Friday, August 29, 2008

Chihuly on Flickr

Chihuly at the de Young, on view through September 28, is a rare example of a special exhibition where visitors are not only allowed, but actually encouraged to take photographs. Most traveling exhibitions do not allow public photography due to copyright and contractual issues with the museums and collectors loaning the art on display.

The Fine Arts Museums have been using photo sharing website Flickr for a while now to share photos of our events and behind-the-scenes happenings. We've also started some public groups to which you can contribute your own photographs. Check out some of the photos taken by visitors to Chihuly at the de Young in the photo pool for our "Chihuly at FAMSF" group. There are over 1,300 photos from 83 Flickr users now included in the group, many of which offer unique and unexpected views of the exhibition and works on display.

If you’d like to add your own photos to the pool, you’ll need to be a Flickr user and member of the "Chihuly at FAMSF" group... [more]

Posted by: Andrew Fox | August 29 at 3:04:00 PM
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Listed under: de Young News | Exhibitions | Web and Technology

Thursday, August 14, 2008

The Case of the Missing Mural

You never know what you have until it’s gone. This axiom rings true for even some of the most impressive art works.  While you might recognize his iconic caricatures, the more sophisticated art of Mexican José Miguel Covarrubias—though celebrated widely in his own country—receives very little exposure in America.  Perhaps because of this failure to recognize Covarrubias as more than a great caricaturist, the whereabouts of one of his anthropological murals have remained a mystery for almost fifty years.  

Covarrubias began his career in New York City speaking very little English, but soon his caricatures and paintings were frequently featured in Vanity Fair and The New Yorker magazines. He designed costumes for various theatrical shows including La Revue Negre starring Josephine Baker. Then, having made a name for himself in the art world and in celebrity circles alike, Covarrubias returned to his home country and settled down on the edge of Mexico City. His home came to be known as a nest for intellectuals, celebrities, artists, and business magnates including Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, Amelia Earhart, Georgia O’Keeffe and Nelson Rockefeller.  Covarrubias also found time to cultivate his passion for the culture of the Olmecs, a pre-Columbian people who lived in south-central Mexico. He even developed theories about their culture that preceded professional archaeologists’ discoveries.

Having gained a significant place in the art world, Covarrubias was asked to produce six large murals for the Golden Gate International Exposition on Treasure Island—meant to celebrate the completion of the Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge—depicting each of the fair’s “Pacific” themes: natural history, art history, culture, economy, and transportation... [more]

Posted by: Alex Teplitzky | August 14 at 1:59:56 PM
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Listed under: de Young News | Collections

Friday, August 8, 2008

Jacques Callot—The Siege of La Rochelle (1630–1631)

Jacques Callot, The Siege of La Rochelle, 1630–1631, 144cm X 166cm comprised of 16 panels (central bottom panel is a digital surrogate)

In 1627, the forces of King Louis XIII and Cardinal Richelieu besieged La Rochelle, a stronghold controlled by rebel Huguenots. The decisive victory united France in shape and solidarity—giving it the hexagonal form we know today, but also becoming an important piece of history the French would recall in the following centuries.  For example, Alexandre Dumas used the siege as a backdrop in his iconic novel, The Three Musketeers. It was also the subject of a monumental etching, The Siege of La Rochelle, by the well-known printmaker Jacques Callot, which was the focus of a recent conservation project at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.

Jacques Callot
Jacques Callot was born in Nancy, of France in 1592. Legend has it that he was so anxious to become an artist that he escaped to Italy twice before reaching the age of fifteen. When he was old enough, he moved to Florence to study under Italian master draftsmen where he learned a number of skills that would become emblematic in his work.  For instance, etching scenes of the Medici court, Callot developed a technique of drawing large figures in the foreground to effectively convey a background. He also perfected his signature detailed, minute backgrounds using a magnifying glass allegedly given to him by Galileo Galilei.

These two stylistic tendencies are apparent in The Siege of La Rochelle. Once Callot returned to France, he made a name for himself by drafting historical and festival scenes, as well as epic, grotesque panoramas of the supernatural such as his amazingly detailed etching, The Temptation of St... [more]

Posted by: Alex Teplitzky | August 8 at 11:17:31 AM
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Listed under: Legion of Honor News | Collections | Conservation