Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring seems to be a favorite in the re-created art catalog.
For which I’m glad.
Though this next one does differ quite substantially from the original….
You have to applaud the commitment.
There.
Proof positive your mother was wrong when she said you’d never find a place to wear head to toe green.
Man with vacuum cleaner.
You know women will swoon over this.
Oh. My….
The less said about this the better!
I do.
And they’re still cracking me up.
Nice work Fido.
Clever….
And think of the lovely smooth skin he’ll have afterwards.
Have you hugged your…
(Whatever the hell that is) today?
I have to say I never realized how versatile toilet paper is as a prop.
But it is.
It really is.
I mean yes, all these art e-creations are slightly bizarre.
But some me make me laugh more than others.
Others?
Make me snort out loud.
Thank you clever art lovers….
For giving me something to chuckle about during this stressful time.
This is a place I’ve always wanted to visit but never have… so on a rainy, blustery day a while back? We did.
The Farnsworth is famous in these parts for it’s extensive collection of Maine artists….
With the Wyeth’s being front and center.
I’ve always liked Andrew, and on the day we visited there was a special exhibit of his work from WW1.
Art is a strange thing, and totally subjective… so what moves me might leave you flat.
But hey, it’s my blog. My choice.
This simple painting of a helmet filled with pine cones for example.
You’ll have to pardon the reflections in a lot of these shots…. it’s nearly impossible to avoid with the bright gallery lights and glass.
While not known for his portraiture…
This series of photos showing Wyeth at work was quite interesting.
As was the case filled with drawings he did at the age of 8.
Huh…
I’m pretty sure my 8 year old artwork looked something like this:
The next gallery showcased Wyeth’s Maine pieces.
And trust me, they really capture the feel of our coast.
There was also a section of these…
Halloween!
Which looked much better without the reflection of the paintings from the other side of the room.
But you get the idea.
Nothing says Halloween in Maine like a skeletal ship’s captain.
Making our way through the museum we found a fiber artist….
Who had some unusual installations…
Proving that art comes in all shapes and sizes.
Down the stairs and into the main gallery…
A tribute to Maine’s agrarian culture…
And it’s crustaceans.
Yes, that is a marvelous pile of blown glass lobster claws.
It should be noted that while I grew up strolling happily around MOMA in New York, the husband has absolutely no tolerance for modern art.
And I have to admit….. watching him puzzle over what he’s looking at is half the fun of visiting museums together.
I keep telling him that it’s more important to experience art, to feel it… than to understand it.
But he just wrinkles his nose and says….
“Yes. But what the hell is it?”
There were a few Rockwell Kent pieces….
Whose work has sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
As well as this:
A table to draw a self portrait.
Which made me very glad we hadn’t run into this fellow.
To be continued….
Here are the last 3 examples I’ll gleefully share with childlike enthusiasm bore you with.
The original…
The re-creation…
I’m going to go out on a limb and say this fellow might have enjoyed the exercise a little too much.
The original….
The re-creation…
Proof positive modern life is lame.
And because this one literally made me snort, I saved it for last.
The original…
The re-creation…
Hope you enjoyed these as much as I did.
Because we all need a little more laughter these days.
Crossing back over to the DeWitt side of the museum, things got a bit more formal.
And a trifle bizarre.
I think a little 18th Century photoshopping was in order here.
Okay then.
I saw the portrait of the gentleman on the left and thought, “What’s with the hair?”
And apparently I wasn’t the only one who asked.
It was an extensive gallery.
And according to George…. will be even more extensive soon.
Another sad statement of the times.
This couple struck me as a little odd.
Is it me or does the wife’s right arm look a wee bit…. off? As in, did the creepy husband chop it off and line it back up for the portrait?
We’ll never know.
At the far end of the gallery there was a video that was oddly mesmerizing.
And then on the way out there was a chair, which I forgot to photograph.
But George didn’t like it.
Chairs that were no good for sitting.
Excellent.
Through with the museum, we realized we’d not only skipped lunch but were now ready for dinner.
When I asked the husband what he was in the mood for, he said anything… so I picked a well reviewed barbecue restaurant in Williamsburg.
And the husband didn’t like it from the minute we stepped through the door.
Why?
Who knows.
They brought us yummy cornbread to munch while we looked at the menu.
Which he also didn’t like.
Pulled pork sundae? Come on… what’s wrong with that!
I managed to talk him into staying for appetizers.
So he had a chili he didn’t like either.
I went with some spicy steamed shrimp.
And while the rest of the customers were enjoying large platters of succulent looking food, he told me to pick another place because all they had on the menu was barbecue.
