Albright Knox Art Gallery

 Visit & Response to the Artwork

I have been visiting the Albright Knox Art Gallery for many years, and it was a pleasure for me to visit this past Wednesday with a specific assignment in hand. My parents took my younger sister and I often when we were growing up, and as an Art History major in the early 1990's I also made many visits. We are fortunate to have a world-renowned gallery like the Albright Knox in Buffalo, and it is conveniently located across the Buffalo State College campus. Some of the works I am going to discuss have intrigued me for years, while the painting by Philip Guston was one I saw for the first time.

A.) Which artworks make an impact or impression on me? Why?

 

Georges Seurat. Étude pour " Le Chahut" 

(study for "Le Chahut"), oil on canvas, 25 3/4" x 21 1/2", 1889

The first work that made an impression on me was Georges Seurat's Étude pour "Le Chahut". I have been to the Art Institute of Chicago and stood in front of Seurat's iconic masterpiece, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, oil on canvas, 81.7" x 121.25", 1884-1886. The Étude pour "Le Chahut" is a rather small 'easel painting', which seems tiny in comparison to the huge painting in Chicago. This makes sense, however, considering it was only meant to be a study for a larger painting. Yet in both works, not only is the style of placing tiny color marks next to each other the same, he has also painted the frames. Seurat was a pioneer of the style known as 'Pointilism', meaning small 'points' of color. But when you look closely, the brush-marks look more like ovals dabbed on with perhaps a rounded flat, or 'filbert' style brush. His paintings must have taken extremely long to make, in the case of  A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte the date of the painting's creation spans two years. The study in the Albright Knox Art Gallery was completed within one year, but most likely over many months.

Mark Rothko. Orange and Yellow, oil on canvas, 91" x 71", 1956

The next work that made an impression on me was Orange and Yellow. I know many people who look at a modern work of art such as this and say "I could have painted THAT" or "any child could do the same thing!". Admittedly, sometimes I feel that way. But after taking a Modern Art History class with Dr. Sylvia Bakos in 1995 at Buffalo State, I gained a greater appreciation and understanding of 20th modern art. Whenever I am at the gallery with someone who doesn't understand the nature of modern art, I've always looked to this work as a starting point for a discussion. Forget that it is a yellow rectangle on top of a larger orange rectangle and think, 'how does this make me feel?' It personally makes me think of the warmth of the sun, a hot day, analogous colors, a simple composition. So although I may not wish to hang it in my home or write a term paper on it, I do appreciate and understand the aesthetics behind it.

B.) Which artworks do I feel a connection with? Why?

 Berthe Morisot. Femme cousant (Woman sewing), oil on canvas, 25 3/4" x 21 1/2", ca. 1879

I connect with this painting on several different levels. First, I am a fan of Impressionist artists', such as Morisot's, works; I love the loose brush-strokes, the use of a bright or  'high-key' palette, and the often 'everyday' subject matter. Like myself, Berthe Morisot is a female artist, however she painted during a time when it was an unusual occupation for a woman. Also, I love to sew in my spare time. I can relate to the woman in the painting, head bent in concentration over the sewing or mending she is working on. It is a lovely painting, and a picture cannot do it justice. It is exciting to look closely and actually see each individual brush-strokes and see the many colors in the sewer's flesh-tones and in her dress.

Giacomo Balla. Dinamismo di un cane al guinzaglio 

(Dynamism of a dog on a leash), oil on canvas, 35 3/8" x 43 1/4", 1912

This painting by Italian artist Giacomo Balla, considered to belong to the style known as 'Futurism' is one of my favorites. I was sad to see that it is not currently on view, but I have stared at it so many times that I want to include it as painting that I feel a connection with. What has always fascinated me about this work is the way movement is clearly displayed in a two-dimensional work of art. I am a dog lover, and I can absolutely feel and see the energy of the happy dog - legs, leash and tail a blur of motion. It's interesting that the dog-walker's feet and lower leg only are portrayed, so it's not necessarily a figurative piece, only part of the figure is shown. And you can tell that the dog-walkers feet are also a blur of motion. I notice that just by the number of dog feet and tail versions, which are greater in number than the dog-walker's, that the dog's legs need to move faster to keep up with the longer legs of his walker.

C.) Which artworks would I like to know more about? Why?

Victor Vasarely. Vega-Nor, oil on canvas, 78 3/4" x 78 3/4", 1969

Again, this is another work I have seen many times, and I always want to know more about it! It is a very large, two-dimensional work, yet when I stand in front of it, I always feel as if a huge sphere is pushing it's way through a grid towards me. It is an amazing optical illusion, and I would love to know how the artist planned this work. Not only is the almost 'neon' color palette complex, but so is the grid pattern itself - everything looks mathematically precise and I'm curious as to how the artist came about the design. Was there a preliminary sketch on the canvas? Are there smaller studies done of this work so he could plan which colors would create a larger impact?

Philip Guston. Multiplied, oil on canvas, 66" x 80 1/2", 1972

I have never seen this painting before, and it was hanging on a wall by itself in the sunlit sculpture room on the second level of the gallery. Never having studied this artist, I was still intrigued because it's date of creation is also the year I was born. What is the significance of the monochromatic use of red? The only other hue besides red is the yellow sun, painted child-like with the the sun's rays coming off in distinct lines. Is it a cluster of buildings? Abstract mushrooms? Whatever they are they seem to be sprouting in a cluster above a red structure. I'm curious as to the symbolism, if there is any, behind this work. Since it is the only painting on a wall in large room it makes a large impact, you can't simply walk by without stopping to take a closer look. Did the artist request that whichever gallery purchased this painting had to display it alone on a wall? Whatever the answers may be, I enjoyed looking at this painting. Although this is not the style that I choose to paint in, I do appreciate it's uniqueness.

The first work that made an impression on me was Georges Seurat's Étude pour "Le Chahut". I have been to the Art Institute of Chicago and stood in front of Seurat's iconic masterpiece, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, oil on canvas, 81.7" x 121.25", 1884-1886. The
Étude pour "Le Chahut" is a rather small 'easel painting', which seems tiny in comparison to the huge painting in Chicago. This makes sense, however, considering it was only meant to be a study for a larger painting. Yet in both works, not only is the style of placing tiny color marks next to each other the same, he has also painted the frames. Seurat was a pioneer of the style known as 'Pointilism', meaning small 'points' of color. But when you look closely, the brush-marks look more like ovals dabbed on with perhaps a rounded flat, or 'filbert' style brush. His paintings must have taken extremely long to make, in the case of  A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte the date of the painting's creation spans two years. The study in the Albright Knox Art Gallery was completed within one year, but most likely over many months.