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Reading the Cards: Part 2

Published October 30, 2012 works of art 6 Comments
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This post is the second in a larger series finding connections between the ever-mystical tarot cards and the extraordinary collection of the Dallas Museum of Art.  Head over to the first post for an introduction and a quick look at three card-art comparisons.

The Emperor is the fourth trump card within the major arcana.  He is often depicted sitting on a throne and holding a scepter and shield.  The tarot Emperor is considered the absolute ruler of the world and represents the desire to control one’s surroundings.

Vishnu and attendants, c. 1026 AD, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Mrs. John Leddy Jones

Richly jeweled as a king would be, Vishnu can be identified in this relief by his traditional attributes: a mace, conch shell, sun wheel (chakra), and beads.  He is shown as a calm, upright figure surrounded by his heavenly court and divine kingdom.  As the Preserver to Shiva’s destruction, Vishnu is the bringer of blessings and prosperity to his followers.

 

The Empress is the third major arcana card in a tarot deck.  The Empress holds a scepter representing her power over life, wears a twelve-starred crown asserting her dominance over the year, and sits on a throne amidst a field of grain showcasing her control over growing things.  Occasionally shown pregnant, the Empress represents creation and abundance.

Madonna and Child, early 15th century, Dallas Museum of Art, Munger Fund

Crowned as the Queen of Heaven, Mary sways gracefully as she supports her son Jesus.  Prophetic in nature, the sculpture displays Mary’s distress resulting from her foreknowledge of her son’s fate.  This portrayal of the Virgin and Child exemplifies Mary’s role as mother and Jesus’ role as savior.

 

The Fool is normally unnumbered, though occasionally represented as zero in the major arcana.  He represents the search for experience and a childlike wonder at the workings of the world.  The Fool is often accompanied by a dog representing the distractions of the “real world.”  Standing at the edge of a cliff, the Fool is oblivious to danger and recklessly seeks out adventure.

Alberto Giacometti, Three Men Walking, 1948-1949, Dallas Museum of Art, Foundation for the Arts Collection, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Marcus

Artist Alberto Giacometti said that he sculpted figures as people actually looked to him.  Stick-like in nature, the three bronze figures wander dangerously close to the edge of an elevated platform.  Each faces a different direction as if eager to seek out his or her own adventure.

 

The Hanged Man is the twelfth trump card in a tarot deck.  Depicted as a man suspended from a tree, the Hanged Man’s symbolism often points to the crucifixion of Christ, Osiris in Egyptian mythology, Mithras in Ancient Persian mythology, and Odin in Norse mythology.  The Hanged Man card and these archetypal stories all allude to the destruction of self bringing life to humanity.

Octavio Medellín, El Ahorcado (The Hanged One), c. 1942, Dallas Museum of Art, Kiest Memorial Purchase Prize, Fourteenth Annual Dallas Allied Arts Exhibition, 1943

Raised amidst the ravages of the Mexican Civil War, Octavio Medellí drew much of his inspiration from the Maya-Toltec cultures.  El Ahorcado (The Hanged One) is thought to symbolize Mexico’s effort to free itself from centuries of colonial subjugation and its struggle to find its own democratic path.

 

The Hermit is the ninth major arcana card.  He is shown as an elderly man carrying a staff in one hand and a lit lantern in the other- both signs of wisdom and knowledge.  Sparse in design, the card’s background is mostly sky with the lower portion depicting a wasteland and mountain range in the distance.  The Hermit has already learned the lessons of life throughout his journey and represents a shamanistic hero.

Portrait of an Arhat, 13th century, Dallas Museum of Art, the Roberta Coke Camp Fund, and Lillian B. Clark

Contemplating a lotus flower, this monk represents an arhat.  Arhats were holy men who were originally disciples of the Buddha.  Though they achieved extraordinary spiritual levels, arhats put off their own enlightenment in the pursuit of helping others.

My next post will look at the Hierophant, the High Priestess, Judgment, Justice, and the Lovers!

