Sunday, June 27, 2010

Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL

"Art is not a treasure in the past or an importation from another land, but part of the present life of all living and creating peoples." -- Franklin D. Roosevelt


The Louvre, the Hermitage, the Tate, the Prado, the Getty, the Uffizi, the Polk... OK, so it doesn't quite roll off the tongue. But there's nothing more satisfying than discovering a new treasure in your own backyard! Lagniappe, encore une fois.

After living in Polk County for nearly four years, it's inexcusable to have taken this long to get acquainted with what I'd heard was an excellent museum. Adding to the enticement is their free Saturday morning admission. Sometimes the best things in life are free!

The Polk has several rooms on the main level full of Pre-Columbian art reflecting highly developed empires from the Mexican desert down through the Andean rain forest. Works dating back to 600 BC with astounding sophistication and ornamentation. It struck me that, with all my focus on late medieval Gothic architecture, these figures and utensils would have seemed ancient to the people of the late Middle Ages! And many of them enjoyed a standard of living well above that of our European ancestors who came along centuries later.

The museum also proudly displays the best in children's art from this part of central Florida. I would give anything to be able to create like these 5 year-olds!

The museum also features a good selection of contemporary art, including a few pieces by Picasso, Matisse, and Duchamps. But the highlight this particular Saturday was a temporary exhibit of early to mid-20th century textiles from Japan (picture exquisite kimonos hung the length of the exhibit hall, like a forest of brightly colored, intricately embroidered silk trees.) With the textiles was a collection of 32 woodblock prints by 19th century Japanese artist Tsiuioka Yoshitoshi -- "32 Aspects of Women." Portraits of women from all classes of Japanese society, they were a lesson in the feminine esthetics and fashion of the day. For example, did you know that a green-painted lower lip and black teeth were considered the height of style for upper class women? A peek of red undergarment hinted at a "lady's" lack of virtue? That you can tell about a woman's station in life by translating the various twists and bobs of her hair? Fascinating! The final print in the series showed a traditional Japanese maiden wearing a western-style Victorian suit -- disconcerting to say the least!

In July, this exhibit will be replaced by a temporary show of work by Lois Mailou Jones, considered one of the Harlem Renaissance painters of the 20th century. Rejected early in her career because of her race and gender, she fled to Europe where she developed her talent. Her paintings show the influence of early 20th century Impressionism. So the Polk is another return visit to put on my calendar!

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Hello Dali!

"There is only one difference between a madman and me. The madman thinks he is sane. I know I am mad." -- Salvador Dali, Spanish painter (1904-1989)

What's the best part of being a student? The field trips, of course!



Yesterday, Cliff and I headed an hour west to St. Petersburg and the Salvador Dali Museum there. Located on the bay, it's the most comprehensive collection of the Surrealist's works in the world, thanks to the efforts of A. Reynolds and Eleanor Morse who gifted the city with their extensive collection from their four decades of friendship with the Spanish painter and his wife, Gala. The collection contains some 96 paintings, more than 100 watercolors and drawings, and some 1300 other items exhibited in rotation. The works displayed cover the years 1917-1970.

Seeing Dali's work in all its glorious strangeness was a marked departure from the scholastic order and piety of French Gothic. But in the interest of expanding my general knowledge of art history, re-visiting Dali and Surrealism was a healthy choice!


Most people are familiar with Dali's repetitive image of the melting clock, famously depicted in "The Persistence of Memory". The museum cleverly recreates that image in an outdoor bench.


A contemporary and compatriot of Picasso and Miro, Dali is best known for his graphically disturbing paintings with recurring themes of death and decay (symbolized often by flies), the mysterious nature of women (usually depicted from the back with faces unseen), his contempt for government and bureaucracy, the influence of Sigmund Freud's emerging theories, and his love/hate relationship with the Catholic Church. He adored his wife and often featured her prominently in his work, depicted as an angel or his muse.

What struck me most, though, was his absolutely mastery of any style he tackled. In his teens, his colorful landscapes resemble those of Late Impressionism or Cezanne. As a young man in his 20's he painted with astonishing realism and a breathtaking chiaroscuro (he often imitated Diego Velazquez) such as seen in his simple "A Basket of Bread". But in the same year, he created other works in the Cubist style and began experimenting in his own version of Surrealism, a sort of "super reality" of dreams and imagination considered by the painter to be more real than conscious, visual reality.

He was evidently a complex and troubled man, noted as an arrogant and grating personality even among his fellow Surrealists. Most photographs of Dali show him wide-eyed, eyebrows arched, a caricature of himself in black cape and iconic mustache. Definitely one of the art world's more interesting characters! And one I'm not inclined to forget.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Taking a break

"I will study and get ready, and perhaps my chance will come." -- Abraham Lincoln

Today marks the first day of my next "phase" in life: a return to the role of full-time student. The last time I lived this role, Jimmy Carter was president, gas cost $1.39 a gallon, mini skirts and streakers were the rage, and the biggest tickets on campus were to see Elvis or the Beach Boys. My trusty little typewriter, steady supply of "White-Out", portable stereo and favorite Carole King albums made those trips to South Bend with me each fall. Times have changed!

This time, I'm stepping down from my job as admission counselor to nearly 300 students -- an eclectic mix of international, missionary kid "MKs", expats, and transfers -- whose concerns have become my own these past few years. As my territory has grown exponentially, so have my responsibilities. And while the joy of working with young people remains (indeed, it's what spurs me on to finish my MA!), the pressure and demands of the job are stealing my energies.

So for now, I'm a stay-at-home student chopping away at the research before me. Just like the first time around, I like being a student and the challenge of pushing back the cobwebs to take in new ideas and information. And thanks to this modern world we live in, I can access sources and images from around the world and up-and-down the timeline of human history from the comfort of my study or even (when temps fall below 90) my lanai.

I don't know exactly what the future holds or even what I'll be doing when I "grow up". This is scary and exciting at the same time -- a step of faith for my family and me. But I have a true peace in this.