Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven

It just occurred to me that some AdT readers might not be familiar with the McMichael Art Gallery.

The best place to start is here, which has an overview of the collection.

That being said, I would highly recommend that you spend most of your time looking through the prominent Group of Seven collection here. (You can also learn more about Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven here.) It's the reason why most people visit Kleinburg each and every year, although the village itself is very nice.

Barbara A. Tyler, RIP

I once met Barbara Tyler when she was the executive director and CEO of the McMichael Art Gallery in Kleinburg, Ontario, Canada. I didn't agree with her position on what constitutes art, but her knowledge and passion for Canadian art was undeniable. Here is a short, 2-page summary of Tyler's life and accomplishments. RIP.

Charlie Brown and Charlotte Braun, together again

Fantagraphic Books, a leading comics publisher, has revealed its cover for Free Comic Book Day on May 5. (h/t - Nat Gertler of AAUGH.com)

The character on the right is easy to identify - Charlie Brown. But the character on the left, Charlotte Braun, has up until recently been the source of trivia questions and the like.

Braun was introduced in Peanuts on November 30. 1954. She was supposed to be a female Charlie Brown of sorts, except that she was loud and noisy. Although she looks very much like Brown, she also ressembles the character Frieda and has traits that are similar to Lucy.

But Charles M. Schulz, the creator of Peanuts, quickly tired of his new character. He claimed to have "run out of ideas" for Charlotte Braun, and didn't feel her mannerisms were fully developed. Thus, she was removed from the comic strip on February 1, 1955 after a grand total of 10 appearances.

In 2000, an AP news article revealed that a fan of Schulz's, Elizabeth Swaim, wrote to the cartoonist with some friends asking for the removal of Charlotte Braun. Schulz - who was already tired of the character - wrote back to Swaim on Jan. 5, 1955, stating "I am taking your suggestion regarding Charlotte Braun and will eventually discard her."

Schulz went on to say, "Remember, however, that you and your friends will have the death of an innocent child on your conscience. Are you prepared to accept such responsibility?" And at the bottom of the handwritten letter is a drawing of Charlotte Braun with an ax in her head.

The original letter was donated by Swaim to the Library of Congress two months after Schulz died. It can be seen here. And in an unusual twist of fate, Swaim died three weeks later.

For the most part, Charlotte Braun was a forgotten character in Peanuts. However, the reprint of the strips in The Complete Peanuts, Volume 2: 1953-1954 and The Complete Peanuts, Volume 3: 1955-1956 - both published by Fantagraphics - generated new interest. Hence, the cover displayed in this blog post.

One wonders if Charles M. Schulz is rolling in his grave.

Rosie O'Donnell leaves The View

Good riddance.

Faberge is more than eggs, y'know

The picture above is a 2 1/4-inch Faberge chair made of gold and enamel. It sold for $2.28 million at a Sotheby's auction on April 17, well above the estimate of $1 million.

Yes, the Russian jeweler Carl Fabrege was more well known for his brilliantly designed eggs. The most well known collector was the late Malcolm S. Forbes, founder of Forbes and the father of Steve Forbes. (The entire collection was sold in 2004.) But Faberge also made clocks, desk pieces, silverware and jewelery, among other things.

Jane Austen painting doesn't sell at auction

A while back, I mentioned that a painting that some believe is the only known portrait of Jane Austen (see above) was up for sale. The painter was Ozias Humphry, and the seller was Henry Rice, a distant relative of the late English novelist.

Well, I just read that the painting - occasionally known as The Rice Portrait of Jane Austen - did not reach the owner's minimum price. Christie's had expected the painting to fetch between $400,000-800,000.

Surprising? Yes, especially because art auctions and sales are on the rise these days. I thought that the minimum price - which has been kept secret - would have at least been reached.

So, I guess the long-standing controversy over the identity of the woman in the painting turned off more prospective buyers rather than encouraged them to take a gamble on what could be an original portrait of Austen.

Give like Santa, save like Scrooge

When I was researching the Charles Dickens theme park blog entry, I started thinking about the popular line from the Canadian Tire Christmas ads, "Give like Santa, save like Scrooge."

The ads were based on Dickens' classic tale, "A Christmas Carol."

They were corny, but I miss them.

It's a theme park, Mr. Scrooge. Bah, humbug!

Believe it or not, a 70,000 square foot warehouse near London is going to become a Charles Dickens-inspired theme park. It will be called Dickens World, and the total cost of building this unique theme park will be $125 million. Opening day is May 25, 2007.

