Francis Bacon "Three Studies of Lucien Freud"

Last November, Francis Bacon's triptych "Three Studies of Lucien Freud," became the most expensive painting to sell at auction, ever. The painting was purchased anonymously and about a month after the sale, the Portland Art Museum made the surprising announcement that it would have the work on view through March 30th.  Ian and I had been meaning to go see it for weeks and finally got around to it while Ian's mom was in town. Close friends, Lucien Freud and Francis Bacon are among the preeminent painters of the 20th century. "Three Studies of Lucien Freud," is typical of Bacon's work: a lone, emotionally charged, figure set on a flat and abstracted background. The figure is rendered almost grotesque with expressive brushwork and palette. It is a work that hits you immediately with its intensity, but takes a while to sink in (I'm still trying to process it). I recommend a thoughtful piece written by the museum's director of education and public programs about how to engage with "Three Studies of Lucien Freud" and other masterpieces.

Friday Art Fix

Image source.

Cy Twombly, Autumn, 1993-4. (Part of The Four Seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter)

Friday Art Fix

Paul Signac, The Papal Palace, Avignon, 1900. Image source.

Paul Signac's paintings always make me want to take a vacation and visit the beautiful locales he depicts!

Friday Art Fix

I first learned about sonic artist Mileece on the blog At Home At Home which is run by Laure Joliet who photographed Mileece at her home (a fabulously refurbished airstream trailer) for a feature in the New York Times.  Mileece creates music from the electromagnetic currents of plants (yes, really). I love how artists can come up with this stuff! Artistic creativity and ingenuity is so amazing.

Also tomorrow is Museum Day! Check here to see if your local museum is participating with free admission.

Friday Art Fix

Janet Cardiff, The Forty Part Motet, 2001

Ugh, while I'm so happy to be living on the west coast again, exhibitions like Janet Cardiff's The Forty Part Motet really make me wish I lived closer to New York. Cardiff is an installation artist working primarily with audio. Perhaps best known for audio walks her works explore continuities and discontinuities in time and space. Learn more about the project here (scroll down to listen to the excerpt).  If you happen to be in New York before December 8th, be sure to check it out for me!

Friday Art Fix

Albrecht Dürer, The Great Piece of Turf, watercolor, 1503, 16 x 12 3/8 inches

The last exhibition Ian and I saw at the National Gallery before we left DC was Albrecht Dürer: Master Drawings, Watercolors, and Prints from the Albertina. Dürer was a German artist who lived from 1471-1528 and is considered an artistic equal of Da Vinci and Michelangelo. One of my favorite works in the show was The Great Piece of Turf which you can read more about here.

Friday Art Fix

As some of you may have noticed, I've fallen off the Art Everyday wagon, but I still want to incorporate art into the blog regularly so I've decided to do a weekly Friday Art Fix. Today's art fix is a print my Molly McGrath.  Read more about her process here.