September 2020 / Art History: On Display

The Monuments Men

Monday, September 28, 2020

The 2014 film Monuments Men with the popular George Clooney, Bill Murray, Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett, and John Goodman tells a Hollywood version of the real World War II Monuments Men. During WWII, Hitler ordered German troops to seek out, find, steal, and hide many priceless pieces of art for his new plan: the Führermuseum. Many of these works of art were kept in salt mines, a suitable choice considering they are cold and dry. These conditions are ideal for the preservation and safety of the art, because FIX THIS He planned to keep these works and put them in a future museum. The phrase "The Monuments Men" was a nice way to shorten the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives Program or MFAA which was made up of only about 400 men and women. These men and women were art curators, scholars, architects, librarians, and archivists from the U.S. and allied nations. MFAA was tasked with the challenge of finding, recovering, and protecting these artworks. “In areas torn by bombardment and by fire are monuments cherished by the people of those countryside’s or towns: churches, shrines, statues, pictures, many kinds of works. Some may be destroyed; some damaged. All risk further injury, looting or destruction.” George Stout.

Monuments Man Daniel J. Kern and art restorer Karl Sieber looking at panels of Jan van Eyck’s Adoration of the Mystic Lamb in the Altaussee mine, 1945

The art history hints throughout the film start from the very beginning. The audience can spot many famous masterpieces. In the first scene, for example, the viewer spots Jan van Eyck’s Ghent Altarpiece. It is quite large with twelve panels all painted to create a scene. Shortly after, we see Da Vinci's The Last Supper. Then, when James Granger or Matt Damon is approached to be asked about going into war with MFAA, he is conserving a Michelangelo. It is a real test throughout the movie to point out different works.

George Clooney's character, Frank Stokes, was loosely based on the conservator to Harvard's Fogg Art Museum, George Stout. George Stout was a World War I veteran and had enlisted into the Navy. Shortly after, he became part of the predecessor of the MFAA. He had the knowledge and skill to be able to do the work of the MFAA flawlessly. He was deeply passionate about his job and held seminars and created pamphlets to inform museums about artwork safety. Now all he needed was a team to join in with him to go into war.

Two men standing by racks of paintings inside a salt mine in Altaussee, Austria,

circa 1945

If there is one interesting nugget that the 2014 film got right, it was the story of Altaussee. One of the main Monuments Men, Robert Posey, portrayed by Bill Murray, had a toothache a few months earlier while in the ancient city of Trier. When he found a dentist there, the dentist introduced Posey to his son-in-law. The son-in-law and his family needed to go to Paris, but he aided Hitler's second-in-command steal many loads of art. He informed Posey where Hitler hid most of his stolen artworks at Altaussee which lead the Monuments Men to lots of artworks like The Ghent Alterpiece by Jan Van Eyke and Madonna of Bruges by Michelangelo.

The Ghent Altarpiece

Madonna of Bruges

There was a large conflict among Americans as to where the recovered German art should go. The recovered art was temporarily taken by the National Gallery in Washington D.C. "Distinguished figures in American art circles, including some museum heads have protested the removal. They maintain it sets dangerous precedent, that it tends to put the United States in almost the same light as Nazi art looters now on trial, and that it has now brought the integrity of United States policy in question." A 1946 New York Times article about the conflict. However the museum director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Francis Taylor, believed they should be transferred back to Germany. This issue sparked lively debates about the USA's intent.

Listen to my favorite podcast's episode on The Monuments Men:

Works Cited

"ArtCurious Episode #29: The Monuments Men." Narrated by Jennifer Dassel. ArtCurious, created by Jennifer Dassel, episode 29.

"German Art Shift Stirs Storm Here." New York Times [New York], Newspapaer ed., 7 Feb. 1946.

Lt. Daniel J. Kern and Karl Sieber examining the Ghent Altarpiece in the Altaussee mine. Smithsonian American Archives of Art, www.aaa.si.edu/collections/thomas-carr-howe-papers-7812. Accessed 8 July 2020.

"Monuments Men: On the Front Line to Save Europe's Art, 1942-1946" ["Monuments Men: On the Front Line to Save Europe's Art, 1942-1946"]. Smithsonian American Archives of Art, 20 Apr. 2014, www.aaa.si.edu/exhibitions/monuments-men. Accessed 8 July 2020.

