Mary Cassatt

Mary Cassatt, an American in Paris: Images of Quietude and Reflection, 33 works on paper, presented at The Citadelle in Canadian, TX.

Mary Cassatt, (b.1844 d.1926) born to a wealthy family in Pennsylvania, made Paris her permanent home around her 30th birthday. Her decision was timely, for Impressionism was finally gaining momentum and acceptance in the established art circles. Mary too found acceptance, friendship, and camaraderie among the impressionists, especially Edgar Degas.
Mary's most important works are done in pastel; her subject matter, "a women's world". But she also produced a series of prints that were strongly inspired by Japanese prints that were arriving in Europe. A print in the above exhibit called "The Kiss" (etching and aquatint), shows a mother kissing the child in her arms. It's simplicity is stunning, yet the simple use of line defines shape and form revealing the mass of the figures.

Americans love her works which are held by many galleries and private collectors.

Work of Art

Is this not a work of art? And this "salad" tasted as good as it looks. I found it at The Cattle Exchange in Canadian, TX. You can find them at: www.cookya.com

And speaking of art, there is more art to come.

The Citadelle

Bright and early tomorrow morning I am heading to The Citadelle in Canadian, TX. Yes, I was at the military Citadel in Charleston, SC in May, but this Citadelle is an art museum. Well, in it's first life it was a Baptist Church; then it became a residence; then after much expansion it became an art museum only opened to the public in 2009.

I am going specifically to see an exhibit of 33 works on paper by Mary Cassatt.

I'll take lots of pics, and some may land on this blog.

Quilt

Quilts, I consider them fabric collages. This is a great example of the color that I love. The pattern: Orion Star, done in batik fabrics by Joan Davis. Delicious!

the sketchbook project

I was checking out some of my favorite art blogs at 3am, when I came across the sketchbook project. I signed up immediately and my sketchbook arrived in the mail last week. I'll be working toward a January deadline and then my book will join thousands of others on a tour of the USA. Afterwards it will join a permanent collection in Brooklyn, NY.

Read all about it on: http://www.thesketchbookproject.com/.

501

I discovered 501 Great Artists on the new book shelf at the library. Boy, what an education. There are so many that I am totally unfamiliar with. And not just the early ones (for the book starts in the 10th century), but even in the modern ones, 1880's to present.

This book has a brief summary of each artist's life and accomplishments with a picture of the artist and maybe one example of his/her work.

There were some surprises: artists listed that I never expected,
artists missing that I expected to find.

The inclusion of Romare Bearden was a surprise. I first discovered this work in 2000 in Gerald Brommer's book on collage. I love the primitive, folksy look of this work. Best known for his photocollages, he distorts figures making great shapes with great color in themes of African American life, drawing his images from the jazz he loved. His fresh, honest style is totally recognizable.

Romare Bearden 1911-1988

This book is also a source for some great quotes; like this one by Paul Klee "Color and I are one: I am a painter." I can relate to that.

I would rate this book at 5 stars.

SCAD

Anderson Hall is one of the many SCAD buildings located around Savannah


I first discovered SCAD as I was doing research for my recent trip to Savannah. My reaction was: where have I been in the art world? How did this treasure escape me? Well I'm glad it didn't escape Brenda, our tour organizer, for our group had the treat of visiting the museum. It is a museum is progress, with ambitious plans to take over the train yards.


A little background:

Founded in 1978


A private college


Has campuses in Savannah, GA; Atlanta, GA; Hong Kong & Lacoste, France.


Enrollment approx 12,000 students.