The Art Show
Montréal has Le Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal, the Museum of Fine Art. During our visit they were presenting a show of works by the American painter Georgia O'Keeffe (1887–1986) and the British sculptor Henry Moore (1898–1986). The show emphasized similarities in their approaches to art, including a fascination with bones and other organic shapes and a close connection to the land and natural beauty.
I have never been much of a fan of Henry Moore, but I have always been drawn to the work of Georgia O'Keeffe. I first became acquainted with her work when I was an art student in 1971, when I saw a retrospective exhibit of her works at the Whitney Museum in New York. Now, after more than 50 years, her work continues to impress me with her visionary talent.
Georgia O'Keeffe. Pelvis with the Distance, 1943. Oil on canvas.
Portrait photo of Georgia O'Keeffe in New Mexico, 1968.
Georgia O'Keeffe. The White Flower 1932. Oil on canvas.
Georgia O'Keeffe. Ram's Head with Blue Morning Glory, 1938. Oil on canvas.
Henry Moore. Reclining Figure, 1959-1964. Emwood.
Henry Moore. Working Model for Oval with Points, 1968-1969. Bronze.
The show included reconstructions of the studios of both artists, with some of the actual furnishings. Both studios were neat and orderly. I was reminded of the contrast with the studio of the Irish artist Francis Bacon, which we saw on our visit to Dublin a few years ago. Bacon's studio looked like a bomb had exploded in a paint store! See it here.
Reconstruction of Georgia O'Keeffe's studio in New Mexico.
After the art show, we walked around downtown Monréal, admiring the mix of old and new architecture.
A street in downtown Montréal, with a mural of Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen