Chinese Chairs by Donalee Nelson
A Few Facts And A Little History On Art and Film
There have been many biopics of
famous artists such as The Agony and the
Ecstasy, Picasso, Lust for Life, Camille Claudel and Pollock.
Hollywood especially likes a biography it can dramatize. However, great art has
been incorporated in many films in order to punctuate the point of view of the
film. For instance, one of Frank Stella’s early black paintings hangs prominently
on the wall of the conference room of the advertising firm where Diane Keaton
works in Baby Boom. The painting is
stark, the room is sparse and it immediately lets the viewer know that this is
a top no-nonsense agency…all business. In the classic musical, The Band Wagon starring Fred Astaire and
directed by Vincent Minelli, Astaire plays an over the hill movie star trying
for a comeback on Broadway. In order to finance the show he decides to sell his
art collection which is what he has left of his previous illustrious career and
which now decorates the room he is living in. In reality Minelli used his own
extensive and fine collection in those scenes so viewers are getting a look at
some really fine art and it moves the story along. Another film, Indiscreet, makes excellent use of some
Matisse drawings. The story revolves around an affair between a well-known
stage actress (Ingrid Bergman) and a financier (Cary Grant). Upon entering her
apartment one is struck by many framed Matisse drawings encircling the
fireplace. It is stunning and lets the viewer know they are in the presence of
an accomplished person. There are more examples including Devil in a Blue Dress, where the office of the bad guy is decked
out with two huge and wonderful Diego Rivera canvases on either side of his
desk. The room exudes power. One of my favorites is Daddy Long Legs, about a rich man who sponsors a French orphan. The
film makes great use of a series of portraits supposedly done by great artists
through the years. This time Astaire is painted as Whistler’s father in a
painting of his grandfather, in a portrait by John Singer Sargent of his father
and one of himself in the vein of Picasso. It makes the point that the family
has had money for a very long time.
Many artists have worked in film
and many painters have influenced movies. One example is Thomas Hart Benton who
worked in movies, first in New Jersey and later in Hollywood. He submerged
himself in the technical aspects and adopted the idea of story-telling in his
art. Besides teaching Jackson Pollock he also taught Dennis Hopper. Author
Aldous Huxley was an artist also and at one point signed on to work with Disney
0n Alice in Wonderland. Of course,
the advent of technicolor influenced many artists and increased their concept
of color saturation. Movies such as An
American in Paris and The Sorcerer’s
Apprentice broke new ground and inspired many. Black and white films were
not exempt. Early films like Top Hat
make incredible use of the contrast and in fact, black dye was added to the
waters of the Adriatic on set to make the contrast greater. Welles’s classic Citizen Kane is an outstanding work of
art in and of itself with new ways to photograph and crop scenes and The Third Man is positively stunning.
Director Carol Reed was a big Welles fan. As artists continued to experiment so
did film. There are many examples of Surrealism which started as artists
experimented. This movement influenced many films. One major example is
Hitchcock’s Spellbound.
Years ago on a sketching trip
to China I decided to paint from the sketches of chairs I made there. I was
asked by an art director if he could use a couple of my paintings for a film he
was working on. That film was a Disney feature called Can of Worms based on some popular kids books at the time. Most of
the action in this movie took place outside but there is a scene where one of
the characters paces back and forth talking on the telephone. He does so in
front of my Chinese Chairs painting.
The other painting, a landscape, is visible for a nanosecond in an adjacent
room so if you blinked you missed it. The paintings did let the viewer know
that they were looking at an upscale home that had original artwork on the
walls.
Of course there is always the movie
about a random starving artist such as Gene Kelly’s character in An American in Paris. In the movie the
story had little to do with the character’s art and was more of an excuse to
see Paris and dance. Those dance scenes were incredibly visual and the sets
were amazing and influenced artists forever after. But alas, there is the
iconic chick flick, An Affair to Remember,
which becomes all about the painting…where the artist is the hero of the story
and the painting is the major plot point of the film.
