Serra - circle inset in front drive(not featured/explained enough though) 
• Claus Oldenberg - three way plug

  

Holiday Gifts

 

Well I've enjoyed the holiday season for the art of gift giving. I am one of six siblings and I have two adult kids (The A list). Of course the holiday thoughtfulness grows to include additional relatives, friends and significant others. My strategy, for a long time has been to find a memorable gift that won't break the bank that might bring a smile. I haven't tracked them over time but the following is a list of items that I recall being part of past Holiday A List gifts which I hope brought a smile or two. (The cool thing for me, it that I sometimes spot a past gift on a shelf or small space of honor in homes of those A listers.) I love that. I love you all.   

I don't recall the sequence by years but the following are some of the multiples that had seasonal meaning for me at the time.

• African Rain stick
• Magic 8 Ball
• Russian Nesting Dolls
• Bluebird of Happiness
• Polaroid Camera 
• Revere-ware teapot
• Tasco-brand Binoculars
• Kaleidoscope
• Unique Mosaic Puzzle 
• Morgan Bath Towels
• Art Museum Mug (Art Still has Truth Take Refuge There)
• Inventory Clearance (beats a garage sale)

 

March Ahead 25

 

March Ahead

Without fear and hopeful as I ride;

Pondering the future, I abide;

By one or by two on the opposite shore will be.

Looking for that light I will surely see;

A kind of focus inside.

I didn't win but it doesn't matter;

I'm older and getting fatter.

No need to compete.

You makes me complete.

What does it matter?

It just doesn't matter.

In the moment.

In the now.

No wonder. 

No fame.

Just Wow!

 

Opera New Works Collective 2025

Black Coffee

As a recent St. Louis transplant, Makena is struggling to find community. After all, how exactly does one make friends as a grown-up? From googling “how to make friends” to trying a local book club, Makena isn’t ruling anything out. As her dad often reminds her, “Have patience and you’ll land the friends of a lifetime.” Poignant and funny by turns, Makena’s story is immediately relatable to anyone who has ever searched for a village of their own.

Family Style

17-year-old Mia lives with her father, Ping. They’ve scrimped and saved for years so that Ping can open his own Taiwanese restaurant after a lifetime of working as a dishwasher. However, Ping refuses to pursue his dream until Mia graduates and goes to college. Her education must come first. One day, a promisingly large envelope arrives from Mia’s top-choice university…but will her own dream come at too steep a price?

Kandake

In the ancient African kingdom of Kush, queens were known as the Kandake. Discover the true story of Kandake Amanirenas, the warrior queen who defied the might of the Roman Empire. When Amanirenas learns that a Roman army has captured the Kush city of Philae, she’ll stop at nothing to protect her people’s liberty…including single-handed combat against a deadly centurion. This action-packed opera brings to vivid life one of history’s greatest unknown heroines.

I was so impressed to see the New Works Collective last year, I might have been among the first to buy a ticket to see the Opera New Works Collective 2025. I eagerly anticipated my viewing and attendance on February 7, 2025. 

My Notes:

Black Coffee missed an opportunity to milk the Book Club as "not for me" but it was a sweet story of a girl trying to make a friend as an adult. 

Family Style had its moments as father and daughter connected. Another opportunity to enhance a memorable bit around the father character's love of food preparation as the father character proclaims the "dreams" that included the broccoli dreaming of being a part of a delicious meal. 

Kandake was based on a true story from history and the queen prevails as they defeat the pursuing Romans Army of Augustus Cesar. The king perished too quickly in this action but the celebration of the victory with beautiful costumes and confetti falling from the sky (almost like the Super Bowl) was stunning.

The Librettists and the Music Composters of all three operas were available after the performances to answer questions. If felt to me a bit like a Q&A with advertising agency creative directors and copywriters/account managers.