Pilar Wong

McDermott Intern for Community Teaching

Reading the Cards: Part 1

Published October 16, 2012 works of art 10 Comments
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On a recent trip to New York, I finally had my cards read by a psychic–something that I’ve always wanted to have done!  As she was telling me about a tall, dark, stranger in my future I couldn’t help but notice the vibrant, graphic nature of her card deck. With their flat color planes, Romanesque figures, and dramatic styling, the cards each told a specific portion of the larger tale.

While tarot cards were originally used throughout Europe to play card games, they have become associated in modern culture with mysticism and magic. The deck is divided into two sections: the minor arcana and major arcana. The former is very similar to a modern deck of cards with four suits consisting of ten pip (numbered 2 through 10) and four court cards. The major arcana cards are those most often associated with tarot divination.

This post is my first in a series that will make connections between individual tarot cards and artworks in the DMA’s collection. I’ll share works from our collection that are reminiscent of a card’s imagery or of the card’s meaning in divination practices.

The Chariot is the seventh trump or major arcana card. The card normally depicts a royal figure in a chariot being pulled by horses or sphinxes–one black and one white. A sign of an external battle of wills, the white and black horses often pull in different directions. In a tarot spread, the card can refer to current obstacles or successes in overcoming life’s challenges.

Théodore Géricault, Horse-drawn Cart Full of Wounded Soldiers (Chariot Chargé de Soldats Blessés), 1818, Dallas Museum of Art, Juanity K. Bromberg Memorial Fund and gift of an anonymous donor

This lithograph not only depicts a horse-drawn carriage, but it also exemplifies many of the qualities of the chariot card. Fatigued and wounded soldiers are clearly returning from battle, perhaps even a losing battle. The horses are pulling in so many directions that they are tangling their harnesses and fighting with each other.

Death is the thirteenth major arcana card in a tarot deck. Death is depicted by a skeleton riding a horse and is often shown surrounded by dead and dying people. Despite its name, the card does not represent actual death. Instead, it usually signifies an ending of an era or relationship.

Dakini Vajravarahi, c. A.D. 1600, Dallas Museum of Art, Foundation for the Arts Collection, gift of the Virginia C. and Flyd C. Ramsey Fund of Communities Foundation of Texas, Inc.

Adorned with a necklace of skulls and carrying an executioner’s ax, this dakini, a Buddhist female deity, represents the violent aspects of existence. She also embodies the cycle of life, death, and rebirth which celebrates death as a bringer of life.

The Devil is the fifteenth major arcana card. Tarot images of the Devil show him as a satyr-like creature sitting above or on two humans. If selected during a card reading, the Devil represents self-bondage or barriers to leading a full life. Often, these obstacles are interpreted as vices such as materialism, lust, egotism, etc.

Ferdinand Hodler, The Halberdier, 1895, Dallas Museum of Art, Foundation for the Arts Collection, Mrs. John B. O’Hara Fund and gift of Nona and Richard Barrett

While Ferdinand Hodler’s The Halberdier actually depicts a Swiss soldier, this image seemed like the perfect choice to represent the Devil. Clothed in a traditional red costume and holding a spiked battle-axe, the soldier evokes several connotations we hold concerning the Devil.

Stay tuned for my next post, which will look at the Emperor, the Empress, the Fool, the Hanged Man, and the Hermit.

Pilar Wong
McDermott Intern for Community Teaching

Collection Connections: War Horse

Published October 4, 2012 works of art Closed
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Recently I enjoyed a fantastic performance of War Horse over at our Arts District neighbor, the Winspear. I was completely blown away by the horse puppets, created by the South African Handspring Puppet Company. Classifying them as puppets, however, does not seem to do them justice. The beautiful craftsmanship of the puppets along with the expertise of the puppeteers magically breathed life into horse protagonist Joey and his other horse and animal companions. (I was highly entertained by Joey’s hysterically energetic goose friend.)

What I found most amazing was how the puppets, puppet artists, and actors were able to so powerfully communicate the strength of an animal-human bond. I was so moved by the relationship between Joey and his owner Albert that I teared up throughout much of the play!

