It is Summer and travel time. Last year I visited the Chianti Region of Italy where I painted this watercolor. This year the first stop is William Merritt Chase: A Modern Master at The Phillips Collection, The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. (Open through Sept. 11) This retrospective commemorating the hundredth anniversary of the artist's death features over 70 works of art. Chase was a master of portraiture, still life and landscape; and an instructor of such notables as Georgia O'Keeffe and Edward Hopper. The second stop is Unfinished: Thoughts Left Visible at The Met Breuer, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. (Open through Sept. 4) This exhibit features 209 works of art, many that are seemingly works in progress. However, without input from the artists, it is not clear if they were intentionally left "unfinished". The exhibit spans art from the Renaissance to the 21st Century - Leonardo da Vinci to Robert Rauschenberg.
If you have a chance to see either of these exhibits, I'd love to hear from you.
William Merritt Chase
At the Seaside, c. 1892
Chase "...received almost universal praise for his fresh approach to light and atmospheric effects..."
James McNeill Whistler
Weary, 1893
Whistler was heavily influenced by Rembrandt, as demonstrated by the highlighted face of the model. His choice of using tan Japan paper is important since so much of the unfinished paper surface is exposed.
Upcoming exhibits:
Saga Fine Art Annual Summer Salon
Razzle Dazzle: All Things Bright & Bold
110 W. Lime Ave. Monrovia, CA
info@sagafineart.com
Opening reception: July 9 from 5-7 PM. The exhibit will be on display 7/5 thru 7/29.