Artist/Picture Study - Yayoi Kasama

Yayoi Kusama was born on March 22, 1929, and is a Japanese contemporary artist who works primarily in sculpture and installation. She also does performance, painting, fashion, fiction, poetry, video art, and other arts. 

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According to Wikipedia, Yayoi's work "is based in conceptual art and shows some attributes of feminism, minimalism, surrealism, Art Brut, pop art, and abstract expressionism, and is infused with autobiographical, psychological, and sexual content. She has been acknowledged as one of the most important living artists to come out of Japan."

She was raised in Matsumoto and then trained at the Kyoto City University of Arts in a traditional Japanese painting style called nihonga. However, she was inspired by American Abstract impressionism. 

In 1958, Wikipedia states, "Yayoi moved to New York City and was a part of the New York avant-garde scene throughout the 1960s, especially in the pop-art movement. Embracing the rise of the hippie counterculture of the late 1960s, she came to public attention when she organized a series of happenings in which naked participants were painted with brightly colored polka dots. Since the 1970s, Yayoi has created art, most notably installations in museums around the world. 

She has been open about her mental health, and says that art allows her a way to express her mental problems. She reported in the interview she did with Infinity Net "I fight pain, anxiety, and fear every day, and the only method I have found that relieved my illness is to keep creating art. I followed the thread of art and somehow discovered a path that would allow me to live."

Below are several pieces or installations that Yayoi has done and what Olivia remembered about them after studying them for a while.

Obliteration Room

Olivia remembered: 

- In the room, there is a dining room/kitchen presented. Everything is covered in polka dots. There are polka dots on top of polka dots. 

- There are definitely areas in the room where the polka dots are closer to one another and on top of one another.

- There is a dining room table with six chairs. There are plates, cups, a wine glass, and a pitcher of some sort...like a tea kettle. They were all covered in polka dots.

- On the wall to the right, there is a cabinet - it's open on top, but there are doors on the bottom. Following along that, it looks like there is a counter or a kitchen sink. I couldn't tell if there was a picture or a window above the sink.

- There also appears to be a plant in the back of the picture. 

- The walls are definitely more heavily polka-dotted than the floor. 

- The polka dots were in colors of red, orange, yellow, pink, blue, and green.

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All the Eternal Love I Have for the Pumpkins 

Olivia remembered: 

- In the picture, there are a ton of yellow pumpkins with black dots all over them. 

- The dots are all neatly in order. Starting in the center section of a pumpkin, they get smaller. 

- They also seem to move the natural lines of the pumpkins. 

- Even the stems are painted black with gold dots matching the sides of the pumpkins in reverse. 

- It looks like there are mirrors on the sides of the walls and ceiling to make the room bigger than what it is actually.

- The floor looks like it is somewhat reflective as well...just like it has been polished. 

- The pumpkins seem to glow from the inside - like they are lamps.

- The colors look yellow and black - like a bee. 

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Pumpkin (M), 2013, Victoria Miro, London

Olivia remembered: 

- In the picture, there is one big lone pumpkin. It appears to be made out of metal and I can't tell if it black first and then painted gold in some areas.

- The polka dots seem to be cut out of the yellow/bronze/gold metal that is laying on top of the pumpkin.

- The stem is in the reverse of the body where it's gold dots with a black surface.

- The ridges on the pumpkin really stand out. 

- In the center, the dots are bigger and as they move out they get smaller.

- There are willow trees in the background. It is definitely outside. 

- It kind of looks like a big piece of Swiss cheese. It kind of reminds me of Swiss cheese.

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Flowers that speak all about my heart given to the sky, 2018, 

Victoria Miro, London, 2018, photo: Thierry-Bal

Olivia remembered: 

- In the picture, there are three big flowers. Each flower is a slightly different color. The one on the left has yellow petals on the inside with black polka dots with pink on the outside of the petals. The inside color with a different outside color repeats for the other two flowers. 

- The inside is painted with a bright color - like red, yellow, or green. Those three colors make the seeds on the inside of the flower. It gives it an interesting look.

- They are in the shape of little rectangles. It kind of reminds me of a spider web. 

- The leaves of the flowers also have polka dots on them. 

- They look like they are on some wooden deck or platform. 

- The second flower to the right is red and white. The other one is pink and blue. 

- Some of the leaves have yellow or blue polka dots. 

- Some of the undersides of the leaves are lighter green with polka dots. 

- The flowers look like they could swallow you up and the petals would close in on you. 

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http://tokinowasuremono.com/e/artist-a08-kusama/177flowersfw.html

Olivia remembered: 

- In the picture, there is a vase and four flowers in it. One on the left is hanging down and is open. It is pointing to the table. The other three are pointing up and are open. 

- The whole picture reminds me of a mosaic and those dot mandalas.

