Browse Exhibits (30 total)

The evolution of Mark Rothko’s style as an artist is a journey further into abstraction and away from traditional representation.

Starting with the figural urban scenes of his early career, Rothko subsequently developed a quasi-Surrealist style of automatic drawing, which featured amoebic and biomorphic elements and an interest in symbols and ancient myth. From there, Rothko began painting his signature large-scale colour field works, which, with their large rectangular bands of floating colours and immersive presentation, attempted to connect with the viewer and evoke in them a deep emotional or spiritual response. 

The Antinous sculpture at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, one of nearly a hundred portraits of the young lover of Hadrian still extant, depicts the factual young man with distinctive features of Dionysus, differing from other Egyptian styles. 

The popularity of art restoration largely depends on genre, era, and the significance of the damage done to the piece. Popular opinion on art restoration varies from unquestionably necessary to completely scorned. The Old Market Woman was restored almost instantly after her discovery at the beginning of the 20th century, but in 1997 it was decided to remove the restorations and display the statue as it was originally found. These restorations can be seen as antithetical to the veracity of Hellenistica art and sculpting an old woman in antiquity.

In 1906, Henri Matisse encountered a Congolese figurine in Paris curiosities shop, initiating the French Modernist painter's interest in African art. Later that year, following a trip to Algeria, Matisse painted two portraits of the young seaman Germain Montargès. The first version, Young Sailor I, was painted in Matisse’s early post-impressionistic style, depicting the sailor in milky hues, his cap casting a shadow over his face. In the second version, Young Sailor II, Matisse departs from impressionistic norms, drawing upon the mode of seeing in African Sculpture to translate the figure into a series of colored planes. This exhibit brings together the Vili sculpture and both Young Sailor paintings for the first time, illustrating one of the earliest cases of African influence in Western Modernism.

18th century French portrait artist Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun is best known for her portraiture of the French aristocracy. Her reputation as a talented artist and connections to the art world catapulted Vigée Le Brun to success. She was eventually commissioned to paint Queen Marie-Antoinette. Upon their meeting, the two women forged a friendship that opened many doors for Vigée Le Brun within the French aristocracy and the French art world, eliminating many barriers she had once faced because of her gender. As a result, Vigée Le Brun met Marie Charlotte Louise Perrette Aglaé Bontemps, the sitter of the portrait Comtesse de la Châtre.