Bass Trombone Wauchope: August 2015

Susan took me on a surprise trip to celebrate our 48th wedding anniversary. We went on an overnight to Williamstown to visit the Clark Art Museum, and see what has become a very admired and very well attended exhibition of the art of Van Gogh. Spanning his whole lifetime, and showing his development in a remarkable collection from as many world-class museums as I have ever seen gathered in one place, it was one of the three or four best visits to a museum in my life. I was not allowed to take pictures, which drove me crazy, but the rest of the day was filled with the permanent collection, and them a visit to MOCA, one of the great contemporary art spaces. This art is mostly of less interest to me, but there was some great creativity and some remarkable techniques.
We finished the day at the "Sole Proprietor" restaurant in Worchester, one of our favorites. .

Not a work of art (actually, maybe it is!) seen on my birding trip in the AM

The new entrance to the Clark

Beautiful space. The picture belies the immense crowd that poured in to the exhibit.

A few shots from the permanent collection

Frederic Remington
"Dismounted: The Fourth Troopers Moving the Lead Horses"

Susan and Monet

Claude Monet
"The Cliffs at Etretat" 1885

Pierre-Auguste Renoir
"Marie-Therese Durand-Ruel Sewing" (detail) 1882

This is a gallery in the original museum. The huge rug has Islamic calligraphy all around the edges, and no one
at the museum could tell me about the rug or where it came from. One guide said it probably wasn't very special, but
calligraphy is rare in a rug this size, and I would be willing to bet this rug has a great history.
And that piano!

a detail of the piano

Philippe-Joseph Brocard
Mosque Lamp c.1880

Jean-Leon Gerome
"Slave Market" 1866 (detail)
One of the great "Academics", a furious hatred for the new impressionism, and an artist recognized by a lot of
museums today, even if a lot of his subject matter was disturbing.
One of my favorites is "Eminence Grise" in the MFA, showing this simple friar descending a huge staircase, and
all the cavaliers in their outrageous finery, are bowing and scraping to him, he ignoring them and reading his tiny bible as
he descends.

another view of that incredible piano

Johan Barthold Jongkind
"Frigates" C.1850 (detail)

Nast Porcelain Manufactory
Two-handled Cup and Saucer, C. 1820

Sevres Porcelain Manufactory
Plate, 1845

Lippert & Haas Manufactory
Plate , 1849
painted by Johann Zacharias Quast

What a stunning accomplishment! Notice the bugs trying to crawl out of the center!

Giovanni Paolo Panini
"Interior of the Pantheon" 1734
I am going to get to Rome someday, if only to see this building especially. A bucket list.

And now, on the the MOCA

MOCA is a huge factory that has been renovated for the display of contemporary art. It has on-going exhibits, and
specializes in very recent installations, ongoing projects (witness the upside-down trees in the courtyard!) and
is a huge space. We couldn't see as much of it as we would have liked, but what we saw was entertaining, off-putting sometimes, and ultimately very rewarding.
I won't try to identify everything, but strongly recommend to anyone who is at all interested in art, to visit.
The following artists include
Jim Shaw
Clifford Ross
Francesco Clemente
Joseph Beuys