October 2024 Talk Descriptions

 

Norman Rockwell: An American Phenomenon

The prolific American artist and illustrator Norman Rockwell produced more than 4000 works that chronicle not only ordinary moments from everyday life but also important social and political issues. During his lifetime Rockwell was dismissed by many serious art critics, but this talk will examine why and how he has remained a beloved American original. We will look at many of his iconic paintings, as well as at some that may surprise you.

 

Marc Chagall: Painting Poetry

Marc Chagall lived a long and fruitful life, producing paintings, etchings, book illustrations, stained-glass windows, ceramics, tapestries, and stage sets and costumes—all infused with poetry. His works have a lyrical, emotional resonance informed by his love of humanity. Chagall does not belong to one art movement or style but incorporates elements of cubism, fauvism, symbolism, surrealism, and futurism into his work.  He was a pioneer of modernism, born in a shtetl, leaving us a rich legacy of unforgettable images. This talk requires two parts to tell his inspiring story. Part II will be presented on Tuesday, October 12.

 

Two Women Who Loved Rodin: Camille Claudel and Gwen John

Auguste Rodin was a fiercely talented, charismatic, and unrelentingly complicated man. He gave us some of the most recognizable sculptural images of his era. Although mostly unheralded then and even now, two very gifted women were crucial to his finding success and fame during his lifetime. This talk will show you the brilliant work of Camille Claudel, a sculptor, and Gwen John, a painter, and reveal how their passion for Rodin inspired some of the greatest works of the 19th Century.

 

Faith Ringgold: Artist, Author, Educator, Organizer

Faith Ringgold, who died at 93 in April of this year, once said, “Your job is to tell your story. Your story has to come out of your life, your environment, who you are, where you come from.” Her provocative and politically honest work, which reimagines art history, is born of that commitment. Best known for her story quilts, she also creates politically charged paintings, prints, sculptures, public art, performance art, and more. Faith Ringgold: Artist, Author, Educator, Organizer will give you an in-depth look at this formidable woman whose life and works continue to astonish art lovers around the world.

 

Frida Kahlo: Dreams, Demons, and Devotion

Frida Kahlo’s paintings illustrate the anguish and passion of a fascinating, complicated personal and artistic life. The astonishing works of this Mexican and feminist icon will be looked at through the lens of her ethnicity, disabilities, and political activism, especially emphasizing her engagement with the natural world. 

 

Edgar Degas: Private Paradox

A leading figure of 19th-century artistic innovation, Edgar Degas rejected academic traditions and instead chose to chronicle modern life—ballet dancers, café culture, brothels, the races, and intimate moments at the bath. He was a master of drawing, painting, sculpture, pastels and printmaking. His curmudgeonly and caustic wit were legendary. Join us to learn about his extraordinary life and look at a comprehensive selection of his remarkable works.

 

Edward Hopper: Alienated Majesty

A roadside gas pump, a nondescript diner, a bleak hotel room—Edward Hopper had a remarkable ability to invest the most ordinary scene with intense mystery and emotional depth. He created enigmatic narratives that are not easily unraveled. His vision lingered on uncanny depictions of New England towns, New York City architecture, and simple, stark, yet intimate interpretations of American life. Exact time and place always seem arrested. He created more than 800 paintings, watercolors, and prints, as well as numerous drawings and illustrations. This talk will reveal why so many claim Hopper to be the supreme American realist of the 20th Century.

 

Winslow Homer: American Vision, Close to Nature

Winslow Homer’s illustrations, watercolors, and oil paintings are among the most powerful and expressive of late 19th-century American art. He depicted happy scenes of fashionable ladies promenading along the seashore and children frolicking in a meadow after school. But he also gave us disquieting images of isolation and danger. His marine paintings illustrating the untamed, elemental forces of nature are some of the most intense and affecting images he created. This talk will acquaint you with this extraordinary American artist and many of his astonishing works.  

