A New Installation - Chairs Installation, November 2012

Recently, I completed one of my long-planned installation project - Chairs Installation, November 2012.  I folded origami chairs, using glossy musical performance programs and hung them on branches I collected, or attached them to a metal mesh directly.  The branches also were also hung on the metal mesh, which was in turn framed by wood poles for structural stability.  The completed piece then was hung on the ceiling and it was in this position the installation was photographed and videotaped. 

I think this installation was quite beautiful to behold and it had an understated melancholy and a sense of time being suspended.  Breathed a sigh of relief.








Related posts on Art · 文化 · Kunst: 
- Congregation - My New Art Installation
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- Paper Boats, Chairs Installations and More
- Paper Boat Installations


Label: My Installation 

My Favorite Paintings in The Memling Museum The St. John's Hospital in Bruges

The St Johns Hospital in Bruges, Belgium (Sint-Janhospitaal, Memlingmuseum, Brugge), hosted the The Memling Museum, where six paintings by the 15th century painter Hans Memling can be seen.  The oldest known document with rules for the hospital dates from 1188 and the oldest part of the building (ward) below dated back to 13th century. 



Hans Memling (also spelled Memlinc; c. 1430 - 11 August 1494) was born as Jan van Mimnelinghe in Seiligenstadt (located on the river Maine in Germany) and became a citizen of Bruges in 1465.  He moved to Flanders and worked in the tradition of Early Netherlandish painting.  From the 1460s until the end of his life he became one of the leading artists, painting both portraits and several large religious works, continuing the style he learned in his youth from his masters such as Rogier van der Weyden.  Memling lived for a long time in the St. Johns hospital and died there.

Of the works collected by the Memling Museum, I like the below portrait, Portrait of a Young Woman (Sibylla Sambetha), most.  It was a most serene deferential portrait of a pale yet determined young woman, whose confidence and humbleness made a striking impression on me.  I loved the ethereal aura of her and the almost translucent presence.  Her gossamer hairpiece, her robe of strikingly contrasted black, red and white gave her strength, and the curves of her chin, her necklace echoed and reinforced the while stripe on her rope and bound them together.


Portrait of a Young Woman (Sibylla Sambetha)
1480
Oil on panel; 38 x 26.5 cm (without frame), 46.5 x 35.2 cm (with frame)
Bruges, Sint-Janhospitaal, Memlingmuseum 

The second favorite piece of mine there was a wooden shine, the Shrine of St. Ursula, a carved and gilded wooden shrine containing pictorial oil on panel inserts (87x33x91 cm) by Memling, dating to circa 1489.


Shrine of St. Ursula (1489). Memlingmuseum, Sint-Janshospitaal, Bruges.
Public Domain, source: Wikipedia

St. Ursula's story was one of the craziest and my favorite from the Catholic canons.  Ursula, a princess from Brittany in France, agreed to marry the son of King of England, on one condition, that she would be allowed to undertake a pilgrimage to Rome accompanied by 11,000 virgins. The troops passed by the city of Basel and the Alps until reaching Rome, where they were received by Pope Cyriacus. On the way back, they were stopped in Cologne by the Huns and killed because they refused to renounce their Christian faith.

The shrine had three painted tondoes on each side, depicting, on one side, the First Eleven Virgins with the Pope, a Cardinal, a Bishop and Etherius (characters of the saint's legend); on the other side, the Coronation of the Virgin with the Holy Trinity.  The two "façades" contain the representations of the Virgin and Child between Two Nuns (the two donors, including the abbess), and St. Ursula Protecting the Holy Virgins. Both the scenes are embedded within a painted niche which simulates a perspective interior of the shrine.  At the sides, under two small arcades, are six scenes of the life and martyrdom of St. Ursula, which resemble the style of the stained glasses in contemporary churches. They include:

• Arrival in Cologne
• Arrival in Basel
• Arrival in Rome
• Leaving from Basel
• Martyrdom of the Pilgrims
• Martyrdom of St. Ursula

These paintings, done in the typical Flemish style, though small, were full of wonderful details and bound together with same pictorial background of northern German cities (such as Cologne, with the unfinished Cathedral).  The multitudes of the people were painted with great care - all the postures, expressions and emotions were done with purpose and the modeling of the body, though slender, was done with sure hands and the coloration was both consistent and varied, and absolutely enchanting. The story was a gory one but the paintings were done in a serene and comforting style, very comforting, if this sad story could ever be.

