Artists in Italy: Giorgio Morandi

Posted on August 9, 2013 by Experiment Station

Giorgio Morandi, Still Life, 1953. Oil on canvas, 8 x 15 7/8 in. (20.3 x 40.3 cm). The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C., Acquired 1954.

Read part one and part two in this series.

Lastly, the native Italian Giorgio Morandi, born in Bologna in 1890, studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti of Bologna where he trained in the classical Italian and Flemish styles of painting. During his last years there, his style began to change, having been briefly influenced by futurism and other modern trends. The arrangements of objects seen in Still Life, 1953 (shown above) and Still Life, 1950 (shown below) reflect his mature style. His earthy and subdued palette corresponds in tone to the Prendergast piece, which draws a connection between the oldest and the newest work on display here, highlighting the continual influence Italy exerted on these artists who depicted its beauty.

Drew Lash, Curatorial Intern

Giorgio Morandi, Still Life, 1950. Oil on canvas, 14 1/8 x 18 5/8 in. (35.9 x 47.3 cm). The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C., Acquired 1957.

Artists in Italy: Joseph Stella and Giorgio de Chirico

Posted on August 7, 2013 by Experiment Station

Read part one in this series.

Joseph Stella, Vesuvius, c. 1915-20. Watercolor and pencil on paper, 9 1/2 x 13 1/4 in. (24.1 x 33.7 cm). The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C., Gift of Jennifer and Alan Pensler in memory of Leslie Pensler, 1997.

Born near Naples, Italy in 1877, the artist Joseph Stella moved to the United States at the age of 18 where he began a career in medicine before attending the Art Students League in New York to study painting. He traveled to Paris in 1909, was inspired by cubism and futurism, and later participated in the Armory Show of 1913. He continued to experiment with styles, the result of which can be seen in the vibrant colors of his watercolor Vesuvius from between 1920 and 1940, shown above. Italian Landscape, also from this time period, shows softer colors and more subtle references to modern techniques.

While born to Italian parents, Giorgio de Chirico grew up in Volos, Greece, and studied art in Athens, Italy, and Germany. As an adult, de Chirico lived in many cities throughout Italy, each leaving its mark on his work. The painting seen below, Horses (1928), depicts two horses on a beach standing before a Roman architectural structure that refers to the legacy of Italian culture.

Drew Lash, Curatorial Intern

Giorgio de Chirico, Horses, c. 1928. Oil on canvas, 19 3/4 x 25 5/8 in. (50.2 x 65 cm). The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C., Acquired 1929.

Congrats to our Partner Schools!

Posted on August 6, 2013 by Experiment Station

Last week, the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) released the results of the 2013 District of Columbia Comprehensive Assessment System exam (DC CAS). We’d like to extend our heartfelt congratulations to our Art Links to Learning partner schools—Inspired Teaching Demonstration Public Charter School, Takoma Education Campus, and Tyler Elementary for their fantastic improvements! Well done! We’re looking forward to another exciting year of integrating the arts with you.

Middle school students at Takoma Education Campus applied mathematical concepts to Piet Mondrian’s Composition No. III. Photo: Rachel Goldberg/Natalie Mann

Students at Tyler Elementary explored abstract paintings for their unit on “The World Around Us”. Photo: Rachel Goldberg/Natalie Mann

Students from the Inspired Teaching School discovered connections between their city and John Marin’s Pertaining to Fifth Avenue and Forty-Second Street. Photo: Rachel Goldberg/Natalie Mann

Rachel Goldberg, Manager of School, Outreach and Family Programs