- The whole picture is black and white too. 

- The surface of the table is white with black dots that seem to be going in a wave motion. 

- The vase has two handles on the side. 

- On the center of the vase has bigger random circle. As you go out, they are smaller and they are squished in between the bigger dots - or tucked in - giving it a 3D look.

- Some of the flowers reminded me of dandelions - especially the white ones. 

- The handles look like they are made out of rope looking like how the dots are formed on it. 

- The background is a bunch of little pieces that look like a mosaic. 

- The opening of the vase looks like a clamshell with curves in them. It reminds me of those bigger clam shells that - I think I saw something where they are really big and could swallow a person. Not like they could actually do that. 

- Some of the leaves look like them are snapped onto the stems - not like they are growing out from them. 

- The leaves kind of reminded me of dandelion leaves because of how jagged they are and how many points they have on them.

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Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirror Rooms

Tate Modern in London

Olivia remembered: 

- In the room, there are a bunch of lights. There also looks like there are mirrors in the room to reflect the light and make it look bigger.

- There's also a walkway in the center of the room - a path - and there is a big blob in the center of the photo. That could have been the camera taking the picture. 

- The lights were purples and yellow - contrasting colors. They looked like they were hanging from the ceiling.

- Definitely looks like you are in space. Each of the lights is a galaxy.

- Definitely looks like there are pillars in the room to support the ceiling and the room. 

- It's an empty-ish room with mirrors and lights.

- I think it would be cool. It reminds me of a mirror maze. It would be disorienting. You wouldn't know what is a wall and may walk into that. 

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Artist/Picture Study - Paul Cezanne

Paul Cézanne (1839–1906) was a French artist and Post-Impressionist painter whose artistic creations provided the foundations of the transition from the 19th to 20th century of art.

Cézanne’s exploratory and often repetitive brushstrokes are clearly recognizable and characteristic of his style. He used small brushstrokes and planes of color that build up to form complex fields.

The paintings convey Cézanne’s focused study of his subjects. Cézanne can be said to form a bridge between late 19th century Impressionism and the early 20th century’s new method of expression,  Cubism. Both Picasso and Matisse remarked that Cézanne “is the father of us all.”

Below are six pictures that Cézanne painted. Olivia studied these for a while and then recalled what she could remember about the pictures.

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Mountain Sainte-Victoire1882-1885

Oil on canvas, 65,5 × 81,7 cm

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Olivia remembered:
- In the picture, there are two big tall trees that you notice. The trees are right up front. If you look past the trees, you can see buildings, a bridge, and mountains. 
- The mountains look more like giant or very big hills, especially when they are painted green.
- The bridge looks like it is going across a large river and it is very long. 
- Some of the buildings look like they are just painted squares. 
- Also, it looks like it is the country because there are different farm plots. 
- Close to the river on the right side of the picture, there looks like there is a village. I couldn't tell if they were more buildings or trees.
- The two big trees look like they don't have any branches on the trunk. There is one little scraggly branch...and that's about it. 
- The picture looks like it is being painted from the perspective that the painter is on top of a hill. Everything seems a little faint, or smaller in the distance. You kinda feel like you are looking down slightly. 
- There are also smaller trees in the very front of the picture. 
- There looks like there is a house hidden among the trees that has a chimney.

- The whole picture is mainly done with greens, yellows, and the sky is blue with very few clouds. 

- It looks like it was done in watercolor - just how light the colors are and the blue in the sky. You can't really see the short, precise strokes. They are all blended out. 

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The Peppermint Bottle, 1893-95 

Oil on canvas, 65.9 x 82.1 cm

National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.

Olivia remembered:
- In the picture, it looks like there is a chest of drawers and sitting on the chest of drawers is some fabric or tablecloths. One is blue and has like swirly flower/fern patterns on it. 
- The other is plain white.
- Sitting on the fabric, there are two bottles - 1 that has a red label with a cork it; and the other looks like it is a jug or a vase, and it looks like it is completely see-through. 

- Also on the table are several peaches - at least I think they are peaches since they are orange or yellowish.

- It also seems like the fabric is propped up with things because of how it is draped and holding stuff.
- Behind the chest of drawers, there is a window and the whole background is painted this tealish-green color. The whole picture is painted like that with the exception of the red label and peaches. 

- The bottle with a red label - looks like it could be an alcohol bottle with wine or something. 
- The jug looks like it could be empty and appears to be completely see through. There is a peach that is hiding behind the vase. The vase is clear. 
- The colors are mostly greenish-blue with blue. 

