Sunday, October 6, 2013

Revisiting Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena

DSCN7723 _ Rodin Sculptures, Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Rodin Sculptures at the Entrance to Norton Simon Museum

Revisiting Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena was definitely one of the highlights of my trip to Los Angeles in July 2013.  I vividly remembered the two amazing portraits by Rembrandt - his self portrait and that of his young son Titus and I was really looking forward to studying them again.

What I didn't remember so well were the amazing array of medieval paintings, often on gold ground, depicting the life and death of Jesus and Virgin Mary.  Below are those paintings I liked most, more or less grouped in chronological order:

DSCN7700 _ Coronation of the Virgin Altarpiece, 1344, Guariento di Arpo ( c. 1310 -c.1370), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Coronation of the Virgin Altarpiece, 1344, Guariento di Arpo ( c. 1310 -c.1370)

DSCN7704 _ Madonna and Child, c. 1340, Paolo Veneziano (active 1333-1358), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013 DSCN7712 _ Coronation of the Virgin Altarpiece Coronation of the Virgin, 1344, Guariento di Arpo (c.1310-c.1370), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Madonna and Child, c. 1340, Paolo Veneziano (active 1333-1358) & Coronation of the Virgin Altarpiece Coronation of the Virgin, 1344, Guariento di Arpo (c.1310-c.1370)

DSCN7685 _ Virgin Annunciate, c 1410-15, Pieto di Giovanni, called Lorenzo Monaco (c. 1370-1414), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013 DSCN7698 _ Branchini Madonna, 1427, Giovanni di Paolo (1403-1482), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Virgin Annunciate, c 1410-15, Pieto di Giovanni, called Lorenzo Monaco (c. 1370-1414) & Branchini Madonna, 1427, Giovanni di Paolo (1403-1482)

DSCN7713 _ Branchini Madonna (detail), 1427, Giovanni di Paolo (1403-1482), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013

DSCN7714 _ Branchini Madonna (detail), 1427, Giovanni di Paolo (1403-1482), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Branchini Madonna (detail), 1427, Giovanni di Paolo (1403-1482)

DSCN7707 _ Baptism of Christ, early 1450s, Giovanni di Paolo (1405-1482), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013 DSCN7683 _ The Resurrection, c. 1455, Dieric Bouts (1420-1475), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Baptism of Christ, early 1450s, Giovanni di Paolo (1405-1482) & The Resurrection, c. 1455, Dieric Bouts (1420-1475)

DSCN7705 _ The Crucifixion and Madonna and Child Enthroned with Angels, c. 1465-70, Juan Rexach (active 1443-1484), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
The Crucifixion and Madonna and Child Enthroned with Angels, c. 1465-70, Juan Rexach (active 1443-1484)

From Bellini, Memling, the style of the paintings started to have more individual characteristics and became more naturalistic and less ritualistic.  They were still stylish, almost startlingly modern:

DSCN7697 _ Beauregard Madonna, c. 1455, White Carrara marble, Attributed to Desiderio da Settignano (1429-1464), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013 DSCN7674 _ Portrait of Joerg Fugger, 1474, Giovanni 
Bellini (1430-1516), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Beauregard Madonna, c. 1455, White Carrara marble, Attributed to Desiderio da Settignano (1429-1464) & Portrait of Joerg Fugger, 1474, Giovanni Bellini (1430-1516)

DSCN7682 _ Christ Giving His Blessing, 1478, Hans Memling (c. 1430_40-1494), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Christ Giving His Blessing, 1478, Hans Memling (c. 1430/40-1494)

DSCN7703 _ Madonna and Child with Saints 
John the Baptist and Catherine of Alexandria, c. 1480-85, Neroccio de 
'Landi (1447-1500), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Madonna and Child with Saints John the Baptist and Catherine of Alexandria, c. 1480-85, Neroccio de 'Landi (1447-1500)

DSCN7691 _ Saints Benedict and Apollonia, c. 1483 & Saints Paul and Frediano, c. 1483, Filippino Lippi (1457-1504), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013 DSCN7684 _ Fidelity, c. 1485, Fresco transferred to canvas, mounted on wood panel, Francesco di Giorgio Martini (1439-1501/02), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Saints Benedict and Apollonia, c. 1483 & Saints Paul and Frediano, c. 1483, Filippino Lippi (1457-1504) & Fidelity, c. 1485, Fresco transferred to canvas, mounted on wood panel, Francesco di Giorgio Martini (1439-1501/02)

