Modigliani: Beyond the Myth

By Rosetta DeBerardinis

Modigliani: Beyond the Myth opening Saturday, February 26th at the Phillips Collection is worth the price of admission. The show originated at the Jewish Museum in New York; however, the Phillips added twenty-five works to its show. It features about 100 paintings, drawings and sculptures by the artist.

The third floor of the new renovated annex has been transformed from a sterile museum atmosphere into a lovely warm gallery with soft colored walls, arches and columns. The five galleries have interesting lighting and the installation is excellent.

Now, I am not a fan of Modigliani, but I could not resist embracing his work during this exhibition. It includes much more than his women with the skinny necks. In the first gallery there are beautiful sculptures lined up on a platform and lots of crayon and pencil sketches. In galleries three and four are his controversial nudes and the last gallery has a powerful presentation of his famous signature paintings of women with the skinny necks.

The Phillips Collection, 1600 21St., N.W. $14 for general admission, $12 for seniors and students, no charge for persons under eighteen. Show runs through May 29th. (202)387-2151.

And at the WaPo' new Entertainment BLOG, Maura McCarthy has a second mini review of the Modigliani show, which includes a link to great images of the show.

Boot Camp for Artists

Tomorrow we will be doing the "Success as an Artist" seminar that was postponed from last week.

Pics

Just back from San Diego, just for the weekend and then fly back there on Monday. There has been a lot of rain in SoCal and everything around is either sliding or very green.

View from my hotel room's window

Anyway, when I arrived on Tuesday night, it was still raining here, and the next morning there was still rain and some rare skies around there (clouds).


San Diego Wednesday Morning Clouds

But by noon, the ocean that Balboa discovered was once again spectacular. The below photo was taken from around the area where that Spaniard is believed to have stood when he focused the first set of Caucasian eyes to see the ocean that he then named Pacific.


The Pacific Ocean on Wednesday afternoon

And by the time the sun was sinking down later that day, one of the great joys of living next to the ocean was about to happen: the green flash. The pic below is a few minutes before the sun sinks into the horizon and Nature takes your breath away with the color green.


The Ocean a few minutes before the green flash

On the flight back I had a plane change in San Francisco, and I discovered this almost representational version of Airportism (which is what I dubbed a few years ago the sort of artwork that gets selected for exhibition as "public art" in American airports).

Below is a huge William Wiley piece near gate 85 at the airport. Typical airportism...


Void by William Wiley

Airborne today

I am flying back today as I have to get back to DC to help with the Success as an Artist seminar that was postponed last Sunday because of the threat of snow. Then I have to fly back to San Diego to finish my business here.

While in San Diego I met with a couple of TV-type dudes, as I now have two television programs floating around and in the works, with pilots out, and both thanks to the interest in DC area visual arts generated by this savory BLOG; is that cool or what?

Talking about savory, last night I went to Ortega's for my poblano mole fix. And Sr. Ortega came out and although I've only been here a few times, he came and thanked me for mentioning his savory restaurant in DC Art News.

To say that I was dumbfounded is an understatement. I guess that I didn't expect this brilliant Mexican country cook to gather enough input and feedback to deduce and put together all the facts that grouped together equals me + DC Art News + Ortega's.

So I asked him, and he told me that over the last few weeks he's had DC area visitors who have told him that they went to Ortega's because of DC Art News. And since he knew my name (we usually talk quite a bit when I come to visit, and once he even showed me how he mixes his mole sauce), he put two and two together and.... there you have it!

Is that COOL or what!

Ahhhhhh! The power of the web.

Anyway... on the way back I have two books to read: The Family of Pascual Duarte by Camilo Jose Cela and then The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon.

The Thursday Reviews

It appears more and more that the WaPo has essentially turned its corporate back, under its new Style editor, on area galleries, and we will just have to live with a couple dozen reviews a year.

Today there are several theatre reviews, and several music reviews, and a nice profile on a New York City ballet choreographer, but other than this nice review of the "Asian Games: The Art of Contest," which will open Saturday on the Mall at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, there's zip once again on the day facetiously dedicated by the Style section to "Galleries and Arts News."

Thanks to the Web Gods that now other venues exist to write intelligent words about art and artists besides a reluctant newspaper that probably wishes that it could drop visual arts coverage all together. And stepping up to the plate is Kriston over at grammar.police with a super review of Robert Olsen's "Elements, Particular" show at G Fine Art and this BLOG cop does another superb job.

And at Thinking About Art Kirkland comes through again with an early look at the WPA/C Auction; super job JT.

