Fine Art Connoisseur - JanuaryFebruary 2023

["ROBERT PETERSON (b. 1981),\u00a0Watch Over Us, 2021, oil on canvas, 60 x 114 in., private collection ROBERT PETERSON\u00a0 (b. 1981) is not an emerging or up-and- while still showing our strength and resilience, something that I want coming artist. With works in the collections of major museums, regu- to see more of in galleries and museums. In 500 years, I want viewers lar appearances at Art Basel Miami Beach, and celebrity endorsements, to see the normalcy, peace, and harmony with my subjects \u2014 Black he is by all accounts someone who has arrived. Yet the sales, fairs, and people, and Black families in particular \u2014 that contrast with the often collectors are not why Peterson creates. His most important goals negative popular narrative.\u00a0I want these subjects to get the chance to revolve around his family, faith, personal growth, and using his art to live forever through my work.\u201d help shape and shift how Black people are viewed and valued in our society. In that vein, Peterson\u2019s Watch Over Us (2021) is one of his favorite works to date. Measuring almost 10 feet wide, it shows two brothers Now 41 and based in Lawton, Oklahoma, Peterson has already who clearly have each other\u2019s backs and a special bond. \u201cI wanted to been through several evolutions, experimenting with different sub- create a work that shows the younger brother keeping watch so that jects, approaches, and forms of expression. \u201cI believe all visual art- his older brother can rest,\u201d Peterson explains.\u00a0The \ufb01gure in front \u201cis ists go through various stages exploring not only different media and actually looking to the sky seeking God\u2019s help to watch over both of subjects, but also themselves,\u201d he says. Doing this has \u201cpushed me to them \u2014 not so that he can rest, but because he knows he isn\u2019t strong come out the other side a better artist and person. Initially, the paint- enough alone. With God\u2019s help, he can do all things.\u201d ings I created were based on stock images of celebrities I found on the Internet. As I grew as an artist, I began photographing men, women, Peterson is currently creating work to be exhibited by the New and children I know.\u201d York gallery Albertz Benda at Frieze Los Angeles this February.\u00a0 At some point this year, Peterson will also be presenting a show at Band He continues, \u201cOver the past two years, my paintings have of Vices, a Los Angeles gallery. focused on the Black experience as I have known it through my life. My art is my truth and my voice. It showcases the balance that I have \u00a0 within my own life as a husband and a father, as a Black man. And it Peterson shows with Albertz Benda (New York City), Band of Vices (Los re\ufb02ects a softer side of Black people not often portrayed in the media, Angeles), and Claire Oliver Gallery (New York City). FINEARTCONNOISSEUR\u00b7COM JANUARY\/FEBRUARY 2023 051","STEPHANIE BUER (b. 1982),\u00a0 Untitled (Snow), 2021, charcoal on paper, 42 x 56 in., private collection Some artists do their best work indoors, where still lifes, \ufb02orals, inte- the depths of the pandemic,\u201d Buer explains. \u201cIt was a very difficult rior scenes, and other subjects come to fruition in the comfort of time to be in a new place. I found the entire experience generative, their own studios. But STEPHANIE BUER (b. 1982) thrives on the though, as I had a lot of time to wander the landscape and become unpredictability of being outdoors \u2014 observing the evolving light, better acquainted with it through the slow, meditative process of elements, environment, and architectural structures on any given drawing and painting.\u201d day or season, then creating a heartfelt interpretation of what she saw and felt in that moment. One of the pieces that resulted from that time is Untitled (Snow), the charcoal drawing illustrated here. Buer couldn\u2019t have picked a Buer grew up in rural Michigan, but when she moved to Detroit better medium to convey the heavy, gray silence and solitude of a to earn a B.F.A. from the College for Creative Studies, she embraced stark winter\u2019s day. In this scene, we feel the familiar forlornness that the idiosyncratic beauty of urban life with all its colorful sights, winter often brings, while also detecting a bit of the loneliness, even sounds, and textures. \u201cI lived in Detroit for 10 years, so that city is sadness, the artist likely felt during this new season of her life. It\u2019s quite special to me,\u201d she says. \u201cI initially struggled to adapt to urban a dramatic piece that instantly transports viewers to a speci\ufb01c time living after being in the countryside my whole life, so I took to wan- and place while connecting us to the emotional state of the person dering the streets and exploring old, abandoned buildings. I ended who created it. up falling in love with these beautiful, peaceful, marginal spaces. The relationship to Detroit completely shaped my aesthetic and con- Buer now resides in the state of Washington and looks forward ceptual language as an artist.\u201d to exploring new territory and ideas this winter during a two-month residency at the Ellis-Beauregard Foundation (Rockland, Maine). More recently, during the pandemic, Buer decided to move once again, this time to Vancouver to pursue an M.F.A. at the Emily Carr \u00a0 University of Art + Design. Being highly sensitive to her surround- Buer is represented by Abend Gallery (Denver) and Thinkspace Projects ings, she once again has used art as a therapeutic way to embrace (Los Angeles). and connect with a new environment. \u201cI moved to Canada during 052 JANUARY\/FEBRUARY 2023 FINEARTCONNOISSEUR\u00b7COM","One look at the paintings of MARTIN GEIGER (b. 1997) and it\u2019s of light, space, and design are consistently his main subject. In Robert\u2019s evident where his artistic education took place: the Pennsylvania Table\/Tribute to Scott Noel, for instance, the artist made two contrast- Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia, where he earned a certi\ufb01- ing light sources the main characters of his visual narrative while giv- cate after four years studying drawing and painting. There he trained ing a nod to his longtime mentor. \u201cThis painting depicts a messy table under the in\ufb02uential instructor Scott Noel (b. 1955), best known for covered with various overlooked envelopes, containers, and other inspiring the Perceptual Painting movement more than a decade ago. detritus in a seasoned artist\u2019s studio,\u201d Geiger explains. \u201cThe dark inte- Those who follow this approach aim to paint their direct responses to rior and cool light bathing these items are contrasted with a blazing, the visible world with a focus on space, volume, color, and shape. luminous exterior landscape. This theme of outside versus inside was a hallmark of Scott Noel.\u201d This experience-based approach is well-suited to Geiger because it requires close, careful observation and thoughtful re\ufb02ection; curi- Born in Charlottesville, Geiger has returned to Virginia and now osity about, and admiration of, the physical world have long been his makes his studio in Staunton. There he is an instructor at the Beverly strong suits. \u201cThe world itself almost seems like an immense play- Street Studio School and also serves as head assistant at Bronze Craft ground of sorts,\u201d the artist writes. \u201cEverything in my surroundings Foundry in nearby Waynesboro. Geiger has won two grants from the feels and looks intensely interesting at all times. It seems always about Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation (2018 and 2022) and considers ready to reveal itself, almost like a piece of music leading up to a cre- those experiences instrumental in helping him realize several large- scendo. It\u2019s clear that there is something very important just beneath scale works. the surface for the artist, and making art is my best attempt at excavat- ing these ever-present patterns and showing them to the world.\u201d \u00a0 Geiger is represented by Steven Francis Fine Art (Lynchburg, Virginia). The subjects Geiger feels compelled to paint range from \ufb01gures and landscapes to interiors and architecture, but the formal elements MARTIN GEIGER (b. 1997),\u00a0 Robert\u2019s Table\/Tribute to Scott Noel, 2022, oil on linen, 32 x 48 in., Steven Francis Fine Art (Lynchburg, Virginia) FINEARTCONNOISSEUR\u00b7COM JANUARY\/FEBRUARY 2023 053","BY DANIEL GRANT TODAY\u2019S MASTERS A\ue326WAYS \ue326OOKING atherine Murphy (b. 1946) Persimmon, 1991, oil on canvas, 25 3\/4 x 29 1\/2 in., collection of Dixie Sheridan considers herself an \u201cobser- vational painter,\u201d not the photorealist that many of her works might suggest, nor the surrealist that other of her paintings might bring to mind. Perhaps even \u201cobservational painter\u201d isn\u2019t the correct term. \u201cI once had a conversa- tion with one of the old realist painters,\u201d Murphy recalls, \u201cand he said, \u2018Well, you\u2019re not really an observational painter because you make things bigger than life.\u2019 And I said, \u2018Okay.\u2019\u201d Still, she continues, \u201cI call myself an observational painter. I don\u2019t know if other people would, but I do always work from what I\u2019m looking at.