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Impressionist and Modern Masters at the CoSprings FAC |
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Written by Ken Hamel
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Thursday, 20 December 2007 |
Impressionist and Modern Masters from the New Orleans Museum of Art
Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center
December 8, 2007 – March 9, 2008
   
The CS FAC kicked off the opening of their renewed facility with the stellar "Eclectic Eye"
show earlier this year, and although it's a bit of a hike down to Colorado Springs, once again I found the trip well worth the time, as the current special exhibit "Impressionist and Modern Masters from the New Orleans Museum of Art" is a well thought out and comprehensive look at the vast collection amassed by NOMA over its 95 year history. Still recovering from Hurricane Katrina, NOMA is floating portions of their collection while the city and the institution make needed repairs.
Given the rich cultural legacy the big easy inherited from her colonial mother, I was not surprised to see a wide variety of French works dating back to the 17th century. The museum's grand El Pomar Gallery hosts most of the earlier pieces including a massive 1788 oil portrait of Marie Antoinette by Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, with each piece accompanied by a wealth of informative historical background.
The timeline moves on to a hall of impressionist works, the highlight for me being Claude Monet's subtle 1893 "Snow at Giverny" alongside paintings by Renoir and Degas; however my interest was especially piqued by the "Modern Masters" portion of the exhibit which begins at the very tail end in the Annette Seagraves Gallery. Among the works by Picasso (a small but lush 1937 oil "Still Life with Candle"), Joseph Cornell (a classic box construction from 1956 "Radar Astronomy") and Jean Debuffet (1966 "Gas Stove III") were a variety of bronze sculptures from Jacques Lipchitz, Max Ernst, Picasso and Alberto Giocometti. Steel works from artists David Smith and Naum Gabo rounded out the slate of sculptors on display.
Two beautiful works by Jean Miro serve well to highlight the artists evolution: "Portrait of a Young Girl" from 1935, which features the classic sensual curves and abstract shapes that characterize Miro's earlier work is alongside his 1960 "The Red Disk" a much freer and adventurous abstract expressionist take on his earlier themes featuring stark white drips and splatters floating on a black background, an obvious riff on Jackson Pollack whose small but notable 1956 "Composition" is hung nearby.
The exhibit boldly uses colored walls to segment the works into 3 main periods, a deep red for the early works, green for the impressionists and a bright yellow for modernism, and the rear of the El Pomar gallery features an extensive timeline covering all the works hung in the show alongside historical landmarks that were contemporary to each piece. I found the timeline a wonderful addition to the show and a great way for me to be sure I covered each piece (Georgia O'Keefe's 1937 "My Back Yard" is a bit off the beaten track and I looped back to catch it after seeing it on the timeline.)
Making the day even more worth the journey is the FAC's first-rate permanent collection which shows well in the new space. A hall featuring a variety of Colorado artists now includes a work by Pard Morrison whose most recent Denver show at Rule Gallery featured subtle colored stripes "patinated" on aluminum sheets. On display until March 9th. - KLH
Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center
30 West Dale Street
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
719.634.5583
http://www.csfineartscenter.org
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