This particular piece of wood sculpture has been one of my favorites in the SLAM collection for a very long time. It has a particular feeling to it that you can’t appreciate until you’re standing in front of it, taking in all of the mana and life essence of the piece. Until then, it’s just a pretty piece of wood.
Friday
This, again, is another one of those bridges between Baroque and Rococo that doesn’t quite fit either genre but shares elements of both movements.
Thursday
Again with the Rococo and its erotic imagery.
Wednesday
This is kind of your typical bridge point painting for what happened between the Baroque and Rococo – it was landscapes and a sense of uneasy peasant whimsy with just a hint of aristocratic finery that’s out of place.
Tuesday
Every time I go into the Museum, I comment on how so many of the things seem to have come out of the original countries in times of war or just after war. (Aka, many of the Islamic items are from 1919 – collapse of the Ottoman Empire, many of the French items are 1945, post-WWII, etc.) I feel sad that we’re the beneficiaries of, basically, the equivalent of looting a country of its treasures in order to maybe barely feed its people for a few days.
In this case, what a treasure it is. No exaggeration.
Monday
Oh, man, this is so naughty in so many ways. It’s so Rococo it hurts. It’s indulgent and frivolous and all the things that the aristocracy was supposed to be.
Sunday
Guuuuunh. Look at that Art Nouveau styling. Just look at it. Doesn’t it make your heart go pitter pat?
Saturday
This particular piece of pottery looks like it’s being wrapped up in vines – and that impression is exactly what was meant to be communicated. The shape is very unsubtle in its execution of the ‘feminine ideal form’, coupled with the natural vibe and the Art Nouveau styling makes it very specific to the time period. It’s that not quite Victorian, not quite Edwardian.
Friday
I must be a complete weirdo because this is reminiscent of a bird; the shape, the strata, the overall… it’s very birdlike. I enjoy the variegation of the color and the texture and mixed media weaving throughout the piece. It’s actually much larger in scale than it looks in the photo, and up close is much more fascinating. I adore everything about this.
Thursday
I’m constantly amazed by the juxtaposition of complexity and simplicity in this piece. On the one hand, the lines are achingly simple – and yet they are unerringly complex in design and execution.