Raphael, Giorgione, Cranach the Elder were the standouts amongst the following group of paintings - naturalistic traits further develop yet still with certain medieval manners:

DSCN7689 _ Madonna and Child with Book, c. 1502-03, Raffaello Sanzio, called Raphael (1483-1520), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013 DSCN7678 _ Head of a Venetian Girl, c. 1509, Zorzo da Castelfranco, called Giorgion (1477_78-1510), Norton Simon Museum, July 
2013
Madonna and Child with Book, c. 1502-03, Raffaello Sanzio, called Raphael (1483-1520) & Head of a Venetian Girl, c. 1509, Zorzo da Castelfranco, called Giorgione (1477/78-1510)

DSCN7696 _ The Rest on the Flight into Egypt, after 1510, Vincenzo Catena (c.1470-1531), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
The Rest on the Flight into Egypt, after 1510, Vincenzo Catena (c.1470-1531)

DSCN7681 _ Adam, c. 1530 & Eve, c. 1530, Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Adam, c. 1530 & Eve, c. 1530, Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553)

DSCN7680 _ Susanna and the Elders, 1564, Jan Massys (c. 1509-1575), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Susanna and the Elders, 1564, Jan Massys (c. 1509-1575)

DSCN7692 _ Norton Simon Museum, July 
2013 

DSCN7693 _ Allegory of Nature, 1567, Maerten van Heemskerck (1498-1574), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Allegory of Nature, 1567, Maerten van Heemskerck (1498-1574)

The following group of paintings, including those by El Greco and Rubens, presented rich offerings of personalities of the sitters and the virtuosity of the artists.  Every piece was memorable:

DSCN7660 _ Portrait of an Elderly Man, c. 1575, Giovanni Battista Moroni (1525-1578), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Portrait of an Elderly Man, c. 1575, Giovanni Battista Moroni (1525-1578)

DSCN7670 _ Portrait of an Old Man with Fur
 (Manusso Greco?), c. 1590-1600, Domenikos Theotokopoulos, called El 
Greco (1541-1614), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Portrait of an Old Man with Fur (Manusso Greco?), c. 1590-1600, Domenikos Theotokopoulos, called El Greco (1541-1614)

DSCN7695 _ Mars and Venus, 1599, Cornelis Cornelisz van Haarlem (1562-1638), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Mars and Venus, 1599, Cornelis Cornelisz van Haarlem (1562-1638)

DSCN7655 _ Portrait of Sebastian Munster, 
c. 1597-1600, Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), Norton Simon Museum, July 
2013
Portrait of Sebastian Munster, c. 1597-1600, Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640)

DSCN7659 _ The Holy Women at the Sepulchre, c. 1611-14, Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
The Holy Women at the Sepulchre, c. 1611-14, Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640)

DSCN7662 _ David Slaying Goliath, c. 1616,
 Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), Norton Simon Museum, July 
2013 DSCN7643 _ St. Ignatius of Loyola, c. 1620-1622, Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
David Slaying Goliath, c. 1616, & St. Ignatius of Loyola, c. 1620-1622, Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640)

DSCN7654 _ Meleager and Atalanta and the 
Hunt of the Calydonian Boar, c. 1618-19, Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), 
Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Meleager and Atalanta and the Hunt of the Calydonian Boar, c. 1618-19, Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640)

DSCN7666 _ Birth of the Virgin, c. 1627, Francisco de Zurbarán (1598-1664) Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Birth of the Virgin, c. 1627, Francisco de Zurbarán (1598-1664)

DSCN7669 _ Saint Francis in Prayer, c. 1638-1639, Francisco de Zurbarán (1598-1664) Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Saint Francis in Prayer, c. 1638-1639, Francisco de Zurbarán (1598-1664)

DSCN7664 _ Norton Simon Museum, July 
2013

DSCN7601 _ Norton Simon Museum, July 2013

DSCN7602 _ Norton Simon Museum, July 2013

Now we entered the shrine of those two most remarkable portraits by Rembrandt. The intimate and often humble domestic scenes by Dutch masters contrasted dramatically with catholic painters such as Rubens:

DSCN7587 _ The Liberation of St. Peter, 1618, Hendrick van Steenwijck the Younger (1580-1649), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
The Liberation of St. Peter, 1618, Hendrick van Steenwijck the Younger (1580-1649)

