“Farrah Fawcett”, 1980 Synthetic polymer paint and silkscreen on canvas by Andy Warhol,(c) The Andy Warhol Foundation of the Visual Arts.
After transcending from another dimension, in the atrium sea colors of “Stacked Waters” by Teresita Fernandez, I passed through an archway of Texas Limestone columns into the galleries that house the exhibitions. A different dimension is evident from the meditative atrium to polished hardwood floors, spacious areas that are separated by moveable low walls, contemporary ceiling lighting and colors that not only showcase the work, but also the perceptions of this viewer.
With the ability to create several nicks and crevices, the exhibitions in the Blanton Museum of Art seem to stretch endlessly in a maze of color, size and shape. The pieces are a variety of modern paintings and mixed media.
As I entered the exhibition’s area, the acrylic and collage on canvas, “Mediodia” [Noontime] by Antonio Berni greets me, while James Surles’ 3-dimensional oak and steel “White Tipped Night Palm” beckons me to enter into the maze. The illusion of separate spaces made a seamless transition from modern contemporary artists to the Early Masters of Oil and Print comprised of artists such as Giovanni Battista Gaulli, (Baciccio) and etchings by Antonio Fantuzzi as well as Rembrandt.
“Le Roi a la Chasse” By Kehinde Wiley, 2006 oil on canvas, Gift of Julie Blakeslee and John Thornton
It is this diversity of culture through art that helps to serve the University of Texas in its goal: Education. The exhibitions not only offer diversity; moreover, they offer the opportunity for anyone to learn about a piece of work, the artist and the theme. Pamphlets are located throughout, as well as wall plaques that discuss color, analysis, and shape. Books about the art or theme of a particular exhibition are also scattered for any patron to learn or discover.
Currently, the Blanton’s exhibitions are “Overture: New Ways of Seeing the Blanton Collection” which is on view through August 21, 2011 and “About Face: Portraiture as Subject” to September 4, 2011.
Works in ‘About Face’ include Andy Warhol’s “Farrah Fawcett” as well as Kehinde Wiley’s “Le Roi a la Chasse”. In September, the Museum will exhibit “El Anatsui: When I last Wrote to You about Africa” which will also feature El Anatsui in person.
