Saturday, February 25, 2012

Vacation: Feb 2012 [Los Angeles - LACMA]


Urban Lights..
By Chris Burden
Location: LACMA, Wilshire Drive..
where LACMA is Los Angeles County Museum of Art..

Posting vacation images..
This website has not been updated in many days, as I am posting vacation images, in other blogs.

Herakles - The Archer
By Emile Antoine Bourdelle /1909..
For more images on B. Gerald Cantor Sculpture Garden, click here..


Weeping Woman with Handkerchief
By Pablo Picasso / 1937..
For more paintings by Pablo Picasso at LACMA, click here..

RELATED LINK:
Vacation: Feb 2012 [Los Angeles, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, back to Los Angeles and then back to Chicago]..

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Vacation 2012 [Hoover Dam: Oskar Hansen's Sculptures]


Winged Figures of the Republic..


Winged Figures of the Republic..
By Oskar Hansen

In fact there are three sculptures by Oskar Hansen at the Hoover Dam..
- Winged Figures of the Republic
- Memorial Plaque
- Celestial Star Map

From the website click here..
"The building of Hoover Dam belongs to the sagas of the daring. The winged bronzes which guard the flag, therefore, wear the look of eagles. To them also was given the vital upward thrust of an aspirational gesture; to symbolize the readiness for defense of our institutions and keeping of our spiritual eagles ever ready to be on the wing."
- Oskar Hansen.

The winged figures are 30 feet high. Their shells are 5/8-inch thick, and contain more than 4 tons of statuary bronze. The figures were formed from sand molds weighing 492 tons. The bronze that forms the shells was heated to 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit, and poured into the molds in one continuous, molten stream.







It is fitting that the flag of our country should fly here in honor of those men who inspired by a vision of lonely lands made fruitful, conceived this great work and of those others whose genius and labor made that genius a reality.



Folklore has it, that touching the foot of the sculpture brings fortune!



Celestial Map at the base of the sculpture..
From the website click here..
Surrounding the base is a terrazzo floor, inlaid with a star chart, or celestial map. The chart preserves for future generations the date on which President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated Hoover Dam, September 30, 1935.

The apparent magnitudes of stars on the chart are shown as they would appear to the naked eye at a distance of about 190 trillion miles from earth. In reality, the distance to most of the stars is more than 950 trillion miles.

In this celestial map, the bodies of the solar system are placed so exactly that those versed in astronomy could calculate the precession (progressively earlier occurrence) of the Pole Star for approximately the next 14,000 years. Conversely, future generations could look upon this monument and determine, if no other means were available, the exact date on which Hoover Dam was dedicated.



Memorial Plaque..
Osker Hansen also designed the plaque commemorating the 96 men who officially died during the construction of Hoover Dam. It reads:
Center..
They died to make the desert bloom.
Left Side..
The United States of America will continue to remember that many who toiled here found their final rest while engaged in the building of this dam.
Right Side..
The United States of America will continue to remember the services of all who labored to clothe with substance the plans of those who first visioned the building of this dam."

RELATED LINK:
Vacation: Feb 2012 [Los Angeles, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, back to Los Angeles and then back to Chicago]..

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Morbid Curiosity: The Richard Harris Collection


An Exhibition NOT to be missed..
Morbid Curiosity: The Richard Harris Collection..
January 28 – July 8, 2012
Curator: Lucas Cowan
Co-Curator: Debra Purden
Director of Exhibitions: Dr. Elizabeth Lee Kelly..
Presented by Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events in partnership with the Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture..

The exhibition explores the ways in which artists and cultures use skulls, bones and skeletons to explore human experiences and perceptions of mortality. Our awareness of death while we are still alive gives shape and meaning to our existence. Mortality is a universal theme in all arts, found repeatedly throughout time and across many cultures. The human body in skeleton form is a rich source of inspiration for contemporary artists as it was for our ancestors, from ancient civilization to the present.

