Going to a museum for an artist, is like going to a an all-you-can-eat-buffet for someone who is starving.
There is so much, that you don’t even know where to begin.
Yesterday, my day was no different.
I was invited by a friend, to go to the Barnes Foundation. I know, it doesn’t sound like a museum, and truthfully, it’s not a normal one, either, but it was so much more, and for this “starving artist”, it was just the right dose of inspiration.
If you’re not familiar, you can read more about the Barnes Foundation at an art + history blog I found.
Apparently, it’s in some trouble, because some people think it should be sold, but that goes directly against the wishes of the late Mr. Barnes.
This place is an estate, a school, a gallery and a museum all rolled into one. It makes me think of The Frick Collection, in New York City. Barnes intended for people to learn about many aspects of art, by comparing art from the ages, and lots of different kinds of art. He assembled each wall with care and thought.
The most frustrating about it, is also it’s asset. There is too much art on each wall. Yeah, right?! Well, things aren’t all at eye-level, making it difficult to really look at the art. But, at the same time, it’s nice to see a renoir, a van gogh and a modigliani on the same wall, and compare and contrast them.
It was mind blowing. It’s no Met, but yet it has hundreds of Renoir’s, and dozens, literally, of Cezanne’s. My favorite piece yesterday, was “The Postman” by Van Gogh. What I loved about it was it’s colors. I don’t remember having seen this one before. There were tons of color on his beard, even though when you step back you see gray. it also seemed unusual for it to be a head-on portrait. Van Gogh seems to have more 3/4 views of his subjects. But the most unusual thing was the “art noveau” style background, with flowers and his name “vincent” almost thrown there.
The biggest surprise was the work of Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot(the piece to the left was not at the Barnes, but it gives you an idea). I’m sure I studied some of it back in art school, but I loved the work. Many of the paintings were little, maybe 8″x10″ in oil, portraits of women, reading , and they had incredible detail and realism.
There were also Picasso’s, and Matisse’s and many other things. If you’re in or near Philadelphia, go and check it out, before it all goes away to other places.
Now I have to make some art too.
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