In 2013, Florida is commemorating the 500-year anniversary of the arrival of Europeans and Africans in the Americas. Juan Ponce de León’s expedition to Florida in 1513 marked a major turning point in world history.  When Europeans and Africans met Native Americans on the shores of the land we now call Florida, life on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean was forever changed.  In 1564, Jacques Le Moyne became the first European artist to visit Florida.  He made drawings and watercolors of the Timucua, a people indigenous to the northern part of the state.  Despite their inaccuracies, these prints were for decades the only images of Florida flora, fauna, and peoples known to the Old World.

Theodor de Bry (Flemish 1528 – 1598), after Jacques Le Moyne de Morgues (c. 1533 – c. 1588), Hunting Alligators, 1591, Engraving, Museum purchase in honor of Congressman Charles E. Bennett, AP.2002.1.3.

In 1591, Dutch engraver and goldsmith Theodor de Bry published Grand Voyages, which contained engravings of Le Moyne`s watercolors (now lost).  Although Theodor de Bry never traveled to the Americas, the images he created helped to shape the European perception of Native American cultures and the land they inhabited.

De Bry’s renditions of Le Moyne’s sketches are both historically significant and highly controversial. Scholars point out that certain aspects of the engravings do not match later depictions of the Timucua Indians encountered by the French in northeastern Florida, and contend that de Bry certainly altered the images prior to publication.

Artistic license is evident in several of the images such as the one shown here with its fantasticly oversized Alligator, on display in the La Florida exhibition at the Cummer, through October 6th.

This illuminated leaf comes from the Old Testament of a Latin Bible with a historiated initial of the Prophet Jonah near the bottom of the right column.  This nine-line tall historiated initial “E” or enlarged letter contains a picture shows Jonah praying in the whale’s mouth with a synagogue in the upper part of the initial.

Artist unknown (French),Gothic Manuscript Page: Jonah & the Whale, c. 1250, Tempera and Ink on Vellum, 8.5 x 6 1/8 in., Gift of Mrs. Ruth Pruitt Phillips, AG.1993.1.1.

Along with this large starting point ornamentation, there are two ornamented initials with marginal extensions  found on this leaf, painted in deep blue, pink, and burnished gold, with curling stems.

The illumination of this leaf suggest that is may have come from the workshop of the Dominican painter, who Robert Branner called “a rare and original painter” and who was one of the earliest miniaturists to invest his figures with feelings and to give them personalities of their own.

This invested emotional quality can be seen with close observation of the facial expression of Jonah while praying to the Lord for deliverance from the whale.

Another interesting feature to note is the responses of the Lord are here written in red ink, a tradition maintained in many Bibles used today.

Exemplifying the rising interest in mythological subject painting in the Baroque period, The Cummer possesses two great examples of Baroque epic paintings by Alessandro Gherardini.   Set side by side on the Semmes Gallery wall, we have the Triumph of Neptune and Amphitrite and The Forge of Vulcan, which draw from two works of Latin literature.

Alessandro Gherardini (Italian,1655 – 1723), Triumph of Neptune and Amphitrite, c.1688 – 1689, Oil on canvas, 30 1/4 x 39 7/8 in., Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Kendrick Guernsey, AG.1972.16.1.

The Triumph of Neptune and Amphitrite is described in detail in Ovid`s Metamorphoses. In the work, Neptune is shown with his wife, Amphitrite, who he pursued far and wide across the seas before winning her.  After much persuasion, she consented to become Neptune’s wife, and in this painting we see the couple united in their role as rulers of the sea, accompanied by a Nereid and assisted in their journey by wind gods.  Above them hovers a putto representing Cupid.  In its broadest sense, the painting represents the Triumph of Love.

Alessandro Gherardini (Italian,1655 – 1723), The Forge of Vulcan, c.1688 – 1689, Oil on canvas, 31 3/8 x 40 1/2 in., Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Kendrick Guernsey, AG.1972.15.1.

The Forge of Vulcan  represents an episode in Book VIII of Virgil’s Aeneid where the Cyclops are fashioning armor for Aeneas. This work is very dark and typically of the Baroque period there is one source of light in the scene, the fire of the forge.  Vulcan,  the god of fire, is best known for his role as the blacksmith of the gods and goddesses. According to myth, Vulcan forges the most iconic elements of Greek mythology, such as Zeus’ thunderbolt, Athena’s helmet, and the armour of Achilles in Homer’s Iliad.

Charles Webster Hawthorne was an American portrait and genre painter and a noted teacher who founded the Cape Cod School of Art in Provincetown, MA in 1899.  He was born in Illinois, but raised in Maine.  He studied painting under several notable artists at the National Academy of Design and the Art Students League.  Hawthorne declared that the most dominant influence in his career was William Merritt Chase.  Both men were naturally talented teachers and figurative painters who were drawn to rich color and the lusciousness of oil paint as a medium.

Charles Webster Hawthorne (American, 1872 – 1930), April, c. 1918-1920, oil on canvas, 39 5/8 x 40 in., Gift of Raymond J. and Margaret Horowitz, AG.2009.3.1.

This portrait demonstrates Hawthorne’s interest in combining elements of realism, while keeping Monet’s style and the glow of Impressionism, differentiating between color and tone and to re-create the illusion of light in new ways.  We see the a summation of Hawthorne’s unique style in this portrait with the rich blue tones of the background and the impressionistic-like light changes in the dress of the young woman named April.

Content with more rural life than that of William Merritt Chase and his New York art circles,  Hawthrone broaden the subject matter of American Impressionism to include the rural and earthy world outside of big metropolitan centers.  By 1916, the historic fishing village of Provincetown had become the largest art colony in the world luring such artists as George Ault, Gifford Beal, Reynolds Beal, Henry Demuth, Childe Hassam, Ernest Lawson, and William Zorach to its shores.  According to historian Ronald A. Kuchta, “Provincetown is the origin of many famous paintings in the history of the twentieth-century American art.”

Martin Johnson Heade (American, 1819 – 1904), The St. Johns River, c.1890s, oil on canvas, 13 x 26 in., Purchased with funds from Membership Contributions, AP.1966.29.1.

Martin Johnson Heade lived in Florida from 1883 until his death.  At first an avid hunter, he soon changed his views and began writing articles protesting the use of bird feathers for ladies’ hats, and even called for the protection of  wetlands at a time when marshes were more likely filled in for development than preserved.

Heade began as a portrait painter, working in a primly self-conscious and labored limner tradition. Only in the early 1860s did Heade turn to a subject well suited to his artistic personality landscapes. He worked with a limited range of pictorial elements—haystacks, clouds, sky, water and a flatly receding earth—to create a precise spatial structure within which to explore the fleeting light effects of a coastal environment.  The eerie ‘luminist’ precision of his landscapes and his independence from conventional composition contribute to the unsettling impression his work makes, as well as to its appeal to modern sensibilities.

This work depicting the St. Johns River at dusk, demonstrates his use of light effects and space to capture the simplistic beauty of the wetlands and waterways that now define Jacksonville. This work is on display as a part of the La Florida exhibition on view through October 6th.

Greece, Torso, 1st century A.D., Marble, 23 5/8 in., Morton R. Hirschberg Memorial Fund Purchase, AP.1984.4.1.

This small sculpture, despite being only a Torso of a youth from the shoulders to knees, is representative of the height of Classical Greek Sculpture.  Sculptures of this size were often found as grave markers or as votive gifts at Temples.  Following the style of Polykleitos of Argos, this sculpture uses the compositional system of the contrapposto, which provides visual as well as physical balance to the sculpture. This system can be identified by the creation of an “S” around a center line.  Think of it as forming a sort of visual dollar sign of arm bends and leg strides.  So, next time you visit this guy in the gallery, see if you can see the contrapposto.

Benjamin West (American, 1738 – 1820), The Honorable Mrs. Shute Barrington, 1808, oil on canvas, 50 1/8 x 40 3/16 in., Foundation Purchase, AP.1960.2.1.

Benjamin West, who was born in Pennsylvania, moved to Italy in 1760.  After three years of study, primarily in Rome, West relocated to London.  He became firmly established as a master painter and teacher, and was appointed Historical Painter to George III (1738-1820).

Jane Barrington (1733-1807) was the wife of the Right Reverend The Honorable Shute Barrington (1734-1826), Bishop of Llandaff.  The Bible upon which Mrs. Barrington leans and the image of Durham Cathedral in the background allude to the couple’s service to the Church.  Dated one year after Mrs. Barrington’s death, the work is a posthumous portrait commissioned by her husband.

Andy Warhol (American,1928 – 1987), Gertrude Stein from Ten Portraits of Jews of the Twentieth Century, 1980, Silkscreen on paper, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel M. Edelman, AG.2012.4.10.

Andy Warhol was an instrumental figure in the development of Pop Art. However, Warhol turns away from contemporary culture in 1980 with an exhibition at the Jewish Museum of Paintings titled “Ten Portraits of Jews of the Twentieth Century.” The international array of individuals included as subjects among the group Warhol labeled his “Jewish geniuses”—Sarah Bernhardt, Louis Brandeis, Martin Buber, Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud, George Gershwin, Franz Kafka, the Marx Brothers, Golda Meir, and Gertrude Stein—represented various areas of the arts, education, entertainment, law, politics, philosophy, psychology, and science.

Warhol’s portrait of poet Gertrude Stein might appear a surprising selection to some.  Yet as artists, Warhol and Stein both produced innovative works, although the pair emphasized experimentation through a fairly basic approach to their craft and with a deceptive plainness.  One certainly could contend that the influence exerted by each of these individuals on those around them and those of subsequent generations is even more significant than their own noteworthy artistic accomplishments. Surely, it would be difficult to imagine modernism during the first half of the twentieth century without the presence of Gertrude Stein as it would be difficult to discuss the postmodern period of art without mentioning Andy Warhol.

All works of art will be for sale at the free event and at a special, ticketed Artists’ Reception and Show, with proceeds benefiting both the artists and the Arboretum. The artwork is very affordable and offers a wide range of sizes and media, from watercolors, acrylics, oils, oil pastels, and pastels.

This year, the Arboretum is partnering with the Arlington Council of the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce, which will bring additional resources and greater exposure within the community. A portion of the revenues generated through sponsorship, ad and ticket sales will go to the Arlington Council’s education fund, which provides support to Arlington area elementary schools.

As part of an ongoing partnership with the Jacksonville Arboretum & Gardens, The Cummer will host several of the demonstrating artists here in the Museum’s historical Gardens on the following dates:

Sunday, March 10, Noon- 3:00 p.m.

Saturday, March 30, Noon- 3:00 p.m.

Sunday, April 21, Noon- 3:00 p.m.

There are no ticking clocks in this exhibit.  No sand running through the hour glass to mark the passage of time.  In fact there is almost nothing of literal time keeping in this terrific exhibition from Jacksonville’s Museum of Contemporary Art.   Instead, this show is about the abstract nature of time.  About what a subjective and personal experience it can be.  The artists in this show are playing with time by speeding it up or slowing it down or sometimes stopping it completely.  The exhibition staff at MoCA understands the power in this.  Similar to the way looking at something too closely creates abstraction, so does viewing something too slowly. 

Sam Taylor-Johnson, The Last Century,2005, DVD, Duration: 7 minutes 12 seconds, © Sam Taylor-Johnson, Courtesy White Cube

Sam Taylor-Johnson, The Last Century,2005, DVD, Duration: 7 minutes 12 seconds, © Sam Taylor-Johnson, Courtesy White CubeIn SLOW, MoCA presents a dynamic exhibition more about immersion rather than passive viewership. Not only do visitors have to physically alter their pace in order to take in the work but a variety of worthwhile interpretive tools are also available to take the viewer deeper into the exhibition.  These include a phone tour where one can access the voice of the artist offering a brief explanation of the corresponding work by dialing a number on their phone.  Another tool offered that is a little more specific to the subject matter is what the museum describes as a “Left Brain/Right Brain” tour.  This is presented as a printed component associated to each artist.  On the left hand side of the sheet you have the “Left Brain” understanding of the work. The technical aspects, the process, the “how did they do it?”  On the right hand side you’re presented with the “Right Brain” understanding.  This falls closer to the “why” of art making.  “What is the artist trying to tell me and why does it matter?”   Taken together this information presents a compelling case.  Particularly because of the technical nature of the work in the show and because most of said work involves the use of video which is still a young medium in the art world.

Idris Khan,Rising Series….. After Eadweard Muybridge ‘Human and Animal Locomotion’, 2005, 5 x Platinum prints, Each print 20 × 16 inches, Courtesy: Courtesy the Artist and Victoria Miro, London, Copyright: Idris Khan

A common thread throughout the exhibition is the preoccupation with the history of art.  Both Idris Khan and James Nares reference the early years of photography in their work and both have at some point created images that are evocative of Eadweard Muybridge’s experiments with the medium.  The difference being that while Khan’s are a more literal interpretation, Nares’ are more lyrical.

Sam Taylor-Johnson goes a step beyond the others by referencing the history of painting rather than the history of photography.  In her video A Little Death 2002 we start with a scene that closely resembles Jan Weenix’s Still Life with Hare and other Hunting Booty 1697.  The video looks very much like an old master still life in the beginning but through time-lapse photography we can see the accelerated decay and ruin of the once picturesque scene.  The body of the hare falls apart as it is eaten away, taking the scene and pushing it to the logical conclusion the original couldn’t reach.

David Claerbout, Ruurlo, Boculorscheweg, 1910, 1997, single channel video projection, black & white, silent, 10 min loop, Courtesy to the artist and Yvon Lambert,                                                     Hauser & Wirth, Micheline Szwajcer

Other highlights include David Claerbout’s The Long Goodbye depicting a woman emerging onto the steps of a grand country house, recognizing the viewer and waving to us as our point of view pulls away and the scene fades to black.  This unbroken shot probably would not span even a minute in real time but in Claerbout’s vision it stretches to nearly ten.  At such a snail’s pace every tiny gesture can be examined and becomes significant.

James Nares, Still from Street, 2011, HDV, 61 minutes, Edition of 6

This idea is taken further in James Nares’ brilliant video Street 2011.  In what I felt was the most moving piece in the exhibition, we as the viewer are gliding along crowded New York streets watching the people around us move by in slow-motion. The small, mundane gestures are now multiplied by the hundreds. The video has a strange, voyeuristic quality to it.  At this slowed pace we are at leisure to examine the faces and expressions of the people in crowd.  None of which, amazingly, ever look back at the camera.  In this way, and with the addition of a stirring soundtrack, the everyday activities of these New Yorkers are elevated to cinematic levels.  And at just over an hour in length it’s not hard to imagine the work as coming close to the realm of mainstream cinema.

All in all MoCA has done a great job creating an exhibition that is not only cohesive but exciting – not an easy task.  Take the time to visit this show, and once there, take the time to slow down and watch it unfold.  SLOW: Marking Time in Photography and Film is currently installed at MoCA Jacksonville and runs through April 7^th.

Gilbert Stuart (American, 1755 – 1828), George Washington, c. 1803, oil on canvas, 26 ¼ x 21 ¼ in., Purchased with funds from the Mae W. Schultz Charitable Lead Trust, and additional gifts from The Frank Barker Family and Diane DeMell Jacobsen Ph.D. in memory of Thomas H. Jacobsen, AP.2008.1.1.

Gilbert Stuart, the pre-eminent American portraitist of the Federal period, was born in Rhode Island.  He was active in New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., before he permanently settled in Boston in 1805.  Stuart painted portraits of the most famous Americans of his era, and exerted a profound influence on the new generation of American portraitists.

Stuart first painted George Washington in 1795 and again in 1796.  The 1796 portrait, the model for the Washington portrait on the dollar bill, was left unfinished so that Stuart could keep it as a basis for further replicas.  Ultimately, he painted Washington’s likeness more than 100 times.  The painting seen here is one version of the unfinished portrait.

Clockwise: “Apple Garden”, 2010, 30×30; “Dragonfly”, 2010,
24×36; “Sea Inside”, 2010, 24×36; “Fire Flower”, 2010, 30×30.

Artist in the Store – February 26th, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Anna Miller received an extended professional art education in Eastern Europe that set her on a path to personal artistic discovery. Starting at age of 12 she attended a college level art school, and continued to study privately in studios of permanent European artists. She continued her education by entering the National Academy of Fine Art and Architecture of Ukraine, from which she graduated in 1997 with MA in Painting and later same year moved to United States.

In 1999 she received an offer to teach part time at a local college. She later became a full-time member of the faculty, and has taught at the school for over 10 years. She continues teaching and exhibiting her work locally in Jacksonville, FL.  Anna Miller is currently a member of Southlight Gallery.

Anna is currently working on her MFA at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.

“I consider my life to be an amazing adventure and a discovery of colors and forms.”                                   -Anna Miller.

Auguste Rodin, (French 1840 – 1917), Young Girl Reclining, c. 1884-1885, bronze, 5 x 9 in., Bequest of Ninah M. H. Cummer, C.0.343.1.

Inspired by a trip to Italy, French sculptor François-Auguste-René Rodin created his first major sculpture in 1875.  Throughout the course of his career, he often pursued commissions for unconventional memorials. Many of his most notable sculptures, which were deliberate fragments or intentionally left unfinished, were criticized during his lifetime as they clashed with the traditions of the French Academy. In contrast to the Academy’s interest in more formulaic and decorative figural sculpture, Rodin rejected traditional mythological and allegorical themes. He believed  the goal of his sculpture was to promote inner feelings through muscular movement.

