Cincinnati Art Museum: 10 works I especially liked…

“Richard Peers Symons”- Sir Joshua Reynolds, 1971

“Sir Joshua Reynolds was an influential eighteenth-century English painter, specializing in portraits and promoting the “Grand Style” in painting which depended on idealization of the imperfect. He was one of the founders and first president of the Royal Academy.”

Though I am more into contemporary art, this painting was one of the few I really liked. The combination of the grey color of the dog and the desaturated blue of the man’s coat was very pleasing to me. The man seems confident yet calm. I really like the realistic style and overall craftsmanship.

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“Red Fox”- Minnie and Greg Adkins, 1992

This statue was definitely one of my favorites. Its straightened tail and long legs give it a lanky, jagged appearance. I love the solid, bold colors and lengthy snout. It is kind of scary… and I think that is why I like it so much. Though it may not be something I’d put in my bedroom, it would definitely be an interesting piece to put SOMEWHERE in my house.

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“Soup Can”- Andy Warhol, 1962

Though this is just one Warhol piece, I really just love all his work! I think his use of everyday objects in his art has become super meaningful in the art world.

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“Last Flowers”- Jules Breton, 1890

Like Reynold’s painting, I was also drawn to this one for its photography like qualities and use of color. The contrast of the growth of flowers in the snow as well as the pop of colors brings a lot of beauty to the painting.

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“Abstraction (Head)”- Pablo Picasso, 1930

“An abstracted head of a woman in profile, facing left. The figure is painted in grisaille in front of a brown background. During the 1920s, much of the work Picasso did drew on classic themes, and large, monumental style nudes. His pieces became more of an interpretation, as opposed to work that represented anything that was going on in reality, or the lives of the pieces he depicted.”

I just couldn’t just go to the Cincinnati Art Museum and NOT include a Picasso in here. I really liked all of his works in the gallery, but this one was the first to catch my eye. It is amazing how your brain can automatically discern it as a face. Though there is little color, the forms are really captivating.

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“Hecuba” Reuben Nakian

Though this picture wasn’t taken in the Cincinnati Art Museum where I saw it, its form is just as interesting. The piece looks like it is melting and folding, though it is entirely solid. I love the texture and anonymity about it.

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“Brown, Orange, Blue, on Maroon”- Mark Rothko, 1963

Though I hate to point out the obvious, the color choice in this piece is what really makes it for me. Mark Rothko is a pro at finding the perfect color combinations to evoke a certain emotion. Though this did not make me cry… something about these giant, stacked blocks of color really fascinated me.

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“Horizontal Rust”- Franz Kline, 1960

“Kline was labeled an “action painter” because of his seemingly spontaneous and intense style, focusing less, or not at all, on figures or imagery, but on the actual brush strokes and use of canvas. For most of Kline’s [mature and representative] work, however, as the phrase goes, “spontaneity is practiced.” He would prepare many draft sketches—notably, commonly on refuse telephone book pages—before going to make his “spontaneous” work.”

I really enjoy the emotion and movement in this painting. The giant strokes of paint give my eye a lot of places to travel throughout the piece. The contrast between the white and black is super bold and the different angles give it some energy.

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“Lace Mountains”- Ursula Von Rydingsvard, 1989

“Cedar and Graphite.  Limiting her material means in this way has allowed von Rydingsvard to concentrate tremendous energy into her forms, and to produce a remarkably coherent body of work over the last 17 years. The restraints are also consistent with the implicit ethical base of von Rydingsvard’s art – a peasant ethic of economy and resourcefulness born out of her experience growing up in forced-labor and refugee camps in Germany at the end of World War II.”

If I had the space (let alone the money) this would definitely be something I would love to put in my home. The texture and material is fascinating to me. When I first walked into the room my eye was immediately drawn to the Lace Mountains.

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“The Upstairs”- Charles Sheeler, 1938

“Charles Sheeler tried to explore the path between photos and paintings. Much admired for his meticulous, carefully composed photography, he put down his camera and picked up paintbrushes instead.”

I was drawn to this work because of it’s sense of perspective and and angles. Unlike most “good” paintings, it is almost hard for my eye to travel around the painting because of the opened position of the door. For whatever reason, that was intriguing to me. The lines and the shadows make the piece busy, yet simple. It is calming and eerie at the same time and causes me to wonder what could be up that staircase…