As it is experienced here, the human skeleton represent more than the death. It reveals our shared identity as a species, our most profound common denominator. Signs of race, gender, status and identity melt away. Comntemporary artists use this aspect of the skeleton as an image to represent the ways in which human beings physically interact with the worlds..


The incredible team that put it all together..
Debra Purden, Lucas Cowan, Richard Harris and Dr. Elizabeth Lee Kelly..


CAUTIONARY NOTE: The exhibition contains explicit imagery that may be disturbing to younger or sensitive viewers.
Photography is prohibited in the gallery.

The exhibition is organized into two major sections,
in two seperate galleries..

Sidney R Yates Galley.. exhibits the "Kunstkammer of Death".
Kunstkammer, a German word, much used in the Renaissance period, means the cabinet of curiosities / cabinet of wonders. Kunstkammer was an early form of museum: part art gallery, part study room. In the context of this particular show, the Sidley Yates Gallery displays varied objects, sculptures, paintings, books, and artifacts, where the underlying theme is not the medium of expression, but the subject of mortality.

The Exhibit Hall.. exhibits "The War Room"..
With images and artifacts showing the horrors and reactions to war expressed through art..


Also significant is the entry passageway.. with logo-motifs on one side and mural on the other..


The Morbid Curiosity logo designed by Jason Pickleman.. click here..


Mural "Death March", by Hugo Crosthwaite... click here.


Sidney R. Yates Gallery: Kunstkammer of Death..
The traditional name for a "Cabinet of Curiosities", like this exhibition space was "Kunstkammer" - an art room where arts and treasures from all over the world were kept and studied..

Some highlights..
Kunstkammer..
The Salon Wall..
Skull Table...
Day of the Dead / Die de los Muertos ..
Portraits by Marcos Raya..
Mortality viewed by European Masters..
Mortality viewed in Eastern Tradition [yet to post]
Bone Chandelier "In the Eyes of Others", by Jodie Carey..
Sculpture "Death of Venus", by Roger Reutimann
Sculpture "Mr. and Mrs. Bones", by Cales Weintraub..
And many more sculptures, posters and paintings in the gallery, exploring the theme of mortality.


Exhibit Hall: War Room..
Or in the world of Richard Harris claims, "the Anti-War Room"..

Some highlights..
Installations by Guerra de La Paz...
Five Print Series on the Horrors of War..
Jacques Callot:"Miseries and Misfortunes of War" [1632-1633]..
Francisco Goya, "The Disasters of War" [1810-1820]..
Otto Dix, "The War" [1924]..
Chapman Brothers, "Disasters of War" [1999]..
Sandow Birk, "The Depravities of War" [2006-07]..

Richard Harris has assembled a collection that uses the human skulls and skeletons to explore several major themes. The horrors of war are played out over centuries of art, from the 17th century to the present. Vanitas painting, beginning in Baroque Period, reminds us of our mortality as we enjoy the pleasures that life has to offer. Scientific interpretations of body arising from medical illustrations were pioneered as artists and doctors began to study cadavers in the late 15th century. The Richard Harris Collection is not limited to European tradition. Arts and artifacts from Mexico, Tibet, India and Japan reveal Pre-Columbian, Hindu and Buddhist attitudes towards death and the body that contrasts with European Christian perspectives.

Many of the names in the exhibiution are famous. Rembrant van Rijn, Albercht Durer, Francisco Goya, Sandow Birk, and Laurie Lipton.. Traditional paintings are seen together with photographs, prints and drawings while sculptures and skeletons are viewed next to contemporary art installations. Unassuming objects from popular culture like posters, comic books, book plates, postcards and calenders, fiit in surprizingly well. Richard Harris has combined these works into a collection, allowing us to see an underlying unity in these artifacts and to find greater meaning than we may expect..