\u201d So the more interesting questions may be, what is this 74-year-old artist looking at, and what does she see? But \ufb01rst, what do we see? Take the 1991 painting Persimmon, which zooms in on the lower half of a woman\u2019s face; we see lipstick smeared on her upper lip. We search for content and meaning, our natural response to realist imagery: was this person kissed by someone who wore the same shade of lipstick? Was she too distracted to apply her lipstick carefully? Does the bright lip- stick seek to cover her sadness, which is suggested by her downturned lips? Some- thing seems to be happening here, but Murphy isn\u2019t offering any hints. Then there\u2019s the 1969 painting Unmade Bed, a tumult of colors, textures, 054 JANUARY\/FEBRUARY 2023 FINEARTCONNOISSEUR\u00b7COM","(TOP) Unmade Bed, 1969, oil on canvas, 44 x 36 in., private collection (LEFT) Frank Murphy and His Family, 1980, oil on canvas, 41 x 46 in., private collection FINEARTCONNOISSEUR\u00b7COM JANUARY\/FEBRUARY 2023 055","Self-Portrait with Pansy, 1975, oil on canvas, 21 x 26 in., JANUARY\/FEBRUARY 2023 FINEARTCONNOISSEUR\u00b7COM collection of the artist and patterns in the sheets, blankets, and bed- spread. Behind them is a blank green wall and a window that reveals the greenery of summer. There is a \u201clook what I can do\u201d element to the painting \u2014 that question of whether Murphy is at heart a photorealist comes up again \u2014 but still we wonder if there is a signi\ufb01cance to the bed itself, which suggests a human story. Is someone just not tidy, or was there a reason this person rushed out of bed? Again, we aren\u2019t offered any help from the artist. \u201cI love the fact that, when viewers look at my paintings, they make up narratives all their own. I sort of think that\u2019s fantastic,\u201d Murphy says. \u201cIf you want to spend enough time with a painting that you\u2019re making up your own narrative, that\u2019s cool. I mean, my narrative is just a portal into the pos- sibilities of what happens in life.\u201d Bring your own associations to that unmade bed, and that\u2019s just as good as anything else. \u201cThere\u2019s so many things that happen in bed,\u201d Murphy notes, identifying some of the possibilities as sex (satisfactory or disappointing), trauma, or just sleep. \u201cIt could be any of those things. I don\u2019t complete the story. I leave it open-ended.\u201d Establishing the ultimate meaning of Murphy\u2019s art, then, may not be altogether possi- ble. It becomes the viewer\u2019s job to put the pieces together to determine what is going on (or the artist\u2019s intention). This may be easier to do when we look at a number of her paintings rather than just one at a time. For instance, the \ufb01rst thing one notices in her paintings of people \u2014 friends and family mem- bers, in many cases \u2014 is that no one is smiling, or even communicating. Frank Murphy and His Family (1980) features the artist\u2019s father and hus- band in the foreground, sitting in close proximity but silently looking in different directions. Even in her 1975 Self-Portrait with Pansy, the artist looks in our direction with a sober expression while her cat on the windowsill turns its attention to the city below. Perhaps one of the glummest images in Murphy\u2019s entire body of work is a 1979 painting of her mother, Catherine O\u2019Reilly Murphy, sitting in pro\ufb01le in a dark-paneled room around midday, cigarette in hand. She stares blankly at an unseen television while a window in the far wall reveals the lush verdure of a summer day.\u00a0 In 2011, Uni- versity College London neurobiological research- ers conducting brain-scanning experiments found that looking at art triggered a surge of the pleasure-inducing chemical dopamine in test vol- unteers. Judging from this scene, however, it may also be that the creation of art does not necessarily make either artists or their subjects any happier. Catherine O\u2019Reilly Murphy, 1979, oil on canvas, 32 x 28 in., private collection, collection of Levi Strauss & Co. 056","(ABOVE) Mended Window, 1996, oil on canvas, 48 x 59 in., collection of Timothy Egert (LEFT) The Back of Her Head, 2004, oil on canvas, 54 x 54 in., collection of Carla Solomon and Antonio Magliocco, Jr. HER OWN PATH Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and raised in nearby Lexington, Murphy studied art at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, where she met her future husband, the sculptor Harry Roseman (b. 1945). They spent the \ufb01rst years of their mar- riage living in her parents\u2019 home before purchasing their own in Hyde Park (in New York\u2019s Hudson Valley), where they have lived ever since. \u201cI can\u2019t say that my entire family wasn\u2019t depressed,\u201d says Murphy. \u201cThey were. Depression is pretty common, and they weren\u2019t clinically diag- nosed as such, because nobody did anything about depression until the last 20 years. They mostly self-medicated.\u201d Their sense of disconnection is evi- dent in Frank Murphy and His Family, which seems true-to-life regarding the relationship of her father and husband. The artist adds, \u201cYou can bet your life they didn\u2019t engage that much. It would\u2019ve been false if I had shown them engaging. They were both very much in their own worlds.\u201d Surely it was not easy learning to be a realist painter in the 1960s, when abstraction (color \ufb01eld, conceptualism, process art, and whatever FINEARTCONNOISSEUR\u00b7COM JANUARY\/FEBRUARY 2023 057","else) held sway, with only high-irony Pop Art around to give viewers Camo, 2020, oil on canvas, 49 3\/4 x 49 3\/4 in., Peter Freeman, Inc. (New York City) a sense of how (commercial) objects looked. Murphy fell in with art- ists who were exploring representational imagery in new ways. \u201cAt Porter was a signi\ufb01cant in\ufb02uence on her work, probably more in the beginning of the \u201960s,\u201d she remembers, \u201cthere were a number of subject matter \u2014 making one\u2019s everyday world the subject of serious people, such as Gabriel Laderman, Lennart Anderson, Philip Pearl- art \u2014 than in style. He looked back to the French post-impressionists stein, Paul Resika, Paul Georges, and Lois Dodd, who were working Pierre Bonnard and Edouard Vuillard, while Murphy was more representationally, and they were having shows. As a young art stu- drawn to the intense realism of Janet Fish, an artist slightly older than dent, I was certainly being informed by them, as well as everything her. Katz also played an important role, as his paintings, Murphy says, else that was going on.\u201d \u201ctaught me about scale. Scale is very important, how big something\u2019s going to be.\u201d Indeed, big and getting bigger is a notable aspect of the Realism may not have been getting a lot of attention, but it wasn\u2019t art Murphy has created over the past two decades. forgotten entirely. Murphy met a number of artists through the Alli- ance of Figurative Artists, an informal group that existed between 1969 and 1984 and met on Manhattan\u2019s Lower East Side. \u201cI saw Fair- \ufb01eld Porter there. Alfred Leslie was there. Even Alex Katz showed up.\u201d 058 JANUARY\/FEBRUARY 2023 FINEARTCONNOISSEUR\u00b7COM","Ceiling Fixture, 1994, pencil on paper, 26 1\/8 x 21 5\/8 in., Harvard Art Museums\/ Fogg Museum, gift of Sarah-Ann and Werner H. Kramarsky, 2000.130 Murphy has made quite a few looking-out-my-window paintings (perhaps a tip of the hat to Lois Dodd), sometimes at the yard outside, sometimes from an upper story looking down on city buildings and streets. Perhaps what\u2019s most evident in these works is that there are almost never people visible. Murphy herself is quite communicative, even voluble, but when she goes into the space created through her paintings, the world becomes hushed, with people either absent or seemingly alien- ated from each other. The communication that does exist is between shapes and colors. This sense of alienation, Murphy explains, re\ufb02ects \u201cthe era in which we live,\u201d adding, \u201cI am a complicated person.\u201d Using a nautical term for calculating locations, she notes that her por- traits and self-portraits \u201cpretty much just come from a dead reck- oning of what I\u2019m looking at.\u201d (In case anyone wonders, her mar- riage to Roseman \u2014 two people in a highly egotistical profession \u2014 appears to be a happy one. Or, to put it in Murphy-speak, \u201cHe doesn\u2019t get on my nerves more than I get on his nerves.\u201d) When people are depicted in her paintings, they seem more like objects in a still life. The shape and geometry of objects, natural and manmade, would appear to be Murphy\u2019s greatest interest. One example is Mended Window (1996), in which the broken glass is not really mended but held together with black tape, the con\ufb01guration of which resembles a Franz Kline painting. Through the window, we see the upper half of late autumnal trees, barren of leaves with thin branches going off in various directions. This is a compare-and-contrast explo- ration of manmade and natural lines. Another example is The Back of Her Head (2004), offering a blue-and-white- checked kerchief covering a woman\u2019s head, seen from behind as she looks out at a blue sky with white clouds. Here geometry meets meteorology. An almost comical take on this theme is Camo (2020), which reveals the back of a man standing in woodlands wearing a camou\ufb02age blanket that does not effectively prevent him from standing out. Were faces to be shown in either of these scenes, surely we would try to decipher their expressions, their context and meaning. Yet Murphy seeks only to show us shapes that may or may not correspond to each other. BEAUTY IN BANALITY Art can ask various things of a viewer \u2014 some- times to look anew at the world and see its violence (e.g., Picasso\u2019s Guernica) or anxiety (Munch\u2019s Scream), or perhaps how an ordi- nary object might be perceived based on light and shade (Monet\u2019s Haystacks series). Yet the very \ufb01rst thing art asks of us is to take time to just look. Ever more studies con\ufb01rm that museum visitors spend an average of 3 1\/2 seconds before an artwork, using most of that Screened Window, 1988, oil on canvas, 38 1\/2 x 42 in., collection of Emily Leland Todd FINEARTCONNOISSEUR\u00b7COM JANUARY\/FEBRUARY 2023 059","Bathroom Sink, 1994, oil on canvas, 55 1\/2 x 44 in., Seven Bridges Foundation (Greenwich, Connecticut) 060 JANUARY\/FEBRUARY 2023 FINEARTCONNOISSEUR\u00b7COM","Tree Trunk, 1989, pencil on paper, 18 5\/8 x 25 3\/8 in., private collection time to glance at the wall label while strolling past. Some think this rep- faucet and handles, which show re\ufb02ections of each other and the resents the death of art. It\u2019s true that rapid-\ufb01re examination of her paint- entire scene, are bounced back to us in the mirror behind the Formica ings does Catherine Murphy no favors. She spends a seemingly obsessive backsplash. Come up with your own story of why someone cut off so amount of time studying details of the items she wants to represent, and much hair and left such a mess; Murphy provides only a symphony of she wants viewers to regard them the same way. images and their re\ufb02ections in what is otherwise a banal setting. For instance, Ceiling Fixture (1994) \u2014 a light source behind a Besides oil paintings, Murphy also makes highly detailed pen- frosted glass casing, set against a popcorn ceiling \u2014 turns the ceiling cil drawings of the same sorts of subjects. (A superb example illus- into a moonscape of ridges that grow darker away from the \ufb01xture. trated here is Tree Trunk from 1989.) In considering whether an image (Murphy does not refrain from showing us the dead mosquitos inside should be presented in black-and-white or color, the answer is how the glass.) Another example is Screened Window (1988), which reveals important color is to revealing whatever story she is looking to tell. nothing on the other side, as it is nighttime, yet we notice the torn Murphy explains, \u201cIf it\u2019s a drawing, it\u2019s because the color wasn\u2019t tell- window shade, as well as missing paint and dirt at the sill\u2019s corners. ing its own story or a story that I thought needed to be told.