According to the article, "Visitors who pay the $25 admission charge — $15 for children — will have the chance to see the Ghost of Christmas Past in Ebeneezer Scrooge's haunted house, be hectored by a schoolmaster at Dotheboys Hall — the dismal school from "Nicholas Nickleby" — and peer into the fetid cells of notorious Newgate Prison."

Dickens World has an official website, and looks like it is really going to try to become a main attraction in the UK.

Now, to be fair, the theme park has already had a major problem. Opening day was supposed to have been this week, but due to a glitch with the "4D animatronic theater show" about Dickens' life and work, it's been delayed a month.

Does this mean anything for the future? Only time will tell. But for now, there are still (if you'll pardon the pun) great expectations about Dickens World.

Cartoons of FDR

Here's some proof that you can start researching one thing on the Internet, and end up with something completely different.

I was catching up on the Conrad Black trial in Chicago this afternoon. The best analysis is Mark Steyn's daily blog at Maclean's, with Steven Skurka's blog a close second.

It was at that point I started thinking about Black's multi-million dollar purchase of a collection of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's papers at auction. I began searching for arts-related FDR material to post on the blog, and ended up with a most interesting subject.

I found a link to the FDR Cartoon Archive. There are more than 2,400 cartoons on this site between 1932-1943. It is part of the Basil O'Conner collection in the Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum (O'Conner and FDR were law partners).

The site hasn't been updated since 1998, but it's an incredible research tool. I may post a couple of FDR cartoons when I get a chance.

It's amazing what you can find on the Internet, don't you think?

The Louvre database

I've seen the Louvre a few times over the years, and it is always a pleasure to visit the museum. But if you can't go, there are other ways to see many of the paintings in the collection. The best way is through Atlas, which contains around 30,000 works of art and the exact location in the Louvre. (A small word of warning - all searches must be done in French, so type the name of the artist if you can't speak the language.) For example, here is the web page for Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa (1503-1506).

A short note about Virigina Tech

Although Art de Triomphe is a blog about the arts, I occasionally bring in other topics if I feel they are warranted.

The tragedy that occurred at Virginia Tech on April 16 certainly fits in this category.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the 32 individuals who lost their lives yesterday, as well their families and friends.

(The image above comes from Instapundit. I think it says it all.)

Oldest church in North America

Evan Jones, a researcher at the University of Bristol, may have discovered the geographical location of the oldest church in North America. According to an article in Historical Research, the remains appear to be located beneath the ground in Carbonear, Newfoundland.

Jones' discovery, however, appears to have been a brilliant stroke of luck.

Incredibly, the story begins with Alwyn Ruddock, a historian at the University of London and expert of the explorer John Cabot's voyages. Ruddock passed away in 2005, and according to her will, all her research was destroyed, "including 40 years' worth of work for a book about the many mysteries surrounding Cabot's maligned 1498 expedition" to Newfoundland.

Yet, a book proposal and some e-mail correspondence between Ruddock and her publisher remained in the public domain. This allowed Jones to continue Ruddock's work and legacy with respect to the 1498 voyage.

According to Jones, "It appears that Ruddock believed the Newfoundland church was named after San Giovanni a Carbonara...the locative element 'a Carbonara' presumably being carried across because it was key to the congregation's identity." While the book proposal and e-mails do not include any documented evidence, this information will be of great help to historians.

Why did Ruddock destroy her work in the first place? There doesn't appear to be answer. Jones was quoted as saying, "Even if all the documents she claimed to have found do come to light eventually, the mystery of why she sought to suppress her own basic research may never be resolved."

If anyone wants to read Jones' entire article on Ruddock's work, it is available - for free - online at the Historical Research website. Follow this link, and look for the article entitled "Alwyn Ruddock: 'John Cabot and the Discovery of America.'

Identities in Jan Steen painting revealed

In 2004, the Rijksmuseum in Holland purchased a Jan Steen painting entitled 'A burgomaster of Delft and his daughter' (1655). Since the purchase, the true identities of the two individuals have been questioned in the international art community. Well, the mystery has just been solved. Two researchers from the University of Amsterdam, Profs. Frans Grijzenhout and Niek van Sas, have discovered the true identities of the man and girl: burgher Adolf Croeser and his daughter Catharina. Read the whole story here, and take a look at the online special Steen's and Croeser's world on the right-hand side.

A new Van Gogh found...in Croatia?!

