Caillebotte Exhibit in Brooklyn

There is an article in today's New York Times (3/27/09) about a new exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum in NYC, "Gustave Caillebotte: Impressionist Paintings from Paris to the Sea." The exhibit will be up until July 5th (which is too bad, because I'll be in NYC this summer, but will get there one day too late to see it!). The Times article has several color photos of his paintings, including "Floor Scrapers." There are additional images at the Times web site. The Brooklyn Museum also has a web site, with a slide show of paintings.

From Luncheon of the Boating Party....to Faberge's Eggs

We had a very interesting discussion last night about "Luncheon of the Boating Party." I think we all appreciated the 'extras' brought in by Sharon and Fred - the books with plates and the web search materials naming and describing the models. It seems we all had trouble remembering who was who, but other than that the book was a good read for all of us. It certainly stimulated a lot of discussion. Thanks to Sharon for leading our conversation and to Merle for providing goodies at just the right moment!

I really appreciated the discussion, initiated by Bonnie, about the role of women in that time and place. One women's issue we didn't mention was Ellen's friend from the theater who had a botched back-alley abortion and was abandoned by her lover. I think the women in the novel had strong characters and contributed a lot to the novel.

I also appreciated the discussion about the lives of artists. The artists in the 3 books we've read so far were all womanizers and certainly had their strengths and weaknesses in other areas. It made for interesting reading, but the point was made that not all artists lead this kind of life - we just don't hear much about the private lives of artists (painters, writers, actors...) who don't make it a point to lead PUBLIC lives!

Our first three books were about individual painters. Our fourth book is more about the works of art, the context in which they were created, and in which they are collected. And we have moved away from painters to jewelers and objets d'art.

So I am looking forward to our April meeting and our discussion of "Faberge's Eggs: The Extraordinary Story of the Masterpieces That Outlived an Empire."

Music to read by....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Debussy#Recordings_and_MIDI_files

In doing a little background research for our March book, I found this web site about Claude Debussy, whose music is associated with the Impressionist movement in art. There are a few links to listen to some of his music.

E-Books

Just a note about e-books! I learned about a new app on iTunes that allows you to download Kindle e-books from amazon.com directly onto your iPod Touch or iPhone. The app is free from the iTunes app store. So yesterday I went to the Civic Center - free wifi there - and downloaded my first book! It's one of the suggestions for next year - about the making of a Steinway piano. You have to have a one-click Amazon account and the books have to be downloaded wirelessly. But it worked - just took a moment to download and there it was on my iPod. You can adjust the size of the print and bookmark and you scroll from page to page using your finger. I haven't started reading my new e-book yet, but I wanted to pass this on. The book cost $9.99. Has anyone else tried this?

More suggestions for next year

Natalia suggested we consider two more books for next year. I added them to our list. They are "The Piano Shop on the Left Bank," by Thad Carhart and "Grand Obsession," by Perri Knize.

Thanks!

Renoir

For anyone wanting more background about Auguste Renoir his son, Jean Renoir, wrote a memoir entitled, "Renoir, My Father." It is available in paperback. An Art in America quote on the back cover reads, "The most important personal document on Renoir to appear in English...one of the most engaging biographies ever written about an artist." It is illustrated with photographs and paintings. It looks like a very readable and intriguing book. I haven't started it yet but hope to have some of it read by our March meeting on the 24th.