\u201d These ordinary subjects tell no large story of life, but their rewards come from our seeing what Murphy saw \u2014 the regular and irregular On the other hand, color is an x-factor not as easily managed as shapes that appear in light. a pencil. Paint and color \u201crule,\u201d she says. \u201cThey make you do things, set the tone. [But with a pencil and eraser], I\u2019m in control. With paint, Murphy has a friend who called Screened Window \u201cmy suicide people would think I was in control, but lots of times, it\u2019s making me painting,\u201d the artist says. \u201cBut it was pure geometry, and it was so do things that a pencil will not make me do. So, it is a relief sometimes beautiful, that white and that black, and the fact that there\u2019s a screen to draw, and sometimes it feels like I\u2019m in prison.\u201d there that isn\u2019t letting you out into the landscape\u2026 It\u2019s talking to a kind of group of surfaces.\u201d If the wear and tear and the ripped shade Whatever her medium of choice, the art world should be grate- weren\u2019t there, it would have been too formal, the friend observed. ful that Catherine Murphy pushes through such decision-making to Murphy adds, \u201cI want you to walk through your house and not neglect arrive at images that always fascinate. the beauty of something because\u00a0it needs a paint job.\u201d Information: All works illustrated here courtesy of Catherine Murphy and Murphy\u2019s tour de force Bathroom Sink (1994) is a very still image Peter Freeman, Inc. (New York City), which represents the artist. of locks of brown hair, some \ufb02oating in a half-\ufb01lled Formica sink, some on the adjacent countertop. Nothing is happening, yet this image is DANIEL GRANT is a contributing writer to Fine Art Connoisseur and \ufb01lled with activity. The overhead light \ufb01xture is re\ufb02ected in the water, author of The Business of Being an Artist (Allworth Press). glistening there and even on the \ufb02oating hair. The stainless-steel FINEARTCONNOISSEUR\u00b7COM JANUARY\/FEBRUARY 2023 061","DIGITAL CONTENT Still Life with Pillows and Sunlight, 1976, pencil on paper, 8 5\/8 x 12 1\/2 in., private collection JANUARY\/FEBRUARY 2023 FINEARTCONNOISSEUR\u00b7COM","DIGITAL CONTENT Button Tin, 1997, pencil on paper, 25 x 21 1\/4 in., private collection FINEARTCONNOISSEUR\u00b7COM JANUARY\/FEBRUARY 2023","BY MAX GILLIES TODAY\u2019S MASTERS CASEY BAUGH (b. 1984), The Thinker, 2021, charcoal on paper, 16 x 18 in., Vanessa Rothe Fine Art (Laguna Beach, California) very young child draws, without prompting or hesi- tel, and even gold leaf. Drawing from life, imagination, or both, these tation, so how sad is it that draftsmanship ebbs away gifted artists demonstrate their mastery of such concepts as perspec- from most of us during adolescence? In adulthood, tive, proportion, value, light and shade, line, contour, gesture, and drawing can help us not only to dream, experiment, structure \u2014 prioritizing them to greater or lesser degrees. and plan, but also to see our world more clearly and deeply, to take something complex and break it apart More important, they remind us that compelling art-making into something manageable. When we slow down to study something does not rely upon expensive, complicated materials \u2014 or even neces- long enough to draw it, we begin to understand it, and ultimately to sarily upon color \u2014 to connect with viewers. Please enjoy the view, control its impact on us. and then try drawing next time you have a chance to sit for a while, These are all powerful, self-affirming reasons to draw, and so we like on a train or in a doctor\u2019s waiting room. You will be intrigued by salute the artists represented here for doing so in such fresh and mem- what happens next. orable ways. They have created their works primarily with graphite (pencil), and also with charcoal, sanguine, ink, gouache, acrylic, pas- MAX GILLIES is a contributing writer to Fine Art Connoisseur. 062 JANUARY\/FEBRUARY 2023 FINEARTCONNOISSEUR\u00b7COM","(CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT) ALEKSANDER BETKO (b. 1976), Book of Ecclesiastes, 2022, graphite on paper, 40 x 30 in., 33 Contemporary Gallery (Chicago) ERNEST E. BURDEN (b. 1963), An Urn for My Father, 2022, graphite on paper, 12 x 18 in., available through the artist ROX CORBETT (b. 1956), Buick and the Beast, 2015, charcoal on paper, 17 1\/2 x 25 in., private collection LISA RICKARD (b. 1962), Allegorical Figure, 2022, graphite on paper, 20 x 10 in., 33 Contemporary Gallery (Chicago) THOMAS BUTLER (b. 1980), Melina, 2021, graphite on paper, 18 x 14 in., available through the artist FINEARTCONNOISSEUR\u00b7COM JANUARY\/FEBRUARY 2023 063","(CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT) STEPHANIE CAMPOS (b. 1956), Sioux, JANUARY\/FEBRUARY 2023 FINEARTCONNOISSEUR\u00b7COM 2022, charcoal on paper, 25 x 19 in., Settlers West Galleries, Tucson EMILY COPELAND (b. 1992), Vintage Movie Camera, 2022, charcoal on paper, 24 x 34 1\/2 in., RJD Gallery (Romeo, Michigan) MICHELLE DUNAWAY (b. 1972), Native Dancer, 2016, charcoal on watercolor paper, 22 x 16 in., private collection MARY C. CARROLL (b. 1979), Talisman, 2022, graphite and acrylic on paper, 16 x 12 in., offered by Abend Gallery (Denver) at this January\u2019s LA Art Show 064","(ABOVE) SARA GALLAGHER (b. 1990), A Night Out, 2022, graphite and pan pastel on paper, 20 x 27 1\/2 in., private collection (LEFT) CARLOS FENTANES (b. 1968), Self Isolation or The Unsung Story of How Dreams Unconsciously Interfered with My Daily Life, 2022, sandpaper charcoal on paper, 22 x 30 in., available through PoetsArtists FINEARTCONNOISSEUR\u00b7COM JANUARY\/FEBRUARY 2023 065","(CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE) JANUARY\/FEBRUARY 2023 FINEARTCONNOISSEUR\u00b7COM MICHAEL DUMAS (b. 1950), Winter Pines \u2013 Algonquin Park, 2005, graphite on paper, 30 1\/4 x 22 1\/2 in., private collection NAOMI MARINO (b. 1977), Saul, 2022, charcoal and white chalk on paper, 22 x 16 in., available through the artist MARY WHYTE (b. 1953), Little One, 2021, graphite on paper, 16 1\/2 x 12 1\/4 in., available through Mary Whyte Studio (Charleston) NADIA FERRANTE (b. 1976), Melancolia, 2021, white pastel, sanguine, and charcoal on paper, 11 x 8 1\/5 in., available through the artist 066","(TOP) NICOLE ALGER (b. 1966), Beltane, 2022, charcoal and sanguine on paper, 12 x 16 in., available through the artist (ABOVE) MARIANNA FOSTER (b. 1982), Ocean Lace, 2021, charcoal and colored pencil on cardboard, 20 x 32 in., available through the artist (LEFT) SOOKYI LEE (b. 1975), Bridget No. 1, 2017, charcoal on paper, 24 x 18 in., private collection FINEARTCONNOISSEUR\u00b7COM JANUARY\/FEBRUARY 2023 067","DANIEL MAIDMAN (b. 1975), Laura\u2019s Flowers, 2022, JANUARY\/FEBRUARY 2023 FINEARTCONNOISSEUR\u00b7COM pencil on paper, 15 x 11 in., available through the artist 068","(CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT) GEOFFREY LAURENCE (b. 1949), Addy in July, 2022, pastel and charcoal on paper, 23 x 33 in., available through the artist ANNIE A. MURPHY-ROBINSON (b. 1967), Through the Looking Glass, 2022, sanded charcoal on paper, 45 x 27 in., private collection RYAN WURMSER (b. 1973), Backview of Magda, 2010, graphite on paper, 18 x 24 in., collection of the artist CAROL PEEBLES (b. 1967), Home, 2022, pastel on paper, 22 x 26 in., private collection ROSANNA GADDONI (b. 1972), The Infinite Moment, 2021, charcoal and graphite on paper, 12 1\/5 x 12 1\/5 in., private collection FINEARTCONNOISSEUR\u00b7COM JANUARY\/FEBRUARY 2023 069","(CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT) MICHAEL BERGT (b. 1956), Europa, 2022, ink, 24-karat gold leaf, and gouache on paper, 30 x 40 in., N\u00fcart Gallery (Santa Fe) S\u00cdLVIA S\u00c3O PAULO (b. 1990), Sleeping Awake, 2022, graphite on paper, 22 2\/5 x 19 7\/10 in., available through artsy.net OLIVER SIN (b. 1973), Dad, 2019, vine charcoal on paper, 17 x 14 in., private collection MEGAN ELIZABETH READ (b. 1982), Fold, 2022, charcoal and graphite on paper, 6 x 6 in., private collection ERIN RUFFINO (b. 1997), Act II: Prayer Like a War Cry, 2021, graphite on paper, 9 x 8 1\/2 in., available through the artist 070 JANUARY\/FEBRUARY 2023 FINEARTCONNOISSEUR\u00b7COM","(CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT) JENNA RINGUETTE (b. 2000), Big Pat, 2021, charcoal on paper, 20 x 16 in., available through the artist JOHN CAGGIANO (b. 1949), Storm Cellar, 1980, ink on paper, 15 x 11 in., available through the artist KYLEE SNOW (b. 1988), What Lies Here Is Steadfast, 2022, graphite on gessoed panel, 9 x 12 in., private collection MEGAN SCHAUGAARD (b. 1983), Continuing Constellations, 2022, graphite and charcoal on paper, 8 x 10 in., available through the artist FINEARTCONNOISSEUR\u00b7COM JANUARY\/FEBRUARY 2023 071","(CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT) AARON WESTERBERG\u00a0 (b. 1974), Anna with Smirk, 2004, charcoal on rice paper, 14 x 7 in., Vanessa Rothe Fine Art (Laguna Beach, California) SUSAN LYNN (b. 1963), Puppy Nap, 2016, water-soluble pencil on paper, 5 x 8 in., private collection DANIEL VOLENEC (b. 1955), Tomorrow, 2022, charcoal and pencil on paper, 21 x 29 in., available through the artist CHELSIE MURFEE (b. 1984), Are You Listening?, 2021, graphite and ink (mixed media) on paper, 27 x 39 in., 33 Contemporary Gallery (Chicago) DAGGI WALLACE (b. 1962), We All Bleed Red (Bart), 2022, pan pastel, soft pastel, charcoal on stone paper, and acrylic ink on wood panel, 8 x 8 in., available through the artist 072 JANUARY\/FEBRUARY 2023 FINEARTCONNOISSEUR\u00b7COM","BY MIL\u00c8NE J. FERN\u00c1NDEZ INSIDETRACK IS \ue328HIS A GO\ue326D\ue323N AG\ue323 \ue324OR REA\ue326ISM? Editor\u2019s Note: In celebration of Fine Art Connoisseur\u2019s 20th anniversary, we invited our esteemed colleague Mil\u00e8ne J. Fern\u00e1ndez to consider, in her own words, the state of contemporary realist art today. It is a bit daunting to survey the lay of the land of America\u2019s realist art world, and of course I can offer only a glimpse based on my own observations. Having said that, I am delighted to highlight here some of the trends, people, and venues holding my attention at this time. I hope this summary will give you some impetus to seek out the artworks that resonate most with you. BEAUTY IS IN THE AIR Before I started writing this, I called my friend Victoria Herrera. She\u2019s known for her gigantic paintings of luminous hibiscus \ufb02owers, as well as portraits with intriguing, seemingly allegorical elements. Since studying at New York City\u2019s Grand Central Atelier, Victoria has honed her distinctive visual lan- guage and is now challenging herself to explore different subject matter. When I sought her thoughts on realist art\u2019s current zeitgeist, she immediately replied: \u201cThere\u2019s a call to create beauty. It is needed so much right now!