Thursday, January 7, 2010

Denver Art Museum - Part 2



A view of downtown Denver, Colorado, December 2009 from a Denver Art Museum window.  See Part 1 of my visit to this museum at this link.





Even before I read the title I knew this was a Georgia O'Keefe painting, but had no idea what it was!  Can you guess what it is without looking closely at the sign?  I think I would have hung it horizontally, instead of vertically, as it would have made more sense that way, but on second thought in this position, it almost looks like one of the flowers O'Keefe was famous for painting.

The Denver Art Museum's European and American art collection includes more than 3,000 artworks. It is composed of paintings, sculptures, and prints. The European collection is rich in Renaissance and 19th-century French paintings and includes the Berger Collection of British paintings, on loan to the museum.

 




Two paintings by the Italian artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo. On the left is "Summer" painted in 1572, and on the right is "Autumn" also painted in 1572.  Please click on each painting to enlarge them to see their delightful details.  Each portrait is composed of images of fruits and vegetables!

The museum website says: "During the 1500s, people associated the seasons with stages of human life. Spring stood for youth, and winter conjured up images of old age. Summer shows a man in his prime—a


 man, that is, composed of the ripest produce the season has to offer. In this painting, the different qualities of each fruit and vegetable add character to the face. A row of peas makes for straight, even teeth, and cucumber makes for a bumpy-skinned nose."

Again, there were so many wonderful paintings in the Denver Art Museum's collection that it was difficult for me to choose just a few to show in this blog post, but the following have click-able links with more information about each painting, that I thought you might enjoy:





Claude Monet





Childhood Idyll, William-Adolphe Bouguereau







Three Young Girls, William Larkin, ca. 1620









There were also examples of Modern Art such as the painting by Roy Lichtenstein on the left, and the Mondrian on the right (both will enlarge when clicked on)







The Modern and Contemporary art collections contain more than 4,500 works in a wide variety of media, with an emphasis on both internationally known and emerging artists. The collection includes photography, from 19th-century landscapes to the work of contemporary photographers.






Fox Games, Sandy Skoglund





"Garden Party On the Terrace of a Country Home" --Folding Screen -- Mexico City - circa the 1700s
 
The Denver Art Museum's collection of Spanish Colonial paintings, silver, Santos, and other art objects represents much of Latin America, including Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Mexico, and the southwestern United States is extensive. For information about the Mayer Center for Pre-Columbian and Spanish Colonial Art at the Denver Art Museum, visit the Mayer Center link. 
 
 
One of the paintings in the collection is the beautiful "Madonna and Child with Bird," by Ignacio Chacón which was used as a United State Postal Service Christmas stamp in 2006, which I also showed on my Christmas post.  (click on to enlarge)
 
 







Virgin of Guadalupe, Sebastián Salcedo, 1779





Hayagriva mandala, monk-artists of Sera Je Monastic University, India


The Denver Art Museum's  Asian Art galleries are devoted to the arts of China, India, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, Southwest Asia, Tibet, and Nepal. Two changing galleries, the William Sharpless Jackson Jr. Gallery and the Sze Hong Gallery, feature exhibitions drawn from the museum's holdings and other Asian art collections.  Asian Art was one of my favorite exhibits, as the museum's collection was extensive and unlike any, I've ever seen.

 

 


Shiva, King of Dancers (Shiva Nataraja)







Guanyin


 



Hanuman South India 1800's


 



The Storyteller's Box







Japanese Suit of Armor and Helmet, circa the 1700s




 


The Denver Art Museum's Architecture, Design, and Graphics collection number more than 4,000 works. The museum’s diverse collection encompasses a broad range of design practices, including architecture, decorative design, graphic design, industrial design, and functional craft.










I wish I could have taken this antique desk home with me!




A work of art.....or not?

This photo is a view of the Colorado State Capital building from one of the museum windows.  Reality becomes art in this impressive museum! 

I hope that you enjoyed this little tour of some of the many wonderful exhibits in the collection of the Denver Art Museum and that you will make it a point to visit it if you visit beautiful Denver Colorado


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17 comments:

Tara said...