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Le Jas de Bouffan, 1878

Olivia remembered:
- In the picture, there is a row of trees going off the page on the left-hand side.
- To the right of the trees, there is a house. There is one big part and there is a slightly shorter side next to it. There are a bunch of smaller buildings next to it. 
- The house reminds me of an Italian or Spanish or Mexican style. You got those ridged rooftops on the little buildings...that could be outdoor stoves. They also could be animal coops. 
- On the big building, there is a white staircase that goes up to the second floor. 
- On the trees, it looks like the branches are coming down and they have lots of little leaves - almost like willow trees.
- To the right of the picture, there is another tree that has a much darker bark and has a much skinnier tree trunk than the other trees. 
- The sky is blue and there looks like there is a bunch of fluffy clouds. 
- Again, the colors of this picture are brown, greens, and yellowish-browns...or like tan. 
- There looks like there is brown mixed into the tree. It looks like it may be fall because the leaves are ready to change. 

- The bark on the other trees is very smooth. 

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Still Life with a Ginger Jar and Eggplants, 1893-94

Oil on canvas 72.4 x 91.4 cm

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York NY

Olivia remembered:
- In the picture, there are some pears, two jars, a wine bottle, a wooden stick with some eggplants tied to it.
- One of the jars and the wine bottle have twine wrapped around it and it looks like they could be hanging or hung. 
- The other jar is like a dark green and looks more heavy-duty than the other jar. 
- There's the same tablecloth with the blue and black swirly design from the other still-life design. In this one, you can see that the design is like a bunch of suns in a row...like a quilt block or quilt square. 
- There's - what I'm guessing - is a white tablecloth and what looks like a white vest. It looks like it is a different texture than the tablecloth.
- The back wall where you can see next to the eggplants, it looks like it is made out of glass. So, I feel like some of these items are being stored in a greenhouse or a glass sunroom.
- There's a wooden drawer or a chest or shelf/desk, and the top drawer is slightly open; and the next open drawer - it's hard to see the knobs since it is same texture as the wood. 
- The light looks like it is coming in from the left, and you see the reflection of the eggplants in the glass.
- The pears are orangeish/reddish/yellow - so they may not be completely ripe.
- The vase with the rope around it is white on top and then it looks like it is blue - like a big blue stripe on it. 

- The fabric is all bunched up - like there is something underneath it. 

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Source

Dovecote at Bellevue, 1890

Oil on canvas 58 x 78 cm

Private Collection

Olivia remembered:
- In the picture, there is a house on top of a hill and next to the house there looks like there is a silo. In front of the house there looks like there is a pine tree.
- Off from the pine tree, there looks like there are smaller pine trees.
- There is a big pine tree growing behind the house. 
- Next to the silo, there are smaller trees. Some of them look dead. One might have white flowers on it. 
- The sky is a much brighter, darker blue with less clouds. 
- There is also this little shrub growing on the hill, and by the way of the brush strokes, it looks like it is kind of tall.
- The silo has a burnt-orange top/cover and the house is tan with more yellow in it. There are two windows on the second story are completely black. 
- On the first floor, there's a window and what looks like a door - a greenish color. 

- You can see a lot more of his tiny, short strokes in this picture. 

- I feel like the house is abandoned. The whole feeling looks like it is slightly unkempt. 

- The grass is very brown and light in color. The trees are more green. 

- His other landscapes always have brown, green, and yellow, and sometimes orange. 

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Source

Les Bois, Aix-en-Provence, 1890

Graphite and watercolor, 46.6 x 30 cm

Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge UK

Olivia remembered:
- In the picture, there are three trees to the right and one tree to the left. 
- The trees appear to be growing on the side of a hill. 
- The trees are very tall and skinny.
- The trees don't look like they have any branches on the trunk. It's only on the top that you see a few branches. 
- There doesn't look like there are any leaves on this tree. So, they may be dead trees.
- The trees are brown, but there are hints of green, reddish-purple - like a red grape color, mixed into the trunks. 
- There are also these circles that paint. It's like when you drop water onto watercolors and then it spreads out. 
- The grass is very, very light...a vibrant green. 

- There are some tree trunks in the distance, but you don't see the top of them. You just see the trunks.

- The rest of the background is white. 

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Artist/Picture Study - Leonardo DiVinci

Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452, and died on May 2, 1519. He was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, sculptor, architect, engineer, scientist, draughtsman, theorist. 

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According to Wikipedia, "While his fame initially rested on his achievements as a painter, he also became known for his notebooks, in which he made drawings and notes on a variety of subjects, including anatomy, astronomy, botany, cartography, painting, and paleontology.

"Leonardo was educated in Florence by the Italian sculptor and painter Andrea del Verrocchio. He began his career in the city, but then spent much time in the service of Ludovico Sforza in Milan. Later, he worked in Florence and Milan again, as well as briefly in Rome, all while attracting a large following of imitators and students."

Wikipedia also stated that "Leonardo is among the greatest painters in the history of art and is often credited as the founder of the High Renaissance.  Despite having many lost works and less than 25 attributed major works—including numerous unfinished works—he created some of the most influential paintings in Western art. 

