Review: Louvre Atlanta

Hello and welcome!

Today I thought I would do a little criticism. I strongly believe that Art needs critics to improve and therefore criticism is in someways it's own art form. That is also my excuse for posting periodic reviews on my site in addition to my own work. As always feel free to critique my critique.

I just recently took a trip to Atlanta, GA where I was taken by my brother to the Louvre Atlanta exhibit at the High Museum of Art. Now, I have had the great fortune of actually going to the Louvre in Paris when I was a teenager so I knew a bit of what to expect here. I knew that the exhibit is being broken into several parts over the next 3 years, so I wasn't expecting a huge number of pieces at the exhibit, but I was a bit surprised at just how little there was. There is, however, just enough to be worth the $15 adult general admission ticket price.

The Theme for the part that we saw was "The Kings as Collectors." All the works being shown were once owned by the kings of France, primarily King Louis XIV, King Louis XV, and King Louis XVI. The purpose of the exhibit was to teach the viewer a bit about the formation of the Louvre as a museum. It was informative and contained several works of note. I was happy to get a chance to see a Raphael (Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione) and a Rembrandt (Saint Matthew and the Angel), which was by far my favorite painting at the exhibit. Also on display was The Infanta Margarita by Diego Velazquez(there is an accent over the "a" but I'm not sure if I can put it there in this text.) There were several more paintings that were worth seeing but those are my top three.

However, the true prize for those interested in art is the chance to see the drawings on display. It is exceptionally rare to get a chance to see the drawings that some of the greatest artists of all time used to prepare their work. Some are completed works meant to stand alone, but most are there as a sort of blueprint for the artist. Many of these drawings have grids drawn over them so the artist could enlarge them onto a wall or large canvas. It is a profound experience to get a glimpse at the process of the masters. I also found it interesting to see that many of the great painters drawing skills were almost as good as their paintings. Head of an Angel by Raphael is a particularly stunning drawing. The motion of hair blowing wildly in the wind is perfectly captured on the page. Other artists whose drawings are on display include Rembrandt, Grunewald, Durer, and Rubens.

In conclusion, the exhibit was a success if a little lacking in scope. There are, however, enough fine works of art to make it worth the price. The drawings will only be displayed until January 28th, 2006 so if you want to see them go soon! I recommend the Louvre Atlanta: The Kings as Collectors to anyone who is interested in seeing a bit more of the process of great art than the products!

Overall Rating 8/10

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A Few Photos to Begin the Blog

I am new to the world of Photography so I would first like to put up a few photos. I am hoping to get my own gallery show at some point in the future. I took most of these in Greenville, SC on a recent trip I took there. They were taken with a Canon Powershot SD450 Digital Elph. It is a great little camera and I highly recommend it for anyone interested in amatuer photography. Please feel free to Comment!

Cloudburst

Tendrils


The Old Bridge


Before the Bloom

Welcome

Hello, and Welcome to My site. Here you will find samplings of my work in many different forms of Art. I am a major proponent of the arts in all forms and feel that a Blog would be a great place to share my work and recieve feedback from the general public. So, please feel free to comment on anything that is presented here. Please be aware that While this is a personal Blog, I will do my best to maintain it in a professional fashion. All CONSTRUCTIVE comments will be allowed to remain on the site. This does not mean that I will only allow good comments about my work. Please feel free to offer your complaints as well. I hope that this sight will be informative and interesting. Thank you greatly for checking my site.