AMERICAN ARTISTS ABOUND

Several excellent paintings by American artists are part of the permanent collection at the Toledo Art Museum.

Princess Demidoff  (1895-1896) by John Singer Sargent

John Singer Sargent was born in Florence, Italy to American parents.  He became known for his elegant and glamorous paintings of the rich and famous in the late 19th century.

Near the beach, Shinnecock (1895) by William Merritt Chase

The Open Air Breakfast (1888) by William Merritt Chase

William Merritt Chase was one of many American-born artists who traveled to Europe to study. In addition to his painting, Chase became an esteemed art teacher. Chase was the most important teacher of American artists around the turn of the 20th century.

The Bridge, Blackwell's Island (1909) by George Bellows

I introduced you to George Bellows in my blog post about American artists at the Art Institute of Chicago.  I particularly like this painting since I just visited New York City last month and saw this bridge.

The Flying Horses (1901) by Maurice Prendergast

Maurice Prendergast often made paintings from the many sketches he drew of the colorful scenes of people enjoying themselves at the beach or park near Boston.  He had studied in Paris during the late 19th century; he embraced many of the same qualities as Manet, Degas, Toulouse-Lautrec, Bonnard, Vuillard and Cézanne.

Movies (1913) by John Sloan

John Sloan was one of several New York-based artists (George Bellows was part of this group) who created an American style of painting showing gritty, urban scenes. However, Sloan and his peers found beauty in these ordinary realities of city life.

Rainy Day, Boston (1885) by Childe Hassam

Summer Sea, Isle of Shoals (1902) by Childe Hassam

Frederick Childe Hassam was an American Impressionist painter noted for his urban and coastal scenes. Along with Mary Cassatt and John Henry Twachtman, Hassam was instrumental in introducing Impressionism to America. Hassam, along with Twachtman, studied in Paris in the 1880s, Impressionism's most important time.  Returning to America in the 1890s Hassam, Twachtman and eight other painters formed a group known as The Ten; The Ten were basically an American version of the French Impressionists: revolting against the restrictive, accepted academic style of painting.

Sunlight on the Coast (1890) by Winslow Homer

Winslow Homer was an American painter originally from Boston who moved to Maine in 1883.  He established a seaside studio and became well-known for his monumental sea scenes.

Crepuscule in Opal, Trouville (1865) by James Abbott McNeill Whistler

Though born in Massachusetts, Whistler (most famous for Arrangement in Grey and Black No.1, the official name of the portrait Whistler's Mother) spent most of his career in Europe. Finding a parallel between painting and music, Whistler titled many of his paintings arrangements, harmonies or nocturnes.

I will do one more blog post on this museum to show the last few masterpieces from my visit to this museum.

For more information visit: http://www.toledomuseum.org/.

Toledo Art Museum

2445 Monroe Street

Toledo, OH   43620

Phone: 419.255.6000

For directions: click here.

• Admission is FREE every day for all visitors.
• There may be a charge for special exhibitions.
• Closed Mondays.
• Closed January 1, July 4, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day.
• Open 10:00-4:00 on Tuesday-Thursday.
• Open 10:00-10:00 on Friday.
• Open 10:00-6:00 on Saturday.
• Open 12:00-6:00 on Sunday.

NOTE: All photos of the paintings in this blog post were taken by me on my visit to the Toledo Art Museum in May, 2012.

DUTCH PAINTINGS AT THE TOLEDO ART MUSEUM

After my Netherlands trip two years ago I really became enamored with paintings by the Dutch and Flemish Masters.  The Toledo Art Museum has many excellent works by the artists of the Dutch Golden Age in their permanent collection.

Van Campen Family Portrait in a Landscape (1620s) by Frans Hals

Along with Rembrandt and Vermeer, Frans Hals was one of the Netherlands' 17th-century Dutch Masters.  This painting is one of Hals' earliest examples of group family portraiture. A year or two after completing the portrait, for some unknown reason, another painter was asked to add the figure of the child in the lower left corner; the style is noticeably different from that of Hals.

Young Man with Plumed Hat (1631) by Rembrandt van Rijn

Rembrandt painted many exotically clothed character studies which he used to display his skill at depicting textures and light effects.

The Happy Child (1645-1650) by Carel Fabritius

Carel Fabritius is often considered Rembrandt's most gifted student.  Tragically he died in 1654 at the age of only 32 at the height of his career in the massive explosion of the Delft gunpowder factory.  Many of Fabritius' paintings were also destroyed in the explosion.

