creative jewish mom

6 Facts About Romanticism: The Art Movement That Added Emotion To Art!

Above: Spithead, Two Captured Danish Ships Entering Portsmouth Harbour, William Turner, c 180-7-1809, now found at the Tate Gallery, London

While I have not shared my painting adventures of late here on the blog, lets just say I have been trying my hand at painting clouds and trying to figure out what style of clouds would work with the style of landscape painting I'm also working hard to develop. Hmmm? I remembered all the amazing Turner paintings I saw at the Tate Gallery in London way back when, and thought I'd revisit them as well as the entire movement of art called Romanticism, of which Turner is one of the most well known painters, as portrayal of nature is one of their strengths, and thus the clouds! Then I realized that sharing art history and art appreciation here on the blog could actually be really interesting, and help the creative practice of just about anyone. No art was ever created in a vacuum, which means that learning from, and being inspired by other artists is the way to go. And there are so many things to learn beyond just looking at a work of art, namely the intentions of the art, the context of the art, and even how and where the art was created and lastly how it was received in its time. So, while I do not currently intend on writing an entire series of art history posts, lets start with this one, and you may just realize that delving into art history can be interesting and inspiring, which is my goal.

The Nordic Museum, Stockholm

There are many museums in Stockholm, and the two that we visited, and I would recommend are the Vasa Museum and the Nordic Museum, which are next to one another and neither require incredible museum patience skills. Okay, I'll admit, that after the Vasa Museum (which is a museum dedicated to the 1620's sailing ship Vasa which sunk on its maiden voyage and was recovered from the brakish Stockholm harbor mostly intact in 1961 and now in the museum) my husband chose to wait outside while my daughter and I race walked the Nordic Museum. I took my time in the gift shop though, which is also delightful, so don't miss that!

When the  Nordic Museum was finally completed in 1907, after almost twenty years of construction, it was one of Stockholm's grandest buildings and its silhouette is still visible for miles around. The enormous building was created by the Swedish architect Isak Gustaf Clason in a Danish Renaissance style and as large as it may be, it was originally conceived as the entrance hall to the actual - but never realized - museum. So, if you love architecture, as I do, and are interested in Nordic culture, as I am as well, this museum is worth a visit. And in the summer there are some canvas sling chairs where the rest of the family can snooze outdoors while you enjoy!

Dale Chihuly At The Tower Of David Citadel, Jerusalem

The Tower of David is now one of my favorite places in Old City Jerusalem, and while we missed his fabulous show at the museum in 2000, glass artist Dale Chihuly did leave a few items in the museum which I was delighted to see this past week. Now I'm regretting that I didn't make an effort to go see his historically famous show, as back then I didn't appreciate his work, sigh. What I didn't realize at the time is that the colorful glass forms for which Dale Chihuly is famous look amazing together with the medieval fortress stones, and this choice as a venue for the show was intentional as well as brilliant. It is so interesting that the glass forms of the chandelier piece seen here look like snakes or fire or any number of things that truly embue the medieval aesthetic! (Of course if you put this piece in an aquarium or natural history museum it looks like squid or octopi!) Lets take a look at a few more pieces Dale left behind after the show, shall we?

Paper Silhouette Installation At The National Portrait Gallery

This past summer on our museum extravaganza in Washington DC, we had the pleasure of visiting The Portrait Gallery, which yes, is portrait after portrait after portrait, but the museum occupies an adjacent attached building to the Smithsonian Museum Of American Art, so one can stay on the same floor and view exhibits from both museums, very interesting! I really enjoyed seeing the portraits of the Presidents of the USA, the new portraits of MIchelle and Barak, and a really interesting numbered series of portraits of Native Americans, just to name a few. And there happened to be a really great exhibit about silhouettes, (which were stylish before the camera came about) that included historic silhouettes as well as present day shilhouette art, including this amazing paper installation of a Victorian maypole scene. Really fabulous, especially for a crafter/paper lover/graphic designer/wannabe artist like myself! Enjoy!

Monet's Water Lilies At The National Gallery, Washington DC

I have enjoyed Monet's Water Lilies at MOMA in NYC countless times, a HUGE tryptich, if memory serves me that occupies an entire wall, and most of a room. There is a bench allowing one to sit and enjoy. Lest I digress, I love the French Impressionist Monet, and appreciate his art even more now that I am on a little painting journey myself. This time around at the National Gallery in Washington DC I has the pleasure of seeing another of Monet's Water Lilies paintings, this one much smaller and less abstract, and all in all just beautiful. Come, lets take a moment for a little art break, shall we?

