You may remember that I mentioned here in
this post-- I'm so glad I went! I'm kicking myself for not having gone sooner, so I could have gone multiple times. If you get a chance, go.
Words fail to describe how blown away I was. The reproductions of her work in no way do it justice. It is not hyperbole to say that Beaux is on par with Sargent in terms of mastery, especially in regards to temperature changes to model form. The idea that she is not held in such high esteem today is criminal. I recommend
this book, but it's a pale shadow in comparison to the real thing.
Oddly enough, her show helped me connect more deeply with another artist whose work looks better in person:
Dan Gerhartz. Dan has made a proper study of
Sargent, Zorn, Sorolla, et al, and his work shows it to great effect. His
video demonstrations very clearly analyze some of the effects used by Beaux and the aforementioned male artists (like
halation).
Here's a few other artists whose work I've seen in person-- work I've liked before, but was enraptured by when I got to see it up close.
J.C. LeyendeckerHe used to do
tons of studies for paintings then piece together a final image.
His work is always gorgeous. I am privileged to have a small scrap of one of those studies (most of the canvases were cut up and each sketch sold piecemeal), for the second piece (the two fellers holding the flag) shown on
this blog.
That little scrap reveals the poetry of his brush work.
Bo BartlettHis reproductions are very nice, but it's hard to beat seeing his work in person. The scale is so much larger than you think. It's a different experience.
The drawings of
Egon SchieleI saw a huge exhibit of his drawings at the Met in New York, and I was hooked.
The character and patina in the works themselves add a deeper relationship to the subject than is first apparent in a reproduction. That was part of an ongoing lesson for me about the importance of surface.
Kim EnglishI cannot emphasize how much seeing
his work in person adds to the experience.
