Artist Date with Chagall and Romaine Brooks

Some days I need to remind myself to get out of my studio.  It is very easy for me to put my head down and fill any free moments with studio time.  I have to remember to recharge though.  Getting out and going on an "artist date" is a great way to refresh.  Sometimes I go to a museum or gallery, sometimes I wander through a garden taking photos for inspiration.  It's just a way of rejuvenating and refreshing your creativity.

Last week I went on an artist date at my local museum, the Polk Museum of Art.  There are two current exhibits that I had not seen yet.



The Art of Romaine Brooks

I had not explored her work before, so this exhibit was very exciting.  The exhibit consisted of large portraits she painted in the 1920's.  As I walked through the exhibit and read more about her story, it amazed me how avant-garde she was.  She adopted an androgynous appearance and used her art to explore how society believes women should appear and behave. Her portraits were striking even though she chose a very muted color scheme, mostly shades of black and white.









Chagall: Stories into Dreams

Obviously I have seen Chagall's work before, but I had never seen this collection.  The exhibit consisted of paintings from two series, Story of Exodus and Fables of la Fontaine.  Each series tells a moral tale from his unique perspective.  Some were immediately recognizable, others I had to read more about.  It was also interesting to see how he used lithograph prints, gouache and ink.  I really enjoyed getting up close and looking at the detail on this exhibit.







Time to plan my next Artist Date!

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