Tag Archives: Honore Daumier

Dramatic Play

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At February’s Phillips after 5 the museum collaborated with Arena Stage to celebrate their production of John Logan’s play Red and our Rothko Room. Teaching artists from Arena led theater workshops that brought artworks from the museum to life through tableaux vivants or living pictures. Have a look at participants at play!

Participants warm up by making individual tableaux. The inspiration: freeze like you just won the lottery. Photo: Charles Mahorney

More warm-up as participants collaborated to make a shape with a focal point. Photo: Charles Mahorney

In the next series, participants took Daumier's The Uprising as a source of inspiration for tableaux. Honoré Daumier, The Uprising (L'Emeute), 1848 or later. Oil on canvas, 34 1/2 x 44 1/2 in. The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C. Acquired 1925.

Participants create a tableau inspired by The Uprising. Photo: Charles Mahorney

Another tableau inspired by The Uprising. Photo: Charles Mahorney

The Artist Sees Differently: Michelle Lisa Herman

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Michelle Lisa Herman, Digital Media Manager

Photo: Michelle Lisa Herman

How did you learn about the Phillips?

Well, I guess I first learned about The Phillips Collection in high school in Fort Lauderdale, FL, at the Dillard Center for the Arts, when I took AP Art History. I was familiar with some of the works in The Phillips Collection that I would come across in my textbooks, though I didn’t get to actually visit until I started college at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. My friends and I would make pilgrimages here as often as we could to see exhibitions at The Phillips Collection and other museums in the area.

Do you feel you are inspired by the Phillips art?

Just being surrounded by thousands of works of art is inspiring in itself, but the energy that The Phillips Collection has makes it an even more enjoyable experience as an artist.

What do you listen to as you create?

I usually would say my “Trinity”: Tori Amos, Ani DiFranco, and Björk. But lately, Björk has been taking the lead. I also listen to a good amount of indie, electronica, and foreign pop. Continue reading →