DSCN7722 _ Landscape with Ruins and Animals, 1624, Roelandt Savery (1576-1639), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Landscape with Ruins and Animals, 1624, Roelandt Savery (1576-1639)

DSCN7588 _ Man in Armour Holding a Pike,c. 1630, Jan van Bijlert (1597_98-1671), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013 DSCN7590 _ Young Man with Red Berret, c. 
1629-1630, Jan Lievens (1607-1674), Norton Simon Museum, July 
2013
Man in Armour Holding a Pike,c. 1630, Jan van Bijlert (1597_98-1671) & Young Man with Red Berret, c. 1629-1630, Jan Lievens (1607-1674)

DSCN7595 _ Self-Portrait, c. 1636-38, Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Self-Portrait, c. 1636-38, Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669)

DSCN7591 _ Portrait of a Boy, 1655-60, Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Portrait of a Boy (Artist's son Titus), 1655-60, Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669)

DSCN7597 _ Self-Portrait (detail), c. 1636-38, Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013 DSCN7598 _ Portrait of a Boy (detail), 1655-60, Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Details of Self-Portrait and Portrait of a Boy, Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669)

DSCN7600 _ Portrait of a Bearded Man in a Wide Brimmed Hat, 1633, Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Portrait of a Bearded Man in a Wide Brimmed Hat, 1633, Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669)

DSCN7593 _ Portrait of a Young Man, 1650-55, Frans Hals (1582-1666), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Portrait of a Young Man, 1650-55, Frans Hals (1582-1666)

Back to the catholic Italy and France, we saw more pageantries again, though in a reduced scale comparing to those from Rubens' era:

DSCN7636 _ Martha Rebuking Mary for He rVanity, after 1660, Guido Cagnacci (1601-1663), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Martha Rebuking Mary for Her Vanity, after 1660, Guido Cagnacci (1601-1663)

DSCN7672 _ Louis XIV in Costume, c. 1663, Mlle. de La Vallière in Costume, c. 1663, Joseph Werner (1637-1710), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Louis XIV in Costume, c. 1663, Mlle. de La Vallière in Costume, c. 1663, Joseph Werner (1637-1710)

DSCN7613 _ Reclining Nude, c. 1713-1717, Jean-Antoine Watteau (1684-1721), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Reclining Nude, c. 1713-1717, Jean-Antoine Watteau (1684-1721)

DSCN7635 _ The Personification of Faith, c. 1725-1730. Francesco Solimena Italian, (1657-1747), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
The Personification of Faith, c. 1725-1730. Francesco Solimena (1657-1747)

DSCN7606 _ Interior with Monks, c. 1725, Alessndro Magnasco (1667-1749), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Interior with Monks, c. 1725, Alessndro Magnasco (1667-1749)

DSCN7608 _ Interior with Monks (detail), c. 1725, Alessndro Magnasco (1667-1749), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Interior with Monks (detail), c. 1725, Alessndro Magnasco (1667-1749)

DSCN7715 _ Norton Simon Museum, July 2013

DSCN7719 _ The Triumph of Virtue and Nobility over Ignorance, c. 1740-1750, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (1696-1770), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
The Triumph of Virtue and Nobility over Ignorance, c. 1740-1750, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (1696-1770)

DSCN7622 _ View of the Santa Maria della Salute with the Dogana di Mare, c. 1780, Francesco Guardi (1712-1793), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
View of the Santa Maria della Salute with the Dogana di Mare, c. 1780, Francesco Guardi (1712-1793)

Now, we were in a transition from old school to the new age - starting with French painter Ingres, we entered the realm of modern psyche:

DSCN7639 _ Bacchante Supported by Bacchaus and a Faun, 1795, Terracotta, Claude Michel, called Clodion (1738-1814), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013 DSCN7628 _ Baron Joseph-Pierre Vialetès de Mortarieu, 1805-06, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1780-1867), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Bacchante Supported by Bacchaus and a Faun, 1795, Terracotta, Claude Michel, called Clodion (1738-1814) & Baron Joseph-Pierre Vialetès de Mortarieu, 1805-06, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1780-1867)