Highlights
The Bowers Museum in Santa Ana,
California is hosting Popol Vuh: The
Watercolors of Diego Rivera through May 29, 2016. The well-known
Mexican muralist did a series of watercolors in 1931 to illustrate the sacred
history of the Quiche-Mayan people. This
is the first time the 17 paintings have been shown in the United States. What a
special treat! No one will want to miss this so go to www.bowers.org for all the pertinent
information.
Where
you can see my artwork
My artwork
is available at Rons. For
further information call the shop at 805.489.4747. Rons
is located at 850 W. Grand in Grover Beach a few blocks from the train station,
a golf course and the beautiful Pacific Ocean. For more information go to Rons
website at www.ronsingroverbeach.com
or find him on facebook.
Not To
Be Missed –Museum Exhibits
Highlights of the
Permanent Collection celebrates the Santa Barbara Museum of Art’s 75th
anniversary. The exhibit features some of the museum's most well-known pieces. The
Armand Hammer Foundation has loaned some amazing Impressionist and
Post-Impressionist paintings to the Santa Barbara Museum of Art for an ongoing
exhibit. Degas to Chagall: Important
Loans from the Armand Hammer Foundation supplements the museum’s
already wonderful collection of these works. Artists also included in this
exhibit are Bonnard, Corot, Renoir, Pissaro and Morisot. Check online at www.sbmuseart.org/ for more details.
Morris Graves: The Nature of Things can be
seen now through July 4 at The Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Graves was a
native of the Pacific Northwest and deliberately removed himself from the New
York scene. His exhibit at MoMA in 1942 brought him attention but he preferred
to draw his inspiration from nature and continued to live in remote areas. This
exhibit focuses on his works from the 1930s to the 1950s. His lovely works on
paper are shown in tandem with certain objects from the museum’s collection of
Chinese, Japanese and Nepalese holdings. More information can be found at www.lacma.org on this exhibit.
Noir: The Romance of Black in 19th Century French Drawings
and Prints is at the Getty Center in Los Angeles until May 15.
During the Industrial Revolution there was an increase in the number and range
of black materials. Artists began exploring night and twilight scenes as well
as new subject matter such as dream states and less idealized contemporary themes.
The exhibit looks at the innovative way these artists were inspired by their
materials. The place for information is at www.getty.edu
with a sneak peek at what is in store.
Opening March 4 at the Norton
Simon Museum in Pasadena is Duchamp
to Pop. Running through August 29, 2016, this exhibition focuses on the
French surrealist’s influence on many Pop artists such as Warhol, Dine and
Ruscha. More information is available at www.nortonsimon.org
so be sure to take a look.
At
the de Young Museum in San Francisco is an exhibit of 120 African sculptures
from the Richard H. Scheller collection. Embodiments:
Masterworks of African Figurative Sculpture runs through July 5. Oscar
de la Renta: The Retrospective opens March 12 – May 30. The exhibit is
curated by Andre Leon Talley, longtime editor-at-large for Vogue Magazine and
celebrates the career of the designer. His family and the house of de la Renta
have cooperated in this show, which contains more than 130 examples of his
work. Fabulous! What a treat! Check www.deyoung.famsf.org
which will have all pertinent information. The de Young prides itself in making
its exhibits accessible and has instituted a plan for people who are unable to
come to the museum whether for medical reasons, distance or finances. They have two robots that will take visitors
on a tour via the internet. Rebecca Bradley is the Accessibility Curator. You
can email her office at access@famsf.org
if this great idea is of interest.
I
am looking forward to Graphic
Masters: Durer, Rembrandt, Goya, Picasso, Matisse, R. Crumb coming
on June 9 to the Seattle Art Museum. The exhibit will feature over 400 works
and represents the Museum’s first large exhibit dedicated to the graphic arts.