Rodin studied the works of Michelangelo (1475-1564) and Puget (1620-1694) to help appreciate the portrayal of emotion in the human form. The surfaces of his sculptures catch the subtle play of living motion and light and show careful attention to details of anatomy. In Young Girl Reclining, the contrast of textures between her polished skin and roughhewn ground give emphasis to the sensuous softness of her languid body.

Norman Rockwell (American, 1894 – 1978), Second Holiday, 1939, oil on canvas, 33 ¾ x 47 ¼ in., Purchased with funds from the Morton R. Hirschberg Bequest, AP.2005.6.1.

Norman Rockwell was  most well known for his paintings of American life in the mid-20^th century.

In 1943, Rockwell was inspired by President Franklin Roosevelt’s address to Congress, which spurred his most well known works, the Four Freedoms paintings. These paintings were reproduced in four consecutive issues of The Saturday Evening Post with essays by contemporary writers.  Rockwell led the way for many more artists to display works of art through mass- media forums.  Therefore, we celebrate you, Mr. Rockwell, for opening up the world of art for all to appreciate and enjoy.

Jim Draper, Large Passion, 2012, Oil on canvas, 48″ x 60″, Courtesy of the Artist

Jim Draper lives, works, and creates art in the city of Jacksonville, he is an instructor at the University of North Florida and has been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions, such as the recent Highway Gallery, and is a part of collections throughout Florida and the Southeast.

In this exhibition, Draper explores the idea of natural resources as consumer commodities by examining how Florida’s bountiful flora and fauna were exploited by settlers in search of  the “Pascua de Florida” (Feast of Flowers).

Jim Draper, Nana, 2012, Oil on canvas, 48″ x 60″, Courtesy of the Artist

Draper’s body of work captures the response to being present in nature and comments on society’s stewardship of natural resources.  Ecologists, biologists, philosophers, historians, taxonomists, and writers have compiled their knowledge to create the historical backdrop for this exhibition in an attempt to examine Florida’s history, ecology, and raw beauty.

Jim Draper, Magnolia, 2012, Oil on canvas, 48″ x 60″, Courtesy of the Artist

This exhibition will be held in the Stein Gallery December 18, 2012 – April 7, 2013.   For more information, please visit our website.

Jennifer Perez, Argosy Motel, Ormond Beach, Florida, 2008, Light emulsion print, 17″ x 21″, Courtesy of the Artist

Jennifer’s passion for photography began while traveling throughout northern California and Central America.  In an effort to better refine her skills she pursued formal photography training from the Southeast Center of Photographic Studies and the University of Central Florida.  This led to opportunities for a diversity of assignments many of which have been published in newspapers, magazines and travel books.  She currently resides in St. Augustine and continues to pursue a career in photography.

]]> http://blog.cummer.org/2012/11/folio-weekly-exhibition-artist-highlight-jennifer-perez/feed/ 0 http://blog.cummer.org/2012/11/folio-weekly-exhibition-artist-highlight-sharla-valeski/ http://blog.cummer.org/2012/11/folio-weekly-exhibition-artist-highlight-sharla-valeski/#comments Tue, 27 Nov 2012 16:00:45 +0000 Kristen Zimmerman http://blog.cummer.org/?p=8613 Each week, The Cummer will be highlighting each of the 50 artists represented in the upcoming Folio Weekly Invitational Artist Exhibition, on view at the Museum from August 24 – December 2.

Sharla Valeski, Abe Lincoln Femme Buck, 2012, Mixed media drawing, 34.5″ x 13.5″, Courtesy of the Artist

In 1987, Sharla Valeski moved to Jacksonville from Dallas, Texas. She enrolled at FCCJ (now Florida State College at Jacksonville) and later at Jacksonville University (JU) where she graduated magma cum laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art. From JU, Valeski adopted a philosophy that has fueled her art-making all these years. At the beginning of her career, the artist chose alternative spaces to show her art, although in 2001 she was included in the Women to Watch Exhibition at Alexander Brest Museum in Jacksonville. That changed in 2009 when Valeski participated in Art After Dark at the Florida Theater and the Bright Young Things exhibition at the Jane Gray Gallery. Shortly after, she opened a gallery/studio, The Next Gallery, being one of the first Off the Grid Galleries through Downtown Vision and The Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville. The Next Gallery became a great source of pleasure for Ms. Valeski as she experimented with window displays and the installation of art and objects she found locally and in her travels.

After two years of running The Next Gallery, Valeski happened upon the new CoRK Arts District in historic Riverside. She opened a studio in the first phase of the development. The shared gallery space in the building remains a source of inspiration for the artist and an opportunity to display her large scale soft sculptures. Ms. Valeski paints, draws, sews and builds installation pieces. She works mostly from childhood memories, dreams and her imagination. A new-found identity has emerged as she explores the idea of being feminine using methods, materials and imagery that are traditionally assigned to females. She lives in Atlantic beach with her husband, Brent and sons, Tom and Sen.

Julianne French, Utopia, 2010, Vintage photo, oil paint, ink, and paper on canvas, 8″ x 10″, Courtesy of the Artist

Julianne French, artist and art educator, received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting and art history from Jacksonville University in Jacksonville, Florida and her Master of Fine Arts in painting from The New York Academy of Art, the Graduate School of Figurative Art in New York City. Her work has been exhibited in national and international shows from FL to NY to Italy.  She is currently the Teacher of the Gifted in Nassau County teaching Art Appreciation and Humanities to high school gifted students.  Recently she received an Art Ventures Individual Artist grant from the Community Foundation; a grant to study at Yale University through the Gilder Lehrman Institute; and an invitation to work beside museum and art educators through the Connecting Collections Institute in NYC, studying artworks from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Whitney Museum of American Art, The Museum of Modern Art and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.

Tony Wood, Blue Striped, 2012, Photograph on frosted transparent media paper mounted on a light box, 24″ x 20“, Courtesy of the Artist

Tony Wood was born in Nashville, Tennessee but has lived in Jacksonville since 1981. Wood has studied at both the University of South Carolina and the University of North Florida, where he received his BFA in 2001. Since in Florida, he has studied and worked with such renowned artist and professors as Louise Freshman-Brown, Paul Ladnier and Larry Jon Davis. Working with these artists gave him a strong desire to create works of art almost exclusively based on the human figure and face. In 2002-04, Wood was the Duval County Artist in Residence. These experiences lead to an interest and career as an art instructor in the public school system. Wood has exhibited his artwork throughout Florida and Southeast Georgia and has works in many public and private collections. In 1994 he received a talent grant from the state of Florida and in 2009, received an individual artist grant from the Community Foundation, which allowed him to pursue new approaches in portraiture. Wood is currently showing his artwork in the Southlight Gallery and Studio 121 in downtown Jacksonville.

Kelly Crawford, Butternut, 2012, Chromogenic print, 20″ x 20″, Courtesy of the Artist

Kelly Crawford is a Florida native living and photographing in St. Augustine, FL.  Originally from southern Palm Beach County, she headed north after her high school photography teacher suggested she attend Daytona Beach Community College’s photography program. While there she received her A.S. degree in Photographic Technology and went on to receive her Bachelor’s degree in Photography from the University of Central Florida.  Her primary focus lies in shooting film with old cameras, darkroom printing whenever possible, and experimenting with polaroid/instant films.
Look for her in St. Augustine’s “First Friday Artwalk” at Anchor Boutique on September 7, 2012.

Doug Eng, Dancing Oaks, 2012, Digital Photograph, Pigment on Paper, 22 x 30 in., Courtesy of the Artist

Doug Eng is a photographer and installation artist. His photographic body of work specializing in urban and natural landscapes has won numerous awards in juried competitions and is widely published. Eng’s engineering background informs the language he utilizes to explain a curiosity about forms, structures, patterns, rhythms, and textures. Eng’s involvement in several local collaborations has developed into a calling to revitalize the city of Jacksonville through the arts.

Doug Eng, Forest Renewal, 2010, Digital Photography, Pigment on Paper 12 x 48 in., Courtesy of the Artist

https://www.facebook.com/doug.eng

Dustin Harewood, Seeds, 2012, Acrylic and Collage on Wood, 40 x 30 x 8 in., Courtesy of the Artist

Dustin Harewood was born and raised in New York City in the 1980’s. In the early 90’s his family moved to Barbados, where he spent his high school years.  He moved back to the U.S to get his first degree in art at North Carolina Central University. He later attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where he received his M.F.A in painting and drawing. After graduating, he moved to Jacksonville, where he is currently co-running the Art Program at FSCJ’s Kent Campus.

Jenny Hager, Medallion, 2011, Monoprint, 30 x 40 in., Courtesy of the Artist

Jenny Hager is an Associate Professor of Sculpture at the University of North Florida, where she has been teaching for six years. She received her MFA in Sculpture and Digital Media from San Jose State University in San Jose, CA.  She also holds a BA in Art Education and a BFA in Art Studio from the University of Kentucky in Lexington, KY.  Interested in a variety of processes and materials, including steel, cast iron, post-it notes, video, wood, digital photography and found objects, she finds inspiration in dreams, objects from her childhood, gadgets, sea life and other curiosities.  She is also very interested in collaboration; the spirit of community is important in both her teaching practice and in her own work.

Jenny Hager, Winged Hoof, 2011, Cast Iron, Steel, Stainless Steel, 3 x 2.5 x 6 ft., Courtesy of the Artist

Hager’s cast iron work has been exhibited across the country and recently in the Cymru Ironstone Castle Exhibition in Wales.  Flight Lab, a video installation, has traveled to the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans and York College, Pennsylvania.  A collaborative work completed with her husband, Lance Vickery, Three Clouds, is on exhibit at the Knoxville, TN airport for the Art in Public Places exhibition for the next year.  Hager’s most recent project is a collaboration with colleague/printmaker Emily Arthur.  The twenty foot tall Trojan horse, combining sculpture and print, was recently exhibited in New Orleans, Corpus Christi, and Houston.

Loïs Mailou Jones, Design for Cretonne Drapery Fabric, 1932. Watercolor
on paper. Courtesy of the Loïs Mailou Jones Pierre-Noël Trust.

The myriad of themes explored by Loïs Mailou Jones (1905-1998) over the impressive length of her career makes for a dynamic exhibition of more than 70 works, including paintings, drawings and textile designs. The retrospective begins with her early textile designs and sketches from the Harlem Renaissance. After graduating from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, at a time when racial and gender prejudices pervaded society, Jones began her career as a textile designer. She sold her bold fabric creations to department stores until a decorator told her that a colored girl wasn’t capable of producing such beautiful designs. This incident prompted Jones to shift her artistic focus to the fine arts so she could sign her name to her works.

During a brief teaching stint at Palmer Memorial Institute, a preparatory school in Sedalia, North Carolina, Jones created several paintings that marked her transition from design to fine art. Though far less vivid than the later works for which she became famous, these early paintings still clearly show her fascination with color and culture.

Loïs Mailou Jones, Marché aux Puces Rue Médard, Paris, 1938. Gouache
on board. Courtesy of the Loïs Mailou Jones Pierre-Noël Trust.

Jones’ influences were extensive throughout the remainder of her career. Her lush oil paintings of the French countryside and traditional fruit and flower still lifes highlight her skillful observation of nature. The influence of philosopher Alain Locke, who encouraged Jones to draw inspiration from African art, is evident in many of her later works, such as Irma (1972). She also conveyed the social struggles of African-Americans through powerful psychological portraits such as Mob Victim (1945) and Jennie (1943). Her marriage in 1952 to noted Haitian graphic artist Louis Vergniaud Pierre-Noël instigated a change in the subject matter and palette of her paintings. Her frequent trips to Haiti re-energized her strong design sense and inspired vivid acrylic and watercolor paintings that displayed a marked fascination with Caribbean culture. After additional travels that included African countries, her work became characterized by brilliant color, rich patterns and a variety of Haitian and African motifs.

Loïs Mailou Jones, Nature Morte aux Corail, Haiti, 1985. Watercolor.
Courtesy of the Loïs Mailou Jones Pierre-Noël Trust.

In addition to her outstanding accomplishments as an artist, Jones was also a noted educator at Howard University in Washington, D.C. for 47 years. It has been said that Jones was just as involved in her students’ career developments as her own.  Among her illustrious students are David Driskell, Elizabeth Catlett and Robert Freeman.

President Jimmy Carter honored Jones for her outstanding achievements in the arts in 1980, and in the last ten years of her life both President Bill Clinton and French President Jacques Chirac met the artist and collected her work. During a six-year solo exhibition tour, the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. held an 89^th birthday party for Jones and apologized for previous prejudicial policies.  Loïs Mailou Jones continued to create her vibrant paintings until her death in 1998.

Leslie Stokes, Tranquility, 2011, Oil on Gallery Wrap Canvas, 36 x 36 in., Courtesy of the Artist

Leslie Stokes resides in Fort Pierce Florida where she has a studio and teaches intuitive oil painting.   Her paintings are a study of color and pattern, while interpreting nature.  She graduated from the University of Kentucky and has a degree in Art History.  She has studied art in France and New Mexico.  In addition to private collections she is in the collections of the Jill Schwartz and Associates, Winter Park FL, City National Bank, Miami FL and the University of Kentucky.

Jessie Barnes, Honor, 2012, Oil on Panel, 36 x 48 in., Courtesy of the Artist

Jessie Barnes is currently a senior at the University of North Florida, majoring in Fine Arts with an emphasis in Painting, Drawing and Printmaking, and minoring in Art History. Prior to UNF, Barnes attended Douglas Anderson School of the Arts and graduated as an AP Scholar and as the president of the school’s chapter of the National Art Honor Society. In addition, she has participated in the Maryland Institute College of Art’s Summer Pre-College program, and a Governor’s Summer Art program at Jacksonville University. She is expected to receive her BFA in the spring of 2013, and intends to continue her education by attending graduate school to obtain her MFA.

Jessie Barnes, Expose, 2012, Gum Transfer with Ink Wash, 22 x 28 in., Courtesy of the Artist

Barnes is a recipient of the prestigious Lazzara Scholarship, and most recently won Best in Show for her painting, Sarah, at the Ponte Vedra Cultural Center in 2011. She then was given a solo exhibition, entitled Collectivity, which opened in May at the Center’s newest gallery. Her body of work focuses on the magnification of a unique collection of found photographs, and seems to speak to the notions of the human condition, nostalgia, and the loss of the private, tangible photograph to the vast world of contemporary digital media.

For more information about the artist and her work, visit her website.

Paul Karabinis, Fish Out of Water, 2011, Toned Cyanotype, 20 x 24 in., Courtesy of the Artist

Paul Karabinis is Associate Professor of Photography at the University of North Florida where he teaches courses in photography and the history of photography. From 1982 until 2007 he served as Director of UNF’s University Gallery. Most recently he served as co-curator and catalog author of Shared Vision: The Sondra Gilman and Celso Gonzalez-Falla Collection of Photography, MOCA Jacksonville. Working primarily with historical photographic processes, his tabletop collages are composed of preexisting pictures (photographs and drawings) in combination with three-dimensional objects.

William Schaaf, Suwannee (Shinto Fertility Fetish), 2012, 3/9 Bronze Edition, 29 x 14 x 16 in., Courtesy of the Artist

William Schaaf was born in Richmond, Virginia, in l944.  He has a B.F.A. from the University of Florida, Gainesville, and a M.F.A. from the University of Illinois, Urbana/Champaign, both in Painting and Printmaking.  Aside from occasional jobs refurbishing houses, landscaping design, driving tractor-trailer trucks, he has made his living from art business sales, teaching and visiting-artist situations. For many years he has used Art as a Healing Agent with so-called ADD, autistic, abused, and exceptional young persons. He was an early consultant for the Arts In Medicine Program, Shands Hospital, Gainesville, Fl.

Academically, he has served many roles… professor, lecturer, workshop facilitator, visiting artist, in over 25 different institutions, including Southern Illinois University, Penn State University, York University, Toronto, Wayne State University, Detroit, Princeton University, N.J., Universities of Illinois, Florida, Wisconsin, S. Florida, Miami and others.

He has provided for dozens of drawing/writing creative process workshops in such places as: The Omega Institute for Holistic Studies, N.Y., The Penland School of Crafts, N.C., Shands Medical Center, Hospice of N. Florida, both of Gainesville, Fl., University Medical Center, Jacksonville, Fl., Valencia Community College, Orlando, The Ringling School of Art & Design, Sarasota, Fl., and some of the afore-mentioned universities.

He has been awarded residencies at Yaddo, Saratoga Springs, N.Y., the MacDowell Colony (twice) at Peterborough, N.H., the Ossabaw Island Project, (twice) Savannah, Ga., and the Virginia Center for the Arts. He has twice been awarded Individual Artist’s Grants from the State of Florida, and served on the Florida Individual Artist’s Grant Panels for the State of Florida. He was an Alternate in Painting for the American Academy in Rome and worked on Christo’s Surrounded Island Project in Miami, Florida.  He was invited as a visiting artist and scholar to the Marino Marini Foundation Headquarters, Pistoia, Italy.

