Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History on Black Friday, one of the busiest days of the year.

Discovering Art and Art History: Pottery with Jonathan Adler

large jade bird bowl, limited edition ceramic croc, charade drape vase, capuchine large gourd, georgia vase  

When I was in undergrad I went through an obsessive ancient Greek sculpture and vase phase. I was so into it that I could go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and guess the time periods of the artwork correctly without looking at the labels. I knew which type of drapery was associated with each artistic period and what region it was from. Besides being generally impressed by the skill and sophistication of it all, I thought it was interesting that a lot of the sculpture and particularly the vases were decorative objects made for everyday and ceremonial use. Just like us today, many people then wanted to be surrounded by beautiful objects. Many of the vases made were designed and created by craftsmen. They were made in workshops and sold as craft. We look at them now in the museum setting and think about how precious they are (I mean anything that lasts +2,000 years is well-made in my book) but then they were part of people’s everyday life and culture. There is a blurred line here between artist and craftsman, art object and commercial object.

This leads me to Jonathan Adler. I had the pleasure of attending his lecture (and meeting him!) on Tuesday night at the Corcoran Gallery of Art and College of Art + Design. He spoke to a standing-room-only audience about his professional journey. If you aren’t familiar with his brand of decorative objects, I highly recommend you read his manifesto and bio ASAP. You will be laughing out loud. His “irreverent luxury” and making “happy” a brand were indeed inspiring. There were many take-aways for me but I kept coming back to this idea of art vs. craft as Mr. Adler’s career is founded on his insatiable passion for creating pottery.

He started his career creating pots for artistic consumption, “one of a kind” type objects that one might find at a local art fair. But he soon saw the value in producing his work on a grander scale, the opportunity in changing motifs with the seasons, and the challenge of mixing the creative with the sellable. Mr. Adler noted that his animal sculptures are best sellers and recommends to “anyone trying to do a business - do animals. People love them” :).

Throughout the lecture, Mr. Adler kept mentioning that during the course of his career he has dealt with the same aesthetic concerns of silhouette and proportion in his pottery (which he still does daily, literally hands on in the design process). He wants to liberate each pot from its raw form; to be “uncovered rather than created” as if it had always existed. He wants each sculpture to be perfect. Each new motif- inspired by everything from nature, shop mannequins, drapes, to precious pups-enlivens his passion to pull the perfect form from the mud. These concerns are those of an artist, no?

However, he creates decorative objects that we can use in our everyday life. Instead of plain ol’ salt and pepper shakers, how about one with a moustache? Instead of a glass vase, how about a porcelain one with a perfect geometric design? His designs are mass produced in workshops worldwide (mostly in Peru through Aid to Artisans), so are they still artistically valuable? I ask myself, would one of his Georgia vases one day end up in a museum representing our time and culture? Is a craftsman a purveyor of artistic aesthetic? Is a commercially successful potter speaking about his work in a historical museum ironic? Can there be a blurred line to art and craft in the contemporary world or is it something left in the past? What do you think? Tell me in the comments below…

Exploring Art and Art History: NEXT at the Corcoran

Saturday night I went to the opening of NEXT at the Corcoran, the class of 2012's senior thesis show. It was exciting to see so many young, fresh faces leading the way to the Contemporary Art World future. I was surprised by the variety of media represented even though the Corcoran College of Art + Design boasts majors in Photojournalism, Fine Art, Interior Design, Graphic Design, Photography, and Digital Media Design. 

The artists explored a range of subjects but themes of personal identity, race, and sexuality emerged as most significant to me. Documentary style films by Lydia Ballock, Carlos Vargas, and Tucker Walsh explored the ethnic identity of young women in the Middle East, Latinos working in the US, and widows struggling in Zambia. Derek Long’s installation Break Racism was inspired by 30 Americans artist Kara Walker with black silhouette cut outs of break dancers on the walls. The cardboard on the ground, and music pumping from a cardboard boom-box invited viewers to try out their skills too.

