Museum Introduction

There are multiple ways to arrange and categorize artwork. In this exhibition, the paintings are arranged in chronological order which is necessary to showcase the differences in time periods while at the same time revealing the similarities of those paintings amongst time periods. The similarities are shown by all the paintings having the same theme. This exhibition reveals seven paintings that represent the theme of art and nature. They fall under this theme due to the fact; they all contain effects of nature. Nature has been more than a subject for art; it has also served as a material for art, according to Mark Getlein, author of Living with Art. A theme represents a thread running throughout the entire history of art (Living with Art; pg.50). This thread is nature.

The first painting showcased is “Roses and a Tulip in a Glass Vase” by Jan Philips van Thielen. The medium is oil on panel. It was created in 1650/1660. Among the roses in the vase your focal point is directed to the white rose and then you are drawn out to the tulips and then the surrounding flowers. The artist used cool colors such as; blue, violet, and green; along with an alteration of a tint and shade of red in the tulips. This painting was obtained from the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC.

The second painting presented in this exhibit is “An Old Man’s Reminiscences” by Asher B. Durand. The medium is oil on canvas and it was created in 1845. In this painting is a natural use of cool colors, as you would expect with a painting of nature. Focus is spread across this painting beginning with the cows grazing; over to the kids playing in the distance, then up to the clouds. Finally you focus on the man sitting by the tree observing all the activities.

The third painting is titled “Kindred Spirit” also by Asher B. Durand. The medium is oil on canvas produced in 1849. This painting was retrieved from the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC. This painting is an example of asymmetric balance, the two halves do not match but the visual weights in the two halves are very similar (Living with Art; pg 127). This painting depicts William Cullen Bryant and Thomas Cole in Kaaterskill Clove. The two men are the focal point of the picture.

The fourth and fifth paintings are taken from the collection of the Albany Institute of History and Art. “Storm King on the Hudson” by Homer Dodge Martin was created in 1862; the medium is of oil on canvas. This painting uses some warm colors along with color to give the appearance of it being autumn, along with the fog cascading down from the sky and over the mountains and trees. In the fifth painting “Dawn of Morning, Lake George” prepared in 1868, by way of oil on canvas, by Jasper F. Cropsey. This painting expresses the fall season also with the use of warms colors, the reds, orange, and yellows, similar to the fourth painting. It appears to have been captured after a storm due to the rainbow present in the painting.

The sixth artistry is “Cattleya Orchid and Three Brazilian Hummingbirds” transpired in 1871. The medium is oil on wood by Martin Johnson Heade. The obvious focal point of this painting is the orchid. Directional lines take your attention from the orchid to the branch on the left, up to the dark sky and over to the right at the other branches, down to the hummingbirds and the nest and return to the orchid. Martin Johnson Heade used a brilliant assortment of colors, combining just about the whole color wheel.

The seventh and final painting is “Roses” by Vincent Van Gogh, invented in 1890 with the medium of oil on canvas. This painting wraps up the timeline of this collection and is the prime example of relieved symmetry, which means the correspondence is very close but not exact (Living with Art, pg. 124). The vase of roses is directly on the vertical line and the flowers direct your attention around the vase and off to the left at the separate vine of roses.

This exhibit showcases the resemblance of art work across a time period. What brings this time together is the theme of art and nature. The uses of these seven paintings are to show that regardless of the time of creation there is a comparable link under particular themes. Nature is not only a subject of art; it is a material for art. Art and nature is the thread that brings these creations together.







"Roses and a Tulip in a Glass Vase" by Jan Philips van Thielen
oil on canvas medium;1650/1660
www.nga.gov





"An Old Man's Reminiscences" by Asher B. Durand
oil on canvas medium;1845
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"Kindred Spirits" by Asher B. Durand
oil on canvas medium; 1849
www.nga.gov





"Storm King on the Hudson" by Homer Dodge Martin
oil on canvas medium; 1862
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"Dawn of Morning, Lake George" by Jasper F. Cropsey
oil on canvas medium; 1868
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"Cattleya Orchid and Three Brazilian Hummingbirds" by Martin Johnson Heade
oil on wood medium; 1871
www.nga.gov





"Roses" by Vincent Van Gogh
oil on canvas medium; 1890
www.nga.gov