Yesterday was a lucky day–I discovered an artist new to me: Carl Gaertner (1898-1952). Gaertner’s reputation is almost entirely local to Cleveland, as Robert Smith‘s is confined to Dayton. Gaertner was born in Cleveland and lived in and around there until his death. He taught for many years at the Cleveland Institute of Art. The Bonfoey Gallery…
Category: Artists
Artists, Cleveland, Galleries, Reviews
Thomas Frontini at the William Busta Gallery
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Yes, the Frontini show really is at the Busta Gallery. Frontini is not listed online among their stable, but I was there–I saw the show with my own eyes. Apparently Busta has given up on its online persona; their Flash-encrusted Web material is haphazard and their blog hasn’t been updated since 2011. Anyway, according to the…
Artists, Paintings, Reviews, Thumbs-Up-Down, Uncategorized
Thumbs-up: Bonnard; Thumbs-sideways:Vuillard
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Vuillard Have you dated someone whose online profile scored highly, only to be disappointed upon meeting her/him? I’ve never used an online dating service (my wife has strong opinions on this subject), but my relationship with Vuillard feels like a disappointing blind date. At different times I’ve studied him closely. He has a beguiling profile filled with attributes I admire: he’s…
Artists, Galleries, Reviews, Uncategorized
Timothy Callaghan—Life Slow Still
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I recently paid my second visit to the William Busta Gallery. Busta is one of those cafeteria-style spaces where several shows—about 6 in this case—run concurrently. The artists shown represent, no doubt, an attempt to cast the widest possible net. Don’t get me wrong, you won’t find a Corot, a Philip Pearlstein, or even a…
Artists, Galleries, Reviews
George Mauersberger at Bonfoey
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I walked into the George Mauersberger exhibit at Bonfoey expecting to see a passel of prints. Nope. While a few prints are on display, drawings and watercolors make up the lion’s share of the show. Even so, Mauersberger has a printmaker’s personality—a love of process and fondness for drawing. Most of the pieces on display are tromp…
Art Museums, Artists, Reviews, Uncategorized
Mary Cassatt and the Feminine Ideal in 19th-Century Paris
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Claude Monet maintained (I’m paraphrasing) that caricature was the soul of art. Not a surprising statement coming from a master caricaturist. I agree with Monet wholeheartedly. The exhibition at the Cleveland Museum of Art—Mary Cassatt and the Feminine Ideal in 19th-Century Paris—provides a great opportunity to examine some drawing and prints by Cassatt and her…
Art Museums, Artists, Paintings, Uncategorized
Dayton Art Institute—Fail
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The Dayton Art Institute is handsomely situated on a hill above the Great Miami River. The museum’s beautiful Italianate main wing provides a remarkable view of the Dayton skyline. Travelers along I-75 passing beneath the museum’s imposing facade can’t help but be intrigued by the marvelous piece of architecture. The museum’s collection, while not as large…
Art Museums, Artists, Bio, Uncategorized
Robert Smith
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Robert Smith was an American artist who died in 1985. When I knew him, he already was an elderly man. He lived with his teenage son in Kettering, Ohio in a French chateau-type building that seemed the height of romance to a high school kid, which was what I was when we met. Smith was…