Jax Stumpes: Akron Art Museum (7/23/2016)

Saturday, July 23, 2016

Akron Art Museum (7/23/2016)

Saturday, July 23, 2016
We were meeting a Chofu High School alumna and her husband for lunch in Akron, and had time beforehand to visit the Akron Art Museum.

The former Carnegie Library (1901) that the Art Museum first used
in 1922 (two rooms in the basement), then after a few moves and
a fire, it took over this building in 1950

In 1980, the art museum moved across the street into the former
Post Office (1899) that continues to house the art from 1850-1950

In 2007, the John S and James L Knight Building opened;
it was designed by Coop Himmelb(l)au

Spring Thunderstorm (1955) by Charles Burchfield,
who was born in Ashtabula Harbor, OH

Maytime (1909-1914) by Willard Metcalf, who was
the first American artist to "discover" Giverny, home to Claude Monet

Through the Vines (c. 1908) by Frederick Frieseke, who was
also part of the American colony of artists in Giverny, France

Winter Evening (c. 1932) by Raphael Gleitsmann,
depicts Main Street in Akron in the 1930s

Untitled (c. 1928-1935) by August F Biehle,
depicts a rainy day in the Flats of Cleveland

The Seine at Andelys (1923) by Abel G Warshawsky; we
recognized this scene as we had visited Les Andelys a few weeks ago

Still Life (1944) by Paul B Travis,
who was born in Wellsville, OH

Bordner Mural (1936-1937) by William
Sommer and his son Edwin Sommer,
depicting a farm in Peninsula, OH

The Eviction (1946) by Raymond Grathwol,
an employee of Firestone who was a self-taught artist

Detail from The Eviction

Wall Drawing #1240, Planes with broken bands of color (2005)
by Sol LeWitt, was painted on the outer wall of the 1899 building

Untitled (1949) by Mark Rothko;
Abstract Expressionism

Kent with Standing Ada (1988) by Alex Katz

I'll Be Your Friend, I'll Be Your Love, I'll Be
Everything You Need (2009) by James Gobel,
depicts the masculine side of gay men

I'll Be Your Friend, et al is made with
felt, yarn, and rhinestones

Mao-Tse-Tung (1972) by Andy Warhol, based on the
portrait of Mao in his The Little Red Book

Atrabiliarios/Defiant (1996) by Doris Salcedo,
where cured cow bladders are sewn over niches

Atrabiliarios detail

Flooding (2011, in enamel) by Brinsley Tyrrell, who is
primarily a sculptor and we have seen his works
(usually artistic fences) throughout the Cleveland area

Gentleman Walking a Tightrope (2006) by
Yinka Shonibare, was raised in Nigeria, and often
uses headless figures to remove the question of race

Untitled (2012) by Hui-Chu Ying,
woodblock screenprint

Dzesi II (2006) by El Anatsui, also from Nigeria,
creates wall hangings from aluminum liquor bottle caps,
copper wire, and other discarded materials

Dzesi II detail

Cover (1990) by Richard Deacon, based on a drawing of Laurasia,
the hypothetical land mass from which the five continents broke off

Very neat staple-gun work

Flying Pizza (1964) by Claes Oldenburg,
better known for large scale sculptures

There was a special exhibit on Mark Mothersbaugh, who grew up in Akron. He was the founder of the band Devo, and as well as singing, songwriting, composing, and playing several musical instruments, he is an author and visual artist.

Beautiful Mutants is a series of "corrected photographs,"
taking half a photo and producing a mirror image

Another Beautiful Mutant

The upper row is Self-Portrait with First Pair of Glasses (2015),
done in corrected-photograph style, and the lower row
is the Proletariat Series (2014), showing his Roli Polis