"His magnum opus, the Mona Lisa, is his best-known work and often regarded as the world's most famous painting. The Last Supper is the most reproduced religious painting of all time and his Vitruvian Man drawing is also regarded as a cultural icon."

Interestingly, relatively few of Leonardo's designs were constructed or feasible during his lifetime, as the modern scientific approaches to engineering and metallurgy were only in their infancy during the Renaissance. Some of Leonardo's smaller inventions, however, were manufactured without much celebration, such as a machine for testing the tensile strength of wire and an automated bobbin winder. 

Below are six of Leonardo DiVinci's paintings that Olivia studied. After observing them for some time, she shared what she could recall about each picture. 

Mona Lisa

This painting is painted as oil on wood. The original painting size is 77 x 53 cm (30 x 20 7/8 in) and is owned by the Government of France and is on the wall in the Louvre in Paris, France.

Olivia remembered: 

- In the picture, there's a woman sitting on a chair on what looks like a balcony.

- In the background, you can see some mountains, what looks like a lake or an ocean, a river to the right with a bridge going over it, and to the left what look like what could be part of the river or - what I'm thinking - is a road. 

- The woman is wearing a what a green dress with gold sleeves and she has some sort of shawl with armholes that goes over the dress.

- Her hair looks like it is slightly curly and it looks like she is wearing a light veil to protect her hair. You can see a little bit of it to the left.

- She is not wearing any jewelry. 

- Her eyes seem set deeply in her face, and there's a hint of a smile, but not a full smile. 

- Her left arm is resting on the arm of her chair, and her right arm is on her wrist of her left arm.

- She seems very relaxed.

-  The colors of the picture seem kind of muted. 

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The Last Supper

Olivia remembered: 

- In the picture, there's a long table and at the table there are a bunch of people. At the center of the table, you have Jesus, and you have people on both of his right and left.

- Starting with the people on the left side of the picture, they all look like they are leaning a little bit towards Jesus...and they are listening to what the other side of the table is saying. 

- The person closest to Jesus on his right side is a woman who I'm guessing is Mary. Sitting next to Mary is a man holding a little jug of wine...I'm guessing there's wine in it. 

- They all have a robe and then they have another robe over one side, and they are all dressed like that. 

- To the right of the picture, you have a man sitting next to Jesus and he has his arm out - like he is going to turn Jesus away from someone else because the man behind him - who looks like he is going to talk to Jesus and doesn't look very happy - he is pointing up towards the ceiling. 

- The people at the end of the table on that side look like they are having an argument amongst themselves. 

- They all kind of have the same hair length and style. There's a wave in it. If they don't have that hairstyle, their hair is short or they are bald. 

- Also, one of the disciples is wearing the same exact outfit as Jesus....or at least that's what it looks like in my version of the picture.

- They all have sandals on.

- The room that they are in looks like it is in the shape of a rectangle. There are four openings/doorways on each side. At the very back wall, there looks like there is a doorway and two windows on each side of the doorway.

- There are some mountains in the distance and what looks like a green field. 

- Kind of in front of the table, but short enough down so it's not blocking the table, is this stone thing that looks like a tombstone.

- On the table, there's food, but you can't tell what it is. There are some oranges and pears on the table. 

- The ceiling is broken up into squares to give it a pattern.

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Study of a Horse

Olivia remembered: 

- This isn't a full picture...it is a sketch, just like the title implies.

- You have a side view of the horse and then part of the front view of the horse - of the chest and one of his legs. 

- You can see this horse is one that they use for chariot pulling because there are a lot of muscles in the chest area.

- You can tell that there are a lot of muscles because of all the shadowing he did. 

- You can see on the side profile of the horse, part of its tail, what appears to be part of his hind legs. You can tell one is really defined - the one being lifted up. 

- The horse's mouth is open. 

- The tail is kind of curly. 

- It looks like DiVinci was having a hard time getting the proportion of the legs right because you can see some lighter marks.

- On the main drawing, he didn't finish the front leg, but it isn't the same for the other one. The other leg on the front view of the horse is complete. 

- You can see the joints where the horse bends his leg. 

- It is all neutral tones, and there isn't a ton of shading. 

 

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Virgin of the Rocks

A very similar painting in the National Gallery, London, is also ascribed to Leonardo da Vinci, and ascribed a date before 1508. Although it was originally thought that this painting was done by Leonardo's assistants, the study of the painting during its restoration led the conservators to conclude that the greater part of the work was done by Leonardo. 

Virgin of the Rocks was painted for the chapel of the Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception, in the church of San Francesco Maggiore in Milan. In 1781, it was sold by the church and bought by Gavin Hamilton, who took it to England. After passing through various collections, it was bought by the National Gallery in 1880.