Claire Mchale’s E: All of the Above explores teenage girl identity through photography and text. The series takes photographs of a young woman at school, home, and with friends with text scribbled over the pictures in different colored pens that describe the girl’s thoughts and feelings about family, life, beauty, and her education. It looks like it is written in the girl’s handwriting and reminds me of the same thoughts I had at her age, so complex and yet so simple.

These young artists have their finger on the pulse of the world around them and their carefully observed experiences are, sometimes literally, written on the walls of the museum. Video, installations, oil painting, and sculpture all captured my imagination and heightened my sense of personal awareness. I highly suggest you pay a visit and see which works strike you the most. For more details on the show and to read the artists’ bios check out the website, also designed by the students, here.

Discovering Art and Art History: Salvador Dali

Salvador Dali was arguably one of the most significant and influential artists of the 20^th century. You might recognize his name, his famous mustache, and many of his works in association with the Surrealist art movement. In the most general sense, Surrealism explores the subconscious and dream world of the human mind. Its members sought to produce works of literature and art that were created from stream of consciousness, unobstructed by reason, social morale, or restraint. It first developed in the 1920s as a political, social, and psychological movement spearheaded by writer and poet Andre Breton and included poets, writers, and artists like Guillaume Apollinaire, Rene Margaritte, Man Ray, Joan Miro, and Giorgio de Chirico. It was influenced by the psychological theories of Sigmund Freud. I would also argue that the artists’ experiences in WWI and later WWII as well as the fascist movement in the 1930s were also highly influential, at least in the subject matter.

Dali’s ability to capture the human condition in his work is uncanny, sometimes humorous, and a lot of the time just plain gruesome. When you look at one of his paintings you first notice the strange, layered compositions. The best example of this is GalaContemplating the Mediterranean Sea which at Twenty Meters Becomes the Portraitof Abraham Lincoln -- Homage to Rothko (Second Version) (1976), which up close depicts a female nude (his wife) overlooking the sea. From far away, the painting is a pixelated image of Abraham Lincoln’s head.

In other works, bodies and objects are distorted, almost unrecognizable, as if they were cut up, melted, and stitched together. It can be difficult to look at. For example, you might be intrigued by a shapely woman, but then notice she's missing limbs or being devoured by ants. Perhaps you see a tasty bowl of fruit, but as you stare, gnarly body parts are mixed in with juicy watermelon slices. The imagery in his artwork is as symbolic as it is layered. He uses themes of ants, crutches, clocks, vast empty landscapes, includes classical art work like the Venus de Milo, and refers to historical figures like Jesus Christ or Voltaire, throughout his body of work.

I often have a hard time relating to these paintings. While I appreciate them for their technical skill and innovation, I am usually attracted to pretty things and Dali is decidedly not concerned with pleasing aesthetics but rather rooting out the images of his dreams. Also, I do not have a nagging paranoia, nor do I practice any recreational drug use.

However, when I recently saw a particular painting at the Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida, I started to see what Mr. Dali was getting at. (Unfortunately, I was completely absorbed in the moment and forgot to write down the title! It looked similar Girl with Curls, 1926.) In the foreground of the painting, a woman sits on the ledge of a cliff or mountain. Her back is to the viewer as she looks out over the vista but instead of sweeping mountain views or river valleys of quiet towns and rushing streams, a vast emptiness that fades into what looks like a landscape in the far distance at the top of the canvas. Positioned almost in the center of the picture is a tiny shanty house with a few figures.

It's as if we, the viewers, are looking out over the vista through this woman's mind's eye. We are the woman having an out of body experience, watching ourselves in the moment. While we are staring into the vast landscape, thoughts of past experiences come to mind. Emotions of loneliness, sadness, and abandonment are evoked as we look at the woman’s body language and view in front of her. Is she making peace with her past grief? Is she looking at her childhood home? Is she desperate to return to another place and time? Our thoughts (the house and figures) overlap with reality (the landscape scene) and in a moment we are trapped between them, visualizing it all together in our mind.