Photo from Opening Reception [Jan 27, 2012]


Gallery Talk with Richard Harris [Jan 29, 2012]


Gallery Talk with Richard Harris [Jan 29, 2012]

Kudos to the AWESOME TEAM..
Curator: Lucas Cowan
Co-Curator: Debra Purden
Director of Exhibitions: Dr. Elizabeth Lee Kelly..
This exhibiton is for repeated visits..

PRESS COVERAGE:
Morbid Anatomy [Article by Je]..
Sixty Inches from Center [Article by Brian Willard]..
Chicago Sun Times [Article by Kara Spak, photography Al Podgorski ]..
Chicago Tribune [Article by William Hageman]..
Live Science [Article by Wynne Parry]..
Libertyville Review [Article by Myrna Petlicki]..
Chicago Reader [Article by Sam Worley] ..

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Morbid Curiosity: The Richard Harris Collection [Kunstkammer]



KUNSTKAMMER..
The traditional name for a "Cabinet of Curiosities", like this exhibition space was "Kunstkammer" - an art room where arts and treasures from all over the world were kept and studied. In the European tradition, wealthy collectors assembled works of contemporary painting and sculptures, ancient art from excavations, specimens from around the natural world, new scientific instruments, and cultural artifacts from exotic places. All the treasures of the world were collected so that the affluent could enjoy and study them. The collectors were royalty or aristocrats, who competed with each other to acquire the most impressive marvels from all over the world. These cabinet played an important role in intellectual history; the process of studying, classifying and recording new plants, animals and artifacts from Asia, Africa and Americas led Europe of a greater knowledge of and appreciation for the diversity of the world.

The Harris Collection recreates the approach, but unifies the collection by focusing on one issue: human mortality. In doing so Richard Harris has created a collection that can be enjoyed and studied on many different levels. The variety of cultures and historical periods found in the room are testament to an ongoing, permanent interest in this theme. Humankind has been coping with death and mortality for its whole history. Different cultures and religion have developed varying attitudes towards death and the afterlife; but they are united in their interest in the topic; it is universally relevant. The arrangement of the works in this room encourages viewers to make connections, and to recognize the shared interest and different assumptions, among object from very different periods and locations..

Some highlights..
The Salon Wall..
Skull Table...
Day of the Dead / Die de los Muertos ..
Portraits by Marcos Raya..
Mortality viewed by European Masters..
Mortality viewed in Eastern Tradition [yet to post]
Bone Chandelier "In the Eyes of Others", by Jodie Carey..
Sculpture "Death of Venus", by Roger Reutimann
Sculpture "Mr. and Mrs. Bones", by Cales Weintraub..
And many more sculptures, posters and paintings in the gallery, exploring the theme of mortality.


The Salon Wall..


Skull Table...


Bone Chandelier "In the Eyes of Others", by Jodie Carey..


Sculpture "Death of Venus", by Roger Reutimann


Sculpture "Mr. and Mrs. Bones", by Cales Weintraub..


Day of the Dead alter..


Dance of Dead..

Morbid Curiosity: Richard Harris Collection
Location: Sidney Yates Gallery at the Chicago Cultural Center..
January 28 – July 8, 2012
Curator: Lucas Cowan
Co-Curator: Debra Purden
Director of Exhibitions: Dr. Elizabeth Lee Kelly..
Presented by Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events in partnership with the Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture..

RELATED LINKS..
Morbid Curiosity: Richard Harris Collection..

Morbid Curiosity: The Richard Harris Collection [The Salon Wall]

Salon Wall..



Richard Harris, taking a Guided Tour [in front of the Salon Wall]..



SALON WALL..
The Salon Wall of Artworks is installed in the style of European Exhibition and Kunskammer ["Cabinet of Curiosity"] of the 1700s and 1800s. Modern museums customarily separate works of arts based on nationality, materials or time period. In contrast the Salon Wall arrangement allows the viewers to see diverse works of art together, and to recognize the shared theme of mortality and its different interpretations. Here paintings are shown next to prints, and hang near masks and headhunters trophies.