Arrival in Rome

Virgin and Child

My Favorite Museum Collection Series

>> My Favorite Museum Collection Series 58: My Favorite Sculpture and Painting at Church of Our Lady, Bruges
<< My Favorite Museum Collection Series 56: My Favorite Paintings in Groeninge Museum, Bruges (Brugge), Belgium

List of My Favorite Artworks in the Museums I've Visited

2013 Calendars (12-Month Sheets) Ready for Download

Hard to believe that 2013 is coming soon.  I just uploaded three calendars, 12-month sheet version, online for download, using images of my paintings, drawing and installation completed this year.  Feel free to download and share.


Helen of Troy, Oil on Canvas, 11" x 14"


Ink Drawing Night City 3, Ink on Paper


Icon, Oil on Canvas, 16" x 20"


Installation - Charis, November 2012

© Matthew Felix Sun www.matthewfelixsun.com

 

Kaiser Maximilian I und die Kunst der Duerer-Zeit in Albertina Museum, Vienna

The Albertina Museum in Vienna is famed for its graphic collections, including many amazing drawings by the great German Renaissance master, Albrecht Dürer, and I had always longed to visit it.  In 2002, when I visited Vienna, I was very disappointed to learn that the museum was close for renovation.



Ten years later, I finally was able to visit this wonderful museum, located in Palais Erzherzog Albrecht (Archduke Albrecht).  The palace itself was as sumptuous as it could be, with richly yet tastefully decorated functional halls and rooms. 



 
 

There were many facsimiles of the famous Dürer drawings and paintings by old and modern masters.  Naturally, I was somewhat disappointed that those Dürer's drawings were not genuine but I also understood the fragility of them and accepted the inevitability.  Nevertheless, seeing them, though copies, in this palatial setting was a visual treat.


Young Hare by Albrecht Dürer (1502), public domain, source: Wikipedia

More gratifying, was a special exhibit, Kaiser Maximilian I. und die Kunst der Dürer-Zeit (Emperor Maximilian I and the Age of Dürer) (14. September 2012 - 6. January 2013), which highlighted some of the museum's greatest collections, plus some works from other museums.



Kaiser Maximilian I. was not the first Hapsburg Holy Roman Emperor but through his and his children's marriages, the Hapsburg's domain increased dramatically and the Habsburg dynasty became perennial dominant force in central Europe.  Below painting of the Maximilian I. and his family was part of the exhibit.


Die Familie des Kaisers Maximilian I., Bernhard Strigel, 1515-1520, Malerei auf Lindenholz, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Wien
The Family of Maximilian I, Bernhard Strigel, 1515-1520  Painting on limewood, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna

The highlights of this special exhibit were two incredible cycles of Triumph Procession of Kaiser Maxilimian I. - a water color cycle by Albrecht Altdorfer and a woodcut cycle by Hans Burgkmair the Elder. Albertina Museum informed us that "the extraordinary Triumphal Procession of Albrecht Altdorfer and his workshop, which will form the core of the exhibit. Of the original 109 large-sized parchment sheets with flamboyantly colourful representations of riders, magnificent chariots and landsknechts, sheets 49 to 109 are preseved in the Albertina and, compiled as a frieze, amount to a length of more than 54 metres."  It was absolutely unforgettable.  Though Hans Burgkmair's cycle was somewhat shorter and only in black and white, it was no less extraordinary.


