Posts Tagged 'Love'

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts

It’s that time of year again, we start seeing candy hearts, bouquets of fresh red roses and couples celebrating Valentines Day. This year we wanted to say thanks to some of the sweet notes the DMA has received from couples that celebrated their big day with us under the Chihuly glass or out in the Sculpture Garden (which will reopen this Spring!).

“We were so impressed with you and your staff!  You all were so professional and handled everything we asked and paid attention to all the details!!!  Thank you and all the employees that worked so hard to make the DMA SUCH A MAGICAL PLACE FOR NEILLEY AND LOUIS!”

“Thank you again for all your help! Our friends and family had an amazing time and we loved our wedding.”

“I just wanted to say thank you for all of your help coordinating our wedding day. It turned out so perfectly”

“Thank you so much for such a beautiful reception at the DMA.  We all had such a great time!  Everything went off without a hitch!”

“This was truly a dream come true!”

Xoxo,
The DMA

To book your own experience at the DMA visit our Host an Event page now!

Jordan Gomez is the Marketing Manager at the DMA

LOVEY-DOVEY

”For this was sent on Seynt Valentyne’s day’
Whan every foul cometh ther to choose his mate” – Geoffrey Chaucer

foul

In France and England during the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed that birds’ mating season began on February 14. This notion led to Valentine’s Day being celebrated as a day of love and romance. It is even widely believed that the first Valentine’s card was sent during medieval times! Fourteenth- and 15th-century poets linked Valentine’s Day with amorous love through passionate verses, so sweethearts began exchanging sweet notes and flowers on this now well known day. Puts a whole new spin on the saying LOVEY-DOVEY, doesn’t it?

We suggest that this year you and your beloved travel to a time where chivalry knew no bounds and romance ran rampant with a visit to Art and Nature in the Middle Ages. How idyllic, am I right? Nothing sets the mood better for a lovely evening than dim lighting, illuminated manuscripts, and scenes of TWUE WUV—you know, back before dating apps, social media stalking, and texting entered the picture. Y’all, these couples actually had to talk face to face—crazy I know.

tapestry

So tomorrow, restore your hope in romance by visiting Art and Nature in the Middle Ages and maybe you’ll make an acquaintance worth courting—or at the least you’ll see something magical!

P.S. Unicorns, dancing pigs, really cool stained glass, and awesome metalwork are also included in this exhibition if you hate all things mushy gushy—did I say unicorns?

P.P.S. There’s only one more month to love this exhibition, so don’t wait!

Julie Henley is the Communications and Marketing Coordinator at the DMA. 

 

The unofficial guide to the couples you will see this Valentine’s Day (as told through art)

The OG
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Move over Beyoncé and Jay-Z. Step back Kim and Kanye. The Adam and Eve couples of Valentine’s Day have been at this game for a while. If you happen to ask them for relationship advice, watch out—their knowledge on the subject seems to go back to the beginning of time itself. This couple has been through a lot together—from temptation to family drama—but they learned to love each other no matter what befell them. Their higher connections will probably get them excellent reservations at the most desired restaurants as well.

The Swoon Worthy
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Here come the new kids on the block, spending their first Valentine’s Day together. In their eyes they are the sun and the moon, and they will do absolutely anything for each other. At this point in their relationship, chivalry and romance is rampant, and Sunday will be a test of their affection. Much like the Muslim Princess Erminia disguised herself as a knight to find her precious Christian Knight Tancred during the Crusades, their love knows no bounds. These are the couples you will see around town undertaking grandiose gestures like renting hot air balloons, or casually forsaking their families, homeland, and religion for the love of another.

The #Relationship Goals

1991'107, 11/14/02, 1:46 PM, 8C, 5816x8782 (148+81), 112%, Repro 1.8, 1/30 s, R67.2, G32.6, B36.6

Dinner at 5, home by 7, and in bed by 9. This couple’s unconditional love is something to aspire to. Much like the god Shiva and his wife, the goddess Parvati, shown here entwined in a passionate embrace, this couple might partake in too much PDA, but it’s acceptable due to how perfect they are for each other. This couple does not need to go to elaborate lengths this Valentine’s Day, because every day is a chance for them to do an act of kindness for the other.

