Georges Seurat

Georges Seurat: The Drawings (M Seura .S4 A4 2007)

From MoMA’s website: 

“Accompanying the first exhibition in almost twenty-five years to focus exclusively on Seurat’s drawings, this volume surveys the artist’s entire oeuvre—from his academic training and the emergence of his unique methods to the studies made for his monumental canvases. Distinguished writers present important new research on Seurat’s artistic strategies, materials, and themes. Includes 185 color illustrations.”

“Once described as “the most beautiful painter’s drawings in existence,” Georges Seurat’s mysterious and radiant works on paper played a crucial role in his career. Though Seurat is most often remembered as the inventor of pointillism and for paintings like Un Dimanche à la Grande Jatte, his incomparable drawings are among his—and modernism’s—greatest achievements. Working primarily with conté crayon on paper, Seurat explored the Parisian metropolis and its environs, abstracted figures, spaces, and structures, and dramatized the relationship between light and shadow, creating a distinct body of work that is a touchstone for art of the twentieth century and today. “

Sophie Jodoin

Two catalogs from past Visiting Artist Sophie Jodoin.

“Born in Montreal in 1965, Sophie Jodoin received her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from Concordia University in 1988 and then studied anatomy at the New York Academy of Art. Sophie was one of the few artists selected to represent Montreal for “Made in Canada: Contemporary Art in Montreal”, an exhibition at the Plattsburgh State University Museum in New York.

On her own paintings, Sophie Jodoin comments:

“I’m interested in more emotional moods, atmospheres, so these large standing figures are of people I know. We all feel vulnerable and fragile. We’re basically alone. No matter what, you have to be strong to face whatever- living, loving, working- everything.”

Sophie’s paintings have been widely exhibited across Canada, the United States and Europe in both group and solo shows. Her work can be found in both private and public collections throughout North America and Europe. Sophie Jodoin currently resides and works in the Montreal area.
Sophie Jodoin 

(M Jodoi .J585 A4 2000)
Essay by Dario De Facendis
Exhibition Catalogue:  Bellefeuille Gallery, November 4 – 16, 2000
Text in both English and French
56 pages, 35 colour reproductions

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Sophie Jodoin–Drawing Shadows: portraits of my mother

(M Jodoi .J585 A4 2004)
Essay by Bernard Lamarche
Text in both English and Frenc
48 pages, 13 colour reproductions

Pafa Visiting Artist Lectures on DVD

All the Visiting Artist lectures from Fall 2007 are now on DVD and can be checked out from the Library.

Artists include:
Scott Rigby, Anthony Campuzano, Braco Dimitrijevic,
Isidro Blasco, Amy Wilson, Rebecca Saylor Sack, Sophie Jodoin, Steve Powers

Brice Marden

An hour with artist Brice Marden

Art 21: Season 4

 Art:21 Art in the Twenty-First Century: Season 4 (Video N 6512.7 .A78 2007 DVD)

From the website:

“Art:21 travels across the country and abroad to film 17 contemporary artists, from painters and sculptors to photographers and filmmakers, in their own spaces and in their own words. The result is a rare opportunity for television viewers to experience first-hand the complex artistic process—from inception to finished product—behind some of today’s most thought-provoking art. The artists profiled in the series speak directly to the audience, describing their passions, impulses and methods. Viewers are invited behind-the-scenes to see artists at work in their studios, homes, communities, and in sites as diverse as an old-growth forest near Seattle, a military base in California, a theater academy in Warsaw, and a film set, in addition to galleries and museums.“This series not only showcases the contributions of these artists, but also transcends the everyday art experience of a museum or gallery visit,” says Susan Sollins, Executive Producer of the series. “Viewers can discover what goes on inside the minds of these dynamic and thoughtful people, and what they have to say can significantly expand our knowledge and understanding of the world.”

As in the previous three seasons of “Art:21–Art in the Twenty-First Century,” each hour-long episode of Season 4 is loosely structured around a theme that unifies the individual artists – as diverse as their mediums may be. Season 4 episodes of “Art:21–Art in the Twenty-First Century” include the themes of “Romance,” “Protest,” “Ecology,” and “Paradox.”

What role do intuition, emotion, fantasy, and escapism play in contemporary art? The Art:21 documentary “Romance” explores these questions in the work of the artists Pierre Huyghe, Judy Pfaff, Lari Pittman, and Laurie Simmons.

How do contemporary artists engage politics, inequality, and the many conflicts that besiege the world today? How do artists use their work to discuss or oppose misery, turmoil, and injustice? The Art:21 documentary “Protest” explores these questions in the work of the artists Jenny Holzer, Alfredo Jaar, An-My Lê, and Nancy Spero.

How is our understanding of the natural world deeply cultural? The Art:21 documentary “Ecology” explores these questions in the work of the artists Robert Adams, Mark Dion, Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle, and Ursula von Rydingsvard.

How do contemporary artists address contradiction, ambiguity, and truth? The Art:21 documentary “Paradox” explores these questions in the work of the artists Allora & Calzadilla, Mark Bradford, Robert Ryman, and Catherine Sullivan.”

New DVD — Picasso

Picasso: Magic, Sex, Death (Video Picas .P5 P53 2001 DVD)

“Offering a comprehensive look at the artist’s life, Picasso: Magic, Sex, Death examines the influences and secrets behind many of Picasso’s masterworks. In this documentary, John Richardson, biographer and friend of Picasso, looks at the impact the themes of magic, sex, and death had on the artist’s life and work. ”

“Part I of this film investigates the effect mystic rituals and the occult had on Picasso’s work by looking at the artist’s childhood in Spain and his life in Paris through the end of his Cubist period. Richardson brings a new twist to some of the more intriguing issues surrounding Picasso’s life and achievements.”   

