Wednesday, May 1, 2024

Ribot - Sloan - Knight - Modigliani

Théodule Ribot
Lamb Chops and Kidneys
ca. 1880
oil on canvas
Musée de l'Oise

Théodule Ribot
Still Life with Pumpkin, Plums, Cherries, Figs and Jug
ca. 1860
oil on canvas
Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao

Théodule Ribot
The Burnt Dish
1863
etching
National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa

Théodule Ribot
The Peelers
1863
etching
National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa

John Sloan
Silhouette of James Preston
ca. 1896
drawing
Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington

John Sloan
Self Portrait
1946
drawing
Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington

John Sloan
Hudson Sky
1908
oil on canvas
Wichita Art Museum, Kansas

John Sloan
Road to Santa Fe
1924
oil on canvas
Phoenix Art Museum, Arizona

Laura Knight
Backstage at the Birmingham Rep
ca. 1930
pastel on paper
Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, British Columbia

Laura Knight
Trio Gymnastique
1932
aquatint
Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney

Laura Knight
Carmo's Circus
1935
drawing
Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney

Laura Knight
Circus Dressing Room
ca. 1935
aquatint
Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, British Columbia

Amedeo Modigliani
Head
1911-12
limestone
Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia

Amedeo Modigliani
Portrait of a Man
1913
oil on canvas
Denver Art Museum

Amedeo Modigliani
Jeanne Hébuterne
1918
oil on canvas
Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena

Amedeo Modigliani
Girl with Polka-Dot Blouse
1919
oil on canvas
Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia

from The Sea and the Mirror

Antonio:

As all the pigs have turned back into men
And the sky is auspicious and the sea
Calm as a clock, we can all go home again.

Yes, it undoubtedly looks as if we
Could take life as easily now as tales
Write ever-after: not only are the

Two heads silhouetted against the sails
– And kissing, of course – well-built, but the lean
Fool is quite a person, the fingernails

Of the dear old butler for once quite clean,
And the royal passengers quite as good
As rustics, perhaps better, for they mean

What they say, without, as a rustic would,
Casting reflections on the courtly crew.
Yes, Brother Prospero, your grouping could

Not be more effective: given a few
Incomplete objects and a nice warm day,
What a lot a little music can do. 

Dotted about the deck, they doze or play,
Your loyal subjects all, grateful enough
To know their place and believe what you say.

Antonio, sweet brother, has to laugh.
How easy you have made it to refuse
Peace to your greatness! Break your wand in half,

The fragments will join, burn your books or lose
Them in the sea, they will soon reappear,
Not even damaged: as long as I choose 

To wear my fashion, whatever you wear
Is a magic robe; while I stand outside
Your circle, the will to charm is still there.

As I exist so you shall be denied,
Forced to remain our melancholy mentor,
The grown-up man, the adult in his pride,

Never have time to curl up at the centre
Time turns on when completely reconciled.
Never become and therefore never enter
The green occluded pasture as a child.

     Your all is partial, Prospero;
          My will is all my own:
     Your need to love shall never know
     Me: I am I, Antonio,
          By choice myself alone.

– W.H. Auden (1942-44)