\u201d I agreed wholeheartedly. \u201cAnd a respect for nature!\u201d Victoria added. \u201cYes, to counteract all that ugliness,\u201d I responded. Indeed, beauty with a capital B seems to be \ufb01lling the creative airwaves. Recently I was asked to write about beauty for the online magazine Crayon, and a few days later I participated in the artist Gabriela Handal\u2019s podcast, where she always asks her guests, \u201cWhat is beauty?\u201d Around the same time, I was invited to see the exhibition Beauty in the Hamptons, curated by Shannon Robinson for the nonpro\ufb01t organization Collectors for Connoisseurship. QUANG HO (b. 1963), Autumn Spirit, 2022, oil on board, 30 x 16 in., available through the artist FINEARTCONNOISSEUR\u00b7COM JANUARY\/FEBRUARY 2023 073","ADRIANO FARINELLA (b. 1975), Vows Made in Storms Are Forgotten in Calm \u2014 Indigo 75, 2022, oil on canvas, 30 x 40 in., available through the artist Her exhibition on Long Island featured 10 artists, including Quang become a way for artists to give us an antidote to fakery, to help us eschew Ho, whose Autumn Spirit \u2014 a painting of a nude woman experiencing counterfeit culture altogether. a moment of ecstatic revelation in tall grasses \u2014 reminded me of Jules Bastien-Lepage\u2019s famous Joan of Arc Listening to the Voices (1879, Met- Beauty, then, is a theme in our \ufb01eld, but let\u2019s not call it a trend; rather, it ropolitan Museum of Art). Ho\u2019s work represents what seems to be a cur- is a timeless principle. The best artists are those who don\u2019t follow trends but rent trend of \ufb01gurative artists combining carefully rendered forms with cultivate honesty in their creative process. They are not so interested in them- looser brushwork \u2014 so reminiscent of Bastien-Lepage \u2014 and sometimes selves or how they portray themselves, but in what they want to communicate enhanced with the \ufb02at abstraction or decorative patterning seen in Gustav with the viewer. They have something to say, and their works connect with us. Klimt\u2019s paintings. (A portrait by Ron Hicks in the Hamptons exhibition was a striking example of the latter.) NATURE\u2019S BEAUTY Some might say landscape painters have a more direct path to making I also enjoyed Daniel Sprick\u2019s gentle interior paintings, full of quiet beauty accessible, and that thus it might actually be harder for them to atmosphere; despite his careful rendering of details, they still feel open and distinguish themselves from one another. That being said, no matter how vibrant. Several scenes by Charles Warren Mundy stood out for their celebra- closely landscapists observe the same scene or use similar techniques, tion of light, evoking memories of Joaqu\u00edn Sorolla. Though the paintings and their art will always look unique if they are being true to themselves. drawings in the Hamptons show were vastly different in style and technique, they all looked great together under the banner of Beauty. A recent exhibition by the latest cohort of Hudson River Fellowship recipients comes to mind. Hanging at New York City\u2019s Salmagundi Club, During our conversation, Victoria Herrera and I noted the predomi- each landscape painting was exquisite, offering a lived experience cap- nance of electronic images, social media, and fakery; we are all beset with tured on canvas after the artists spent weeks working together in an idyl- fake personas, fake valuations, fake art. There is much confusion as to lic stretch of upstate New York. The up-and-coming artists participat- what is real or not, and it takes a discerning eye, heart, and mind to tell the ing included Diana Buitrago, Dan Bunn, Landon Clay, Susannah Collins, difference. Because beauty goes hand in hand with authenticity, it has also Kate Donovan, Jacob Gabriel, Eric Leichtung, Lorenzo Narciso, Patrick 074 JANUARY\/FEBRUARY 2023 FINEARTCONNOISSEUR\u00b7COM","D. ELEINNE BASA (b. 1967), Aspen Shadows, 2016, oil on linen, 40 x 30 in., Corwin Galleries (Hamilton, Montana) Okrasinski, Kevin Muller-Cisneros, Paul Rosiak, Lara Saunders, and Mary Jane Ward. Also riffing deftly on the Hudson River tradition are Erik Koeppel, Joseph McGurl, Ken Salaz, and Lauren Sansaricq. Two notable tonal- ists working in the Eastern U.S. are D. Eleinne Basa and Thomas Keg- ler, who depict the landscape with a depth of character that\u2019s imme- diately recognizable. Another landscapist to watch is Pennsylvania\u2019s Adriano Farinella, whose paintings of the sky and clouds combine observation with imagination. In these paintings we can feel his delight, how he revels in \u201cletting go\u201d throughout the creative process. Yet another artist showing passion for his subject matter is the seascape painter Edward Minoff. He spends hours on the beach working in all kinds of weather, later developing larger canvases by consulting his studies back in the studio. The proli\ufb01c Lisa Lebofsky, who recently exhibited at Franklin Bowles Galleries\u2019 New York loca- tion, also paints the ocean with an intensity that echoes that of the waves themselves. Looking to the American West, where the beauty of nature has long inspired artists, there is no shortage of talent, though it\u2019s essential to point out Santa Fe\u2019s Peter A. Nisbet. The sensitivity, vibrancy, and grandeur of his paintings always leave me speechless. Other Western artists of this caliber include Clyde Aspevig and George Carlson. Plein air painting continues to \ufb02ourish in this coun- try as ever more Americans recognize the value of connect- ing with nature. Combining adventure with history, science, and land conservation, various entities are doing important work in this area. They include the organizations Plein Air Painters of America, Preserving a Picturesque America, and Hudson River Fellowship, as well as the magazine PleinAir. Dozens of high-quality plein air festivals and competitions occur throughout the U.S. every year. Just for example, this past Octo- ber, artist Ryan S. Brown hosted a successful paint-out with stellar colleagues at Utah\u2019s spectacular Zion National Park. BEYOND THE ATELIER Another realist realm worthy of our attention is the quiet yet mighty cohort of highly trained artists who, after inten- sive study of classical realism at an atel- ier or academy, continue perfecting their techniques, even as they hone their own distinctive styles and personal aesthetic visions. Most are now mid-career (some having come to art from entirely differ- ent \ufb01elds), but many are up-and-coming young artists. All have been shaped by one or more of what I call the main \u201cpillars\u201d of classical realism in America: essentially, each of the leading ateliers constitutes a pillar in the recent \u201cup-skilling\u201d of artists. Some of the most in\ufb02uential artists \u2014 those who have taught, mentored, and inspired countless others via these pil- lars \u2014 include Jacob Collins (founder of Grand Central Atelier, New York City); PETER A. NISBET (b. 1948), Sunburst, Grand Canyon, 2019, oil on canvas, 38 x 54 in., Meyer Gallery (Santa Fe)\u00a0 FINEARTCONNOISSEUR\u00b7COM JANUARY\/FEBRUARY 2023 075","ANTHONY BAUS (b. 1981), Plaza Hotel, 2021, pen and sepia ink, sepia, and gray wash on paper, 16 1\/4 x 21 7\/8 in., Robert Simon Fine Art (New York City) Sabin Howard (sculptor of Washington\u2019s forthcoming National World eating home-baked bread straight from the oven and eating pre-sliced War I Memorial); Juliette Aristides (founder of Seattle\u2019s Aristides Atelier bread stored in plastic for days. The former not only tastes better but is and author of six bestselling instructional books); Dan Thompson (dean more nutritious. The same could be said for how we nourish our souls of Philadelphia\u2019s Studio Incamminati); Jordan Sokol and Amaya Gurpide with art. (co-directors of the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts, Connecticut); Jeffrey T. Larson and Brock Larson (co-founders of the Great Lakes Academy of A good example of a GCA alumnus with a distinctive vision is Anthony Fine Art, Minnesota); Glenn Vilppu (founder of the Vilppu Academy, Cali- Baus, whose mastery of composition, perspective, and anatomy \u2014 among fornia); and Steven Assael (senior critic at the New York Academy of Art). other technical challenges \u2014 is undeniable. This is complemented by his play- Outside the U.S. \u2014 yet enormously impactful here\u2014are Daniel Graves (the ful vision that riffs on the Italian Baroque, creating capriccios with intriguing American-born founder of Italy\u2019s Florence Academy of Art); Norway\u2019s narratives and a cast of imagined characters (primarily set in New York or Odd Nerdrum (founder of the narrative-\ufb01gurative \u201cKitsch\u201d movement); Chicago) that awaken our imagination. and Spain\u2019s Antonio L\u00f3pez Garc\u00eda, whom the late critic Robert Hughes considered \u201cthe greatest realist artist alive.