I wanted to explore how works of art in the DMA’s collection could similarly convey the potential of human and animal relationships. I thought of the following works:

This small ivory sculpture from the Yoruba peoples of Nigeria presents a man with the most important import: the domestic horse. Horses were introduced to Africa via Asian conquerors in Egypt between 1640 and 1532 BC. Because of their speed, strength, and ability to lift a rider taller than any standing man, horses symbolized power and prestige to the Yoruba.

In this nineteenth-century painting, Cinderella and her pet cat gaze lovingly into each other’s eyes. As pets are the best listeners, I would imagine she is venting about her mean stepsisters, who vainly admire themselves in the mirror behind her.

In this sculpture, the Hindu god Vishnu appears as a man with a wild boar head.  The earth goddess, whom he just saved from a demon, sits on his shoulder and embraces his snout.

Coats of arms often included representations of animals. Throughout history, humans have admired certain characteristics of animals and used animal imagery to symbolize human values. Think of a courageous lion or a wise old owl…

Here a man stands with open arms, locking eyes with two birds. The stylistic similarities between man and bird suggest man’s undeniable connection to the animal and natural world.

Artworks shown:

  • Horse-and-rider figure (elesin Shango), 17th to 18th century, Dallas Museum of Art, The Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund, Inc.
  • Thomas Sully, Cinderella at the Kitchen Fire, 1843, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of the Pauline Allen Gill Foundation
  • Vishnu as Varaha, 10th century, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of David T. Owsley via the Alvin and Lucy Owsley Foundation and the Alconda-Owsley Foundation, E.E. Fogelson and Greer Garson Fogelson Fund, General Acquisitions Fund, Wendover Fund, and gift of Alta Brenner in memory of her daughter Andrea Bernice Brenner-McMullen
  • Plate with coat of arms, c. 1740, Dallas Museum of Art, The Wendy and Emery Reves Collection
  • Rufino Tamayo, Bird Watcher, 1950, Dallas Museum of Art, Collection of Robert Harville Bishop, gift of Eugene H. Bishop

Signing off,

Andrea V. Severin
Coordinator of Teaching Programs

Silent Disco DMA-style

Published October 2, 2012 Technology , works of art 1 Comment
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Our recent September Late Night was full of programming firsts.  We spent the night texting works of art (that texted back). Docents were on-hand to be “checked-out” for a range of customized mini-tours.  Visitors, taking inspiration from selected artworks, struck poses in front of our green screen—the resulting photos of which we are stitching together into several videos soon to be available on Flickr.

My favorite experiment of the evening was by far our silent disco-inspired program called Silent Soundtrack, which brought music into the galleries via wireless headphones.  We partnered with Austin Silent Disco who brought crates of headphones and everything we needed in the way of technology to broadcast iPod playlists via radio signal.

Headphones had three channels for three separate soundtracks, each tailored to a different floor in the Museum.  Staff from across several departments–Education, Curatorial, and Design–collaborated to create track lists.  Selections were inspired by artworks and exhibitions, some loosely and others more literally.  Below are our soundtracks and some of the artworks that inspired them, and below that, feedback from visitors.  What music would inspire you in our galleries?

            

Contemporary Art, Level 1

  • The Times They Are A-Changin’, Bob Dylan
  • Beginning to See the Light, Velvet Underground
  • Hot Butter, Popcorn
  • Help Me Somebody, Brian Eno and David Byrne
  • Crayola Doesn’t Make a Color For Your Eyes, Kristin Andreassen
  • Kids, MGMT
  • Walk on the Wild Side, Lou Reed
  • Born, Never Asked, Laurie Anderson
  • Get Off of My Cloud, The Rolling Stones
  • Shadows, Warpaint
  • Come with Us, Brian Eno and David Byrne
  • Ecstatic Shock, Squarepusher
  • The Sun is Down!, Yoko Ono
  • Animal, Miike Snow
  • Born in the U.S.A., Bruce Springsteen

            

