At the Museum of Modern Art

"Century of the Child-Growing By Design, 1900-2000" is the name of one of the exhibits I visited today at the Museum of Modern Art.  The emphasis is on the preoccupation of childhood during the 20th. century.   Along with the myriad toys and games featured, there was also school architecture, clothing playgrounds etc.  The objects ranged from colorful, harmless toys to more serious ones with overtones of politics such as war toys.

I find old style toys particularly interesting and try to incorporate them into some of my assemblages as shown above.

Another Museum Visit

Recently I visited the Neue Museum www.neuegalerie.org located on Fifth Avenue and 86th. Street.  The reason for my visit was to view the work of Gustav Klimt whose 150th. anniversary is being celebrated.  The museum had paintings on view from their own collection along with some from other sources as well as drawings and personal photographs.  His work is very well known, very decorative and he is known for his paintings of women.  However there were several landscapes included that I had not seen before which I liked very much.  You can view them on the website.

I have always been interested in painting people as opposed to landscapes or still lifes. Above are two examples of my efforts.

The Confluence of Art and Nature

This past week I have been staying with my sister and brother-in-law at their home in Ithaca New York an area filled with natural beauty.  Art can be found not only on the walls of a gallery or a museum but in the world around us.  I am always in awe of the beauty of nature and how natural wonders can be interpreted into artworks.  Below are some examples.

A Japanese Garden at the Johnson Museum at Cornell

A Gorge at Treman State Park