DSCN7620 _ Doria Francisca Vicenta Chollet y Caballero, 1806, Francisco de Goya y Lucientes (1746-1828), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013 DSCN7623 _ The Abduction of Psyche by Zephyrus to the Palace of Eros, After 1808, probably before 1820, Pierre-Paul Prud'hon (1758-1823), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Doria Francisca Vicenta Chollet y Caballero, 1806, Francisco de Goya y Lucientes (1746-1828) & The Abduction of Psyche by Zephyrus to the Palace of Eros, After 1808, probably before 1820, Pierre-Paul Prud'hon (1758-1823)

DSCN7652 _ Chess Set, c. 1850, Ivory pieces, wood board inlaid with ivory, India: Delhi region, 1825-1875, Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Chess Set, c. 1850, Ivory pieces, wood board inlaid with ivory, India: Delhi region, 1825-1875

With the advance of Impressionism and its immediate predecessors, such as Corot, Manet and Courbet, the modernists took firm hold of fine art world that their works were the sure bets for museums to stage blockbuster special exhibits, therefore it was almost unimaginable how startlingly revolutionary or "scandalous" they once were.

DSCN7818 _ Still Life with Fish and Shrimp, 1864, Édouard Manet (1832-1883), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Still Life with Fish and Shrimp, 1864, Édouard Manet (1832-1883)

DSCN7809 _ The Cicada, 1865-1875, Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot (1796-1875), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013 DSCN7810 _ The Ragpicker, c. 1865-1870, Édouard Manet (1832-1883), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
The Cicada, 1865-1875, Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot (1796-1875) & The Ragpicker, c. 1865-1870, Édouard Manet (1832-1883)

DSCN7817 _ Madame Manet, 1874-1876, Édouard Manet (1832-1883), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Madame Manet, 1874-1876, Édouard Manet (1832-1883)

DSCN7812 _ Stream of the Puits-Noir at Ornans, c. 1867-1868, Gustave Courbet (1819-1877), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Stream of the Puits-Noir at Ornans, c. 1867-1868, Gustave Courbet (1819-1877)

DSCN7748 _ The Stone Breakers, Le Raincy, c. 1882, Georges-Pierre Seurat (1859-1891), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
The Stone Breakers, Le Raincy, c. 1882, Georges-Pierre Seurat (1859-1891)

There were several excellent Van Gogh paintings.  His 1885 "Winter (The Vicarage Garden under Snow)" was very interesting due to another painting completely hidden underneath .  Those paintings of his clearly demonstrated his development and the artistic triumph:

DSCN7760 _ Still Life, 1884, Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Still Life, 1884, Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890)

DSCN7749 _ Winter (The Vicarage Garden under Snow), 1885, Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Winter (The Vicarage Garden under Snow), 1885, Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890)

DSCN7750 _ Painting covered by Winter (The Vicarage Garden under Snow), 1885, Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Painting covered by Winter (The Vicarage Garden under Snow), 1885, Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890)

DSCN7765 _ Head of a Peasant Woman in a White Bonnet, 1885, Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Head of a Peasant Woman in a White Bonnet, 1885, Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890)

DSCN7761 _ Portrait of a Peasant (Patience Escalier), August 1888, Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Portrait of a Peasant (Patience Escalier), August 1888, Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890)

DSCN7764 _ Portrait of the Artist's Mother, October 1888, Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Portrait of the Artist's Mother, October 1888, Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890)

DSCN7766 _ The Mulberry Tree, October 1889, Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
The Mulberry Tree, October 1889, Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890)

I didn't remember that there were so many Degas' works in Norton Simon Museum - both sculptures and paintings.  One of the reasons might be that I mistook several of his works depicting lower-class Parisians as painted by Toulouse-Lautrec, who was celebrated for such unflinching depictions.  Now let's see some more innocent sitters for Degas, including his actresses and dancers:

DSCN7753 _ Little Dancer, Aged Fourteen, 1878-81, Edgar Degas (1834-1917), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013  DSCN7762 _ Little Dancer, Aged Fourteen, 1878-81, Edgar Degas (1834-1917), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Little Dancer, Aged Fourteen, 1878-81, Edgar Degas (1834-1917)

DSCN7751 _ Actress in Her Dressing Room, 
c. 1879, Edgar Degas (1834-1917), Norton Simon Museum, July 
2013
Actress in Her Dressing Room, c. 1879, Edgar Degas (1834-1917)

DSCN7754 _ Woman Ironing, c. 1884, Edgar Degas (1834-1917), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Woman Ironing, c. 1884, Edgar Degas (1834-1917)