It made me think about Dali’s other works. Perhaps portraying physical distortions is the only way to reflect the inner turmoil, grief, and despair that many people are constantly experiencing. Maybe the visual games of double imagery and symbolism imitate the real life layered meaning in our words, gestures, and experiences with others and ourselves. I like that art is not just pretty pictures but that it can encourage the artist and the viewer to let go of their subconscious anxieties and sometimes that isn’t easy to look at.

Destination: Nice, France

It was my first time leaving the United States. I was going on a road trip through the Cotê d’Azur and Provence regions of France, then taking the train to Nancy and finally Paris, where I would be studying abroad. I would be accompanied by my mother. And we would land in Nice, France on a cool summer morning.

As soon as we landed, chaos ensued. We hurriedly followed the crowd to our luggage carrousel and dragged our bags off the moving belt. I could feel my mother’s anxiety heighten as we searched in vain for the rental car stand. All of my life she was such a strong leader, always knowing the direction to take, but in this moment she was ill and she didn't know what to do. I remember time slowing at the same time it quickened. I barely understood the chatter around me; the signs were all in French. But somehow I knew where I was and how to get to where I wanted to be. Instincts took over and I headed to the exit. She followed me. As we arrived at the rental car stand, the English speaking employee was on a break. I had to get the car, pay, and get directions to the hotel all in my shaky French. And I did. I’m sure he could tell I was nervous, but I was able to communicate.

It was such a tiny moment in my life, full of so many others more significant. But this moment was a turning point for me. I was challenged. I became calmer as the situation grew more stressful. I took the lead in finding a solution, and I took action. I made decisions, communicated, and triumphed. All while having a loose grasp of my foreign surroundings. I thought, if I can do this, I can do anything. Any nerves I had about being in a foreign country were quelled.

Once in the car, my mom took over again, as she is a skilled driver of stick shift (I am still but an amateur). Things were different between us. I could feel that she was proud of me. She wouldn’t have to babysit her tiny daughter on this trip – we could be friends, peers.

Nice was stunning. I felt like I was on the set of Alfred Hitchcock’s To Catch a Thief as we walked through the streets. It felt luxurious and timeless. Nice is one of the oldest cities in the world and has been a vacation getaway for centuries because of its perfect Mediterranean climate. There were a lot more people than I expected, between the local population and tourists the number was near a million. Buildings were a mix of styles, some Italian, some French, and painted coral, with shades of blue and green for trim, they were bright but white washed from the sun. The streets smelled like salt water, fresh coffee, and wafts of that familiar smell of someone’s dinner escaping through the windows and fireplace. Old women hung out of third floor windows, watching passersbys and tending to their window gardens, while old men stood in groups in the streets, smoking cigars and talking. Tourists searched for an English speaking restaurant downtown.

Our activities included a visit to the Museum of Modern andContemporary Art, where we learned about the Nice School of Art in the 1960’s, represented Yves Klein, and the troves of artists, like Matisse and Marc Chagall, who have been attracted to Nice’s soft light over the years. Most of our meals were enjoyed in the sidewalk cafes. Meals lingered here; even lunch was served in courses, finishing with an espresso. I’d always wanted to eat a meal like that.

I was determined to speak French, even though a lot of people spoke English and I was timid. Each person I spoke to was so kind about helping me. My pronunciation and understanding grew with each meal or shopping trip.

A must in Nice is to walk along the Promenade d’Anglais which spans the length of the waterfront. Their beach was much different than ours in Florida. It didn’t have powdery white sand but instead grey rocks. I found it strangely alluring, although it was definitely not as comfortable for tanning. 

I also experienced one of the worst tours I’ve ever been on. It was pre-arranged through a travel agent and neither our driver nor guide spoke English. We had to hop into the backseat of a shady van to drive from scenic place to scenic place. The guide had a script that she read from but could not answer questions. Between her accent and reading the script like a robot, not taking breathes or pausing between sentences, to this day I’m not sure what I was looking at or why.

