The twin exhibitions - "The Girl with a Pearl Earring - Dutch Paintings from the Mauritshuis" and "The Rembrandt's Century" in De Young Museum, San Francisco are to be closed on June 2. The second exhibit is a companion exhibition to Girl with a Pearl Earring featuring more than 200 rarely seen prints and drawings of the same era, all
drawn from the permanent collections of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. These were wonderful exhibitions and I visited these two exhibitions twice in order to absorb as much as possible, despite the fact that I'd seen the marquee painting by Johannes Vermeer in the Mauritshuis before.
Much have been said about this now household name painting and I would not repeat much here. But I can list a few my other favorites.
The first one was a small bird painting, The Goldfinch (above), by Carel Fabritius, a painter of the 17th century Dutch Golden Age, studied with Rembrandt van Rijn. Other favorite paintings included one by Rembrandt, Portrait of an Elderly Man, 1667 (below)
Another standout was a genre painting by Pieter de Hooch, titled A man smoking and a woman drinking in a courtyard (below).
The most overwhelming and lasting effects were actually from the "Rembrandt's Century" painting, with much moody engravings, etchings and drawings.
My favorite was Rembrandt's etching, The Landscape with the Three Trees:
I also love the amazing The Shell (Conus Marmoreus), a combination of etching, drypoint and engraving by Rembrandt (below):
Then there were Medea, or The Marraige of Jason and Creusa, 1648 by Rembrandt and his Christ Crucified between Two Thieves (The Three Crosses), 1653, both highly dramatic and terrifying:
There were more paintings and prints by other masters in these amazing exhibitions. Do try to see these works!
Quoting the statement from the official website, "Wilde Magazine was founded in 2012 with the goal of offering a queer
perspective on life through art and writing. We are a bi-annual
publication, available in both print and digital formats.
We seek to not only offer a high-quality publication of art and
literature, but to foster a communal and multimedia experience. Art and
writing, culture itself, is not a mere showcase of talent, but rather a
discussion.
The nature of queer life, as well as an artistic life, is one centered
around community. It's essential in our creative abilities and our rise
against adversity. This struggle has been documented by gay artists and
writers before us, such as the very one after which this magazine is
christened - Oscar Wilde."
It is a honor to have my works included in this magazine. Below are the screenshots of the online previews. You may browse the magazine in a reduced format online, and the print and digital versions of the magazine can be purchased through MagCloud.
Last weekend, I completed an oil painting, titled "Last Trip - A Dream". It was indeed based on a dream I had.
Several years ago, I had a chance encounter with an immaculately dressed old lady in my neighborhood and her exceptional good taste belied the time we lived in. That was the start of our casual friendship and whenever I met her I always felt a sense of being granted a special access to a more elegant era, which had long ceased to exist. Over the years, though she has getting frailer, she always declined any help I proposed to offer. The last time I saw her, several weeks ago, she looked a bit down and somewhat less than perfectly careful with her look so I didn't have the heart to greet her, so as not to make her feel embarrassed. It was perhaps silly on my part, but I think she'd appreciate it as my kindness.
Her frailty haunted me and in one of the following nights, I dreamed of her, lying on a large suitcase, dressed in black gossamer, readying for her last journey. It was that dream inspired my painting below, though it was neither a literal description of the elegant lady, nor an accurate account of my dream.
Last Trip - A Dream
Oil on Canvas
22" x 28"
Completed in 2013
Early this month, I visited San Francisco Asian Art Museum to see the special exhibit "China's Terracotta Warriors: The First Emperor's Legacy" (February 22 - May 27), which included a small formation of eight famed terracotta warriors and two horses from the mausoleum of Qin Dynasty's first emperor, Qin Shihuang (259-210 BCE), in Xi'an, China, and some other fascinating artifacts, including swords, bronze ceremonial utensils, and a pair of carriage replicas.
Seeing these vivid sculptures up and close was quite gratifying. Each of those ancient warriors had a vivid face and distinct feature, with their uniform and their hairdo to presumably reflecting their ranks. These horses were regal, substantial, yet graceful. This small army, in the dimly lit exhibition hall, were oppressive enough to make me shudder.
I particularly liked the replica of carriages in the lobby. They were of reduced size nonetheless contained every bit of the carriages and horses' harnesses. The warm yellow bronze and the green rust patina were both lustrous and ancient. The shape of the carriage was quite unusual and felt exceptionally beautiful to my eyes.
The bits of the harnesses were deftly presented by incorporating line drawings to demonstrate the functions of those parts. Other artifacts, large and small were equally stimulating and beautiful to behold.
This exhibit was not of exhaustive scale but large enough to give us a very brief survey of the archeology discovery surrounding the excavated mausoleum.
