Alex, Kevin Sloan's Birds, the Gropius House

I had Alex for Friday, and we did one of G'pa's "Adventures"  We drove to Lincoln, as per Barbara's suggestion, and visited the Clark Gallery where the artist Kevin Sloan had an exhibit of his fantastic birds.  From there to the Walter Gropius house (he of Bauhaus fame), and then after lunch to the Drumlin Farm (Audubon) where we saw sheep, cows, pigs, goats, and a hay ride. 
Incredibly remarkable behavior from Alex, who was quiet, attentive, held my hand a lot, and went through the Gropius tour (felt booties, no touching) with unbelievable politeness.  God, I hope it lasts!

Detail

Detail

Detail

Detail

The Walter Gropius House
I wasn't allowed to do photography inside.

The Hayride!
(We had the whole wagon to ourselves!)

Hokusai at the MFA

Finally, I got to the exhibit I have wanted to attend all Spring, the Hokusai exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.  The MFA has one of the largest collection of prints by the greatest of all printmakers, and the exhibit was huge, almost too much to take in.  Susan and I met Barbara and Bill Humm, and, as usual, the extremely informed and extensive exhibit was a huge credit to the MFA
We also visited a small exhibit on the history of American ceramics first, and I have a few shots of some of that . 
No wonder so many great artists from the West were so greatly influenced by this art.

Had to photograph this, a soprano trombone!

John Bennett
"Lilac Vase" (circa 1878)

Polia and William Pillin
"Bottle" (circa 1960)

Wayne Higby
"Mirage Lake" (1984)

Ralph Bacerra
"Tea Pot and Stand"  (2001)

A group of Japanese instruments at the beginning of the Hokusai ex.

Katsushika Oi
"Three Women Playing Musical Instruments" (c.1818)

The remaining art is by Hokusai

Togo Bay near Ejiri on the Tokaido
(36 Views of Mt. Fuji)

Totekawa (Lumberyard) in Hanjo
(36 Views of Mt Fuji)

Fuji from Kanaya on the Tokaido
(36 views of Mt Fuji)

Carp and Iris  (c. 1808)
Print for a fan

Hawfinch and Marvel-of-Peru

Kingfish and Iris and Wild Pinks


 

Phoenix (1833)
8-fold screen

(detail of above)

Warriors in Combat (detail)

Harvard's new art museums (wow!)

Susan and I took train and subway to Harvard Square to see the redesigned Harvard Art Museums.
It was stunning.  There seems to be a superior example of almost every genre available at Harvard, blessed with the largest endowment in the world, and very discerning collectors in its history.  I've not visited any museum anywhere that has more greatness in such a small package.  We ran out of time, and didn't quite get to much of the 20th century, but we will just have to go back.
A lot of pictures, but worth the look

The new building

I was admiring the hanging and asked a well-dressed Asian gentlemen if it was a Calder, and he said it was by a Mexican artist, Carlos Amorales ("Triangle Constelation");  I thanked him, and asked him, jokingly, if he gave guided tours, and he said he could, he was one of the architects of the museum!

Susan in  one of the contemporary galleries.  A wonderful collection of Mark Rothko, but it
was the one gallery no photography was allowed.

Temple relief of Queen Arsinoe II
270 BCE

Tetradrachm (coins) of Athens
449-420 BCE

Hokusai (1760-1849)
Minamoto no Yorimasa Aiming an Arrow

Okamoto Shuki (1807-1862)
Heron and Kingfisher among Lotus (detail)

Bird Trappers
India, Moghul period, c. 1590

Krishna Playing the Flute
India, 13th-14th C.

Folia from a Qur'an
Iran, 12th C.

Hexagonal Tile with Floral Patterns
Turkey, Iznik, c.1520-40

And a Botticelli!!
The Virgin and Child, c. 1490

And the only Riemenschneider carving I've seen outside of Germany
Saint Anthony Abbot c. 1510
One of the supreme wookcarvers

And an Albrecht Durer (Harvard has a large collection)
The Martyrdom, of the Ten Thousand Christians c.1496

John Singleton Copley
John Adams 1783

This painting was jaw-dropping.  The depth and 3-D intensity was
in a class by itself.  I must find out more about this artist.
Jan van der Heyden
The Dam and Damrak, Amsterdam  c.1662

And, and, a folio of Piranesi!
The Antiquities of Rome Vol ll  1756

Canaletto
Piazza San Marco, Venice  c.1730-34

And a detail of the above.

Finally, a very happy discovery, paintings by Gustave Moreau
I remember being fascinated by Moreau as a teen-ager, and buying a book about him.
Bizarre, over-the-top, voluptuous.
And the Harvard museums are displaying three!
Jacob and the Angel  1974-78

Gustave Moreau
The Infant Moses  1876-78

Gustave Moreau
The Apparition (Salome and John the Baptist) 1876-77
This is a tiny painting compared to the other two

I was running out of time, and had to select one more, so here is
Claude Monet
The Porte d"Amont, Etretat  C.1868-69

One final shot of the tower at Sanders Theatre before we race for the subway.