It seems that I have been very inconsistent with my blog in the last month. For that I apologize to my regular followers. I hope to do better in 2024. Here is a quick review of my highlights in 2023.
January to March 2023
To be continued…..
….thanks to Jez for hosting I’m a fan of……https://jezbraithwaite.blog/2023/03/20/a-ride-to-the-park-fan-of-198/
I love to browse through art galleries for a variety of reasons. It’s a great way to spend an afternoon or even just an hour or less. It informs me on what is happening in the world, the values of other cultures and the diversity of art itself. I don’t always love everything I see but I can appreciate what the artist went through to make their art. The one comment I despise from other people who think that a piece of art is unworthy to hang in a gallery is….”I could do that”. The problem is that they didn’t do that and never will.
The big art gallery in Toronto is the AGO (Art Gallery of Ontario) and I love going there but I also enjoy going to smaller galleries like the Dignam Gallery at WAAC, the Assembly Hall Gallery and all the smaller and larger galleries we visited on our trips in Europe.
The galleries below are: The Louvre in Paris – first two photos. The Musée de Beaux-Arts in Tours, France – photos 3, 4 and 5. The Museum of Contemporary Art in Tours, France – photos 6,7 and 8. The Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art in London, England – photos 9, 10 and 11. The Barbican Art Gallery in London, England – photos 12, 13 and 14. The Tate Modern in London, England – photos 15m 16 and 17. The Dignam Art Gallery at WAAC in Toronto – photos 18, 19, 20 and 21 and Neilson Park Creative Centre in Etobicoke – photos 22, 23 and 24 . The Assembly Hall Gallery in Toronto – photos 25, 26 and 27.
….thanks to Cee for hosting the Fun Foto Challenge https://ceenphotography.com/2023/01/24/cffc-legs-and-feet/
….thanks to Jez for hosting I’m a fan of….. https://jezbraithwaite.blog/2023/01/23/mallards-fan-of-192/
Denyse Thomasos was a Trinidadian-Canadian painter known for her abstract-style wall murals that conveyed themes of slavery, confinement and the story of African and Asian Diaspora. Sadly she died tragically in 2012. The first time I saw her work was at the McMichael Collection of Canadian Art, an art museum in Kleinburg, Ontario. I instantly liked her work and looked forward to seeing her show at the AGO.
The show is title: Denyse Thomasos, just beyond. It brings together more than 70 paintings and works on paper that she produced spanning the last 15 years of her short life. The first thing I noticed at this showing was the size of her canvases. They were large and some of them went from the floor to the ceiling.
…thanks to Sue W and GC for hosting the Weekly Prompts https://weeklyprompts.com/2023/01/21/weekly-prompts-weekend-challenge-bend/
Bending implies that you or something is flexible, either physically or mentally. When a person bends mentally they are able to see both sides of an opinion or argument and can ‘bend’ or change their own way of thinking. Bending physically is easier to demonstrate in photographs.
…well it’s new to me
From the AGO newsletter – Toronto June 20, 2022 – The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) has installed its first-ever public art commission, a new sculpture by acclaimed contemporary artist Brian Jungen. Renowned for his artworks made of repurposed consumer goods, Couch Monster: Sadzěʔ yaaghęhch’ill (2022) is Jungen’s first large-scale work in bronze. A poetic tribute to the plight of creatures in captivity, Jungen modeled second-hand leather furniture into the figure of a performing elephant, measuring five and a half meters long, and 4 meters tall.
Thanks to Marsha for hosting Photographing Public Art.https://alwayswrite.blog/2023/01/14/weekend-coffee-share-and-arizona-dreams/
…Leonard Cohen and art on a plate
On Sunday, my daughter, daughter-in-law and I went to the AGO. It was was wonderful to be back and visit the featured Leonard Cohen exhibition and many other parts of the art gallery. It was also nice to be able to go to the Espresso Bar in the Galleria Italia, sit down and enjoy a delicious cappuccino and share two beautifully presented tarts.
The Leonard Cohen show was very busy but it was interesting to see the different stages of his life, his family and the progression of his poetry and music career. I became a fan as he got older and loved his gravelly voice and iconic hat that he wore when performing.
….mesmorized
….I love texture in art pieces
There are two main types of texture in art: physical or actual texture that you can feel or the illusion of texture, created by lines and marks made on the canvas. The photos that I took at the AGO last week have actual textures that you can but probably shouldn’t touch.
…last Tuesday, Brendan, Sevin and I decided to go to the AGO
When I booked the tickets I knew that Tuesday would be the last day before another lockdown here in Ontario. Frankly I was quite surprised at how many people had the same idea, especially since it was a Tuesday and many people were back to work, mostly remotely, but none the less there was a bit of a line-up to get in even with timed tickets.
I really wanted to see Picasso’s Blue Period but Sevin was not really into this show so we walked through quickly. Hopefully I can go back when the lockdown is lifted.
One of my favourite areas of the AGO is the Galleria Italia with its floor to ceiling windows and beautiful wooden arched beams. I thought Sevin would enjoy this more and of course she found a seat to sit in right away. Since COVID the cafe in the galleria is closed and the tables have been removed. In its place a number of bronze sculptures are prominently displayed.
Mama Cormier 