As mentioned in my previous blog, Famed Terracotta Warriors and Their Intriguing Successors, excavation sites and the half-buried warriors, horses, and chariots in Xi'an are only a portion of the vast mausoleum site, whose full extent has not been fully mapped out. In 2007, I had the chance to visit the excavation site and saw these astonishing displays below:
Anyone who wants to take a quick glimpse of this exhibit should take the advantage before the show ends.
I have been working on a series of paintings with "white dress(es)" motif for quite a while, and recently I extended my effort to include some installation/mixed-media endeavors. My most complete effort in this new field was a work titled "Stringed White Dresses - An Installation", completed in March 2013.
Using some rather square and unyielding origami white dresses, pasted onto twine, who was in turn attached to a wooden frame, I created a subtle contrast between order and disarray, manifested in the disordered formation of the white dresses. To enhance the contrast and drama, I affixed to the frame an ink drawing - mostly in black, with dashes of muted red. When I started to get excited about this project, I recorded part of the creation process on video. Below are the video clip and the finished piece:
Though I was happy with and proud of the resulting work, I didn't pin much hope on this piece, which was really an experiment. Yet, I was curious enough to see other people's reactions to it, so I submitted it for publication. In April, it was included in Pomona Valley Review, Issue 7, published by Cal Poly Pomona.
I was quite encouraged by this acceptance and entered it for the ArtSlant 4th 2013 Showcase competition, in the mixed-media category. Last week, I was informed, and then saw the result online, that it had won the award.
That made it the fourth win in ArtSlant's Showcase competitions.
ArtSlant is the #1 Contemporary Art Network with worldwide arts calendars, artitsts, reviews, and online art sales of originals and prints.
I am quite pleased and more than a bit amused by its success. A new direction? Maybe. The "White Dress" series will continue, for sure.
Gondola in front of Collezione Peggy Guggenheim, Venezia
When I visited Venice last October, the high water repeatedly threatened to derail my plans, and on the day when we visited a cluster near Punta della Dogana, including Peggy Guggenheim Collections and Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute, the water and wind were quite threatening, so we only saw the sculpture "Boy With Frog" on the very tip of Punta della Dogana from the safe distance and missed the frog held by the boy entirely. It was an intriguing enough a sculpture viewed from the back and though I was very curious about what to see in the front, I didn't want to be swept into the lagoon and believed that I could come back someday to see it again. However, that turned out to be a wishful thinking.
According to BBC News, that iconic sculpture "Boy With Frog" by American sculptor Charles
Ray, would be removed.
Work has begun to take
away a controversial statue depicting a naked boy with a frog in a part
of ancient Venice, Italian media report.
The artwork, by US sculptor Charles Ray, will be replaced by a lamp-post at the tip of the Punta della Dogana. The decision has angered some art lovers who argue that it shows a failure to embrace challenging, contemporary work. But city officials say the sculpture was always intended to be temporary.
Boy with Frog, which is gleaming white and 8ft (2.5m) tall,
has occupied the tip of a triangular piece of land that separates the
Grand and the Giudecca canals for almost four years... It shows a boy holding up a frog by one leg and gazing at it.
In its place will be a reproduction of the original lamp-post... The old-fashioned landmark was thought to be more in keeping
with the surrounding architecture, BBC Rome correspondent Alan Johnston
reports.
Some animal-lovers also argued that the image of a boy holding the frog upside down was cruel, our correspondent adds.
But a piece in La Stampa newspaper criticised Venice's
council, saying "administrative cowardice" had won out over real
culture.
Defending its decision, the council said the sculpture had
been considered temporary and Venice had a fine record of welcoming and
exhibiting modern art.
Dogana, the dividing point between
S. Marco basin, the Canale della Giudecca and the Canal Grande, and its imposing building, the former Dogana de Mar (Sea Customs Post), and the adjacent majestic Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute, was huge and dramatic, particularly viewed from a certain distance, as we approached it from the vaporetto (water bus), and the ever shifting images were quite amazing:
Dogana de Mar (Sea Customs Post) and Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute
Up close, with a tall mast ship mooring nearby, the site was rather romantic and becalming, as we carefully picked our way on the flooded pavement towards the tip of Punta della Dogana.
The wind was strong, the water was choppy and part of the tip was under water already. As waves constantly lapped towards a few brave tourists who pressed forward, I stood in the safe zone and took some snapshots of the boy behind his back, thus missed the frog dangling in the boy's right hand.
Boy With Frog, by Charles Ray, outside the Punta della Dogana
Thanks to outdoorPDK, I am including this photo below so my readers can have better understanding of this sculpture. It was a beautiful one, albeit undeniably controversial.