Morrison, Jim. "The True Story of the Monuments Men" ["The True Story of the Monuments Men"]. Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Feb. 2014, www.smithsonianmag.com/history/true-story-monuments-men-180949569/#:~:text=In%20a%20race%20against%20time,years%20of%20culture%20by%20Nazis.&text=Monuments%20Men%20like%20Stout%20often%20operated%20alone%20with%20limited%20resources. Accessed 8 July 2020.

Two men standing by racks of paintings inside a salt mine in Altaussee, Austria, circa 1945. 1945. Smithsonian Archives of American Art, 20 Apr. 2014, www.aaa.si.edu/exhibitions/monuments-men. Accessed 9 July 2020.

Saturday, September 26, 2020

Max Ernst was a Dadaist and Surrealist painter. Take a look below in the slideshow to learn more about his style and his life.

Like Zooming In posts? Leave a Comment! I hope you enjoyed this post. If you enjoyed this post, check out Zooming In: Giorgio de Chirico!

Sunday, September 20, 2020

Meet Constantin Brâncuși, a Romanian, French sculptor.

Saturday, September 19, 2020

Japanese woodblock printing is a very popular medium with a very rich history. Woodblock printing has been used as a medium from as early as the eighth century. Before they were ever used for artistic purposes, they were used to print and reproduce precious texts. Artisans would make the colors on to the block by hand or produce monochrome art. In the mid 1700s, new technology came along. It allowed artists to the block in many different colors on one sheet, making woodblock printing convenient, efficient, and much more beautiful.

Above is an example of one of the earliest multi-color woodblock prints.

The Edo Period of Japan played a huge roll in the history of woodblock print art. In the restrictive society, art and creativity did not come from the military class or the leaders, but rather from the merchants and artisans of Edo. Edo was the name for modern day Tokyo. Out of the seventeenth century Edo came influencial art that is still viewd today such as the famous ukiyo-e, or floating world, woodblock prints and Kabuki theater. The most famous woodblock print, Under the Wave off Kanagawa (Kanagawa oki nami ura), also known as The Great Wave, from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, above, was made by Katsushika Hokusai.

When the art of Edo Japan began to leak across the word, artists from all corners of the earth were stunned by them. In particular after the first woodblock print exhibition landed in Europe, many Impressionists began to admire the artists of Edo's ability to depict modern life in such a beautiful, yet simple way. Mary Cassatt painted a few paintings studying this style. Above is her painting Afternoon Tea Party, 1891. Other Impressionist drew inspiration from Edo woodblocks including Edgar Degas, who was a good friend to Cassatt.

Works Cited:

Department of Asian Art. "Art of the Edo Period (1615–1868)." In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/edop/hd_edop.htm (October 2003)

Department of Asian Art. "Woodblock Prints in the Ukiyo-e Style." In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/ukiy/hd_ukiy.htm (October 2003)

Katsukawa Shunshō. Scene from a Drama. 1770. The Met, www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/55489. Accessed 15 Sept. 2020.

Katsushika Hokusai. Under the Wave off Kanagawa (Kanagawa oki nami ura), also known as The Great Wave, from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji. The Met, www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/45434. Accessed 16 Sept. 2020.

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Wednesday, September 16, 2020

Meet Giorgio de Chirico!! He was an Italian Surrealist painter.

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Monday, September 14, 2020

Whether you are traveling to or live in Kansas City, there is plenty learn and see. Take a look down the list for some suggestions.

Shuttlecocks:

The Shuttlecocks are four very large sculptures of, well, shuttlecocks. It was made by Claes Oldenburg. (click there to find his bio in Guide to Philadelphia). They look as if they have just landed from being launched over the net, the building behind them. This is a must see in Kansas City.

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art:

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City hold priceless works such as Saint John in the Wilderness, by Caravaggio, Boulevard de Capucines by Monet, and more. William Rockhill Nelson's estate was donated after his death to establish the William Rockhill Nelson Trust that contained funds to purchase art. Another person who believed in the funding of art, Mary McAfee Atkins donated almost a third of a million dollars to the city for the same purpose. It was used to purchase the land for the museum. These two estates came together to form the museum.

The Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art:

Founded and Opened in 1994, The Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art has a very large permanent collection of contemporary art. Admission is free for all ages. This is a must go in Kansas City.

Works Cited:

"About the Nelson- Atkins." The Nelson-Atkins Museums, www.nelson-atkins.org/about/. Accessed 13 Sept. 2020

Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art. Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, www.kemperart.org/news/2020/mar/covid-19-safety. Accessed 13 Sept. 2020.

