In Chains

Detail of Zenobia in Chains (1859) by Harriet Goodhue Hosmer

Offered for your consideration. ;-)

Friday Flowers: Clivia

Clivia: Baby Doll

Snow
(By Adrienne Rich)

when it comes down turning
itself in clusters before the flat
light of the shortest day

you see how all turns away
from us how we turn
into our shadows you can see
how we are tested

the individual crystal on the
black skirt of the maxi-coat
under the lens

was it a whole day or just a lifetime
spent studying crystals

on the fire escape while the 'Sixties
were running out
could you see

how the black ladder spun away from us
into whiteness
how over and over
a star became a tear

if no two are alike
then what are we doing
with these diagrams of loss


Adrienne Rich passed away this week. Given her age, it came as no great shock, but it is sad news nevertheless. She was an inspiration for generations of women poets. Her poetry went through many phases over the course of her long life, never growing stale or redundant.

Her distinct voice has made the world a better place. I will treasure her poems and will read them again to experience anew Adrienne Rich's unique insights.

Clivia: Bodacious

As regards the clivia, I attended the annual show at the Huntington Gardens. Many gorgeous flowers were on display. Here are a few lovelies to start the weekend right. ;-)

Dreaming as the Days Go By

The Chess Queens (1944) by Muriel Streeter


I recently visited LACMA's exhibit "In Wonderland: The Surrealist Adventures of Women Artists in Mexico and the United States" which was an eye-opening experience. I found it so profound for two reasons. First, the works on display were exceptionally strong, powerful expressions of surrealist aesthetics.

Second, there were many "forgotten masterpieces" on display, works that should have greater prominence and fame; I'm reasonably learned in art history, but there were many awesome pieces that were unfamiliar to me. I can't help but feel that these artists have been neglected by art historians because of gender bias. The fact that some of them were from Latin America or lived there put a double whammy on them, making them beneath the notice of the male-centric Euro-centric art cognoscenti.

So, kudos to LACMA and the Museo de Arte Moderno for putting this show together. It's about time that these treasures got the appreciation that they deserve.

Detail of Celestial Pablum (1958) by Remedios Varo


Although I found the actual layout to be confusing, the exhibit was segmented along a variety of themes that pervade the works of these artists. From the use of games and chance in composing works to the conceptualization of the Self, the exhibit examined topics both philosophical and technical. Yet, it always presented the subject in a coherent and accessible manner, never drifting off into deep Art Theory or Formal Techniques territories.

Only an Ornament

Sketch of Fanny Mendelssohn by Wilhelm Hensel

Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel was the older sister of the famous Romantic composer, Felix Mendelssohn, wife of the prominent court painter, Wilhelm Hensel, granddaughter of the great Jewish philosopher, Moses Mendelssohn, and the grandmother of a few notable intellectuals; the tradition of defining her in relation to prominent male relatives is a disservice to her own underappreciated genius.

Born to a respectable German Jewish family in 1805, Fanny Mendelssohn was subjected to the societal marginalization that was socially prominent toward women. In spite of her obvious musical talent, her family never allowed her to cultivate the knowledge and skill to meet her potential. While her brother was developed into one of the greatest voices of early Romantic composition, Fanny picked up her technique through self-taught trial and error as a performer.

Fortunately, her brother encouraged her compositional activities, publishing her works under his own name so as to avoid the scandal that would have ensued if the true authorship was known. When Fanny married Wilhelm Hensel, who supported her musical endeavors, she eventually began to publish under her own name.

Sketch of Fanny Mendelssohn by Wilhelm Hensel

Let's honor her birth date by listening to some beautiful music. And reflect upon the even greater music to which we cannot listen, those pieces that were never realized by Fanny because of the many social obstacles that prevented their creation, lost to the ignorance of misogyny.

Appreciating Herstory

Otis College is exhibiting "Doin' It in Public" as part of the Pacific Standard Time art event.

There is currently a vast artistic curation and exhibition project underway in the Los Angeles area called Pacific Standard Time. It's premise is to celebrate and display the Los Angeles art scene from 1945 to 1980, the foundational era upon which contemporary LA art builds. Obviously, in an enormous population center like Los Angeles, there will be many narrative and historical strands that will be considered.

So I began my exploration of Pacific Standard Time with a visit to Otis College's exhibit "Doin' It in Public: Feminism and Art at the Woman's Building." It's a fascinating look at the woman's art movement and how the establishment of a feminist institution gave birth to a wide array of creative endeavors, from the aesthetic to the sexual to the political.

In terms of exhibiting original art, there wasn't much. It was more of an anthropological and historical show, which is cool with me. There were plenty of informative media displays. One could spend hours at the exhibit just looking at the videos or listening to recordings. I especially enjoyed the reconstruction of a few performance art installations.

American Dining: A Working Woman's Moment (1987/2011) by the Waitresses

For me, the documentation of the artistic-political collectives was the most compelling part of the exhibit. It seems as if this was where the creative energy of the Woman's Building in forming a community identity and fostering progressive artistic and political activities came together strongest.

What A Woman Can Do

Detail of Judith Slaying Holofernes (c. 1620) by Artemisia Gentileschi

On this date in 1593, Artemisia Gentileschi was born.

She is one of my favorite painters of the Baroque era. The dramatic realism and intense contrast of shadow and light are filled with intense emotion. Fear, rage, horror, confusion and pain are expressed with an unflinching visceral honesty. Many of her peers of the Italian Baroque adhere to an interesting but artificial mannerism, even Caravaggio gets occasionally caught up in the stylistics. Artemisia works within the same tradition, but maintains a powerful sense of authenticity throughout her career.

Sadly, there is a well-intentioned but misguided reductionist interpretation of her works that dominates both public and academic analysis. As a teen, Artemisia was raped by her tutor and, when pressing charges against her assailant, she was subjected to torture by thumbscrews as a part of her testimony. Obviously, such an experience is going to have a profound effect upon her psychological state, which will then be expressed through her art.

It is true that many of her paintings focus on themes relating to sexual victimization and powerful women. But she has many works that don't deal with such themes. To reduce her creative aesthetic to this "one note" thematic expression is a needless reduction. I feel it is better to study Artemisia just as one would any great artist of the Italian Baroque and then focus on the gender related themes. To do otherwise is to reduce her to a proto-feminist icon.



Lot and His Daughters (c. 1640s) by Artemisia Gentileschi


As a comparison, would we limit our appreciation of Raphael to his "Madonna and Child" works? Is the study of Andy Warhol limited to his "Campbell Soup" works? Do we limit our Rembrandt studies to his self-portraits?