According to Artdaily, a new Vincent Van Gogh painting may have been discovered the basement of a museum in Zagreb, Croatia. The painting has never been mentioned before, and still has to be authenticated. A museum spokesman, Darko Glavan, believes it is real and was probably painted around 1882. If it is a real Van Gogh, it will be an astonishing story. As well, I'd like to know how this painting found its way to Croatia!

Ren and Stimpy Lives!

Do you remember the groundbreaking animated series The Ren and Stimpy Show? Well, it turns out that the show's creator, John Kricfalusi, has his own blog (see here). I just discovered it, and it seems that Kricfalusi is using it as a tool to teach about animation techniques and history. It's worth a look, if you get a chance.

Sailing and law suits

Ever thought that sailing was a gentlemanly sport? Well, it is...unless you take the America's Cup into account. The 156-year-old challenge tournament has been involved in plenty of law suits and scandals. Take a look here for further evidence.

Jackie Robinson, Republican

On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson stepped onto Ebbets Field for the Brooklyn Dodgers and broke the colour barrier in professional baseball. He went 0 for 3 that day against the Boston Braves.

It didn't matter. The former Negro League star had a stellar MLB career - a .311 batting average, NL MVP in 1949, and led the Dodgers to the 1955 World Series crown (their only one residing in Brooklyn).

Robinson deserves a lot of credit for his intelligence, good play and powerful role in changing baseball.

But here's something many people don't know - or like to ignore - about Robinson: He was a Republican, even during the JFK presidency and civil rights era. You can see some recent articles here and here for confirmation.

Now, to be fair, Robinson was a liberal Republican. He was a strong supporter of Nelson Rockefeller, and a strong opponent of Barry Goldwater. (Take a look at this, taken from his autobiography I Never Had It Made.) Although he passed away in 1972, it's probably fair to say that Robinson would have felt comfortable with Gerald Ford, and probably would have felt uncomfortable with George W. Bush.

Does it make a difference to Robinson's career that he was a Republican? No. He would have been admired whether he was a Republican, Democrat or non-partisan. Still, it's an interesting fact that the man who broke the colour barrier had a very open mind about politics.

Eye surgery for recovered Munch paintings?

Munch Museum director Lise Mjos recently said that an eye surgeon may be needed to remove tiny pieces of glass from two famous Edvard Munch paintings - The Scream and Madonna. These paintings were stolen from the museum - in broad daylight - in late 2004 and were recovered on August 31, 2006. And it's going to cost a pretty penny to repair them. See for yourself.

Market trends for artists

In 1988, Artnet created a market performance report that tracks art valuation. A link on the website can be found here. It's pricey, but it certainly gives you a clear indication of how hot or cold the international art market is at times. And as you can see, a very extensive list of artists have been tracked.

And the winner of the Anna Nicole Smith's baby's father contest is...

...I'm sure most of you weren't too surprised by this news.

NPG and the end of slavery in Britain

The National Portrait Gallery has an exhibition on the 200th anniversary of the Act to abolish the Slave Trade in Britain. Some paintings and portraits are available on NPG's website.

There is also a sidebar component on the website that goes through some of the history of slavery in Britain, and key individuals linked to Britain's slave trade. It was researched by Dr. Caroline Bressey of the University College in London. It's a nice addition to the exhibition, and well worth reading.

Canadian Art archive

Surfing through Canadian Art's website today, I discovered that they have a small archive of older articles on various topics. I haven't read them all, but the most interesting one (to date) is John Bentley Mays' Fall 2005 piece on MOMA. It's nicely written, and well worth reading.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter, everyone.

CBC cancels Opening Night

In Canada, there are very few televised performances of classical music ensembles, operas, ballets and so forth. CBC's Opening Night was an unusual example of this.

But alas, it is no more - the award-winning show has been cancelled due to low ratings. As executive producer Robert Sherrin told the Toronto Star, "It's truly sad...We were cancelled because of our small ratings, it wasn't a money matter at all. We have the most enthusiastic audience of any CBC show, but ratings-wise we can't compete."

On the one hand, that's life. If a program doesn't get high TV ratings, it will eventually be cancelled. On the other hand, it's a shame. A program based on music and culture is gone, forever.

Here's another interesting paragraph from the Star article:

Opening Night's Sherrin is currently shooting an all-new Nutcracker movie in Calgary to run at Christmas. "It's about the last cultural show I can see on CBC," he said.

That's not good to hear. Let's hope another Canadian TV station picks up the ball at some point, and creates some more cultural programming for Canadian audiences.