 

Francisco de Goya: Last of the Old Masters, First of the Moderns

Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes is regarded as the most important Spanish artist of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. His remarkable output included paintings, drawings, engravings, lithographs, and frescoes—all of which related to the political and social upheavals in which he lived. And he did lead an extraordinary life, one full of intrigue, tragedy, and astonishing creative intensity. This talk will introduce you to that life, illustrated by his dazzling works.

 

Sonia Delaunay: A Modern Language of Color

Sonia Delaunay was an avant-garde artist who spent her life experimenting with the language of color and abstraction. She developed a varied practice, giving equal weight to design and fine art. While remaining faithful to abstract painting, she created innovative designs in typography and textile prints. She crafted handmade garments and ready-to-wear fashion and designed costumes for theater, ballet, and film. She also created tapestries and mosaics as well as cutting edge interior designs. Born Sara Stern in a Ukrainian shtetl in 1885, she became a crucial presence in the artistic and intellectual Zeitgeist of 20th Century Paris.

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November 2024 Talk Descriptions

 

Edward Hopper: Alienated Majesty

A roadside gas pump, a nondescript diner, a bleak hotel room—Edward Hopper had a remarkable ability to invest the most ordinary scene with intense mystery and emotional depth. He created enigmatic narratives that are not easily unraveled. His vision lingered on uncanny depictions of New England towns, New York City architecture, and simple, stark, yet intimate interpretations of American life. Exact time and place always seem arrested. He created more than 800 paintings, watercolors, and prints, as well as numerous drawings and illustrations. This talk will reveal why so many claim Hopper to be the supreme American realist of the 20th Century.

 

Ruth Orkin: Power of the Image

Ruth Orkin, born in Hollywood, California in 1921, was an award-winning photojournalist and filmmaker. She moved to New York in 1943 and launched an impressive career capturing iconic images of people and places. She often said that film, music, and travel inspired her, and all of that came together in her photography. The subject of innumerable exhibitions and honors in her lifetime, Ruth Orkin’s legacy continues to this day.

 

The Impressionists: Imagining the Modern

This year is the 150th anniversary of the First Impressionist Exhibition, held in Paris in 1874. Today, everyone loves the Impressionists, but many don’t know that they and their avant-garde works were initially reviled by the critics and rejected by the public. The Impressionists: Imagining the Modern tells the compelling story of how this beloved art movement was born and why it flourished. We will see some of your favorite paintings and some that will be new to you.

 

Holocaust Art: This Happened

After the end of World War II, writers and philosophers maintained that the Nazi death camps defied representation; no art could ever do justice to the barbarity. Yet survivors have forced themselves to try to make sense of the horrors they endured— in literature, in music, and in visual art. And now, as Auschwitz recedes into the historical distance and the last survivors disappear, the world cannot afford to forget the legacy these artists have left. This presentation will examine the remarkable work of several painters, some who survived and some who did not.

 

Anna Walinska: The Spirit of a Search without Boundaries

Anna Walinska’s life and art spans the march of American modernism into the 20th Century. Her story pairs the history of the New York school of art with the American Jewish experience. A prolific artist of both figurative and abstract paintings, she created more than 2000 works on canvas and paper over the course of her lifetime. Although relatively unknown today, Anna Walinska’s joie de vivre and remarkable body of work are worth recognizing and celebrating.

 

Winslow Homer: American Vision, Close to Nature

Winslow Homer’s illustrations, watercolors, and oil paintings are among the most powerful and expressive of late 19th-century American art. He depicted happy scenes of fashionable ladies promenading along the seashore and children frolicking in a meadow after school. But he also gave us disquieting images of isolation and danger. His marine paintings illustrating the untamed, elemental forces of nature are some of the most intense and affecting images he created. This talk will acquaint you with this extraordinary American artist and many of his astonishing works.  

 

Mary Cassatt, Berthe Morisot, Suzanne Valadon: Women Painters in Paris

Despite their relative obscurity, many women painters reached impressive heights of creative achievement and professional success in 19th through early 20th Century Paris. This talk will examine the lives and the works of three of these exceptional artists: Mary Cassatt, Berthe Morisot and Suzanne Valadon.