January 20, 2025

Snow, Independence, MO

Untrodden…

Ironically, I was at the Nelson when the blizzard began, and we got 12” of snow in under 24 hours. It was beautiful, but has now been on the ground for two full weeks and is getting a little weary and dirty.

However, this photo was taken at the Senior Dog Sanctuary where I volunteer, in a section of the yard that was untouched for several days. Really so beautiful.

January 8, 2025: New year, new project

Fresh leek on my kitchen counter

Art in nature…

It’s 2025, but my journal, diary, blog, whatever it is…continues! This year, I’m stepping out of the museum to explore the art in nature. Flora, fauna, weather, environment, whatever is part of the natural world is fair game.

A few of my dear friends know that it was always my dream job to be a wildlife photographer, so maybe this is a step in that direction. It may not be safari pictures! But I do love botany and patterns in nature, so it wouldn’t surprise me to find a lot of that popping up.

And, since I’m in year two now, there will likely be fewer rules - so a post every so often or whenever I’d like.

Happy new year!

Week 52: Dec. 29, 2024

Bysantine Art and The Genius of Art, Andrew T. Schwartz, 1931, Oil on canvas mounted to wall

A year of art…

The eastern stairway of the original Nelson Atkins building is a work of art in itself. The walls are covered in 11 murals representing great cultural epochs in the history of art, and surround them by representations of Truth, Beauty, and Genius.

I chose this picture as the final piece of my year-long journal because it was positioned in a stairwell - one I have travelled up and down hundreds of times this year, and over the past nine years in KC. Looking up the stairs is a reminder that there is still so much more, to see, to learn, to feel, and to appreciate.

Last week, we took our 13- and 14-year-old grandchildren to the Nelson Atkins and instead of trying to take it all in with younger guests, we instead said that we would go and find 4 things in the museum. Each of us got to pick out something that we knew of or wanted to find - - and then we went to see it. I recommend the tactic. It turned the trip into a treasure hunt of sorts!

David wanted to see the Knight in armor. He has always loved it and wanted the kids to see it. Isa chose to see ‘the mummy’ so we headed to the ancient Egyptian art and I shared the view that I had photographed a month earlier. Caden wanted to see ‘something from Japan’ so we headed upstairs and ended up being more intrigued by the view out over Roselle Court than the Japanese art. And I struggled with what to pick because I knew that there were 51 different things that I had come to know and love over the past 51 weeks - and we couldn’t go see them all. So I chose the Chinese Temple that has been a part of the Nelson since the 1930s but is made up of a coffered vault, panels, doors, and murals from the 14th-18th centuries.

What I take away from this year’s experience is a love for the exploration; the comfort of seeing my ‘old friends’ when I walk through the museum, and the joy of finding yet another surprise each time I visit.

Not sure what this diary will become in 2025, but I look forward to growing my skills in photography, having an excuse to explore, and finding beauty and surprises in the world.

Week 51: Dec. 22, 2024

The Madonna and Child, Workshop of Andrea della Robbia, Italian, 16th century, Glazed terracotta

Thermoluminescence…

It seems that the wreath was cast in the 15th-century, yet thermoluminescence testing has revealed that the Madonna and Child inside it are replacements likely cast in the 19th-century. The original is somewhat larger and is still in Florence today.

But I like the concept of thermoluminescence. I’ve read a bit about it - and while I don’t thoroughly understand it - it’s yet another key to determining age of the things we find from long ago. And I like that.

Week 50: Dec. 15, 2024

Chair, Christopher Dresser and John Moyr Smith, English and Scottish, designers, about 1870, Iron and wood 

Coalbrookdale Company, manufacturer, England

Form over function…

I love this chair. It is every contrast I enjoy about art and design. It is absolutely gorgeous - yet looks hideously uncomfortable; almost like a torture device. I have always been drawn to items that have either outlived their usefulness or were designed with a focus on form rather than function. It amuses me in some way. But it can make for a very uncomfortable home!

I also enjoyed photographing this, with the delicate glass vase in the background. Such a contrast to the wood and iron.

Week 49: Dec. 8, 2024

Storage, Judith Shea, American, 1999., Bronze

Wait right here…

I remember the first time I saw this bronze I stopped and looked around to find the workers who must be getting ready to assemble the installation. It took me a while to realize this WAS the installation. And it has left me sort of bothered ever since. Which might very well be the point.

It is said to represent ‘the essence of human presence.” Propped up, essentially forgotten, stored away, no extremities, no movement. Not the art of life and love and honor and learning and growth, but of life cast off, with no enduring value. It leaves me sort of bothered.