A central theme of the exhibition, Vanitas [the hollowness of this world pleasures in the face of death] is represented in artists juxtaposition of skulls with objects that represent the seductive attraction of life and symbols that remind the viewer of the rapidity of the passage of time. Adriaen van Utrech's "Vanitas Still Life" shows a wide range of symbols while a carved English lintel makes the same point with the simple contrast between a skull and fruit. The theme became popular in the 17th century, and the modern examples flow its ongoing resonance for artists. Photographer Vic Duniz' "Skull" [Vanitas]: Pictures of Soil" from 1998, contrasts a skull with a single, crushed flower to make the point of the transitory nature of life...


Vanitas Still Life with a Bouquet and a Skull
by Adriaen van Utrecht [Dutch / 1599-1652]
1643 /oil on canvas
Baroque viewers of still life paintings like these could appreciate the beauty, luxuriousness and rarity of the objects shown, and feel virtuous as they meditated on the warning that the pleasures of the world cannot outlast death. The laurel growing around the skull is a reminder, however, that fame can outwit death and the passage of time, which are symbolized by the skull and pocket watch.


English Renaissance Lintel
1580 /Cotswold limestone with gilding
This architectural fragment contrasts life and death, placing the skull and bones in the center and the cluster of fruits and flowers at the right and left edges. Skulls are a common motif on English tomb monuments, often combined with cherubs, another image linking life with death.


Headhunter’s Trophy
19th century / Naga people of India..
Image below.. paintings are shown next to prints, and hang near masks and headhunters trophies..


Several pieces in the Harris Collection takes a scientific approach to skeleton: Jasper Jones presents skull as though is an X-Ray image. Medical diagrams and modern art use the image to explore biological aspects of human existence. Lucas Samaras's Drawing #18, 1966 draws on traditions of anatomical drawings that extend back to the Renaissance. Many of the items are less about death than the fact that we as human beings are defined by our biology. One the highlight of the group is Tchelitchew's "The Living Shell" 1944, as it combines suggestions of anatomical system with a luminous spiritual glow.


The Living Shell..
By Pavel Tchelitchew
1944/gouche on paper..

Many of the pieces on the Salon Wall have political implications. They point out the consequences of events that are likely to bring about death, and provide social commentary. Skulls and skeletons are powerful symbols intended to warn of danger. Marlene Duman, "Old Fears are Still Valid" is a reminder that apartheid in South Africa in 1987 was still a force. "Victory: the Celebration" 1991, by Robert levers, Jr. is an ominous image of the human cost of victory.

Memento Mori [translated from latin as "remember your mortality"], another major theme of Harris Collection, is explored on this wall. The French momento mori from 1782, depict crowned skulls, reminding the viewer that power and glory cannot deter death - a message identical to the 17th century Spanish "Allegory of Mortality", in which crowned skeleton appears under banners proclaiming that death has stripped them of crown and glory. Often skulls and skeletons confront the viewer leaning on tumbstones in the Odd Fellows print or driving humans towards cemeteries as in the Edward Hagedorn's 1930-35 The Head. Throughout the exhibition, these mememto mori figure are waiting in the background, constant reminder of the life's inevitable end..


Skull Walking Cane..
by Robert Mapplethorpe
1988/ Gelatin print..


Death and the Woman
By Kathe Kollwitz..
1910/ Lithograph


By Jasper Jones..


Memento Mori..

Morbid Curiosity: Richard Harris Collection
Location: Sidney Yates Gallery at the Chicago Cultural Center..
January 28 – July 8, 2012
Curator: Lucas Cowan
Co-Curator: Debra Purden
Director of Exhibitions: Dr. Elizabeth Lee Kelly..
Presented by Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events in partnership with the Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture..

RELATED LINKS..
Morbid Curiosity: Richard Harris Collection..