Raphael - Woman & Unicorn

 Yesterday (11/14) Tom and I had the pleasure of seeing a Raphael painting that is very much on the order of the Mona Lisa: Raphael's Portrait of Young Woman with Unicorn (also called Portrait of a Lady with a Unicorn). It was painted in the years 1505-1506

 The painting's home is at the Galleria Borghese in Rome.

 It's being shown at the Cincinnati Art Museum in a somewhat darkened room all by itself. I asked the guard whether photographs could be taken. "Not in this room," he said. Later I saw a sign on the wall stating the same. Of course I respect the rules and left my camera hanging around my neck.

 So how could I show the painting on this blog other than to copy a picture that is posted on the web? Tom was purchasing a greeting card of the painting and I asked him to hold it for me. Here it is:

 Raphael studied both Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo (per a sign on the wall). Leonardo's Mona Lisa was painted in the same time frame as this painting. A restoration of this painting in the 1930's brought the attribution to Raphael (it was originally thought to be by Perugino and was then titled Saint Catherine of Alexandria). The unicorn wasn't found until the restoration; instead a wheel was in its place. In the late 1950's, a dog was found beneath the unicorn. So the painting has gone through several revisions, attributions and names. Wikipedia says that the woman was a bride and the painting was a wedding gift from Raphael.

 Raphael lived from 1883 and 1520. The last two decades of his life were considered the "High Renaissance" This is the first time the painting has been shown in the United States.The painting entered the Rome museum's collection in 1682. It has been called one of Raphael's "most beguiling and enigmatic paintings" [Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco]
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 Looking up from the outdoor courtyard, this "bell tower" stands above all else. It can be seen from many distant spots in Cincinnati.

 The Cincinnati Art Museum is draped in their Christmas finery already. Tom visited the gift shop and purchased the card shown (first picture) and a bar of milk chocolate for me, complete with a Van Gogh on the cover.

Note: Tom and I visited the Cincinnati Art Museum in January. I posted lots of pictures from the trip and they're available by clicking here.

Dayton Art Institute - Part 4

 Now we'll visit the courtyard ...

Cast of the Venus de Milo- early 20th century

Modern copy of the Battle of Lapiths and Centaurs - early 20th century

 A view of a section of the roof from the courtyard (called the Hale Cloister). I love the tile shingles.

 Tom enjoys the fountain. Luckily, the weather has been warm and the water is still flowing. I imagine this will soon be turned off for winter.
 Now, back inside ...

Relief of Noble and his Wife Iny - 1210-1162 B.C.

Egyptian - New Kingdom - 18th-19th Dynasty

Saint Sebastian - c. 1700

Paolo Pagani

Henry - 8th Lord Arundell of Wardour - c. 1723-1792

Sir Joshua Reynolds

 Imagine painting silk with its natural sheen as shown above.

Study Heads of an Old Man - 1612

Peter Paul Rubens

 I think this was the most impressive painting I saw while at the DAI, The detail is amazing. It was actually stunning to look at this man after four hundred years. Immortality!

Portrait of Daniel Nijs - c. 1812-1815

Peter Paul Rubens

The Feast of Achelous - c. 1610-1620

Jan Brueghel the Younger

Hendrick van Balen

Apparently one could either dress up for dinner ... or arrive naked? Maybe it was simply an informal meal.

I was impressed by the detail given the dog (ours sat at the table just like this). Here's a close-up ...

 Tom admires some larger-than-life art.

 Our time was up so we left for lunch and a couple of other stops that were on our schedule. I believe the DAI has another floor (basement?) but it's something we'll have to check out some time in the future.
 I have to say, for a smaller city, Dayton has an art museum the rivals the best of them. What a wonderful day this was.

 Visit their website by clicking here.

Dayton Art Institute - Part 3

 We continue an artistic journey back in time ...

Blissful Hours - 1885

Samuel Richards

Bet I Get Him - 1921

Grace Carpenter Hudson

 While Tom admires another painting, an angel appears to beckon ...

Washington On His Deathbed - 1851

Junius Brutus Stearns

Lou Harries, Age 3 - c. 1860's

Clara Soule

 A close-up of the eyes. Photographic quality, don't you think? Hauntingly realistic, even after a century and a half.

Jacob Isaacs - 1788

Ralph Earl

Decorative Sampler - c. 1810

Jane Ann Benjamin

Adonis - 1800

Benjamin West

Mrs. John Nichols and Daughter - 1795

Ralph Earl

The Solitude of the Soul - 1901

Lorado Taft

Huck Finn - c. 1930

Robert Charles Koepnick

 ... now go to Dayton Art Institute - Part 4

Dayton Art Institute - Part 2

Continuing with our tour of the Dayton Art Institute with pieces that most caught my attention.

High Noon - 1949

Edward Hopper

 I knew this painter before I looked. Doesn't it have something of the style of Nighthawks? This was clearly Hopper to me, even from across the room. I saw Nighthawks at the Art Institute of Chicago some years ago and was mightily impressed by it. So, too, this one. Simplicity and straight lines seem to appeal to me.

Life About Me - 1951

Robert Brackman

Called "social realism", Brackman chronicled "the life and working conditions of the humbler class". A Russian immigrant, Brackman came to the United States at an early age. This painting is "organized into sections based on the stages of life".

 In a small area between rooms, Tiffany items are grouped behind glass. This dragonfly lamp (close-up below) is exquisite in its detail and workmanship.

Landscape - 1919

Soren Emil Carlsen

Early Morning Calm - 1901

Childe Hassam

 This is a close-up of a small area at the bottom left of the painting. The varied colors and dabs of paint are a good illustration of how an Impressionist creates his scene.

Portrait of a Woman - 1872

Mary Cassatt

Scene in Yosemite Valley - c. 1864-1874

Albert Bierstadt

Landscape - 1880-1883

Edward Edmondson Jr.

 I believe this maple leaf is also by Edmondson. It's striking in its simplicity and its timeliness on the day of our visit.

 When we entered the DAI, I asked one of the attendants whether there was a best place to start. She said each room is complete in and of itself. Tom and I entered to the right which meant that we began with contemporary art and began walking back in time. As you view these posts, note that the dates (as a group) generally regress.

... now, continue with Dayton Art Institute - Part 3

Dayton Art Institute - Part 1

 Tom and I enjoyed Saturday (11/07) afternoon at the Dayton Art Institute. I haven't been there since I was a kid - and only once then - so a return trip was in order. And, being an adult, I was able to enjoy the day much more than before.

 I plan on posting those pictures that most interested me, along with a caption based on labeling provided at the DAI. Nothing compares to seeing art in person, though. Take the time; make the trip.

Exploding Galaxy - 1981

John Francis Torreano

 The Back of the Storm - 1985

April Gornick

 Russell Means from the American Indian Series - 1976

Andy Warhol

Louise Nevelson - 2001

Alison Van Pelt

Note: Lights are reflections on the canvas.

Untitled - 1985

Louise Nevelson

 Tom's enjoying the view onto an interior courtyard, complete with a lawn, fountain, statuary and two trees - a decorative maple, in its autumn fiery attire, and a dogwood, already asleep for winter.

Homage to Painting - 1983

Roy Lichtenstein

Untitled - 1977

Willem de Kooning

 The interior of the museum is beyond beautiful ... wooden floors, skylights, antique windows with a breathtaking view of downtown Dayton, iron grating, marble (?) trim on doors ...

... continued with Dayton Art Institute - Part 2