Allegory of Vanity (1633) by Jan Miense Molenaer

Haarlem artist Jan Miense Molenaer was one of the leading painters of genre scenes, scenes of everyday life, in the first half of the 17th century.  He was also the husband of Judith Leyster, a female artist who I have previously written about.

Peasants before an Inn (1650s) by Jan Steen

 

Like Molenaer, Jan Steen was a master of the genre scene; however, Steen became known for his boisterous scenes full of humorous anecdotes that often carried messages warning of foolish behavior.

Courtyard, Delft (1650s) by Pieter de Hooch

Like his fellow Delft painter Johannes Vermeer, Pieter de Hooch specialized in quiet scenes of Dutch domestic life especially courtyards at the back of upper middle class homes.  This painting may be de Hooch's earliest example of the subject.

Landscape with Cattle (1660s) by Salomon van Ruysdael

Salomon van Ruysdael was called De Goyer until he and his brother Isaack changed their name to Ruysdael, after the castle near their father's birthplace.  He was known for his landscapes and river scenes.

The Water Mill (1664) by Meyndert Hobbema

Meyndert Hobbema was a student of Jacob van Ruisdael (Jacob's uncle was Salomon, but Jacob spelled Ruisdael with an "i" instead of the "y".)  Hobbema specialized in forest landscapes.

Still Life with Oysters (1642) by Pieter Claesz

Pieter Claesz was one of the pioneers of a type of Dutch still life known as the "breakfast piece" which featured simple meals painted in tones of gray and brown.

Winter Scene on a Canal (1615) by Hendrick Avercamp

Hendrick Avercamp was known as the "Mute of Kampen" due to his deafness.  He was one of the first Dutch artists to specialize in winter scenes.

Supper at Emmaus (1616) by Hendrick Terbrugghen

According to the Gospel of St. Luke, after the death of Christ, two of his disciples traveling down the road to Emmaus met a stranger and invited him to join them.  At supper the stranger blessed the bread and broke it to give to the disciples.  Immediately the disciples saw the stranger was Christ risen from the dead.  After spending ten years painting in Italy Terbrugghen brought back to his native Utrecht a style with dramatic contrasts of light and shade influenced by Caravaggio.

Portrait of a Man (1630) by Anthony van Dyck

By the time he reached his twenties and after years of working as an assistant to Peter Paul Rubens, van Dyck was sought after by distinguished patrons in Britain, Italy and southern Netherlands due to the easy grace, aristocratic reserve and elegance that he imparted to his sitters.

The Crowning of St. Catherine (1631 or 1633) by Peter Paul Rubens

Peter Paul Rubens was one of the most sought-after artists during the 17th century.  Based primarily in Antwerp, Rubens was hailed as the "God of Painters".  He worked for most of the courts of Europe.

In the next post I'm going to show you my favorite American paintings plus other favorites.

For more information visit: http://www.toledomuseum.org/.

Toledo Art Museum

2445 Monroe Street

Toledo, OH   43620

Phone: 419.255.6000

For directions: click here.

• Admission is FREE every day for all visitors.
• There may be a charge for special exhibitions.
• Closed Mondays.
• Closed January 1, July 4, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day.
• Open 10:00-4:00 on Tuesday-Thursday.
• Open 10:00-10:00 on Friday.
• Open 10:00-6:00 on Saturday.
• Open 12:00-6:00 on Sunday.

NOTE: All photos of the paintings in this blog post were taken by me on my visit to the Toledo Art Museum in May, 2012.

ANOTHER FANTASTIC ART MUSEUM VISIT

In previous posts I have written about the fantastic art museums I've visited throughout America's Midwest. Earlier this year, we were greatly disappointed that we didn't visit Canada, but our visit to the Toledo Art Museum certainly didn't disappoint.  

We visited the museum on a Wednesday morning, arriving exactly when it opened.  What a special treat to be practically the only visitor in the whole museum!  It was like I had the whole museum to myself.  And what a museum!  The Toledo Art Museum has one of the best permanent collections I've seen.

