Docent in Training - Monday Morning With a Wonderful Teacher

Hello,

We did not have a class last Thursday but were rewarded with an invite to participate with the active docents in a class today, Monday. The teacher was Dr. Laura Evans from North Texas University. Our class was about the fundamentals of art, elements and principles, what any artist professional or amateur needs to know. It does not matter if the creation is 2-D or 3-D or the style, the basics have to exist for the piece to work. A docent in an art museum can use the knowledge of these fundamentals to help guests really look at the art pieces. It is a thin line when using them as one does not want to have people's eyes roll back in their head from too much information at one time.

I cannot possibly write for you all that Dr. Evans has taken years to learn and the small part of her knowledge she taught us, but I can offer you a piece of art and ask you to analyse it using the list of elements and principles. Give it a go, it will be fun and who knows, you may learn a thing or two.

Wrapped Oranges - 1889 William J. McCloskey

For more information on McCloskey visit this website https://www.bowers.org/index.php/collection/collection-blog/william-j-mccloskey

This painting is another wonderful piece in the Amon Carter Museum's collection http://www.cartermuseum.org/collection. Let's look at it using the fundamentals of art.

 The Six Elements of Art:

Line - a line is a mark with a greater length than width. It can be curved or straight; horizontal or vertical or diagonal; thick or thin.
Shape - a closed line.
Form - a three dimensional shape expressing length, width, and depth.
Space - is the area between and around objects.
Color - a light reflected off of objects.
Texture - The surface quality that ca be seen and felt.

The elements of art are the building blocks used by artists to create a work of art. The principles of design describe the ways that artists use the elements of art in a work of art.

The Nine Principles of Design:

Balance - the distribution of the visual weight of objects, colors, texture, and space.
Emphasis - the part of the design that catches the viewers attention.
Movement - the path the viewer's eye takes through the work of art, often to focal areas.
Pattern - the repeating of an object or symbol all over the work of art.
Repetition - works with pattern to make the work of art seem active.
Proportion - the feeling of unity created when all parts relate well with each other.
Rhythm - is created when one or more elements of design are used repeatedly to create a feeling of organized movement.
Variety - is the use of several elements of design to hold the viewer's attention and to guide the viewer's eye through and around the work of art.
Unity - the feeling of harmony between all parts of the work of art, which creates a sense of completeness.

See how many elements and principles you can locate in Wrapped Oranges. This is not a test and I cannot see what you come up with unless you wish to comment.

Thursday the 1st of November we have regular class. I will let you know how it goes.

Until then,
Caroline

Docent in Training - Second Evening With a Curator

Happy Rainy Friday the 19th of October,

Last nights class was as excellent as I expected. Curator Maggie Adler contains a wealth of information, but alas, she is also a very busy woman so I did not get to ask her a couple of questions about how a curator goes about their business. Maybe as the months roll by I will get a chance to speak with her one-on-one. Texas Christian University was also having guided tour classes last night and our docent instructor Nancy Strickland was able to attend them. Hope to find out more when we next meet in a couple of weeks.

In the meantime on to what you are reading this blog for. Sharing a few of the art and artists in the ACMAA (Amon Carter Museum of American Art) http://www.cartermuseum.org/collection that was discussed last night.

 William Merritt Chase 1849-1916) was a virtuoso artist and teacher experimenting in various mediums. The oil painting Idle Hours depicts Long Island's rural eastern tip. It shows Chase's wife, with two of his daughters and possibly his sister-in-law. Many Americans were craving a getting back to nature, not unlike today, and artists such as Chase painted just that.

Idle Hours - 1894

Docent In Training - First Evening With a Curator

Hello again,

This weeks class was presented by Maggie Adler curator of sculpture and paintings at the ACMAA. She presented and gave a background history of some of the 19th century arts in the collection of the ACMAA. I am so in love with lectures by persons with a passion for their work and Ms. Adler certainly has that. But passion is only a small part of the process. A curator has to know so much about art history that it boggles my mind. She will be teaching us again this next week on 20th century art of the museum and I hope to pick her mind, if permitted, about the process of knowing what is on the market and how to determine if it fits in the museum. Also knowing if it can be afforded is important.

Since you could not attend the class with me I will show you a couple of paintings that Ms. Adler presented and, give you a very brief description of the artist and, if possible, what lies behind the piece of work.

Johnson Martin Heade - Two Hummingbirds Above a White Orchid 1875-1890

Martin Johnson Heade - Thunderstorm on Narragansett Bay 1868

 Martin Johnson Heade (1819-1904) was born in Bucks County, PA. He is sometimes called a Hudson River School artist but he is also known for his hummingbird paintings, one of which is shown above. Unfortunate that the birds had to die to be still enough to paint. Hummingbird jewelry was also popular in that time period leading to an overkill of the beautiful little creatures. Heade had hoped to create a book on the South American birds but the cost was far too great so it did not happen. The Narragansett Bay painting was originally discovered in an antiques store in Larchmont, NY. Thunderstorm was the centerpiece of the show Ominous Hush: The Thunderstorm Paintings by Martin Johnson Heade at the ACMAA, among other museums, in 1994.