What a great shot--a pic is worth a thousand words!

RNSANE said...

Pat, this is, indeed, a spectacular museum. I so enjoyed all the exhibits, especially the Asian Art collection. I visited Denver years ago but, usually, my stops there are just plane changes.
You've done an excellent job of showing off the museum and tempting us to visit if we ever are in the area.

Tracy said...

What a feast for the eyes today, Pat! I love Asian and European art, so this cross-section of highlights was dazzling to see. I would love to see this place, and Denver in general! Thanks for taking us there. :o) Happy Day ((HUGS))

Gracie said...

WOW what a huge and very good collection! God, I just love Giorgia O'Keefe! Thanks for sharing the visit with us.
Gracie @ http://mylittleplace.blog.com

Shellbelle said...

I was looking forward to this second look at the museum and you did not disappoint!

Love Georgia O'Keefe, we have Poppy on display here. In 2004 Dale Chihuly did an installation and one of the pieces was his response to this well-loved painting. When you walked in the room his glass piece was displayed solo on a huge black table with her painting on the wall in back. It was stunning!

All your photos are amazing, they really showed off the collections and your use of the photo of the state capitol through the window was the perfect ending.

Fabulous posts, if there wasn't snow in Colorado, I'd jump on a plane right now!

Arlene Delloro said...

Two fabulous posts, Pat, with incredible photos. I especially love Childhood Idyll. I've never visited Denver, but hope to someday soon (when DSO is retired).

Jenny said...

Good morning! Now I see why you were up late! What another great post! I've never been to Denver but I think I may have to go. Thanks Pat!

Mary Bergfeld said...

Pat, I really loved this post. What a fabulous museum. Thanks for putting this together for us. It is appreciated. Happy New Year. I hope 2010 brings you health, happiness and prosperity.

Thoughts on Life and Millinery. said...

I do love visiting an Art Museum...and I haven't managed a trip to Denvers, so thank you so much for spending the time to create this post!

Denver's Botanical Garden and Molly Brown's house were my favorite place to visit when in Denver. Next visit I think I will head for the Art Museum and the Capitol building as well, after exploring Utah's state capitol and discovering how interesting capitols can be.

Sara said...

Beautiful photos!!!!

Anonymous said...

What a marvelous collection. Some of the names I am familiar with others not. The two by the Italian artist as beautiful. Your pictures are good enough for a brochure for the gallery. Do you have a 3 column blog? If I try to show my pictures too large,they end up behind my sidebar. Enjoyed that.
QMM

Just a little something from Judy said...

You continually give gifts to your blogging friends. A free tour of the Denver Art Museum. Thank you so much for the privilege of stepping into this historical building. I enjoyed every aspect that you shared. What an act of love on your part. I look forward to visiting it someday. Until then, I will think about the beauty you shared.

Junie Moon said...

I'm loving the artwork you shared; it really is amazing to visit art museums -- always so inspiring and even sometimes confusing. I so agree about the Georgia O'Keefe painting as it does seem to be displayed strangely. She's actually one of my favorite artists but this particular piece is unknown to me. Obviously that means I still have lots to learn which is actually a good thing.

Lorrie said...

Oh Pat, what a great tour you've given us. Your photos are so clear that I feel like I'm there. That Georgia O'Keefe painting is fun--I was thinking a giant squid because of the big eye! Thanks for this armchair visit to the Denver Art Museum.

Judy said...

Great pic's...lovely tour! I'm not sure I'll ever get to Denver...so I'll gladly visit with you.

I guess I'm not one bit modern...but I'll take the painting called Childhood Idyll. Love it!

Renée Finberg said...

i always get so excited when i see furniture in museums.

this looked like fun.
x
thanks for your comment

Robin said...

What awesome posts! I live in Denver and am lucky enough to go to the museum all the time. But I am usually with my toddler, so I have not seen all of the art you did because we concentrate our time in the kiddie areas. Thanks for doing such a wonderful review of the DAM!