“ Part II of this film navigates the many women in Picasso’s life to the time of his death in 1973. Focusing on the artist’s relationships—from his wife Olga Koklova to his many mistresses—Richardson examines the various depictions of women and sex in Picasso’s vast oeuvre and discusses the last years of his life, those marked with an ongoing struggle to remain youthful and vigorous. The film includes an intriguing look at the masterpiece Guernica, with an introspective interpretation of the famous painting as a commentary on Picasso’s own love life and concludes with a revealing contribution by one of the artist’s lovers and subjects, Françoise Gilot.” 

New DVD — Rashomon

Rashomon (Video PN 1997 .R244 2002 DVD) 

From Criterion’s website:

“Brimming with action while incisively examining the nature of truth, Rashomon is perhaps the finest film ever to investigate the philosophy of justice. Through an ingenious use of camera and flashbacks, Kurosawa reveals the complexities of human nature as four people recount different versions of the story of a man’s murder and the rape of his wife. Toshiro Mifune gives another commanding performance in the eloquent masterwork that revolutionized film language and introduced Japanese cinema to the world.”  Read Stephen Prince’s essay here.

Special Features

• - New high-definition transfer, with restored image and sound
• - Commentary by Japanese film historian Donald Richie
• - Video introduction by Robert Altman
• - Excerpts from The World of Kazuo Miyagawa, a documentary film about Rashomon’s cinematographer
• - Reprints of the Rashomon source stories, Ryunosuke Akutagawa’s “In a Grove” and “Rashomon”
• - Akira Kurosawa on Rashomon: a reprinted excerpt from his book Something Like an Autobiography
• - Optional English-dubbed soundtrack
• - Theatrical trailer
• - New and improved English subtitle translation
• - Optimal image quality: RSDL dual-layer edition

New DVD–The Gates of Hell

 Rodin - The Gates of Hell (Video Rodin .R7 A69 2006 DVD)

“In 1880, Auguste Rodin was commissioned to create a set of bronze doors for a proposed museum in Paris. The museum was never built, but The Gates of Hell became Rodin’s most ambitious endeavor, taking over twenty years to complete.

During Rodin’s lifetime, The Gates was exhibited only once, in plaster. In 1977, Rodin’s intention of casting the plaster in bronze was fulfilled when American art collector and financier B. Gerald Cantor and his wife, Iris, commissioned a casting of the monumental work using the traditional and painstaking lost-wax process. When finished, it stood nearly 21 feet high and had taken more than three years to complete. This cast of The Gates of Hell was the first time in more than a century that such a large-scale lost wax bronze pouring had been attempted.

This DVD documents the triumphs and difficulties encountered during the casting of this eight-ton work and chronicles the life and work of Rodin –from the challengers of his early career to his later years of success and fame.”

more info here and here.

New Books–MoMA

Lucian Freud: The Painter’s Etchings (M Freud .F77 F53 2007)

“One of the foremost figurative artists working today, Lucian Freud has redefined portraiture and the nude through his unblinking scrutiny of the human form. Although he is best known as a painter, etching is integral to his practice. This volume accompanies a major Museum of Modern Art exhibition that will present the full scope of Freud’s etchings, along with a critical selection of related paintings and drawings. Written by exhibition curator Starr Figura, it includes more than 70 etchings-from the artist’s rare early experiments of the 1940s to the increasingly complex compositions he has created since rediscovering the medium in the early 1980s-juxtaposed with some 23 paintings and 7 drawings. Includes 120 color illustrations.”

Martin Puryear (M Purye .P84 A4 2007)

“Over the last 30 years, Martin Puryear has created a body of work that defies categorization, creating sculpture that examines identity, culture and history. This book accompanies a November 2007 exhibition at The Museum of Modern Art that follows Puryear’s development from his first solo show, in 1977, to new works that will be presented for the first time. In 2008 the exhibition will travel to the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Texas, The National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Includes 165 color illustrations.”

Edit: Someone brought a camera into the MoMA exhibit.  See below.

New Books — William Merritt Chase

“A perennial favorite of museum visitors, the works of William Merritt Chase (1849–1916) embody the quintessential characteristics of American Impressionism: outdoor landscapes, a colorful palette, and an energetic brushstroke. He was also a portrait painter of the first rank, a master of still life, a renowned teacher, and a leader of artists’ societies.”

William Merritt Chase: The Paintings in Pastel, Monotypes, Painted Tiles and Ceramic Plates, Watercolors, and Prints (M Chase .C48 P57 2006)

This gorgeous book, the first of a four-volume definitive catalogue, features Chase’s stunning paintings in pastel, which constitute a major and previously understudied body of work by the artist; monotypes; painted tiles and plates; watercolors; and prints. Reconstructing Chase’s oeuvre is a daunting task, as the artist left few records of any kind, and no documentation of his individual works exists. Furthermore, Chase’s paintings and pastels have been forged in great numbers throughout the years, and many of these works still surface on the art market. Making this long-awaited volume even more valuable is a list of every known exhibition of Chase’s work during the artist’s lifetime, selected examples of major post-1917 exhibitions, and an essay on Chase’s innovative pastel technique.

William Merritt Chase: Portraits in Oil (M Chase .C464 A4 2006)

This second of four volumes presents the entire collection of Chase’s known portraits in oil. Each is gorgeously reproduced, and many are published in color for the first time. Finding many of his portraits was especially difficult, as no log book of sitters has been located and no other records exist for those works that were not publicly exhibited. Nevertheless, Ronald G. Pisano’s meticulous research has uncovered more than six hundred portraits in private and public collections.