He has exhibited in some 100 group shows, plus some 25 one-person exhibitions in many major U.S. cities, in such galleries as Robert Friedus and Allan Stone, N.Y., Chiaroscuro Gallery, Santa Fe, N.M., The Kentucky Derby Museum, Louisville, The Ringling School, Sarasota, Fl., The Tampa Museum of Art, Fl., Jacksonville Museum of Art, Jacksonville Museum of Modern Art, The Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens, Jacksonville, Fl., The Society of the Four Arts, Palm Beach, Fl., Samuel P. Harn Museum, Gainesville, Fl., Gulf Coast Museum of Art, Largo, Fl., the Orlando Museum of Art, Fl., and the J. Johnson Gallery, Jacksonville, Fl.  His work is in many private, corporate, and museum collections including: The Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art, Gainesville, Fl., Jacksonville Museum of Contemporary Art, Fl., Deland Museum of Art, Fl., Vero Beach Museum of Art, Fl., The Tampa Museum of Art, Fl., The Orlando Museum of Art, FL., The Kentucky Derby Museum of Art, Lexington, Convergys Corporation, Lake Mary, Fl., Alabama Power Corporation, Birmingham, City of Orlando, Fl., General Telephone and Electric, Tampa, Bell South Corporation, Jacksonville, Fl., Tupperware Corporation, Kissimmee, Fl., Berol Corporation, Ct., State of Florida, Tallahassee, Robert Rauschenberg Estate, Sanibel, Fl., Jennifer Johnson Collection, Fl., Ed Harris Collection, Malibu, Ca., David Cofrin Collection, Gainesville, and others.

His work has been featured in Spur Magazine, The Equine Image, Sky Magazine (Delta Airlines), Sculpture Magazine, Horizon Magazine, Art In America, Notes to A Young Painter, Hiram Williams/book, The Drawing Handbook: An Approach, Stuart Purser/book. He has been featured in videos for television (WUFT-TV, Gainesville), and was a guest speaker for, Voices in the Wind, National Public Radio, Washington, D.C.
ABOUT THE WORK

William Schaaf’s early influential teachers, especially Hiram Williams, gave him a notion that art was a way of life, a lifelong vocation, a place where the spirit of one’s own nature and Self could be sought and found. A project at the University of Florida in his sophomore year put him on the path with the horse and rider theme, which has been varying and cross-pollinating in both 2 & 3-D applications. Rembrandt’s Polish Rider led to what has become a lifelong devotion for well over 45 years. Perhaps childhood memories of heroic Italian monuments or the majestic equine statues of Richmond, Va., his early homes, had incubated long enough.

The 2-D works, usually mixed-media, are as pages out of a diary, often taking years to produce. There is a constant adding and subtracting, fusings of paint to surface, with a resulting rich matrix of markings and scratchings, events that denote history and time.  These 2-D pieces serve as windows through which one can travel expressionistically, realistically, abstractly, psychically. The horse serves as a kind of magic guide, a guardian & protector, a force of soul, accompanied by spirit beings, helpers, guardians, parts of self along for the ride.  Journeys are of visions, dreams, places of power and mystery, healing and discovery.

The 3-D works are characterized with some of the same modes as the 2-D works. The sculpture is influenced by a Japanese aesthetic, and more recently by the simple elegance of the many Native American fetish and doll makers. There is a love of Wabi-Sabi, of accidental happenings of nature, of surface and beauty, all the while serving functionally as ‘medicine’ pieces, reliquaries, works of intention (fetish) and prayer. They may serve as votive offerings which try to honor and emulate the various indigenous traditions that he is attracted to. The horses are often about primal elemental energies long-associated with the equine. In essence, the sculptures are simply fetishes, made large.

He works in stone, wood, clay, which are frequently translated to bronze editions. They are then patinated (visualize watercoloring with acids) so they will resemble lapis, jade, turquoise, which he considers the healing stones. For nearly 40 years, he has been in collaboration with Rick Frignoca, at the Bronzart Foundry, Sarasota, Fl.  It is a full service foundry, which does everything, including the enlargement and adaptation of any sculpture to any required situation.

Liz Gibson, 3 Legged Fox, 2012, Photograph and Acrylic Handprint on Canvas, 13 x 16 1/2 in., Courtesy of the Artist

Deformity, adversity, and empowerment- these are the themes of my work. Having been born with seven fingers total, (five fingers on my left-hand and two fingers on my right-hand) as an artist, I have chosen to take this unique personal experience and transform it into a shared experience with my audiences. I have created four distinct characters that represent different developmental stages a person born with a physical defect goes through. The transformation is marked in terms of both social perception and self-perspective. It is most important to me that the work I make is both visually intriguing as well as socially compelling.

To see more of Liz Gibson’s work, please visit her website.

Daryl Bunn, Fire Six, 2011, Photography, 59 x 43 1/2 in., Courtesy of the Artist

“Unexpected” is a term that could define the ever-exciting offerings that mark Daryl Bunn’s creative path.  He is a multi-dimensional artist/photographer who continually reaches further to express his inspiration and vision.

Historically, photography has been his prominent mode of creative expression.  He has built his career and reputation on his finely crafted skills and is well-known in the commercial photographic field for his technical and creative excellence.  The fine art photographic images being offered are simply visually breathtaking.

Daryl Bunn, Fire Five, 2011, Photography, 28 1/2 x 38 1/2 in., Courtesy of the Artist

Daryl’s creative interests, however, are vast and varied.  He has recently returned to his love of the art of serigraphy first expressed in 1976.  The prints are simplistic, architecturally elegant, emotionally charged, and challenge the viewer to reflect inward.  “My hope is that they are appreciated for the use of color and shape, composition and balance.  I would consider them successful if the viewer can create their own relationship with the work,” he says of his recent series.

The photographic images and serigraphs are offered as highly limited editions.

Daryl’s work has been included in numerous art exhibitions for which he has received many prestigious awards.

Daryl Bunn’s art is represented in many collections, including:
Mayo Clinic
Rulon Company
The Haskell Company
Drs. Mark and Theresa Abood
Allan Land Group
Ann Betchkal

Dr. and Mrs. Saul Eisen
Michael Dunlap Architects
Dr. and Mrs. Michael Phillips
Taylor Hardwick, AIA
Dr. and Mrs. Richard Markell
Stacy Moseley & Joseph Scherer
Baptist Medical Center
Pajcic & Pajcic Law Firm

Daryl Bunn is currently represented by Fogle Fine Art, HAS Art Solutions, Soho Myriad, Atlanta/Los Angeles, Rollins Fine Art, Tampa, & A.A.R., Houston.

David Engdahl, Lamelliform 205, 2010, Sande (Brosium Utile)/Walnut Veneer, 14 x 20 x 8 in., Courtesy of the Artist

An architect by education and vocation, David Engdahl has been working with laminated wood sculpture since 1971, and has exhibited his works throughout the U.S., including over twenty states. His work is included in numerous corporate collections as well as permanent collections of the Orlando Museum of Art (FL), the Huntsville Museum of Art (AL) and Wiregrass Museum of Art (Dothan, AL).

David Engdahl, Lamelliform 200, 2009, Sande (Brosium Utile), 27 x 13 in., Courtesy of the Artist

He received an Individual Artist Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts through the Fine Arts Council of Florida, and two of his works were displayed in the U.S. Embassy in Bahrain through the U.S. State Department, and one each have been in U.S. embassies in Latvia, Angola, and Zimbabwe.

Jando Dance, Malawi, 2006, silver gelatin photographic print, 59 7/8 x 40 in. © Elizabeth Gilbert.

The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens is excited to present a remarkable body of work by photojournalist Elizabeth Gilbert. Opening September 13, Histories in Africa: 20 Years of Photography by Elizabeth Gilbert draws from her impressive career documenting this extraordinary continent.

Gilbert’s startling black and white photographs are featured in the permanent collections of The Los Angeles County Museum of Art and The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas. They have also been exhibited most recently at The Museum of Arts and Design in New York City in the exhibition ‘The Global Africa Project’ (2010-2011). Her work is also highlighted in two publications, Broken Spears: A Maasai Journey, published by Atlantic Monthly Press, and Tribes of the Great Rift Valley, published by Abrams, and she has also been published in TIME, Newsweek, LIFE, Paris Match, and The New York Times among other publications.

A native of Jacksonville, Gilbert attended St. Mark’s, Bartram, and Episcopal before graduating from Parsons School of Design in 1990.  The following year she moved to Kenya to work with photographer Peter Beard. As a news photographer, Gilbert documented on the brutal civil wars in Rwanda, Somalia, and Sudan.  She “soon realized that photographing these events had little impact on their outcome. The brutality and tragedy I witnessed then hit me years later like a great tsunami slowly gathering itself at sea.” Instead, she turned her attention to recording the rapidly disappearing traditional cultures she witnessed around her. “I wanted to find the Africa that hadn’t yet been ravaged by foreign empires, wars, and the modern world,” said Gilbert.

“Nairobi was a different city then,” said Gilbert. “Maasai tribesmen could be found grazing cattle on the side of the road, or entering elevators in city skyscrapers carrying just a spear and a sack of tobacco. It seemed they had stepped into town from another era.”

This juxtaposition between old and new ways of life struck a chord with Gilbert, who drew on her background as a photojournalist to document these traditions before they disappeared. “Most of it is already gone,” said Gilbert, who cites “the steady infiltration of commercial tourism in rural areas; the growing popularity of Western clothing, music, and culture; and the diminishing numbers of small tribes such as the Batwa Pygmies” as just a few examples of this vanishing world.

The Circumcisionist, Malawi, 2006, silver gelatin photographic print, 26 ¼ x 40 in. © Elizabeth Gilbert.

For her first book, Broken Spears: A Maasai Journey, Gilbert spent four years embedded with this noted tribe. Despite the fact that their images were mass-produced on commercial items like postcards and T-shirts, the tribe was losing its customs and traditions to modern culture. Gilbert captured their ceremonies, such as the Eunoto ceremony, a retirement ceremony for warriors, and “The Horn of the Ox,” where young boys try to prove their manhood by grabbing an ox by its horns, as well as more controversial aspects of Maasai life such as female circumcision and lion hunting. “To me,” said Gilbert, “they were relics from Africa’s past. When I looked at them I saw the history, the greatness they had known when the Rift Valley was theirs. The early photographs from these safaris are like artifacts to me, pieces of history suspended in time.”

“The loss of African tradition in the last century and the change I witnessed during my own travels slowly redefined my role as a photographer,” said Gilbert. “I no longer saw myself as an invisible recorder, but as a collaborator with the people whom I photographed. I was a stranger, yet they had allowed me to document their most private rituals and ceremonies. This permission in itself was their own acknowledgement that a way of life was disappearing. Influenced by this, I began to create a more idealized portrayal of what I believed was a vanishing world.”

Her second book continued this journey into the Great Rift Valley, a vast area of Eastern Africa that is thought by scientists to be the birthplace of the human species. Gilbert spent nearly three years living among more than 25 ethnic groups, including the Samburu and Mursi.  “Though African ceremony is full of vivid pageantry, most of my photographs are in black and white,” said Gilbert, who hoped “this would distill the subjects in a timeless record, and preserve the memory of a lost era long after the process of globalization has eroded it forever.”

The Maz Brotherhood, Omo Valley, Ethiopia, 2005, silver gelatin photographic print, 26 ¼ x 40 in. © Elizabeth Gilbert.

Gilbert’s photographs capture Africa in transition. The Cummer’s exhibition draws from her twenty-year career and spans the entire scope of her work.

“After traveling and living abroad, bringing the work home to Jacksonville, the city where I was raised, is especially meaningful to me,” said Gilbert. “This is where I grew up. My family, oldest friends, teachers, god parents – the people who shaped my childhood – are all here. It is very personal to me to be coming home for this milestone, my first solo museum exhibition.”

This exhibition will be on view through December 30, 2012.  For further information on programming, please visit our website.

Alisha Lewis, Self Reflection, 2010, earthenware, 5 x 5 x 9 in., Courtesy of the Artist.

An appreciation of the human figure, satire, and humor, are reflected in
Alisha’s art.  Her current sculptures and videos are social commentaries that express ideas of self-image.  Inspired by the European figurine tradition her sculptures’ physical features are not exaggerated and modeling style is simplistic but emotionally charged.

Alisha’s art relates to work from the Black Arts Movement and to Black
Feminism of the 1970′s.  These intersections of gender, race, and culture are also present in contemporary African American art by Lorna Simpson, damali ayo, and Kara Walker.  These artists address the post-colonialist baggage still present for African Americans, women especially so, in contemporary America.

Her art also comments on the internal struggle of the African American
community.  The sculptures convey a psychological state in a post- colonialist
society, and a double consciousness.  She uses posture in her ceramic figures as well as performances to reflect socio psychological states.  She comments on the internal struggle of African American women with image; conflicts between their physical features, mainstream notions of beauty and social acceptance. The figurines are intimate views, hand modeled, and decorated with terra sigilatta, overglazes and various cold finishes.

Join us for the opening night celebration for this exhibition on Friday, August 24^th.  Purchase $5 tickets on our website by clicking here.  Museum members will receive free admission.

Brianna Angelakis, Neurasthenia, 2012, Graphite and oil on wood, Courtesy of the Artist

Brianna Marie Angelakis (b. 1990) is a young, American artist.  She was born in Massachusetts and moved to New Hampshire during her early teen years.  She moved to Florida at the end of her high school years, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude.  Her artistic inspiration stems from her love for literature and poetry in addition to her own experiences as a young woman.  She often depicts a narrative which centralizes around the female figure or child figure in nature.  Her paintings evoke the strong emotions correlated with romanticism and childhood innocence, elevating the female and child into a sublime, natural world.  By isolating her figures, she creates an emotional relationship between the figure and the observer.  Brianna Marie Angelakis currently attends Flagler College in St. Augustine, FL.  She will graduate in the Spring of 2013 with a B.A. in the Visual Arts, a B.A. in English, and a minor in Illustration.  Her artworks have been exhibited in various galleries located throughout north and central Florida, and she will be showing internationally for the first time in Leeds, England this December.  Her works have been published internationally through print and online magazines.  She currently lives and works in northern Florida.

You can find more information about the artist here:
Main Portfolio
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Join us for the opening night celebration for this exhibition on Friday, August 24^th.  Purchase $5 tickets on our website by clicking here.  Museum members will receive free admission.

Bharati Chaudhuri, Spirit of Life, 2011, monoprint, 22 x 30 in., Courtesy of the Artist.

A highly acclaimed contemporary artist, Bharati Chaudhuri has been working professionally for over 30 years, creating painting, printmaking, digital art and ceramics.

Her work, on one hand, expresses Indian sense and sensibilities; on the other hand, it reflects her western life experiences as well. Her works are in private and corporate collections throughout the world, and have received critical acclaim for imaginative composition, vibrant colors and masterful use of design elements.

Bharati received BFA and MFA degrees in painting from a premier art institution in India, Visva-Bharati University at Santiniketan, founded by the first Asian Nobel Laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore. Subsequently, she earned post-graduate degrees in painting, and in design & batik at the same school; she also studied printmaking at Cooper School of Art, Ohio. She has been recognized with a national scholarship by the Government of India.

Bharati has participated in over 100 solo, two-person, juried and invitational group shows, received numerous awards, scholarships and recognitions. Her drawings, paintings, prints, book/CD covers, illustrations, greeting cards and other designs have been sold in 22 countries across all 5 continents. Two of her large wall murals are in prominent public places in India.

Bharati is the founder-owner of Creative Studio in Jacksonville, Florida, a Board Member and a former President of Jacksonville Coalition for the Visual Arts. You can contact Bharati at bharatiart2000@yahoo.com, and you can view her gallery.

“When I work, I see my world through my inner eyes. I make my creative journey through an imaginary world of reality, dream and fantasy. My work is a pictorial representation of thoughtful abstraction of nature and form. Simplicity of form and fluidity of composition are the key aspects of my work. I try to achieve a dramatic visual effect using a combination of vibrant and dull colors along with patterns and design elements. I work with all my emotions, feelings and sensitivities to reach a point of satisfaction and attain an esthetic equilibrium” — Bharati

Join us for the opening night celebration for this exhibition on Friday, August 24^th.  Purchase $5 tickets on our website by clicking here.  Museum members will receive free admission.

Brian Shannon, Infinity, 2012, oil on panel, 18 x 14 in., Courtesy of the Artist.

Brian is a 2003 graduate of Douglas Anderson School of the Arts and has practiced oil painting since 2005, periodically displaying work and participating in gallery shows around Jacksonville.

The majority of his work is focused on the figure, ranging from portraiture to narrative, combined with aspects of landscape, interior and still life painting. In addition, he has also created dry media work in charcoal, graphite, and chalk.

To learn more about the artist, you can visit Brian’s website, or follow him of Facebook.

Join us for the opening night celebration for this exhibition on Friday, August 24^th.  Purchase $5 tickets on our website by clicking here.  Museum members will receive free admission.

Amalia Galdona Broche, Mannequin, 2011, mixed media, , 24 x 36 in., Courtesy of the Artist.

Amalia Galdona Broche is an incoming freshman majoring in Sculpture at Jacksonville University. As a Douglas Anderson School of the Arts student she participated in school-organized exhibitions as well as high school county shows. Having spent her childhood and early teen years in Cuba, her work is greatly influenced by her Hispanic roots and memories of her upbringing. She has lived in Jacksonville, Florida for the past four years.

Join us for the opening night celebration for this exhibition on Friday, August 24^th.  Purchase $5 tickets on our website by clicking here.  Museum members will receive free admission.

George Bellows was born August 12, 1882 in Columbus, Ohio.