One of our destinations on the tour included a candy making factory. We didn’t see people making candy, but apparently it was made there and it was famous and American tourists like those types of things, so we went. The gift shop had hoards of middle aged women in white sneakers attempting to secretly pull their money out of their passport fanny pack, which was underneath their clothes, to buy candy in bulk. The sales women were aggressive too. The whole scene reminded me of the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. I couldn’t wait to get out of there. My mom and I still laugh about it to this day.

My confidence grew throughout our trip. I had never felt so liberated. I loved learning new habits for eating breakfast (coffee and a bit of baguette) or having long lunches or speaking a new language. I liked to watch people and see how they dressed differently or acted the same. Sure, it was frustrating at times when I couldn’t communicate or when we just needed toothpaste and couldn’t find a drug store (Oh, it’s around the other corner…) but the sense of accomplishment and the excitement of seeing such an amazing place were addictive. It was then that my desires changed from “sure, I like to travel” to “I must find a way to do this the rest of my life.”

Discovering Art and Art History: The Key Players

Hello and welcome back to Discovering Art and Art History. There are many important players that make up the art world. I’ll skim the surface for you today and we will look at them closer in the weeks to come. This is in order to start everyone on the same page and so I stay organized. If you have any questions, or if I left someone out, please comment below and I will respond. I always find the discussion of art to be the most fun!

 Artists are the backbone of the art world, clearly. There are many different types of artists – illustrators and graphic designers make up a large portion of artists employed by companies to help create advertising, branding and media campaigns. They also work for companies like Pixar and create the virtual world of animated film and video games.

Traditional artists who work in media like sculpture, painting, drawing, photography, and print, also find work from museums and galleries to create exhibitions or by building relationships within the industry. For example, they might be represented by a dealer who sells their work and takes a commission. If you ask your friends, you might be surprised to find you probably know an artist. Ask them how they make their living or what type of work they prefer. You might even ask them to see their studio or to purchase a piece of their work.

The art object is what the artist creates for the viewer to consume. Thinking about this reminds me of the question, “What is art?” Traditional art objects are things like paintings and sculpture. Today, art objects also include experiences and performances. Art can be divided into categories such as decorative art, fine art, craft, and books and manuscripts. With each new media produced, controversy creates discourse about the virtues of art.


The viewer is as important as the artist and the art object. The viewer is the whole reason for making art! Art is made to be looked at and to be experienced. It's important to note that the intended audience changes over time and from object to object and should be considered when trying to look at a piece in context and determine its meaning.

The function of an art museum is to preserve the history of the art, promote scholarship, and educate the public. Creating a public space for the everyday person to look at art is an enlightenment idea that developed out of the French Revolution during the 18th century. To keep this post relatively simple, after the revolution the Louvre was converted from the king’s castle to the museum we know it as today. It was a symbolic gesture towards democracy.

Today there is controversy over whether art museums are still relevant to contemporary life and whether the public finds art that is non-representational and self-reflexive, to be meaningful.

Art dealers sell art. They are like the retail stores of the art world and they are the means by which many people purchase art. They know the art markets’ ins and outs and have a direct relationship with artists. As a purchaser, having a healthy rapport with a dealer will help you develop your taste and collection. In addition to selling art, they offer appraisal services.

Because art is such a subjective commodity, the market for it is also subjective. Basically, things are worth as much as people are willing to pay for them. Often, un-educated purchasers are taken advantage of by unscrupulous dealers. Not only that but some dealers don’t fairly compensate the artist for their work, which has given many an untrustworthy reputation. But not all dealers are dirty dogs. I will introduce you to a few who are making great strides to provide their clients with high quality objects for fair prices.

Auction houses are the wholesalers of art. If a dealer does not purchase work directly from the artist, they generally buy it wholesale from the auction house. Auction houses get works of art from individuals, dealers, and estates and offer them for sale in auctions. Specialists working in auction houses lead the market in terms of determining the value of artworks. They establish prices and have to judge the value, if they are wrong then the work fails to sell or is undervalued, etc. The exciting part about the auction is that once the auctioneer starts, the outcome is left in the hands of the bidders. Auction houses also offer appraisals with the intent of offering the property for sale.

