The White House 2012 Fall Garden Tour

I've lived in Washington for over 20 years and I continue to appreciate the beauty and formality of this city, the architecture of the Federal buildings, the free access to the country's treasures in the Smithsonian museums, and the lush parks and gardens at every turn. Today, with camera in hand, on a picture-perfect autumn day, I walked past the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden, a Southern Magnolia planted by President Andrew Jackson in 1830, the Rose Garden, the South side of The White House, including the West Wing and Oval Office, and even The White House Kitchen Garden planted by First Lady Michelle Obama. It was a perfect way to spend an October Saturday afternoon, on the South Lawn of The White House, the backyard of the President of the United States.

George Bellows

George Bellows (1882 – 1925) remained first and foremost a painter and illustrator of modern life. As he stated himself, "the artist makes life more interesting or beautiful, more understandable or mysterious, or probably, in the best sense, more wonderful." The George Bellows exhibition that runs until October 8 at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, has completely fascinated me since it opened in June. I've visited three times and read the entire catalogue that accompanies the exhibition. The book contains a collection of essays and stunning color images that cover various segments of the artist’s career, putting his art in the context of local and world events and how he chronicled them.  The 33-minute film is an excellent starting or ending point to seeing this exhibition (Part I and Part II at nga.gov).

Before this exhibition, I knew nothing about this artist other than the era in which he worked, mistakenly putting him into the group of “Ashcan School” of artists who worked in the same locale and timeframe. It would be hard to put Bellows into any category, genre, or school. Over the course of his short career, his style evolved. Sometimes painting or illustrating what he saw, other times adding elements of drama for the sake of the picture, Bellows was criticized for his series of paintings depicting atrocities in Europe during World War I. A public outcry grew against the use of propaganda to rally Americans to enter the war, angering many when it was discovered the events he had painted and drawn did not happen as he portrayed. He responded that, “he hadn't been aware that Leonardo da Vinci had a ticket to paint The Last Supper.”

Putting his art in relation to the political culture and the urban and social issues of the early 20th century helped to bring meaning to his imagery. You'll see violence, poverty, sporting events, portraiture and family life, along with crowded urban scenes, and serene images of the seashore. The breadth of work by Bellows is dazzling, yet time constrained. A life cut short, Bellows died painfully at the age of 42 from a ruptured appendix.

National Gallery of Art, Washington through October 8, 2012

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York | November 15, 2012–February 18, 2013
Royal Academy of Arts, London | March 16–June 9, 2013

Stag at Sharkey's | 1909 | Oil on Canvas

New York | 1911 | Oil on Canvas

Love of Winter | 1914 | Oil on Canvas

The Germans Arrive | 1918 | Oil on Canvas

Poetry In Motion

Born This Day | February 24 | Winslow Homer

The great American artist Winslow Homer (1836-1910) created some of the most breathtaking and influential images in the history of illustration, oil, and watercolor, one of America's undisputed masters.

In September 2012, the Portland Museum of Art will open the Winslow Homer Studio to the public. One of the most significant locations in the history of American art, the Studio, located at Prouts Neck, Maine, is where Homer lived and painted many of his masterpieces from 1883 until his death. Located on the rocky coast of Maine just 12 miles from Portland, the Studio was purchased by the Museum in 2006 from Charles Homer Willauer, the great grand-nephew of Homer. The Museum has been restoring the building to the period when Homer lived there from 1883 until his death in 1910. 

A National Historic Landmark, the renovated Winslow Homer Studio will celebrate the artist’s life, encourage scholarship on Homer, and educate audiences to appreciate the artistic heritage of Winslow Homer and Maine. Tours of the Studio will begin from the Museum on Monday, September 24, 2012, and tickets will go on sale this summer on the Museum’s website. 

In High Cliff, Coast of Maine (seen below), the ocean wages a mighty and relentless assault on a rocky cliff at Prouts Neck, where Homer took refuge from civilization for thirty years. Two small figures at the upper right provide the only hint of man's witness to the natural drama. Homer was despondent when the painting did not sell quickly, saying, “I cannot do better than that. Why should I paint?” Indeed.

High Cliff, Coast of Maine | Winslow Homer | 1894 
Born: Boston, Massachusetts (1836) | Died: Prouts Neck, Maine (1910) 
Oil on Canvas | 30 1/4 x 38 1/4 in. (76.8 x 97.2 cm)
Smithsonian, American Art Museum

Beauty Inside and Out

There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about the master artist Knox Martin.  His beautiful soul has permeated my life for over four years since our first meeting in his Washington Heights home and studio in New York City.  I knew from the moment I met Knox, that he was gold. His warm, expressive eyes penetrate you in a way you feel like you’re the only person on his planet. Much like his father, William Knox Martin, an aviator who was the first man to fly over the Andes Mountains, he has pursued his life with gusto!

Knox served in the U.S. Coast Guard on a flotilla, putting him in harm’s way at Omaha Beach during the invasion of Normandy, France in World War II; studied at the Art Students League of New York on the G.I. Bill after the War; received recognition by Franz Kline, Bill de Kooning, and the important Stable Gallery, Charles Egan Gallery, and the Whitney Museum of American Art early in his career; taught at Yale, New York University, University of Minnesota, the International School in Italy, the Art Students League of New York; and traveled the world, seeing him in photographs riding an elephant, lounging with a tiger, or telling a tale about his remarkable encounter with a massive whale.

Knox’s stunning work encompasses drawing, painting, sculpture, mosaics, multi-story murals, and poetry. Every time I seek more information about him, I’m really overwhelmed by the depth and sincerity of this artist who has dedicated his life to spreading his message of spirituality. I’ve been privileged to sit with him as he recites Yeats with tears in his eyes, while surrounded by the incredible art in his studio. We’ve discussed jazz and 1950s art-world intrigue, talked through his painting of grapes or how he executed his latest creation, he has shown me how he makes his favorite coffee, drawn me, and cooked for me on more than one occasion. I’ve even seen him sling a knife on the floor over a guest mutilating his meticulously prepared pasta dish!

I celebrate Knox on his 89^th birthday, February 12—to Knox, with love.

Photo credits:
Knox Martin and The Whaling Wall maquette | © 2012 Knox Martin/VAGA New York NY | Photo by Gaby Ryan
Knox Martin painting in studio on 9-21-11 | © 2011 Knox Martin/VAGA New York NY | Photo by Gaby Ryan

www.knoxmartin.com

http://knoxmartin.brandyourself.com/