Olivia remembered: 

- In the picture, there is a woman who I am thinking is Mary, an angel sitting on the ground.

- There's a bunch of rocks around them and in the background.

- Some of the rocks that are closer to her that have this moss kind of stuff on them. 

- The other woman who is with her is an angel and she is sitting on the ground with her hand to the back of a child who is sitting and looking at Mary. 

- Both Mary and the two children have very thin, golden halos around their heads.

- The sky is blue and there looks like there is a little island in the distance. 

- Mary is wearing a blue dress and she has a cloak that is also blue.

- One of the kids has what looks like a short, golden cross.

- None of the kids are wearing shirts. They only have a diaper on. 

- The rocks are rounded - like Aspen's ears - and the ones to the left of the picture are kind of staggered in heigh, and a little bit around the bottom looks like a mouth opening up. 

- Trying to think....the grass is kind of yellowish. 

- She doesn't appear to be wearing any jewelry. 

- It's a very simple sash around her waist, but it looks like it could support the weight of a child. 

- Mary's hair appears to be kind of curly. 

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The Burlington House Cartoon

Sometimes called The Virgin and Child with St. Anne and St. John the Baptist, this drawing was done by Leonardo DiVinci in charcoal and white and black chalk. He used eight sheets of paper that are glued together. It is very large in format and size and thought to be a cartoon for a painting. However, no painting by Leonardo exists that is based directly on this cartoon. The Burlington House Cartoon can be seen at the National Gallery in London.

Olivia remembered: 

- In the picture, there are four people - two women and two kids. 

- One kid is on the lap of Mary and the other is standing - I believe.

- The whole picture is on a tan/cream-color piece of paper.

- In the upper right corner, there are some darker lines. It looks like it might have been a city that was drawn back there. 

- Mary's foot looks like she only has two toes. 

- She is wearing a dress, though it is hard to tell. 

- The child on Mary's lap looks like he may be getting a spanking. 

- There's no halos or gold in this picture. 

- There's not a lot of attention to the feet - it's blurry. It's like he didn't actually draw them. 

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Madonna and the Yarnwinder

This painting can be seen in Edinburgh at the Scottish National Gallery. For Olivia's graduation trip, we will be going to Scotland and England, and hope to see this painting. 

Olivia remembered: 

- In the picture, there is a woman and child who is sitting on her lap and doesn't have any clothes on. 

- There's this big needle that is used for winding and it looks like it is on a stone, and is meant to turn. 

- In the background, there's the ocean and what looks like a little island.

- The woman is wearing a dress and you can't tell what color it is - either a very earthy tone or black.

- There's no halo again...definitely not a religious picture.

- The sky is very blue.

- There is no yarn that I can see.

- Again, the hair is kind of curly. I'm wondering if people just had curly hair back then. 

- I'm not sure what she is sitting on. Maybe another rock?

- The kid's eyes are open - like he is looking at what he is doing, and her eyes are cast down.

- It's a very simple background.

- Her hand is around the kid. His hands are around the needle.

- You can't see her feet. His feet are in Mary's lap. I think he's standing...I don't think he's sitting. 

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Artist/Picture Study - Flavia Arlotta

On May 9, 1913, Flavia Arlotta was born in Naples into a cosmopolitan family. Her father Ugo was wealthy and her mother was a Russian sculptress. At the age of 17, Flavia went to live in Florence to study painting. 

Source

According to the Giovanni Colacicchi website, Flavia met Giovanni Colacicchi through Felice Cerena, and the two married. She received her diploma at the Accademia in 1935. Giovanni and Flavia then had two sons: Piero in 1937 and Francesco in 1942. 

Flavia "participated in various collective exhibitions in the 1930s and 1940s at Palazzo Strozzi in Florence and the Galleria d'arte Moderna in Rome. In 1939 her father bought her the studio house in Via dell'Osservatorio which remained the well-loved residence of Flavia and Giovanni for the rest of their lives. 

She painted still lifes, portraits, and landscapes, and had three solo exhibitions in Florence in 1979, 1984, and 1998. Besides her art, Flavia dedicated her life to the conservation of Florence and the environment. 

Flavia died in Florence on December 13, 2010, in her house in Via dell'Osservatorio.

Below are five of Flavia's pieces that Olivia observed. Without looking at the pieces, she recalled different aspects of each one as noted.

Natura Morta con Scatola di Datteri

(Still Life with a Date Box)

Olivia remembered: 

- There are two pieces of cloth - one is gray and the other is navy blue.

- There's a vase, two halves of a shell, and two blue rectangle-shaped boxes stacked on top of one another.

- The vase is small and white. The boxes - they look like they are light brown to yellow in the center - and it looks like there is a wrapper on top that has been broken. 