Enjoyed this post? Check out some of the other Guides to Art History. Want to see another city done? Leave me a comment! I hope you enjoyed!

Saturday, September 12, 2020

https://www.phaidon.com/agenda/architecture/articles/2015/june/10/norman-foster-remembers-louis-kahn/

This is the 10th Zooming In!!! Welcome to Louis Kahn! He is one of my favorite architects.

Enjoy this post? Leave a comment or check out Eero Saarinen!

Monday, September 7, 2020

Mary Stevenson Cassatt was a very influential Impressionist painter. She was very good friends with Edgar Degas. Click through the slideshow below to learn more.

Enjoyed this post? Leave me a comment or click HERE for the post about Post-Impressionism.

Wednesday, September 2, 2020

Italian Renaissance art and architecture was a return to order and a contrast to the Gothic. It came right before the Baroque. At the end of the 1500s people declared that the dark ages were over and that they were living in a new age. Florence was a cultural and economic hotspot for Italy. The majority of Italian Renaissance art comes out of Florence. Almost all of the art was funded and commissioned by the leading family of the time, The Medici of Florence. While Florence claimed to be a democracy, the Medicis had enough power and money to rule the city. The father, Giovanni di Bocci de' Medici, was a banker and made the family wealthy. The Medici family employed Sandro Botticelli, famous Italian Renaissance painter. One of the brightest ones in his class, his talent was recognized quickly and he was removed from school. Then he was set up to become an apprentice, a practice taken for almost every young artist during the Renaissance. He apprenticed with Fra Filippo Lippi. Botticelli also worked closely with engraver Antonio del Pollaiuolo during his time painting frescoes. He opened his own workshop in 1470, when he was only about 25. His most famous work is The Birth of Venus, (below).

The Birth of Venus is a depiction of the story of Venus. Venus, the middle figure, was born of the sea spray and and emerged fully grown. In this painting, she arrives to land standing in a scallop shell. Then giving the impression to the audience that Venus is the pearl. The goddess is depicted as modest, covering herself with her long, blonde hair. This painting, like the majority of Florentine Renaissance work was most likely commissioned by the Medici family.

Venus and Mars (above) is another painting by Sandro Botticelli. As is now clear, due to the two examples, Botticelli specialized in mythological subjects. On the far left of the canvas, the audience sees Venus looking regal and quite uninterested in Mars, the man to the far right. Mars is shown as sleeping and perhaps snoring. It seems as if nothing could wake him. The rest of the figures are four little boys. They are playing with his armor and seem to be making lots of noise, yet neither Venus nor Mars seems to be phased by them.

Leonardo da Vinci is among some of the most popular of all artists. When his name is heard, many just think of him as an artist. On the contrary, he worked in both engineering and art. Born in 1452, he was an artist, sculptor, inventor, and engineer. Some of his most famous works include The Last Supper (above), The Mona Lisa, and Lady with an Ermine. As a student, da Vinci did not apply himself in fields of mathematics or writing until much later, his 20s and 30s. Although he was not as academically inclined in his youth, his artistic talent and passion began early. He apprenticed well-known artist Andrea del Verrocchio when he was just 15. Leonardo's training in the studio was not only in painting, but sculpting, and mechanical arts. He worked here for the next five years. He was hired by the Duke of Milan in 1482 to be an engineer and painter. He was quite busy while working here. Many of da Vinci's works remain unfinished, for he was working in science and art during his Milan years. He moved back to Florence in 1500. This is where he painted The Mona Lisa.

Leonardo painted this portrait around 1490. The woman in the portrait is Cecilia Gallerani, Duke of Milan's mistress. It was commissioned during the time that da Vinci was working for the Duke of Milan. This work depicts Cecilia Gallerani holding a weasel. There are many interpretations of the symbolism of the animal. Some say it symbolizes her modesty, and others insist it is a joke. The word for weasel in Greek is galee. This is a poke at Gallerani's name (galee, Gallerani).

Known as the best architect of 16th century Italy, Andrea Palladio was most famous for his Italian villas and churches. He was born in 1508. Palladio wrote The Four Books of Architecture. It was published in 1570. He was also known for his covered porches supported by columns. He apprenticed a sculptor until he was 16. Basilica di San Giorgio Maggiore (above) is his most famous church. It is visible to and welcomes incoming travelers into Italy by sea. This church has a very interesting facade, as there are two pediments.

