Trolley New Orleans by Robert Frank, 1955
Why is the Robert Frank photograph Trolley New Orleans so important?
– Segregated seating in black and white
– A complex framework of composition
– Truth, hard work, and hope
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Haystacks Autumn (1874) by Jean Francois Millet
Why is Haystacks Autumn an important painting?
– The cycle of man’s connection with nature
– Green grass, haystacks and sheep backs
– Farmer as wizard of all he surveys
Government Bureau (1956) by George Tooker
Why does George Tooker’s painting Government Bureau creep me out?
– Anonymous features, faces and figures
– Porthole windows for communications
– Fluorescent lighting, beige carpet, and a grey void
Cathedrals of Art by Florine Stettheimer
What makes Cathedrals of Art by Florine Stettheimer such an iconic painting?
– Monster in the middle
– Stettheimer as cultural iconoclast
– Bouquets as trademark – an outsider inside
Max Beckmann’s The Beginning
What’s the story behind Max Beckmann’s The Beginning?
– Chaos and control in the living room
– Puss in Boots takes one for the team
– Future fantasies behind a window
Joan of Arc (1879) by Jules Bastien-Lepage
Why did Jules Bastien-Lepage paint Joan of Arc in 1879?
– 400 years later – Joan of Arc became a hero
– The 100 years war parallels the Franco-Prussian war
– A saint in the backyard … surrounded by angel messengers