Sick of winter yet? Here is Lake Erie this morning: Pretty for January but not on St. Patrick’s day.
Cleveland, Vermilion, OH
Spring?
by •
Category: Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Art Museums, Artists, Cleveland, Paintings, Uncategorized
Return of an Old Friend
by •
After a long and (for me) painful absence for conservation, Andrea del Sarto’s The Sacrifice of Isaac is once again on display at the Cleveland Museum of Art. del Sarto’s unfinished masterpiece from 1527 is on a massive wooden panel. The painting’s unfinished state opens a window into the artist’s studio, and shows us his working method. The…
Status
Direct flights between Cleveland and Trenton NJ began this month. This means I can fly to Trenton for an over night stay at our property there. Trenton, which is on the Delaware River (think Washington crossing the Delaware and the Battle of Trenton) is ideally located for trips to New York and Philadelphia. Trains frequently run to both cities. I used to commute regularly to New York from there on the trains. I met my wife on one of those trains. Anyway, I plan to visit the galleries and museums there with more frequency.
Status
Frequent readers might have noticed the dwindling number of reviews of Cleveland galleries. I’ve been exploring the Cleveland art scene–such as it is–for two years and my early sense of discovery has long since dissipated. The NE Ohio galleries, like most of those outside the major art markets, are dedicated (speaking broadly) to academic art. By that I mean art produced by university and college professors and administrators–the ‘academy.’ This is not the place to get into a discussion about the quality of art produced in that environment, except to say that the quality is uneven and somewhat predictable. The short version is that I’m starting to see repeat shows of artists I’ve already reviewed or chose not to review. I won’t say there will be no more Cleveland gallery reviews, just that I no longer make regular visits to the galleries (I still visit the museum every week).
Status
Due to the bad weather, the usually crowded Cleveland Museum of Art cafeteria was practically deserted today. The fare isn’t good enough to fight jostling lines, but today’s peace made the none-too-good food perfectly acceptable. Especially hungry, my designer salad was delicious, piled delightfully high with anchovies and blue cheese. After lunch, I did my usual tour, storing away much to think about and study–stolen treasures.
Art Museums, Cleveland, Uncategorized
Cleveland Museum of Art finishes renovations
by •
After 8 years and $350 million, the Cleveland Museum of Art has–finally!–completed its ambitious renovations. The long awaited (by me) opening of the new West Wing’s China, India and Southeast Asia collections means all collections are once again on view after the long hiatus. I am a fervent admirer of Asian art, especially painting, so I stomped…
Artists, Bio, Cleveland, Uncategorized
Robert Blackburn
by •
During my weekly visit to the Cleveland Museum of Art I was pleasantly surprised to see a newly-hung lithograph titled Blackburn. In the lithograph by Ron Adams (an artist heretofore unknown to me) I instantly recognized my former mentor Robert Blackburn. Adams portrays Robert doing what he was always doing: working a printing press. I…
Aside
Bonfoey keeps its door locked so visitors have to wait to be buzzed into the gallery. Yesterday, for the third time, I was prevented from entering the gallery because nobody buzzed me in. THIRD TIME. Were they all at lunch? Were they all at a party?
My time is precious, so–needless to say–no more trips to Bonfoey.
Phooey on Bonfoey!