Week 48: Dec. 1, 2024

A Nobleman and His Wife, Egypt, Old Kingdom, 5th Dynasty, 2494-2345 B.C.E., Painted limestone

Wealth, Beauty, and Comfort…

Again, I find myself saying, it doesn’t look that different than today. That’s been such a theme this year. A nobleman and his wife - - just like the paintings of the wealthy or elite with their spouses today. Hair done, skin touched up, clothing just so. Everything done to send a message.

Only here, it turned out that the wigs had multiple purposes. They were symbols or status and wealth, but also covered up signs of lice. Hmm… I guess status only solved some problems.

Week 47: Nov. 24, 2024

Water Lilies, Monet, French, around 1915-1926, Oil on canvas

Uncommonly beautiful…

There’s just something amazingly beautiful about Water Lillies. I have always loved it. This section of a larger triptych is a part of the Nelson’s permanent collection that went on tour for a while. Since it’s been back, they have given it it’s own room dedicated to Monet. And once again I am floored by how the choice of the wall color can change everything about the display. It’s just beautiful.

Week 46: Nov. 17, 2024

Outer Coffin of Meret-it-es, Late Period to Ptolemaic Period, 30th Dynasty to early Ptolemaic Dynasty, ca. 380-250 B.C.E., Wood, pigment and gesso

Outside looking in…

This display is brilliantly set up so that, as you turn and look about the space, you see all the different layers that went together to send this individual on to the next world. It occurred to me how much of the museum - and how many of my photos had something to do with death. Urns, sarcophagi, the coffin, memorial statues. So much art used to remember, celebrate, or honor the dead.

Week 45: Nov. 10, 2024

Roman Sarcophagus, Found in Rome, 240-260 C.E., Marble

Sending a message…

The sarcophagus was decorated to share information about the deceased, and in this one, the deceased woman is standing among the muses. It is presumed that she wanted it adorned this way to show that she was a cultured woman. I kind of think it shows that she was probably intelligent and a lot of fun.

The carvings of two thousand years ago were something like today’s obituaries - and somewhat like social media - in which we get to portray ourselves as we want others to remember us. So I suppose this could be the well planned ‘selfie’ rather than the a realistic summary of a life.

Week 44: Nov. 3, 2024

Day of the Dead, Community display, 2024, cardboard, paper, paint, fabric banners

Tribute…

Day of the Dead is such a powerful time of remembrance and appreciation. I have always loved the very concept of it.

The Nelson does a wonderful job of creating opportunities to pay tribute to the art of cultures and religions, as well as creating opportunities for the whole community to contribute to an artistic experience. This was a small part of a much larger installation in the center of the main lobby. Tables around the perimeter provided the opportunity for guests to contribute to the display with brightly colored notes of respect and appreciation for loved ones they have lost.

Week 43: Oct. 27, 2024

Planets in My Head, Yinka Shonibare, British-Nigerian, 2010 Mannequin, Dutch was printed cotton, leather and fiberglass

Planets in My Head…

The information about this piece stated that it “celebrates the thrill of discovery” and it shares that it is part of a series by this artist…which I now have to look up.

I especially appreciate how the Victorian style dress, fabric, wooden case, and old style telescope are juxtaposed with the child’s curiosity, creating a setting from long ago but a child sharing an excitement for learning that transcends time.

I enjoyed the photo from this angle because it showed all the other artwork around her and seemed to say she was focused on something bigger and farther away.

Week 42: Oct. 20, 2024

Dog Surveying Her Kingdom, Kristin Droege and Grace Whippet, American, 2024 iphone photo

In our backyard…

What a tremendous luxury to have this treasure just two blocks from our house. We come here almost daily for a walk, a dog adventure, or to explore the museum. You can get a cup of coffee, visit the gift shop, enjoy a snack at Roselle Court, or just stroll through amazing works of art.

Grace is a big fan of the bunnies too!

Week 41: Oct. 13, 2024

Chromoplastic Mural, Luis Tomasello, Argentina, 2011 Bass wood and acrylic paint

Reflecting…

These wood blocks cover a large wall in the main hallway of the Block Building. They always fascinate me, and look a bit different from every angle.

What I have always enjoyed most is the extent to which the orange paint reflects off the white wall. None of it is positioned to show directly outward toward the eye of the observer. What you pick up of the orange is predominantly what you see as you approach it from the side, walking down the hallway, and what is reflected back out from the wall.

The other fascination here is that the piece is made of 672 identical geometric forms, but honestly, I have been looking at them for nine years and I don’t think they look identical. It drives me crazy. The form he has created is so intriguing that if you turn it one way or the other, it looks quite different.

