(no subject)
It's about time I wrote a bit about our weekend adventure last Sunday.
endora, D and J, a friend of D's, went to San Antonio's McNay Museum of
Art to see the exhibit of Pre-Raphaelite art. I know very little of
art; I know numerous famous pieces, but I was never an art student. But
which of us doesn't know about or have a copy somewhere of Millais'
"Ophelia", Rossetti's "Mnemosyne", or his "Lilith"? Still, I had
a delightful time studying these magnificent artworks; one does not
need to be an art student to appreciate the content, style, beauty and
inspiration that went into these pieces. The Pre-Raphaelites were an
interesting bunch, as I learned that day. An artistic movement founded
in 1848 by Millais, Rossetti and William Holman Hunt, it was a reaction
against the stodginess and predictability of the art philosophy of the
day, which held that the Florentine painter Raphael (1483-1520)
was the refinement of the art, and that paintings should ideally
reflect his style. The Pre-Raphaelites seemed to be a pretty
iconoclastic bunch, not necessarily members of polite society, and not
concerned with catering to patrons or conventions other than their own
muses, as true art should be. A lively bunch; they seemed to be the
rock stars of their day, and their stunning models might be regarded as
perhaps the first supermodels!
We even had our requisite reminder of Austin while we were out; seems we can't visit another city without finding something that reminds us of our wonderful town. This time it was a sculpture I recognized in the courtyard of the museum--a concrete cast of "War Mother", a well-known bronze at our very own Umlauf Sculpture Garden! Kind of neat to see it so recognizable in a completely different place!
Like I said, I know not much about art, but it's fun to learn about it. We gotta see more art museums, especially if the subjects are Medieval, Renaissance, Romantic or of course Celtic!
We even had our requisite reminder of Austin while we were out; seems we can't visit another city without finding something that reminds us of our wonderful town. This time it was a sculpture I recognized in the courtyard of the museum--a concrete cast of "War Mother", a well-known bronze at our very own Umlauf Sculpture Garden! Kind of neat to see it so recognizable in a completely different place!
Like I said, I know not much about art, but it's fun to learn about it. We gotta see more art museums, especially if the subjects are Medieval, Renaissance, Romantic or of course Celtic!