A Lesson in Art History

A couple months ago, on our epic journey out west, I was swept away to a secret location in the middle of nowhere, Arkansas. Much to my delight, we landed at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas (where big ol' Wally World is headquartered). From my knowledge, a benefactor of Walmart had an expansive art collection and decided to build a museum to house and share the collection with the public. Speaking truthfully, most in the art community will scoff and scorn at anything to do with Walmart (liberal blah-dee-blahs, you know the story). However, I have to say this museum was pretty impressive in both it's architecture and it's collections, especially to an art history geek like me. (Fellow geeks, you know who you are).

Inside the cafeteria, in the background is Clause Oldenburg's Alphabet/Good Humor, 1975

The museum is lies on a giant pool of water.

Oh, so modern!

I was so ecstatic to be in a museum in the first place (it's in my genes, I think), so I took pictures of my very favorites. I loved every bit of this trip, because it took me back to my old love of art history and all the many lessons I learned from all the courses I took in high school and college. I've heard if you're able to analyze a painting or piece of art using the critical methods of art history, you'd make a good lawyer. So many questions can be answered from a single piece of art. Why was this created? Who was it for? What does it stand for? What feeling is it trying to evoke? Ahhhh, I love art history!!!  

Charles Willson Peale, George Washington c.1780-1782 

(Gotta represent our first prez, yo)

Thomas Moran, Valley of the Catawissa in Autumn, 1862

(so serene, so quiet... imagine seeing America like this)

Benjamin West, Cupid & Psyche, 1808

Robert Seldon Duncan, Landscape, 1865

 

John Taylor, A Wooded Classical Landscape with Figures in the Foreground, 1772

(Great use of a creative title, Mr. Taylor)

William Trost Richards, Along the Shore, 1903

(the detail in this painting was out of this world)

John Singer Sargent, Under the Willows, 1887

(wouldn't you love to be her?)

Mary Cassatt, Summertime, 1894

John Decker, Basket of Peaches, 1865

Alexander Calder, Mobile, 1950

Norman Rockwell, Rosie the Riveter, 1943

(This one's for you, Amy.)

Maxfield Parrish, the Lantern Bearers, 1908

John Bradley Storrs, Modern Madonna, 1918

(This one's for you, Mom and your love for modern Madonna sculptures)

Janet Sobel, Heavenly Symphony, 1947

Robert Rauschenberg, Untitled, 1963

Jasper Johns, Alphabets, 1960-1962

Roy Lichtenstein, Still Life with Mirror, 1972

Andy Warhol, Dolly Parton, 1985

(Crystal Bridges bought this one for $914,500. Go Dolly!)

I didn't catch the name or artist of this installation, but Greg modeled for me on the other side.

Gene Davis, Black Balloon, 1964

"There is no simpler way to divide a canvas than with straight lines, at equal intervals. This enables the viewer to forget the structure, and see the color itself" - Gene Davis

Josef Albers, Homage to the Square: Joy, 1964

"Do less, in order to get more" -Josef Albers