Emily Carr exhibit at the Art Gallery of Ontario

Emily Carr, Indian Church, 1929, oil on canvas. Bequest of Charles S. Band, Toronto, 1970.© 2006 Art Gallery of Ontario

I don't know if there's much more one can say about the Canadian artist Emily Carr. Yet, the Art Gallery of Ontario is giving it the old college try in their current exhibition, Emily Carr: New Perspectives on a Canadian Icon. I've always enjoyed Carr's work - such as the example above - and I hope that the exhibit is well-received.

Great comic strip by Cox & Forkum

While Art de Triomphe is not a political blog, I couldn't resist adding Cox and Forum's cartoon of Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's recent trip to Syria. I think they covered the essence of her controversial visit very well.

Edward Gorey coming to a theatre near you

A story written and illustrated by the late, legendary Edward Gorey is coming to the big screen. Gorey's "The Doubtful Guest" is being developed by Walden Media - creator of the 2006 film The Chronicles of Narnia - Fox 2000 and the Jim Henson Company.

If this move adaptation is done well, it should be a sleeper hit. Gorey's work and art was dark, but it was always amusing. And no discussion about Gorey is complete unless you mention his fantastic animation on the PBS Mystery series.

If you want to look at some of Gorey's work, Salon has an excellent archived link here.

Look, up in the sky. It's...hmm, where's the guy in the cape?

A good piece by Brad Mackay in the Toronto Star about the lack of diversity in mainstream comic book companies like Marvel and DC.

According to Mackay, "the Marvel universe contains more than 5,000 characters, yet even a generous count reveals that only 100 or so of these are black – less than two per cent of their fictional population." This is not unique in the DC universe, either. Yet, as comic book sales decrease rapidly, comic book companies continue to rely on the true and tried formula of using the mainly white superheroes that made them successful and profitable, including Spider-Man and Superman.

Should this policy change? I think so.

While I don't support forced political and economic policies such as affirmative action (I judge people on their merit, not on their race, religion or gender), I certainly don't think there's anything wrong with increasing the number of visible minority superheroes. Society is changing, and I think that the comics should follow suit. And besides creating a more diverse universe for superhero characters, it will surely attract a whole new audience and increase profits for comic book companies.

The formula for keeping comic books alive and kicking seems fairly obvious. It's up to companies such as Marvel and DC to make a choice: Either diversify your comic universes or face the possibility of oblivion.

Artscholar.org

I have been meaning to discuss this topic on Art de Triomphe for some time now.

Last year, I discovered a website called Artscholar.org, "a website of revisonist history." The editor is Simon Abrahams, who has written a few long pieces on some of the Old Masters and French Impressionists and an unpublished book on art. (He also has a blog, Art Sight, but it hasn't been updated since July 21, 2006.)

Abrahams' claim to fame is that he claims to have discovered that Michelangelo's portrait of Dante forms a large section of the altar of the Sistine Chapel. Click on the button "Closer Look" in the video if you want to see a sketch of Dante's figure.

Is it true? To be fair, the whole story has a Da Vinci Code feel to it, and there's no way to escape this. I've looked at the video a couple of times, and I'll admit I'm not 100% sure about his theory. Yes, there appears to be a mild outline of Dante...but whether Michelangelo intended this or not is open to debate. It might just be a fluke.

But whether you agree or not, it's worth taking a look at Abrahams' site. He has some interesting scholarly articles on Michelangelo and Edouard Manet, and some unique observations, too. See what you think.

Art quotes for the art lover in all of us

I found some great quotes on art on this website.

My five favourite ones are as follows:

1) Art is lies that tell the truth. Pablo Picasso

2) It is art that makes life, makes interest, makes importance...and I know of no substitute whatever for the force and beauty of its process. Henry James

3) Art is like a shipwreck...it's everyman for himself. Marcel Duchamp

4) It would be a mistake to ascribe this creative power to an inborn talent. In art, the genius creator is not just a gifted being, but a person who has succeeded in arranging for their appointed end, a complex of activities, of which the work is the outcome. The artist begins with a vision -- a creative operation requiring an effort. Creativity takes courage. Henri Matisse

5) The purpose of art is to lay bare the questions which have been hidden by the answers. James Baldwin

And I certainly can't argue with this statement:

You can never do too much drawing. Tintoretto (Jacopo Comin)

Which ones are your favourites? Let me know in the Comment section.

Terry Teachout and second-rate art

A link to Terry Teachout's column on second-rate art (mentioned here) can be found on the Wall Street Journal website here. Word of warning: it's behind a subscriber wall.