Go to www.seattleartmuseum.org to
obtain more information.
Currently at the Clyfford Still Museum in Denver,
Colorado, is Spotlight I: Newly
Discovered Early Works. This small exhibit which runs from January 15 –
May 15, 2016 is the first in a series to examine the artist’s early works. This
exhibit focuses on two of his earliest, one dating from 1920. Both shed light
on the evolution of his style. Check out
www.clyffordstillmuseum.org for all the
details.
Make Room for
Color Field includes
paintings by three of the foremost color field painters, Helen Frankenthaler,
Jules Olitski and Morris Louis. There is still ongoing discussions on just how
Louis created his paintings and how he got the look he did. The exhibit is on
view at the Nelson-Atkins Museum in St. Louis through November 27. Reflecting
Class in the Age of Rembrandt and Vermeer just opened at the Museum and
goes through May 29. The exhibit which features 71 paintings explores how class
distinctions were represented in 17th Century Dutch painting. Time
is running out but there is still a chance to catch Through the Lens: Visions of African American Experience, 1950-1970.
Containing over sixty works by seven
photographers who chronicled the civil rights movement, the exhibit ends April
3. The museum’s website at www.nelson-atkins.org
will provide more information.
Two exhibits featuring Van Gogh open in February at The
Chicago Arts Institute. Van Gogh’s
Bedrooms premiers February 14, 2016 and ends May 10, 2016. The artist
painted three versions of his bedroom in Arles and they are presented together
for the first time in North America. All versions are uniquely distinct. Van
Gogh was well into his twenties when he decided to become an artist and had
already lived in 16 cities and had gone through 5 professions unsuccessfully.
As a companion exhibit Van Gogh: In
Search Of opens a couple of days later and travels through photographs
to the many cities and places he visited during his career as an artist. He
never found the permanent home he sought and remained a wanderer until his
death. More details are at www.artic.edu for
this fascinating exhibit.
Frank Stella Prints : A Retrospective is at
the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art. The exhibit follows his over fifty-year
career as a printmaker and features more than 100 prints by the artist. To get
more information on the show which ends May 15, 2016, go to www.mmoca.org where you will also find
information on the revised and expanded second edition of The Prints of Frank Stella: A Catalogue Raisonne, 1967 – 1982.
Stuart Davis: In Full Swing opens in June at the Whitney
in New York so there is time to anticipate what should be an exciting show. One
of my favorite modernists, his work is so colorful and whimsical. In this
exhibit his early works will hang next to later works as they made reference to
each other throughout his career. Be sure to check www.whitney.org for all the details. You will
be delighted.
Currently ensconced in the
Albright Knox Gallery, a little gem of a museum in Buffalo, New York, is Monet and the Impressionist Revolution,
1860–1910. It chronicles the development of the artist’s work that
hovered on the brink of abstraction but never crossed over. It runs through
March 20. If you are in the area be sure and check it out. Love this gallery. All
the details are at the website www.albrightknox.org
so be sure and take a peek.
Vigee Le Brun: Woman Artist in Revolutionary France is on
view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York until May 15. She was a
portraitist, a single mother and a free spirit. Among her subjects was Marie
Antoinette and her court. The exhibit includes 80 paintings and pastels and is
long overdue…by several centuries. The Metropolitan Museum received an exciting
gift of 57 works by contemporary
African-American artists from the South. The donation consists of 20
quilts, 10 pieces by Thornton Dial and includes paintings, drawings and works
of mixed media by Lonnie Holley, Nellie Mae Rowe and others. An exhibit is
planned for 2016. Check out www.metmuseum.org
for more information on both exhibits.
New York’s Museum of Modern Art
is featuring an exhibit of Jackson Pollock’s work from the Museum’s collection.
Jackson Pollock: A Collection Survey,
1934-1954 features 50 works tracing the artist’s evolution. It brings
together many exceedingly rare works as well as One:Number 31, 1950 which is one of Pollock’s largest and most
highly regarded canvases. Go to www.moma.org
for more information. The exhibit ends May 1.