\u201d Similarly, GCA alumnus Justin Wood has taken the traditional genre of still life and played it forward in his own way. His scenes sustain the legacy Of these pillars, I am most familiar with artists in\ufb02uenced by Jacob of Dutch Golden Age art yet are easily recognizable as his, not only through Collins, whose Grand Central Atelier (GCA) sustains the traditions devel- the paint handling but also his compositions and their intimations. oped from the Renaissance right up until the advent of impressionism. Their works are recognizable for an ability to render form with a concep- Flower paintings by Katie Whipple are unmatched in technical execu- tual understanding of how light interacts with the subject, be it a still life, tion and inventiveness: she paints one \ufb02ower per day, creating arrangements \ufb01gure, interior, or landscape. that can exist only in her art. Patrick Byrnes, a GCA alumnus now based in Paris, paints beautifully sensitive alla prima portraits that are instantly recog- GCA artists draw and paint from life. I \ufb01nd this practice especially nizable for their deft rendering and graphically powerful design. A younger appealing today as it offers a welcome respite from the digital imagery graduate showing great promise is Rachel Li, now teaching at GCA; her \ufb01g- with which we are bombarded every day. It\u2019s the difference between ure paintings and tronie-like portraits re\ufb02ect both technical mastery and an intriguing depth of character. 076 JANUARY\/FEBRUARY 2023 FINEARTCONNOISSEUR\u00b7COM","RACHEL LI (b. 1995), The Silk Wrap, 2022, oil on panel, 24 x 18 in., permanent collection of the New Salem Museum & Academy of Fine Art (Massachusetts) Looking beyond America\u2019s many institutional ateliers, there are centers of excellence and in\ufb02uence wherever a master artist or two is willing to teach. In Taos, New Mexico, for example, are David A. Leffel and Sherrie McGraw, a married couple who brought to the Southwest the virtuosity in painting and drawing they long demonstrated at the Art Students League of New York. The light effects in their paintings are wonderfully inviting, making visible their reverence for nature and the mysteries of life. OPEN-ENDED NARRATIVES As it matures, our \ufb01eld has become less focused on describing what we actually see with our eyes, or telling a speci\ufb01c story. Hyeseung Song, an alumna of Water Street Atelier (GCA\u2019s precursor), paints large \ufb01gurative oils re\ufb02ecting a curious engagement with the real world, myth, and imagi- nation. Achieving a beautiful balance between realism, naturalism, and a fantastical world that is still somehow palpable, Song uses looser brush- work that is fully integrated with her \ufb01gures\u2019 three-dimensionality. Among other artists breaking ground in this mode is Colorado\u2019s Zoey Frank, whose large multi-\ufb01gure paintings have become almost \ufb01lmic by showing the passing of time and changes in space within a multi-dimen- sional universe. In the past two years, she has mounted two sold-out solo shows at New York\u2019s Sugarlift. This gallery also represents the proli\ufb01c Nicolas V. Sanchez, who recently exhibited there paintings of Mexican folkloric dancers evoking his own heritage. His work spans oil, charcoal, watercolor, and ink, ranging from very small sketchbooks to larger-than- life \ufb01gure paintings. Yana Beylinson\u2019s recent solo exhibition at Denver\u2019s Abend Gallery, titled Synesthesia, mesmerized visitors through bold color- ing, abstract patterns, and shapes intertwined with human \ufb01gures \u2014 all giving a sense of the connection between nature and the divine. Staying with decorative patterning, Yuka Imata \u2014 whose mentor was the late por- traitist Ronald Sherr \u2014 recently exhibited dreamy \ufb01gure drawings with monotone foliage backgrounds at the Salmagundi. Another artist whose works are readily recognizable for their per- spective, atmosphere, value struc- ture, and color harmony is Edmond (\u201cEddie\u201d) Rochat. He has painted many interior scenes with \ufb01gures and is now working on a larger scale that will be exciting to see. Rochat is an instructor at Connecticut\u2019s Lyme Academy of Fine Arts, invited there by co-directors Jordan Sokol and Amaya Gurpide, whose own portraits and \ufb01gure drawings and paintings are extraordinarily sensitive. Com- parably sensitive and honest are the beautiful \ufb01gure and portrait paint- ings of Julio Reyes, represented by New York City\u2019s Arcadia Contem- porary, whose \ufb01gures seem to reveal their inner world to the viewer. Some of the \ufb01eld\u2019s leading art- ists have taken up the challenge of JUSTIN WOOD (b. 1982), Pears, 2022, oil on canvas on board, 14 x 18 in., available through the artist FINEARTCONNOISSEUR\u00b7COM JANUARY\/FEBRUARY 2023 077","multi-\ufb01gure narrative paintings. Inspired by Mannerist and Baroque art, ZOEY FRANK (b. 1987), Wedding, 2018, oil on linen on panel, 96 x 140 in., private collection the paintings of Adam Miller are monumental in scope, scale, and mastery. Likewise, in her series of homages to historical women artists, Gabriela SKILLING UP Gonzalez Dellosso does not shy away from ambitious compositions, con- These are only a few of the many active artists I could single out for praise. necting viewers with history in a highly personal way that allows us to Just as it took them years to become masters, it also takes time for art lovers contemplate the signi\ufb01cance of the events depicted. For example, she to fully appreciate the depth of these contemporary realists without labeling was inspired to paint The Burning of Ad\u00e9la\u00efde Labille Guiard\u2019s Masterpiece them \u201cold-fashioned,\u201d \u201cacademic,\u201d or even \u201cphotographic\u201d just because their after recognizing her forerunner\u2019s painting at the Met and imagining how work looks so realistic. devastated she must have felt after revolutionaries burned a painting on which she had worked for more than two years. Looking at Dellosso\u2019s Last May I was inspired by my preview visit to the New Salem scene, we discover how the French Revolution was not really about estab- Museum & Academy of Fine Art (NSMA) in Massachusetts. [Watch for a lishing \u00e9galit\u00e9; had it been so, this woman\u2019s masterpiece would have been feature article on it in\u00a0Fine Art Connoisseur\u00a0as soon as it\u2019s ready to open.] praised rather than destroyed. NSMA will be not only a museum, but a dynamic place that encourages artists, collectors, dealers, and curators to learn from one another. It\u2019s Other top artists who pursue narrative or allegorical paintings with also where the public will see works by living realists that are otherwise multiple \ufb01gures include Bo Bartlett, who reminds me of Norman Rock- inaccessible in private collections. NSMA\u2019s collection, architecture, and well\u2019s knack for capturing the spirit of family and America, and the color- installation all exude a genuine love for beautiful, authentic art. Direc- theory expert Graydon Parrish, who brought a historical sensibility to his tor Michael Klein explains, \u201cFor me as an artist, the idea, composition, monumentally scaled allegory of September 11, 2001, Cycle of Terror and and color harmony of a painting stop at the frame, but for Laura Barletta Tragedy. Parrish\u2019s contemporary Patricia Watwood combines allegorical [owner and NSMA\u2019s curator], the collection catalyzed the museum\u2019s and classical themes (such as Pandora\u2019s Box) with her own insights on perfectly customized interior design. We look forward to showing our contemporary life. visitors how art and architecture can complement each other.\u201d Skillfully integrating his family members and friends into Western land- Developing our eye and appreciation for great contemporary realist scapes is the California master Jeremy Lipking, who captures the vibrancy art can enrich our lives. We glimpsed this during the pandemic, when many of sunlight in a manner reminiscent of Sargent and Zorn. He is particularly people, myself included, began taking online art classes. Despite its empha- admired for striking a harmonious balance between sharp rendering of form sis on creating art directly from life, even GCA launched online classes and looser, less de\ufb01ned passages of paint. A different kind of talent is Molly for part-time students. The number of subscribers to New Masters Acad- Judd, who reveals the in\ufb02uence of her training with Odd Nerdrum through a emy, an online initiative founded by draftsman-sculptor Joshua Jacobo limited palette and the capacity to convey a sense of pathos in human frailty, all while developing her own aesthetic vision beautifully. 078 JANUARY\/FEBRUARY 2023 FINEARTCONNOISSEUR\u00b7COM","FINEARTCONNOISSEUR\u00b7COM JANUARY\/FEBRUARY 2023 GABRIELA GONZALEZ DELLOSSO (b. 1968), The Burning of Ad\u00e9la\u00efde Labille Guiard\u2019s Masterpiece, 2015, oil on linen, 70 x 105 in., Butler Institute of American Art (Youngstown, Ohio) with his sculptor wife, Johanna Schweiger, grew signi\ufb01cantly, as it did for Domestika (co-founded by Julio G. Cotorruelo and Tomy Pelluz), and Painttube.tv, founded by Streamline Publishing\u2019s Eric Rhoads. Beyond these larger platforms, countless indi- vidual artists started teaching online or expand- ing their offerings; key examples include Stephen Bauman Artwork and Devin Cecil-Wishing. One long-term outcome of this boom may well be more amateurs-turned-collectors developing better taste through better-trained eyes: instead of choosing what to buy based on gut instinct, they are better equipped to recognize the technical excellence of a speci\ufb01c artwork, and more than likely its narrative or allegorical meanings. The up-skilling trend has been sustained through publishing as well. Novices, indeed anyone, can bene\ufb01t from Juliette Aristides\u2019s instructional JULIO REYES (b. 1982), Above and Below, 2021, egg tempera on panel, 12 x 13 1\/2 in., Arcadia Contemporary (New York City) 079","sketchbooks \u2014 especially Beginning Drawing Atelier and Figure Drawing Atelier \u2014 and from Patricia Wat- wood\u2019s brand-new book The Path of Drawing: Lessons for Everyday Creativity and Mindfulness. The boom in competitions has also advanced the \ufb01eld. Led by member and conservator Alexander Katlan, the Salmagundi has increased the number of page already offered by such peers as the Art Renewal Center, Portrait Society of America, National Sculp- ture Society, Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club, and Bennett Prize (see page 93). Another worth following is the up-and-coming NTD International Figure Paint- ing Competition, a Chinese-American initiative that promotes \u201cbeauty, goodness, and authenticity in tradi- tional painting.