THE NASSAU COUNTY MUSEUM
OF ART EXHIBITION: “BLUE”
Now through November 1, 2020
LORRAINE BERTAN,
CULTURE COMMITTEE
Joan Miro: “Blue is the color
of my dreams” establishes
the expectations for the latest
exhibition of the Nassau County
Museum of Art. As you enter the
museum lobby, the Mark Innerst
painting above the fireplace will
look familiar; it shows the lobby of
the Metropolitan Museum of Art in
haunting shades of blue. Blue is the
favorite color of many people, and
we refer to the “blue sky,” the “blue
planet” and the “ocean blue.”
The blue and violet colors have
the shortest wavelengths of the vis-ible
spectrum; they bend or refract
as they pass through a prism or
lens. What effect does this have on
our vision as blue passes through
the lens of the eye? The color blue
appears to recede as we view it.
Many artists go through a “blue
period,” like Picasso and Matisse.
We use the term “the blues” to
provide a period of emotional
upheaval, and devote a musical
genre to the “Blues.” What is the
fascination of the color blue for
artists? The current exhibition
“Blue” provides paintings and arti-facts
in a multimedia exploration
to address this question.
As you enter the beautiful wood
paneled Gallery 1, you will see
three large paintings which appear
to be Turkish rugs that bulge or
fold. They are in gorgeous colors,
using acrylics and oils to resemble
tapestry. The bulges and folds are
effects of tromp l’oeil. They are
the hyper-realis tic work of the
Spanish painter Antonio Santin,
who was born in Madrid, Spain
in 1978. The Santin paintings are
beautiful and yet unsettling to look
at; what are the folds and bulges
covering up? One should spend
time with them; they were specially
commissioned for this exhibition.
Continue to find the dancers of
Matisse and Picasso’s cerulean blue
“Buste de Femme.” The “Buste de
Femme” is somber, representing
women that have been imprisoned,
and Picasso describes his work,
“I paint objects as i think them,
not as I see them.” Look for the
colorful painting of “Celebration”
by Francoise Gilot which faces
the Picasso. Francoise Gilot and
Picasso had a stormy relationship
and she left him with her two
children and married Jonas Salk,
another celebrity. She continued to
paint into her 90th year, becoming
a celebrated artist herself.
There are large impressive
paintings in Gallery 2 and a vinyl
punching bag. The punching bag
is made of recycled materials and
was designed by Jerey Gibson,
a Native American of Choctaw-
Cherokee descent. He describes
his work as being influenced by
his Native American heritage, and
recently had an exhibition at the
Whitney museum. The large, color-ful
paining by Helen Frankenthaler
is striking as one enters the room
and there are works by Sean Scully,
“Buste de Femme” by Picasso
Christopher Winter, and a tryptic
by Chinese painter Cao Jun, who is
a local painter living in Manhasset.
Leaving Gallery 2, you will walk
through a corridor showing the
various blue pigments used for
painting and decorative objects.
The intense blue stone, lapis lazu-li,
contains golden glints of iron
pyrites and is ground to become
the pigment, ultramarine from
Afghanistan. It is so precious
that it was originally reserved for
religious paintings. The pigment
cobalt is used for decorative crystal
and the ceramics of Spain, Portugal
and the Delftware of Holland.
Prussian blue is a chemical pig-ment
discovered in Germany in the
18th century, and became popular.
Cobalt pigment spread to Japan
and was used in Japanese prints
which can be seen in Gallery 4.
Gallery 3 has the famous “Blue
Venus” by Ives Klein, and the blue
basses of Arman (born Armand
Pierre Fernandez). The Moorish
tiles Tiles flanking the windows
echo the blue colors.
The upstairs galleries feature
the work of Roy Lichtenstein and
Han Qin, a local artist from Stony
Brook, Andrew Sendor, Deborah
Turbeville, Clive Smith. Since there
are presently no guided tours at the
museum, the visitor should refer to
the various links provided on the
museum’s website.
When you are at the museum you
can access exhibition comments
and notes on your phone when
you register. This is a fascinating
exhibit which you can explore on
your own pace.
“Femme Assise” by Picasso
“Japanese Print” by Hokusai Katsushika
“Blue Venus” by Ives Klein
Nassau County
Museum of Art
One Museum Drive, Roslyn
Harbor
Hours: Tuesday – Sunday,
11:45 a.m. - 4:45 p.m.
Telephone: 516-484-9338
Website:
nassaumuseum.org
October 2020 ¢ NORTH SHORE TOWERS COURIER 33
/nassaumuseum.org
