New Britian Museum of Modern Art

The weekend of June 9th I went to the New Britain Museum of American Art. My kids were in tow and needless to say, not happy about going. It was raining out, and was the perfect day for them, and myself, to get an education on modern art. When we arrived I was not sure which building was the actual museum, the large art deco building or the quaint attached house. I meant to ask if the house like section had at one point been the “original” museum, the name of the museum is on it also. I was greeted by a very lovely person who gave me a map and stickers for my kids. Just a side note for everyone, if you get there between 10 am and noon, admission is free. Here is a picture of the beautiful house like section.

The piece that caught my attention right away was the first piece of art that I saw. The bronze Peter Pan by Harriet W. Frishmuth (1880-1980), was completed in 1936. As you may remember from childhood stories, Peter Pan is the boy who lived in Never Never Land, vowing never to grow up. This piece is absolutely stunning. It is a bronze with reddish brown patina. The story behind the pose of this statue is full of childhood wonderment. Frishmuth was commissioned for a Peter Pan to be placed near the grave of a cousin who had passed on. Frishmuth’s tradition was to ask her model what he or she would do in a particular situation. She told the Peter Pan story to her child model, then asked “if you were in the dark, in the woods, and you looked up at the starts for the first time what position would you take?” The child looked at Frishmuth looked at her with bright eyes and said “I’d take this pose”, and sat down on the model table in the pose of her Peter Pan. I thought that was a fantastic and touching story.

There is no detail left out in this sculpture. I had to keep walking around it to take in all of the detail. I really felt like I was brought to the magical place of Never Never Land where the simple pleasure of gazing up at the starts in the dark is new and exciting. The fascination and curiosity on the child’s face is clear, almost like he’s making shapes out of the stars he sees. One element that really stood out to me was how Peter Pan’s hands and feet on not on a flat surface, they are dipping over the edge of the base. I felt that this truly gave the statue a life like and innocent appearance.

I had to keep walking around it to take in all of the detail. I really felt like I was brought to the magical place of Never Never Land where the simple pleasure of gazing up at the starts in the dark is new and exciting. The fascination and curiosity on the child’s face is clear. It is almost as if he is using his imagination to make shapes out of the stars he sees, or is he possibly trying to figure out a constellation, or did he see a shooting star. One facet that stood out to me was how Peter Pan’s hands and feet on not on a flat surface, they are dipping over the edge of the base. I felt that this truly gave the statue a life like and innocent appearance. As you look at the pictures I have attached you can see the amazing features in the waves in the child’s hair, leg muscles, placement of his sleeves, the way his left ear rests on his clothes, all of the aspects are incredibly life like. It was almost as if the statue could have gotten up and walked away.

Again, Frishmuth left nothing out, right down to Peter Pan’s panpipe down by his feet. The panpipe is part of Peter Pan’s signature in the story, he always has it with him and plays it when he want to relax or ignore the grown up world. You can see all of the elements of the panpipe including the twine or straw that holds the instrument together.

The wonderment and imagination that Peter Pan has instilled in children over the years has come through in this statue. Frishmuth pride and love of her work truly came through in this piece of art work. I hope you have enjoyed my blog about Peter Pan and will put it on your list of pieces to see when you go to this museum.

Here is some history about the artist. Harriet Whitney Frishmuth was an American sculptor best know for your bronze works. She studied in Paris, Berlin and New York. While she was in New York Frishmuth worked as an assistant to Karl Bitter, a sculptor, and performed dissections at the College of Physicians and Surgeons. Frishmuth’s first commissioned piece came from the New York County Medical society in 1910 for a bas-relief (sculpture portrayed as a picture). As her career grew she became well know for her portrayal of females in bronze, most notably dancers. One of her finest pieces of work is the larger-than-life-size bronze that I believe is on display at the Met. You might want to add this to a list of pieces to possibly see when you visit the met.
The Great Depression affected her livelihood, as a result, she closed her studio in New York in the 1930’s and moved to Philadelphia. Frishmuth stayed active in the art world after closing her studio and was outspoken on her views of modern art calling it “spiritless”. She also spoke out about how she disliked the word “sculptress”.
Frishmuth received several recognitions and honors through out her career such as: the St. Gaudens prize, many awards from the National Academy of Design, a prize from the Grand Centeral Art Galleries, an honorable mention from the Golden Gate Internatioal Exposition and the Joan of Arc Silver Medal from the National Association of Women Painters and Sculptors.

Here are more pictures of pieces that caught my attention.
Dean Cornwell (1892 - 1960)
[Parisian Scene], for Philip Gibbs "Seargeant of Chasseurs
Oil on canvas

This painting reminded me of two broken hearts caused by war. I wondered if the Seargeant had just arrived and the lady had not see him yet.



Norman Rockwell
Weighing In
Oil on canvas

Have to love his realistic style. What are they looking at anyway? I would love to know the before and after weight.
Graydon Parrish (B. 1970)

Cycle of terror and Tragedy: September 11, 2001.

My son stopped and paid attention to this painting and called me over. It truly made me relive the sadness and horror of that day. This is an incredibly detailed painting that pulls in all the aspects of that day.

That is all for now :o)