art and appetite
Two weekends ago I attended the exhibit, Art and Appetite American Painting Culture and Cuisine, at The Art Institute of Chicago. Today, I would like to share with you some of my thoughts that went through my head standing in front of specific paintings in the exhibit. Lets Start!
William Michael Harnett. For Sunday's Dinner, 1888. Wilson L. Mead Fund. Picture courtesy of The Art Institute of Chicago.
Hanging chicken! A real hanging chicken… perhaps I should try painting a real chicken instead of a rubber chicken… no, I like the realness of my rubber chicken.
I like the feathers and the lightness in which they were painted.
The two reddish bruises, one on the leg and one on the belly, lead you nicely though the painting from top to bottom as well as the falling feather.
I like the dark background, I should definitely try painting my chicken against a dark background.
Norman Rockwell. Freedom from Want, 1942. Lent by the Norman Rockwell Museum, Norman Rockwell Art Collection Trust. © SEPS by Curtis Licensing. All rights reserved. Picture courtesy of The Art Institute of Chicago.
Look at the way he painted those whites… the glasses, the dishes, the curtains… he could really paint with white.
Why do so many people think of Norman Rockwell as an illustrator first and a painter second? He definitely was a painter of illustration! And believe me there is a difference between the two.
William J. McCloskey. Wrapped Oranges, 1889. Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, Texas, Acquisition in memory of Katrine Deakins, Trustee, Amon Carter Museum of American Art, 1961–1985. Picture courtesy of The Art Institute of Chicago.
Delicate
Translucent
Delicate
Attention payed to detail… I could stand in front of this painting for an hour and not take it all in… look at those shadows and the delicate way in which the tissue paper is wrapped around the oranges… there is a lot to be learned from this painting…
Maybe cerulean blue is not an awful color?
Wayne Thiebaud. Salad, Sandwiches and Dessert, 1960. Lent by the Sheldon Museum of Art, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. NAA–Thomas C. Woods Memorial. Art © Wayne Thiebaud / Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Picture courtesy of The Art Institute of Chicago.
Thiebaud was sure good with color… there is that cerulean blue again… that blue really does go well with orange…
What a wonderful juicy painting.
The thickness of the white is tactile.
Alice Neel, Thanksgiving.1965. Collection of Jonathan and Monika Brand. Picture by Sarah Meder
A painter's painter.
Thin to thick surfaces
I love how loosely Alice Neel paints.
The bold use of colors to paint the capon are truly inspiring.
Make sure to catch the exhibit before it ends on January 27.
Enjoy!