DSCN7752 _ Dancers in the Rotunda at the Paris Opera, 1895, Edgar Degas (1834-1917), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Dancers in the Rotunda at the Paris Opera, 1895, Edgar Degas (1834-1917)

Cézanne pushed modernism further and his cerebral endeavors continued to challenge and delight:

DSCN7793 _ Uncle Dominique, 1866, Paul Cézanne (1839-1906), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Uncle Dominique, 1866, Paul Cézanne (1839-1906)

DSCN7758 _ Farmhouse and Chestnut Trees at Jas de Bouffan, 1884-1885, Paul Cézanne (1836-1906), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Farmhouse and Chestnut Trees at Jas de Bouffan, 1884-1885, Paul Cézanne (1836-1906)

DSCN7759 _ Tulips in a Vase, 1888-1890, Paul Cézanne (1836-1906), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013 DSCN7767 _ Vase of Flowers (After Cézanne) (t), 1896, Odilon Redon (1840-1916), & Vase of Flowers, 1880-1881, Cézanne (1836-1906), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Tulips in a Vase, 1888-1890, Paul Cézanne (1836-1906) (left); Vase of Flowers (After Cézanne) (t), 1896, Odilon Redon (1840-1916), & Vase of Flowers, 1880-1881, Cézanne (1836-1906) (right)

Moving away from the somewhat flinty Cézanne, we were back to the world of women, populated by Morisot, Degas, Renoir, etc. - fashionable, sensuous and a bit anxious:

DSCN7790 _ Woman in a Moorish Costume, 1869, Jean-Frédéric Bazille (1841-1870), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Woman in a Moorish Costume, 1869, Jean-Frédéric Bazille (1841-1870)

DSCN7789 _ In a Villa at the Seaside, 1874, Berthe Morisot (1841-1895), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
In a Villa at the Seaside, 1874, Berthe Morisot (1841-1895)

DSCN7777 _ Fan: Dancers on the Stage (t), 1879, & Girls Beside the Sea, c. 1875, Edgar Degas (1834-1917), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Fan: Dancers on the Stage (t), 1879, & Girls Beside the Sea, c. 1875, Edgar Degas (1834-1917)

DSCN7781 _ Waiting, c. 1879-1882, Edgar Degas (1834-1917), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Waiting, c. 1879-1882, Edgar Degas (1834-1917)

DSCN7783 _ The Laundress, 1873 (t), Woman Combing Her Hair Before a Mirror, c. 1877, Edgar Degas (1834-1917), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013 DSCN7797 _ Nude, c. 1872, Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
The Laundress, 1873 (t), Woman Combing Her Hair Before a Mirror, c. 1877, Edgar Degas (1834-1917) (left); Nude, c. 1872, Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919) (right)

DSCN7785 _ Woman Drying Herself after the Bath, Edgar Degas (1834-1917), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Woman Drying Herself after the Bath, 1876-77, Edgar Degas (1834-1917)

Then in a world of caricature, vulgarity and grotesque, personified by figures recorded by Degas, Forrain and Toulouse-Lautrec:

DSCN7771 _ Madame Dietz-Adele Monnin, 
1879, Edgar Degas (1834-1917), Norton Simon Museum, July 
2013
Madame Dietz-Adele Monnin, 1879, Edgar Degas (1834-1917)

DSCN7769 _ Head of a Woman with Veil, c. 
1878-1880, Jean-Louis Forain (1852-1931), Norton Simon Museum, July 
2013
Head of a Woman with Veil, c. 1878-1880, Jean-Louis Forain (1852-1931)

DSCN7780 _ At the Cirque Fernando, Rider on a White Horse, 1887-1888, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
At the Cirque Fernando, Rider on a White Horse, 1887-1888, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901)

DSCN7770 _ The Streetwalker (formerly Portrait of a Prostitute), 1892-1894, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
The Streetwalker (formerly Portrait of a Prostitute), 1892-1894, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901)

And then the singular, nonpareil Paul Gauguin with his monumental Tahitians:

DSCN7768 _ Tahitian Woman and Boy, 1899, 
Paul Gauguin (1848-1903), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Tahitian Woman and Boy, 1899, Paul Gauguin (1848-1903)

In Boudin's world, fashionable women were decorates of the gray world, muted and strangely comforting:

DSCN7794 _ Beach at Trouville, 1873, Louis-Eugène Boudin (1824-1898), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Beach at Trouville, 1873, Louis-Eugène Boudin (1824-1898)