An American realist painter and lithographer, he was noted for action scenes and his expressive portraits and seascapes. His early works show of urban subject matter, later on his works show a greater range of color and began to shift to rural landscapes, seascapes, and portraits of family members and friends. Towards the end of his career he experimented with lithography, an early printing method.

Christine Schub, Amsterdam Morning, 2011, oil on board, 16 x 20 in., Courtesy of the Artist.

Christine Schub, a self-taught artist, holds a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of Florida.  She has been a professional artist for thirty years.  Her work is included in many private and corporate art collections.  Christine spends her summers gardening and painting in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Wintertime finds her at her home on Amelia Island, Florida.

MY EARLIEST MEMORY OF CHILDHOOD IS MAKING ART….

plotting designs with Mom’s wonderful collection

of buttons or Crayola-ing the loops and circles I drew

on the cardboard insert from Dad’s laundered shirts.

I have many more colors to work with now but the

process itself hasn’t changed all that much. I still begin

the paintings with no preconceived notion…just a loose

application of thinned oil paints on primed masonite

board, or stretched linen or canvas.

The painting emerges ever so slowly revealing itself

in starts and fits. Most of the paintings, especially

the larger ones, take many months to complete. From

an amorphous splash of color comes a highly detailed

abstraction that may be reminiscent of a city, an

ancient land or even a feeling of carnival or industry.

The paintings are the product of inspiration filtered

through dreams, memories, or human archetypes.

See more at Christine’s Website.

Join us for the opening night celebration for this exhibition on Friday, August 24^th.  Purchase $5 tickets on our website by clicking here.  Museum members will receive free admission.

Dimelza Broche, Sea Spirits, 2012, screen print, 15 x 12 in., Courtesy of the Artist.

Dimelza Broche is a 21 year old Jacksonville based Cuban artist. She attended Douglas Anderson School of the Arts during her senior year of high school.  She studied for two years at Florida State College of Jacksonville before transferring to the University of North Florida where she is currently a senior majoring in Fine Arts. Dimelza has shown her work at Roberts Gallery, the Women’s Center of Jacksonville, the Wilson Center Gallery, The Cummer Museum of Arts & Gardens, and most recently at the S. Dillon Ripley Center, Washington, DC.  Last year, she was the Grand Prize recipient of Momentum: a National Juried Exhibit for emerging artists with disabilities. Her art has developed from simple drawings to prints, photography, and more complex portraits and still life paintings.

Join us for the opening night celebration for this exhibition on Friday, August 24^th.  Purchase $5 tickets on our website by clicking here.  Museum members will receive free admission.

Marcy Appelbaum, Family Series/Americana, Jr Lady Triathlete, 2011, Color Photograph, 12 x 18 in., Courtesy of the Artist.

Marcy Appelbaum, a Jacksonville resident for nearly 25 years, is a free-lance Pulitzer Prize nominee and a Florida State and National award-winning photographer.  She is a gifted visual storyteller.

“Documenting people and their lives allows me to capture who people are at any given moment in time. Their connections to each other — and ultimately to my audience — makes me grateful to my subjects and the candor they give to my lens, memorializing those brief moments in time that the eye can often miss or that we’re otherwise too busy to notice ”

Appelbaum worked as a staff photojournalist at The Jacksonville Business Journal, The Daytona Beach News Journal, The DeLand Sun News, and The Florida Times Union for several years and entered into the digital world early on.

Recent shows include Strike Jax, an on-going participation in the international traveling show The M.I.L.K. (Moments in Intimacy, Laughter and Kinship) Book Series, and Women in Photojournalism.  Although her passion is black and white, the Folio Weekly Invitational Artists Exhibit at The Cummer marks her first showing in digital color. Her work has been published in many publications, including Time magazine, Rolling Stone, Golf Digest, and Child Magazine.  She is currently available for on location assignments, life cycle events, and portraiture.

Join us for the opening night celebration for this exhibition on Friday, August 24^th.  Purchase $5 tickets on our website by clicking here.  Museum members will receive free admission.

Ronald W. Bayles, Street Preaching, 2009, photograph, 6 x 9 in., Courtesy of the Artist.

Ronald W. Bayles was born in 1947 in Des Moines, Iowa.  He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Arts at the University of West Florida, Pensacola. He is also is a graduate of the U.S. Military Photojournalism program at Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York and the U.S. Navy School of Photography, Pensacola, Florida.  He served 22 years in the U.S. Navy – 14 years as a Navy Photojournalist.  From 1993 – present, Ronald is a police photographer for the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.

Join us for the opening night celebration for this exhibition on Friday, August 24^th.  Purchase $5 tickets on our website by clicking here.  Museum members will receive free admission.

Dagas served in the National Guard to defend Paris during the Franco-Prussian War which allowed little time for painting. However, following the war, Degas visited his brother in New Orleans and produced a number of works and upon his arrival back to Paris, he helped organize the first Impressionist Exhibition and subsequently held 7 additional shows.

After the death of Degas’ father, his debts forced Degas to sell his collection of art and live more modestly and depend on his artwork for income. Degas soon became isolated, partly due to his belief that “a painter could have no personal life.” Degas never married and spent the last of his years in Paris before dying September 27, 1917.

Degas is noted as one of the founders of Impressionism and is often associated as an impressionist, but this is an inaccurate description because he did not adhere to the “Impressionist color fleck” and disapproved of their work. Although he made no important contributions to the style of impressionists, he instead involved the organization of Impressionist exhibitions.

During Degas’ early career, his paintings consisted of mainly portraits with awkwardly cropped subjects and historic subjects in a less idealized manner. His style shifted to observation of contemporary life such as milliners, laundresses, opera performers, and dancers. As his subjects changed, so did his technique: his boring dark palette soon became vibrant and vivid in color. His paintings showed unusual angles of his subjects which Degas had intended and called it “bewitching the truth.”

Camille Pissarro (French, 1830 - 1903), Les Glaneuses (The Gleaners), c. 1889, gouache with charcoal, crayon and watercolor, 18 ¼ x 23 in., Purchased with funds from the Morton R. Hirschberg Bequest, AP.2004.3.1.

Camille Pissarro was born 7/10/1830 in the Danish West Indies, the son of a French-Portuguese merchant and a Creole woman.  At age twelve he was sent to a boarding school in Passy, where he took his first lessons in painting.  Returning to St. Thomas in 1847 Pissarro worked as a clerk in his father’s store and drew at the harbor whenever he found time.  Five years later, forsaking his father’s business, he sailed with a Danish painter, Fritz Melbye, to Caracas to paint.  In 1855 his father agreed to send him back to Paris to study art, and he worked at both the École des Beaux-Arts and the more informal Académie Suisse, where he met Monet.

Pissarro was particularly interested in the works of Courbet and Corot, whom he visited several times seeking advice.  Corot allowed Pissarro to list him as his teacher in the catalogue of his first Salon exhibitions in 1864 and 1865.  In 1863 he had participated in the Salon des Refusées with three paintings, and in the mid-1860s he lived with members f the nascent Impressionist movement at Pontoise and Louveciennes.  In 1870 at the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War, Pissarro and Monet met again in London, where they were received enthusiastically by Durand-Ruel, who exhibited their work in his London gallery and later in Paris.

When Pissarro returned to France after the war, he found that his studio had been ravaged by the Prussians and much of his work destroyed.  In 1872 he settled at Pontoise, where he was soon joined by Cézanne.  Pissarro introduced Cézanne to plein-air painting and the two artists worked frequently together (as  also did Gauguin).  At the same time, he absorbed Cézanne’s solid sense of composition.  Abandoning the official salon, he participated in the first independent showing of the Impressionists in 1874 and remained the most loyal member of the group, contributing to all the subsequent exhibitions.

In 1884 Pissarro came in contact with Seurat and Signac.  He experimented with their divisionist techniques from about 1886 to 1890, but gradually abandoned them as too rigid.  Returning to a freer brushstroke, he retained the fresh, pure color of the divisionists and devoted himself to new subjects.  From 1895 the worsening of his eye-trouble forced him to give up working en plein air, and he painted many town views from windows in Paris.  He died blind in 1903.

AP.1969.1.1- Triptych Altar, Pieter Coecke Van Aelst

By Angela Gonzalez,  Curatorial Intern

Triptychs were used as decoration that would adorn altarpieces. The ornamental artworks would serve the public as a visual aid for devotional ceremonies.  Due to high illiteracy rates, triptychs also assisted in presenting the stories of the Bible for those who were unable to read. The church would commission artists and request certain scenes from  the Bible to be presented. These would typically read as a narrative. The Triptych Altar consists of scenes from Christ’s infancy.

On the left panel, the Nativity scene is depicted. Centrally located, the Christ child is laying on a white cloth surrounded by Mary, Joseph and various other onlookers. The group is situated under a barrel arch which is reminiscent of Roman architecture. The central panel, which is the largest, depicts the Adoration of the Magi. The Christ child sits upon Mary’s lap receiving gifts from the three wise men. In the background are more architectural structures and in the distance is a misty landscape. The right panel depicts the Presentation at the Temple.

The fascinating aspect to the Triptych Altar is the hidden symbolism. For example, the crumbling Roman architecture is representative of the fall of Paganism and the rise of Christianity. Moreover, in each panel, tiny details are included which are used to legitimize the overall message of the painting. At the top of the central panel, a sculpture of Abraham and Isaac rest on the top of a column. The inclusion of the Old Testament father and son is used as foreshadowing for the sacrifice of Christ. It is the small details to this painting that reinforce how important it is to take a second look and inspect all the details.

Peter Paul Rubens was born on June 28, 1577.

Rubens was known as a 17^th century Flemish baroque painter who’s  known for his Counter-Reformation altarpieces, portraits, landscapes, and history painting of mythological and allegorical subjects. His style emphasized movement, color, and sensuality. Aside from Rubens running a large studio in Antwerp, Belgium which produced painting popular with nobility and art collectors throughout Europe, Rubens was also a classically educated humanist scholar, art collector, and diplomat who was knighted by both Philip IV, King of Spain, and Charles I, King of England. Now that’s what I call a Renaissance Man.

AP.1990.19.1- Mosaic with Mask of Silenus, Roman, 1st century A.D.

By Angela Gonzalez,  Curatorial Intern

Depictions of masks are included in mosaics throughout the ancient Roman world. This mosaic contains an image of the mask of Silenus, a woodland diety associated with the Greek god Dionysis and the Greek theater. Silenus became the chief comic character of the satyr plays written by Greek tragedians. In this mosaic, the mask depicts Silenus with a snub nose, a beard, a gaping mouth, wide eyes, and a menacing facial expression represented in the wrinkled brow lines.

Mosaic was a popular art form among the ancient Romans. The technique involves small pieces of colored stone, marble or glass called tesserae, which would be arranged in cement or a plaster base. Although this form of art used tiny materials, it was unbelievably durable. The Romans would use mosaics as flooring or for decorating pavement in outdoor spaces. Mosaics are only one aspect of the vast Roman decorative program which included wall frescos, sculptures, furniture, and ornamental architectural elements.

AP.1994.3.1- Louis Benoît Zamor, Marie Victoire Lemoine, 1785

By Angela Gonzalez,  Curatorial Intern

Lemoine was an artist at a time when women were limited in their subjects. Education for women artists was limited by their exclusion from studies of nude models. Lemoine was still successful with her production of detailed portraits, miniatures and genre subjects. She was born to a middle class family in Paris. She had three sisters, two of whom when on to be successful artists as well. Marie never married. She concentrated on her career and skills as an artist. She exhibited her work in Salon of the French Academy between 1796 and 1814.

The subject of this portrait has been identified as the notorious Louis Benoît Zamor, the protégé of Louis XV’s mistress, Madame Du Barry. Du Barry expelled Zamor from her home after he sympathized with the French Revolution. His testimony against Madame Du Barry was a contributing factor to her execution by guillotine in 1793. Although the sitters identity is difficult to prove due to accounts that describe him as Bengali or African descent and differ regarding his age. At any rate, Lemoine created a stunning likeness of this youth. His elegant silk attire and embroidered vest indicate his connection with a family of nobility.

Charles Joseph Natoire (French, 1700 - 1777), The Awakening of Venus, 1741, oil on canvas, 38 ¾ x 49 ¼ in., Purchased with funds from the Morton R. Hirschberg Bequest and The Cummer Council, AP.1991.5.1.

By Angela Gonzalez,  Curatorial Intern

This classically themed painting of The Awakening of Venus is the epitome of Charles Natoire French Rococo style. As a student at the French Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture, Charles Natoire was awarded the coveted Grand Prix de Rome in 1721. After studying in Italy from 1723 to 1729, Natoire returned to France and was elected to membership in the Academy in 1734. Known for his expert draftsmanship and fine history paintings, Natoire executed numerous decorative commissions for the French royalty and nobility. Natoire returned to Rome in 1751 to serve as Director of the French Academy, a position he held until his retirement twenty-three years later.

Natoire’s representation of Venus is tranquil yet also erotic. Venus reclines on a feather bed as she carelessly allows the sheets to fall of her body. She holds her left hand up to her neck and gestures her right hand to her servants. The two female servants gaze at Venus, mesmerized by her flawless skin and beauty. Two putti interact together in the foreground as Venus’ attention remains on her own comfort.

Venus, Roman goddess of love, sex and beauty, is often portrayed in a seductive, sensual manner. The name “Venus” can also be given to a mortal woman as a conventional comparison to the beautiful, sexual god, Venus. Natoire’s graceful (and almost superficial) approach of the soft, voluptuous skin of Venus and the classical drapery that surrounds her is typical of the Rococo style. The Awakening of Venus is a playful, sensual painting filled with rich, creamy color and a spot-on representation of Venus.

Paul Camille Guigou (French, 1834 – 1871), L'Entrée de la Riviere à Lourmarin (Mouth of the Lourmarin River), c. 1867, oil on canvas, 37 ¾ x 56 ¼ in., Purchased with funds from the Morton R. Hirschberg Bequest, AP.1989.16.1.

By Angela Gonzalez,  Curatorial Intern

French landscape painter Paul Guigou studied painting in Apt and Marseille in his younger years and was later influenced by the Barbizon School and Gustave Courbet after visiting Paris in 1859 when he was just twenty-five. Two years later, he began to paint full-time. Guigou painted hundreds of landscapes filled with idealistic scenery and great detail. In Mouth of the Lourmarin River, Guigou uses earthy tones of green, brown and grey with sparks of color in flowers and figures. Five small sigures stand in the center of the painting and allow the viewer to comprehend the sense of scale in nature. A sixth figure stands alone on a grassy hill above the central figures and tends to his sheep.

AP 1992.8.1- Simone in a Large Plumed Hat, Mary Cassatt, c.1903

Written by Angela Gonzalez, Curatorial Intern

Born on May 22, 1844, Mary Cassatt was the daughter of a wealthy family from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Although her family objected to her becoming a professional artist, Cassatt received artistic training at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Frustrated by the  slow pace of the curriculum and inadequate classes for women artists, Cassatt decided to move to Paris where she remained as an expatriate artist for more than forty years. She began private art lessons in the Louvre, where she would study and copy the old masters. At the age of 28, Cassatt’s works were accepted into the Paris Salon.

While many of her Impressionist contemporaries were consumed with artworks that displayed landscapes or street scenes, Cassatt chose to devote her compositions to intimate scenes between mothers and their children and portraits. She experimented with variety of mediums like paints, pastels and prints. Cassatt is well known for her use of pastels which allowed her to create subtle variations of color and texture. Simone in a Large Plumed Hat, part of The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens permanent collection, is a warming image of a golden haired child holding a small dog. The work is influenced by Cassatt’s fascination with Japanese woodblock prints. It is a counterproof, which is created by pressing a damp piece of paper against a pastel drawing.

AP 1988.2.1- Portrait of a Lady, Cornelis van der Voort, 1617

By Angela Gonzalez,  Curatorial Intern

Cornelis van der Voort was a Flemish artist who settled in the Dutch Republic once his hometown of Antwerp fell captive to the Spanish in 1585. He set up in Amsterdam and became one of the city’s leading portraitists. He was elected head of the Guild of St. Luke which united all the professional painters in that city.

Van der Voort presents a sober, yet elegant portrayal of the affluent Dutch Republic. The woman is dressed in black with white lace rendered in astonishing precision and accuracy. Her portrait is part of a custom double portrait, with her husband’s image to be placed on the left side. Her face is solemn, and her eyes gaze from the canvas in an unflinching manner. The buttons on her dress are painted in gold which run from her neck down to her waist splitting the bottom of the canvas in two. She holds a white textile in her left hand. Adorning her left hand is a double banded ring, complete with a red gem and a blue gem. Cornelis van der Voort and his contemporaries focused on the minute details such as the pattern on a textile, the application of lace to a sleeve or the individual lines that would make up a head full of hair. For the artists in the North, art was all about painstakingly rendering the details. This is evident in Portrait of a Lady.

Sassoferrato (Giovanni Battista Salvi) (Italian, 1609 - 1685), Praying Madonna, c.1660, oil on canvas, 17 3/4 x 14 in., Purchased with Membership Contributions, AP.1968.17.1.

