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Art Madness 2013 Final Four

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Art Madness 2013 Final Four

We’re down to the Final Four of Art Madness, our version of March Madness for Art Lovers. It’s been a strong run for the Americans in Art Madness 2013. Three of the Final Four teams are works by American artists, including Edward Hopper’s Morning Sun, which in the first round took out The Breakfast by Edgar Degas, last year’s Art Madness champion; American Impressionist Mary Cassatt’s Portrait of a Young Woman, which won handily over work by fellow Impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir and then art giant Peter Paul Rubens; and Charles Demuth’s Aucassin and Nicolette, which first beat work by German Expressionist Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, then work by Dutch Still Life artist Carstian Luyckx. German Expressionist Emile Nolde’s Sunflowers in Windstorm is the sole nonAmerican in the Final Four.

Who will be crowned the Art Madness Champion? It’s all up to you! Vote on our Facebook page by liking your favorite from the Art Madness Match of the Day, or in person in our lobby (in person votes are worth double!). The artwork with the most votes/likes by the next day will advance to the Championship Match, which will take place starting Saturday April 6, 2013 -Monday April 9, 2013. We’ll announce the winner on Tuesday April 10, 2013.

Art Madness Final Schedule
April 4, 2013
Final Four Match 1: Portrait of a Young Woman by Mary Cassatt vs. Sunflowers in the Windstorm by Emile Nolde.

April 5, 2013
Final Four Match 2: Morning Sun by Edward Hopper vs Aucassin and Nicolette by Charles Demuth

April 6, 2013-April 9, 2013
Art Madness Championship Match: tbd

Art Madness Returns

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Art Madness 2013

Art Madness is back. For the second year we’re pleased to present Art Madness, our version of March Madness for Art Lovers.

To put together our bracket, we selected some of the most beloved works of art from our collection, as well as a few lesser known gems.

It’s Old Masters versus Contemporary; Europeans versus Americans. Who will be a bracket buster? Who will come from behind and be the Cinderella of Art Madness? Who will be crowned the Art Madness Champion? It’s all up to you!

Here’s how to play along. During the run of Art Madness, we will post a new Match of the Day on our Facebook page. Vote on Facebook by liking your favorite from the Art Madness Match of the Day, or in person in our lobby (in person votes are worth double!). The artwork with the most votes/likes by the next day will advance on to the next round.

Want to predict the winners and keep track of the matches? Download the Art Madness Bracket.