European Art, Level 2

  • Ce Ju, Yelle
  • Reflet, Paris Combo
  • Hands, The Ting Tings
  • Et Moi, Et Moi, Et Moi, Jacques Dutronc
  •  Colourless Colour, La Roux
  • Let It Fall, Lykke Li
  • L’appareil à Sous, Brigitte Bardot
  • J’arrive pas à Vivre, Maido Project
  • Midnight City, M83
  • Tgv, Housse De Racket
  • Dancing on My Own, Robyn
  • Elevator, Minitel Rose
  • The Golden Age, The Asteroids Galaxy Tour
  • Liar, Dragonette
  • Les Dalton, Joe Dassin

        

African Art, Level 3

  • Gbada, Bandani
  • Mbube (Wimoweh), Ladysmith Black Mambazo
  • Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes, Paul Simon
  • Sanfene Foli, Mamadou Diabaté
  • Baxabene Oxamu, Miriam Makeba
  • Masigiye’bo, The Soweto Gospel Choir
  • Nakatiye (Meje), Oboto Sukume
  • Zombie, Fela Kuti & Afrika 70
  • Tulinesangala, Béla Fleck
  • Gitari Na Congo, Bakia Pierre
  • New Africa, Youssou N’Dour
  • Baba, Salif Keïta
  • Youne, Dobet Gnahore
  • Sopeak (Begging), Staff Benda Bilili
  • Sénégal Fast Food, Amadou & Mariam

Level 1 made the art seem to evolve.  Watching progression happen as music went on.

Today I thought I was in for another hum-drum museum trip until I met headphone lady… I wish I had themed headphones for everywhere.

What a great idea to incorporate another art form while strolling around!  Would like this more often–or maybe I’ll try my own music.

Artworks shown:

  • Anytown USA, Jack Pierson, 2000, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of the Junior Associates, 2004.10.a-i, © Jack Pierson
  • Orb, Adolph Gottlieb, 1964, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas Art Association Purchase
  • Untitled, Donald Judd, 1988, Dallas Museum of Art, Museum League Purchase Fund, General Acquisitions Fund, H. Harold Wineburgh Fund and gift of an anonymous donor
  • Composition with Large Blue Plane, Red, Black, Yellow, and Gray, Piet Mondrian, 1921, Dallas Museum of Art, Foundation for the Arts Collection, gift of Mrs. James H. Clark
  • Murnau, Burggrabenstrasse 1, 1908, Wassily Kandinsky, 1908, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas Art Association Purchase
  • Valle Buona, Near Bordighera, Claude Monet, 1884, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of the Meadows Foundation Incorporated
  • Kneeling female figure with bowl (olumeye), Olowe of Ise, c. 1910 to c. 1938, Dallas Museum of Art, The Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund, Inc.
  • Waist pendant, 18th century, Dallas Museum of Art, The Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund, Inc.
  • Helmet mask (mukenga), mid-20th century, Dallas Museum of Art, gift in honor of Peter Hanszen Lynch and Cristina Martha Frances Lynch

Amy Copeland
Coordinator of Go van Gogh Outreach

Visit the Museum Without Leaving Your Classroom!

Published September 18, 2012 Art & Teaching , works of art Closed
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Self-portrait collages created by 2nd grade students at Green Elementary during a Searching for Faces Go van Gogh program

Calling all teachers!  Do your students like experimenting with art materials and exploring artworks from other times and places?  As you begin to plan your school year, we hope you’ll consider inviting the Dallas Museum of Art to your classroom for a Go van Gogh outreach program.  Here are some reasons we think Go van Gogh is a great way to spend a morning:

You can…

  • Visit the Museum without leaving your classroom!  Go van Gogh brings images of artworks from the Museum for interactive conversations.
  • Make an artwork to take home.  Go van Gogh brings all the supplies your class will need to make a take-home art project.
  • Connect to your curriculum.  Go van Gogh programs are geared for specific grade levels, and often dove-tail with subjects students are already learning.
  • Travel around the world.  Go van Gogh programs feature art from Africa, Mexico, Japan, and other far-off places.
  • Get a free pass.  Each student who participates in the Go van Gogh program receives a free family pass to visit the Museum.