Gee. Who woulda thunk it?
People always think I’m the picky one, but when it comes to eating out my husband will drive you to drink.
Which in my case isn’t necessarily a negative…. but still.
The second restaurant that night was Italian.
Everyone raved about Sal’s, so I figured, why not?
He couldn’t complain about the menu being small.
It went on for multiple pages.
The garlic knots were perfect.
(Okay, I ate 4. Don’t judge.)
The salads were fresh and tasty.
My veal Marsala was tender, perfectly cooked and filled with wine soaked mushrooms.
He certainly couldn’t complain his chicken parmigiana was a small portion.
Good God, it was huge.
But you know what? He didn’t like this place either.
And heck, I’m the one who should have been complaining….there were no cocktails!
This was what I’d come to see.
And with a nod to Abe, we entered.
By definition:
That may be….
But I just think it’s fun.
Would I ride a carousel ostrich?
You bet your tail feathers I would.
And hey….
Chickens are prominently featured, so you know I’m on board.
Folk art has numerous styles, shapes and mediums.
Paintings being one of the most popular.
And this collection didn’t fail to impress.
From nautical…
To agricultural…
To portraiture…
There was something for everyone.
And chickens rule.
Which clearly surprised this canine.
And yes, there were creepy antique dolls now and then as well.
Sleep with this shifty, black eyed, soul stealing creature in my bedroom?
Was this woman used as the model?
I see the resemblance.
And that poor man looks half dead already… so it could be.
I’ve visited a large number of museums in my day and tend to be jaded…. but I have to say, the collection of sterling silver in Williamsburg impressed even me.
Some were simple.
Others elaborate.
(Goose feet! I loved it.)
Some embellished your shoes.
Cases as far as the eye could see of master craftsmanship.
The thought of polishing all these beauties left me quaking….
But honestly…
Wow.
There was a cover for your honeycomb…
A ceremonial scepter.
And countless teapots.
Morbid jewelry?
Check.
Giant turtle?
With a slightly bored husband mimicking the facial expression of the fellow over his shoulder?
Check.
There was even a piece perfect for my Name That Crap game…. although it’s far from crap.
Let’s play!
What is it?
There are two distinct collections in what used to be the lunatic asylum building… The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum and the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum.
It’s a bit fluid when you enter…
And since it was the Christmas season I wasn’t surprised to see one of these.
Please note there’s a chicken instead of an angel on the top. I’m not sure what that means, other than there might be a secret cult of barnyard fowl practicing nearby. Which lead me to Google image search ‘religious chicken’ and then I was off….
Yes….
I’m easily distracted… but you have to admit,
This architect had a sense of humor.
And now back to your regularly scheduled program:
The story behind it was interesting.
Me like.
Though I doubt I’ll be making my own or buying the book.
And opposite the festive tree?
Implements of death….
Because nothing says holiday cheer like various ways to kill each another.
But even I have to admit they were beautiful specimens.
And if you look closely, you can see the scowling face on the bottom of the grip.
I read the DeWitt has the largest collection of southern furniture in the world…
And I believe it.
There were rows and rows of unique examples.
There were also some fabulous fashions of the day.
And yes…
Shoes!
And if that wasn’t wonderful enough… there was 300 year old fabric.
And a vintage runway.
Those little harlots.
Did you see how much ankle she was showing?
Shameless!
On my list of must see places was the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum. She was an early collector of the form and I’d heard tell the place was filled to the brim with treasures.
What I didn’t know was the building’s original use.
Half museum, half insane asylum.
Color me intrigued.
Well, that doesn’t look at all comfortable.
But at least there’s a cushion.
*gulp*
This certainly gives new meaning to the term “time out”.
While revolting….
I have to say the peek into early treatment of mental illness was fascinating.
Yikes.
Seems like there was a whole lot of restraint … and not much actual treatment.
It was about this time the husband told me he read about men committing their misbehaving wives for little more than disagreeing with their authority.
Uh oh.
Early shock therapy looked rather primitive.
Am I the only one who’s reading “restored” as irreparably brain damaged?
One can only imagine the horrors those poor people suffered at the hands of their supposed healers.
Though they did have some pretty snazzy syringes.
On a lighter note, the husband was tickled to see one of these on display.
He bought a whole box of these slides at a yard sale years ago. They’re pretty valuable as a few of them show pre Civil War life with slaves… but he’s never found the actual lantern for sale.
If you ever see one? Let me know….
It would make a great birthday gift and rise above his usual level of rusty crap.
River's world..... 