By Angela Gonzalez,  Curatorial Intern

Italian painter, Giovanni Battista Salvi was born in Sassoferrato, from where he got his nickname. During the Renaissance and Baroque periods in Italy, it was customary for artists to be nicknamed after the city from which they came from. He was trained in Umbria by his father, Tarquinio Salvi, and was especially active in Rome and, later, Umbria and Florence. Surprisingly, during the seventeenth-century, Baroque period, most of Sassoferrato’s work resembled a style more closely related to fifteenth-century, Renaissance. As opposed to typical Baroque scenes, characterized by drama, deep shadow and rich color, Sassoferrato used sweeter, softer colors to create scenes of grace and devotion.

At the request of Catholic Church during the time of the Counter-Reformation, he painted several versions of the praying Madonna, most of which are reminiscent of the works of Raphael. In this devotional painting of the Praying Madonna, Mary is dressed modestly in a royal blue cloak and a softly modeled veil. She looks downwards as her praying hands come together,  in which her fingertips gently touch one another. Her skin is porcelain white and her cheeks, lips and fingertips are painted in shades of rose. Sassoferrato illustrates a tender, pure and loving Mary.

AP.1979.2.1- Madonna and Child, Nicklaus Weckmann the Elder, c. 1490-1500.

By Angela Gonzalez,  Curatorial Intern

Nicklaus Weckmann the Elder was an active artist in Germany between 1481- 1526. He was the leading sculptor in the town of Ulm. In 1481, he was granted citizenship to the city and was listed on the register of names as “Nicklaus Weckmann, sculptor, the elder.” His workshop produced numerous sculptural programs for churches throughout southwestern Germany.

The Madonna and Child is sculpted three-fourths of the way around, with a hollow back. This sculpture was originally part of a large winged retable or altarpiece. Highly carved altarpieces would serve as an illustration to Biblical narratives and aided those who could not read. They were adequately named, “Bibles of the illiterate.” Weckmann depicts Mary in a naturalistic manner, with a relaxed pose as she gazes down to the Christ child she is cradling. The Christ child is animated, reaching towards the viewer. In his hand, he holds a pomegranate which is a Christian symbol of fertility and eternity.

Many of the altarpieces of this time period would be painted in order to depict fine detail. However, Weckmann allows the natural beauty of the limewood to beam through. The absence of paint also illustrates how skilled Weckmann was at this carving. This is evident in the cascading hair of Mary, the folds of her robe and especially her facial expression. Limewood is not only pleasing to the eye, but it is said to have held holy powers which would help to scare away the plague.

Pier Francesco de Jacopo Foschi (Italian, 1502 - 1567), Bartolomeo Compagni, 1549, oil on panel, 40 ½ x 32 ½ in., Purchased with funds from The Cummer Council, AP.1984.3.1.

By Angela Gonzalez,  Curatorial Intern

This portrait is of wealthy, Florentine merchant Bartolomeo Compagni, who lived in London, where many other rich foreigners lived. Italians, like Compagni, were especially distinguished in import and export trade. He administered several “fund raisers” to support the war efforts of Henry VIII and handled very large amounts of money as loans and other financial services. During a visit to Florence in 1549, Pier Franceso de Jacopo Foshi painted Compagni’s three-quarter portrait and inserted the sitter’s name on the letter in the bottom left foreground of the painting. Compagni is depicted with his pen in hand, which is softly raised above his desk of letters, gold pieces and red wax (a reminder of his valuable and classified business ventures). One letter is secured by the seal of Saint George, Patron saint of England, and serves as an indication of Compagni’s prominence in London.

Foschi painted a large amount of formal portraits during his career in Florence, where he completed other numerous commissions of great achievement. His portraits are painted in the Mannerist style and his sitters gaze directly at the viewer, such as the Bartolomeo Compagni portrait. He paints Compagni in movement, with the bottom, right half of his body facing his desk and the upper, left half of his body twisting toward the viewer. His left hand rests upon his left leg and he stares, almost free of expression.

AG 1989.12.1- Valtat and His Son, Louis Valtat

By Angela Gonzalez,  Curatorial Intern

This colorful painting depicts a man and a young boy, situated side by side. The elder holds a paintbrush as the younger peers onto the canvas before them. It is a self-portrait of the artist and the young boy is his son. The brush strokes are loose which provides movement through the composition. Valtat uses tones and hues of red, yellow and brown to make the background stand out. There is no recognizable imagery, except for the figures which dominate the foreground. The artist on the right, wears a hat as he stares out to the viewer. His coat is fastened only allowing a small white collar and the top of his tie to peek through.

Valtat was born in northwestern France, and as a child he grew up in Versailles. He spent a considerable amount of time in the South of France. He became friends with artists in the area, and it should not go without noting that Auguste Renoir (1841-1919) was a personal friend of Valtat. He was also a stage designer however, this is an aspect of his career that has not been studied in great depth. He was active in many different categories of new techniques in the approach to creating art such as Pointillism. Later in life he would be associated with the Fauves, a group of artists known for their loose handling of the brush.

AG 1966.32.1- The Dickson Brothers, John Neagle, c.1840.

By Angela Gonzalez,  Curatorial Intern

John Neagle spent most of his time in Philadelphia where he received his artistic training. Alongside his friend and brother-in-law, Thomas Sully (1783-1828), Neagle dominated the art of portraiture in the city. Neagle spent some time in Boston where he studied the work of renowned artist Gilbert Stuart (1755-1828). It is evident through Neagle’s art that this stay in Boston had an influence on his compositions, especially portraiture.

Neagle painted a family portrait for his cousin John Dickson. The painting is comprised of Robert, Levi, John Jr., and James Dickson; these are the children of John. Each child is shown with rosy cheeks and prominent dark eyes. The group is situated around a table. Upon the table is a humorous stick drawing of the boy’s parents. Placed on top of the drawing is a pocket watch symbolizing the passage of the boy’s childhood. The children’s favored possessions are placed on the table, including a figurine and a trumpet.

AG 1984.5.1- Mirror, Etruscan, Late Fourth Century B.C.

By Angela Gonzalez,  Curatorial Intern

Etruscan civilization flourished in Italy from the ninth to the first century B.C. when the Etruscans were integrated into the Roman Empire. Little is known about their culture including their origin, and their language is only partially understood. However, the Etruscans served as the conduit of ideas and achievements for the rest of the Mediterranean and they influenced the development of Roman society. Most interesting are the contributions of the Etruscans that are normally associated as inventions of the Romans. These consist of the arch, the invention of concrete, Roman numerals and the toga.

Mirrors were considered luxury items and have only been located in tombs that contain women. The non-reflecting side, or reverse side, is often decorated with scenes from Etruscan mythology or illustrations of daily life. The Cummer mirror is one single cast piece. The imagery on the non-reflecting side shows a seated woman on the left surrounded by items related to her toilette. On the right is a bird delivering a necklace to the seated woman, while a winged figure stands before her. The woman has been identified as Malavisch, the Etruscan name for a figure associated with wedding rituals. Scenes of adornment are common on Etruscan mirrors, supporting the idea that these objects were given as wedding gifts.

AP 1988.2.2- Portrait of a Gentleman, Cornelis van der Voort, 1617

By Angela Gonzalez,  Curatorial Intern

Cornelis van der Voort was a Flemish artist who settled in the Dutch Republic once his hometown of Antwerp fell captive to the Spanish in 1585. He set up in Amsterdam and became one of the city’s leading portraitists. He was elected head of the Guild of St. Luke which united all the professional painters in that city.

Van der Voort presents a sober, yet elegant portrayal of the affluent Dutch Republic. The custom double portrait features a man on the left and his wife which would be placed on the right. The arrangement of the portraits was traditional. This arrangement illustrates the man presenting his wife to the world. His right hand rests on a table top and he his dressed in all black attire with cuffs of white on his sleeves. Although his coat is black, the pattern of the textile is revealed through the careful use of highlights. The buttons that run down the front of his coat are each individualized. Carefully, a sash is tied in a knot around his waist. In his beard are lines upon lines to form his facial hair. A touch of grey in the beard demonstrates the man’s age in comparison to his wife. This portrait is a prime example of the Northern European artists and their attention to detail.

Unknown (Greek), Attic black-figure Amphora, c. 520 – 510 BC, terracotta, 16 in., Museum Purchase, AP.1966.21.1

By Angela Gonzalez,  Curatorial Intern

The amphora was a common piece in Ancient Greece and typically sculpted with a tapered base and neck, a wide body and two handles. This vase-shaped container was used as a storage vessel or transportation vessel for both dry and liquid products, but this amphora was most likely used for wine. Illustrated around the amphora, is the procession of Dionysos, Greek God of wine and winemaking. On one side of the vessel, Dionysos holds long grapevine branches and a kantharos, a bowl-shaped container which holds Dionysos’ wine and is never empty. He stands in between two bearded satyrs, who are half man and half goat, and is followed by a continuing procession of Maenads, who are depicted on the other side of the vessel. Maenads, or “raving ones,” are wild females and followers of Dionysos who get heavily intoxicated and become irrational.

This Greek amphora utilizes the black-figure style of vase painting, which renders figures and other designs almost like silhouettes. Natural, clay vessels were decorated with black slip and then incised to create detail and further design. After the firing process, the natural color of the clay would turn red to create a rich background and also project through the scores of black figures. These black-figure, Greek vases were extremely popular among Etruscans, who later developed their own black-figure technique based on Greek examples.

AP 2011.3.1- End of the Festival, Hughie Lee-Smith c.1954

By Angela Gonzalez,  Curatorial Intern

Hughie Lee-Smith was born in 1915 in Eustis, Florida to parents who were recently divorced. His mother, an aspiring singer, moved to Cleveland leaving Lee-Smith to be raised by his grandmother in Atlanta. His grandmother wished for Lee-Smith to grow up educated and cultured. As a result, she limited the places he could play and people he could befriend. These events in Lee-Smith’s childhood years would lead him to artistically and philosophically investigate the human need for belonging once he began his journey through adulthood.

Lee-Smith creates psychological landscapes embodying loneliness. Due to a childhood fascination, he includes elements from carnivals, festivals and circuses. He was never allowed to attend the celebrations and his longing for participation is reflected in his works. End of the Festival recalls his childhood frustrations. He paints an isolated boardwalk surrounded by water as ominous clouds engulf the sky. Red streamers attached to posts blow upward towards the sky. A male figure stands in the front, looking to the rocks below. In the distance stands a second figure. Both bodies disconnected from their surroundings which reflects the detachment felt by the artist as a child. As a new acquisition to the permanent collection of The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens, End of the Festival is an emotionally moving painting full of the artist’s mournful intensity.

C 203.1- St. Christopher and the Christ Child, Lucas Cranach the Elder, German c.1518

By Angela Gonzalez, Curatorial Intern

Lucas the Elder was the foremost member of a family of artists by the name Cranach working in Saxony in the sixteenth century. In 1505, he settled in Wittenberg, where he became court artist to the Electors of Saxony. There he established a highly productive workshop that developed a distinct manner of painting that defined the art of Saxony for the rest of the sixteenth century.

This painting depicts the legend of St. Christopher, which records a Canaanite of huge stature named Offero who wanted to serve the most powerful person in the land. His first master, a king, failed him by fleeing in fear of Satan. The giant Offero left this king. During his wanderings in search of the all-powerful Christ, the giant came upon a hermit who directed him to ferry poor and weak people across a swollen stream. One night the giant Offero carried a small child. This small child grew heavier and heavier with each step. With the aid of a large branch the two reached the opposite shore where the giant explained how he felt like he was carrying the weight of the world. The child explained, yes. You were indeed carrying the weight of the world as well as the weight of the creator of the world. Offero was later given the name Christopher; which is Greek for “Christ-bearer.”

Pier Francesco de Jacopo Foschi (Italian, 1502 - 1567), Bartolomeo Compagni, 1549, oil on panel, 40 ½ x 32 ½ in., Purchased with funds from The Cummer Council, AP.1984.3.1.

This portrait is of wealthy, Florentine merchant Bartolomeo Compagni, who lived in London, where many other rich foreigners lived. Italians, like Compagni, were especially distinguished in import and export trade. He administered several “fund raisers” to support the war efforts of Henry VIII and handled very large amounts of money as loans and other financial services. During a visit to Florence in 1549, Pier Franceso de Jacopo Foshi painted Compagni’s three-quarter portrait and inserted the sitter’s name on the letter in the bottom left foreground of the painting. Compagni is depicted with his pen in hand, which is softly raised above his desk of letters, gold pieces and red wax (a reminder of his valuable and classified business ventures). One letter is secured by the seal of Saint George, Patron Saint of England, and serves as an indication of Compagni’s prominence in London.

Foschi painted a large amount of formal portraits during his career in Florence, where he completed other numerous commissions of great achievement. His portraits are painted in the Mannerist style and his sitters gaze directly at the viewer, such as the Bartolomeo Compagni portrait. He paints Compagni in movement, with the bottom, right half of his body facing his desk and the upper, left half of his body twisting toward the viewer. His left hand rests upon his left leg and he stares, almost free of expression.

“If you keep doing whatever it is you wanna do, someday somebody’s gonna call you a punk” – Iggy Pop

Although Iggy was almost certainly not referring to Monet’s Water Lilies his observation still rings true when considering the Impressionists, their body of work, and the legacy they left behind.  Some visitors to our exhibition Impressionism and Post-Impressionism from the High Museum of Art might wonder how anyone could call Monet a misfit or Pissarro a punk but let’s examine the evidence.

During the time that Impressionism was emerging there was only one “correct” way of making Art in France and it was rigorously upheld by the Academie de Beaux Arts.  What could be more rebellious than making work that flew in the face of the established order the way these artists did?  Speaking of the Academie, It was their severe refusal of Edouard Manet’s Le dejeuner sur l’herbe which brought about the exhibition of his work and others in the Salon des Refuses, a fitting home for those considered “misfits”.

The idea of Impressionist painters as punks isn’t much of a stretch either.  Both support a do-it-yourself type of mentality, organizing themselves outside the mainstream.  Both explore the transgressive side of life.  And both celebrate the working class and the role of the common man.

The next time you’re visiting The Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens be sure to check out the show and see for yourself why Renoir was rebel, Monet was a Misfit, and Pissarro was a Punk.

Call to Artists

The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens is partnering with Folio Weekly to present the Folio Weekly Invitational Artist Exhibition. This juried exhibition will be displayed at The Cummer from August 24 – December 2, 2012 and will showcase local artists.

Artists are invited to submit original works of art (paintings, photographs, works on paper, sculptures, mixed media).  Official guidelines are below.

For questions, please contact submissions@folioweekly.com.  

1. Submissions are welcome beginning May 21 through June 10.
2. Artists are encouraged to submit no more than three works for consideration.
3. Works are not to exceed 6ft high x 4ft wide and must have hanging hardware installed.
4. Digital images of the completed work of art must be submitted to submissions@folioweekly.com.
5. Slides, hard copies or in-person deliveries will not be accepted.
6. Submissions must be accompanied with artist information: email/mail/phone and title/dimensions/media/date for each work of art.
7. Artists will be responsible for transporting the selected artwork to and from The Cummer in advance of the exhibition opening.
8. Submissions will be reviewed by the exhibition’s jury.  Not all submissions will be accepted for exhibition.  Only works that meet the above guidelines will be considered.
9. For questions, please contact submissions@folioweekly.com.

Exhibition Sponsored by: Haskell

For questions, please contact submissions@folioweekly.com. 

]]> http://blog.cummer.org/2012/03/folio-weekly-invitational-artist-exhibition/feed/ 2 http://blog.cummer.org/2012/03/artist-in-the-store-william-mcmahan/ http://blog.cummer.org/2012/03/artist-in-the-store-william-mcmahan/#comments Tue, 13 Mar 2012 13:00:05 +0000 Amber Sesnick http://blog.cummer.org/?p=6588 William McMahan grew up in Urbana, Illinois, and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Printmaking from Washington University in St. Louis in 2007.  He then studied at Indiana University where he taught “Drawing Fundamentals” to undergraduates for two years before receiving his Master of Fine Art in Printmaking in 2010.  William moved to Jacksonville, Florida in 2011, and he has started teaching drawing and printmaking through the Jacksonville Art League.  William has had work exhibited at the Danforth Museum in Framingham, MA, Manifest Gallery in Cincinnati, OH, and at the Grunwald Gallery of Art in Bloomington, IN where he had a piece win “Best in Show” at the 2011 National Society of Arts and Letters Emerging Talent Show.

AP 2011.4.1 The Tempest, Bob Thompson 1965

By Angela Gonzalez,  Curatorial Intern

As an African American artist in New York City, Bob Thompson was immersed in the cities vibrant surroundings. He visited museums to study the art, befriended jazz musicians and worked alongside some of the most noted art historians such as Meyer Schapiro (1904-1996). Born in 1937 in Kentucky, Thompson lived a modest, middle class life. He attended University of Louisville where he pursued a degree in art.

Thompson moved to the bustling streets of New York in 1959. He resided on the Lower Eastside and obtained his first solo exhibition at the Delancey Street Museum. Later he moved to Paris where he would become influenced by the works of the old masters. When he returned to New York his work took a dramatic shift. Instead of using muted colors, Thompson embraced the philosophy of color field painters and adopted a brighter palette. He decided to move to Provincetown with his wife and to complete new paintings. The Tempest marks one of his later works utilizing the adoption of new his painting techniques.