\u201d Look, too, for the Almenara Art Prize and the Donald Jurney Travel Fellowship. Gazing toward the future, the School of Atel- ier Arts, headed by artist-educator Amanda Theis and partnered with the Florence Academy of Art, is a newly accredited, reduced-residency Master\u2019s pro- gram designed explicitly for classroom art teachers. These individuals will now be well prepared to teach youngsters how to make art more competently \u2014 and thus with greater joy and creativity. This initiative\u2019s overall goal is to help reverse the down-skilling trend we have seen in school and collegiate art education since World War II. Perhaps this last program is the most encourag- ing of all because it is the young who will ultimately shape (or reshape) everything, in every walk of life. All of the relatively recent progress outlined above makes me hopeful that the next generation will move realist art forward in fascinating ways. I cannot wait to see what happens next. Some galleries to watch: abendgallery.com, arcadia contemporary.com, collinsgalleries.com, evokecontemporary. com, franklinbowlesgallery.com, galleryhennoch.com, gpgallery.com, grenninggallery.com, meyergalleries.com, rehs.com, rjdgallery.com, robertsimon.com, salmagundi.org, sugarlift.com, sloanemerrillgallery.com Some podcasts to enjoy: artgrindpodcast.com, johndalton. me, suggesteddonationpodcast.com, thesculptorsfuneral.com, The Unvarnished Podcast with Ryan S. Brown MIL\u00c8NE J. FERN\u00c1NDEZ is an arts writer, editor, and \u201cSunday painter.\u201d A former staff member of The Epoch Times, she has contributed to Canvas (the New Masters Academy\u2019s online magazine), edited the third edition of Glenn Vilppu\u2019s Drawing Manual, and written a foreword for artist Thomas Kegler\u2019s book, The Spirit and the Brush. She is working on her \ufb01rst book. MICHAEL KLEIN (b. 1980), With Nature, 2020, oil on panel, 72 x 35 in., permanent collection of the New Salem Museum & Academy of Fine Art (Massachusetts) 080 JANUARY\/FEBRUARY 2023 FINEARTCONNOISSEUR\u00b7COM","BY KELLY COMPTON HISTORIC MASTERS MARRI\ue323D \ue328O AR\ue328 Home to the most comprehensive collection of Pre- Soon William became much admired for his shimmering, brilliantly Raphaelite art outside the United Kingdom, Wilming- colored lusterware ceramics. His fascination with the process of \ufb01ring ton\u2019s Delaware Art Museum (\u201cDelArt\u201d) is the ideal insti- led to the recreation of long-forgotten luster techniques from the 11th tution to launch the U.S. tour of an important exhibition, and 12th centuries, and the designs re\ufb02ect his cosmopolitan absorption A Marriage of Arts and Crafts: Evelyn & William De of sources ranging from medieval Europe and the Italian Renaissance Morgan. On view there through February 19, this is the \ufb01rst retrospec- to the ancient Middle East. Indeed, William regularly visited the British tive anywhere focused on the art created by Evelyn Pickering De Morgan Museum and what is now the Victoria and Albert Museum, studying (1855\u20131919) and her husband, William Frend De Morgan (1839\u20131917). Islamic artisans\u2019 use of \ufb02at pattern and symmetry while imagining his Five years in the making, it features more than 75 paintings, own menagerie of fantastical creatures. drawings, and decorative artworks drawn from the col- William\u2019s output was incorporated into important lection of the De Morgan Foundation in the U.K. residential and institutional decors throughout the The project has been co-organized by Sarah English-speaking world, yet his business model Hardy, curator of the De Morgan Museum, was \ufb02awed because he clung to the Arts & and Margaretta Frederick, DelArt\u2019s Crafts ideal of handcraftsmanship, which curator emerita. is slow and expensive. Ultimately com- pelled to close the pottery, he shifted William was already 15 when to literature and was amazed when Evelyn was born, so it makes his \ufb01rst novel, Joseph Vance (1906), sense to begin their story with became a bestseller in both the U.K. him. He was born in London and U.S. DelArt\u2019s exhibition sheds to accomplished parents: his light on this last phase of his mother was a writer, activ- career through books and archi- ist, and leader of the spir- val materials loaned by the Mark itualist movement, while his Samuels Lasner Collection at the father taught mathematics at University of Delaware Library. University College. William shared his father\u2019s facility AGAINST ALL ODDS with numbers, but in 1859 he Evelyn\u2019s story is completely dif- decided to enroll at the Royal ferent. She was born to an aristo- Academy Schools, where he cratic London family who simply met many members of the Pre- Raphaelite circle. Inspired by WILLIAM DE MORGAN (1839\u20131917), Bear his acquaintance with the Arts & Crafts pioneer William Morris, he and Hare Dish, c. 1890, tin-glazed earthenware, started a pottery, drawing upon his own mathematical and scienti\ufb01c knowl- 19 1\/4 x 19 1\/4 x 3 15\/16 in. edge to experiment with ceramic tiles, pots, and plates, and also with stained glass. FINEARTCONNOISSEUR\u00b7COM JANUARY\/FEBRUARY 2023 081","WILLIAM DE MORGAN (1839\u20131917), Fish and Net Vase, 1882\u201388, copper luster glazed earthenware ceramic vase, 10 3\/4 in. high, 8 in. diameter EVELYN DE MORGAN (1855\u20131919), Earthbound, 1897, oil on canvas, 34 1\/2 x 46 1\/2 in. EVELYN DE MORGAN (1855\u20131919), Flora, 1894, oil on canvas, 78 1\/3 x 34 1\/2 in. 082 JANUARY\/FEBRUARY 2023 FINEARTCONNOISSEUR\u00b7COM","EVELYN DE MORGAN (1855\u20131919), The Angel of Death I, 1880, oil on canvas, 44 1\/2 x 36 1\/2 in. FINEARTCONNOISSEUR\u00b7COM JANUARY\/FEBRUARY 2023 083","(LEFT) The exhibition\u2019s opening wall; photo: Carson Zullinger (BELOW LEFT) Evelyn\u2019s and William\u2019s artworks are mixed together in the exhibition; photo: Carson Zullinger\u00a0 expected her to marry well. At \ufb01rst, they encouraged her artistic incli- on spiritualism, paci\ufb01sm, and the drive for women\u2019s suf- nations, but eventually she had to hide her supplies because her dedi- frage \u2014 all themes re\ufb02ected in Evelyn\u2019s paintings. cation to art was getting in the way of landing a husband. Thanks to mentorship and tutoring by her supportive uncle, the Pre-Raphaelite Living into the late 1910s, Evelyn and William saw their painter John Roddam Spencer Stanhope (1829\u20131908), Evelyn stuck to art fall from fashion, and their names were forgotten soon her guns and in 1873 was admitted to London\u2019s newly opened Slade after their deaths. This is due partly to William\u2019s production School of Art, one of the few places where British women could under- of decorative art, which is often unfairly regarded as inferior take serious training. Evelyn\u2019s wealth and privilege allowed her to to \ufb01ne art, and to Evelyn\u2019s being dismissed as a disciple of the enhance this education by studying historical masterworks in conti- famous Pre-Raphaelite Edward Burne-Jones. Now, DelArt is nental Europe, particularly in Florence, where her uncle had resettled. \u201cdelighted to introduce audiences to a pair of nineteenth-cen- Evident in most of her art is the powerful in\ufb02uence of the early Italian tury artists who intentionally integrated their artistic prac- Renaissance, especially Sandro Botticelli\u2019s linearity. tices with their social and political commitments,\u201d says\u00a0Sophie Lynford, the museum\u2019s recently appointed\u00a0Annette Woolard- Evelyn began her exhibiting career in 1876, when she was just Provine Curator of the Bancroft Collection. 21. Her success was assured the following year when she became one of only two women invited to participate in the inaugural exhibition SEEING MORE of London\u2019s trendy Grosvenor Gallery. Her large, jewel-toned Pre- In America, De Morgan fans can \ufb01nd their artworks scattered at institu- Raphaelite paintings offer a unique blend of Renaissance technique tions such as the Art Institute of Chicago, DelArt, Huntington Library, and symbolism that subtly points to modern issues such as the Vic- and Santa Barbara Museum of Art. But the world\u2019s leading repository is torians\u2019 relentless pursuit of wealth and the waging of unnecessary theDeMorganCollection,formedbyEvelyn\u2019syoungersister,Wilhelmina, imperial wars. and her husband, Charles Stirling. They began their journey when William gave them two plates as a wedding present in 1901, and by the In 1887, William and Evelyn married quietly in a London registry time Wilhelmina died in 1965 she owned approximately 2,000 works \u2014 office. Both were well established in their careers, and she was already most of which no one else wanted. 