DSCN7795 _ Beach at Trouville, 1888 (t), Beach at Trouville, 1880, Louis-Eugène Boudin (1824-1898), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Beach at Trouville, 1888 (t), Beach at Trouville, 1880, Louis-Eugène Boudin (1824-1898)

Then, the purely landscape, almost completely devoid of human figures - I particularly loved the landscape paintings by Courbet:

DSCN7798 _ A Courtyard on the rue de la Fontinelle, 1874-1878 (left), The Pont Neuf, Paris, c. 1875-1879, (top right), The Pont de L'Estacade, Paris, c. 1880-1884 (bottom right), Stanislas-Victor-Édouard Lépine (1835-1892), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
A Courtyard on the rue de la Fontinelle, 1874-1878 (left), The Pont Neuf, Paris, c. 1875-1879, (top right), The Pont de L'Estacade, Paris, c. 1880-1884 (bottom right), Stanislas-Victor-Édouard Lépine (1835-1892)

DSCN7786 _ Marine, c. 1865 -1866 (t), & Cliff at Étretat, the Porte d' Aval, 1869, Gustave Courbet (1819-1877), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013 DSCN7788 _ The Entrance to the Port of Le Havre (formerly The Entrance to the Port of Honfleur) (bottom) c. 1867-1868, Claude Monet (1840-1926), Norton Simon Museum
Marine, c. 1865 -1866 (t), & Cliff at Étretat, the Porte d' Aval, 1869, Gustave Courbet (1819-1877) (left); The Entrance to the Port of Le Havre (formerly The Entrance to the Port of Honfleur) (bottom) c. 1867-1868, Claude Monet (1840-1926) (right)

Now, the distinction between paintings as fine art and as decorative objects started to got blurred with the advance of Émile Bernard and particularly Roussel and Vuillard. These paintings were the excesses of fin-de-siècle; the last grasp of the innocence destined to be marred or destroyed by modern machine time:

DSCN7801 _ Still Life with Flowers, 1887, Émile Bernard (1868-1941), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Still Life with Flowers, 1887, Émile Bernard (1868-1941)

DSCN7807 _ Brittany Landscape, c. 1888-1889, Émile Bernard (1868-1941), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Brittany Landscape, c. 1888-1889, Émile Bernard (1868-1941)

DSCN7808 _ Still Life with Apples and Violets, 1890-1891, Paul Sérusier (1864-1927), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Still Life with Apples and Violets, 1890-1891, Paul Sérusier (1864-1927)

DSCN7803 _ Reunion des Dames, c. 1893, 
Ker-Xavier Roussel (1867-1944), Norton Simon Museum, July 
2013
Reunion des Dames, c. 1893, Ker-Xavier Roussel (1867-1944)

DSCN7800 _ Autumn: The Chestnut Gatherers, 1894, Georges Lacombe (1868-1916), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Autumn: The Chestnut Gatherers, 1894, Georges Lacombe (1868-1916)

DSCN7802 _ The Dressmakers Under the Lamp, c. 1891-1892, Édouard Vuillard (1868-1940), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
The Dressmakers Under the Lamp, c. 1891-1892, Édouard Vuillard (1868-1940)

DSCN7799 _ First Fruits, 1899, Édouard Vuillard (1868-1940), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
First Fruits, 1899, Édouard Vuillard (1868-1940)

DSCN7804 _ Lucie Hessel, c. 1905 (t), & The Pitch Pine Room (formerly Denise Natanson and Marcelle Aron in the Summer House at Villerville, Normandy, Summer 1910 (b), Édouard Vuillard (1868-1940), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013 DSCN7806 _ Synchromy in Yellow, 1900-1913, or 1915, Paul Sérusier (1864-1927), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Lucie Hessel, c. 1905 (t), & The Pitch Pine Room (formerly Denise Natanson and Marcelle Aron in the Summer House at Villerville, Normandy, Summer 1910 (b), Édouard Vuillard (1868-1940) (left); Synchromy in Yellow, 1900-1913, or 1915, Paul Sérusier (1864-1927) (right)

DSCN7821 _ Lower Main Street, Murnau, 1910, Gabriele Münter (1877-1962), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Lower Main Street, Murnau, 1910, Gabriele Münter (1877-1962)

