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“Inside the MFAH” provides perspectives, conversations, and opinions from insiders at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
Diving into “Watson and the Shark” November 14, 2013
One of the centerpieces of American Adversaries: West and Copley in a Transatlantic World is Watson and the Shark, the sensational painting that earned artist John Singleton Copley (1738–1815) election to the Royal Academy of Art in London.Just a few insights into this monumental work:Watson led quite a life, including a stint as the “peg-legged mayor of London.”This painting depicts a …
Line, Redrawn April 9, 2013
“I am proceeding very slowly, I do not want to spoil the initial freshness of my work. . . . If I could, I would leave it as is, even if it means to start all over and to take it to a further stage on a different canvas.” —Pablo Picasso
In several of the paintings in Picasso Black and White, Picasso characteristically leaves visible traces of earlier sketches on his canvas. The visible …
Art Beyond Sight October 23, 2012
If you went blind tomorrow, would you still visit the art museum? If you couldn’t see art, would you still be able to have a positive art experience?
The Characters of Kenwood: Kitty Fisher August 30, 2012
During the run of the exhibition Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Gainsborough: The Treasures of Kenwood House, London, we have filled you in on the lives of the characters that add to the colorful history of the Kenwoodestate. Quite a few of these 18th-century beauties—including actresses, courtesans, and other celebrities—would have recognized (and in some cases snubbed) each other had they entered the …
The Characters of Kenwood: Mrs. Jordan August 3, 2012
During the run of the exhibition Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Gainsborough: The Treasures of Kenwood House, London, we will fill you in on the lives of the characters that add to the colorful history of the Kenwoodestate. Quite a few of these 18th-century beauties—including actresses, courtesans, and other celebrities—would have recognized (and in some cases snubbed) each other had they entered the same …
The Characters of Kenwood: Mary, Countess Howe June 22, 2012
During the run of the exhibition Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Gainsborough: The Treasures of Kenwood House, London, we will fill you in on the lives of the characters that add to the colorful history of the Kenwood estate. Many of the artworks in the show are full-length portraits of glamorous society ladies painted by artists competing in the Royal Academy of Arts exhibitions. Quite a few of these 18th- …
Stains, Sprays, and Splendor Fill the Canvases of Color Field Painter Jules Olitski February 15, 2012
Color Fieldpainter Jules Olitski didn’t stay in one place very long, artistically speaking. Unlike his contemporaries—Helen Frankenthaler, Morris Louis, Kenneth Noland—Olitski changed his artistic techniques frequently.
“Olitski is unique among the Color Field painters in the rapidity of his evolution,” says Alison de Lima Greene, MFAH curator of contemporary art and special projects. Greene …