Shall We Dance? Dancing with Renoir at The MFA

Dance in the City,1883 Pierre Auguste Renoir

In Boston it is time to Dance!  In May The  Museum of Fine Arts will welcome two very special paintings on loan from the Musée d'Orsay, Paris—Renoir's Dance in the City and Dance in the Country. These  full-length scenes  will be shown along side MFA's own treasure of Renoir's, Dance at Bougival. This is the first time in a generation that all three have been on view together at the MFA.  The three paintings were all done by Renoir in the same year,1883,  and portray couples in urban, suburban  and rural settings. 

The two painting from the Musee d'Orsay  were created as a pair- the formats are complimentary and the almost full size figures show two very different couples and two very different styles of dancing. Dance in the City is of course within a formal setting, with cool interior ballroom tones featuring an elegantly dressed and  restrained white gloved couple while Dance in the Country incorporates livelier warmer colors showing its couple in open air dancing.

Dance in the Country,1883

 Dance in the Country has more of a "romp" to it with a hat tossed to the floor and an abandoned dinner table in the background.  The woman dancing, Aline Charigot, who would later become Renoir's wife, is seen with a blushed and cheerful continence. This is a couple enjoying the moment and they are obviously very comfortable with one another. The couple in Dance in the City, while dancing close, are constrained by the formality of their ballroom surroundings, you know their lives are imposed upon by the formal expectations of their society...you want to know more about them and about their evening.  Yet these two paintings are indeed linked and one could very well imagine these two couples dancing on the very same night in their respective locales.

 

Dance at Bougival,1883  MFA

 Dance at Bougival, has a different mood all its own--A Suburban cafe in  Bougival on the outskirts of Paris is the setting and there is more electricity in this piece between the dance partners. The woman, the same model Suzanne Valadon seen in Dance in the City, averts her gaze as her partner leans in to her-she may not be enjoying this dance as much as her partner wishes.  Their hats are vibrant which pulls your eye to their faces and their mixed expressions-his common and flirtatious, hers almost embarrassed and not quite sure what to make of her partner and his yellow hat.  Visitors to the MFA will be familiar with the great presence of this painting and it is wonderful to have the chance to see Renoir's three dancing couples on canvas all together.  The exhibition will run through September 3, 2012 in the Sidney and Esther Rabb Gallery at The MFA.

I know critics are not huge fans of Dance in the City but it holds a special place with me and I look forward to seeing it again in person. Years back I purchased an exhibition poster of this piece in Paris and the woman who sold it to me thought I actually looked like Suzanne Valadon in the painting and predicted I would find a tall dark elegantly dressed partner to share the dance floor with...worth revisiting don't ya think??? :)

images from The MFA and the Musee d'Orsay

Sargent's Summer

While visiting the MFA to see the Chihuly exhibit before it leaves town, I was pressed into a gallery like a sardine with hardly a sight of any of Dale Chihuly's magical glasswork--

...mainly I saw other people's backs, heads, and feet.  After making my way through the maze of cell phone camera snapping crowds I found myself pushed out the other side,head spinning, and in search of a peaceful spot.  I walked through the glass doors of the wonderful America's Wing to be greeted by John Singer Sargent's "Daughter's of Edward Boit" --

 ... their sadness, and my knowledge of their tragedies, didn't help my mood, but as I turned the corner  I stopped.  The gallery was quiet and cool and the work that pulled me toward it changed my day and transported me to a summer garden at twilight. 

 "Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose", the title taken from a popular song of the time, is perhaps one of Sargent's best known works. The painting resides at the Tate Gallery but the MFA has a study of Dorothy Barnard one of the two sisters portrayed in the full work.  It is this study that I have always loved best.  The wonderment on this young girl's face, the quiet stillness as she lights the lantern,the exquisite glow that lights the whole work against the coolness of the gardens. It captures the joy of a child's summer, the magic of a summer's eve, and the wonderful innocence that only a child can bring forth. I never grow tired of seeing it, its like visiting a fairytale, but on this day it was as if I was seeing it for the first time. Come Visit A Well Appointed Life

In a Swirl of Scaasi

 If Arnold Scaasi dressed you chances are you were not on your way to the supermarket!

Arnold Scaasi built his career by focusing mainly on designing custom couture rather than Ready to Wear allowing him to create clothes that helped to define an era in American fashion.  His custom clothing reflected a lifestyle of wealth and society -opulent, elegant, dramatic yet classic couture using exquisite and often innovative materials and design.

 His elegant clothes have been worn by Broadway stars, New York socialites, First Ladies and Hollywood Legends and in many cases the pieces he designed for these notable women became as famous as they were.

The MFA has recently acquired Mr. Scaasi's archive along with over 100 of his most signature pieces.  The current exhibit, Scaasi: American Couturier, running through June 19, showcases the custom work that accessorized the lifestyle and helped to define the public image of  Broadway and Television personality Arlene Francis, New York socialites Mrs. Joseph Norban and Mrs. Saul Steinberg and perhaps his best known client Barbra Streisand. including her "Hello Gorgeous" Oscar acceptance sequined ensemble that appeared almost see-thru!
Don't miss the chance to see an up close look at Scaasi's extraordinary work at  The MFA.

Take the Picture...Take the Picture...Richard Avedon's Fashionable Lens

He photographed nearly every important and celebrated figure of the late 20th century, but for me it is Richard Avedon's fashion photography that has captivated and inspired me for as long as I can remember..

Avedon literally changed the way women and fashion were photographed.  His startling, "alive" ,smart and moving compositions have defined what fashion photography should be-an art that captures you instantly and tells a story -and not only about the clothes. Working primarily with Vogue and Harper's Bazaar Richard Avedon's images became icons of fashion history.

Each photograph is a celebration not only of exquisite fashion but also the portrayal of women in the late 20th century...

Smart, witty, spirited, alive, elegant, dynamic...

and of course glamorous.

A new exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston began this month-Avedon Fashion 1944-2000  showcasing decade by decade the photographer who brought fashion forward and immortalized style.

Read More about Richard Avedon and watch Funny Face,the film that celebrated his work.