Docent In Training - 19th Century Photography

Hello again,

Cannot believe it has been two weeks since last class and since I last posted a blog. A lot of things has happened but here is the blog as promised.

Class was a very enlightening and entertaining journey into the history of photography. We all gathered at a table while John Rohrbeck, Senior Curator of Photographs, took us through the start of photography in the 19th century up to the 1890s. It included Daguerreotypes such as this one. The below print is a one-of-a-kind as are all Daguerreotypes. The ladies are unknown but in my opinion they are very charming. Think about it; we know nothing of their lives but they will be able to be seen for as long as this photograph exists. Here is a link to the ACMCC photographs shown on the web ACMAA Photographs. They cannot possibly have all 45,000 prints on the web but you will see a sample. I have borrowed a couple of the images shown on the website to give you a sample.

Two Women Posed With A Chair - 1850
Albert Sands Southworth (1811-1894)

I will not attempt to educate you on the different types of photographic processes used in the 19th century as it would just fill up this valuable space with a lot of facts and figures. I will however give you a link from the ACMAA that explains it all in a PDF. ACMCC PDF on photography processes. 

In an age where our phones are our way of recording and instantly sharing our lives, down to what we eat,  it is difficult to realize how important being photographed was to the people of the 19th century. Even the dead were photographed as a record and for remembrance. Before photography a person would have to have a portrait painter create their portrait and since there were different levels of skill the paintings sometime left a lot to be desired. But being photographed was not easy either as one would have to sit still and not blink for a long time. No wonder most people look stern and at times a little goofy.

Photography was not only used for portraits it did become a way of showing people the great western frontier such as this Albumen silver print.

Ancient Ruins in the Cañon de Chelle, N. M. in a Niche 50 Feet above Present Cañon Bed, 1873 Timothy H. O’Sullivan (1840–1882)

You should keep in mind that the image on paper could only be as large as the negative which was a glass plate. Imagine how difficult it was for the photographer to create images such as above and below. When people viewed these works they wanted to see the West and photographs such as these are responsible for a great deal of the travel west. The photographs also had a great deal to do with the establishment of national parks.

Canon of the Rio Las Animas, 1882William Henry Jackson (1843–1942)

One also has to remember that photography was used extensively to record the Civil War between the states. Since they did not have cameras that could record action they had to stage the shots. It must have been terrible to walk through the remnants of a battlefield with the carnage and smell to take the photographs. Just as photographs of the Viet Nam war made people aware of how horrible war really is, the recording of the Civil War made people aware that it was not the glorious adventure they thought it would be. Since I am a bit of a pacifist and an 'old flower child' I will not go into my thoughts on war.

Burying The Dead by Timothy H. O'Sullivan

However photographs recorded much, much more than death and gave us a great history of the Civil War. Check out the National Archives selection at National Archives civil war photographs to see a wealth of photographs on this subject. The photograph above is from their selection.

In January we will have a class on 20th century photography and I will use that class to go deeper into the social aspects of how life and minds were changed by photography and indeed writing. Also we will discuss how photography became an art form. But next is 20th century painting and sculpture. Unfortunate that I missed the first class on this subject but will catch you up the best I can.

In the meantime take a bit of time to explore the wonderful world of photography.

Until later my friends,

Caroline 

Docent in Training - Introduction to Photography

Steamfitter 1921 - Lewis Hine (1874-1940)

 Hello,

You should be able to guess what this weeks class was about by the photograph above. You got it: photography or rather an introduction to the history of photography. In an era where anyone that has a smart phone and snaps pictures right and left; it is easy to forget that true photography exists. But it does and the Amon Carter Museum of American Art (ACMAA) has one of the most important collections of this medium to be had. Below is from the museums web page.

The Amon Carter houses over 45,000 photographic prints, making the museum one of the country’s major repositories of American photography. The holdings span the history of the photographic medium, from one of the earliest daguerreotypes made in this country to inkjet prints being made today. Because of the fragile nature of photographs, the works on view change frequently and may not include images featured on the website.

If you are not close enough to the ACMAA to visit here is a link to some of the collection. http://www.cartermuseum.org/collection/photographs. No, they do not have all 45,000 prints on the web page and of course you will not be able to see all of the collection, but there will be something on view as mentioned above.

Photograph means writing with light from the early Greek. It has also been called by some painting with light. Either is an apt description of photography because light and a means to record it are essential. If you are interested in the history of photography please visit this web page http://www.photo-museum.org/photography-history/

Now the ACMAA would not have such an extensive selection of photography if in the early 20th century a group led by Alfred Stieglitz had not created the Photo-Secession group. They believed that photography can be an art form and I among many, many others totally agree. A beautiful silver gelatin print such as the one above and the two below can take my breath away.

The one of Georgia O'Keefe was taken by her husband Alfred Stieglitz and the ballet slippers was taken and printed by my husband Dave Laskowski. The ballet slippers are not part of the Amon Carter collection.  I urge you to look at photography as the beautiful art form it is.

The last part of the class had to do with how to engage visitors to the museum while giving a tour. It was fun. Next week we will go behind the scenes with the photography curator. A class I am very much looking forward to.

Will let you know how it goes,

Caroline

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

Docent in Training at The ACM Library

Hello again,

Imagine, if you will, that you are invited into a room that contains most of what makes your soul sing and, you are told that it is all for you to use. In fact you are invited to make use of anything in the room. But wait, there is much, much more. You are taken through a door, down a hall into another room that holds even more treasures and, once again you are invited to use it. This was our joy in last nights class. We were conducted through the library at the Amon Carter and saw all the wonders it holds.

This is the Amon Carter Museum library reading room. The whole library, including what you do not see, has 4,743 feet of floor space, 2,328 shelves and 6,887 linear feet of storage. I could give you all of the numbers but I believe it might overwhelm.

Just a few of the numbers are:

52,000 book volumes
About 20,000 bound and lose periodical and journal issues
66,000 pieces of microform
About 10,000 auction catalogs
About 2,000 museum annual reports and bulletins
About 300 linear feet of clipping/ephemera material
A stellar collection of illustrated books, many  of which include original art

All available to us and you for research. You can browse and enjoy the reading room but there is a reference librarian to help you to other jewels in the back area.

Speaking of jewels I would like to thank Jon Frembling for giving us our tour and making history literally come alive with his descriptions of books, maps, and all items of interest. He showed us a camera that belonged to Laura Gilpin and gave us a visual of her taking photos at age 80 something with that camera from an airplane. Jon's passion for the museum collection was very easy to see and understand.

One last jewel is picture of Amon Carter with FDR concerning the land for Big Bend National Park. Between the efforts of Mr. Carter, J. O. Langford and E. E. Townsend this park became a reality. For more see this link.

Texas Gift to the Nation




I could go on and on but will not. If you ever visit the Amon Carter Museum of American Art please stop in the library. You will be amazed.

Until next class,

Caroline