Some quick facts about Go van Gogh:

  • Programs are offered to 1st-6th grade classrooms at schools within Dallas city limits.
  • Go van Gogh is free-of-charge!
  • Scheduling is first-come, first-served.  There is no limit to the number of programs you can schedule.

Visit our website to learn more about Go van Gogh program offerings and to schedule a program for your classroom.

We hope to visit your classrooms this school year!

Amy Copeland
Coordinator of Go van Gogh Outreach

Back to School: From the Classroom to the DMA Collection

Published September 11, 2012 works of art 2 Comments
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Now that all the kiddos are settled back into school, I began to think about how the Museum‘s collection could inspire them to keep learning outside the classroom. With the most common school subjects in mind, I decided to find works of art that might help them with their studies. Check out my pairings below.

Math

Upon first glance, it’s hard to tell if this large scale sculpture is symmetrical or asymmetrical. It takes a careful walk all the way around the work of art to find out.

Untitled, Ellsworth Kelly, 1982-1983, Dallas Museum of Art, commission made possible through funds donated by Michael J. Collins and matching grants from The 500, Inc., and the 1982 Tiffany & Company benefit opening

History

An historical figure, period, or event is often the subject of a work of art. This particular work features all three. Some of the imagery in Skyway includes President Kennedy and images of space exploration. Overall, the haphazard, overlapping composition captures the tumultuous time of change in the Sixties. What else does this colorful collage tell you about the Sixties?

Skyway, Robert Rauschenberg, 1964, Dallas Museum of Art, The Roberta Coke Camp Fund, The 500, Inc., Mr. and Mrs. Mark Shepherd, Jr. and General Acquisitions Fund

English

Some works of art are inspired by literature, like Cinderella at the Kitchen Fire. While it’s easy to find Cinderella in this beautiful work of art, it’s not as easy to tell which part of the Cinderella story is being depicted. Come to the Museum to get a closer look at all the details a photograph can’t capture, so you can guess which part of the classic fairy tale this could be. I’ll give you a big hint: there’s more than one right answer!

Cinderella at the Kitchen Fire, Thomas Sully, 1843, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of the Pauline Allen Gill Foundation

Geography

From the icy waters of the North Atlantic to the rolling hills of the French-Italian Riviera, wandering through the Museum galleries can take you on a trip around the world to a variety of climates and terrains. How many new places can you discover on your next visit?

The Icebergs, Frederic Edwin Church, 1861, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Norma and Lamar Hunt

Valle Buona, Near Bordighera, Claude Monet, 1884, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of the Meadows Foundation Incorporated

Homework

Hopefully these collection connections will make learning in the Museum more fun for you and the kiddos than studying is for this little boy:

The First Thorns of Knowledge (Les premières épines de la science), Hugues Merle, 1864, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of the Meadows Foundation Incorporated

Hannah Burney
Community Teaching Programs Assistant

New Artworks in Variations on Theme

Published September 7, 2012 works of art Closed
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Wandering through our contemporary exhibition Variations on Theme recently, I almost forgot I was in a show of the Museum’s collections; recent acquisitions abound!  Below are just a few of the more than a dozen newly-acquired artworks in Variations on Theme.

Untitled–Whirlpool, Shozo Shimamoto, 1965, The Rachofsky Collection and the Dallas Museum of Art through the DMA/amfAR Benefit Auction Fund

The Devil’s Dress, Michaël Borremans, 2011, Dallas Museum of Art, DMA/amfAR Benefit Auction Fund

Venus Mirror (8/6/08, Copenhagen), Simon Starling, 2011, DMA/amfAR Benefit Auction Fund

Untitled (young man1), Johannes Kahrs, 2010, Gift of the Buddy Taub Foundation, Dennis A. Roach and Jill Roach

Infinity Cube (Metrocubo d’infinito) (A cubic meter of infinity), Michelangelo Pistoletto, 1966, The Rachofsky Collection and the Dallas Museum of Art through the DMA/amfAR Benefit Auction Fund

Untitled, Adam McEwen, 2011, DMA/amfAR Benefit Auction Fund

These images don’t do the artworks justice, so come see them for yourself before the exhibition closes January 27th.

