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Posts tagged ‘art history’

Jan 15

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Curators Have All the Fun: San Diego’s “Behold, America!” Exhibit

How would you arrange pieces in an art gallery? Should paintings be placed in groups by artistic movement? Does it makes more sense to see everything in chronological order?  Should geographic differences and temporal differences rigidly divide works?

Time period, artistic movement, and geography are often used to organize a museum.  Imagine how many times you’ve entered into the first room of “old” art and then walk forward in time through each successive room.  Changing this classic approach, San Diego’s three major art museums put together something a little different which I thought made for a really incredible show.  They’ve combined works from their very unique collections into thematically based exhibits broadly entitled “Behold, America!” on display until Feb 12, 2013.

Behold, America! San Diego exhibit banner Read more

Jan 7

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ArtSmart Roundtable – Copley Library Galleries in Boston

The monthly ArtSmart Roundtable brings together posts from some of the best art history-focused travel blogs on a common theme.  For January (and just in time for your 2013 travel planning), we are discussing “The Best Museum You’ve Never Heard Of”.  This is a great topic and I can’t wait to read about all the great finds from the rest of the roundtable!  You can find links below to all the group’s articles.

Boston has some incredible art museums – The Museum of Fine Arts (MFA), the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the Institute of Contemporary Art and the (currently condensed) Harvard Art Museums .  While I definitely recommend these places, some of my favorite paintings in Boston are actually public art in the central library!  The Copley Square Library was constructed in 1895 and was decorated in a Renaissance revival and Beaux Art style.  Inside are three incredible and overwhelmingly beautiful mural cycles including one by my favorite portrait painter.  The Galleries are free, open to the public 6 days a week and worth a trip for any serious art lover. Read more

Dec 20

Swimming with columns in the Hierapolis thermal pool, Pamukkale, Turkey
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Swimming in Apollo’s Pool

Every good ancient Roman knew that bathing was important for one’s health.  Thermal springs were seen to be something divine and precious, often visited for their purported healing properties.  But why rely on historical accounts when you can see for yourself?  The thermal spring in the ancient city of Hierapolis, Turkey is active today, open for swimming, and even comes with some very authentic decorations!

Hierapolis thermal pool, natural spring spa with Roman columns, Pamukkale

Underwater archaeology? Not quite.

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Dec 11

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Hagia Sophia Trompe L’Oeil

Hagia Sophia trompe l'oeil, optical illusion painting

Something is not quite right with the Hagia Sophia gallery level.

The Hagia Sophia in Istanbul is one of the most beautiful buildings in the world.  The dome upon dome design creates an immense open space, but things are not exactly as harmonious as they seem.  To cover up the huge support structure, trompe l’oeil murals were added in the 19th century so that gallery would appear more uniform.  Finding these panels while you take in the breath-taking sight is an odd touch of reality in an otherwise divine architecture.

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Dec 7

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A Space for All: Engineering Contemporary Art on Fuerteventura

Chillida Cavern, Mount Tindaya, Fuerteventura, Canary Islands

Mock up drawing of Eduardo Chillida’s Cavern on Mount Tindaya, Fuerteventura, Canary Islands (Image: Arup)

Sunlight will slowly drift over the seamless stone walls, encompassing visitors in a silent shine to humanity.  This cavernous space was the vision of Basque artist Eduardo Chillida (1924-2002).  The actualization of his monumental work of art has been fraught with environmental, historical preservation and construction concerns.  Today things are back on track and the Chilida Tindaya cavern is poised to be one of the most impressive achievements of contemporary art.

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