- The shells - they are kind of long - they are almost like oyster shells of some sort. 

- You can see all the creases and folds of the fabric. 

- The vase is narrow at the top, then it gets wider, and then it gets narrow again. 

- Most of the background is the fabric. To the left, you can see a light brown table. The wall or flooring is a darker brown or tan. 

- It almost looks like she used pastels because there are white spots. 

- The top of the boxes looks like it has a pattern that was done in white. 

- It was a pretty simple picture. 

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Il Campo Degli Hildebrand a San Francesco di Paola

(The Hildebrand Orchard at San Francesco di Paola) 

Olivia remembered: 

- This picture reminds me of the Italian countryside. You have lots of trees and what looks like little plots of vineyards and then you have some houses with walls surrounding them.

- The trees are all skinny and tall trees. They aren't very wide. 

- The houses are very normal, rectangle-shaped houses. There isn't a lot of detail on the houses.

- Some of the trees have white flowers or leaves on them...so I feel like this is maybe springtime or maybe late spring because some of the trees are still bare as well. 

- Whatever is in the field is low to the ground - like they are shrubs. 

- The sky is blue, but there are light grayish clouds, and some of the same colors can be seen in the background in the plots that are further away. 

- The trees on the left are tall and they look like they have gold leaves...so I don't know if that's the color of the leaves or something...I'm not sure. 

- You can see a little bit of a road leading to a house in the distance. 

- It also seems kind of hilly.

- You can't see very much of the sky.

- The colors are greens, browns, and white. Nothing is eye-popping. All the colors go well together. 

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Natura Morta col Nastro Rosso

(Still Life with a Red Ribbon)

Olivia remembered: 

- She seemed to have a thing for shells. Again, she has shells in this picture. 

- There are two shells - one on the right and one on the left. In between the shells, there is a vase with flowers, and a red ribbon with what looks like more shells in it. 

- All of the colors are blues and grays. The color that stands out the most is the red ribbon.

- The flowers in the vase look like they are arranged to be a sea anemone. 

- The vase they are in looks like it has blue swirls all over it.

- Everything looks like it is on a blue shelf against a wall.

- There looks like there are two shells on the ribbon and they are darker. 

- There also looks like there is something coming out of the big shell on the right. 

- The flower arrangement looks like it is more than one flower. It kind of looks like a sunflower except it is not yellow. It is dead. It is made out of more than one flower too. 

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Flori de Campo

Wild Flowers

Olivia remembered: 

- In the picture, there is a single vase filled with flowers. There's several of them at the base of the vase that look like they are little daisies.

- There's light coming in from the left of the picture - showing there is possibly a window, even though you can't see it. 

- All the flowers in the vase are kind of hanging over, like they don't have strong stems to keep them upright. 

- Some of the flowers in there are roses, daisies, there's one that looks like a hyacinth, there are some yellow flowers and white ones, and some grass blades and ferns in there too. 

- The vase looks like it is silver, but it is actually made out of glass since you can see some of the stems. 

- One of the yellow flowers on the left looks like a little yellow butterfly.

- The table looks like it is covered with a tablecloth that is white/light gray.

- The wall behind the vase is blue and kind of looks like it has a swirly texture to it...or just the way she painted it. 

- For such a small vase, there is a lot of negative space around it. 

- There's not a lot to these pictures. They are very simple - not super distracting. 

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Presepe Dipinto Per Giovanni

(Christmas Creche Painted for Giovanni) 

Olivia remembered: 

- This picture is like a very chaotic setup of a manger...like we set up for Christmas.

- There's a little rectangle/square in the middle on a platform surrounded by some rocks. There are people and animals all over the rocks. 

- On top of the manger, there's some grass or something. Standing on top of the grass are three angels - one has blue wings, the second has yellow or gold wings, and the third has green wings. There are also like these big leaf plants that look like palm leaves....just a little thicker.  

- To the left of the angels, there is a more leafy branch that is trying to be a tree. Then right under the tree, there are some people who are standing around - the three wisemen - and they all have gifts. You can tell they are wisemen because they are on donkeys. 

- Next to them, there are some more people with gifts and some people are carrying gifts on their heads. They are in urns or jars. 

- On the big rock there's a woman - or at least what I think is a woman - and a sheep and then there's a boy behind the sheep who I think is the shepherd. 

- There's some more people behind them, a little lower down, on a rock.

- In the manger, you have Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus. Baby Jesus is facing towards the wisemen. Joseph is standing in the back like he always is, but you can't see his face. There's a blue glow over his face - like he is a ghost. 

- Mary is in the classic pose with her hand over her heart. 

- In the upper right corner is a star. It's suppose to look like a shooting star, but it looks more like a shooting daisy.