Amy Copeland
Coordinator of Go van Gogh Outreach

Top Ten List of New and Upcoming Programs and Events

Published August 21, 2012 Museum Insight , works of art 1 Comment
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  1. iMuseum 2.0 Late Night:  Our September 21st Late Night is a not-to-miss night of new, experimental, and interactive programs.  Among them are a Choose Your Own Adventure tour and your chance to text a work of art with your questions.
  2. New acquisitions on view.  Current exhibition Variations on Theme: Contemporary Art 1950s-Present features more than a dozen of the Museum’s 2011 and 2012 new acquisitions.  Check out online versions of the Museum’s Annual Reports and What’s New to keep up with our recent acquisitions, and then come see them at the Museum.
  3. Art-making in Posters of Paris. An art-making area in the upcoming Posters of Paris: Toulouse-Lautrec and His Contemporaries exhibition will provide visitors with everything they need to create their own artistic poster.  Leave a copy of your creation at the Museum (to be posted on a wall in the exhibition), and take the real thing home for the fridge!
  4. Staff Art, Staff Selections.  Visit in November to see an exhibition with artworks created by staff members.  Also on view in the Center for Creative Connections is our Personal Point of View series where a Museum staffer is invited to select and respond to an artwork for the main gallery space.
  5. Book Talk.  A book club-style event, Book Talk brings together Museum members (Sustainer level and above) for exhibition-inspired book discussions, exclusive lectures and tours, and author meet & greets.
  6. Klyde Warren Park Opening & Art Beyond Sight.  On Saturday, October 27th and Sunday, October 28th, the DMA takes art-making activities into Klyde Warren Park for their grand opening.  In honor of Art Beyond Sight Awareness month, we are focusing on experiencing art with senses other than vision. Sketch a nature scene, and then use scented paint to create your scene based on how it might smell.
  7. Karla Black: Concentrations 55:  As part of Concentrations—a series of project-based solo exhibitions by emerging artists— artist Karla Black will transform our Hoffman galleries with a sculptural installation.
  8. Urban Armor: Programs for Teens & Tweens.  As someone who discovered her love of art as a teenager, I’m pretty excited about the new suite of programs we offered are offer for a teen/tween audience. Urban Armor recently wrapped up a two-day graffiti project with a local artist and will kick off its Open Lab program this Sunday, August 26th, from 1:00-3:00pm.
  9. Arts & Letters Live presents Chris Cleave. On Tuesday, October 9th, the New York Times bestselling author of Little Bee will discuss his newest novel.  Chris Cleave’s Gold is a tale of friendship between two female cyclists and how they traverse the shifting sands of ambition, loyalty, and love on the eve of their last Olympics.
  10. Thinking Creatively Workshops.  I’m cheating a little with this one; it isn’t new to us, it’s just a great program. Starting September 13th, creativity expert Dr. Magdalena Grohman will lead a monthly Thursday evening Thinking Creatively workshop. The experience will begin with creative thinking exercises and conclude with a making activity that builds on ideas generated during the exercises. Workshops will be held on October 11th, November 8th, and December 6th, all from 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. in the Center for Creative Connections.  To get a taste of what you can expect, check out our Teaching for Creativity series; many featured activities are inspired by Dr. Grohman’s past workshops.

Amy Copeland
Coordinator of Go van Gogh Outreach

Collection Connections: Jersey Boys

Published July 20, 2012 works of art 1 Comment
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I adore spending my day at the Dallas Museum of Art. But in the evenings, I also love exploring beyond the museum’s perimeters and checking out what our neighbors in the Dallas Arts District are up to. Last week, I thoroughly enjoyed swaying along to Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, Walk Like a Man, and some of my other favorite songs during Jersey Boys at the AT&T Performing Arts Center. I thought about the legacy of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Their music and lyrics are everywhere!  I started to think about where we could find a little bit of Jersey Boys in our collection…

  • Robert Rauschenberg, Skyway, 1964, Dallas Museum of Art, The Roberta Coke Camp Fund, The 500, Inc., Mr. and Mrs. Mark Shepherd, Jr. and General Acquisitions Fund

While I was not alive during the 1960s, Jersey Boys transports you back in time, immersing the audience in the dynamic, diverse, and high-energy culture of 1960s America. In the same way, Skyway is a giant collage of imagery representing 1960s American culture.

