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| "Inside a Van Gogh Painting" |
For many years, traveling and writing about my experiences has been my passion. While visiting Key West, Florida in 2007, I stumbled upon the most amazing art exhibit in my memory. It was “Beyond the Frame, Impressionism Revisited,” composed of mixed media and bronze sculptures depicting in life-size in 3D a number of famous paintings by French Impressionist artists. This incredible art work, created by J. Seward Johnson, Jr., was displayed so that the viewer could step inside and become of a part of the piece of art. This work was on view for about a year at the Key West Museum of Art and History at the Custom House.
I was especially fascinated by Van Gogh’s “Bedroom” and Renoir’s “The Boating Party.” As an elementary school art teacher, I often display prints of Van Gogh paintings as examples for the children to use as their “points of departure” for classroom assignments. I took a wide variety of photographs of these remarkable Johnson sculptures and posted them around our art room for inspiration when I returned home.
A few years ago, while attending art classes at the College of William and Mary, I enjoyed watching one of the students create an excellent large scale copy of “The Boating Party”. The painting took the student the entire year to complete. Because of that experience, I was even more interested in studying the sculpture of the painting. I came home with quite a few photographs taken of “The Boating Party” sculpture from different angles. In one of them, my husband appears to be inviting one of the pretty young ladies out on a date—so realistic in appearance I felt a little jealous!
The next time I visit Key West, the fantastic sunsets will still be there. I can return to the Hemingway house and the bars that famous writer frequented, but I shall miss the astonishing sculptures I saw one hot day in 2007. I wish they would once again go on display in that museum and that I could study them more closely.
Seward Johnson is a gifted artist with a sense of humor and marvelous talent. I suspect his art has inspired many a writer. I wonder what Hemingway would have thought.
©Mary Montague Sikes
I was especially fascinated by Van Gogh’s “Bedroom” and Renoir’s “The Boating Party.” As an elementary school art teacher, I often display prints of Van Gogh paintings as examples for the children to use as their “points of departure” for classroom assignments. I took a wide variety of photographs of these remarkable Johnson sculptures and posted them around our art room for inspiration when I returned home.
A few years ago, while attending art classes at the College of William and Mary, I enjoyed watching one of the students create an excellent large scale copy of “The Boating Party”. The painting took the student the entire year to complete. Because of that experience, I was even more interested in studying the sculpture of the painting. I came home with quite a few photographs taken of “The Boating Party” sculpture from different angles. In one of them, my husband appears to be inviting one of the pretty young ladies out on a date—so realistic in appearance I felt a little jealous!
The next time I visit Key West, the fantastic sunsets will still be there. I can return to the Hemingway house and the bars that famous writer frequented, but I shall miss the astonishing sculptures I saw one hot day in 2007. I wish they would once again go on display in that museum and that I could study them more closely.
Seward Johnson is a gifted artist with a sense of humor and marvelous talent. I suspect his art has inspired many a writer. I wonder what Hemingway would have thought.
©Mary Montague Sikes
6 comments:
That is a fascinating work, Mary.
And you took classes and William and Mary. How cool. I love Williamsburg.
What a sharp idea! The picture is really cool.
Lovely post. I've never been to The Keys, although I've heard they're beauitiful. I enjoy the Gulf side of Florida. What would Hemingway say about the art? I think he'd laugh a booming laugh and swill back a bourbon.
The exhibition and its setting both sound awesome. Thanks for sharing.
What a wonderful experience that must have been! Isn't it wonderful to explore new places? I love Williamsburg, but than I live there and get to explore it all the time!
Thanks to Sandra, Anny, Vonnie, Sherry, and Jinny for commenting. I love Seward Johnson work. It has to be very expensive and time consuming to create. The Boating Party is especially amazing because all the figures are life size and everything is 3-D.
I love Williamsburg and William and Mary. I play at the college tennis center two days a week!
Monti
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