Exploring UF's Harn Museum of Art

"Nude Woman Drying Herself" by Edgar Degas (1884-86)

The Harn Museum of Art is currently home to an exhibit featuring French modern art created between 1850 and 1950. That's a broad swath of time that allows for works in the styles of Impressionism to Surrealism. It's a treat for visitors to explore. Even better, though, is the opportunity it gives students to spend time with works by artists covered in their classes. I have to admit to being a bit jealous. 

This large scale painting greeted us as we entered the exhibit. When you consider the work, the scene is recognizable as having been created by Degas. But what's the story with the palette? Was Edgar engaging in a bit of experimentation? Nope. "Nude Woman Drying Herself" is an unfinished work. You can see the hard lines Degas drew to define the primary images. He then used paint thinned with turpentine to indicate the texture and tone of the vibrant colors to be added. Unfortunately, there wasn't an explanation as to why he didn't finish this lovely work. In any event, I enjoyed it just the way it is.

"The End of the Working Day" (detail) by Jules Breton (1886-87)

"The End of the Working Day" by Jules Breton is flat out gorgeous.This detail from the painting particularly caught my eye. Although the women are heading home from a day spent harvesting potatoes, their work is not quite done. You can feel their fatigue, but they also have a heroic quality about them. They will do what's necessary to survive, no matter how hard. 

The subject matter of "The End of the Working Day" is an example of the impact the democratic Revolution of 1848 had on artists. The Revolution was triggered in part by widespread crop failures that made the ongoing shift to an industrial economy even more difficult for agrarian workers. The wall card quoted Breton on the subject matter. He said that after the Revolution, artists showed "a deeper interest in the life of the street and the field. The tastes and the feelings of the poor were taken into account, and art conferred honors upon them formerly reserved for the gods and the great." 

To see the "The End of the Working Day" in its entirety, click here. The way Breton captured the light is remarkable.

"W.S. Davenport" by Kees van Dongen (1925)

Then there was this somewhat curious portrait of W.S. Davenport by Kees von Dongen. What the heck are the blue-green brushstrokes around Dr. Davenport's eyes (and, though harder to see in this picture, his chin)? I had to laugh when I learned that the doctor's specialty was facial reconstructive surgery. This portrait looks like he's been marked up for a surgery of his own. (Note: Despite the wit -- intended or not -- in this portrait, Dr. Davenport's work was no laughing matter. He received a knighthood in the Legion of Honor for the surgical skills he employed during World War I.)  

The insertion by von Dongen of this bit of color made a bit more sense once I learned he was a leader of the Fauvism movement. The Fauves were known for their use of vibrant, unnatural colors. French art critic Louis Vauxcelles is credited with naming the artistic movement. The story goes that Vauxcelles was at the 1905 Salon d'Automne and was struck by the inclusion of a traditional sculpture in the midst of wildly colored paintings by the likes of Matisse and Derain and von Dongen. "It's like a Donatello in the midst of fauves (wild beasts)," Vauxcelles commented to Matisse. The name stuck. All in all, von Dongen was actually quite restrained when creating this portrait. 

For more on "French Moderns: Monet to Matisse, 1850-1950," click here. I neglected to mention above that all of the works in the show are on loan from the Brooklyn Museum of Art. Kudos to the Museum for sharing its collection. 

"Trailer Park Garden" by Steven Dohanas (1951)

The Harn had a couple of other exhibits on as well, including one entitled "Florida Impressions." There were a couple of Highwaymen paintings and some Ringling-related scenes, but I preferred "Trailer Park Garden" by Stevan Dohanos. The painting captures a slice of Americana from Bradenton circa 1951. It makes me smile. 

You probably won't be surprised to learn that Dohanos was a big fan of the work of Norman Rockwell. So much so, in fact, that in his younger days he fsaticiously copied some of Rockwell's Saturday Night Post covers and sold them to friends and family. Little did he know that he would one day become friends with the artist whose work he was reproducing. I'd be interested to know if Dohanas confessed his little moneymaking enterprise to Rockwell once they'd become chums.

Like Rockwell, Dohanas became best known for his covers of the Post -- 123 in all. "Trailer Park Garden" graced the cover on February 2, 1952. But the two men didn't just work in parallel. Dohanas and Rockwell were among the founders of the Learning from the Masters: Famous Artists School. The school became the most popular art correspondence program following the end of World War II, with enrollment one year of more than 60,000 students. Wow! Each of the 12 founders of the school initially interacted directly with the students who had signed up to take his course. As the program grew in popularity, the original educators' personal involvement became impractical. Other instructors were hired, and the students began learning from books instead of from the artists. 

The Famous Artists School operated until 2016, and its archives are now owned by the Norman Rockwell Museum. For more on the School, click here. And to see more of Dohanas' work, click here. 

All in all, it was a most satisfying outing. The moral of the story of this post and my previous missive is not to overlook college art museums. For those of us in Sarasota, that includes our own Ringling College. For info on what's on display there now, click here. Perhaps I'll see you in the galleries.