About this exhibit
Foreword from the curator
Anyone can look at art. But not everyone can see it.
Looking at art — really looking — must be taught. And unfortunately, many barriers exist that prevent the general public from being able to enjoy art history.
The greatest gift anyone ever gave me was opening my mind to the experience of what looking at a painting could be. I stood in the Louvre, in front of Liberty Leading the People by Eugene Delacroix. At almost 9 feet tall and 11 feet across, it is physically impressive. I remarked to my friend and classmate that I didn't know how to "read" the painting, even though I could tell that it was significant. A student of art history, she proceeded to explain the painting, dividing it up into pieces and elements, telling me what I should look at.
On that day, she taught me how to see.
Some people dedicate their entire adult lives to the study of unraveling paintings for what they mean, what they say about the artist who made them, and what the world was like at that time. I am not an art historian, but I love art history, and I hope I can show you a glimmer of the world I first saw on that day — the glimmer that changed the trajectory of my life, that sent me on a ravenous quest to learn to unpack every painting I saw and to try to, if only for a moment, enter the worlds and minds of artists from far-off places and times.
↗ Indicates an outgoing link to the artist's website.
Mikuláš Galanda (1895 – 1938)
Woman by the window, 1928
Ink on paper
On hearing "pointillism," Seurat and his saturated colors usually come to mind. This pointillist drawing, though monochromatic, has an impressive weight to it. The closer together the points, the deeper the shadows. The eyes yearn to fill in the gaps where color should be: the woman's rosy skin, the velvet curtains, the deep grey storm clouds approaching.
Vilhelm Lundstrøm (1893 – 1950)
Still Life with White Jar, Orange and Book, 1933
Oil on canvas
The soft curves of everyday objects — the book, the orange, the jug handle — are juxtaposed with sharp, blocky sections of light and shadow, like the table's edge. Looking at the colors alone, the shadows appear flat, but in the context of the larger composition, there is an impressive level of depth.
Still Life with White Jar, Orange and Book, 1933
Oil on canvas
The soft curves of everyday objects — the book, the orange, the jug handle — are juxtaposed with sharp, blocky sections of light and shadow, like the table's edge. Looking at the colors alone, the shadows appear flat, but in the context of the larger composition, there is an impressive level of depth.
Wassily Kandinsky (1866 – 1944)
Quadrat im Nebel (Square in the Fog), 1932
Watercolor
The softly rendered geometry appears almost translucent, as if thinly layered atop the canvas. The central square pulls focus like an anchor, while the surrounding shapes appear to float up and away.
Quadrat im Nebel (Square in the Fog), 1932
Watercolor
The softly rendered geometry appears almost translucent, as if thinly layered atop the canvas. The central square pulls focus like an anchor, while the surrounding shapes appear to float up and away.
William H. Hays (b. 1956)
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Dawn, 2023
Linocut print
Linocut prints are created by carving away the negative space of an image into a block of linoleum, then stamping the relief onto paper. This artist makes his prints in several stages for a greater level of detail. First, a wash of background color is applied, followed by the reflections in the water, and finally, the trees along the river bank.
Dawn, 2023
Linocut print
Linocut prints are created by carving away the negative space of an image into a block of linoleum, then stamping the relief onto paper. This artist makes his prints in several stages for a greater level of detail. First, a wash of background color is applied, followed by the reflections in the water, and finally, the trees along the river bank.
Olga Wisinger-Florian (1844 – 1926)
At the pond behind the house, 1902
Oil on board
Depicted at the golden hour, this rustic landscape is an invitation — through the artist's soft, romantic rendering of her own home, an unknown setting becomes nostalgic and warm for the viewer.
At the pond behind the house, 1902
Oil on board
Depicted at the golden hour, this rustic landscape is an invitation — through the artist's soft, romantic rendering of her own home, an unknown setting becomes nostalgic and warm for the viewer.
Jade Anthony
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Friends in Distant Places, 2013
Chalk pastel on paper
A tender ode to the Nintendogs franchise, well-blended pastels are juxtaposed with blocky, pixelated edges. The realistic fur texture and soft shading is done with care, as if grooming a beloved pet.
Friends in Distant Places, 2013
Chalk pastel on paper
A tender ode to the Nintendogs franchise, well-blended pastels are juxtaposed with blocky, pixelated edges. The realistic fur texture and soft shading is done with care, as if grooming a beloved pet.
Sergiu Ciochină (b. 2001)
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Home is where your heart is, 2024
Oil on board
While oil paint can be blended for a more realistic finish, it can also be used for more expressive, impressionist works. By dabbing a pinky-orange hue onto a purple and blue house facade, our eyes perceive it as a sunset glow, filtered through the branches of trees at dusk.
Home is where your heart is, 2024
Oil on board
While oil paint can be blended for a more realistic finish, it can also be used for more expressive, impressionist works. By dabbing a pinky-orange hue onto a purple and blue house facade, our eyes perceive it as a sunset glow, filtered through the branches of trees at dusk.