The Museum of Fine Arts Boston
will host Visiting Masterpieces:
Pairing Picasso which opens February 13 and will run through June 26, 2016. The
exhibit includes paintings and sculptures on loan from private collectors and
other museums and looks at his exploration of form at different stages in his
career. The museum’s website, www.mfa.org
will provide more information.
Alexander Calder : Performing Sculpture runs
through April 3, 2016 at the Tate Modern in London. Marcel Duchamp coined the
term mobile to describe Calder’s kinetic sculpture. It is said that Calder
added the fourth dimension to sculpture by adding movement and this exhibit
which brings Calder’s works together from around the world showcases the
artist’s collaborative projects in film, theatre, music and dance. This is a
special and amazing exhibit! You can make plans by going to www.tate.org.uk
for more information.
If you hurry you can catch Painting the Modern Garden: Monet to
Matisse which is at the Royal Academy of Arts in London through April
20, 2016. The exhibit examines the role gardens have played in art from the
1860s through the 1920s. The highlight of the exhibit is Monet’s triptych Agapanthus which went to three different
museums and is now being shown as it was intended for the first time in Europe.
This is an amazing exhibit and includes work by Cezanne, Manet, Sargent,
Kandinsky, Matisse, Van Gogh and many others. Find out more by visiting www.royalacademy.org.uk and get the
whole scoop.
Botticelli Reimagined is at the Victoria and Albert
in London from March 5-July 3, 2016. The artist’s work has influenced art,
design, fashion and film through the ages. Fifty of his original works are on
display along with art by Rossetti, Burne-Jones, Morris, Magritte, Elsa Schiaparelli,
Warhol and Cindy Sherman. Coming up in September at the Victoria and Albert is You Say You Want a Revolution? Records
& Rebels 1966-70. Examining the upheaval in all areas of society,
the exhibit will bring together objects relating to music, fashion, film,
design and politics. Sex, drugs and rock and roll will be the mantra of this
major exhibition which runs from September 10, 2016-February 26, 2017. For more
information on both exhibits www.vam.ac.uk
will have everything you need to know.
Simply the Best
The best place to find books on
the arts, Arcana, is a very
special book store located in the Helms Bakery complex in Los Angeles…its wonderful!
I have known owner Lee Kaplan for decades and his selection of books is as superb
as his taste is impeccable. Arcana: Books on the Arts is at 8675 Washington Boulevard, Culver
City, CA 90232. For information go to http://www.arcanabooks.com or call 310.458.1499.
Michiko Jewelry Design is an
incredible jewelry store in downtown Seal Beach, CA, featuring excellent
one-of-a-kind gifts. The shop owner and artist, Carol Matsumoto, custom designs
beautiful pieces. Michiko is
at 228 Main Street. Call 563.431.3237 for more information or check www.michikojewelrydesign.com
Places
to go, People to meet
The Santa Barbara International Orchid Show takes
place March 4-6. At the Earl Warren Show Grounds in Santa Barbara, the show
features exhibits, plant sales and demonstrations. Information is available at www.sborchidshow.com on this event.
In a drive through the area
around Lompoc you will see beautiful rolling hills and if you are fortunate to
be there at the right time of year you will be treated to the stunning show of
color from the area flower and seed farms. Known as the flower and seed capitol
of the world, there is much more to see in Lompoc. The city is home to several
boutique wineries and boasts over 100
murals on its structures in the heart of the city. If you are headed
this way be sure and take them in and check out http://www.lompocmurals.com/ for more
facts.
The
Art of Living Well
Composer Johnny
Mercer taught us to Dream (when you’re
feeling blue) way back in 1944. Dreaming is one of those special luxuries
we get in life. In fact, it’s one of the best contributions we can make to the
art of living well, so go ahead and “dream, dream, dream.”