Art education is essential from grade school and beyond, we need it to be enlightened citizens. Its important not only to learn how art is made and to create it but to understand the history of the world through the objects. They are a direct link to the past and to the present. In addition, the study of art and art history combines other educational disciplines such as anthropology, psychology, linguistics, history, and science.

Critics are a touchy one. They review or critique exhibitions, institutions, and individuals. A lot of people get annoyed with critics, because it's easier to talk about something than to actually do it. But I find them useful as they give feedback about the success of a show or if I can't go see something in person, their reviews are a great resource.

Weekend Recap: Alice Waters at the National Portrait Gallery

This was amazing and literally melted in my mouth. I'm drooling again as I look at this picture...

Alice Waters with her portrait, photographed by Dave Woody

The highlight of my weekend was Friday night at the National Portrait Gallery. They hosted an event honoring Alice Waters as her portrait was added to the collection. She is important to me not for her philosophy in seasonal, sustainable living {which is good too} but because she taught me to cook with her cookbook, The Art of Simple Food. It is my food bible. What a treat to see her and to sample the delicacies of the best D.C. chefs, like Todd Gray and José Andrés, and mixologist Adam Bernbach.

It was difficult not to indulge myself and I was even talked into trying oysters! I am a seafood hater, so this was huge. I didn't gag but I can't say I will eat another one. Here's how it went down, if you don't believe me {mom, Gman} ...

Weekend Recap: A trip to the zoo

This weekend was the first in a long time that we did not host out of town visitors. Gman and I took it easy for most of the time, and decided to take a stroll the through the National Zoo. Though I love animals, I've always felt conflicted about zoos.

On one hand, they are important research tools so that our biologists can learn more about the animals, their habitats, and interactions. The animals in captivity, in a sense, serve to rescue the rest of their species from destruction and extinction.

On the other hand, the animals are kept in small cages or habitats for the entirety of their existence. Their efforts to maintain the instinctual habits drilled into their DNA seem futile and somehow cute. Some of the animals, such as the elephants and meerkats, were very much aware that they were on display and reacted to their audiences' presence. One of the elephants on exhibit endlessly paced in a figure eight, stopping only to diddle with twigs or grass in attempts to entertain itself. At one point it let out a huge sigh and charged the spectators.

The meerkats were extremely aware of their admirers. One always stood guard and watched the visitors while the others busily maintained the order of the cage environment. While I was observing, one of the meerkats was struck by this woman's hat, which was knitted to look like an animal, ears, eyes, and all. He (I assume...) was on high alert and wouldn't take his eyes off of her. Through the glass, it was possibly to be only inches away, face to face with the little creature.

A highlight of the day was one of the giant pandas decided to have lunch just as we were watching her mill about. It was fascinating to observe the panda go about her routine either unaware or uncaring of our presence. Her large paws were surprisingly dexterous and she peeled the hard outer layer of bamboo "like a banana" as one child put it. It's a moment like this that I will likely never encounter in the wild.

Before leaving we went to see the zebras, as they are always a must see on my list. We found it funny that the zebra habitat shared a fence with the cheetahs (also a must see). The cheetahs paced the fence staring at the zebras like a house cat stares at fish in a bowl, so curious, so longing. A knowledgeable Smithsonian employee explained to everyone that cheetahs don't usually eat zebras (they are in fact more likely to eat your small children, good to know) and that they have a more playful interaction, at least here at the zoo. Apparently one of the zebras will kick the fence now and then just to piss off the cats. I found that amusing.

At the end of the day, I was glad to have experienced such an intimate exchange with the animals. I hope that the concept of a zoo is not antiquated and wasteful. I hope that each animal is getting it utmost care and research is proving to save habitats from destruction and species from extinction. I hope that parents take their children to learn about nature up close and to appreciate it's diversity. Finally, I hope that by going to the zoo we can all become more respectful and conscientious about our environment and those with whom we share it with.