Nice easy drive - we left the house a little after 9, and got there at noon:
There are 3 reasons why I wanted to visit New Britain: they have a WONDERFUL collection, and I hope to see new paintings rotated in the galleries, and they have TWO Exhibitions I want to see - "For America: Paintings from the National Academy of Design" and "The Art and Artists of Monhegan Island":
The National Academy of Design is an interesting "museum". I had previously visited it Nov. 22, 2013 (six years ago TODAY):
I was very disappointed at their non-display of art I was interested in.
In researching my trip to NYC this past October, I discovered that they had sold their building at Fifth Avenue & 89th Street:
"Thanks to the sales of our previous facilities (donated to us by Anna Hyatt Huntington (ANA 1916; NA 1922) and her husband, Archer Huntington, in the 1940s), we used the proceeds to create an over $65 million endowment that stabilized our finances and ensures our future."
Which leads to the MAIN QUESTION: How can I see their art? Well, their web site tells me:
After lunch in the Museum Cafe, we hit the galleries:
Although mostly portraits, there were a few great pieces:
John Kensett - The Bash-Bish, 1855 oil:
Asher B. Durand - Landscape, 1850 oil:
Albert Bierstadt - On the Sweetwater near the Devil's Gate, 1860 oil:
Frederic Edwin Church - Scene among the Andes, 1854 oil:
And then it was time for the second exhibition:
Wendy and I did a day-trip on the ferry out to Monhegan Island in July 2016 (read blog here) - very cool place, and it was nice to see these paintings capture the geography and spirit of the place:
Back in the Museum's Regular Collection (not repeating Oct 2015 blog [read here]):
Thomas Cole - The Clove, Catskills, c. 1826 oil:
Frederic Edwin Church - West Rock, New Haven, 1849 oil:
George W. Waters - The Boating Party, c. 1870s oil:
Frederick Childe Hassam - Le Jour du Grand Prix, 1887 oil:
Samuel Colman - Venice, 1875 oil:
William Louis Sonntag - A View in Vermont, ca. 1874 oil:
John Ferguson Weir - Early Morning Light, 1882 oil:
And a painting that really caught my eye:
Paul Sample - Norris Dam, 1935 oil
This is a painting of a particular place (Norris Dam, Andersonville, TN, USA) at a particular moment in time (1935, as the dam was being constructed). Maybe nothing (except strip mining) shows how man can so permanently change a landscape - before the dam, a series of rivers and streams wind through the northeast Tennessee Valley.
Afterward, there is a big lake, and a lot of happy power boaters:
Sorry for the critical tone - Norris Dam brought electricity to an impoverished region, served as a model for the Tennessee State Park system and helped establish flood control along the Clinch River and, further downstream, the Tennessee River itself. But its construction also drowned a valley, displacing nearly 2,900 families and flooding an area nearly 34,000 acres in measure. AND I don't exactly know the environmental/ecosystem aspects of damming a river - but I KNOW IS NOT GOOD!!
Looks like a cool location for a future road trip.
Out of there about 2, home for dinner and Friday night church! Excellent Adventure-Time with my Beautiful Bride! Thank You God for these Great Days!
Audio today - Wendy continued reading me a book she loved, and it sounds GREAT:
Robin Sloan - Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, 2013
When we weren't reading, we listened to some live Bruce Springsteen - 1977/02/08 Rochester, NY
Shameless Plug: if you enjoy this blog, you may like my other one about Hiking in New England (the 4,000 footers; the 100 Highest; WATERFALLS)
hyperlink: dixonheadingnorth
http://dixonheadingnorth.blogspot.com/
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