Die deutschen Fürsten aus dem Triumphzug Kaiser Maximilians I., Albrecht Altdorfer, um 1512-15, Feder in Braun, Aquarell und Deckfarben, Goldhöhungen, auf Pergament, Albertina, Wien
"The German Princes" from the "Triumphal Procession of Emperor Maximilian I", Albrecht Altdorfer, c. 1512-1515  Pen and brown ink, watercolour and bodycolour, heightened with gold, on vellum, Albertina, Vienna


Tross aus dem Triumphzug Kaiser Maximilians I., Albrecht Altdorfer und Werkstatt, um 1512-1515, Feder in Braun, Aquarell- und Deckfarbe, Goldhöhung auf Pergament, Albertina, Wien
"Baggage Train" from the "Triumphal Procession of Emperor Maximilian I", Albrecht Altdorfer and workshop, c. 1512-1515  Pen and brown ink, watercolour and bodycolour, heightened with gold, on vellum, Albertina, Vienna


Der Heilige Georg, Hans Burgkmair d. Ä., 1518  Holzschnitt, Albertina, Wien
Saint George, Hans Burgkmair the Elder, 1518  Woodcut, Albertina, Vienna


Der Verkünder des Triumphes aus dem Triumphzug Kaiser Maximilians I., Hans Burgkmair d. Ä., 1516-18 (3. Ausg. 1796)  Holzschnitt, Albertina, Wien
The Triumphal Procession of Emperor Maximilian I, Hans Burgkmair the Elder, 1796, Woodcut Albertina, Vienna

Two works by Albrecht Dürer included in this exhibition were strikingly remarkable.  His engraving "Knight, Death and the Devil" was an outstanding example of his extremely high achievement as a virtuosic draftsman and engraver, and his deep insight of humanity and his terrifying time.


Ritter, Tod und Teufel, Albrecht Dürer, 1513, Kupferstich, Albertina, Wien
Knight, Death and the Devil, Albrecht Dürer, 1513, Copper engraving, Albertina, Vienna

The other Dürer piece was a floor to ceiling collage of colored woodcut prints - "The Triumphal Arch of Emperor Maximilian I", 1517-18, collaborated by Albrecht Dürer, Hans Springinklee, Wolf Traut and Albrecht Altdorfer, with an approximate dimensions of 3.04 x 2.92 meters.  Here, the sheer size and variety of the details were astonishing and made me giddy.  As a piece of propaganda work, it indeed had reached to the sky. 
 

Ehrenpforte des Kaisers Maximilian I., Albrecht Dürer, 1515 (3. Ausgabe 1559), Holzschnitt, koloriert, aufgezogen, gerollt, Albertina, Wien 
The Triumphal Arch of Emperor Maximilian I, Albrecht Dürer, 3rd edition, 1559, Coloured woodcut, laid down, rolled up, Albertina, Vienna

One more memorable piece in this special exhibit was a painting from Graz - "Death Portrait of Emperor Maximilian I".  It was a spooky one, yet beautiful and it drew viewers in.  These striking black, white, red and green colors, generated an image and presence would not die with the passing of the sitter.  According to the museum's notes, that Maximilian had ordered that his teeth pulled out and bones broken, etc., to demonstrate his humility.  An extraordinary politician!


Totenbildnis Kaiser Maximilians I., Monogrammist A.A., 1519  Tempera auf Papier auf Holzrahmen, Steiermärkisches Landesmuseum Joanneum, Graz
Death Portrait of Emperor Maximilian I, Monogrammist A.A., 1519, Tempera on paper, mounted on a wooden frame, Styrian State Museum Joanneum, Graz

I own a facsimile of a complete book Theuerdank, an extraordinarily illustrated parchment manuscript on a knight and chivalry, which was included in this exhibition along with Maximilian's other book project,  Weisskunig and Freydal.  Below is a quote from an introduction by Stephan Füssel to the fascimile, "Emperor Maximilian and the Media of His Day - The Theuerdank of 1517":

Maxililianwas the first ruler of the modern age to consciously and purposefully employ the new possibilities of book printing - in addition to the "old" media of the spoken word, visual art, folk music, etc. - for maintaining his own power and for increasing the prestige of his dynasty, the House of Habsburg.  In doing so, he was motivated by the concern that otherwise his fame would "die away with the last toll".  As he phrased it so succinctly in his German prose work Weisskunig: "He who creates no memorial in his life will not be remembered after his death and such people will be forgotten when the bell tolls, and for this reason the money I spend on these memorials is not wasted." (Weisskunig ch. 24)