As part of The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens permanent collection, The Tempest references Venetian artist Giorgione’s (1477-1510) Fête Champêtre (ca. 1508).  He captures the composition of the earlier work especially in the two main figural elements. Thus, Thompson is comparing himself to Giorgione, and Provincetown to Venice. In Thompson’s reinterpretation of the painting color dominates the canvas generating a heightened sense of expressionism. Thompson’s love for the old masters led him to leave Provincetown in 1965 to depart for Rome, Italy. He continued to study fiercely and paint unrestrained until his untimely death in 1966.

Paul Camille Guigou (French, 1834 – 1871), L'Entrée de la Riviere à Lourmarin (Mouth of the Lourmarin River), c. 1867, oil on canvas, 37 ¾ x 56 ¼ in., Purchased with funds from the Morton R. Hirschberg Bequest, AP.1989.16.1.

French landscape painter Paul Guigou studied painting in Apt and Marseille in his younger years and was later influenced by the Barbizon School and Gustave Courbet after visiting Paris in 1859 when he was just twenty-five. Two years later, he began to paint full-time. Guigou painted hundreds of landscapes filled with idealistic scenery and great detail. In Mouth of the Lourmarin River, Guigou uses earthy tones of green, brown and grey with sparks of color in flowers and figures. Five small sigures stand in the center of the painting and allow the viewer to comprehend the sense of scale in nature. A sixth figure stands alone on a grassy hill above the central figures and tends to his sheep.

AG 1971.5.1 Madame Renoir, Pierre Auguste Renoir 1916

Written by Angela Gonzalez, Curatorial Intern

French painter, sculptor and printmaker Pierre Auguste Renoir was born February 25^th, 1841. He was one of the founders and leading artists of the Impressionist movement. Beginning in the late 1860’s, Impressionism broke the rules of traditional academic painting. Artists utilized various techniques such as applying paint in small visible strokes, mixing paint directly on the canvas and playing on the effects of natural light. The Paris based art movement favored an asymmetric horizon line while creating images of everyday, common subjects such as trees, fields or street scenes. When it came to portraying the figure, Impressionists focused on the average and ordinary person rather than religious leaders or royalty.

Renoir is best known for producing some of the movement’s most famous images containing carefree leisure. He started as an apprentice at a porcelain manufacturer where he would paint flowers and copies of Rococo artworks on plates. He saved his money and in 1862 enrolled in École de Beaux-Arts in Paris. Among his classmates were Claude Monet, Frederick Bazille and Alfred Sisley. Although Renoir may be best known for his colorful paintings of the commonality captured in intimate and candid compositions, he was also a sculptor.

Renoir’s sculptures started taking shape later in his life. At the age of 78, his brilliantly painted figures jumped off the canvas and took the form of bronze sculpture. Noticeably, the models and poses used for his sculptures are the same. Characterizing Renoir further are marks in the surface which parallel his signature brushstrokes.  A prime example of his bronze sculpture is Madame Renoir; a bronze bust depicting a woman with long hair wearing a hat. Part of The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens permanent collection, this sculpture embodies Renoir’s style and follows Impressionist ideals. Pierre Auguste Renoir died in southern France on December 3, 1919.

Gioacchino Assereto (Italian, 1600 - 1649), The Lamentation, c. 1640, oil on canvas, 50 x 62 in., Purchased with funds from The Cummer Council, AP.1988.1.1.

Italian Baroque artist Gioacchino Assereto was born in 1600 in Genoa, France, where he began his training at the studio of Andrea Ansaldo at the early age of fourteen. Throughout the decade in which he was a student, Assereto produced many works close in style and genre. Typical of baroque style, Assereto incorporated drama and emotion in his paintings (almost all of a religious genre) with the aid of the chiaroscuro and sfumato techniques. He continued to improve his technique and style during his twenties and thirties, but it wasn’t until 1639, when he visited Rome, that he discovered a flourishing interest in realism. A year later, Assereto painted The Lamentation.

A common subject of Baroque painting, The Lamentation depicts a dead Christ after his broken body is removed from the cross, along with those who mourn over him. Assereto’s interpretation of The Lamentation is exceptionally powerful. He paints Christ’s flesh as if it has been stripped of pigment. The black background and intense shadows highlight Christ’s body which practically shimmers in the darkness, alluding to His holiness even after death. Assereto renders the Virgin Mary’s face in the same manner, which allows the viewer to understand her deep sorrow. She holds her hands out near Christ’s shoulders while Mary Magdalene gently raises Christ’s hand to her face and Saint John holds the crown of thorns. Assereto’s Lamentation is rich with emotion and offers the drama we look for in Baroque art.

Claude Monet, (French, 1840–1926), Houses of Parliament in the Fog, 1903, Oil on canvas , 32 x 36 3/8 inches, Purchase with Great Painting Fund in honor of Sarah Belle Broadnax Hansell, 60.5.

That’s right, Renoir, Monet and Pisarro are heading to Jacksonville  as part of the exhibit: Impressionism and Post Impressionism from the High Museum of Art.  More than 50 works by renowned artists such as Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Mary Cassatt and John Singer Sargent will be on display at the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens from February 16 through May 6, 2012.  The exhibit illustrates the emergence of Impressionism in France during the 1870s, the movement’s evolution to Post-Impressionism, and its later influence on American artists.

Camille Pissarro, (French, 1830–1903), Snowscape with Cows at Montfoucault, 1874, Oil on canvas, 18 3/4 x 20 1/4 inches, Purchase with funds from Helen C. Griffith to honor Robert Sherrill Griffith, Jr. and from Joan N. Whitcomb in memory of Taylor Stuckey, 2007.128.

The exhibit on loan from the High Museum of Art in Atlanta features works by such pre-Impressionist artists as Eugene Boudin to mark the initial transition from the traditional, academic paintings of the French Academy of Fine Arts and the Paris Salon to the loose brushwork and airy landscapes of Monet, Renoir and Pissarro that defined the Impressionist movement.

The term Impressionism was derived from Claude Monet’s painting titled “Impression, Sunrise” which caused a stir when it debuted in 1872. The Impressionism and Post Impressionism from the High Museum of Art exhibit features paintings by Monet, Renoir, Pissarro and Frederic Bazille, all founders of Impressionism. The movement spanned two decades and the exhibit represents works from throughout the period, including paintings by American greats such as Cassatt and Sargent who were influenced by Impressionism, and examples of how the movement evolved into Post-Impressionism as seen in works by Bonnard, Paul Cézanne, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and Edouard Vuillard.  In addition to a change in technique to more visible strokes, Impressionist artists broke away from traditional rules of subject matter and composition. Impressionism was the mix of all of these elements – candid poses and more natural compositions, brushstrokes that showed immediacy and movement, less use of black, somber colors, and the belief that the viewer’s eye would allow less detailed, unblended colors and shapes tell a story.

Mary Cassatt, (American, 1844 – 1926), Sketch of a Mother Looking Down at Thomas, ca. 1893, Pastel on brown paper, Overall: 27 x 22 1/2 inches (68.6 x 57.2 cm), Gift of Jacqueline and Matt Friedlander, 2005.277.

Be the first to see this exhibition when it opens on February 16th.  While you’re here, be sure to check out the exhibition, Beyond Ukiyo-e: Japanese Woodblock Prints and their influence on Western Art on view through August 9.  This exhibition shows the influence of the bold designs, unique perspective, compositional arrangements, and simplification of the Japanese woodblock prints, and how the impressionist artists infused their own works with these elements.

AP 2011.2.1- The Bathers, John E. Costigan c. 1963

Written by Angela Gonzalez, Curatorial Intern

John E. Costigan was a self-taught painter and trained printer distinguished by his impressionistic style and affinity for bucolic scenes. Born on February 29, 1888, he was orphaned in adolescence. Taken in by his aunt and uncle, Costigan moved to New York City where he obtained a position at the H.C. Miner Lithographing Company. It was here that he learned about printing through various apprenticeships. Costigan was promoted to sketch artist where he was able to apply his artistic talent through designing posters.

Limited to only a few weeks, Costigan studied under William Merritt Chase and George Bridgman at the Art Student League. He stayed committed instead to a studio where illustrators and newspaper artists spent time sketching models in an informal atmosphere. In 1918, Costigan joined the army as a private and served in World War I. Upon returning from battle, Costigan married and moved to Orangeburg; a town situated by the Hudson River in New York. This setting would serve as inspiration for the pastoral landscapes that are prevalent subjects in Costigan’s work. He exhibited his oil and watercolor paintings and received an influx of awards.

Costigan’s body of work provides a look into the realities of his rural life. He focused on scenes of non-figural landscapes as well as compositions featuring bathers, mothers with children and single introspective figures. Characteristics of his style include use of impasto, short forceful brushstrokes and rich vibrant colors. In his work, The Bathers, Costigan provides a look into a luminescent scene of boldly colored figures filled with movement and atmosphere. This painting presents a notion of timelessness and an energetic look into the peaceful, utopian world of the pastoral.

Girolamo Giovenone (Italian, 1487 – 1555), Christ Among the Doctors (Disputa al Tempio), 1513, tempera on panel, 73 1/4 x 40 11/16 in., Museum Purchase, AP.1981.1.1.

“Christ Among the Doctors,” also known as “The Finding in the Temple,” is a passage from the Gospel of Luke and is a scene from the early life of Christ. Frequently depicted in art, this scene occurs at a temple in Jerusalem, where Mary and Joseph have accompanied twelve-year-old Jesus on a pilgrimage to celebrate Passover. Mary and Joseph lose sight of Jesus as he strays off in the temple and assume he has begun his travel back home. When they realize he never left the temple, they return to search for Jesus and find him three days later, taking part in a discussion among “doctors,” who are all impressed by his knowledge and understanding.

Gerolamo Giovenone painted several religious scenes throughout his career and Christ Among the Doctors is one of the rare works signed and dated by the artist. He was born in Northern Italy, where he spent most of his painting career during the Early Renaissance. In his interpretation of Christ Among the Doctors, Christ is seated on an elevated chair, which is stationed on a platform. The doctors, or educators, surround him just as students do, as they read from their scrolls and books, or hold their hands to their mouths in contemplation. Christ holds out his hand as a gesture to express his conversation and looks at Mary who enters the scene at the right.

Thomas Moran (American, 1837 - 1926), The Doge's Palace, Grand Canal, Venice, 1898, oil on canvas, 14 x 20 in., Bequest of Ninah M. H. Cummer, C.0.165.1.

Moran was born in England, but is best known for his panoramic landscapes of the American West. He began his artistic career in his teen years as an engraving apprentice at a magazine firm. He became bored with engraving and started to produce works on paper as sketches using watercolors or oils. He eventually became an illustrator at the firm, and continued to expand his artistic experimentation. Moran was especially intrigued by romantic landscape painter Joseph Mallord William Turner. He admired Turner’s use of oils and watercolors and appreciated his technique. Moran, like Turner, set out to paint a striking and idealized view of nature. With atmospheric effects and romantic settings, Moran used his inspiration from nature to generate his own, personal observation of the landscape. He dedicated a majority of his career to the seductive idea of “Western Exploration” and painted numerous landscapes of Yellowstone, Yosemite and the Grand Canyon. Moran was so closely associated with Yellowstone that he was nicknamed “Thomas Yellowstone Moran” and, soon after, he started to sign his paintings using the initials “T.Y.M.”

Moran also traveled to Europe and Florida to paint landscapes (for example the Ponce de Leon in Florida, also at the Cummer Museum). In his ventures to Europe, Moran made several studies in Venice and painted The Doge’s Palace, Grand Canal, Venice. There are various Moran paintings of the Grand Canal, all of which contain a misty atmosphere, highly reflective water and stunning sunsets. In The Doge’s Palace, Grand Canal, Venice, a cluster of sailboats join each other in the left of the foreground. Doge’s Palace and St. Mark’s square are illustrated far into the distance, above the horizon, which is blurred to project the city as a mystical destination.

Sassoferrato (Giovanni Battista Salvi) (Italian, 1609 - 1685), Praying Madonna, c.1660, oil on canvas, 17 3/4 x 14 in., Purchased with Membership Contributions, AP.1968.17.1.

Italian painter, Giovanni Battista Salvi was born in Sassoferrato, from where he got his nickname. During the Renaissance and Baroque periods in Italy, it was customary for artists to be nicknamed after the city from which they came from. He was trained in Umbria by his father, Tarquinio Salvi, and was especially active in Rome, and later Umbria and Florence. Surprisingly, during the seventeenth-century (Baroque period), most of Sassoferrato’s work resembled a style more closely related to fifteenth-century (Renaissance period). As opposed to typical Baroque scenes, characterized by drama, deep shadow and rich color, Sassoferrato used sweeter, softer colors to create scenes of grace and devotion.

At the request of Catholic Church during the time of the Counter-Reformation, he painted several versions of the praying Madonna, most of which are reminiscent of the works of Raphael. In this devotional painting of the Praying Madonna, Mary is dressed modestly in a royal blue cloak and a softly modeled veil. She looks downwards as her praying hands come together,  in which her fingertips gently touch one another. Her skin is porcelain white and her cheeks, lips and fingertips are painted in shades of rose. Sassoferrato illustrates a tender, pure and loving Mary.

Unknown (Greek), Attic black-figure Amphora, c. 520 – 510 BC, terracotta, 16 in., Museum Purchase, AP.1966.21.1

The amphora was a common piece in Ancient Greece and typically sculpted with a tapered base and neck, a wide body and two handles. This vase-shaped container was used as a storage vessel or transportation vessel for both dry and liquid products, but this amphora was most likely used for wine. Illustrated around the amphora, is the procession of Dionysos, Greek God of wine and winemaking. On one side of the vessel, Dionysos holds long grapevine branches and a kantharos, a bowl-shaped container which holds Dionysos’ wine and is never empty. He stands in between two bearded satyrs, who are half man and half goat, and is followed by a continuing procession of Maenads, who are depicted on the other side of the vessel. Maenads, or “raving ones,” are wild females and followers of Dionysos who get heavily intoxicated and become irrational.

This Greek amphora utilizes the black-figure style of vase painting, which renders figures and other designs almost like silhouettes. Natural, clay vessels were decorated with black slip and then incised to create detail and further design. After the firing process, the natural color of the clay would turn red to create a rich background and also project through the scores of black figures. These black-figure, Greek vases were extremely popular among Etruscans, who later developed their own black-figure technique based on Greek examples.

George Healy (American, 1813 - 1894), Portrait of Andrew Jackson, 1845, oil on canvas, 30 1/16 x 35 ¼ in., Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Algur Meadows, Dallas, Texas, AG.1972.14.1.

This sensitive portrait of Andrew Jackson was painted just days before his death and, sadly, does not represent the Andrew Jackson nicknamed “Old Hickory” for his tough personality. Jackson is seated in the center of the three-quarter portrait and barely slouching in a black chair. His brown and black overcoat blend in with the dark brown background and black chair as his shirt falls into shadow. This creates an illumination of Jackson’s drawn face and grey hair, and draws the viewer’s attention to his drooping grey eyes, which were once a deep blue. In this portrait, Andrew Jackson is an old and dying man, exhausted from illness.

This portrait was painted shortly after King Louis-Philippe of France received news that Jackson was sick. He called upon George P. A. Healy, who had a studio in Paris and worked on commissioned portraits in France under royal patronage, to paint Jackson’s portrait. Practically against his will, Jackson decided to sit for the tenacious artist at his home in Nashville, Tennessee, even though he was tired and in pain. Healy painted three versions of the portrait and found them so moving that he kept one copy for himself. Healy’s copy is the portrait that hangs in the Cummer Museum. Healy continued to paint hundreds of portraits in America, including portraits of other presidents.

William Stanley Haseltine (American, 1835 - 1900), Sunset on the Grand Canal, Venice, early 1870s, oil on canvas, 14 x 25 in., Gift of Helen Haseltine Plowden through the National Academy of Design, New York, AG.1961.7.1.

William Haseltine attended college in his hometown at the University of Pennsylvania and earned his degree from Harvard University. Following the year of his graduation, Haseltine traveled abroad to Germany to study at the Düsseldorf Academy with a concentration in landscape painting. The romantic aesthetic and emphasis on tranquility present in Haseltine’s landscapes are characteristics associated with the Hudson River School, which he was part of. Artists of the Hudson River School were American, Luminist, landscape painters who presented an idealized interpretation of nature.

Haseltine traveled to countries all over the world in order to paint these sublime scenes and frequently visited Venice. Sunset on the Grand Canal, Venice is a prime example of a picturesque scene where water and sky expand across the entire painting and create a sense of romance, serenity and grandness. Pink clouds settle on the horizon along with small, gliding boats and a thin shore, lined with the buildings of Venice. In the foreground small sandbars rise up from the water, and isolated wooden posts project a feeling of sweet independence from the busy city. Haseltine pays close attention to detail in the rendering of the ships and buildings, but loosens his brushstrokes as he paints the scene’s reflection on the water and the soft, hazy clouds that fill the sky at sunset.

One in Three, an exhibit spearheaded by The Jacksonville Public Education Fund, is on display at the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens through December.  The exhibit includes large scale photographs, written narratives, and testimonial videos that highlight the faces and stories of 20 Duval County public school students. Through dramatic portraits by photographer Ingrid Damiani, the One in Three exhibit serves as a voice to begin a community conversation about improving our education system and addressing the drop-out crisis. Those who experience One in Three are left with an overwhelming sense of hope and responsibility.

I was able to speak with photographer Ingrid Damiani about her experience with the One In Three project.

• How did you become involved in this project?

