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| photo from Dixon.org |
The Dixon Gallery is beautifully decorated for Christmas, but I don't take photos inside where I run the risk of attracting the ire of staff. The photo above came from the Dixon web site. The Husband and I went to see the Scenic Impressions: Southern Interpretations from the Johnson Collection exhibit. The Dixon web site description:
The Johnson Collection is a private art collection based in Spartanburg, South Carolina that boasts an extensive survey of artistic activity in the American South from the late eighteenth century to the present day. This unique collection illuminates the rich history and diverse cultures of the region. Scenic Impressions: Southern Interpretations from the Johnson Collection will highlight the influence of the Impressionist movement on art in the American South through landscapes and genre scenes created between 1880 and 1940.When the kids were little it was our practice to choose a favorite from exhibits we saw, and I still find myself doing that. My favorite here was Winter in the Forest of Fontainebleau (c. 1905) by George Charles Aid.:
Another exhibit on view was Painting American Progress: Selections from the Kattner Collection and More, and this was an interesting complement to Scenic Impressions. Here's the label on the back of a promotional piece from that exhibit:
While we were there we found an exhibit by local artist Martha Kelly.
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| image from MarthaKellyArt.com |
My favorite of her pieces was Poplar Grove, 2015. They had a card available which I tried to picture in a way that avoided copyright infringement:
The print is available for sale for $145, listed at her web site. Kelly is an active urban sketcher, and some of her notebooks were part of the display. There is a section of her site devoted to sketch journalism, and she shares some of her work there. You can see some of her sketches of Memphis here.
This was my first time back in the building following their recent renovation. To be honest, I couldn't tell much difference. It always looks beautiful to me.
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Thanks for pointing Martha Kelly out to me! Looove her sketches, and her series of watercolours from England (Salisbury Cathedral!) are wonderful! The Dixon gallery looks glowing with those Christmas decorations. How lucky you are to have a museum like that. :-)
ReplyDeleteThe Dixon is a treasure. It was a private home until the deaths of its owners in the 1970s, at which time it (and their art collection) was bequeathed to the city. It has been well taken care of, and the building and collection have been extensively and carefully added to. I love having it close by. The gardens are well-maintained and there are several changing art exhibitions through the year. Sweet!
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