32, unusually old for a \ufb01rst marriage at that time. In this and other ways, their marriage went against the grain \u2014 it was a working partnership Over the past quarter century, it has been a joy to witness the through which Evelyn became the main breadwinner. The De Mor- resurgence of interest in this material, and we should remember gans became what we now call a power couple, friendly with everyone that the De Morgans are not the only artists of their generation who in the Pre-Raphaelite, Aesthetic, and Arts & Crafts scenes. They were haven\u2019t gotten their due. Also on view at DelArt (though only through also active in networks outside the art world, focusing particularly February 5) is the exhibition Forgotten Pre-Raphaelites, which presents more than 40 works from the museum\u2019s rich collection, all created by lesser-known artists and most off public view for many years. Curator Sophie Lynford has been careful to include fascinating works by sev- eral women artists, as well as art made by American followers of the Pre-Raphaelite movement. Though the De Morgan show is halfway through its run in Wilm- ington, there is much more ahead. On its closing day (February 19), Margaretta Frederick will present a free lecture and sign copies of the accompanying 176-page publication she has edited for Yale Univer- sity Press. (Devotees should also shop online for another relevant new volume, Victorian Secrets: The Poems of Evelyn Pickering De Morgan, edited by the British scholar Serena Trowbridge.) A Marriage of Arts and Crafts will move next to the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento for a run there (September 17, 2023\u2013January 7, 2024). It has also set the stage for another major Pre-Raphaelite exhibi- tion coming to DelArt this autumn. Organized in partnership with\u00a0Tate Britain (London), The Rossettis will explore the art made by three remark- able Rossetti siblings (Dante Gabriel, Christina, and William Michael), as well as by Dante\u2019s short-lived wife, Elizabeth Siddal. DelArt director Molly Giordano is rightly excited by the rollout of all these groundbreaking projects. She notes, \u201cWe\u2019re calling this The Year of Pre-Raphaelites, and we can\u2019t wait to share the master- pieces, exhibitions, and programs celebrating this rich period of art history.\u201d Information: delart.org, demorgan.org.uk, crockerart.org, victoriansecrets. co.uk. All images \u00a9 De Morgan Collection, courtesy of the De Morgan Founda- tion KELLY COMPTON is a contributing writer to Fine Art Connoisseur. 084 JANUARY\/FEBRUARY 2023 FINEARTCONNOISSEUR\u00b7COM","DIGITAL CONTENT \ue323V\ue323\ue326YN D\ue323MORGAN EVELYN DE MORGAN (1855\u20131919), Love\u2019s Passing, 1883\u201384, oil on canvas, 28 1\/4 x 43 1\/4 in. EVELYN DE MORGAN (1855\u20131919), The Gilded Cage, 1901\u201302, oil on canvas, 35 7\/8 x 42 7\/8 in. FINEARTCONNOISSEUR\u00b7COM JANUARY\/FEBRUARY 2023","DIGITAL CONTENT (ABOVE) EVELYN DE MORGAN (1855\u20131919), Helen of Troy, 1898, oil on canvas, 48 7\/8 x 29 in. (TOP RIGHT) EVELYN DE MORGAN (1855\u20131919), The Love Potion, 1903, oil on canvas, 41 x 20 1\/2 in. (RIGHT) EVELYN DE MORGAN (1855\u20131919), The Red Cross, 1914\u201316, oil on canvas, 33 1\/2 x 23 1\/2 in. JANUARY\/FEBRUARY 2023 FINEARTCONNOISSEUR\u00b7COM","DIGITAL CONTENT WILLIAM D\ue323 MORGAN WILLIAM DE MORGAN (1839\u20131917), Running Antelope Plate, c. 1890, copper and silver luster glazed earthenware, 14 1\/16 x 14 1\/16 x 1 5\/16 in. WILLIAM DE MORGAN (1839\u20131917), Seahorse\u00a0Tile Panel, c. 1880, tin-glazed earthenware tiles set in wooden panel, 25 3\/16 x 9 1\/4 x 1 15\/16 in. FINEARTCONNOISSEUR\u00b7COM JANUARY\/FEBRUARY 2023","DIGITAL CONTENT WILLIAM DE MORGAN (1839\u20131917), Two Handled Persian Vase, c. 1890, tin-glazed earthenware, 13 1\/2 x 16 3\/4 x 16 3\/4 in. JANUARY\/FEBRUARY 2023 FINEARTCONNOISSEUR\u00b7COM","BY CHERIEDAWN HAAS DESTINATION ART IN O\ue326D AN\ue328W\ue323RP, SOM\ue323\ue328HING N\ue323W \ue326 ast September, the eager citizens of Antwerp, Belgium, saw the doors of their largest art museum swing open for the \ufb01rst time in 11 years. Pause to consider that some of this great port city\u2019s adolescent residents are now exploring one of its cultural landmarks for the \ufb01rst time in their lives. In fact, the Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen (KMSKA, or Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp) will feel new even to those who once knew it well. Dikkie Scipio of the \ufb01rm KAAN Architecten led the $105 million renovation of the 1890 structure, which included converting its historic courtyards into indoor galleries, a strategy that has added 40 percent more exhibition space. That growth is especially critical because, with 8,400 pieces, KMSKA holds the largest art collection in Flanders, the northern region of Belgium. Among them are 650 works cited on the Flemish government\u2019s official Masterpiece List; 200 of these were carefully conserved while the museum was closed. The result provides nothing short of a stunning expe- rience. After strolling through the redesigned grounds and admiring a fountain by Spanish artist Cristina Iglesias (b. 1956), visitors are awed upon entering the magni\ufb01cent Keyzerzaal, lined with enormous historical paintings. Now it\u2019s time to decide which section to explore \ufb01rst, the Old Mas- ters or the modernists, though selected examples of each have been mixed judiciously into the other half. Connecting the two sections is the unrivaled collection of works by James Ensor (1860\u20131949), the savagely satirical Flemish painter whom KMSKA considers a \u201cgame-changer\u201d for bridging older narrative styles with the newer, expressionistic approaches he considered more truthful. Throughout the reimagined museum, 10 surprising installations have been added to encourage everyone \u2014 espe- cially youngsters \u2014 to look closer. In one instance, you\u2019ll gaze up to see a giant nose protruding from the wall, then study Ensor\u2019s artworks below to discover the correlation. In (TOP) KMSKA\u2019s main fa\u00e7ade at dusk, with two sculpted chariots atop it (Triumph of the Fine Arts); photo: Karin Borghouts (RIGHT) KAAN Architecten\u2019s rendering of how it inserted new gallery spaces within the shell of KMSKA\u2019s 1890 building FINEARTCONNOISSEUR\u00b7COM JANUARY\/FEBRUARY 2023 085","another, a giant red sculpture of a craggy mountain confronts the hilly landscape paintings hanging nearby. As you enter the museum, you can pick up a guide that helps you pursue fun, creative \u201cassign- ments\u201d related to each of these 10 interventions. The modern section includes international stars such as Amedeo Modigliani and Salvador Dal\u00ed, as well as Belgian ones like Ren\u00e9 Magritte and Rik Wouters. Readers of Fine Art Connoisseur are likely to prefer the Old Master rooms, which include such showstoppers as Jan van Eyck\u2019s St. Bar- bara, Pieter Breughel the Younger\u2019s Calvary, Jean Fouquet\u2019s Madonna Surrounded by Seraphim and Cherubim, Titian\u2019s Jacopo Pesaro Being Presented by Pope Alexander VI to St. Peter, and Anthony van Dyck\u2019s Lamentation of Christ. (RIGHT) One wall of the magnificent Keyzerzaal (King\u2019s Hall) that welcomes visitors to KMSKA; photo: Karin Borghouts (BELOW) Paintings by James Ensor (1860\u20131949) and his contemporaries hang in one of the new galleries; photo: Karin Borghouts 086 JANUARY\/FEBRUARY 2023 FINEARTCONNOISSEUR\u00b7COM","FINEARTCONNOISSEUR\u00b7COM JANUARY\/FEBRUARY 2023 (ABOVE) A craggy \u201cmountain\u201d has been installed in a gallery displaying Old Master landscape paintings as part of \u201cThe Ten\u201d installation initiative. Photo: Karin Borghouts (LEFT) JEAN FOUQUET (c. 1420\u20131481), Madonna Surrounded by Seraphim and Cherubim, c. 1450, oil on panel, 36 1\/4 x 32 3\/4 in. Displays full of unexpected insights can be found here, too. For example, alongside the trip- tych God the Father with Singing and Music-Making Angels painted by the Flemish \u201cPrimitive\u201d Hans Memling (1430\u20131494) hangs a display of musical instruments similar to those in his altarpiece. Listen and you\u2019ll hear comparable instruments being played, ever so softly. Experiences like this make it likely you\u2019ll feel a new level of connection with the artist, the story, and the importance of art generally. This is not the only room that incorporates sound. Halfway through your visit, enter what feels like another world, so immersive some might forget where they are. In this open space, details of masterworks are projected onto high walls, with movements subtly added. Inviting your eyes to gaze along with the muted sounds, it\u2019s a welcome break that might just alleviate what some call \u201cmuseum fatigue.\u201d After leaving Antwerp, I learned that Sadie Valeri, a California artist I\u2019ve long admired, visited KMSKA just a few days after I did. \u201cThe museum is beautiful, and it was de\ufb01nitely special to walk into such an imposing place that also feels fresh and wel- coming,\u201d she told me. \u201cI particularly loved the wall colors they chose. Artworks should not be presented as specimens; they should be held in a warm, wel- coming environment so you can feel embraced by the entire experience.\u201d 087","Artist Sadie Valeri admires Peter Paul Rubens\u2019s massive ABOVE & BELOW YOU Madonna Enthroned with Child and Saints (c. 1628). Inside KMSKA, visitors should look up at the ceilings to admire another innovation. When the building opened in 1890, only daylight illuminated the artworks; when electricity was introduced later, vis- iting hours could be extended. Now the design team has installed 198 \u201cstargazer\u201d skylights that shed a steady northern light that makes every artwork look its best. (There is still electric lighting, of course.) On view through next September is the exhibition The Making Of, which traces this and other intriguing aspects of the building\u2019s renova- tion through photographs taken by Karin Borghouts. Atop the museum\u2019s main fa\u00e7ade stand two massive horse-drawn chariot sculptures titled Triumph of the Fine Arts. Each of the female charioteers holds a laurel wreath aloft, an elegant nod to classical antiquity and a gesture of welcome to everyone gazing up as they approach the main entrance. Meanwhile, beneath the museum lie the ruins of the fortress of the Grand Duke of Alba (1507\u20131582), whom the Spanish king dispatched to crush a popular uprising in what is now Belgium and the Netherlands. \u201cIt is bizarre that the museum is standing on the ruins of a citadel built to subjugate Antwerp,\u201d says architect Dikkie Scipio. \u201cIn 1874 the city tore down the citadel, which was not a monument anyone wanted to cherish. It\u2019s insane to think that a temple to art has risen in a place of so much oppression and combat \u2014 so much history stacked on top of history.