“Art Worthy of a Hard Look”

by Karen Wilkin via “Wall Street Journal“

“The most memorable exhibitions of 2013 ranged from close examinations of a single aspect of an artist’s oeuvre to broad overviews. Some placed familiar works in informative contexts. Others were surprising. Some were all of this, all at once. All demanded that we look hard and rewarded that attention by enlarging our understanding. . . ”

 

Modern Art: “Man Walks All Day to Create Massive Snow Patterns”

“Man Walks All Day to Create Massive Snow Patterns”

by Pinar via “My Modern Met“

“English artist Simon Beck never ceases to amaze us with his large-scale murals of geometric patterns in snow. Each visually breathtaking piece, which Beck manually creates by walking through the snow and leaving behind his track prints, adds a surreal element to its natural landscape. Walking countless miles on end, the dedicated artist manages to produce startlingly symmetrical and elaborate designs on the soft, white bed of snow that covers acres upon acres of land.

Beck’s ability to not only trek through the slippery surface and icy temperatures but to also keep track of his steps is absolutely remarkable. The beautifully plotted details of the artist’s work complement the untouched expanse of snow and ice capped mountains that surround them each year. With the next winter season just around the corner, we’re excited to see Beck’s next series of artistic snow exhibitions. In the meantime, check out some of his work from earlier this year, just before the snow melted away. . . . .”

 

 

“Rediscovering China, India and Southeast Asia at the Cleveland Museum of Art: The new West Wing”

by Steven Litt via “Cleveland Art“

Exhibition: “Chinese, Indian and Southeast Asian Galleries”

Location: 

The Cleveland Museum of Art

11150 East Blvd., Cleveland

Opening Date: Jan. 2., 2014

Cost of Admission: Free

Further Information: www.clevelandart.org

“They were destinations of conquest and desire for millennia. Reaching them by caravan or by sea was dangerous, if not deadly. Yet traders and invaders from across Europe and Asia couldn’t resist the allure of China, India and Southeast Asia.

Thanks to the completion of the Cleveland Museum of Art’s new West Wing, Northeast Ohioans can now travel with ease – artistically speaking – to places that once fired the imaginations of Alexander the Great, Marco Polo, Columbus and Magellan.

The Cleveland Museum of Art’s atrium is the centerpiece of the expansion design by Rafael Vinoly.Steven Litt, The Plain Dealer

 On Thursday, the museum will launch a members-only preview of six new galleries containing nearly 500 works of art in jade, silk, bronze, gold, porcelain, ink on paper and dozens of types of stone, including the blue-gray schist of Afghanistan and the red sandstone of the Ganges Valley. . . . .”

 

“Nativity” by Lorenzo Lotto

“Nativity” by Lorenzo Lotto (1523 a.d.)

Oil Painting in the High Renaissance style by famous artist Lorenzo Lotto. Currently held at the Pinacoteca Nazionale gallery in  Siena, Italy

“One of Van Gogh’s Last Paintings Unveiled”

by Mary Alice Parks via “ABC News“

“A spectacularly vibrant Vincent van Gogh painting was unveiled today at the National Gallery of Art in Washington after going private nearly 50 years ago.

The work, “Green Wheat Fields, Auvers,” is particularly exciting for art historians because the famous Dutch painter completed it just weeks before he died in France in 1890 at age . . . .”

I actually adore this painting; the blues and greens combined into an excellent group of harmonious colors.  And I’m amazed at the way the change in style from small raked lines in the grass to larger swirls in the sky is an excellent contrast. This is probably one of my favorites of Van Gogh’s works.