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Artist/Picture Study - Ansel Adams

Ansel Adams (February 20, 1902- April 22, 1984) was an American environmentalist and landscape photographer. He was best known for his black-and-white images of the American West. 

According to Wikipedia, "Adams was a life-long advocate for environmental conservation, and his photographic practice was deeply entwined with this advocacy. At age 12, he was given his first camera during his first visit to Yosemite National Park. He developed his early photographic work as a member of the Sierra Club."

He helped found Group f/64 which is an association of photographers who like "pure" photography with the use of full tonal range and sharp focus in a photograph.  

Later in his life, the United States Department of the Interior contracted with Adams to make photographs of national parks. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1980 for his persistent advocacy and work which helped expand the National Park system. 

He also was a key advisor in creating the Museum of Modern Art's photography department which secured photography's institutional legitimacy. Adams helped coordinate the photography department's first exhibition. 

In addition to his work in New York at MOMA, Adams co-founded the Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona as well as helped found Aperture, a photography magazine. 

Olivia studied six of Ansel Adam's photographs in October 2020 and shared what she remembered about them. I forgot to post them at that time, so I'm doing that now...a year later. 

Frozen Lake and Cliffs, Sierra Nevada, Sequoia National Park, California, 1927

Olivia remembered:

- In the picture, you see some really big cliffs, but you don't see the top of them. 

- There's a lake in front of them. It almost looks like the water goes to the cliffside.

- There's snow at the bottom of the cliffs, and it looks like it also is sitting on the very small beach.

- There's ice with a little bit of snow sitting on top of the lake. 

- The way the snow is sitting on the beach, you can see the little ridges where it goes up and down. It kind of gives it a staircase kind of look.

- The cliff that is to the left of the snow is narrow at the bottom and gets wider at the top. The rocks at the top are kind of pointed like teeth, so it makes the rock pillar look like a tower. 

- The snow looks like it is going back into a canyon or an opening. 

- The cliffs look like they have been made into sea caves at the bottom.

- When you look at the lake, you can see the ice and snow on top. Because the water is black, it looks like you are looking at the ocean. When you look at an iceberg and water, you can't see everything, but you can see the line where the iceberg and water meets. You know that that the iceberg is bigger than what you see in the air - or above the water. 

- There's a part of the cliff that kind of sticks out in a triangle. One wall kind of goes in by the canyon. The other part of the wall is forming a sea cave. It reminds me of the funny building in New York that is in the shape of a triangle. 

- There's no color. You can see the blacks, whites, and grays. It shows the texture and definition. It gives depth perception. 

- It was a cool photo.

  

Woman Winnowing Grain, Taos Pueblo, New Mexico, 1929

Olivia remembered: 

- In the picture, there's a big pueblo and in the shadow of it on the left is a woman. On the right side, also in the shadow, is this big wooden structure. 

- The woman is dressed in a shapeless gown that has a rope tied around her waist. It kind of looks like a hospital gown, except it isn't open in the back. She's also wearing pants that look a bit long - like they are bunched up around her ankles or they are that way naturally.

- She has a big, long scarf tied around her head, and she is holding a metal bowl above her head. She's pouring the grain out on a piece of cloth or hide that is in the sun. 

- The pueblo is very big - it looks like there are multiple layers. There are many doors and windows. Some of the doors and windows have wooden frames around them.

- The window that is next to the woman has wooden shutters around it. 

- The ceilings or roofs of the pueblo look like they are made out of the same material - like clay or mud. They are tall or rounded at the top - like chimneys. They may also be pillars - shortish ones - on the roof. 

- There's a clothesline that's on one of the lines that is on the left, but you can't see where it is tied to. On it, is a little dress for a baby or a tiny, short young kind. It is white. 

- At the very top of the pueblo, is the wooden rafters. They are on the inside, but they stick out. There's some on the top level. 

- The wooden structure that's on the right is very tall and one of the support things going horizontal, looks like it has been shaped into a stake (it is pointy at the end). It also looks like there is a platform. It could be the structural beams for another pueblo. 

- There's also a wooden ladder made from trees, leaning on the rooftop of the pueblo.

- It looks like it is maybe the middle of the afternoon or the morning, where the sun is shining. Also, because the woman is putting the grain out, it would suggest that it is morning so the grain can dry throughout the day, when it is the hottest. 

- The ground looks very dusty, so it probably hasn't rained for a bit. 

- The woman's clothes, if it wasn't black and white, look like they would be colorful and light-colored. 

Lake Near Muir Pass, Kings Canyon National Park, 1934

Olivia remembered:

- In the picture, there is a lake and a shoreline. The shoreline is reflected into the water giving it an appearance that the shore is bigger than it actually is.

- There are some mountains and cliffs. It looks like it could be early Winter or early Spring.

- It appears the first part of the shore (where it is lighter and more snow) looks like a ridge. Then there's a hill and cliffs behind it. 

