Last weekend HGO Studio members performed Love, Loss, and Solitude in Rienzi's Gallery. Selections came from Debussy, Schumann, Sondheim, and Mandel, among others. What really struck me was how just feet away, in Rienzi's Breakfast Room, Angelica Kauffman's Ariadne Abandoned by Theseus usually hangs. The painting depicts Ariadne on the island of Naxos, where her lover, the Greek hero Theseus, left her after he promised to marry her when she saved him from a labyrinth.The distraught Ariadne coupled with the ship disappearing on the horizon evoked the same emotions HGO Studio's performance did. As part of the exhibition Antiquity Revived: Neoclassical Art in the Eighteenth Century, Ariadne Abandoned by Theseus will be on view at the MFAH's Beck Building through May 30th. Be sure to stop by Rienzi when it goes back on view to ponder about the love, loss, and solitude experienced by the graceful Greek goddess.
Rienzi is the house museum and collection of European paintings and decorative arts at the MFAH. Our articles highlight elements of the collection, discuss additions and changes to the house or gardens, and review events held at Rienzi for those of you not able to be here in person. Feel free to e-mail rienziblog@mfah.org with questions, comments, and suggestions. Welcome!
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HGO Studio: Love, Loss, and Solitude
About Casey Monahan
Casey Monahan joined Rienzi as education assistant in the summer of 2010 after receiving her B.A. from the College of the Holy Cross in Art History and History. She is currently working on her M. A. in Art History at the University of Houston. At Rienzi, the Massachusetts native works with docents, tours, and other public programs.
