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.

Three Person Exhibition "Figuratively Speaking"

My work is part of a three-person show in Sharonville (a suburb of Cincinnati), Ohio, along with the wonderful art of Suzanne Fisher and Jan Boone.  It's called "Figuratively Speaking", because the pieces by all three artists depict the human figure, albeit in very different styles and media. For some reason, my work is not pictured on the invitation.  It's kind of strange- I don't really know how to interpret that.

Anyway, I'll be at the opening reception on Thursday evening, and you're all invited. Hope to see you there!

Marietta, Ohio

And now, the rest of the story...
         I know you all are dying to hear about the rest of my vacation, so here it is.  (Try not to get too excited.)  Our last night in Alexandria ended with this beautiful sunset, included here just because I like the photo:

Nice, huh?

On the way home from visiting my son in the Washington, DC, area, we decided to take a bit of a detour and investigate the town of Marietta, Ohio.  It was the first town in the Northwest Territory, back when Ohio was part of that vast, largely unsettled tract of land west of the original colonies, which had just recently become the first 13 states in that newborn nation called The United States of America.  Here's what Marietta's official website says about it:

The City of Marietta was established on April 7, 1788 as the first permanent settlement of the Northwest Territory.
Located at the confluence of the Ohio and Muskingum Rivers, the City of Marietta offers heritage homes, historical parks, monuments and cemeteries, charming shops in our quaint downtown shopping district, museums, trolley tours, and seven miles of paved brick streets.

 The town is really cute, and I loved all the historic buildings and brick streets.

The confluence of the Ohio and Muskingum Rivers (Muskingum on the right).

This is the old bridge that used to cross the Muskingum to Fort Harmer.

You can't walk on it any more, for obvious reasons, but they have constructed a walkway beside it so that you can still get to the charming town of Harmer.

I loved the bridge, because of its aged wood and rusted metal beams...

Harmer, like Marietta, is full of beautiful historic homes and little shops...

... and some wonderful old trains.

On the way back we saw a paddle-wheel boat cruising down the river...

... and a dad with two kids in a rowboat...

... and a pretty impressive backflip!

The only thing about Marietta that disappointed me was that most of the shops and antique stores are only open on the weekends.  Sadly, it was Monday... which means I'm going back!