The Taft Museum (part 2)

The Taft Museum of Art is housed in a building that was built in 1820 and is a National Historic Landmark. Home to the families of several millionaires over a period of more than a hundred years, Anna and Charles Taft bequeathed their home and renowned art collection to the people of Cincinnati.

 The museum opened to the public in 1932.

This post is by no means an overview of the museum's art collection. Being here was a somewhat sentimental journey for me, as I have been here many times before.  I didn't realize it at the time, but I was very lucky in that my parents took me and my siblings to Cincinnati's museums often; it wasn't until I was older that it occurred to me that there were actually many people who never went to museums, though we have quite a few high-quality and well-celebrated ones right here in Cincinnati. (I live just across the river in northern Kentucky.)

One of my favorite paintings in the museum is W. J. M. Turner's Europa and the Bull.  But my favorites pieces at the Taft Museum have always been the exquisite Chinese porcelains, some of which go back as far as the Ming dynasty (mid-fourteenth to mid seventeenth century).

As I walked from room to room, I remembered how the opulence of the house had impressed me as a child; the antique carpets and beautiful furnishings made me feel that I was in the presence of something sacred: art.

Some of the pieces were so ingrained in my memory that I felt I was meeting old friends.

The museum also has a large collection of Limoges Renaissance enamels...

... and murals painted by famed African-American artist Robert Duncanson.

A few more of my favorites paintings:

At the Piano, James Abbott McNeil Whistler

The Cobbler's Apprentice, Frank Duveneck

The Song of the Talking Wire, Henry Farny

I hope you enjoyed going with me on my little trip down Memory Lane. Wishing everyone a wonderful week!

The Taft Museum (part 1)

Yesterday we went to the Taft Museum of Art in Cincinnati to see a special exhibit called Daubigny, Monet, Van Gogh: Impressions of Landscape. Since Daubigny was an artist I had heard little about, I was surprised to see how his work, over time, transitioned from realism to an almost Impressionistic style. It was clear that Monet was heavily influenced by his work, though I had never heard him mentioned in connection to Impressionism. Daubigny also urged his art dealer to sell Monet's work, telling him that if any of them didn't sell, he would replace them with his own paintings. He resigned in protest from the Paris Salon when they refused to show Monet's work.

 Sunset Near Villerville, Charles-Francois Daubigny

The Banks of the River Oise, Charles-Francois Daubigny

"Before the Impressionists, French artist Charles-François Daubigny pushed the boundaries of traditional landscape. In the 1850s and 1860s, Daubigny anticipated and helped shape Impressionism by routinely painting outdoors to capture qualities of light and atmosphere, by launching a floating studio boat on the French rivers, and by exhibiting sketch-like works that critics assailed as “mere impressions.” He became a mentor, colleague, and friend to the Impressionists, especially Claude Monet and Camille Pissarro." ( http://frenchculture.org/visual-and-performing-arts/events/daubigny-monet-van-gogh-impressions-landscape )

 Poppy Field, Claude Monet

Van Gogh, of course, took it a step further, boldly putting down distinct brush strokes and using even brighter and more saturated colors than the Impressionists.

 Wheat Field with Cypresses, Vincent Van Gogh

 The progression is pretty noticeable if we look at the handling of similar subject matter by each artist:

 Apple Trees in Blossom, Charles-Francois Daubigny

Orchard in Bloom, Claude Monet

Orchard in Blossom Plum Trees, Vincent Van Gogh

If you're in the Cincinnati area, this exhibit is well worth seeing. I learned a lot about a subject I thought I was well-educated about, and an artist I hadn't really known anything about, and, of couse, the paintings were breathtaking. To see a slide show of the exhibit, go here.


Tune in for my next post, when I'll show you more of the impressive Taft Museum of Art.