The ear of Maximilian was celebrated by contemporaries as the "beginning of a new age", a "golden age", in which the arts and sciences blossomed and the Empire, inwardly and outwardly stabilised, was at peace.  Among other endeavours, Maximilian opened the University of Vienna to humanistic studies, promoted Latin poetry as well as national vernacular literature, and  imitated the Renaissance culture of the Italian principalities.  He was equally receptive to feudal courtly traditions as he was to technical, scientific and artistic innovations, book printing and the construction of artillery.

... he embodies not only the typical virtues of a ruler, but also artistic and poetic abilities, for example those of the painter.  An old and wise man is said to have told him that he must not only be a just military leader, but also possess an understanding of the arts; as a result, Maximilian painted "diligently" from his earliest youth.  He was also initiated into the secrets of the black arts, that is, magic, as well as those of architecture, carpentry, the preparation of food, music and stringed instruments.

This variety of talents enabled Maximilian to give the various artists he employed - whether painters, composers or writers - instructions about how they should represent his reign, in the language of the humanists, Latin, as well as the language of the people.

Albertina Museum was also a living one and it kept collecting modern works.  The most recognizable names included Chagall, Picasso and Munch, etc.  Below are a sample of the paintings I enjoyed while visiting it last month:


Mutterschaft (Motherhood), Marc Chagall, 1914, Öl auf Papier (Oil on Paper)


Frau mit Katze (Woman and Cat), Max Beckmann, 1942, Öl auf Leinwand (Oil on Canvas)


Bidnis M. B. (Portrait of M. B.), Herbert Boeckl (1894-1966), 1919, Öl auf Leinwand (Oil on Canvas)


Landschaft mit Lanternen (Landscape with Lanterns), 1958, Paul Delvaux (1897-1994) 


Label: Austria, Austria and Italy Trip 2012

Angelic and Evil - Bunkerei and Palais Augarten in Augarten, Vienna

Last month, I revisited two of my most favorite European cities - Vienna in Austria and Venice in Italy, along with Graz in Austria, and Padua, Bologna and Ferrara in Italy.

Vienna, the storied city, along with the rest of Austria, famed for its music, design, art, and cakes, and notorious for some hidden dark histories many people pretend not to have happened.  However this mixture of beauty and ugliness would co-exist uneasily and would always be there to tell people not to forget.

In the neighborhood I stayed just out side the Ring, there was a lovely garden - Augarten, where the elements of angelic and evil co-existed, and mirrored the tortuous history of Austria almost too cunningly.

Augarten is a 52.2 hectare public park in Leopoldstadt, the second district of Vienna, Austria. It contains the oldest Baroque gardens of the city, dating back from 1614.

The most startling features of this otherwise absolutely delightful garden are two terrifying bunkers (Flaktürme) built by the Germans during World War II - powerful, menacing, grim and ugly. 











These two bunkers above were so formidable and they were virtually indestructible due to their strong structures and sheer immensity.  To destroy them, a large portion of the neighborhood would be decimated along with them.  However, I was relieved that they could not so easily to erase them from the face of earth, as surely someone would have preferred, and then put on a most innocent air, and pretend that nothing ugly had ever taken place.  But they were to stay, to remind of people that behind and besides angelic facade, there were evil things lurking and people ought to watch out.

The most angelic beings in Augarten were the world-famous Vienna Boys Choir (Wiener Sängerknaben), who lived in a baroque palace - Palais Augarten.  During my morning stroll outside Augarten, I saw the entrance to the palace, with a sign indicating the Boys' Choir residence.  Seeing no signs forbidding entry, I entered the palace ground and feasted my eyes on the lovely palace and its beautifully cultivated garden.  The bunkers were conveniently out of the sight.











