Mirror of a Passing World:
Ephemeral Spaces, Vanishing Places

The Maier is proud to host its first-ever student group-curated exhibition. Six students supervised by Randolph professor Leanne Zalewski have created, designed, and executed their own exhibition. Every aspect of the planning process, from selecting works to installation decisions, has been a collaborative effort among the members of the class.

Each work in Mirror of a Passing World: Ephemeral Places, Vanishing Spaces conveys a sense of nostalgia for sentiments and memories of the past. This exhibition encourages viewers to pause and indulge in a moment of stillness inspired by the works, which represent an array of ephemeral subject matter.

4-7 p.m.  OPENING CELEBRATION

4 p.m. FRAMEworthy Faculty Lecture by
Leanne Zalewski,
assistant professor of art

5 p.m. Comments by student curators

A reception will follow.

is now available for online ordering at the
Randolph College Campus Store website.

With a century-long focus on contemporary American art, the collection includes works by highly-regarded artists, many of them acquired from the artists themselves during their lifetime. What better way to celebrate a century of innovative exhibitions than with a visual history?

Our full-color illustrated timeline documents the College’s sustained continuum of attention to the talent and promise of American artists, both established and emerging. It is evidence of forward-thinking art professors and museum directors who shared a vision and commitment to both American art and to students of this College over the decades. Students, in fact, are responsible for this publication in a very real sense. Laura Shearer ’12 began researching and compiling information for the timeline in January 2010. Her hard work was picked up by Kathleen Conti ’11, then by Rhiannon Knol ’11 and finally by Sylvia Tropp ’12. All four students devoted many hours to conscientious research and document organization. Museum staff has enjoyed sharing in their discoveries and revelations as so much history was assembled in one volume.

This publication was made possible by the generous support of Randolph College Trustee Katharine Stark Caldwell ’74.

Happy Thanksgiving!

associate professor of English and
coordinator of the Creative Writing Program at Randolph College

Sunday, November 13 at 2 p.m.

On November 13, the Maier will host “a poetry reading and musical performance like no other!”

Randolph College’s own Jim Peterson will read from his poetry collection The Owning Stone, as well as from his soon-to-be published chapbook, The Resolution of Eve, which features poems inspired by the untold stories in Francisco de Goya’s prints (one of which, Disparate desordenado, from Los Proverbios, is held in the College’s collection).

This one-of-a-kind collaborative event will also feature musical compositions by Randall Speer...and perhaps a few surprises!

The event is free and open to the public. To read a feature article published in the Lynchburg News and Advance about Peterson and The Resolution of Eve, click here.

]]> http://www.maiermuseum.org/2011/11/poetry-reading-at-the-maier/feed/ 0 http://www.maiermuseum.org/2011/10/scenes-from-a-symposium/ http://www.maiermuseum.org/2011/10/scenes-from-a-symposium/#comments Thu, 27 Oct 2011 19:07:32 +0000 Maier Museum http://www.maiermuseum.org/?p=2689 The 20^th Annual Helen Clark Berlind Symposium was a resounding success! The day began with a gallery talk by featured artist Joan Snyder, who presented an overview of her 40-year career. Then, a crowd of more than 100 packed the Maier to hear a lively panel discussion by contributors Snyder, Colin Lang, and Virginia Mecklenburg ….

Join us for our

New Volunteer Recruitment Reception

Monday, June 13, 2011
1:00-2:30 pm

The Maier is looking for volunteers who enjoy art and interacting with people in a museum setting. Our volunteers support the Museum by serving as tour leaders and assistants for groups of schoolchildren and adults, and by serving as receptionists at the Museum’s lobby desk. Previous knowledge of art history is not necessary. All training is provided, including the option of auditing Randolph College art history courses. Come learn how you can be a part of our vibrant community!

The Smoker by Edouard Manet

This formal analysis of Manet’s Smoker by Catherine DeSilvey ’13 received the 2011 Helen Owen Calvert Writing Award for academic writing inspired by artwork in the Maier Museum permanent collection.

Edouard Manet’s (1832-1883) Smoker (1879-1882) is a mysterious little print with an unknown provenance currently residing at the Maier Museum. The Smoker is a small print, measuring just 9 ¼ inches high by 6 ¼ inches wide. At first glance, the Smoker appears to be a pen and ink drawing, but upon further examination, the viewer will notice each line and curve has been engraved. What looks like a quick sketch on paper is actually a series of engraved lines. The print was produced from a dry point copper engraving, a process than entails engraving a picture onto a copper plate with a sharp tool. This process is less intensive than etching, which involves burning the image with acid first and then producing prints. One imagines Manet sitting on a bench outside, quickly sketching portraits from everyday life onto his copper plates, and maybe even printing them himself.

