Stieglitz, Modern Art, and New York City

ALFRED STIEGLITZ, MODERN ART, AND NEW YORK CITY - Early 20th Century

BELOW

STIEGLITZ AND THE NEW YORK ART SCENE (1905-46)
1 hour, 9 minutes, 31 seconds



This video, produced by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, contains two (illustrated) lectures given the same day at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the fall of 2011. Note that it takes over an hour to watch this entire video!

The first lecture is called "Alfred Stieglitz: His Time, Influence, and Vision," and the speaker is Lisa M. Messinger, associate curator, Dept. of 19th-Century Modern and Contemporary Art.

The second lecture is called "Extreme Modernity: The Avant-Garde Looks at New York, 1910-40."  The speaker is Jessica Murphy, research associate in the Dept. of 19th-Century, Modern and Contemporary Art.

These lectures are related to the exhibition (which ended January 2nd, 2012) at the Met Museum called Stieglitz and His Artists: Matisse to O'Keeffe - on The Metropolitan Museum of Art."

There were three short films shown after these lectures. The films are not included in this video, but you can see them on YouTube videos (below, on this page).

In the first lecture we learn about Stieglitz's promotion in America of modern artists, including Matisse, Picasso, Toulouse-Lautrec, Georgia O'Keeffe (who would become his wife), John Marin, Arthur Dove, and Charles Demuth, among others.

In the second lecture we are shown what New York City was like in the early 1900s, and what it was becoming and how the artists Stieglitz promoted...especially John Marin and Arthur Dove, Charles Demuth and Georgia O'Keeffe...represented it.

We think of Georgia O'Keeffe mainly as a painter of New Mexico landscapes and of flowers, but when she still lived with Stieglitz in New York City in the 1920s she painted in NYC, and some of those paintings are shown in the video.  Also, look at this website for paintings by O'Keeffe of New York skyscrapers (and one of the East River).
BELOW: THE THREE SHORT FILMS THAT WERE SHOWN BETWEEN AND AFTER THE LECTURES YOU'LL SEE ON THE ABOVE VIDEO:

MANHATTA (1921)
7 minutes, 23 seconds



This film was created by painter Charles Sheeler and photographer Paul Strand. It is based on their photographs of New York City.

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MANHATTAN MEDLEY (1931)
10 minutes, 30 seconds


This film looks at a day in the life of Manhattan in 1931.

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CONEY ISLAND AT NIGHT (1905)

3 minutes, 18 seconds



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See earlier post on photographer Alfred Stieglitz

Painting Away from the Daily Grind - Vicariously

Drawing and Painting Away from the Daily Grind - Vicariously

Do you have a hard time actually getting around to drawing or painting even though that's what you want to do more than anything else? One thing after another comes up that you "must do" first, right? And then there's just no time. In my case, even on those rare occasions when I'm able to begin, I'm seldom able to finish the projects I was so anxious to work on. It can get really depressing.

Recently I've been under lots of pressure, having many things that really are urgent and much more important than drawing that I must concern myself with, but I found one way to feel a little less depressed about this situation, if only for a few minutes at a time. It's a kind of daydreaming, actually, but it seems relatively "real" and is very refreshing. I've been watching videos of artists drawing and painting away from home, in the city or way out in the country...really getting away from the daily grind. I vicariously join up with these individuals and see the world through their eyes for a while. They are doing what I wish I was doing, and I'm doing it with them. And when they do a good job, I feel I've done it. :-) Best of all, though, I'm away from the usual grind, outdoors, trying to bat away hungry mosquitoes or keep from freezing to death or from falling over the side of a cliff -- annoying or miserable or frightening things that do a really good job of keeping my mind off very worrisome problems that aren't so simple. And sometimes the artist is having no problems at all, just having a wonderful time. That's good, too! Besides, it's really interesting to see how others draw and paint, especially in such challenging conditions.

I've gathered several of these videos that I particularly liked for one or more reasons (some may make you wonder about me!). The artists are from all over the world. I'm going to put them together into several posts. I hope you'll enjoy some of these, too.

Below are five videos - Come back for more posts with more videos of more artists, painting and drawing outside all around the world - Next ones coming up soon.

BELOW

ED COOPER - PAINTING LANDSCAPES OUTDOORS
2 minutes, 16 seconds

I don't know where this video was made. It seems he paints in many places. Here he's on a grassy bank under shady trees, looking out at the water, with another grassy bank and trees beyond. There are foothills, and mountains in the distance. A lovely peaceful-looking place. Here is Ed Cooper's website.

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BELOW

PAINTING IN A FLORIDA SWAMP
7 minutes, 37 seconds

I'm not sure I really, really want to go along with this fellow. I don't like a lot of heat, especially humid heat, and I don't like the idea of being covered with mosquito bites, stepping on snakes, having my legs cut up by sharp-edged undergrowth, or having slithery creepy-crawlers climbing up my legs. But it does take one's mind of their own troubles. You have to admire this guy.

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BELOW - AN ARTIST DRAWING IN BARCELONA, SPAIN

DRAWING WITH INDIAN INK IN OPEN AIR
8 minutes, 27 seconds

"Spanish artist drawing in the open air with a wooden stalk, Indian ink and water, on paper. The subject is the main door of a noble farm in Montmeló (Barcelona, Spain)."

Wait 'till you see what a beautiful job he does.

I love the sounds in this video: Lots of birds chirping along with very light traffic. What a pleasant place it must be to sit and draw. It reminds me of when I lived with a couple of different families over several months in Morelia, Mexico while I attended language school. I used to think back then how much I'd love to come back some day and draw and paint there.

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BELOW - AN ARTIST IN AUSTRALIA

A PASSION FOR PAINT: HERMAN PEKEL (a"trailer" for a DVD)

Several subjects in and near Melbourne, Australia
2 minutes, 58 seconds

This is a trailer for a DVD, but it's fun to watch, and even more fun to listen to. It's "art instruction," but it's not at all tedious. He is obviously having fun when he goes out to paint, and that's the best part to me.

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BELOW - AN ARTIST IN THAILAND

SKETCHING AT ERAWAN WATERFALLS, THAILAND - KHWAN BARTON,  ARTIST
2 minutes, 26 seconds

And finally, here is an artist who really gets close to her subjects, in a location that seems idyllic...She doesn't mention mosquitoes or snakes, anyway. But really, it's a beautiful, peaceful place and she blends right in with it - and she does make some very nice drawings under somewhat distracting conditions.

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More artists working outdoors in many different places, in more posts (coming up soon).