Abstracted Jazz

The Mellow Pad by Stuart Davis, 1945-51, The Brooklyn Museum

American artist Stuart Davis believed that abstract painting could impart more of the meaning of the work than a straight figurative interpretation. This work is about American jazz and giving a viewer a sense of the relaxed "coolness" inherent in its form. The name "Mellow Pad" refers to slag used by the musicians for a low-key place to hang out.

Hidden Meanings

The Ambassadors by Hans Holbein the Younger, 1533, The National Gallery, London.

Hans Holbein the Younger was born in Germany but spent most of his career in England as the court painter to Henry VIII. His work was strongly influenced by the Northern Renaissance painters like Jan van Eyck and Rogier van der Wyden. Their realistic style rendered in bright jewel tones, was his style, as well. This portrait of two men thought to be ambassadors to the English court from France, is filled with hints and puzzles about the men's lives, and even a message for we viewers. On the bottom of the piece in the center, you see a skull painted in Anamorphic perspective. It is seen only from particular angles and is thought be placed there to remind us all of our mortality.

Carved History

Gemma Augustea, Roman, Early 1st century CE, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.

To memorialize his triumph over the "barbarians" this carved cameo was created that shows the Emperor Augustus receiving the crown of victory and seated among the gods on the upper level, while his soldiers handle the captives below.

For Liz

Drowning Girl by Roy Lichtenstein, 1963, MOMA, NYC

The Tate Modern and the Art Institute of Chicago have organized a retrospective of one of the most popular and controversial Pop artists of the 20th century, Roy Lichtenstein. The exhibition opens at the AIC today and runs through Sept, 3rd. The controversy about his work stems from his "lifting" images from 1950's and 60's comic books, enlarging them, and rendering them in paint. This part of his career is only the tip of the iceberg, as his work went in many other directions through-out his long career.

Memorials

Iridescence of Life #7 by Binh Danh, Haines Gallery

Binh Danh is a Vietnamese photographer who used images from victims killed in war in his native homeland as subjects for his work. In this series, the artist uses images exposed on plant life and then paired with butterflies to memorialize them.

Glass Jewels

Stained Glass Panel in Frank Lloyd Wright Style at Arizona Biltmore, Phoenix.

Frank Lloyd Wright always liked to create an entire environment in his buildings and homes. He designed furniture, rugs, light fixtures, stained glass, pottery, fabrics - whatever a home would need. His student Albert McArthur, who collaborated with Wright on the design, included a glass panel typical of his teacher's style that now serves as a beautiful focal point at the entrance.

Stacked Blocks by Design

Vintage Postcard of the Arizona Biltmore Hotel

The hotel opened in 1929 and was the first resort complex in the Phoenix area. Two brothers from Chicago named McArthur, asked their brother Albert McArthur, who had studied with Frank Lloyd Wright to design the hotel complex. McArthur and Wright collaborated on the design and it's detials and McArther used Wright's "textile block" design to create the "Biltmore Block" from which the buildings are constructed.

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