To learn more about Heade use this link
https://www.nga.gov/collection/artist-info.1381.html

Thomas Cole - The Hunter's Return 1845

  When one looks at this painting by Thomas Cole (1801-1848) one sees an idyllic scene. A hunter returning home with food, wife and children rushing to greet him, a cabin and gardens. Lovely, but, Cole is also trying to convey the destruction of the landscape. Note the tree stumps in the lower right of the painting. Recognized as the creator of the Hudson River School of painting Cole did not live a long life but made a great impression on the art world. It is ironic to me that Cole built a house in the area he most wanted to preserve.
For more on Cole follow this link
https://www.nga.gov/collection/artist-info.1155.html

Robert Seldon Duncanson - The Caves 1869

  Robert Seldon Duncanson (1821-1872) was one of few African-American painters in the 19th century. He left the country for Canada during the civil war. Some of his work is said to be references to slavery and he was popular with abolitionists. The caves may or may not have been used for underground rescue of slaves. Duncanson spent the majority of his career in Cincinnati, Ohio and helped develop the Ohio River Valley landscape tradition.

For more on Seldon Duncanson follow this link
https://americanart.si.edu/artist/robert-s-duncanson-1353


I will be posting again no later then this Sunday, October 21 on the class of the 18th which will be even more interesting. In the meantime if you are interested in the collection of the Amon Carter try this link. www.cartermuseum.org/collection.

Adios amigos,

Caroline

Docent In Training - Amon, Frederic and, Charles

His First Lesson - Frederic Remington 1903

Hello!

This weeks very interesting docent class was all about Amon G. Carter, Frederic Remington, and Charles M. Russell.  Dr. Ron Tyler, former director of the ACMAA, conducted the first part of the class which I prefer to call "How a Relationship Between an Oil Man and a Humorist Resulted in a Museum." Active docents kindly gave their time to give us talks on some art works by Remington and Russell.

One thing is for sure - the more you know the more you know you don't know. That is how I felt after the class which was one part art appreciation and two parts history. Both parts worked well to introduce us to two very well known western artists and one very well known Ft Worth businessman. I say introduce because it is impossible to cover three lives such as these in a short three hour period.

So how does the relationship between a true self-made millionaire, Amon G. Carter and one of America's best love humorists, Will Rogers, result in an art museum.

Amon G. Carter and Will Rogers

During the course of their friendship Mr. Rogers suggested Mr. Carter invest in Western art. His first documented purchases were the above Remington, "His First Lesson" and nine Russell water colors. He continued to purchase Remington and Russell works for many, many years. Mr. Carter loved Ft Worth and always promoted this area at every opportunity. Because he had been poor as a youth he stated his extensive collection of Western art should be displayed in a museum for all to see and enjoy. Thus the Amon Carter Museum of Western Art was created. Sadly he did not live to see the museum. The name has been changed to The Amon Carter Museum of American Art as it has grown to reflect American art from the beginning to the 1950s. More on that as we journey along.

The last half of the class was devoted to eight works by the two artists including "His First Lesson" above. each one portrays a period, albeit sometimes romanticized, in the American west. Each was described by the active docents as to what it meant and how it was achieved. Obviously the artists did a great deal of work in their studios however they had lived and worked in the west so were accurate in their translations. The history behind these works is fascinating but far too much for me to relate in a small blog. I have at least one question under each picture to give you something to research. Online searches will yield for you a wealth of information - or if close enough visit the Amon Carter Museum and check in it's library.

A Dash For The Timber - Frederic Remington 1889

 Question - how did Remington know all four feet of a horse could leave the ground at the same time?

The Bronco Buster Bronze - Frederic Remington 1914

 Two Questions - Where have you seen this bronze on TV and in movies? And what very famous president of the U.S. was presented one by a group he headed.

The Buffalo Hunt [No. 39] - Charles M. Russell 1919

Question - Why is this called No 39?

Indian Women Moving - Charles M. Russell 1898

Question - Why were the women in charge of all the tribes belongings?

The Medicine Man - Charles M. Russell 1908

Question - What do you think the tracks in the ground are?

The Fall of the Cowboy - Frederic Remington 1895

Question - What did Remington believe helped cause the demise or fall of the cowboy?

Through the Smoke Sprang the Daring Soldier - Frederic Remington 1897

Two questions - What does the yellow on their cloaks signify and who are they fighting?

Have some fun looking up the answers.

Adios until next week,

Caroline