\u201d Looking down upon the city, we can see that when the citadel and its neighborhood were demolished, Antwerpers made a fresh start of things by placing KMSKA there, even rerouting nearby streets so they led straight to it. This layout is a telling symbol of how signi\ufb01cant \ufb01ne art is to the city and its people. RUBENS, OF COURSE Another source of pride is that this area was home to the Baroque mas- ter Peter Paul Rubens (1577\u20131640), whose subjects encompassed the mythological, biblical, and historical. KMSKA\u2019s collection boasts 27 of his paintings and some 600 engravings. Many of them have undergone conservation treatments, which now occur in the museum\u2019s freshly upgraded laboratory. Through a newly installed window, visitors can watch experts at work and are impressed by all the scienti\ufb01c equip- ment \u2014 a fascinating opportunity that brings us closer to the technical processes of preserving art. Adoration of the Magi and The Prodigal Son are just two of the Rubens masterpieces the museum highlights due to their virtuosity and historical signi\ufb01cance. Sadie Valeri recalls, \u201cEntering the enor- mous Rubens gallery and being surrounded by these towering works of art \ufb01lled me with the very reason I travel: to be rendered speechless by sheer beauty and awe.\u201d Hans Memling\u2019s huge triptych God the Father with Singing and Music- Making Angels (left) is complemented by musical instruments (right) and an interpretive touchscreen (foreground). 088 JANUARY\/FEBRUARY 2023 FINEARTCONNOISSEUR\u00b7COM","(LEFT) A room inside the Rubens House before it closed for renovation; photo: CherieDawn Haas (BELOW LEFT) Jan and Hubert Van Eyck\u2019s Adoration of the Mystic Lamb (\u201cThe Ghent Altarpiece,\u201d c. 1425\u2013 32) inspires hushed awe among visitors to St. Bavo\u2019s Cathedral in Ghent. Photo: CherieDawn Haas Not far from KMSKA is the Rubens House, which will be well celebrates global connections, and also the worth a visit once it reopens in 2027. Another renovation, you ask? sculpture park called Middelheim Museum. Yes, Antwerp is a \u201cliving city\u201d always evolving while honoring its past. To learn more, download the Antwerp Thus the Rubens House is undergoing an extension and restoration Museums app. to \u201crelieve pressure\u201d from the more than 200,000 visitors it welcomes annually. These updates will include improved climate controls and Looking beyond Antwerp, take advan- better accessibility for mobility-impaired visitors. tage of the art in nearby cities. Ghent (Gent to the Flemish) is a short train ride away. It Rubens bought this property in 1610, making it into his dream boasts several masterworks worth visiting, home, adding a semicircular gallery to display sculpture, a studio where including the famous Adoration of the Mystic he and his assistants worked, a massive portico, and a sprawling garden Lamb by the Van Eyck brothers, also known pavilion. The latter will feature prominently in the redesign and will as the Ghent Altarpiece. While admiring it have 8,835 plants offering a colorful \u201cBaroque garden for all seasons.\u201d at St. Bavo\u2019s (Sint-Baafs) Cathedral, take the virtual reality tour, which guides you Until the Rubens House is ready, you can experience the master\u2019s cre- through not only the catacombs below but ativity at cathedrals nearby. In some ways, this is just as satisfying, as these also through the history of this painting, are the sacred settings for which the paintings were originally intended. which is quite tumultuous. Viewing the In the beautiful Cathedral of Our Lady, you can stand close to The Descent work is likely to be a spiritual experience from the Cross, Assumption of the Virgin Mary, Elevation of the Cross, and regardless of your faith; there\u2019s a hush in the Resurrection of Christ. Then stroll to St. Paul\u2019s to see another biblical scene church, thanks to a doorkeeper who gently painted by Rubens, part of the \u201c15 Mysteries\u201d group of works that trace shushes arriving visitors, and though the joyous and sorrowful moments in the lives of Jesus and Mary. \u201cAlthough room itself is dark, the Mystic Lamb seems I had seen photos of the paintings inside the Cathedral of Our Lady and to glow from within. thought I was prepared,\u201d Valeri recalls, \u201cseeing these enormous works in person was simply overwhelming.\u201d I couldn\u2019t agree more. While in Ghent, take a 10-minute tram ride to visit the Museum voor Schone IN ADDITION Kunsten (MSK), now celebrating its 225th Once you\u2019ve enjoyed a shot of \ufb01ne art, you\u2019ll \ufb01nd in Antwerp a wide anniversary with special \u201ctrail guides\u201d through the permanent collec- array of superb Belgian beers, chocolates, and cuisine. It\u2019s also known tion. (This milestone is another reminder of the region\u2019s long history; as an international diamond center and a mecca for cutting-edge fash- to put things in context, New York City was still on its way to becoming ion. If you visit with youngsters, be sure to see the zoo, one of the oldest America\u2019s largest city 225 years ago.) in Europe. It\u2019s next door to the central train station, truly worth a peek Also in Belgium is the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Brussels (capi- inside for its soaring architecture, which rivals that of many cathedrals. tal of the European Union), and Bruges\u2019s Groeningemuseum, renowned for its art from the 1400s. (For those who save their back issues of Fine For more \ufb01ne art, Antwerp also has the Museum aan de Stroom, Art Connoisseur, see Peter Trippi\u2019s April 2019 article about Bruges.) Of a 10-story structure overlooking the busy harbor that creatively course, these are just a few of the country\u2019s many museums and galleries. LOOKING AGAIN Someone once told me it\u2019s difficult to get people to return to a museum because it\u2019s always the same. My reply was that, since the last time you visited, the paintings haven\u2019t changed, but you have. One of my tour guides in Belgium posed a simple question as we studied a Rubens painting: \u201cWho would you be in this narrative scene?\u201d That query stayed with me throughout my Belgian adventure as I admired hun- dreds of works that re\ufb02ect who we were, and who we are now. Having gone dark for 11 years, KMSKA now welcomes us all back to ponder this question, and many more. Information: Details about KMSKA, including its collections database, are at kmska.be. For tourism information, see visit\ufb02anders.com, visitantwerpen.be, and visit.gent.be. When you arrive in Antwerp, buy a CityCard for free public transpor- tation, free entry to many museums, and other discounts. The author thanks Visit Flanders and Visit Gent for providing accommodations at the Mercure Antwerp City Centre and arranging excellent meals throughout her stay. CHERIEDAWN HAAS is the editor of Fine Art Today (\ufb01neartconnoisseur.com), Realism Today (realismtoday.com), and Plein Air Today (outdoorpainter.com). She is also the author of Girl on Fire and Personi\ufb01ed (lifesoup.blog). FINEARTCONNOISSEUR\u00b7COM JANUARY\/FEBRUARY 2023 089","DIGITAL CONTENT Peter Paul Rubens's Adoration of the Magi at KMSKA A corner of the Rubens gallery; photo: Karin Borghouts JANUARY\/FEBRUARY 2023 FINEARTCONNOISSEUR\u00b7COM","DIGITAL CONTENT A dense display at KMSKA; photo: Karin Borghouts Another dense salon-style display at KMSKA; photo: Karin Borghouts One of the historic rooms at KMSKA; photo: Karin Borghouts FINEARTCONNOISSEUR\u00b7COM JANUARY\/FEBRUARY 2023","DIGITAL CONTENT One of the bronze chariots atop KMSKA: photo: Wouter Bollaerts Be sure to look up before entering the museum\u2019s main door; photo: Karin Borghouts JANUARY\/FEBRUARY 2023 FINEARTCONNOISSEUR\u00b7COM","DIGITAL CONTENT (TOP) The massive portico at the Rubens House (LEFT) Conserving a Rubens painting at KMSKA; photo: Karin Borghouts (BELOW) An Egyptian figure is one of many sculptures adorning KMSKA\u2019s fa\u00e7ade; photo: Karin Borghouts FINEARTCONNOISSEUR\u00b7COM JANUARY\/FEBRUARY 2023","EVENTS GR\ue323A\ue328 AR\ue328P R E V I E W NA\ue328IONWID\ue323 DRAWN TO EXCELLENCE NINETEENTH CENTURY FRENCH DRAWINGS Cleveland Museum of Art Cleveland clevelandart.org, gilesltd.com January 20\u2013June 11 Since its opening in 1916, one of the Cleve- EDGAR DEGAS (1834\u20131917), Before the Race, land Museum of Art\u2019s key collections has c. 1887\u201389, pastel with charcoal underdrawing on been its trove of French drawings from the tracing paper mounted on cardboard, 22 5\/8 x 25 3\/4 in., 19th century. Made by almost 50 different bequest of Leonard C. Hanna, Jr., 1958.27 artists, they range from preparatory graph- ite sketches to pastels \ufb01nished for public who were attracted by the intimacy of draw- Thanks to its deep pockets and insightful display. On view this season is a temporary ings and their unique techniques. In France curators, the Cleveland Museum of Art has exhibition of highlights, new research on and abroad, museums and individuals alike obtained outstanding examples right from which has just been published in a 200- started to actively acquire these works while its outset. Now everyone is invited to take a page catalogue produced by D Giles Limited, they were still contemporary. closer look. London. In 19th-century France, drawing evolved from a means of artistic training into an independent medium with rich potential for exploration and experimenta- tion. A variety of materials became avail- able to artists \u2014 such as commercially fab- ricated chalks, pastels, and specialty papers \u2014 encouraging talents ranging from Jean- Auguste-Dominique Ingres to Paul Cezanne to reconsider the place of drawing within their practices. A growing number of public and private exhibition venues began to fea- ture their creations, building an audience ONE GENERATION HONORS A professional and social organization for were among the club members who regularly ANOTHER representational artists and their patrons, the traveled to Europe to buy books containing Salmagundi Club of New York is housed in illustrations of uniforms and other costumes SCULPTING OUR HEROES a historic brownstone mansion facing Fifth that the club\u2019s many illustrator members Avenue in Greenwich Village. It remains one could use for reference. Salmagundi Club of New York of Manhattan\u2019s best-kept secrets, and within New York City it lies an even better-kept secret: a stunning \u201cThat was the golden age of magazine salmagundi.org library with an unparalleled collection of illustration,\u201d says Alexander Katlan, chair- February 5\u2013April 30 visual reference materials. man of the club\u2019s library committee. \u201cThe illustrators would refer to these books to"]