Pre-Renaissance Art at the Allentown Art Museum

I'm not religious but there is something undeniably amazing about Christian art. I want to go to Rome so badly! If these modest little pieces mystify me so, I'm sure I'll be taken off my feet by the Vatican. It's not only the art but how OLD they are! It blows my mind.

Even if he is supposed to be JESUS, so many babies were painted during the Renaissance. I wonder what the total amount is.

Ugh, I'm revolted and delighted by the illogical proportions! And then some artists had amazing skill at creating prints; look at the pattern on their green clothing! THe worst part is that they don't know who painted it; this fabulous thing was made by an "Unknown Franconian Master." Poor guy.

And then there are those weird moments when there's the suggestion of something more sensual in these morbid works. This is amazing, though.

It's huge an amazing. Everyone's so solemn.

I do NOT like this painting because it looks like this artist was attempting to copy Raphael and failed. Simply not as good.

This, though, is beautiful. And perverse. I know it's allegorical, but what kind of person even ponders a rope of thorns around a baby's torso?!

If I could paint something so large, detailed, and slightly overwhelming, I will feel a bit more complete.

Poor Cornelis. Once he was this dashing man...and now he's dead. Another sick thing about portraiture of any medium.

It's so perverse! Beautiful, but the subject matter is insane!

Another Unknown Artist. At least that phrase is capitalized.

I could just imagine being some groveling, uneducated, religiously ardent Renaissance woman begging for...my crops to grow or something, looking into the face of this statue so long my eyes play tricks on me and he blinks. In my mind that's how religious art was treated.

American Art at the Allentown Art Museum

Have had such a busy week! Did not get to post these pictures from the Allentown Art Museum, which I visited on Friday, until today! These pieces are always in the museum but I do have my favorites.

 I LOVE this still life; it's positively inspirational in its precision. It would be even more illusory if it weren't shiny.

I am not impressed. It's like a less radiant Kandinsky, and I never really loved him anyway. 

I find this nifty and charming. It's interesting that she made Exquisite Corpse into a sculpting game!

In another dimension where I'm wealthy enough to own art, this is mine. It's beautiful.

This thing is nifty. It makes strange noise from things colliding off of one another. The museum security guard is always very keen to demonstrate and I think it'd be an interesting noise for a clock to make.

I THOUGHT HE WAS REAL! (From a distance). Nope. And then I thought his sweater was made of fabric! NOPE!!

THAT SWEATER IS MADE OF BRONZE!!!!

Why didn't he title it? To keep it ambiguous? It looks so smug.

The only woman in the picture is this indiscreet figure, so I can only assume it's her. A strange self-portrait.

I'm afraid I could never make anything so painstaking.

Entitled The Politician, naturally. Clever. Wonderfully large.

Wish I had a better focused picture! This thing is gorgeous. An interesting thing to put on the wall because it almost resembles a ridiculously lavish tabletop.

Interesting!

I'm not sure why they put these subtly colored pieces in the darkest room of the museum. This thing is alright; a little to plain and non-objective for my liking, but still okay. I'd never care to make anything like it.

If I ever get married I"m going to have portraits painted like this, only obviously a tad more modernized. I think it's a marvelous concept that should still be in vogue. The downside of photography.

Ehhhhhh....

It's never good when I'm more impressed by the scale of a painting than the content.