SCOUTING REPORT ON THE 2013 ART MADNESS TEAMS

Hopper
Morning Sun
by Edward Hopper
This standout from our American collection is back from the Grand Palais in Paris and the blockbuster Edward Hopper retrospective, which beat even Picasso in attendance figures. Our highly requested Hopper is back home in our newly reinstalled American galleries, and is considered the number one seed in this year’s competition.		 Degas
The Breakfast
by Edgar Degas
This work by master draftsman and Impressionist Degas was the 2012 Art Madness Champion. Here Degas explores with intensity and pleasure the potential of pastel for spontaneous, sensuous expression. Will this Degas masterpiece from our renowned Sirak Collection take home the championship again?
Van Dyck
Christian Bruce, Countess of Devon
by Anthony van Dyck
This work by premier British painter Anthony van Dyck remains true to the roots of portrait painting during the time of Charles I of England. Will van Dyck’s aristocratic painting rise above the competition?		 Stamos
Ancestral
by Theodoros Stamos
Stamos was part of the Abstact Expressionist group known as the Irascibles, which included such heavy hitters as Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko, and other hard-driving artists who really made their mark on the art world. This mutable piece by Stamos is included in our big Mark Rothko exhibition, now on view.
Demuth
Aucassin and Nicolette
by Charles Demuth
This modernized idea of love by Demuth is based on a French love story and fable.  Here Demuth uses the clean lines of the smokestacks in his anthropomorphic telling of the tale. Will Demuth’s clever, modern take on love prevail?		 Kirchner
Landscape at Fehmarn with Nudes
by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner
In this sensuous painting by German Expressionist Kirchner, you get the sense that the people and nature are one. Kirchner’s work at first may seem primitive and loose, but there is a definite game plan going on here.
Luyckx
Still Life with Lobster
by Carstian Luyckx
Dutch still life painter Luyckx depicts a neverending feast for the eyes here. Just like a clever team that can adjust its game, every time you look at this still life, you seem something you didn’t see before.		 Baziotes
Woman at Window
by William Baziotes
Baziotes was also part of the Abstract Expressionist group known as the Irascibles, and this piece from our permanent collection is included in the coda to our currently on view Mark Rothko exhibition. Will Baziotes’ power riff on Picasso rule the day?
Cassatt
Portrait of a Young Woman
by Mary Cassatt
American Impressionist Cassatt was the only American ever invited to participate in the groundbreaking French Impressionist exhibitions in Paris. She represented her conference well with pieces such as this striking pastel, a nod to the techniques of her mentor Degas.		 Renoir
Christine Lerolle Embroidering
by Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Impressionist giant Renoir fuses Impressionist techniques with that of the Old Masters in this work from our renowned Sirak collection. Analysis: knows how to mix-it up in the paint.
Rubens
Christ Triumphant Over Sin and Death
by Peter Paul Rubens and Studio
Rubens is one of the most important painters of all-time and with this powerful, positive painting of a heroic Christ figure he proves why he’s one of the top seeds.		 Tolson
Adam and Eve
by Edgar Tolson.
Modern-day folk artist Tolson remains true to the craft with this depiction of Adam and Eve in his “Fall of Man” series.  The Appalachian folk artist gained much acclaim for his work, including a “tournament invite” to the Whitney Biennial.
 BrandtWeb2
Sylvan Lake, SD3 from the series Lakes and Reservoirs *
by Matthew Brandt
Los Angeles-based photographer Brandt (whose work will be part of a solo exhibition at CMA later this year) is known for experimenting with unusual materials such as Cheez Whiz and Kool-Aid. In this new CMA acquisition, Brandt uses lake water to soak the Chromogenic print.		 Vien
Venus Wounded by Diomedes, is Saved by Iris
by Joseph-Marie Vien
French painter Vien coined the French neoclassical style. This dramatic work by Vien is likely to deliver in the clutch. Will this piece by Vien be the Cinderella story of Art Madness?
Bellows
Cornfield and Harvest
by George Bellows
Columbus’ Bellows, an OSU athlete and one of the preeminent artists of the Ashcan School, was known for depicting action scenes, but here he shows his softer side and Midwest roots. Like his Ohio State alma mater he’s likely to go far in the tournament. Homecourt advantage: Bellows.		 Nolde
Sunflowers in Windstorm
by Emile Nolde
One of the most recognizable and loved pieces from our Sirak Collection holds one of the top seeds. Something about Nazi oppression brought out the best in Nolde. His passion and tenacity, as symbolized here, make his work hard to beat.

(*Matthew Brandt image from the series Lakes and Reservoirs Sylvan Lake, SD 3, 2012, Chromogenic print soaked in Sylvan Lake water, Unique. © Matthew Brandt, Courtesy Yossi Milo Gallery, New York)

Art Speaks. Join the Conversation.

Czech Puppets Behind the Scenes

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Unpacking2Unpacking

19CenturyBosch

TheaterPuttingTogetherShakesepeareModernSnowWhiteFilmInfluencesExhFnlBauhausBlkLight

Our Strings Attached: The Living History of Czech Puppets exhibition opens today. Thanks to our Curator Carole Genshaft, who documented the installation, you can see how the exhibition came together (from the unpacking and uncrating to putting the Czech puppets together). These rare objects are presented thanks to an international collaboration between Columbus Museum of Art, the Arts and Theatre Institute, Prague and the College of Arts and Sciences at The Ohio State University.

More than 140 puppets and set designs are included in the Czech puppets exhibition, many of the puppet designs influenced by fairy tales, literature, and art influences such as surrealism and the Bauhaus, and more.