A little further away from Augarten, I saw a new concert hall - Musikzentrum Wiener Sängerknaben - being built for the Vienna Boys' Choir.





In order to represent Vienna and Austria truly, there was a institution faintly smelt of kitsch - Augarten Porzellanmanufaktur (Augarten Porcelain Manufacturer) and Museum, where porcelain Lipizzaner Horses were produced.  Precious and a tad kitschy.



Augarten, a perfect representative of the imperial city of Wien (Vienna).


Label: Austria, Austria and Italy Trip 2012

My Favorite Paintings in Groeninge Museum, Bruges (Brugge), Belgium

Bruges, Belgium was glittering jewel since medieval time and though its commercial activities has largely subsided, its glories can be seen from every corner of its old city, particularly in its rich museums.  The most important museum in Bruges is Groeninge Museum, which boasts some very fine examples of Flemish Primitive paintings, such as those by Jan van Eyck, which present in Bruges was like that of Botticelli in Florence, Italy.

To modern eyes, the elaborately wrought paints by Van Eyck could be too much a good thing - all those endless draperies, mind-boggling intricate patterns and infinite details vying with one another for attention.  Yet, it was an idiom what rendered Van Eyck's oeuvres so remarkable.  His paintings were sumptuous, but these details enhanced, instead of dwarfing the stories and characters.  His paintings were far more than just pageantry.  Rather, he used the rich background as auxiliary means to tell stories, to add meanings and layers, and more importantly, to add significance and status to his saints and donors, etc.  These details were exhaustive but not exhausting.  Together, they formed a very specific and special time and space, somewhat fantastic but really idealized. Van Eyck's colors were simply glorious and one could not praise it highly enough.  His figures might a tad stiff or mannered, but just as those by Botticelli, they didn't mean to be naturalistic.  They were stylized and became immortal in their fixed postures.

I chose the painting below, The Madonna with Canon van der Paele, as one of my very favorite paintings from the Groeninge Museum, Bruges.


Jan van Eyck's The Madonna with Canon van der Paele
Source: ginieland on Wikipedia

For my second favorite from that museum, I chose a copy after Rogier van der Weyden, another giant of the region in 15-16th century.



Copy after Rogier van der Weyden, Saint Luke drawing the Madonna, ca. 1491-1510


This painting, a copy after Rogier van der Weyden, showed Saint Luke, the patron saint of artists, drawing portrait of Mary breast feeding Jesus. The most striking aspect of this group portrait was the calmness of Mary, under close scrutiny, in a rather intimate and private moment, and the obvious pride and joy on her face, and the intensity on the keenly observant face of Saint Luke.  He obviously took his task seriously and he knew that he was recording a supremely important event for posterity.  To emphasis the status of Mary, Van der Weyden sat her under a brocade canopy, amidst a rather bourgeois interior.

Adding some visual interests were two persons in mid-distance, in typical Flemish dress, surveying a typical Flemish town, tranquil, imperturbable, sharing the same luminosity of the painting itself, a wonderful achievement of Van der Weyden and his copier.

According to Flemish Primitives, "the presentation is based on a legend from the 6th Century, in which it is said that Luke paints the portrait of Mary. For this reason, Saint Luke is the guardian saint of painters, and the guilds in which painters united were often named after him. This story is then also a cherished theme as altarpiece for the chapel of the Saint Luke's guild. The painting from which this Bruges work is a copy, is painted by Rogier van der Weyden before 1440. He probably makes it for the chapel of the Brussels Saint Luke's guild, of which he is a member. The original is preserved in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. In addition to the Bruges work, there are also two true copies known that are kept in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich and in the Hermitage in St. Petersburg. The Bruges painting is the best in terms of quality of these copies and was probably painted around 1500."


My Favorite Museum Collection Series

>> My Favorite Museum Collection Series 57: My Favorite Paintings in The Memling Museum The St. John's Hospital in Bruges

<< My Favorite Museum Collection Series 55: My Favorite Paintings in Prince William V Gallery, Den Haag

List of My Favorite Artworks in the Museums I've Visited