Sunday, April 18, 2010

Art Unlocked for Leopold, Max, & the Pope


IN THE NEWS-

- Online gallery will open forgotten art to public view : A pioneering project is under way to give the public access to thousands of modern British paintings currently locked away in warehouses - and it will all happen in cyberspace... Read the full story


ARTS ALMANAC-

April 18, 1506: The cornerstone of the current St. Peter's Basilica is laid. "The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter, officially known in Italian as the Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano and commonly known as St. Peter's Basilica, is a Late Renaissance church located within the Vatican City. St. Peter's Basilica has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world, holding 60,000 people, and is regarded as one of the holiest Christian sites.

Tradition and some historical evidence hold that Saint Peter's tomb is directly below the altar of the basilica. For this reason, many Popes have been interred at St Peter's since the Early Christian period. There has been a church on this site since the 4th century. Construction of the present basilica, over the old Constantinian basilica, began on April 18, 1506 and was completed on November 18, 1626. St. Peter's is famous as a place of pilgrimage, for its liturgical functions and for its historical associations. It is associated with the papacy, with the Counter-reformation and with numerous artists, most significantly Michelangelo. As a work of architecture, it is regarded as the greatest building of its age. Contrary to popular misconception, Saint Peter's is not a cathedral, as it is not the seat of a bishop. It is properly termed a papal basilica.


April 18, 1881: Max Weber, Polish-born Jewish-American painter, was born. "Weber worked in the style of cubism before migrating to Jewish themes towards the end of his life. Born in BiaƂystok, then part of Poland occupied by Russia, he immigrated to America with his parents at the age of 10. He studied art at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn under Arthur Wesley Dow. In 1905 he had saved enough money to travel to Paris and study at Matisse's School of Paris where he learned modernism and cubism from the likes of Henri Rousseau and Pablo Picasso. In 1909 he returned to New York and helped to introduce cubism to America. In 1930 the Museum of Modern Art held a retrospective of his work, the first solo exhibition at that museum of an American artist."


April 18, 1882: Conductor Leopold Stokowski was born. "Leopold Stokowski was a British-born American orchestral conductor, well known for his free-hand performing style that spurned the traditional baton and for obtaining a characteristically sumptuous sound from many of the great orchestras he conducted. In America, Stokowski performed with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the NBC Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra and the Symphony of the Air. He was also the founder of the All-American Youth Orchestra, the New York City Symphony, the Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra and The American Symphony Orchestra. He conducted the music for and appeared in Disney's Fantasia along with being portrayed by Bugs Bunny in the 1949 Looney Tunes episode Long-Haired Hare. Stokowski, who made his official conducting debut in 1909, appeared in public for the last time in 1975 but continued making recordings until June 1977, a few months before his death at the age of 95."


IN OUR STORE-

“Sailor’s Valentines. Their Journey Through Time”

By Grave L. Madeira, Constance Marshall Miller, Mary S. Page & Ann T. Schutt.
Published by Schiffer Publishing in 2006.

“Seashells from the worlds' oceans have fascinated people since the dawn of time, and they continue to inspire study, collections, and decorative uses today. This new and stunningly beautiful book showcases seashells that have been assembled by shell artists in sailor's valentines, the octagonal-framed plaques with love messages and floral designs that were said to have been made by Victorian sailors as love tokens for their sweethearts at home. Learn their history, lore, and reality, and be introduced to exquisite designs, both antique and contemporary. Over 200 color photographs, maps, and drawings reveal unique sailor's valentines and shell collectors' chests from England, Barbados, and the United States over a two-hundred year period. Modern sailor's valentines, created by 19 shell artists, display creative interpretations of the traditional style with a wide variety of materials. Their beauty is disarming and their appeal is universal. Enjoy this nautical and historic journey through time.”

$45.00


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