Since the late nineteenth century, Czech artists have been fascinated by the creative possibilities of puppets. Artists in opera, ballet, dance, drama, and film— who are not originally puppeteers—have used puppets to enhance their artistic expression. The use of string puppets by contemporary artist Petr Nikl and stop-motion filmmakers Jan Švankmajer, Jiří Trnka,  and Jiří Barta (all of their work is included in the show), and many others, demonstrates the increasingly vibrant legacy of traditional Czech puppetry. These and other European artists have influenced stop-motion animated filmmakers the world over including, Americans Tim Burton and the Brothers Quay. In addition to film techniques incorporating puppetry, Burton’s The Nightmare before Christmas (1993) and his latest film Frankenweenie (2012) and the Brothers Quay The Cabinet of Jan Švankmajer (1984) and The Street of Crocodiles (1986) reflect the dark, gothic quality that permeates many, popular Czech puppet and stage productions. Judging from the success of contemporary Broadway productions such as The Lion King (1997), Avenue Q (2003) and Warhorse(2007), Americans are embracing puppetry just as their Czech counterparts have done for centuries.

CMA Photo Hunt Color Assignment 2

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Monet Basket of Grapes

Here is your second color-themed Photo Hunt assignment:

  • Capture something that reflects “Golden”
  • Tag your work on Instagram with #CMAPhotoHunt and #Golden
  • For this first Color assignment you have until Friday March 15, 2013.
  • Please note: images must be your own.

Once again our Photography Curator Catherine Evans will select her favorites (based on the most creative entries, and ones that best represent the theme), and your creation could grace the walls at Columbus Museum of Art.

This series of CMA Photo Hunts are all about color.  Since our Photo Hunts began we have received more than 2,000 submissions from hundreds of photographers from Seattle to Ohio to Paris. With our first exhibition last fall, we were first museum in the world to present a curated, crowdsourced installation based on the popular photo sharing app Instagram. The second CMA Photo Hunt exhibition is on display now in our Community Gallery, and features work selected by our William and Sarah Ross Soter Curator of Photography Catherine Evans.

This next round of assignments is inspired by color as the theme. Look for a new color-themed exhibition in our Big Idea Gallery this Spring featuring artists such as Frank Stella, Ed Ruscha, Edward Monet, Childe Hassam and more.  Watch for additional biweekly Photo Hunt assignments here on our blog, and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

We can’t wait to see what you come up with for this next Photo Hunt assignment. Happy shooting!

(Photo: Basket of Grapes by Claude Monet, 1883, Columbus Museum of Art, Gift of Howard D. and Babette L. Sirak)

Rothko and Red

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Red
I expect we will see a lot of red on February 14: red boxes filled with chocolates, bouquets of red roses, greeting cards splashed with red, those delightful heart-shaped gummy red candies that grocery stores only carry this time of year.
Meanwhile, inside Studio One of the Riffe Center, actors Kevin McClatchy and Tim Simeone of CATCO’s latest production will sound off on the question, “What is red?”
Mark Rothko is the subject of John Logan’s Red, the 2010 Tony Award winner for Best Play. The play explores the two-year span of time (1958-59) during which Rothko created the Seagram Murals, intended for the Four Seasons restaurant located in the newly built Seagram Building on Park Avenue in Manhattan. Rothko (played by McClatchy) and his fictional assistant Ken (Simeone) debate continually and heatedly about art, and its place and meaning in our lives.
We are most excited for museum- and theatre-goers alike to have this unique opportunity to view both CMA’s thrilling exhibition, Mark Rothko: The Decisive Decade 1940-1950, and the play based on such a significant time in the artist’s life. Red plays February 13 – March 3. Visit http://www.catco.org for Red showtimes and tickets.
(Pictured above: Tim Simeone as Ken and Kevin McClatchy as Mark Rothko in CATCO’s Red)
Guest blogger, Tory Matsos, Dramaturg, CATCO’s Red