Al Hirschfeld: A Celebration of Hollywood and Broadway

"Al Hirschfeld:  A Celebration of Hollywood and Broadway" is on exhibit at the Huntsville Museum of Art through Sept 14, 2014.




Who was Al Hirschfeld?  David Leopold, archivist for the Al Hirschfeld Foundation said "Hirschfeld was the court artist for all the performing arts but he drew more of Broadway and Hollywood than anything else or anyone else..."

The exhibit includes 45 drawings and prints covering 71 years of actors, actresses, and other figures.

"Tallulah!"

The exhibit even includes a game for the younger visitors- who may not recognize  some of the actors.    Hidden in most of Hirschfeld's paintings is the name of his daughter, "Nina".  The number of Ninas hidden in a painting is shown by the Arabic numeral to the right of his signature.  If there is no number than there is only one Nina or it was done before her birth.

"Happy Birthday, Mr. President!"

He was  awarded the National Metal for the Arts in 2002.  Hirschfeld died in  January 2003 at the age of 99.  His desk, lamp, and chair were donated to the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts and are on display in the lobby.

"Anne Hall"

I throughly enjoyed this exhibit- it was fun to guess the actors, films, or shows and yes I did a little Nina hunting myself!

Lisa Roger's blog has more information about Al Hirschfeld

Exhibit to see- Janet Fish Master of Light & Shadow

Watercolor paintings by Janet Fish

When I think of watercolor paintings I think of Janet Fish's watercolors.  Wonderful paintings full of translucent light and color.  I think of them as happy paintings.

I was very pleased to see that the Huntsville Museum of Art was organizing an exhibit of her work-  Janet Fish- Master of Light & Shadow.  The exhibit runs through July 27, 2014.

The exhibit is not of her watercolors but instead it is her oil paintings.  There are 43 paintings from 1969-2008 in the exhibit.  The paintings are large.

Anderson’s Fairy Tales, 1999 oil on canvas, Courtesy of DC Moore Gallery, New York

The same love of light and color is apparent in her oil paintings.  Janet Fish attributes her fascination with color and light to early years growing up in Bermuda.

Her paintings are filled with common subjects- still lifes with bottles, glasses, flowers; picnic tables with people playing in the background.  In general the people in her paintings are not the focal point but provide layers, context, and action.  

She has the ability to take ordinary household objects- like salad dressing in bottles or apples wrapped in cellophane and create an unique interesting painting of light and color.

I would be hard pressed to pick out a favorite painting in the show- however, the use of  color and light to represent the delicate etching or pressed-design in Ivan's Glasses; her rendering of the cellophane, ribbon, and glass plates, in Ice Cream Sundae; and juxtaposition of punch, cake, ballons, and children in Ballons, would make those paintings my three favorites in the exhibit.

She comes from an artist family with a art history professor for a father and a mother who was a sculptor and potter.   Her grandfather was American Impressionist painter Clark Voorhees- one of the founders of the Old Lyme Art Colony.

Clark Greenwood Voorhees (1871-1993) Arrive at Sunny Ridge

More of Voorhees' art

One of my favorite books on her work

However it is out-of-print and very expensive.

For more information on Janet Fish- Master of Light & Shadow and to purchase a catalog