The Tinder Date Gone Awry
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The fear of being alone and celebrating Single Awareness Day led these individuals to take to dating apps to find their special someone. Much like the uncomfortable scene depicted here, you will find these forced couples in painfully awkward attempts at conversation. Some will try to woo their Valentine with their musical prowess, while others will rely on their good looks, lack of clothing, and charm. One or both members of the party may look to you in desperation, but remember it was they who chose to swipe right.

Images: Jean François de Troy, Adam and Eve, 1718, oil on canvas, Dallas Museum of Art, Foundation for the Arts Collection, Mrs. John B. O’Hara Fund, 1990.145.FA; Guillaume Guillon Lethière, Erminia and the Shepherds, 1795, oil on canvas, Dallas Museum of Art, Foundation for the Arts Collection, Mrs. John B. O’Hara Fund, 2013.1.FA; Uma-Maheshvara, India, Rajasthan (?), c. 8th century A.D., grayish green stone, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of David T. Owsley via the Alvin and Lucy Owsley Foundation in honor of Colonel and Mrs. Alvin M. Owsley, 1991.107; Pietro Paolini, Bacchic Concert, c. 1625-30, oil on canvas, Dallas Museum of Art, The Karl and Esther Hoblitzelle Collection, gift of the Hoblitzelle Foundation, 1987.17

Julie Henley is the Communications and Marketing Coordinator at the DMA

Cuddly Symbols of Undying Love

Uma-Maheshvara, central India, likely late 11th to 12th century, buff sandstone, Intended bequest of David T. Owsley

Uma-Maheshvara, central India, likely late 11th to 12th century, buff sandstone, Intended bequest of David T. Owsley

Dr. Anne Bromberg, The Cecil and Ida Green Curator of Ancient and Asian Art at the DMA, can always be counted on to discuss the representation of love in various forms in the works in the DMA’s collection. We asked her to pick out a work on view for a special Valentine’s Day post:

In this sumptuous temple relief, the great Hindu god Shiva embraces his wife Parvati in a sensuous and romantic way. As both gods are deities of fertility, they are shown as almost naked and with beautifully modeled bodies. By their feet are their two sons, the elephant-headed god Ganesha and Skanda, a war god. Over the couple is a scene with Shiva in his other aspect, as the great god of yogic meditation. According to a Hindu text, Parvati longed for a baby after she and Shiva married, but he remained stubbornly ascetic. Finally, the beautiful Parvati said, “Alright, just give me a child and you can go on being the divine yoga master.” So he did, but since Shiva is the god of life, death, and rebirth, it wasn’t that simple. When Shiva found the child Ganesha barring him from Parvati when she was bathing, he cut off his son’s head. Then, moved by Pavati’s despair, he said that he would restore the boy with the head of the first person he saw, which turned out to be an elephant. Elephant-headed Ganesha became the god who removes obstacles from people’s path and gives them prosperity. He is the most popular god in India today. So the tumultuous story has a happy ending, and Shiva and Parvati are cuddly symbols of undying love.

Detail of Ganesha

Detail of Ganesha

Visit this work, and many other works that embody love, in the DMA’s collection galleries for free this Valentine’s Day.

Anne Bromberg is The Cecil and Ida Green Curator of Ancient and Asian Art at the DMA.

Show Me the Love!

It’s Valentine’s Day, and love is in the air here at the Museum! The works of art might not have their own shoebox mailboxes like the one I made in third grade, but I like to imagine the homemade Valentines they might pass between each other. We have our “going steady” couples, our “head over heels” couples, and even a few secret admirers. If you haven’t made your own Valentines yet, don’t fret—there’s still time. Take a note from the art couples below, use the DIY tutorials featured, and you’ll be showing the love to your one and only in no time.