I specialize in documenting the work of non-profit organizations.  Hope McMath, the director of the Cummer Museum, knows how much I love bringing light to difficult subjects through personal stories.  I was delighted when she first presented the idea to me. I am drawn to projects that allow me to explore topics that seem daunting or overwhelming.  I also enjoy creating photographs that invite others to learn about those difficult issues, and that I hope are part of inviting positive change. With the One in Three project, I was fortunate enough to not only to be involved through my photography but behind the scenes as well.

• How did you capture the turbulent struggles and successes of each individual in a static image?

My intention when I photograph someone is to connect with them in a meaningful way.  I am looking to show the inner strength they possess in the midst of their struggle.  I am looking to capture the strength and beauty in each person. It’s what drives any image that I create.  My hope is that people who view my photographs will feel drawn to look more closely at situations that may be difficult or painful.

•   How did your conversations with the students affect the photographs themselves?

The interviews that Rachael Tutwiler, from the Jacksonville Public Education Fund (JPEF), and I had with each student were more like natural conversations. We didn’t want the students to feel the pressure of being in the spotlight. Rachael lead the interview process with directed questions, but when I saw a moment that I wanted to capture, I would stop them to photograph or begin to redirect the questions myself. We developed a natural rhythm between each other and the kids that took a lot of the pressure off.

• Was there a teacher or mentor while you were growing up that encouraged your interests to lead you to a successful career in photography?

 Not when I was growing up. I was passionate about photography at a young age, but didn’t see it as something I could pursue as a career. I saw photography as a personal interest or something that I did in my free time. It wasn’t until my thirties that I became serious about using the camera to explore issues that interested me.  I was fortunate to find wonderful teachers and mentors along the way who encouraged me to exhibit my work.

• What role do you think art plays in the education of our community’s youth? 

Art accesses a part of the brain that allows humans the opportunity to weigh different options, look at problems from new angles, and try on different hats. This skill can be applied to anything in life. Art brings a rich, colorful texture to the world that instills hope and possibility.

• What hope has the One in Three project instilled in you? 

The sense that these problems are solvable. Despite all of the big struggles that face them, the students in the exhibition are hopeful about their future. I think they are great examples of how resilient the human spirit is.  Their stories also show how powerful it is when an adult takes the time to really listen to a child and help them discover solutions to their challenges.

The finished product is an inspiring work of art that represents one of The Cummer’s most prized paintings and captures the talent that exists in Jacksonville’s artist community.

On November 5, the piece will be auctioned at The Cummer’s 50th Anniversary Ball, with the proceeds supporting an art stop at the 2012 VSA (Very Special Arts) Festival. In 2011, 2,300 children with disabilities were able to experience hands-on art projects at The Cummer through VSA.

Participating Artists:
Matthew Abercrombie - Alyssa Beard - John Beard - Josh Bergesen - Heather Blanton - Jason Campioni - Marisa Carta - Callie Cline - Deb Corbett - Megan Cosby - James Cumberland - Keith Doles - Clay Doran - Shane Douberly - Overstreet Ducasse - Candace Fasano - Crystal Floyd - Christina Foard - Jordan Avery Foster - Patrick Golden - Ed Hall - Dustin Harewood - Christie Holechek - Amber Aultman Houston - Jason John - Karen Kurycki - Rachel Levanger - Denise Liberi - Sean Mahan - Casey Matthews - Franklin Matthews - Hope McMath - Shawn Meharg - Nicole Middleton - Matthew Patterson - Madeleine Peck-Wagner - Anna Reynolds - Silvia Romero - Varick Rosete - Susan Sapinski - Erin Searcy - Amber Sesnick - Ryan Strasser - Anthony Sznakowski - Jason Tetlak - Mark Warren - Ashley Westphal - Tayloe White - Steve Williams - Barry Wilson

Tickets:
Up & Cummers Members…$10 | Non-Members…$15
Funds raised support art education & community programming at The Cummer.

Includes an assortment of beer, wine and hors d’oeuvres

Title Sponsor:
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida, Inc.

In-Kind Sponsors:
Agility Press, Inc.
Cameron Beard
BlackFinn American Grille
Bluefish Restaurant and Oyster Bar
Cypress
Intuition Ale Works
Restaurant Orsay
Riverside Liquors & Village Wine Shop
Team Black
Zoës Kitchen

To purchase tickets or for more information about joining Up & Cummers, please visitwww.cummer.org or contact Emily Magevney at emagevney@cummer.org or 899.6027.

Kim Young will be on hand in the museum store Tuesday, October 18, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. to discuss her creative method of glass blowing.  Examples of her work will be available for purchase in addition to a selection of glass pumpkins created by JU students and faculty exclusively for The Cummer Store.

For more information about the event, please call The Cummer Store at (904) 899-6035.

Benjamin West (American, 1738 - 1820), The Honorable Mrs. Shute Barrington, 1808, oil on canvas, 50 1/8 x 40 3/16 in., Museum Purchase, AP.1960.2.1.

Benjamin West (American, 1738 - 1820), Angels appearing to the Shepherds, c. 1790, oil on canvas, 25 ½ x 20 ¼ in., Purchased with funds from the Morton R. Hirschberg Bequest and a gift from Diane DeMell Jacobsen, Ph.D., in loving memory of her husband, Thomas H. Jacobsen, AP.2006.11.1. Photograph courtesy of Brian Shrum.

Benjamin West was an Anglo-American painter of historical scenes around the time of the American Revolution. Not only was he an extremely gifted painter, he was also the second president of the Royal Academy of Arts in London serving from 1792 to 1820. Born on October 10, 1738 in Springfield, PA, West learned about paint at a young age. When he was a very young child, Native Americans showed him how to mix paint with clay from the river bank and bear grease. From there, he became sufficiently self-taught.

During the years of 1746 to 1759, West worked in Pennsylvania painting portraits. In 1756, a friend of West encouraged him to paint the “Death of Socrates,” based off an engraving in Charles Rollins’ Ancient History. The finished product, which is vastly different from his other works, has been praised as “the most ambitious and interesting painting produced in colonial America.”

In 17563, West moved west to England. Here, he was commissioned by King George III to create portraits of the royal family. In 1770, he painted what is considered his most famous piece, The Death of General Wolfe, which later became one of the most reproduced images of the period.

Along with Sir Joshua Reynolds, West founded the Royal Academy of Arts in 1768. Reynolds was the first president, while West became the second president in 1792. In 1806 he was re-elected president and served until his death in 1820.

West spent the remainder of his life in London. During this time, King George appointed him historical painter to the court, he was Surveyor of the King’s Pictures, and many famous American artists studied under him, including Rembrandt Peale, Thomas Sully and John Trumbull.

Benjamin West is a great American painter. Known for his wonderfully colorful and expressive representations of thrilling moments in history, West’s work has a way of bringing his art to life in a way that makes the viewer easily identify with the scene at hand.

On this day in 1511, the Renaissance master Giorgio Vasari was born.

Giorgio Vasari (Italian, 1511 - 1574), The Holy Family with the Infant, St. John, the Baptist, c. 1540, oil on panel, 42 ¾ x 32 1/8 in., Museum purchase with Council funds, AP.1989.3.1.

One of Italy’s busiest and most influential Mannerist artists, Giorgio Vasari’s reputation as a biographer has eclipsed his artistic fame.  In 1550 he published his Lives of the Most Imminent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, which included biographies of many painters from Vasari’s own time and earlier. His humanist education combined with artistic talent earned him patronage by the powerful Medici family.  He studied in Florence under Michelangelo Buonarroti and Andrea del Sarto.

A gifted architect, Vasari designed Florence’s Uffizi, then the offices for the Medici’s business interests and today one of the world’s most foremost art museums.  His Mannerist style was intellectual, linear, and sophisticated, and is apparent in his 1540 painting The Holy Family with the Infant, St. John, the Baptist, with its bright colors, asymmetrical composition and exaggerated scale.

Thomas Eakins, one of the most important American artists, was born on this day in 1844.  Eakins specialized in many different areas of art.  He was a sculptor, a photographer, a realist painter and an arts educator.  His very influential career spanned more than 40 years, during which he painted several hundred portraits, choosing as his subjects people from his hometown of Philadelphia, PA.

Later, he decided to take the people he painted out of his drawing room and into society.  He loved to paint them in parks, offices, arenas and on streets.  These outdoor venues allowed him to paint his figures the way he wanted, nude or lightly clothed and in motion.  Aside from painting, Eakins developed a huge interest in the new technology of motion photography, a field in which he was seen as an innovator.

During his lifetime, he received little to no recognition for his outstanding works of art.  However, since his death in 1916, American art historians have described his as, “the strongest, most profound realist in nineteenth-and early-twentieth-century American art.”

Tony Rodrigues’ work mostly involves painting, but also includes drawing, printmaking, photography, collage and multi-media combinations. Tony has woven a rich tapestry of appropriated imagery culled from the chronicles of the 20th century such as vintage textbooks, postcards and snapshots. He repurposes and reshapes these images into scenarios and vignettes that subtly convey feelings ranging form quiet levity to somber introspection. There is often an open-ended quality in the work that offers the viewer some mystery to contemplate. While Rodrigues’ style has evolved over the years, there is a sentiment and awareness throughout his work that remains his own and is easily recognizable to those that are familiar with his art. His confident and adroit use of materials as well as his selection and juxtaposition of imagery lends a timeless quality to his work.

See more of Tony’s work at his website or in our special exhibition Neighborhood as Art.

Mary Cassatt (American, 1844 - 1926), Simone in a Large Plumed Hat, c. 1903, pastel counterproof on paper, 26 x 21 in., Purchased with funds provided by the Mae W. Schultz Acquisition Endowment and the Cummer Council, AP.1992.8.1.

Mary Cassatt was born in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, which is now part of Pittsburgh, on May 22, 1844.  She was born into a wealthy family.   Her father, Robert Simpson Cassat (later Cassatt), was a successful stockbroker and land speculator, and her mother, Katherine Kelso Johnston, came from a banking family.

Cassatt’s family viewed travel as an integral part of her education.  During her youth she spent 5 years in Europe and visited many of the capitals, including London, Paris, and Berlin.  At the age of 15 Cassatt entered the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia.  Her family displayed concern for her attendance as they felt she would be exposed to feminist ideas and bohemian behavior.

Cassatt decided to end her formal studies at the Academy due to the slow pace and patronizing attitudes of male students and teachers. After overcoming her father’s objections she moved to Paris in 1866, with her mother and family friends acting as chaperones.  Cassatt worked in a traditional manner, submitting works to the Salon with increasing frustration.

via http://bit.ly/mJ0vx5

In 1877 she was invited by Edgar Degas to show her works with the Impressionists, a group that had begun their own series of independent exhibitions with much notoriety. The Impressionists (also known as the “Independents” or “Intransigents”) had no formal manifesto and varied considerably in subject matter and technique. They tended to prefer open air painting and the application of vibrant color in separate strokes with little pre-mixing.  Degas had considerable influence on Cassatt. She became extremely proficient in the use of pastels, eventually creating many of her most important works in this medium. Degas also introduced her to etching, of which he was a recognized master.

Cassatt’s popularity continued to develop.  Today she is well known for her tenderly observed, yet largely unsentimental paintings and prints on the theme of the mother and child.  Diagnosed with diabetes, rheumatism, neuralgia, and cataracts in 1911, she did not slow down, but after 1914 she was forced to stop painting as she became almost blind. Nonetheless, she took up the cause of women’s suffrage, and in 1915, she showed eighteen works in an exhibition supporting the movement.

She died on June 14, 1926 at Château de Beaufresne, near Paris, and was buried in the family vault at Le Mesnil-Théribus, France.

Quotes by Mary Cassatt:

• I think that if you shake the tree, you ought to be around when the fruit falls to pick it up.

• Why do people so love to wander? I think the civilized parts of the World will suffice for me in the future.

• I am independent! I can live alone and I love to work.

• I hated conventional art. I began to live.

Albrecht Durer (German, 1471-1528), The Circumcision, 1511, woodcut on paper, 11 5/8 x 8 1/8 in., Cornelia Morse Carithers Memorial Print Collection, AP.1991.3.6.

On this day in 1471 Albrecht Durer was born.

Durer was a German painter, draughtsman, art theorist, but is most famous as a print maker.   He is regarded as the greatest German Renaissance artist. His vast body of work includes altarpieces and religious works, numerous portraits and self-portraits, and copper engravings.

Explore more about the life of Durer.

1. Gustave Leonard de Jonghe (Belgian, 1829 – 1893), (L’admiratrice du Japon), The Japanese Fan, c. 1865, oil on canvas, 44 ¼ x 34 1/16 in., Gift of the Francis & Miranda Childress Foundation, AG.1988.3.1.

2. Marie Laurencin (French, 1885 – 1956), Woman with Guitar (Femme et Mandolin), 1943, oil on canvas, 33 ¾ x 29 3/8 in., Gift from Jack and Marcelle Bear, in honor of John S. Bunker, AG.1995.2.1.

3. John Frederick Kensett (American, 1816 – 1872), Marine View of Beacon Rock, Newport Harbor, 1864, oil on canvas, 28 ½ x 45 ¾ in., Bequest of Ninah M. H. Cummer, C.0.157.1.

4. Johann Gregor Höroldt for Meissen Porcelain Manufactory (German, 1696 – 1775), Meissen Augustus Rex Vase, c. 1728, porcelain, various heights, Gift of Miss Constance I. and Mr. Ralph H. Wark, AG.1973.25.1 -5.  Photograph courtesy of Brian Shrum.

Eugène Louis Charvot (French, 1847-1924), View of Rue El – Alfahoui, 1889, oil on canvas, 47 ¼ x 39 7/8 in., Given by Yvonne Charvot Barnett in memory of her father Eugène Louis Charvot, AG.1999.5.3.

In 1889 Charvot painted View of the Rue El-Alfahouine in Tunis. It became one of his major exhibition canvases and was included in the Municipal Exposition of Geneva, Switzerland in 1898. A large canvas of Tunisian city life, it captures the rhythm of the city. In a letter to a niece he wrote:

The city of Tunis and particularly the Arab markets are from the point of view of the artist beyond all description. Delacroix, Fortuny, only gave a faint idea of it. There … all is bright and colored, luminous and fresh. The cube-shaped houses, the mosques, dabbled high and low with white lime, shine under the eastern sun like immense blocks of chalk.

Charvot was clearly taken by the exotic aspects of life in North Africa. When he was sent to Gabès, a lonely desert outpost in southern Tunisia, he used his free time to explore various desert communities. Following are some of his observations:

Djara presents an extraordinary appearance for a Parisian, especially the section extending into the oasis.… I am in a country completely unexplored by painters, and I want to make a good showing before leaving. If my paintings aren’t sucessful … at least they have the appeal of the strange and are sincere.

The Charvot Collection is comprised of 19 paintings, 202 works on paper, and associated archival materials. Research on the collection is continuing and will be presented in special exhibitions and publications.

George Inness, Perugia, 1870, Oil on Canvas, Bequest of Ninah M. H. Cummer. C.O.195.1

The fifth of 13 children, George Inness was born on May 1, 1825.  He was a landscape painter who drew his influences from the old masters, the Hudson River school, the Barbizon school, and the philosophy of Emanuel Swedenborg.

You can view his painting Perugia, in our Jacobsen gallery.  Painted mid-career, on a trip to Italy.  Toward the end of the 1860′s he became a member of the Raritan Bay Union utopian community, and began studying spiritualism.  The most important philosophy to Inness at the time, was that of Emanuel Swedenborg, who claimed that all material objects were spiritually charged.  From this point on, he focused on capturing the harmonious and expressive vision of each landscape.

Jan ten Compe (Dutch, 1713 - 1761), View of Nieuwmarkt, Amsterdam, 1752, oil on panel, 21 3/8 x 29 ½ in., oil on panel, Museum purchase with Membership Contributions, AP.1963.6.1.

Jan ten Compe found his calling in painting views of major Dutch towns.  His paintings are so precise that they are of special interest to historians because of their topographic and architectural accuracy.  He rendered buildings in minute detail, adding daily activities to enliven the scene.

Bathed in morning sunlight, the turreted building dominates Nieuwmarkt Square in Amsterdam.  Originally built as a city gate, the stately structure became a Waag, or weigh house, in the seventeenth century.  A small group of men load several large bags onto a scale in front of the weigh house and the skeleton painted on one of the doors of the weigh house indicates the entrance to the meeting room of the Amsterdam Guild of Surgeons.

One hundred and twenty-two years ago today, one of the most important artists in the Regionalist Movement was born.  Thomas Hart Benton (April 15, 1889 – January 19, 1975), who used his art to elevate the experiences of everyday people and ordinary events, pursued an art career despite the dissatisfaction of his family.

By the 1920s Benton began to forge his strongly personal style, which is characterized by grand compositions brimming with curvilinear forms, realistic details, and intensified colors.

Thomas Hart Benton (American, 1889 - 1975), June Morning, 1945, oil on masonite, 42 x 48 in., Purchased with funds from The Cummer Council, the Morton R. Hirschberg Bequest, and the Mae W. Schultz Charitable Lead Trust, AP.1994.2.1. Art © T.H. Benton and R.P. Benton Testamentary Trusts/UMB Bank Trustee/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY.

