Another Great Art Museum

Rear entrance to Dallas Museum of Art

I had the misfortune to have to spend nearly a week in Dallas, TX, but had the good luck to sneak about 30 minutes for a hasty visit to the Dallas Museum of Art.  I approached the generic concrete buildingwith little enthusiasm; frankly, it looked more like a parking garage than any other useful structure .  The last "big" art museum I'd visited was the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, which was a major disappointment (it didn't even warrant a mention here), and I was disheartened to first re-encounter here a Victorian marble statue of the ilk with which the High Museum was overpopulated, for fear that I would have the same disappointment here.  I was further distressed that the museum guide brochure presented the most useless and confusing map of any galleries I've ever seen.  Knowing I only had about 30 minutes before the museum was slated to close, I attempted a mad dash for the American and European galleries which are my most favorite areas in most art museums.

I was so delighted on finally getting to the American galleries to find myself absolutely enchanted by the collection--some wonderful paintings, often by painters with whom I was for the most part unfamiliar.  Here is a sampling of the works I found so wonderful:

Thomas Sully
Cinderella at the Kitchen Fire (1843)

Perhaps it is just the fondness I now have for cats, but the sweet playfulness of this Cinderella with this frisky cat contrasted with the fierce determination of the glimpse of the step-sisters in the next room preparing for the ball is irresistible.  Not sure why this appealed to me so much, as its muted palette and relative plain treatment seems sparse compared to what I often am attracted to.  Perhaps it is because this Cinderella has a look similar to Lesley Ann Warren, who's Cinderella in the 1960s TV version is a performance of which I am particularly fond.

Thomas Eakins
Miss Gertrude Murray (1895)

The half-beautiful, half-awkward depiction of this woman is so like Eakins portraits that seem to not balk at revealing the flaws or perhaps more accurately the imperfections of his subjects.  Knowing what a master of depiction of detail he was, you know that he intended for this awkward or shy nature to be prominent in this portrait.  Points off for the gown texture, though; the representation of the silk gown isn't convincing.

Cecilia Beaux
At the Piano (c. 1890)

Have never heard of Cecilia Beaux, but I like the sketchy, skewed perspective of this scene immensely.  I love this kind of color blocking; I don't know if that's the right description, but I'm referring to the way the shadows on his suit are shown with distinct color blocks with relatively little shading to transition between colors.  It gives the slight suggestion of the feeling one gets from a paint-by-number work (the good aspects).  The commentary states that this was most likely used as the illustration for an article in magazine...which only makes me want to find that story!  I don't know why, but it immediately suggested The Gift of the Magi to me even though I can't remember that there was anything at all about a piano in that story.

John Singer Sargent
Dorothy (1900)

Like all Sargent portraits, I'm astounded by the impression of accuracy of depiction of life, reality of light, and fidelity to textures created on first glance, but then is betrayed when the image is examined closely.  At close range a stroke of an unexpected color seems out of place, but moving back even a very short distance, the discordant element is often the thing that makes the image pop out as being so real.

Frank Duveneck
Lady With a Red Hat (Portrait of Maggie Wilson) (c. 1904)

Another artist unfamiliar to me. Again, I am dumbfounded by the use of color to depict light.  There is evidence that this was created as a demonstration work for his students...to demonstrate expert brushwork.  It's pretty great for something done on the fly as some sort of a demo.

John White Alexander
Miss Dorothy Quincy Roosevelt, later Mrs. Langdon Geer (1901-1902)

This portrait is quite large and at first glance I took it almost for a Whistler.  The muted palette, the exaggerated tallness, the small elements that mildly question tradition all had that feel.  I should be more familiar with John Alexander than I am, as I'm sure I have encountered some of his other works elsewhere. I like how this pose (and the presence of the sleeping dog) suggests a lack of interest in the sitting and more of a moment of contemplation.  The subject was Theodore Roosevelt's cousin.

Jerry Bywaters
Share Cropper (1937)

I love this portrait as well, but I wanted to make sure to post it to prove that I'm not completely buried in only the late 19th Century aesthetic.  Yet again, I was unfamiliar with Bywaters, but the significance of his work in Texas is impossible to overstate, it seems.  I guess he shares much with another regional painter of the era, Grant Wood, although this seems a lot more modern somehow.









Those were the highlights of the American Collection.  After spending far too little time there, I made several unsuccessful efforts to find the European galleries, before stumbling there for a few minutes before the looming closing.  The European stuff was less exhilarating, but in the middle of the paintings was a really interesting display about Genre, and how the perceived importance of various genres changes with time.  The embarrassing bit (embarrassing because damning evidence of my low tastes are documented in this very blog) is that for centuries, portrait painting was the lowest form of painting--because it was viewed as such a selfish endeavor when compared to the virtue of illustrating an allegorical tale or religious scene.  I'm glad this perception has changed nowadays or most of my enjoyment in art museums would be prevented.

Finally, just to include at least one non-portrait, I submit this lovely scene.

Emile Bernard
Breton Women Attending a Pardon (1892)

I still find it surprising that this painting was done in 1892.  the flat elements and the unconventional colors make it seem quite modern, but the subject of the Breton women engaged in a very old-fashioned ritual provides a really cool contrast for both the strictly visual effect and also the perceived mood of the event.





So there you have it...I very dodgy and quick excursion into the Dallas Museum of Art.  Having entered with very low expectations, I think it is fair to now rank this collection and museum experience in the top tier of Art Museums I've visited.  I'm so happy I took the time to explore even a little bit.