  • George A. Tice, Houses and Watertowers, New Jersey, 1973, Dallas Museum of Art, Polaroid Foundation grant

This photograph reminds me of the New Jersey neighborhood of Frankie’s childhood from which Frankie was so determined to escape. In Jersey Boys, Frankie’s buddy and fellow Season says, “If you’re from my neighborhood, you got three ways out. You could join the army. You could get mobbed up. Or,you could become a star.”

  • Robert Morris, Untitled, 1965-66, Dallas Museum of Art, General Acquisitions Fund and matching grant from the National Endowment for the Arts

The concept of gestalt refers to a structure composed of individual parts that cannot be expressed in terms of those parts. (A song, for example cannot be recognized as a list of it individual notes.) Gestalt is important in understanding Morris’ sculpture. In this work, two semi-circles together create a full circle. Gestalt also relates to the success of the Four Seasons: their working-class roots, their resolve to leave New Jersey, Bob Gaudio’s songwriting skills, and Frankie Valli’s unique voice.

  • Josef Albers, Homage to the Square: Straight,1962, Dallas Museum of Art, bequest of Louise W. Kahn and Edmund J. Kahn

The clean lines and strict geometry of Albers’ Homage to the Square: Straight reminds me of the Four Seasons’ clean-cut stage appearances: clean-shaven, slick-back hair,  matching suits and ties, and perfectly in-sync dance moves. Homage to the Square was also painted the same year that the Frankie Valli and Four Seasons came to fame.

  • Bruce Nauman, Perfect Door/Perfect Odor/Perfect Rodo, 1972, Dallas Museum of Art, General Acquisitions Fund, The 500, Inc., Dorace M. Fichtenbaum, Deedie and Rusty Rose, an anonymous donor, the Friends of Contemporary Art and a matching grant from the National Endowment for the Arts in honor of Sue Graze

Many scenes in the Act I take place in seedy lounges and clubs where Frankie and his band mates performed. Neon signage is often the focal point of the set design, referencing the dark and smoky atmospheres of such places. A play-on-words, Perfect Door/ Perfect Odor/ Perfect Rodo, radiates a similar vibe.

Andrea V. Severin
Coordinator of Teaching Programs

Friday Photos: Summer Inspirations

Published July 13, 2012 Friday Photos , works of art Closed
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If you haven’t already, you should take the advice of my colleague Hannah and Vacay at the DMA.  Not only are there family-friendly experiences to uncover, there are lots of works of art to inspire your summer vacation.  For example:

Soak up some sun on the beach.

Albert Marquet, The Beach at Trouville, c. 1906, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of the Meadows Foundation Incorporated

Spend the afternoon playing tennis.

George L.K. Morris, Mixed Doubles, c.1948, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of David T. Owsley via the Alvin and Lucy Owsley and Alconda-Owsley Foundations

Paint en plein air in France.

Paul Signac, Comblat-le-Chateau, the Meadow (Le Pre), Opus 161, June-July 1887, Dallas Museum of Art, The Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund, Inc., in honor of Bonnie Pitman

Do some gardening…but beware of those pesky garden snakes.

Mark Handforth, Dallas Snake, 2007, Dallas Museum of Art, DMA/amfAR Benefit Auction Fund and Lay Family Acquisition Fund

And when the heat becomes too much to bear, go swimming.

Fernand Leger, The Divers (Red and Black), 1942, Dallas Museum of Art, Foundation for the Arts Collection, gift of the James H. and Lillian Clark Foundation

Enjoy the rest of your summer!

Loryn Leonard
Coordinator of Museum Visits

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