Enjoying the Barnes from Afar

"Redheaded Girl in Evening Dress" by Modigliani (1918)

I have assiduously followed the advice that there's no need to be productive during this pandemic. I'm closing in on the final episode -- number 69 -- in "The Unit," a show about a special forces team and their wives, and have just started a new 1,000 piece puzzle featuring games from my childhood like "Mystery Date." Yes, mindless is the name of my game. But I do occasionally succumb to an educational enticement. Case in point: "Barnes Takeout." The Barnes Foundation's offering for art lovers stuck at home is pure joy.

Each day -- more or less -- a new video becomes available on YouTube featuring a curator, educator or scholar talking about one of her favorite works in the collection. Each video lasts no more than 15 minutes, so it's easy to fit into my hectic (?) schedule. And with more than 3,000 objects on display in the museum, there's no fear of running out of art to discuss no matter how long we shelter at home.

It's a treat to focus on individual works of art in the collection. Barnes' ensemble approach to display means that each room contains literally hundreds of pieces. When you're in one of the galleries, the amount of great art around you is almost paralyzing. Even the most careful observer is certain to miss quite a bit. All the more reason to enjoy hearing from one of the museum's experts.

The first work I chose to learn about was Modigiliani's "Redheaded Girl in Evening Dress." There's just something about those elongated faces that draws me in every time. Curator Nancy Ireson's talk about the piece was filled with interesting tidbits about the freedom Parisian women experienced during WWI. Women were suddenly able to live independently and support themselves. This young woman chose to work as a model, a job that allowed her to take her rightful place among Paris' bohemian culture. While I appreciated the background, the best part of Ireson's talk was the close-ups of the painting. To get a close look at Modigliani's brush strokes and use of color was glorious.

"La Famille" by Henri Rousseau (between 1890 and 1900)

Next up was Henri Rousseau's "The Family." I haven't always been a fan of Rousseau.  I just wasn't quite sure what to make of those jungles. Over time, though, his naif style won me over. In fact, I even used his work "The Football Players" as my screen saver for a while. (Click here to see that painting.)  But I digress.

Ireson was once again my guide for exploring this painting. Her sense of humor became apparent as she talked about the child who's front and center. "My goodness," she said. "It's not the most attractive of children, I think it's fair to say, and it's huge."

She then fills us in on Rousseau and the little known about the family depicted in the painting. Rousseau didn't begin painting in earnest until he was in his 40s. (He made his living as a toll and tax collector until he was 49.)  So a painting like this was likely a commission from a local family in honor of a celebration of some sort, perhaps the baptism of the "rather large baby." It's probable that the family business was wine making, as the patriarch sits on a cask and the men all hold glasses filled with a rose colored liquid. Rousseau's primitive style seems just right for this type of portrait. Ireson was quick to point out this descriptor is not intended in a derogatory way nor would Rousseau himself taken offense.

"Supper Time" by Horace Pippin (1940)

Then I turned to Horace Pippin's "Supper Time," as explained by Director of Adult Education Bill Perthes. Although the Barnes' collection is internationally renowned for its impressionist, post-impressionist and early modernist paintings, Barnes' tastes were more varied. Oh, to have had the chance to sit down and talk with him about his love of art.

Again, taking the time to really look at the painting with Perthes as my guide was highly rewarding. I appreciated his highlighting of details I might have only subconsciously noticed, like the "sputtering" frying pan on the stove and the sweat stains under the mother's arms. While we know it's winter by the snow outside the window, this cabin is toasty warm.

The painting was created on several pieces of wood bound together. Pippin allowed the grain of the wood to show through in several places, including the subjects' skin. But the tidbit I found most fascinating is Pippin's use of a hot poker to draw the outlines in the work. This unique technique is all the more amazing when you learn the artist's right shoulder was injured in battle in WWI, making use of the poker quite challenging.

"Bird (Lobster Claw)"  by Thomas Maling (1945)

I'll leave you with one of Thomas Malings' charming "Creations," as described by Senior Instructor Kaelin Jewell. This is an object you would almost surely overlook during a visit to the Barnes. It can be found in a gallery on the second floor on a drop leaf desk beneath a stunning Matisse still life. Maling's "Bird" and "Pelican" bookend (and are dwarfed by) a large pewter coffee pot. The story behind these Creations finding a home at the Barnes is the type of information you could only get from an insider.

Dr. Barnes and Maling met in Maine when Barnes and his wife were there on vacation. They became friendly, and Maling expressed an interest in Barnes' "little hobby" of collecting art. The 70-something old Maling had his own little hobby of creating small objects that reflected his environment. Maling reported seeing a claw hanging in a shop window and realizing it had a face; all it needed was a little paint. Voila! We have a bird. And in case you're wondering, his feet appear to be made from lima beans.

Barnes and Maling began corresponding when the artist sent Barnes some of his Creations to share with the Foundation's students. It was in one such letter that Maling told Barnes about the genesis of "Bird." Barnes wrote back, saying he appreciated the objects "not only for their intrinsic artistic value but because they are concrete proof of our teaching that art can arise in the most commonplace events of life."

To enjoy Barnes Takeout yourself, click here. Warning: It's addictive. Thanks to my friend Angel Hissom for bringing this project to my attention.