Ah, the Wadsworth! Looks like a castle from the outside but it is nothing short of a high-level museum on the inside. Incorporated in 1842 by Daniel Wadsworth, the Atheneum was not officially opened until July 31, 1844. The original “castle” was designed and executed by two 19th century architects, Alexander Jackson Davis and Ithiel Town, to recreate the gothic revival style. Since its opening in 1844, four additional wings (there are plans for a fifth wing!) were built to exhibit the 50,000+ pieces that the museum current owns. Now for the tour!
When you enter from the front entrance of the museum, you are greeted by a fantastic Sol LeWitt wall drawing that encircles the entryway and draws the eye up to the cathedral ceiling. The museum store is on your right...
...and the Auerbach Arts Library on the left.
One of the paintings in the first gallery really caught my eye for one of the very reasons listed on the info card. The Portrait of Mademoiselle Henriette Ferre (1841) by Jean-Francois Millet depicts a well-to-do yet sickly young woman whose haunting gaze and pale complexion really draws one in to the painting.
I was obviously caught up in the museum’s vast collection within steps of the front door. The next painting that I really liked was Avenue de Clichy painted by Louis Anquetin in 1887. This painting reminds me of van Gogh’s Cafe Terrace at Night with the depiction of a Paris street and the hot and cool colors that really give you the feeling of a cool, wet street and a warm, inviting store front. Love this painting!!
Here is a pic of the archway into the special exhibitions gallery.
It gives you a good idea of the detail and artisan ship that went into even the smallest aspect of the Atheneum’s gothic revival architecture.
The painting that I chose from the Wadsworth is the Vale of St. Thomas, Jamaica painted in 1867 by Frederic Edwin Church (b. 1826, d. 1900). Church is known as an American landscape painter who trained at the Hudson River School out of New York. At the time of his fame, realistic landscape painting was the art of the day. The 19th century infatuation with the discovery and exploration of new places coupled with the preference for aesthetic, nature-themed art added fuel to the artistic fire.
**The pic above is from my camera, but the one below is a professional shot and is of a much better quality.
Below are some close ups of the unbelievable frame that this piece is in.
It actually has a shelf like structure that makes it more of a shadow box that acts like a window frame...
At four foot high by seven foot wide, this tropical masterpiece allows the viewer to stand far away and take in the view as if they were actually standing in Jamaica or come up close to the canvas and discover the nuances of the individually realized plants, flowers and rivers that make up the piece.
My favorite aspect of this painting is the sun and the sky. The dark rain storm, swirling clouds and intensely shining sun on the left side of the painting totally contrasts with the calm serenity of the right side of the painting that depicts a winding river and glistening tropical plants and palms.
This contrast shows the viewer just how quickly the weather can change on the island and mixes the feelings of turmoil and serenity together in such a way that the viewer is drawn in to explore the myriad details of the painting.
This oil painting is a fantastic example of aesthetic landscape painting. One can see the affinity for detail which calls back to the art movement called Academicism, known for its rules and doctrines that required the artist to depict the paintings subject as realistically and anatomically correct as possible. It is interesting to see the jump that people made from Academicism to Impressionism to Aestheticism, a softer version of Academicism. I guess people got tired of Impressionistic art that depicted a world as seen through old wavy, bubbly glass and yearned for the more finite and realistic details of classic paintings.
There are two points that make this painting important both to the Wadsworth’s history and my own. It was actually Daniel Wadsworth who discovered Church and introduced him to the Hudson River School founder, Thomas Cole. Cole trained Church until his death in 1848, but this was still enough time to train Frederic to learn the tricks of the trade that would eventually make him the most famous American landscape artist in history. Church is also buried in Hartford, so he can be considered a local artist -- a famous local artist whose career was directly connected to the Atheneum and its founder.
My fiancé actually worked at the gorgeous Olana State Park which is the site of Church’s Moorish-style Victorian mansion -- a place near and dear to the artist’s, and my, heart.. The grounds have a phenomenal view of the Hudson and give hikers access to various cliffs and mountains along the river valley and there is even a heart-shaped pond that Church had made especially for his wife, Isabel. If you get a chance, I would definitely suggest that you take a ride up to Hudson, NY and visit Olana -- I promise that you will not be disappointed!
Here are some additional pics of pieces that I had to include in my photographic montage:
The Charter Oak - Charles de Wolf Brownell, 1857
This frame is actually made from the Charter Oak itself! Unbelievable!!
Ruben Peale - Rembrandt Peale, 1834
Girl with Black Eye - Norman Rockwell, 1953
I know Olana well... That was good to focus on Church's piece... You did a good job with it...That's fascinating that your husband to be worked there.. it sounds like you will have an important interest to share after this class!
ReplyDeleteThe Hudson River School was not a school but an association of like minded artists who painted the landscape on the Hudson River with a romantic vision...."he Hudson River School was a mid-19th century American art movement by a group of landscape painters, whose aesthetic vision was influenced by romanticism. Their paintings depict the Hudson River Valley and the surrounding area, as well as the Catskill Mountains, Adirondack Mountains, and White Mountains of New Hampshire. "School", in this sense, refers to a group of people whose outlook, inspiration, output, or style demonstrates a common thread, rather than a learning institution."
Wikipedia Introduction to the group...