Which reminds me... in the past I've offered, and now I renew my offer: Please email me your reviews and impressions of any visual art shows that you have visited and I will publish them here; nothing anon please, lest I be accused of being flavorless by easily bruised egos.

P.S. WCP what happened this week? No reviews? But I gotta give big props for the piece on Frank Warren and his Art Secrets.

Sunny and pleasant

Here.

I understand that DC is under the white stuff; I suppose that means that all that's scheduled around the city today, such as this panel has been cancelled.

Wanna see some new artwork?

"Elegant Violence" (who picked that title?) runs until the 27th, and features the work of the BFA Senior Thesis artists exhibiting at the Hemicycle at the Corcoran and thus the shape of things to come (Fabian apologies to H.G. Wells).

This is one of the best venues to see and experience what the new crop of artists are creating... As I am in sunny (yep right!) California, I would love for someone to go and see this show and then email me a review or impression for publication in DC ART NEWS.

"The principle which gives support to a work of art is not necessarily contemporary with it. It is quite capable of slipping back into the past or forward into the future. The artist inhabits a time which is by no means necessarily the history of his own time."

Henri Focillon (1881-1943), French art historian.

I bet that Focillon is not in Oxford's art history curricullum.

Underwear

Life has a subtle way of putting one's arrogance back into place every once in a while. It's now almost 7AM Pacific Time and this "seasoned traveler" has just discovered that he forgot to pack all his undershirts and thus (at least today) will have to "freestyle" his dress shirts.

Oh well... everyone in Europe does it.

Oh God!

Raining in San Diego

Not an usual thing to happen here, but raining nonetheless when I arrived tonite. The flight here was a small miracle: a direct, non stop flight from DC to San Diego. Sweet! But when I checked in, I noticed that my seats had been changed, and instead of my usual aisle seat, I'm in the middle!

And since the plane was sold out, it was time to pour the charm to get the seating arrangement re-done. The trick? They usually leave the row with the emergency exits open to the last minute, so that the agent can eyeball the person and decide that he/she can physically take that small door off and allow the passangers to escape via that row (as if).

So I smiled, and said to the jaded airline lady: "I will gladly sit in the exit row, and can physically do the task, if needed." She eyeballed me carefully, realizing that she was dealing with a seasoned traveler. I blinded her with a smile and to make a long story short I ended in the sweet, extra space exit row.

Time permitting, I will try to keep up with the posting.

And I was able to re-discover Emily Dickinson on the flight here. I think that I last read her in college, and I had forgotten how sensually surprising she could be:

Wild nights! Wild nights!
Were I with thee,
Wild nights should be
Our luxury!

Futile the winds
To a heart in port,—
Done with the compass,
Done with the chart.

Rowing in Eden!
Ah! the sea!
Might I but moor
To-night in thee!

Synergy Deadline Extended

Evolving Perceptions has extended the deadline for their Call for Art for SYNERGY until March 15, 2005.

Per the hardworking organizers: "SYNERGY is a new movement in creative energy. The artists of the Washington D.C. metropolitan area are engaging in a project that is bringing the artistic community together in a powerfully innovative way. Evolving Perceptions (EP) is making SYNERGY their gift to the aesthetic energy of our Nation’s Capital. Through the synergy of the artists, community, supporters and media, the SYNERGY project will empower, articulate and educate the communities of the Metropolitan Washington D.C. area about the arts with a totally new paradigm. We are forming 6 teams of 3-4 artists in collaboration to create works that will be exhibited, voted on by the public and auctioned. There is a $3,000 stipend per artist. Visit EP's website for details on the call and to download an entry form.

For more questions please email Marsha Stein, SYNERGY COORDINATOR, marshasart@aol.com or call at 301-564-0707.

Tuesday Arts Agenda

DCist's Tuesday Arts Agenda is packed full of great visual arts stuff going on this week in DC.

The opening and show not to miss this week is Mexican Report: Contemporary Mexican Art, opening Thursday, Feb. 24 at the Cultural Institute of Mexico and two other local venues. The opening at the Cultural Institute of Mexico starts at 6:30PM.

If you haven't been to this beautiful building and gallery space, be prepared for one of DC's best-kept secrets: It is both a marvel of architecture and visual arts all rolled into one, and under Alejandro Negrin's leadership has really taken off as one of the key art venues in our city that truly adds a powerful international footprint to our art scene!

While there, visit Marta Maria Perez Bravo's huge digital photographs One Soul I and One Soul II.

Marta Maria is Cuban, but currently resides in Mexico, and we represent her work locally.

Exhibition details here. As I am heading to San Diego, I will miss the opening (bummer).

Airborne today

Last night's opening of Drawing II was very pleasant!