DSCN7825 _ Inclined Head of Kneeling Woman, 1911, Wilhelm Lehmbruck (1881-1919), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Inclined Head of Kneeling Woman, 1911, Wilhelm Lehmbruck (1881-1919)

Picasso was the giant of the twentieth century and his bewilderingly diverse works always awed audiences if not always moved.  His "Bust of a Woman" moved me deeply while his "Woman with a Book" though impressed me greatly but failed to touch me:

DSCN7835 _ Bust of a Woman, 1923, Oil with fixed black chalk on canvas, Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Bust of a Woman, 1923, Oil with fixed black chalk on canvas, Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)

DSCN7831 _ Woman with Mandolin, 1925, 
Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), Norton Simon Museum, July 
2013 DSCN7834 _ Woman with a Book, 1932, Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Woman with Mandolin, 1925, & Woman with a Book, 1932, Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)

Kandinsky, Feininger and the purely abstract Picasso gave us a hallucinatory world dotted with many human miseries of the new century:

DSCN7832 _ Sketch for Deluge I, 1912, Vasily Kandinsky (1866-1944), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Sketch for Deluge I, 1912, Vasily Kandinsky (1866-1944)

DSCN7822 _ Woman with a Guitar, 1913, Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013 DSCN7823 _ Near the Palace, 1914-1915, Lyonel Feininger (1871-1956), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Woman with a Guitar, 1913, Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) & Near the Palace, 1914-1915, Lyonel Feininger (1871-1956)

Even Modigliani, with his eternal woman as object, actually belonged to the group above.  Abstract anxiety:

DSCN7826 _ Portrait of the Artist's Wife, Jeanne Hebuterne, 1918, Amedeo Modigliani (1884-1920), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Portrait of the Artist's Wife, Jeanne Hebuterne, 1918, Amedeo Modigliani (1884-1920)

It was with Matisse, with his interests in Moorish art, that we were back to the saner humane world, though his women's overt nakedness firmly separated themselves from their sisters in Manet and Renoir's sphere. 

DSCN7830 _ The Black Shawl (Lorette VII), 1918, Henri Matisse (1869-1954), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
The Black Shawl (Lorette VII), 1918, Henri Matisse (1869-1954)

DSCN7827 _ Nude on a Sofa, 1923, Henri Matisse (1869-1954), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Nude on a Sofa, 1923, Henri Matisse (1869-1954)

DSCN7828 _ Portrait of Leila Claude Anet, 1930, Pierre Bonnard (1867-1947), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Portrait of Leila Claude Anet, 1930, Pierre Bonnard (1867-1947)

With works by Braque, Klee & Feininger, we are back to more clashing abstract world - brooding, violent yet beautiful:

DSCN7824 _ Pitcher, Score, Fruits and Napkin, 1926, Georges Braque (1882-1963), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Pitcher, Score, Fruits and Napkin, 1926, Georges Braque (1882-1963)

DSCN7836 _ Artist and Model, 1939, Georges
 Braque (1882-1963), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Artist and Model, 1939, Georges Braque (1882-1963)

DSCN8779 _ Two Heads, 1932, Paul Klee (1879-1940), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Two Heads, 1932, Paul Klee (1879-1940)

DSCN8780 _ The Tug, 1934-1937, Lyonel Feininger (1871-1956), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
The Tug, 1934-1937, Lyonel Feininger (1871-1956)

DSCN7841 _ Tiptoe Down to Art, 1950, Hassel Smith (1915-2007), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Tiptoe Down to Art, 1950, Hassel Smith (1915-2007)

DSCN7840 _ Winterscape, 1953, Erneson Woelffer, Norton Simon Museum, July 2013 DSCN7837 _ Horseman, 1947, Marino Marini (1901-1980), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Winterscape, 1953, Erneson Woelffer & Horseman, 1947, Marino Marini (1901-1980)

DSCN8783 _ Tall Figure IV, 1960, Alberto Giacometti, with Exotic Landscape, 1910, Henri Rousseau (l), Horseman, 1947, Marino Marini, Artist and Model, 1939, Georges Braque (m), The Flower Vendor (Girl with Lilies), 1941, Diego Rivera (1886-1957) (r)
Tall Figure IV, 1960, Alberto Giacometti, with Exotic Landscape, 1910, Henri Rousseau (l), Horseman, 1947, Marino Marini, Artist and Model, 1939, Georges Braque (m), The Flower Vendor (Girl with Lilies), 1941, Diego Rivera (1886-1957) (r)