The Smoker print has aged gracefully for over a century; the paper is smooth and somewhat yellowed, with a slight impression left from the printing plate. There are a few light blemishes and the print now sits beneath a white acid-free mat. He seems to have been tucked away in storage for some time, away from light. The Smoker himself is an older gentleman with a dark cap and bushy beard. A pipe emerges from somewhere beneath his mustache and rests on his rough knuckles, his index finger hooked over the base of the pipe for steadiness. By the appearance of his thick hat, beard, and coat with hefty buttons, it is a cold day. He is a big man with bright eyes, out for a stroll, or listening to a friend. A slight wisp of smoke is briefly held in the air and then trails off behind his head. This print is nearly photographic, but does not appear to be posed. Through physical dimensions, expressive line, and subject matter, Manet turns this leisurely moment into an intimate one.

Since the dimensions of the print are small but the subject matter is wide and burly, the Smoker fills the width of the paper. His arms nearly touch the sides of the plate impression. His hat is two inches from the top of the page and there are four inches of space underneath him. Though there is more empty space underneath the Smoker, one can imagine the continuation of his figure, such as his hand in his coat pocket. Because of the small size of the portrait, one must come face to face to carefully examine the figure. This creates an intimacy between artist, subject, and viewer; all become part of a shared experience.

Manet has given his Smoker contour by creating a dark outline. His arm, hat, and coat all appear solid, just like the stocky man depicted. The hat is a series of neatly engraved lines, darker in some places than others and shaded so that the hat looks and feels like wool. Well worn, it rests naturally on his head. Deeper lines form the wrinkles in the fabric of his coat, in the bend at the elbow, and at the button. These lines are not as fine as in the shading of the hat. The coat’s lines are more like dark patches, as if the copper plate were scraped a little more haphazardly. Manet gives just enough definition to the coat so that the viewer can recognize what it is; he saves his fine lines for the more important facial features. Darker lines give his eyes expression, his hidden mouth a hint of a smirk, and form a slightly raised eyebrow. The thinnest of lines add age to his face and make his beard appear gray. Up close, his hand and pipe are actually thin delicate squiggles and the lilting smoke is created with just a few short diagonal lines. There is crosshatching (engraving lines over the top of each other in different directions) in areas where shading is needed and less use of this technique in lighter areas such as the hand or in the smoke. By examining Manet’s technique of engraving it is almost like being in the mind of the artist, and seeing where his hand has been.

The man depicted as the smoker is a rather realistic one, which is why it seems that Manet knew him already. This is an everyday person, and the engraving style depicts this. Manet’s engraving is light, casual, and fast. As the viewer studies him, he sees every line, dash, and curve, but they all depict a personality, not just a scene. The portrait Manet presents to us is casual and friendly, and ultimately, a depiction of a brief moment in time. By less technical but more expressive use of engraved lines, the Smoker seems to be looking out at the viewer, as if to introduce himself.

Manet was a painter interested in the everyday, which he ultimately found more interesting than historical or classical subjects. His portrait of the Smoker offers the viewer much to consider on several different levels. Why do we feel we know the Smoker and how does Manet accomplish this? Manet’s use of the small size of the print (so the viewer must come closer to it), expressive engraved lines, and the familiarity and friendliness of the subject himself all contribute in answering this question. This simple portrait holds a large personality within it. Manet’s talent and sincere depiction of this man prove even the barest of lines can transmit meaning.

Catherine DeSilvey ’13 is an Art History and Museum Studies major at Randolph College and 2011-2012 Vice-President and Treasurer of the Prime Time Executive Committee. She enjoys writing prose and poetry and is self-published at www.partialecstasy.com and www.eastcokercathy.blogspot.com. Her love of Manet’s Smoker began after an 19th-century European Art assignment. She is married and has two little girls, Josephine and Beatrice.

dl mattila

			NIGHTJAR
.

Sara Taylor ’12

			third grade, 1957
.

Jennifer Bundy ’12

			Para No Hablar De Ella
.

We hope you enjoy reading these poems paired with the artworks that inspired them. If you are a poet, please submit your own Ekphrastic poems written in response to artwork in our collection for consideration.

As the College’s academic year comes to a close, our summer hours begin. Starting Wednesday, May 4, and continuing through the end of August, the galleries are open to the public Wednesday through Sunday, from 1-4 pm.

Catherine DeSilvey ’12, for her formal analysis of Manet’s Smoker
Jennifer Bundy ’12, for her poem Para No Hablar De Ella
Sara Taylor ’12, for her poem third grade, 1957

Please visit again in the next few days to read the winning works.