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Berenson and the Connoisseurship of Italian Painting
Closed September 3, 1979
A young, nude, light-skinned man stands in the center of a rocky, mountainous landscape in this square painting. The man’s muscular body faces us but he turns his head in profile to our right as he looks down at the coral-red cloth he drops onto the ground. He is cleanshaven with prominent eyebrows, a straight nose, and his lips are slightly parted. He has thick, reddish-brown hair with bangs across his forehead, and there is a red-edged, glimmering, gold, plate-like halo across the crown of his head. He leans slightly to the side as he drops the red cloth onto a white one, already on the ground. With his other hand, he holds a fawn-brown animal skin or cloth over that shoulder. The man is surrounded by tan and parchment-brown, deeply ridged, mostly barren mountains. The pointed peaks nearly reach the top of the painting. The rocky mountains are interspersed with a few dark green bushes. A light blue stream curves in a shallow S shape along the right side of the painting. Peaks in the far distance are icy blue against a sky that deepens from topaz blue along the horizon to navy blue at the top edge. Some puffy and some thin white clouds float across the sky.
Aspects of Twentieth-Century Art
Closed July 30, 1978
A jumble of abstracted objects, including a stringed instrument, tableware, and fruit, are gathered on a tabletop in this horizontal still life painting. The objects are made up of areas of mostly flat color in muted fawn brown, cream, bright white, fern green, slate gray, and black. Many forms are outlined in black, creating the impression that the some shapes are two-dimensional and assembled almost like a collage. To our left, a musical instrument, perhaps a lute, sits next to appears to be lined paper, perhaps abstracted sheet music, at the center of the composition. In front of the paper, two pieces of pale yellow fruit sit on a silver plate. A rolled up white napkin sits next to the plate in front of an urn and a jug. A steel-gray goblet sits to the left of the plate. The background behind the table is painted with zones of moss green, sky blue, and gray. The edges appear torn, as if the painting is done on a loose canvas or sheet of paper that was then affixed to a support. The surface of the painting is rough and appears scratched throughout, and looks as if paint had been applied when nearly dry. The artist signed and dated the painting in white near the lower left corner: “G Braque 28.”
American Art at Mid-Century
Closed January 14, 1979
This iron, freestanding sculpture consists of two wheels connected by an upward curving axle, an abstract, carriage-like structure, and five wavy lines standing upright along the top. The wheels each have six spokes and thin rims. In this photograph, the upside-down, U-shaped axle is bolted to the left end of a horizontal strip of iron, which ends to the right with an oval loop. That end of the strip is supported by a tall, narrow, wedge-shaped piece of iron. Five thin iron strips are spaced evenly across the horizontal bar. The top edges are rounded, and they curve in shallow, angular S shapes. The sculpture stands on a pale pink, polished marble floor against a wall with textured gray marble blocks. The scale of the space shows that the sculpture is at least as tall as an average person.
Piranesi
Closed September 30, 1978
The image shows intricate lines and shapes creating elaborate arches and architectural structures. The drawing has a swirling and overlapping design that suggests chaotic motion within a grand structure. The abstract assembly resembles a grand cathedral or a palatial hall, with arches and columns akin to classical architecture. Figures and decorative flourishes are interspersed throughout, resembling statues or ornate carvings typical of an embellished building.
Edvard Munch
Closed March 4, 1979
The image depicts abstract shapes, including two figures and various geometric elements, set against a backdrop of contrasting colors. On the left, there is a black figure and a red figure. The scene is set on a sandy ground with white and tan shapes. In the background, there is a curving green shape and a wavy blue line. To the right, there is a large yellow 'i'-shaped symbol with a dot above it.
Master Drawings from the Collection of the National Gallery of Art and Promised Gifts
Closed August 13, 1978
This painting shows a tiger lying on the ground. The tiger's body is stretched out, facing the left. Its eyes are closed, and its head is resting on its paws. Its fur is painted in a rich orange with black stripes and areas of white on its face, chest, and legs. In the background, there are soft, gray-blue mountain ranges under a light blue sky. The ground the tiger lies on is an olive-green color, with sections of tan earth. The painting has fluid and loose brushstrokes.
Hubert Robert
Closed February 4, 1979
This is a drawing of an interior scene in a rustic setting. The room has a high ceiling with exposed wooden beams and a large window. Various figures are engaged in dancing, playing music, and observing. To the left, a character plays a flute while standing on a barrel. In the foreground, a dancer appears in mid-motion. The figures are clustered around the central dancer, some holding hands and others leaning against barrels. In the background, a ladder reaches up to a loft area where additional objects are stored. The atmosphere is festive yet intimate, with a focus on movement and engagement among the elements in the image.
Paper in Prints
Closed July 31, 1977
This is a drawing of a theater scene with a large clownish figure and an audience. The drawing shows a theatrical performance with a character resembling a clown on the right, and an audience on the left. The audience is depicted in rows, with a seated figure above operating the curtain. The scene conveys a sense of theatricality and humor, capturing the atmosphere of a performance.
Nineteenth-Century Toys
Closed March 19, 1978
The image shows a vintage toy train engine with a black body, red and blue front, red chimney, and green and blue cab with red detail. The wheels are brown. The color palette includes worn reds, blues, greens, blacks, and hints of gold due to oxidation. The train is positioned laterally, facing right. It displays the left side of its cab, main body, prominent rear wheels, and the smaller front part fading into the background.
Recent Acquisitions of Printed Portraits
Closed June 6, 1976
The image shows a man seated from the waist up, facing slightly left with his gaze directed at the viewer. He has a round face with expressive eyes, a prominent nose, a slight mustache and beard, and curly hair receding slightly at the temples. He wears a buttoned-up garment typical of formal attire, with a visible collar. He holds a rolled-up booklet or document in his hand. On the table beside him are documents, an anatomical drawing, and an inkwell. The background is a dark, textured oval framing the man. Text borders the artwork, providing historical and descriptive context.
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