Bouquets to Art

Blog Category: Collections

Love and the Maiden: A Harmony of Hues

Posted by Melissa on April 19, 2012

In this installment of our continuing blog series examining key elements of the Aesthetic Movement through the lens of John Stanhope’s masterwork Love and the Maiden (typically on view in gallery 18 at the Legion of Honor and currently on view in The Cult of Beauty: The Victorian Avant-Garde, 1860–1900), curatorial assistant of European art Melissa Buron takes a closer look at color.

Love and the Maiden

John Roddam Spencer Stanhope (English, 1829–1908). Love and the Maiden, 1877. Tempera, gold paint and gold leaf on canvas. Museum purchase, European Art Trust Fund, Grover A. Magnin Bequest Fund and Dorothy Spreckels Munn Bequest Fund. 2002.176

Read more »
Filed under:

FRAME|WORK: Children’s story (water dreaming for two children) by Johnny Warangkula Tjupurrula

Posted by Sarah on April 4, 2012

FRAME|WORK is a weekly blog series that highlights an artwork in the Museums' permanent collections. This week, we feature a painting by Johnny Warangkula Tjupurrula, a member of the Papunya Tula artist collective. Children’s story (water dreaming for two children) is currently on loan to Australia's National Gallery of Victoria.

Water Dreaming

Johnny Warangkula Tjupurrula (Pintupi/Luritja, 1925–2001). Children’s story (water dreaming for two children), 1972. Australia, Western Desert, Papunya Tula settlement. Pressboard, tempera pigment. Gift of the Gantner Myer Aboriginal Art Collection. 2002.70.2

Read more »
Filed under:

FRAME|WORK: A Chasuble from 18th-century France

Posted by Sarah on March 28, 2012

FRAME|WORK is a weekly blog series that highlights an artwork in the Museums' permanent collections. This week, we feature two exquisite 18th-century French liturgical vestments, a chasuble and a dalmatic, from the Museums’ permanent collections. Unfortunately, these garments are not currently on view, but please enjoy this exclusive virtual viewing!

Chasuble

Chasuble and Dalmatic, ca. 1700–1710. France, probably Paris. Silk, metallic thread; cut velvet, embroidery (laid work, couching, padded couching). Museum purchase, Dorothy Spreckels Munn Bequest Fund. 2004.9.1.1–2

Read more »
Filed under:

FRAME|WORK: Flora and Pomona by Edward Burne-Jones

Posted by Sarah on February 28, 2012

The integration of art and beauty into every aspect of life was one of the foremost tenets of the Aesthetic Movement. Artists who subscribed to this ideal stepped outside of the confines of their medium of choice and experimented with all variety of design: painters became furniture designers and architects designed textiles. This week’s FRAME|WORK features two luscious tapestries from the Museums’ permanent collections included in the special exhibition The Cult of Beauty: The Victorian Avant-Garde, 1860–1900 (on view at the Legion of Honor through June 17). Created by Edward Burne-Jones for Morris & Co., Flora and Pomona exemplify the aesthetics of the Aesthetic Movement.

Flora and Pomona

Edward Burne-Jones (English, 1833–1898) for Morris & Co. Flora (left) and Pomona (right), 1886–1920. Wool, silk, cotton; tapestry weave. Museum purchase, Dorothy Spreckels Munn Bequest Fund. 2001.120.1–2.

Read more »
Filed under:

FRAME|WORK: George Washington by Rembrandt Peale

Posted by Sarah on February 22, 2012

FRAME|WORK is a weekly blog series that highlights an artwork in the Museums' permanent collections. On Monday, the Museums were closed in observance of Presidents Day and today is the birthday of American painter Rembrandt Peale (1778–1860). In honor of these two occasions, we feature Peale’s iconic portrait of George Washington, which is currently on display in Gallery 27 at the de Young.

George Washington

Read more »
Filed under:

FRAME|WORK: Halved Cabbage by Edward Weston

Posted by Sarah on November 23, 2011

Tomorrow, most of us will sit down with family and friends to enjoy a cornucopia of Thanksgiving comestibles that will leave many satiated to the point of sickness. In preparation, this week’s FRAME|WORK takes a closer look at Edward Weston’s Halved Cabbage, whose beauty and detail give new meaning to the concept of good taste.

Edward Weston (American, 1886–1958). Halved Cabbage, 1930. Gelatin silver print. Museum Purchase, M. H. deYoung Memorial Museum, 1931. 53942

Read more »
Filed under: