Toulouse-Lautrec's Paris

This exhibition runs until 12/12/2010

Artist, aristocrat, and colorful chronicler of the Belle Époque, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864–1901) was one of the greatest artists of the late nineteenth century. For the first time in 20 years, more than 100 works by Toulouse-Lautrec will be shown together at The San Diego Museum of Art.

Do take advantage of this rare opportunity to see these spectacular drawings, & lithographs.

The lithograph above is titled: "Ambassadeurs: Aristide Bruant," & was created in 1892. There is a catalogue ($30.00) that accompanies the exhibition.

The museum itself is located at 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park, San Diego, CA

For further information call: (619) 232-7931

Internet Writing Assignment-Best Paper

Erynn Richardson

INTERNET WRITING ASSIGNMENT

-The Art Institute of Chicago-

After looking through The Art Institute of Chicago’s “Drawing and Prints” collection, I found Georges Seurat’s Seated Women with a Parasol (study for La Grande Jatte), black conte crayon on ivory laid paper, 1884-85 and Antonio Pollaiuolo’s Battle of the Naked Men, engraving, 1470-75, to be my two favorites.

Seurat’s piece is a rough, shadowy depiction of a women sitting, holding a parasol and wearing a hat. The outline of her large skirt fills the bottom of the piece. As suggested in the title, the drawing is a study for Seurat’s famous A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, 1884, and it as rendered in a similar fashion. However, Seated Women with a Parasol is monochromatic and appears rougher and smudged.

There is an eerie ghostly appearance to this piece. The figure’s head is turned away and left blank, leaving her mysterious. Shades of grey behind the women create an atmosphere suggesting a body of water and the smudged stippling throughout the drawing mimics a rough film grain, giving this drawing a slight photographic quality. The torso is built up to a rich velvety black, which stands out against the light background. The figure’s hand is rendered in such a way that is implies motion caught on film. While I don’t necessarily think this was Seurat’s intention I do find that it adds liveliness to his drawing.

Although it is beautiful it is also, simultaneously, unsettling, which is why I am so attracted to it. The image shifts back and forth from being a lovely black and white drawing of a woman by the lake to an ephemeral photograph of some ghostly apparition on a foggy shore.

The Pollaiuolo piece is my other favorite, namely because I find it amusing. (The title alone, Battle of the Naked Men, makes me smirk.) As the title suggests, this engraving depicts ten very naked men fighting. All the men are rendered with light grey hatching against darker grey and black hatching. All the hatching is done in a downward forty-five degree left to right motion.

This piece is also highly homoerotic: the two pairs of men in the foreground appear with one on top of the other. The man in the top most left corned is behind another man, penetrating him with an arrow. All the men are shown to be in their prime and in ideal physical condition. They all wield large swords, which are suggestive and phallic by nature.

Although all the figures are in motion, they appear stiff, as if they have been posed: holding themselves in staged action poses instead of actually fighting. Staggering the figures, one group in front of the other, creates depth. Space is implied, however, it still feels flat and crowded.

Of the two pieces Seurat’s is my favorite. The violence in Pollaiuolo’s piece is so embellished that I find it too frank to be interesting. Seurat’s piece, however, has a subtle ethereal quality that truly entices me. In my own body of work, I strive to create pieces that are beautiful and disturbing at the same time. Seurat’s piece, for me, emulates this duality, which is why I chose it as my favorite.

photo credit: The Art Institute of Chicago

Luminous Line - Contemporary Drawing in Metalpoint

This exhibition in Claremont California brings together the work of eleven contemporary artists (including our own Fran Siegal) who embrace a drawing technique that flourished during the High Renaissance and has recently experienced a rebirth among those who love the immediacy of drawing. Using a metal stylus or a small sliver of copper, brass, silver, platinum or gold, these artists apply metal directly to specially prepared papers. Their drawings are distinctive for the luminous traces of metal that add a telltale glimmer to the surface, due to the oxidation process of the metal. The image reproduced here is by Susan Schwalb, who recently began to introduce color into this medium with a traditionally limited color palette.

The exhibition closes on 10/17/2010, & the gallery is closed on Mon. & Tues. Weds. - Sun., it is open from 1 - 5 PM. Admission is free.

El Carnaval de las Calaveras

This Day of the Dead inspired exhibition will feature a group of artists working in a multitude of media, including printmaking. The honor of representing relief printmaking goes to the redoubtable Artemio Rodriguez, whose print is reproduced below. Work in the show will address themes of life, death, humor, celebration & family ties as a way of observing this rich cultural event. Opening Reception: 10/14 from 5 - 7 PM, with a gallery talk by the artists from 6 - 7 PM. The exhibition runs until 11/3, at the Fullerton College Art Gallery, 321 East Chapman Avenue, Fullerton, CA. For gallery hours & other pertinent info, call 714/992-7131.

Siqueiros and the Graphic Arts/Confronting Revolution

This lithograph from 1945, titled: Our Actual Image, might be small in scale at a modest 12 3/8 x 8 5/8", but certainly is mighty in visual power. The exhibition of Siqueiros' prints is on view until 10/27. For more information on gallery hours, please call 323/258-5050. José Vera Fine Arts is located at 2012 Colorado Blvd., in the Eagle Rock section of Los Angeles.

Scott Horsley: New Drawings

Artist Scott Horsley's unsettling drawings are on display at Bert Green Fine Art, 102 West 5th Street, Los Angeles until 10/30/2010. The phone number for further info is: 213/624-6212, & hours of operation are Weds. - Sat., from noon to 6:00 PM.

This recent (2010) graphite & ink drawing, titled: "Due to the Lack of Experienced Trumpeters" measures 19 x 24", & is included in the exhibition. Best of all, the artist is giving a lecture about his work on Sat., 10/30 at 4:00 PM.

The 2nd Annual LA Printers Fair

On Saturday, 9/25, from 9 to 5 PM, the 2nd Printers Fair will be held. The admission cost for students is $4.00. There will be a large number of vendors showcasing book arts & printmaking, including our own Lindsay Buchman. You can pre-purchase tickets at www.printmuseum.org. No food will be served but cold drinks will be available for sale.

THE INTERNATIONAL PRINTING MUSEUM 315 TORRANCE BLVD. CARSON, CA 90745

310-515-7166 PRINTMUSEUM.ORG/PRINTERSFAIR