Mary Cassat's Girl In The Blue Chair

Rather than share a whole bunch of great paintings from one museum in one post, I decided to share some of the highlights of my museum extravaganza (this past August in Washington DC and NYC) in shorter posts in order to really give credit where credit is due, and to enable us to focus in on several works at a time. Introducing this fabulous painting by American impressionist Mary Cassat (1844-1926) Girl in A Blue Armchair, 1878. Really truly a special painting, and just love the juxtaposition of the girl's tight rendering versus the loose brushstrokes on the armchair and blanket. Truly stunning, hope you are inspired to take a chance with creativity, Mary Cassat certainly did! Enjoy!

American Impressionist Painter: Childe Hassam 1859-1935

I have to be honest, I have a minor's degree in Art History, and I really don't recall learning about the amazing painter Childe Hassam. I have a feeling we just skipped over American Impressionism, and that sure is sad, because on my Washington DC museum extravaganza this past August I saw a few Childe Hassam paintings that were just truly captivating. You know the kind of paintings that make someone like me actually stop and take a closer look when I'm speed walking through the museum in order to see it all! It turns out Childe Hassam was quite prolific, so there are many many of his works that one can see online. Better yet, get to a museum that has some of his originals and take a look, truly lovely. And now, I'll share with you the three paintings that made me stop and take a closer look.........

Luncheon Of The Boating Party, Seeing The Real Deal In Washington DC

This Chanukah has been so packed I haven't even had a moment to wish all my dear readers a wonderful light-filled Chanukah! Now, on this eighth night of Chanukah, called Zot Chanukah, I have realized that it is high time I start sharing photos from our summer adventures, and boy do I have a lot to share! Having written an article about the Hamptons this week, and given that the Hamptons was home to several well known Impressionists, I thought I'd start by sharing with you some of the really great Impressionist art I had the pleasure of seeing in Washington DC this past August. And, since Impressionist painters were all about capturing the light, Chanukah is the perfect time to share their work!

I thought I'd start by sharing with you one of the most famous Impressionist paintings of all times, Renoir's Luncheon Of The Boating Party! This painting was actually a favorite of mine way back when, though not sure when exactly! I'm sure you know how that goes, but when I saw a museum by the name of The Phillips Collection on the list of museums in Washington DC it sure did sound familiar, and sure enough it sounded familiar because that is the home of Luncheon Of The Boating Party.

I have to say, one can certainly enjoy art by looking at prints, but there is nothing like seeing the real deal, and I certainly never would have noticed all the amazing details just looking at the print of Luncheon Of The Boating Party. As you can see here, I made sure to take a few close ups to share with you! And honestly I'm still pinching myself!

Amazing Art By Aboriginal Women, A Show At The Phillips Collection

Carlene West  Tjitjiti (2015)

This past August my daughter and I were blessed with a whole week of going to art museums in Washington DC, just the two of us, which was just beyond amazing! I have been to many an art museum in my day, and the museums in Washington DC are fantastic, so do go and dedicate a nice chunk of time if you can! Now on to a bit about this fabulous contemporary Aboriginal Art show we had the great luck of seeing at The Phillps Collection. I will say that my original purpose for visiting the Phillips Collections was to see Renoir's famed painting, Luncheon Of The Boating Party, and that this Aboriginal Art exhibit, Marking The Infinite, totally caught me by surprise as it turned out to be so fresh and amazing.

According to the Phillips Collection website "In the late 1980s women artists took the reins of the contemporary Aboriginal art movement in Australia. After years of working in the shadows, assisting their fathers and husbands, they burst onto the scene, giving it a new vitality and dynamism. Women artists redrew the boundaries of Aboriginal art, and continue to be among its most daring innovators. Though cultural activity has always been central to the secular and sacred lives of women, art making in recent decades has offered a key means for women to also maintain their social and economic independence."

Wow, right? So If you want more info about this exhibit, which is now closed, just visit The Phillips Collection site here. In the mean time check out my photos of some of my favorite pieces in the show, and enjoy!