I promised some highlights of the art I viewed on my recent trip to New York and Washington, D.C. and if I don’t do it now, I don’t think I’ll ever get around to it! It is tempting to spend the time in the studio instead, but I have been enjoying going through all the photos and reliving the trip.

Unfortunately, some of the special exhibitions that made a huge impression on me didn’t allow photographs of the art: Diebenkorn at the Corcoran, George Bellows at the National Gallery, Jasper Johns at the Phillips Collection and Norman Lewis at the American Art Museum in D.C. But there was so much more that I viewed and enjoyed throughly…

Central Park, The cemetery at Trinity Episcopal on Wall Street, Biking to the Monuments in Washington D.C., Our favorite meal of the trip: Great N.Y. Noodletown in NYC,  The Red Cross Building in Washington, Washington Monument

The Unicorn Tapestries at the Cloisters in NYC

Seeing numerous examples of favorite artists’ work! Above, John Henry Twachtman. I love his subtle color shifts and fabulous textures.  From Wikipdedia: John Henry Twachtman (August 4, 1853 – August 8, 1902) was an American painter best known for his impressionist landscapes, though his painting style varied widely through his career. Art historians consider Twachtman’s style of American Impressionism to be among the more personal and experimental of his generation. He was a member of “The Ten“, a loosely-allied group of American artists dissatisfied with professional art organizations, who banded together in 1898 to exhibit their works as a stylistically unified group. More biographical information here.

The inimitable Georgia O’Keeffe

Modigliani. Love his elongated shapes. I had never seen his sculpture before, so I enjoyed seeing his style come through in a different medium. From Wikipedia:  Amedeo Clemente Modigliani (Italian pronunciation: [ame?d?o modi???ani]; July 12, 1884 – January 24, 1920) was an Italian painter and sculptor who worked mainly in France. Primarily a figurative artist, he became known for paintings and sculptures in a modern style characterized by mask-like faces and elongation of form. He died in Paris of tubercular meningitis, exacerbated by poverty, overwork and addiction to alcohol and narcotics. I can also recommend this movie about Modigliani’s life, available on Netflix, although it is very sad.

“What I am seeking is not the real and not the unreal but rather the unconscious, the mystery of the instinctive in the human race.” – Amedeo Modigliani

Pierre Bonnard, one of my favorite colorists!

There were so many others… and not enough space and time to blog about them. Next post I will try to highlight some of the more contemporary art that made an impression on us. The featured image of Raymond Saunders’ will serve as a teaser!

What about you? Have you seen art this summer that inspires?