2 Museums in New Haven

Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021 - I have recently learned about an artist - Richard Parkes Bonington. He was a contemporary of J.M.W. Turner, and although he died at the age of 25 in 1828, he produced some beautiful pieces. 6 of them are currently On Display at the Yale Center of British Art, so Wendy and I are doing a road-trip:

We left a little after 9 AM, and (after lunch at Five Guys) arrived at 1 PM:

Bonington was the tail wagging this dog, and his 2 best are:

"A Fish-market near Boulogne", 1824 oil:

"Beached Vessels and a Wagon near Trouvill", ca. 1825 oil:

Other favorites at the Yale Center include Canaletto, Edward Lear, Joseph Wright of Derby, John Martin, and J.M.W. Turner:

Canaletto - "The City from Near the Terrace of Somerset House", ca. 1750 oil:

Edward Lear - "Kangchenjunga from Darjeeling", 1879 oil:

Joseph Wright of Derby - "Cavern, near Naples", 1774 oil:

John Martin - "Belshazzar's Feast", 1820 oil:

J.M.W. Turner - "Dort or Dordrecht: The Dort packet-boat from Rotterdam becalmed", 1818 oil:

J.M.W. Turner - "Stormy Sea Breaking on a Shore", between 1840 and 1845, oil:

J.M.W. Turner - "Inverary Pier, Loch Fyne: Morning", ca. 1845, oil:

And then it was time to go across the street to the Yale University Art Gallery:

Pablo Picasso - "Shells on a Piano", 1912 oil:

Jackson Pollock - "Number 13A: Arabesque", 1948 oil:

Jackson Pollock - "Number 4", 1949 oil:

Edward Hopper - "Sunlight in a Cafeteria", 1958 oil:

Georgia O'Keeffe - "Bob's Steer Head", 1936 oil:

Frederic Edwin Church - "View of Cotopaxi", 1867 oil:

Winslow Homer - "Below Zero", 1894 oil:

Edgar Degas - "The Ballet Rehearsal", ca. 1891 oil:

Claude Monet - "The Artist's Garden in Giverny", 1900 oil:

J.M.W. Turner - "Ancient Italy - Ovid Banished from Rome", 1838 oil, private collection:

Hubert Robert - "The Old Bridge", ca. 1760 oil:

Francesco Guardi - "View of the Grand Canal from the Ponte di Rialto", after 1775 oil:

Jan Porcellis - "Vessels on a Choppy Sea", ca. 1620-30 oil:

"Human-Headed Spirit Figure (Apkallu) Tending the Sacred Tree", Near Eastern, Assyrian, ca. 883-859 B.C. gypseous alabaster:

And then a nice drive Home. This was one of my BEST MUSEUM DAYS EVER! Thank you God for this wonderful "Museum Adventure"!

Music for today:

The Youngbloods - Best Of The Youngbloods, 1988

Al Stewart - Sparks of Ancient Light, 2008

Ancient Future - Quiet Fire, 2008

Bill Morrissey - Something I Saw or Thought I Saw, 2007

Charles & Eddie - Duophonic, 2006

and then multiple versions of 2 songs from Bruce - "Land of Hope and Dreams (live) two versions", and "Racing in the Streets (1 studio, 2 live)"

Shameless Plug: if you enjoy this blog, you may like my other one about Hiking the 4,000 footers in New Hampshire/Vermont/Maine/New York:
hyperlink: dixonheadingnorth
http://dixonheadingnorth.blogspot.com/

Farnsworth Art Museum, Rockland, ME

Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021 - I'm heading west-to-95, then up to the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland, Maine today:

The Farnsworth is a familiar museum (this is my 5th trip), and they have THREE Exhibitions I wanted to see:

These Museum-Trips are Great "Date Opportunities", but unfortunately Wendy could not join me today.

My morning walk on Singing Beach was wonderful:

I made my way to Andover for misc. library work, and then up into Maine for lunch with Ardath! She has a new job with Cape Elizabeth Land Trust, and I got to see her office, before lunch across the street at C Salt Gourmet Market:

Sure is some beautiful country up here on Cape Elizabeth:

2 hours later I was up at the Farnsworth:

The first picture I saw is not by a Wyeth: Stephen Hanncock - "Luminous Lakes Below the Knife Edge, Mt Katahdin Maine (Mass MoCA #319)", 2020:

What Fun - I've hiked up Knife Edge!

And then it's "Off To The Wyeths" - I took photos of 18 by Andrew, 5 by his father N.C., and 3 by his son Jamie (plus 1 by Andrew & Jamie together). Highlights include:

Andrew Wyeth - "Lighthouse Lookout", 1978 watercolor:

Jamie Wyeth - "Rockland Light", 1960 watercolor:

Andrew & Jamie Wyeth - "Bell Tower", 1963 watercolor:

Newell Convers ("N.C.") Wyeth - "Lobsterman", 1927 oil:

Newell Convers ("N.C.") Wyeth - "The Harbor at Herring Gut", 1925 oil:

Newell Convers ("N.C.") Wyeth - "The Morris House, Port Clyde", c. 1937 oil:

I Really Dislike (is "hate" too strong a word?) the glass that is put in front of each picture. I get that "watercolors are fragile and sensitive", but the glass degrades the experience (kind of like Keith Jarrett squeaking during his piano-playing). Once-in-a-great-while, it might add something to the experience - here I am, as a ghostly presence in Andrew Wyeth's painting - "Room After Room", 1967 watercolor:

Back behind the Museum, across a street, is The Wyeth Center, which looks pretty cool in late-afternoon in December:

Andrew Wyeth - "Young Fisherman and Dory, Study for to the Westward", 1944 drybrush:

Andrew Wyeth - "Turkey Pond", 1944 tempera:

Andrew Wyeth - "Her Room", 1963 tempera:

The 4-hour drive home certainly had some "Beauty Shots" going down the Maine Coast:

Thank you God for this wonderful "Museum Adventure"! Home at a resonable hour.

Music for today:

Bill Morrissey - Night Train, 1993

This contains (maybe) his best song (of MANY Beauties) - "Birches". Tears every time. Thank you Bill.

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band - Hammersmith Odeon, London '75, recorded 1975, released 2006

Conor Oberst - Conor Oberst, 2008

Cyndi Lauper - She's So Unusual, 1983 debut album

Dave Matthews Band - Listener Supported (2 cds), 1999 live album

David Bowie - Club Bowie: Rare & Unreleased 12" Mixes, 2003

Shameless Plug: if you enjoy this blog, you may like my other one about Hiking the 4,000 footers in New Hampshire/Vermont/Maine/New York:
hyperlink: dixonheadingnorth
http://dixonheadingnorth.blogspot.com/