This detail (above) zooms in on the church's unique facade. The two pediments are separated by the columns. The bottom one is "broken". The top pediment is intact and quite a bit smaller. The four columns are Corinthian columns.

Michelango, or Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, was born in 1475. He was an architect, painter, and sculptor. He was very well know during his time and still is to this day. While his architectural style was much more mannerist, his sculpture and paintings are considered very good examples of the Italian Renaissance. At 13, fairly late for the time period, he began his apprenticeship Domenico Ghirlandaio. Lorenzo de’ Medici, part of the prominent Medici family mentioned earlier, noticed his talent and allowed him access to the Medici art collection, a huge opportunity.

Above is a sculpture by Michelangelo. The Peita is a marble statue of the mourning Virgin Mary and her son Jesus's lifeless body lying on her lap. She gazes down mournfully at his body. This sculpture is in Saint Peter's Basilica (click the word to learn more.)

The Creation of Adam is just one piece of Michelangelo's most famous artwork, the ceiling painting in the Sistine Chapel. The most famous snapshot being God's outreached hand just nearly missing Adam's. God is floating between the heavens and earth surrounded by angels draped in burgundy fabric. The true creation of Adam that is mentioned in Genesis of the Bible (God creating him from the dust of the earth and breathing in his nostrils the breath of life) is surprisingly never represented in Renaissance art.

Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi, born in 1386, was an Italian Renaissance sculptor. He worked in both marble and bronze. In the early 1400's, he started work in the studio of Lorenzo Ghiberti, who worked in only bronze.

David by Donatello was commissioned by the Medici family. It is a bronze statue of David after defeating the giant, Goliath. At his feet lies his head, and he is holding the sword that was used to cut off his head after he slayed him with the stones. Donatello changed the way that David was depicted. Before he was seen as a king, but Donatello depicted him as youthful.

Vocabulary:

The Medici of Florence: funded and commissioned most of the art of the time; leading family of the time
Venus: the Greek goddess of love and beauty
Mars: the Roman god of war
Apprentice: to learn from an older and more experienced artist etc. and work in their workshop
Pediment: the triangular upper part of the front of a building in classical style

Works Cited

"Andrea Palladio." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 7 Feb. 2020. school.eb.com/levels/high/article/Andrea-Palladio/276257. Accessed 31 Aug. 2020.

"The Birth of Venus by Botticelli." Le Gallerie Degli Uffizi, www.uffizi.it/en/artworks/birth-of-venus. Accessed 23 July 2020.

"The Creation of Adam." Michelangelo.org, www.michelangelo.org/the-creation-of-adam.jsp. Accessed 30 Aug. 2020.

"Donatello." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 5 Sep. 2019. school.eb.com/levels/high/article/Donatello/30901. Accessed 30 Aug. 2020.

"Donatello's David." Italian Renaissance, www.italianrenaissance.org/donatellos-david/. Accessed 30 Aug. 2020.

"Italian Renaissance." History.com, www.history.com/topics/renaissance/italian-renaissance. Accessed 23 July 2020.

Kleiner, Fred S. Gardner's Art through the Ages: A Global History. 15th ed., Boston, Cengage Learning, 2016.

"Lady with an Ermine by Leonardo da Vinci." Totally History, totallyhistory.com/lady-with-an-ermine/. Accessed 13 Aug. 2020.

"Leonardo da Vinci." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 2 Aug. 2018. school.eb.com/levels/high/article/Leonardo-da-Vinci/108470. Accessed 29 Jul. 2020.

Leonardo da Vinci: Last Supper. Image. Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 7 Feb. 2020. school.eb.com/levels/high/assembly/view/232045. Accessed 29 Jul. 2020.

"Michelangelo." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 7 Nov. 2017. school.eb.com/levels/high/article/Michelangelo/108722. Accessed 28 Aug. 2020.

Michelangelo. Image. Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 7 Feb. 2020. school.eb.com/levels/high/assembly/view/159301. Accessed 28 Aug. 2020.

"Sandro Botticelli." The National Gallery UK, www.nationalgallery.org.uk/artists/sandro-botticelli. Accessed 23 July 2020.

"Sandro Botticelli: Venus and Mars in Renaissance Itlay." The National Gallery, www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/sandro-botticelli-venus-and-mars. Accessed 24 July 2020.

"San Giorgio Maggiore." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 8 Apr. 2011. school.eb.com/levels/high/article/San-Giorgio-Maggiore/65312. Accessed 14 Aug. 2020.

Art History: On Display