Today I am airborne and heading to the Left Coast again and returning on Friday. I am on a poetry reading mood, so on the way there I'm going to re-read The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson and also mix it up with some Yeats.

Talking about Yeats, herewith my favorite Yeats' poem of all time:

"Her Triumph"

I did the dragon's will until you came
Because I had fancied love a casual
Improvisation, or a settled game
That followed if I let the kerchief fall:
Those deeds were best that gave the minute wings
And heavenly music if they gave it wit;
And then you stood among the dragon-rings.
I mocked, being crazy, but you mastered it
And broke the chain and set my ankles free,
Saint George or else a pagan Perseus;
And now we stare astonished at the sea,
And a miraculous strange bird shrieks at us.

Mary Lang

J.T. Kirkland at Thinking About Art has an interesting review of Mary Lang's debut show in our Georgetown gallery.

More images by Lang here.

Tour de Clay

Geographically centered around the Greater Baltimore area, but featuring 878 artists, with 160 exhibits in 122 venues around the world, Tour de Clay is probably the largest visual arts multi-everything event ever held in the country, and it focuses and celebrates all forms of art in clay through a collaboration of artists from 47 states and Norway, Switzerland, Korea, Africa, Japan, Taiwan and Scotland, as well as participation by area galleries with exhibitions at more than 100 venues throughout the region, including DCAC and these other locations locally: Target Gallery, Ellipse Art Center, Scope Gallery and The 340 Space.

See all area locations here.

The exhibitions opened a couple of days ago and run through April 3, 2005.

Opening Today

Prof. Sarah Stecher of Montgomery College has curated Drawing National II at Montgomery College and selected 41 artists, and the opening reception for the show is today, Monday, February 21, 6-8PM. Directions to the campus are here.

In addition to yours truly, the following artists will be exhibiting in this show: Kelly Adams, Lila Oliver Asher, Alastair Bolton, Scott Brooks, Warren Craghead III, Elli Crocker, Pamela DeLaura, Haig Demarjian, Jan Dove, Laura Evans, Sondra B. Gair, Javier Gil, Mikhail Gubin, Sharon Harper, Jeffrey Haupt, Candace Keegan, Richard Keen, Ronald Keeney, Kathleen King, J.T. Kirkland, Mary Kate Maher, Allison Miner, Sarah Oldenburg, Mary Ott, Sky Pape, Susan Due Pearcy, Mark Pomilio, Selena Reames, Mari Richards, Jacqueline Saunders, Terri Schmidt, John P. Semple, Marc Snyder, Caroline Thorington, Adrienne Trager, Michael Voors, Yida Wang, Maya Weber, and Alice Whealin.

Lions and Tigers and Bears

Oh God!

From the Himalayan Times (thanks AJ):

Eight elephants in northern Thailand have painted their way into the Guinness Book of World Records after an art lover living in the United States shelled out a jumbo 1.5 million baht ($39,000) for their canvas creation — the highest price ever paid for elephant art.

Art lover?

Where did I leave that sharp knife?

Another Noguchi Review

And now it is two differing from the one.

Read Michael O'Sullivan's excellent take on Isamu Noguchi at the Hirshhorn, published yesterday in the WaPo.

O'Sullivan correctly points out Noguchi's innovative track record and writes:

"Solar's inclusion is notable for two reasons. Yes, it's a fine piece, characterized by the kind of dynamic stillness found in Noguchi's best, most Zen-flavored work, but it also serves Fletcher's thesis that Noguchi was probably more innovative than people generally give him credit for. Is there the influence of Constantin Brancusi (for whom Noguchi briefly worked as a studio assistant while in Paris) in some of Noguchi's earliest pieces? Certainly, and the biomorphic iconography of the surrealists makes more than one appearance in Noguchi's later art as well.

But art isn't a horse race, or at least it shouldn't be. What Noguchi did well he did very well. Whether works represent his fascination with the pure refinement of form, as in the gestural simplicity of 1970's "The Bow," or express the gut-punch racial politics of 1934's "Death (Lynched Figure)," or whether they lie somewhere in between, as in the phallic squishes and fleshy plops of his work of the 1940s, Noguchi's most powerful sculptures beg for extended viewing.

Yep! Art isn't a horse race, and it doesn't have to be "new" to be good.

Case slammed shut!

Seminar Postponed

Because of the threat of snow tomorrow, the Success as an Artist seminar scheduled for tomorrow has been postponed until next Sunday, February 27, 2005, starting promptly at noon.

Carib Nation

Next Monday, Feb. 28 at 6PM, do not miss the Carib Nation program on WHUT Howard University Television. It will feature a profile of DC area photographer Nestor Hernandez.