Week 40: Oct. 6, 2024

Set of prints from an untitled series known as “Large Flowers”, Katsushika Hokusai, Japanese, 1833-1834, woodblock print(nishiki-e), ink and color on paper; Hibiscus and Sparrow, Chrysanthemuns and Horsefly, Hydrangea and Swallow, Bellflower and Dragonfly, Poppies, Peonies and Butterfly, Morning Glories and Tree Frog.

untitled…

I have become so familiar with Hokusai’s Great Wave that I was surprised to find that I really was more attracted to his floral woodblock prints. This series, which was untitled, is gorgeous. The museum displayed it in a lovely way that complemented the color and the design perfectly.

An untitled series - as a concept - also intrigued me. Perhaps it was untitled because he didn’t view it as a series but as unique prints, each with flora or fauna. Who gets to decide if art is grouped or individual? Just a curiosity…

Week 39: Sep. 29, 2024

Day and Night, Hour by Hour, Ross Bleckner, American, 2023, oil on linen

Night lights…

I enjoy when I notice something that is new to the museum. There is a sense that the ‘permanent collection’ is somehow static and unchanging, but it actually changes all the time. Today, I walked through the museum and turned around and got this fun surprise.

The lighting and depth are surprisingly powerful when, in many ways, the image is rather childlike. But I wanted to look at it for a long time to take it in, and that made me choose it for the photos of the week.

I took this from a bit of an angle because it seemed to amplify the effect of the 3D nature of the leaves and flowers.

Week 38: Sep. 22, 2024

Rush Hour, George Segal, American, 1983, cast 1995, Bronze

Rainy day…

I chose to photograph this sculpture on a rainy day because they are dressed for a rainy day. I’ve walked by this sculpture for nine years, and it looks more ominous to me in person than it does in the photo. It startles me frequently when I’m not paying attention and then come around the corner and see this group of people coming toward me. They seem somber in person - especially on a sunny day. But on this rainy day, and in the photo, they simply appear to be trying to get where they are going in the rain.

I am always amazed when artists are able to sculpt hard, solid materials into the appearance of fabric. All the trench coats show wrinkles and bends just as they would in an actual fabric coat.

Week 37: Sep. 15, 2024

Shuttlecock, Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, American, 1994, Fabricator Merrifield-Roberts, Inc., Aluminum

Shuttlecocks…

Four giant shuttlecocks adorn the grounds of the Nelson Atkins Museum. When they were commissioned and added to the grounds they were enormously controversial. They were seen as frivolous and in contrast to the grandeur of the museum. I spoke with family members of the couple who commissioned and donated the pieces, and learned that they had even received death threats from within the KC community for ruining the museum in this way.

Today, the shuttlecocks are the emblem of the entire city. They are seen on t-shirts, postcards, Christmas tree ornaments, jigsaw puzzles. They’re everywhere.

I chose to photograph this one because it is close to the building and shows the modern appearance of the shuttlecock in direct contrast to the classic grandeur of the building. I think this is now the image that best represents the Nelson in its role in KC. Welcoming of art from all view points; welcoming of diverse people; serious minded yet playful and creative; incorporating something for everyone.

I considered waiting until the gentleman on the steps had left, however, there is almost always someone on these steps. So it seemed appropriate to just include him. The steps look across the south lawn which is a long sloping yard with two other shuttlecocks and a large grassy area that is sometimes quiet and scenic, and other times filled with picnickers, frisbee players, and dog walkers.

Week 36: Sep. 8, 2024

The Thinker, Auguste Rodin, French, 1880, probably cast ca. 1940, Bronze

Thinking…

I spent much time thinking about The Thinker: How odd it is for the caster to be someone separate from the artist - and for this statue to have been made even after the artist had passed; how different his face looks up close than how I imagine it from far away; and…of course, doesn’t it kind of look like he’s sitting on a toilet. Sigh…

But what I ended up being most intrigued by when I started photographing it was the wonderful coloring of the bronze in relation to the blues and greens of the sky and the trees. I specifically chose this shot because it didn’t show any of the building to the back of the statue but instead surrounds it with the natural beauty of the setting. And it was a perfectly cloudy day so the light brought all kinds of nuance to the colors.

Week 35: Sep. 1, 2024

Shoulder Bag, Seminole, Florida, ca. 1830, Wool cloth, glass beads, silk ribbon and wool yarn

Bags…

I’ve been surprised by the fact that what I continually notice as I walk through the art - pieces created over thousands of years, and across different cultures and continents - is how much stays the same. I assumed I would be more surprised by how much everything changes. But no.

The first thing I thought of when I saw this was the hand bag featured in the photo I posted on May 12 from a stone carving made in 800 BC. It could have been a hand bag from 800 AD, or 1800 AD, or today. I believe that bag was meant to carry seeds, and here this bag could easily carry seeds, or books, or an ipad. Apparently, human kind across all time and space, has a need to carry things and bags don’t need to change that much to keep up.