- The area kind of looks like it could be an old site for a volcano. It is very rocky...it also looks like it could be a gravel pit. 

- In the lake, it looks like it might be a reflection, but you can't see where it is reflecting from. It makes it look like there are big rocks in the water. 

- It kind of has the same texture as the mountain and cliffs - lots of smaller crevices and cracks in it. 

- The way the shore is reflecting on the lake, it makes it look like there are ducks on the lake. 

- Looking at the light of the picture, it looks like it was taken in the middle of the afternoon - so like now (it's 2:05 p.m. on October 7th).

- It doesn't have any blacks. More like dark grays to white for the snow. 

- One of the patches of the snow is in the middle of the shore. It kind of looks like it is in the shape of a "T." 

- It kind of looks like it could be another planet - it looks so barren. There are no trees. You don't see any sign of life. It could be Mars. 

- In the water, with the rocks, some of them kind of rise up a bit. Because there isn't a gradual incline, it kind of looks like an underwater cliff. Kind of like if you stepped off the edge, it would just drop. 

- In the left corner, at the bottom, looks like there would be big, flat slabs of rock. They look very smooth, except for on the top.

Detail, Juniper Wood, Sierra Nevada, 1936

Olivia remembered:

- In the picture, there is a part of a tree. The tree looks like it is a dead tree. It's very bleached and the whitest part of it looks like it stems from a knot in the tree and goes up.

- It is kind of in the shape of a round-ended - kind of a bone, like where the joints connects, like on the femur and where it connects on the kneecap. There are not two points where it connects, though, just one.

- All along the tree are these ridges - maybe the bark that goes up. They are pretty straight. They look like they are fairly deep - either because of the light or because they are deep.

- There are a couple of spots where there are pieces of the wood sticking up or out. 

- You also see a couple of splinters - very think slivers of wood that are sticking out. They probably would give you a splinter. 

- There are a few cracks - small ones and big ones - that go along the ridges and along the white part of the wood.

- At the bottom of the rounded end, there are little pieces of white wood that looks like they were being chipped away - except they are still there.

- That area - the wood looks smooth and worn - like the elements have beaten it or someone sat on it a lot - compared to the rest of the wood where it is rough and natural-looking. 

- You can see a lot of texture in the photo because of the way the shadows fall. 

- The ridges look like they are perfectly straight or pretty close to being perfectly straight from going from the top to the bottom.

- There's really no black in the picture. It looks mostly dark gray to white. 

Roots, Foster Gardens, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1947

Olivia remembered:

- In the picture, there are a bunch of tree roots that look like they could be big boa constrictors or pythons. 

- The way that the tree roots are growing is the way that the snakes would move. 

- Also, looking at the texture in some area, gives the feel of snakeskin.

- The picture looks like it was taken in the morning because the top of the roots is darker and you can see where the water has dripped down on the sides. 

- There is a bunch of Creeping Charlie - just the leaves of it - growing around the roots. It makes it look like there are a lot of little lilypads.

- At the very top of the picture, near the trunk, there's a bunch of mossy grass that's dry. It could have fallen down from a nest. 

- There was also a thing of grass growing in the roots. 

- The Creeping Charlie gives the forest floor a blanketed look and it looks very peaceful.

- You can see the shadows where the tree roots split off from one another. 

- The tree roots look very big - like you could sit on them.

- They have a very interesting way of spreading out. The bark of the tree roots match the tree.

Leaf, Glacier Bay National Monument, Alaska, 1963

Olivia remembered:

- In the picture, there are three kinds of leaves and some pine tree needles that are still on the tree.

- It looks like they were just frosted from the weather. 

- One of the leaves and the one that is in the middle, appears to be a maple leaf.

- The one in the upper left corner looks like it could be two leaves next to one another or poison ivy leaves. 

- The needles are from a pine tree - they kind of look like a white pine because they are very long. 

- Underneath the pine needles on the left side of the picture, there's another leaf and it is much darker than the other ones. It also looks like it is full of some small holes. 

- Also it has a much smoother texture and edging. It has more of a rounded touch than the other leaves that are more jagged.

- On the bottom of the picture, you can see three points and tops of the maple leaves. 

- In the right upper corner, there looks like there's a part of a tree branch. It looks like a twig covered with pine needles. 

- The center of the maple leaf is darker than the rest of the sides. I don't know if it is because some of the frost is melted, or if the leaf below it is putting a shadow on it. 

- You can really see the veins on the maple leaves and those in the left corner. You can definitely see the center veins and the others ones going to the points on the leaves. 

- All the medium-sized veins have small needle-like veins.

- It looks like the leaves on the left have not turned fall colors. It looks like they still have color - that they are green.

- Again, this photo was done more with blacks and white.