Just a bit of history about the Toledo Art Museum:  The museum was founded in 1901 by Edward Drummond Libbey (yes, of the Libbey Glass Company).  Throughout their lives both Edward Libbey and his wife, Florence Scott Libbey, donated both land to build the current building and funds for its upkeep.  Many times Edward Libbey pledged money for the museum on the condition that the citizens of Toledo would donate the same amount; each time the public fundraising was successful.  Edward Libbey died in 1925, but bequeathed $1,000,000 to the museum in his will. Several years later Florence Libbey sold most of her husband's assets in order to fund building additions to the museum. This monetary gift allowed 2,500 men to be employed during the middle of the Great Depression. Thanks to the benevolence of the Libbey's (many of the paintings in the museum were purchased through the Libbey Endowment) and the continued support of the museum members, the Toledo Art is FREE to the public.

Nearly all of the works that I'm posting were purchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment  Now, this way to view some masterpieces! 

As usual I'll start with the Impressionists:

Two exquisite works by Claude Monet:

Water Lilies (1922-1925) by Claude Monet

Between 1914 and 1925 Claude Monet completed more than 60 paintings of his water garden, capturing the light conditions at different times of day and in different weather conditions.

Antibes Seen from La Salis (1888) by Claude Monet

Just as Vincent van Gogh and Pierre Bonnard loved the light of the south of France, so did Claude Monet as shown in this view of the coastal town of Antibes.

Avenue at Chantilly (1888) by Paul Cézanne 

The Glade (1890) by Paul Cézanne

Often called the "Father of Modern Art" Paul Cézanne had a direct influence on two of the 20th century's most prolific artists: his color theories influenced Henri Matisse and his geometric structure of space helped Pablo Picasso develop Cubism.

The Green Jardinière (1882) by Pierre Auguste Renoir

Road at Wargemont (1879) by Pierre Auguste Renoir

Both of these painting by Renoir feature jewel-like colors and wonderful brushwork.  The young woman in the top painting is Aline Charigot, a seamstress who frequently modeled for Renoir.  She would eventually become his wife. The landscape painting below was painted while Renoir was a guest at an estate in northern France.

In the Garden at Maurecourt (1884) by Berthe Morisot

If you have been following this blog, you know that Berthe Morisot is one of my favorite painters.  I was thrilled when I saw this painting in the museum's collection.  The painting is set in the garden of the country home of Morisot's sister, Edma.  The young girl in the foreground is probably Morisot's daughter, Julie.

Peasants Resting (1881) by Camille Pissarro

The Roofs of Old Rouen, Gray Weather (1896) by Camille Pissarro

Still Life (1867) by Camille Pissarro

An innovator in his techniques, Pissarro was a central figure of the Impressionist painters. He was an influence to many Post-Impressionists painters especially Cézanne and Gauguin.

Antonin Proust (1880) by Édouard Manet

Édouard Manet was a groundbreaking Realist painter whose style was much admired by a group of young painters eventually known as the Impressionists.

Flowers and Fruit (1866) by Henri Fantin-Latour

Henri Fantin-Latour was famous for his still-life paintings.  He became renown for his precise rendering of nature.  For example, look at the exquisite detailing in the orange segments in the close-up in the bottom photo.

La Salle Clarac (1922) by Édouard Vuillard

This painting is one of four paintings of interior scenes set in some of Édouard Vuillard's favorite galleries of the Louvre, painted on commission for a private home in Switzerland.

The Camp Santo, Venice (1842) by J. M. W. Turner

This is the first painting I've posted by the British master J. M. W. Turner. Turner is perhaps the most famous English Romantic landscape artist and his work is regarded as a Romantic preface to Impressionism.

View of the Riva degli Schiavoni, Venice (1730s) by Canaletto

Christ and the Centurian (1575-1580) by Veronese

Both Canaletto and Veronese were one of the leading painters living in Venice during their respective lifetimes.

The Toledo Art Museum has such a superb permanent collection that I want to divide my posts.  In the next post I'm going to show you my favorite Dutch paintings.

For more information visit: http://www.toledomuseum.org/.

Toledo Art Museum

2445 Monroe Street

Toledo, OH   43620

Phone: 419.255.6000

For directions: click here.

• Admission is FREE every day for all visitors.
• There may be a charge for special exhibitions.
• Closed Mondays.
• Closed January 1, July 4, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day.
• Open 10:00-4:00 on Tuesday-Thursday.
• Open 10:00-10:00 on Friday.
• Open 10:00-6:00 on Saturday.
• Open 12:00-6:00 on Sunday.

NOTE: All photos of the paintings in this blog post were taken by me on my visit to the Toledo Art Museum in May, 2012.