Norton Simon Museum had several sculptures inside the building, such as the Marini and Giacometti works above; the glory of its sculpture collections were in the front and in its enchanting sculpture garden.  In front of the entrance to the museum, there were several seminal sculptures by Rodin - those monumental bronze bodies danced in the shimmering summer light:

DSCN8818 _ Jean de Fiennes, Vetu, 1884-95, Auguste Rodin (1840-1917), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013 DSCN8814 _ The Walking Man, 1905, Auguste Rodin (1840-1917), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Jean de Fiennes, Vetu, 1884-95, & The Walking Man, 1905, Auguste Rodin (1840-1917)

DSCN8815 _ Pierre de Wissant, Nude, 1884-95, Auguste Rodin (1840-1917), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013 DSCN8813 _ Pierre de Wissant, Nude, 1884-95, Auguste Rodin (1840-1917), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Pierre de Wissant, Nude, 1884-95, Auguste Rodin (1840-1917)

DSCN8817 _ Monument to Balzac, 1897, Auguste Rodin (1840-1917), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Monument to Balzac, 1897, Auguste Rodin (1840-1917)

DSCN8821 _ The Burghers of Calais, 1884-95, Auguste Rodin (1840-1917), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
The Burghers of Calais, 1884-95, Auguste Rodin (1840-1917)

The sculpture garden had many modern sculptures and my favorites were "King and Queen", 1952-53, by Henry Moore and "Sitting Cheetah", 1996, by Gwynn Murrill:

DSCN7726 _ Sculpture Garden, Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Sculpture Garden, Norton Simon Museum

DSCN7732 _ Sitting Cheetah, 1996, Gwynn Murrill (1942-), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Sitting Cheetah, 1996, Gwynn Murrill (1942-)

DSCN7733 _ Sitting Cheetah, 1996, Gwynn Murrill (1942-), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Sitting Cheetah, 1996, Gwynn Murrill (1942-)

DSCN7734 _ River, 1939-43, Aristide Maillol (1861-1944), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
River, 1939-43, Aristide Maillol (1861-1944)

DSCN7728 _ Air, 1938, Aristide Maillol (1861-1944), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Air, 1938, Aristide Maillol (1861-1944)

DSCN7736 _ Sculpture Garden, Norton Simon Museum, July 2013

DSCN7739 _ Sculpture Garden, Norton Simon Museum, July 2013

DSCN7742 _ Sculpture Garden, Norton Simon Museum, July 2013

DSCN7744 _ King and Queen, 1952-53, Henry Moore (1898-1986), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
King and Queen, 1952-53, Henry Moore (1898-1986)

In addition, we saw a bit more of sculptures in a special exhibit titled: Beyond Brancusi, The Space of Sculpture.  My favorite of those modern works, was "Vertical Zag I", 1969, by the great Louise Nevelson:

DSCN8802 _ Beyond Brancusi, The Space of Sculpture, Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Beyond Brancusi, The Space of Sculpture

DSCN8798 _ Untitled, 1969, Acrylic on formed Plexiglas, Craig Kauffman (1932-2010), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Untitled, 1969, Acrylic on formed Plexiglas, Craig Kauffman (1932-2010)

DSCN8800 _ Vertical Zag I, 1969, Louise Nevelson (1899-1988), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013 DSCN8804 _ The White Gunas (Abstract Sculpture), 1946, Marble, Isamu Noguchi (1904-1988), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Vertical Zag I, 1969, Louise Nevelson (1899-1988) & The White Gunas (Abstract Sculpture), 1946, Marble, Isamu Noguchi (1904-1988)

DSCN8792 _ Untitled, 1969, Felt, Robert Morris (b. 1931), Norton Simon Museum, July 2013
Untitled, 1969, Felt, Robert Morris (b. 1931)


Related posts on Art · 文化 · Kunst
- LACMA - Los Angeles County Museum of Art
- Getty Villa in Los Angeles (Malibu)
- Urs Fischer Exhibit at MOCA, Los Angeles
- "Prague", St. Stephen's Day, Richard Diebenkorn and James Turrell
- My Favorite De Young Museum Collections
- "Renoir in the 20th Century" - Los Angeles County Museum of Art
- "Up in the Air" and Milling about in the Airport


Label: Los Angeles, Los Angeles Trip 2013

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