Saturday, June 22, 2024

Made in 1954

Robert Doisneau
André Derain
1954
gelatin silver print
Portland Museum of Art, Maine

Dirk de Herder
Interior, Amsterdam
1954
gelatin silver print
Kunstmuseum, The Hague

Fernand Léger
Trapeze Artists
1954
oil on canvas
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra

Jess (Jess Collins)
Feignting Spell
1954
oil on canvas
Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, California

William Klein
Christmas Shoppers near Macy's, New York
1954
gelatin silver print
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra

Ernie McFarlane
The Blacksmith
1954
linocut
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra

Jacob Epstein
Study for a Sculpture
1954
watercolor on paper
Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane

Georges Braque
Feuilles, Couleur, Lumière
1954
lithograph
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra

Lucian Freud
Hotel Bedroom
1954
oil on canvas
Beaverbrook Art Gallery,
Fredericton, New Brunswick

Lola Wheeler
Still Life with Fruit
1954
oil on canvas
Wichita Art Museum, Kansas

Hubert de Givenchy
Cocktail Dress
1954
silk moiré taffeta
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne

John Szarkowski
The Chicago Auditorium
1954
gelatin silver print
Art Institute of Chicago

Ray Mead
Dark Image
1954
oil on canvas
Museum London, Ontario

William Brice
Kelp, Rocks and Sea
1954
oil paint and sand on board
Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena, California

Loudon Sainthill
Design for Side Pieces of Stage Set
1954
watercolor and gouache on paper
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra

David Potts
Henley Regatta
1954
gelatin silver print
Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney

from The Quest

He parried every question that they hurled:
"What did the Emperor tell you?" "Not to push."
"What is the greatest wonder of the world?"
"The bare man Nothing in the Beggar's Bush."

Some murmured: "He is cagey for effect.
A hero owes a duty to his fame.
He looks too like a grocer for respect."
Soon they slipped back into his Christian name.

The only difference that could be seen
From those who'd never risked their lives at all
Was his delight in details and routine:

For he was always glad to mow the grass,
Pour liquids from large bottles into small,
Or look at clouds through bits of coloured glass.

– W.H. Auden (1940)