Dallas had a *very* short break from stormy weather this week, just in time for our Homeschool Class for Families. After exploring landscape paintings by Frederic Church and Thomas Cole in the galleries, the class went outside to create their own scenic drawings en plein air (in the open air), using the Dallas Arts District as their backdrop!
Thomas Cole, The Fountain at Vauclaus, oil on canvas, 1841, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of J.E.R. Chilton
What type of landscape masterpiece can you create using your own backyard as inspiration?
It has technically been fall for almost three weeks, and it is just now starting to feel like it. Temperatures in the 70s, presidential debates, brisk winds, sweaters, switching from iced coffee back to regular, lovely fall colors and, of course, a smattering of new DMA exhibitions.
Here are some works from the collection to get you in the autumnal spirit.
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Works featured:
Florence E. McClung, Autumn, 1959, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Florence E. McClung
Lynda Benglis, Odalisque (Hey, Hey Frankenthaler), 1969, Dallas Museum of Art, DMA/amfAR Benefit Auction Fund
Philip Russell, Autumn Landscape, 1957, Dallas Museum of Art, Leon A. Harris, Sr. Memorial Purchase Prize, 9th Southwestern Exhibition of Prints and Drawings, 1958
Marsden Hartley, Mountains, No. 19, 1930, Dallas Museum of Art, The Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund, Inc.
Zaha Hadid, Tea and Coffee Set, Designed 1996, Executed 2002, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Deedie and Rusty Rose in honor of Lela Rose and Catherine Rose
Mark Rothko, Orange, Red and Red, 1962, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Algur H. Meadows and the Meadows Foundation, Incorporated
Everett Spruce, Autumn Landscape, 1955, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas Art Association purchase, The Seventeenth Annual Exhibition of Texas Painting and Sculpture, 1955
John T. Curran (designer), Tiffany and Company (manufacturer), “Aztec” tête-à-tête coffee service, Dallas Museum of Art, anonymous gift and Discretionary Decorative Arts Fund
Myron Stout, Untitled, 1950, Dallas Museum of Art, General Acquisitions Fund
Henri Fantin-Latour, Fall Flowers, 1863, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Mr. and Mrs. James H. Clark
Navajo people, Eye-Dazzler Blanket, c. 1880-1900, Dallas Museum of Art, Textile Purchase Fund
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