These two are joined at the hip! Painted by John Singleton Copley in 1747, Woodbury and Sarah Langdon were real-life sweethearts who commissioned the artist to paint their portraits shortly after their marriage. Woodbury was a wealthy New Hampshire merchant with dreams of politics, and Sarah was his young bride. The couple eventually had ten children, and Woodbury went on to hold political office and serve on the New Hampshire Superior Court. Since these two are never far apart, I can imagine Woodbury sending this Valentine to his sweetheart:

matchbox-love-note tutorial valentine's day party ideas party printables valentine's day crafts

Download a template and find instructions for this project at the Bird’s Party blog.

Edward Hicks, The Peaceable Kingdom, c. 1846-1847, Dallas Museum of Art, The Art Museum League Fund

Edward Hicks, The Peaceable Kingdom, c. 1846-1847, Dallas Museum of Art, The Art Museum League Fund

These animals have been peacefully sharing their close quarters for years! Painter Edward Hicks returned to this subject again and again, imagining a world where the lambs and lions, leopards and kids could all exist together in peace. Heavily influenced by his Quaker roots, Hicks painted this subject more than one hundred times. After spending all that time together, I imagine these animals consider one another family. Perhaps the bear could send this Valentine to the lamb?

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Free printables and an animal group cheat sheet can be found at the Modern Parents, Messy Kids blog. Who knew that a group of giraffes is called a tower?

This trio is often seen hanging out in the galleries together like best buddies. There’s the boisterous, rowdy friend and the beautiful, calm sidekicks. Vernet’s A Mountain Landscape with an Approaching Storm (top left) highlights the wild beauty and sheer power of nature, while Anne Vallayer-Coster’s floral still life paintings (bottom left and right) capture the calm, quiet loveliness of a well-placed petal. Can’t you imagine the still life paintings slipping this Valentine into Approaching Storm’s pocket (perhaps with some giggles)? With its gusting winds and swelling clouds, how could Storm resist the bubbles?

You-BLOW-Me-Away-Valentine-Just-add-bubbles-Cute-idea-and-free-prints-on-lilluna_com-valentines1

Find bubbles at the dollar store and use this free printable from the Lil Luna blog to make your own.

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

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

This pair is one of those “you’re my hero” kind of relationships. The 10th century statue from India depicts the Hindu god Varaha in his boar-headed avatar Vishnu. When the earth goddess Prithvi is imprisoned under the sea by an evil demon, Vishnu saves the day, rescuing her from the depths. Look closely and you can see Prithvi perched on Vishnu’s shoulder. No doubt, she would send him this Valentine:

Superhero Valentine 9

Use the free printable at the Zakka Life blog for the superhero in your life.

I hope you are feeling inspired by our artsy couples. Come pay them a visit and decide for yourself if the Valentine fits. As for your own Valentine’s bliss, if all else fails, bring your true love to the DMA and let them know this:

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(Print available for purchase at Love Sugar’s etsy shop)

Leah Hanson
Manager of Early Learning Programs

Seldom Scene: Love Designed

A Date to the DMA:

The Center for Creative Connections invites you this spring to explore the Encountering Space exhibition with a fresh perspective inspired by designed spaces. Experience changes on view March 12 – September 30, 2011 throughout the Center including two additional works from our Decorative Arts collection shown below. Get involved and share your own photographs of designed spaces on Flickr, www.flickr.com/groups/dmadesigned.

Chair, Frank Lloyd Wright, 1956

Hall chair, c. 1850-1860

Reader Pick: Love in the DMA's Collection

February is a month known for love. To celebrate love in the DMA’s collections, I would like you, the reader, to choose a work of art that best exemplifies love from the below objects. After selecting a work of art, leave a comment as to how you think it relates to love. Next Tuesday, I will let you know which work of art received the most votes. Let the voting begin!

Amy Wolf
Coordinator of Gallery Teaching


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