Moving away from the tip of Punta della Dogana, we saw another unforgettable sculpture, a very somber "Vater Staat" (2010) by Thomas Schütte, in front of the grand Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute.
Vater Staat by Thomas Schütte, 2010, in front of Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute
To me, the most memorable feature inside the Basilica was its huge geometric patterned floor under the huge rotunda. Endlessly fascinating.
Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute, Venezia, 15 October
There were several wonderful sculptures, shrines, and paintings; however, this visit took place near the end of our trip and by then I was suffering art saturation, therefore my memory of those artworks was somewhat dim. Thanks to these photos below, I can remember their subtle splendor.
Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute, Venezia, 15 October
Uhrturm, Schloßberg, Graz (left) and Hauptbahnhof, Graz
Leaving the Renaissance city Graz, Austria, the city I called the City Without Entrance, and Exit
was an adventure itself. We left Graz via Klagenfurt, Villach, Austria, then Udine, Italy to arrive at Venice, on 10 October 2010. The highlight of these two bus rides was the part passing through the Julius Apls from Villach and Udine.
Once we had departed from Graz, our trip became very smooth. Though it was gray and we were traveling amongst the mountains, the road condition was excellent and any safety concern dissipated.
Between Graz and Klagenfurt, Austria
Between Graz and Klagenfurt, Austria
It took only two hours to arrive at Klagenfurt. We followed another bus into the Hauptbahnhof and that was our bus from Klagenfurt to Venice. All Austrian cities were clean and orderly.
Hauptbahnhof Klagenfurt, Austria
Hauptbahnhof Klagenfurt, Austria
We had ten minutes to change bus. The bus driver also checked our passports against his list. For both rides, we had purchased our seats right above the driver, so as to have a good view. The reservation cost only three euros each. Below was our bus, resting at Villach, Austria, our next stop before entering Italy.
Klagenfurt-Villach-Undine-Venedig bus, Villach, Austria
Hauptbahnhof Villach, Austria
From Villach to Udine, Italy, we traveled through some beautiful scenery, part of the Julius Alps formation. We saw impressive pastures, villages and cliffs. The pictures I took may present it as somewhat monotonous but in reality it was far from it.
Julische Alpen (Julius Alps) between Villach and Udine, Italy
Julische Alpen (Julius Alps) between Villach and Udine, Italy
Julische Alpen (Julius Alps) between Villach and Udine, Italy
Julische Alpen (Julius Alps) between Villach and Udine, Italy
The border between Austria and Italy was very plain, like a simple roadside rest stop in the US.
Austria-Italy Border
The rocky formation continued for a long stretch and we passed some large quarries just before we came upon the fertile fields near Udine, in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of Italy.
Julische Alpen (Julius Alps) between Villach and Udine, Italy
Julische Alpen (Julius Alps) between Villach and Udine, Italy
Julische Alpen (Julius Alps) between Villach and Udine, Italy
Julische Alpen (Julius Alps) between Villach and Udine, Italy
Julische Alpen (Julius Alps) between Villach and Udine, Italy
Now, the landscape started to take on more warm hue of the Italy we associated with. The villages and towns took on a warmer tone as well. More Mediterranean.
Near Udine, Italia
Udine, Italia
Near the end of the day, we finally arrived at Veneto region, and we made a quick stop at Mestre Stazione, Venezia. We were told not to get off the bus at all.
Veneto, Italia
Mestre Stazione, Venezia
Then we left the mainland behind, and traveled upon a man-made bridge in the lagoon, leading to the islands part of Venice. It was amazing to be on the bridge, or viaduct, seeing water on both sides was and then the familiar landmarks emerged in the far distance.
Approaching Tronchetto, Venezia
Arriving Tronchetto, Venezia
Tronchetto was the final stop of the bus. From there, we were to switch on a commuter light rail to go to Stazione Santa Lucia, which was the main train station in Venice.
Tronchetto, Venezia, 10 October
The light rail traveled on a bridge looked like a gigantic whale bone. Very beautiful. The trip cost only a Euro.
Rail track connecting Stazioni Tronchetto and Santa Lucia, Venezia
Getting off the light rail, we dragged our luggage through a lovely bridge with translucent pavement so we could almost see the water underneath, and finally arrived at Stazione Santa Lucia.
Ponte della Costituzione & Stazione Venezia Santa Lucia
We walked onto the plaza in front of Santa Lucia, and saw in front of us the imposing San Simeone Piccolo. Naturally, we knew grander sights
were to come.
San Simeone Piccolo, viewed from Santa Lucia, Venezia, 10 October
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