Happy Weekend

Fellow art history nerds like myself out there will truly appreciate this picture. A perfect slice of Piet Mondrian cake. Whimsical appearances of art in unusual places make me happy.

What is making you happy on this first weekend of April?

image/pinkscarf@flickr

Viva La France

As a way to promote French art, history, and culture, French president Nicolas Sarkozy has just declared that entry to ALL French museums is now free to persons under 25 and teachers! This decree comes from a nation-wide effort to "reinforce France's identify...refocus and promote excellence in the arts."

As a teacher AND an art history major, I am majorly excited! Now all I need is a plane ticket to France...

image/perezhilton
via yahoonews

Turtle Power

Oh, remember back to the days of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? With this famous green foursome making a smallish comeback with their major motion picture a few years ago, turtles on the half shell have once again resurfaced on the elementary school scene.

As an art history major and an elementary school teacher, I find it amusing to see that these notable names are ingrained in children's brains as turtles first, and revolutionary artists second. Funny enough, these pie charts are actually pretty correct in assessing the fame and influence each "turtle" brought to the history of art, as well as providing an entertaining visual reference point.

image/ffffound

B for Boleyn

The notoriously unpredictable Seattle weather was in true form this weekend. My mini road-trip with friends to the tulip fields an hour north of Seattle was postponed due to Spring showers. In lieu of our outdoorsy jaunt, my friend Carrie and I decided to go see the movie, The Other Boleyn Girl.The movie was pretty good, Natalie Portman is as much a devious vixen as Scarlett Johansson is sweet and demure. My favorite part was probably the costumes, some of these headdresses were so elaborate and detailed, they almost resembled mini wedding cakes atop the characters heads.

One thing I noticed while watching the film was this suspiciously modern necklace donned by Anne Boleyn (Portman) for the majority of the film. Reminiscent the Tiffany letter pendant necklaces, Anne wore a pearl choker adorned with the letter "B" for Boleyn. Well I did some googling, and turns out this choker was indeed historically accurate, contrary to how it may appear on Portman (see above)...the modern looking choker was even included in Anne Boleyn's portrait.While it's not really my style, I find it an intriguing piece of jewelry, and for the history enthusiasts, I have come to know that replicas are plentiful online. This "B" even shows up in pop culture on TV character Ugly Betty!
For your own collection, Duchessa on etsy has a few versions that are spot on!

image/etsy
image/movingimageposters

Almost Spring

With all these blue cloudless skies I feel like Spring is just around the corner. Being the art history nerd I am, I thought I'd share one of my favorite paintings that reminds me of the soon to be changing of seasons.

When I was little my Mom used to find and hang various paintings of young children playing outdoors (a subtle tribute to her three daughters). This John Singer Sargent painting, Carnation Lily, Lily Rose, has always reminded me of those familiar prints that used to hang in our family room. The the beauty of the blooming garden is perfectly accented with the warm glow of the just-lit lanterns illuminating the girls faces. This is my ode to Spring, may it come soon!

image/jssgallery

The Dancer

Opening this weekend, exclusively at the Portland Art Museum, is the exhibition The Dancer. This exhibit represents the union of three artists, all inspired and captivated by the exoticism of dance in fin-de-siècle Paris. Over 110 individual paintings, drawings, and pastels have been loaned from various international collections especially for this exhibit, brought together as an indebted tribute to Degas, Forain, and Toulouse-Lautrec, three artists who sought to capture the modern expression of dance.

Exhibit showing February 2 - May 11, 2008.

image/PAM

Sally Mann

If you've ever heard of photographer Sally Mann, you probably either love her or hate her. Critically both hailed and condemned, Mann is perhaps most famous for her 1992 book Immediate Family, a portfolio of photographs of her three young children playing (often nude) amidst the wilderness backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains in rural Virginia. Despite all her criticism, I've always thought that her photographs have incredible presence and depth.

Here are some of my favorites.

Candy Cigarette

Night Blooming Cereus, 1988
Gorjus, 1989

images (c) www.artnet.com

Madame X

I went and saw the new movie Charlie Wilson's War this past weekend. A film Variety reviewed as being "that rare Hollywood commodity these days: a smart, sophisticated entertainment for grownups." I wholeheartedly agree. Charlie Wilson's War presented a comfortable balance of history and humor, marked by savvy characters who never fail to deliver a punchline, even if it be at the expense of the American government.

Great performances by Tom Hanks (has he ever done a bad movie?) and Julia Roberts, who charms the camera with a sugar coated Texas drawl. Also entertaining are the four girls who play Wilson's slim, attractive, and busty secretaries, who float in and out of his office like a well oiled machine. And to reinforce his reputation, Hanks' character - a notorious womanizer - affectionately refers to his gaggle of girls as "jailbait."

Something I observed during the film (being the art history nerd I am) was a painting hanging in character Joanne Herring's home. Julia Roberts plays Herring, a Texas socialite and wealthy financier ofpolitical campaigns, including Charlie Wilson's. The painting was a replica of John Singer Sargent's Madame X, identical to the original, with the exception of Julia Robert's profile superimposed upon that of Madame X. I found this amusing, because when this painting debuted, Madame X became somewhat of a scandal in French society. People considered her waist cinching gown and unique pose sexually suggestive, which was only heightened by the contrast of her extremely pale, exposed skin. Sargent was somewhat ostracized in Paris for this painting that people considered inappropriate and arousing, and he even left France for a significant period of time after it was so poorly received.

This was a clever insertion by director Mike Nichols, as character Joanne Herring, embodies a similar sexually suggestive, brazen try-and-stop-me attitude throughout the film, much to the chagrin of political persons who don't support her crusade.

I would definitely recommend this film. And don't forget to lookout for Joanne Herring (Julia Roberts) posing as the scandalous Madame X, for a little dose of art history.