June Morning was painted by Benton in 1945 and is the cornerstone to the Cummer’s American Art Collection.   Characteristic of his mature style, June Morning depicts a view from his mother’s house on Martha’s Vineyard.  In the foreground, the vibrant, twining foliage parts to reveal Benton’s neighbor milking a cow. The Atlantic Ocean is visible in the distance.  Painted one month after Germany’s surrender in World War II, this work is Benton’s patriotic testament to the strength of the American spirit in the face of the destructive powers of war.  This painting is on view in The Helen Murchison and Edward W. Lane, Jr. Gallery of Impressionist and Modern Art.

Theodoor Rombouts (Flemish, 1597 - 1637), The Concert (A Musical Party), c.1620, oil on canvas, 44 7/8 x 68 7/8 in., Museum Purchase with funds by Eunice Pitt Odom Semmes, AP.1970.10.1.

Theodoor Rombouts studied in Italy from 1616 to 1625, following an apprenticeship in the vibrant and commercial city of Antwerp in the early seventeenth century. He was in Rome in 1620 and may have worked for the Medici in Florence until 1625, when he returned to Antwerp. Rombouts became a master at the Guild of St. Luke and embarked on a distinguished career producing mainly secular works for private patrons.

The Concert depicts a group of costumed musicians playing various instruments around a table covered with a Persian tapestry rug. Music parties of this type were typical subjects for Flemish artists during the seventeenth century. This painting shows the play of deep shadows and bright highlights that reflect the strong influence of the Italian Baroque artist Caravaggio (1571-1610), whose paintings Rombouts studied during his years in Rome. Caravaggio’s works were characterized by dramatic figures depicted with unflinching realism.

This music party is a celebration of the five senses. Rombouts indicates the various senses by selectively illuminating an ear, nose, hand, and eyes, but omits the sense of taste. This fifth sense may be represented by the foremost figure who looks out, inviting the viewer to complete the circle of senses and welcoming the patron of “good taste” who commissioned Rombouts’s paintings.

Martin Johnson Heade (American, 1819 - 1904), Orchid with an Amethyst Hummingbird, c.1875 - 90, oil on canvas, 18 1/16 x 10 1/8 in., Bequest of Ninah M. H. Cummer, C.0.112.1.

Martin Johnson Heade has acquired a reputation both as an artist and a naturalist. His studies of nature, particularly of hummingbirds, began in his youth and continued throughout his life. Following in the footsteps of other American artists, Heade went to South America and the Caribbean between 1863 and 1870. He visited Brazil, Nicaragua, Colombia, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica. At the age of 64, Heade married and moved from New York to St. Augustine, Florida, where he continued to paint for many years. Heade’s patron at the time was Henry Flagler (1830-1913), railroad magnate and real estate developer of Florida’s east coast. When Flagler built the great Hotel Ponce de León in 1885 (now Flagler College), he included studios for artists in order to attract them to St. Augustine. Heade occupied one of these studios.

Heade’s writings on the conservation of Florida’s natural wilderness are unparalleled as pioneering efforts. Heade’s contribution to American nineteenth-century painting is embodied by his study of light, particularly as reflected in paintings of sun-dappled fields and marshes. In this painting, the orchid is a carefully studied representation of the Cattleya labiata Lindley, which is found in Venezuela, whereas the hummingbird has been identified as an Amethyst hummingbird, commonly found in the Amazon Basin.

Via Peat Bakke http://bit.ly/hMq8kD

“I found a painting in my grandmother’s attic. Can someone at The Cummer tell me how much it is worth?”

You might be surprised how often we receive a call like this. Unfortunately, staff at The Cummer are unable to provide appraisals or valuations of works of art. Although the museum would seem to be a logical place to discover that sort of information, appraisals and valuations are highly specialized areas that require extensive education and certification for their practitioners.

Appraisers often  participate in rigorous training programs, and many are then subject to the professional standards of different organizations. One such organization is the American Society of Appraisers, which only accredits members after they complete a testing and evaluation process that requires years of study, training and peer review.

If you need an appraisal, valuation, or authentication of any work of art, please contact one of the following organizations that will help you locate a specialist in your area:

American Society of Appraisers

International Society of Appraisers

Appraisers Association of America

Once you have determined the basic facts about the artwork in question, you are welcome to make an appointment with one of The Cummer’s volunteer librarians, who will help you find additional information about the artist, style, or subject matter.

Robert Henri (American, 1865 - 1929), Guide to Croaghan (Brien O’Malley), 1913, oil on canvas, 41 ¼ x 33 in., Purchased with funds from The Cummer Council, AP.1976.1.1.

The artist John Singer Sargent once said, “Every time I paint a portrait, I lose a friend”.  What he meant was that his friends thought he painted them too realistically – blemishes and all!

Marie Victoire Lemoine (French, 1754 - 1820), Portrait of a Youth in an Embroidered Vest, 1785, oil on canvas, 25 5/8 x 21 ½ in., Purchased with funds from The Cummer Council, AP.1994.3.1.

Before photography was invented important and wealthy people paid artists to paint their portraits.  These portraits provided important clues about lives of these people. Important men may have been shown in uniform, and wealthy people were shown wearing expensive clothes and jewels.

Abraham Rattner (American, 1895 – 1978), Seated Figure in Costume, 1948, oil on masonite, 45 ½ x 37 in., Museum Purchase with funds provided by the Mae W. Schultz Charitable Lead Trust, AP.1991.10.1.

After photography was invented many artists thought there was no need to create a realistic portrait since the camera had that covered.  So artists began to explore new ways to create portraits.  They experimented with different colors to express feelings.  They used different shapes and angles to create portraits.  Artists were free to express their own emotions and thoughts.

Spend some time exploring the portraits on exhibition at the Cummer.  As you look at each portrait try to answer these questions:

• What is a portrait?
• Why have people throughout history had their portraits made?
• What are the various materials that can be used to create a portrait?
• How does an expressive portrait differ from a realistic portrait?
• How do these portraits inspire you to create a portrait yourself?

You might want to try creating a self-portrait when you go home.

What you’ll need:

• One 8” x 10” piece of paper
• Oil pastels or crayons in a variety of colors
• One mirror, on 8” x 10” picture frame, one photograph of yourself

What you’ll do:

• Set up your studio space.  Find a surface that you can make your drawing on where you have access to a mirror.
• Spend a moment looking at yourself in the mirror.  Notice the details of your face and placement of your features.
• Using oil pastels or crayons draw your portrait.  Don’t draw just what you see in the mirror.  Now is the time to be expressive!  This is the time to draw how you feel, not exactly how you look.  If purple hair, green lips, and large ears are always what you wanted, now is the time to draw yourself that way.
• After you finish your self-portrait, compare it to a photograph of yourself.  Which do you prefer?  Why?

Check back soon for more inspirational ideas to be found at the Cummer.

Photo by Ingrid Damiani

Most people think about experiencing art in only one way – a visual way.  We can see works of art in a gallery.  We can see how the elements of a work of art are related to each other, and to the whole.  We take for granted the ability to examine or admire a work of art, or to create our own.

Photo by Ingrid Damiani

For the blind or partially sighted, it is the other way around.  Art not only has a visual presence, it has a tactile presence.  Sound, music and smell can often prompt visual images.  In-depth verbal description and guided touch of an art object can “paint a picture” for the blind.

Photo by Ingrid Damiani

Art Beyond Sight ~ Women of Vision is an exhibition of paintings, drawings and poetry created by the Women of Vision, a group of blind and partially sighted women who have met monthly at The Cummer for over twelve years.  The Women learn the expressive and healing potential of the arts through multi-sensory methods of art making and memoir writing.

Art Beyond Sight ~ Women of Vision is on view in the Art Connections Gallery through March 6.

Augusta Savage and The Diving Boy, c. 1939

One of our great African American female artists represented in The Cummer’s collection is Augusta Savage.  You may have seen her work when visiting the current Cummer Legacy exhibit, but did you know that she is a native of northeast Florida? She was born February 29,1892 (leap year!) in Green Cove Springs.  At an early age, she fell in love with sculpting when she used clay she found in the ground to create small animals.

With the encouragement of one of her teachers, she followed her passion to become a professional sculptor working in Jacksonville and then moving north to Harlem in New York. There she was able to go to art school at Cooper Union and became known as a prominent portrait sculptor. Busts of W.E.B. DuBois, James Weldon Johnson and Marcus Garvey are attributed to her. Her rise in talent and popularity made her one of the first visual artists associated with the Harlem Renaissance. Her work led her to study in Paris for a few years.

Augusta Savage, American, The Diving Boy, c. 1939, Bronze, 32 1/2"

Excited by her own work, Savage wanted to pass on her passion for art to the greater Harlem community. Upon returning to New York after her studies in Paris, she opened the Savage Studio of Arts and Crafts which evolved into the Harlem Community Arts Center. Many well known African American artists started there including Jacob Lawrence and William Artis.  She even set aside much of her own work as a sculptor to teach young people.

The Cummer Museum is lucky to have The Diving Boy in Bronze because many of Savage’s work was not cast and therefore has not lasted through the years. Mrs. Cummer acquired this piece in 1939 for her garden where it sat looking over a reflecting pool in the Italian garden.

As an artist, teacher and activist she said, “If I can inspire one of these youngsters to develop the talent I know they possess, then my monument will be in their work.” The Cummer honors her life’s work with the naming of one of our community programs, Project Augusta Savage, where we teach art in two urban Catholic schools and bring the students to the museum multiple times per year to study our collection and garden. We hope that Savage’s passion for the arts lives on in these young students.

Participants learned the many steps it takes to transfer a laser copy of a photograph to another surface.  The first method was to paint a layer of acrylic medium on a piece of paper and then apply the copied image to it. After the acrylic medium was dry they wet the paper to remove the photocopy paper. All that was left was the image on the desired surface.

The next technique was transferring using a Chartpak blending marker or lacquer thinner. These chemicals were applied to the back of the copied photo so it transferred to another surface when pressure was applied on the back. The advantage to this process was that the artist controlled what parts of the image were transferred by tracing the parts of the image they wanted and then applying the chemicals only to those areas.

The third technique used wintergreen oil. The oil was applied to the back of a copied image much like the lacquer thinner. The paper was then pressed onto another surface using the force of a printing press.

Anna taught participants about the the use of wax in photo transfers. She heated wax and then dipped the transferred images so that there was a thin layer over the entire surface of the paper.

Then she demonstrated the encaustic technique. She used a piece she already started, that had photo transfers and a real leaf applied to the piece of wood with a layer of green wax over top.  She started by melting the layer of wax with a hair dryer so she could work with it again.

She used an etching tool to draw freehand into the top layer of wax which created thin etched lines.

Then she used oil paint to fill in the etched lines and add definition to her drawing.  She wiped away the excess paint with oil.  She then painted another layer of hot wax on the top of the piece.  Then she demonstrated how she transferred images from paper using the hot wax.

If you are interested in learning more about future workshops being held at The Cummer, review our slate of programs here. If you are interested in the work of Anna Tomczak and even take one of her workshops, check out her website.

Looking for the perfect gift for the hard to buy for friend?  Located immediately inside the Museum’s entrance, the quaint and eclectic Cummer Store offers unique gifts and artwork by area artists.  The Cummer Store carries everything from jewelry and home and garden decor to books, catalogues, cards, posters and innovative children’s toys.  It also features art glass pieces from Jacksonville University Students.

The Cummer rewards Museum members by offering a 10 percent discount at the store on all merchandise.  To enable the gift of giving, The Cummer Store accepts all major credit cards and provides gift-wrapping & UPS shipping services.  Proceeds from The Cummer Store support the many programs at the Museum.

Each month, The Cummer store presents The Artist in the Store Event, where a local artist is featured and available to discuss and display their artwork with museum visitors. This month, local author Barbara Spurlin will be featured in The Cummer Store for a book signing on Tuesday, February 8th, from 5 to 7 p.m.

On your way in or out of the Museum, be sure to stop by The Cummer Store to purchase one of the many unique items it has to offer.  For more information, contact the store at (904) 899-6035.

Anna Hyatt Huntington (American, 1876 - 1973), Diana of the Hunt, 1922; recast 1960, bronze, 98 in., Gift of Anna Hyatt Huntington, AG.1961.15.1.

Diana, huntress, defender of the forest, protector of virgins and women, guardian of the weak and vulnerable, emblem of chastity, archetype of femininity and feminism, twin to Apollo, and lunar goddess.  Diana is most often depicted as a huntress carrying a bow and arrows.  She is also attributed with a faun or a hunting dog at her side, and a moon either on her head or under her feet.  Though venerated in both Greek and Roman mythology, Diana is thought to have an earlier origin as Artemis Ephesus the Great Mother Goddess from which all creation came.  Over the centruies, she has been known by many other names, including Artemis, Potnia Theron, Agrotera, Locheia, and Phoebe.

Anna Hyatt Huntington’s bronze sculpture, Diana of the Hunt, is a focal point in the Cummer’s Gardens.  As you walk out the doors of the Loggia and down the colonnade, you can’t help but be drawn to the graceful beauty of this dynamic figure.  Huntington’s skill is remarkable, in her ability to show movement and strength in the figure.  She was an innovative and prolific American sculptor, known for her naturalistic animals and figures, and her equestrian statues.

In 1960, while the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens was still under construction, Hyatt Huntington offered to have her sculpture of Diana recast so that it could be placed in the future gardens of the museum.  This version was cast by the Modern Art Foundry of New York and is not signed or dated.  The artist had a long history of installing her sculptures in gardens.  She and her late husband Archer Huntington fully conceived and decorated Brookgreen Gardens, one of their estates in South Carolina.

Today’s post is about the Museum’s Junior Docent program. I could feed you all of the factual information about The Cummer’s Junior Docent core being comprised of 40 students grades 6th – 12th; about how each teenage participant engages themselves in art research, creation, and presentation; about the logistics of the monthly meetings. But wouldn’t it make more sense to hear about the program first hand from a Junior Docent? I have asked one of our Junior Docents to be our guest blogger and share her personal thoughts about what it means to be a Junior Docent. So, without further ado…I’d like to introduce to you Swati Sureka. Take it away Swati…

An Artist is Born
An artist, a poet, a performer, a presenter, a blogger, a leader, even a marketing director: the Museum’s Junior Docents program has placed me in roles that I could not have otherwise imagined. It is hard for me to fathom how much the two-hour monthly meetings have affected my personality over the years, but I truly believe that I grew up through this experience, and it will continue to be a significant chapter in my life after I graduate.

I was ten years old when I attended my first meeting. Being the stereotypical bookworm and model student, academics had always trumped my creative pursuits, which were essentially limited to performing an Indian cultural dance once per year. Naturally, when I was asked to give a presentation on an art piece, I was a little bit lost, and decided to use historical and biographical research as a crutch to avoid artistic analysis. I still recall trembling on presentation night, feeling incredibly small in the midst of the large, crowded gallery.

And yet, slowly but surely, I sensed my presentation skills growing. The following year, I was successfully able to conduct a miniature tour featuring three artworks, and the year after, I was able to provide a poetic interpretation.

These improvements soon began to carry over into the rest of my life, when I found myself becoming lead choreographer of an Indian dance for a school program. By the time high school came around, I had found the courage to sign up for drama and art classes, no longer hiding in the shadows. Having secured my faith in my own artistic ability, I decided to share the intricate symmetrical designs I often drew as doodles, garnering some very enthusiastic reactions.

At the end of last year, I had to take a step back to reflect on the progress I had made: my artwork was on display at the museum, as well as my poetic reaction to my favorite work, and, to top it all off, I played the lead role, that of a king, in a short piece of musical theatre that was largely my own creation. By the end of the night, I had received praise for the use of color in my artwork, a breast cancer survivor had informed me of how relatable she had found my poetry to her cancer experience, and several spectators, including the program director, had referred to my performance as “spectacular.”

This year, with the museum’s 50th anniversary fast approaching, I was asked to conduct a video interview with the museum that is soon to become part of an interactive exhibition in the museum, a great honor for me. As this seven-year journey comes to a close, I reflect on it fondly, and appreciate all that it has taught me and allowed me to become. The Cummer Museum, and the creative energy it has instilled in me, will forever have a special place in my heart and mind.

The Circumcision

The Cummer has an extensive collection of works on paper that help provide a well rounded experience for museum guests, along with paintings and sculpture in the galleries.   Unfortunately, due to the fragile nature of works on paper – light sensitivity and over exposure - we are not able to show these works on paper for long periods of time.  With the  new installation of our Medieval gallery, we have been able to pull four works on paper from the vault which have not been on view for a few years.  

Painting: Diantha York-Ripley, Marsh Series, 2010, Acrylic on Canvas, 24x36 (Photo via http://www.dianthayork-ripley.com/about-artist.htm )

Join us at the Museum Store on Tuesday, December 14th to meet our Artist in the Store, painter Diantha York-Ripley.

Diantha York-Ripley developed a keen interest in art from an early age.  It wasn’t until her first art class at the University of North Florida however, that she discovered, “These people are speaking my language.”  While working on her Bachelors of Fine Arts degree, her technique was honed and refined.  Diantha was also a fligt attendant with a major airline, both before school and during, which broadened her global perspective and influenced her perceptions of the beautiful world in which we live.

She has attended workshops in both the United States and Europe, and is a member of the Jacksonville Coalition for the Visual Arts, the St. Augustine Art Association, the Jacksonville Museum of Contemporary Art, The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens, and the Art Institute of Chicago.  Diantha is married with two adult children and enjoys gardening, cooking, reading and spoiling her grandchildren and her black german shepherd, Raven.