20 years?!?
20 years ago . . .
Memorial Day Weekend, 1999
Very strange to realize it was exactly 20 years ago . . . I flew to Washington D.C. to see the J.S. Sargent retrospective (it wasn't visiting the west coast)
It was an eventful and emotional weekend . . . life-changing in some respects . . . my first time (and only to this date) in that city, at the Arlington Memorial, the Vietnam Wall, and at the National Gallery and all over the Mall across multiple days . . . in addition to the museums and the Sargent show, I tried to take in as many of the Memorial Day events as I could. Saw Clinton give a speech at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, visited the Jefferson Memorial at night, and a patriotic Memorial Day concert behind the Capitol.
I think I saw the Sargent show 3 or 4 times over the course of that week . . . I'd go early in the morning to be nearly first in line. (The only way to see shows like this.)
The Daughters of Edward D. Boit was startling . . . a phenomenal painting,
(I love how the older daughter is centered in the composition, but Sargent pulls us to the left with the "arrow" of the carpet, etc.) Such a bold move to shift the composition far left like this . . . I think it is hard for many to appreciate the risk . . .
It was also my first time seeing the magnificent Lady Agnew (a long-time favorite). It is startling to realize this was painted in the late 19th century when photography couldn't hope to capture such a likeness . . .
. . . but the painting that shocked me to see in person was this one:
The Fountain, Villa Torlonia, Frascati, Italy
An absolutely masterful painting . . . the pale blues and umbers making up the white smock were really impressive and I've never seen a reproduction that really captures how delicately they are handled. I knew the painting but had never really paid it much attention until I saw it in person . . . a great example of why a painter needs to see the originals and not just the reproductions!
I did some drawings of course as well . . . I can't believe I just found them on a defunct page of my original late 90's website:
Washington D.C. Sketches
The White House Nocturne is my favorite . . . ballpoint pen with some water to bleed it . . .
Memorial Day Weekend, 1999
Very strange to realize it was exactly 20 years ago . . . I flew to Washington D.C. to see the J.S. Sargent retrospective (it wasn't visiting the west coast)
It was an eventful and emotional weekend . . . life-changing in some respects . . . my first time (and only to this date) in that city, at the Arlington Memorial, the Vietnam Wall, and at the National Gallery and all over the Mall across multiple days . . . in addition to the museums and the Sargent show, I tried to take in as many of the Memorial Day events as I could. Saw Clinton give a speech at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, visited the Jefferson Memorial at night, and a patriotic Memorial Day concert behind the Capitol.
I think I saw the Sargent show 3 or 4 times over the course of that week . . . I'd go early in the morning to be nearly first in line. (The only way to see shows like this.)
The Daughters of Edward D. Boit was startling . . . a phenomenal painting,
(I love how the older daughter is centered in the composition, but Sargent pulls us to the left with the "arrow" of the carpet, etc.) Such a bold move to shift the composition far left like this . . . I think it is hard for many to appreciate the risk . . .
It was also my first time seeing the magnificent Lady Agnew (a long-time favorite). It is startling to realize this was painted in the late 19th century when photography couldn't hope to capture such a likeness . . .
. . . but the painting that shocked me to see in person was this one:
The Fountain, Villa Torlonia, Frascati, Italy
An absolutely masterful painting . . . the pale blues and umbers making up the white smock were really impressive and I've never seen a reproduction that really captures how delicately they are handled. I knew the painting but had never really paid it much attention until I saw it in person . . . a great example of why a painter needs to see the originals and not just the reproductions!
Washington D.C. Sketches
The White House Nocturne is my favorite . . . ballpoint pen with some water to bleed it . . .
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