Online Program: Thursday, October 14, 10:30-11:30am
Sargent, Whistler, and Venetian Glass: American Artists and the Magic of Murano
Presented by Alex Mann, Smithsonian American Art Museum,
Curator of Prints and Drawings
Washington Print Club members have the first opportunity to register for the upcoming October 14 online program:
In the late nineteenth century, countless American artists flocked to Venice for its beautiful setting and rich cultural heritage. Lesser known today is the reputation of Venice in that era for artistic experimentation, conspicuously visible in the prize-winning works of Murano’s recently revitalized glass industry. Sargent, Whistler, and many other visiting artists observed glassmakers and bead stringers and embraced these quintessentially Venetian artisans as subjects for paintings and prints. This online “tour” will consider specifically the role of printmaking in this exhibition as a primary component of Venice’s reputation as a creative crossroads. Discover how the Venetian glass revival was a catalyst for the work of Whistler, Frank Duveneck, James McBey, Ellen Day Hale, and their compatriots.
Sargent, Whistler, and Venetian Glass: American Artists and the Magic of Murano will be on view at the Smithsonian American Art Museum from October 8, 2021 to May 8, 2022. The catalogue, co-published with Princeton University Press, is available for pre-order.
Oil on canvas, 66 x 48 in.
(Woodmere Art Museum: Museum purchase, 2017)
Online Program:
Wednesday, October 20, 11:00am
Body Language: The Art of Larry Day
Presented by Ruth Fine and William R. Valerio, The Patricia Van Burgh Allison Director and CEO Woodmere Art Museum
On Wednesday, October 20, Ruth Fine and William Valerio will present an overview of “Body Language: The Art of Larry Day.”
The exhibition celebrates Larry Day (1921-1998) in his centenary year, exploring his singular contributions to American art and the lasting power of his observations and imagination.
Deeply speculative, Day believed that the ordinary in life is the source of all that is extraordinary. His embrace of everyday subjects was tethered to a deeply curious intellectual engagement with the figurative arts and the history of representation. By questioning and reframing prevailing assumptions, he participated in the broad movement in Western thought we now call Postmodernism.
Day was also a dedicated teacher, known as the “dean of Philadelphia painters.” His thousands of students, primarily at the Philadelphia College of Art (now University of the Arts) and the University of Pennsylvania, have gone on to teach across the globe and inspire their own students to discover and explore their unique artistic abilities. This ambitious retrospective includes works from the 1950s through the 1990s, and was curated by David Bindman, the artists’ longtime friend and Emeritus Professor of the History of Art, University College London and Visiting Fellow at the Hutchins Center, Harvard University.
Member News
Pyramid Atlantic is hosting a number of interesting online events in conjunction with its 40th anniversary show, “Reflecting Back to the Future.” Information about events can be found here.
Mclean Project for the Arts current show “(Not) Strictly Paintings” includes juror-selected works by WPC members Carol Ann Reed and Delna Dastur. Click here for more information.
Phil Sanders continues his excellent online series of conversations with printmakers. More information is available here.
Other Events of Note
October is “Print Month.” There are many interesting online lectures, all free and open to the public. The schedule is available here.