Category: Art

All The Best?

7/7/2021

I have another website where I've posted my Top 100 Classical Music Favorites -- HERE -- and once per week on that site, I listen to and comment on a piece of music I've never heard before -- HERE.

Recently I listened to a three-movement piece called "Different Trains" by American composer Steve Reich, and in that post, I mention an article I found at ClassicFM.com on "The Best American Classical Music" (HERE).

The ClassicFM list includes twenty works, and one of them is 4'33" by composer John Cage.

Have you ever heard that piece?

I suspect not -- since 4'33" is four minutes and thirty-three seconds of silence. That's right. The score for 4'33" instructs performers not to play their instrument(s) for the entire duration of the piece throughout its three movements.

ClassicFM included that work on a list of "BEST" American classical music and said this:

"If you thought 4'33" was just three movements of silence, think again. John Cage, one of America's most influential 20th century composers, considered it his most important work. He was playing with the idea of what music 'is' - and as far as 4'33" is concerned, that includes any type of sound, whether it's played by an instrument or not."

The inclusion of John Cage’s opus of dead air (albeit, excluding the natural and hushed sounds of concert-goers breathing and coughing and perhaps the hum of an HVAC system) on a list of BEST American music inspired me to create a similar work of visual art which I have entitled “5 x 7." I have posted photographs of it below. I honestly think this magnum opus will take the art world by storm as it plays with the idea of what art “is.”

Below from left to right: My new masterpiece "5x7." As you can see, this is an incredible piece, and its mood changes dramatically, depending upon which wall it is hung.

If you have any interest in making an offer to own this one-of-a-kind piece, please let me know a.s.a.p. -- as I am sure it will go quickly!

By the way -- the ClassicFM list inspired me to create my own list of the Top 20 Best Pieces of American Classical Music -- and here it is (NOTE: The pieces are not ranked -- they're just my twenty favorites):

1. The score from West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein
2. Appalachian Spring by Aaron Copland
3. Stars & Stripes Forever by John Philip Sousa
4. Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber
5. Variations on America by Charles Ives
6. Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin
7. Suite of Old American Dances by Robert Russell Bennett
8. Piano Concerto in F by George Gershwin
9. Scene d'Amour from "Vertigo" by Bernard Herrmann
10. Maple Leaf Rag by Scott Joplin
11. Ashokan Farewell by Jay Ungar
12 Beautiful Dreamer by Stephen Foster
13. Theme from The Magnificent Seven by Elmer Bernstein
14. Rodeo by Aaron Copland
15. The soundtrack to Star Wars' "A New Hope" by John Wiliams
16. Three Dances from "On the Town" by Leonard Bernstein
17. Washington Post March by John Philip Sousa
18. The Desert Music by Steve Reich
19. Overture to Candide by Leonard Bernstein
20. Breakfast Machine by Danny Elfman*

* If ClassicFM can have 4' 33" on their list, then I can have Breakfast Machine on mine!

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Bern Notice

1/21/2021

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I couldn't help myself. When the Internets went wild yesterday following Joe Biden's inauguration with all the Bernie Sanders memes, I had to try my hand at it too. Most of mine center on works of art, and then I also did two with movie themes (most iconic movie scenes had already been claimed -- so I did one from "Psycho" and one from "ET").

Here they are:

Lonehawk:

Whistler's Uncle:

Watcher above a Sea of Fog:

Bernie's a Scream:

Sunday in the Park with Bernie:

Gothic Bernie:

A Rockwell Bernie:

Bernie Is Surreal:

We All Go A Little Mad Sometimes:

Bernie, Phone Home:

I'm not sure it this one "works" or not since you see so little of Bernie in his chair, but here "it" is:

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Appealing Colors

12/11/2020

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It's that time of year again -- when Pantone selects the "Colors of the Year" for the coming year. I've written about Colors of the Year in the past -- click HERE and scroll down. For 2021 Pantone has selected two colors, Illuminating and Ultimate Gray.

The Pantone site states that the combination is "a message of happiness supported by fortitude" and that this choice of colors "gives us hope...that everything is going to get brighter – this is essential to the human spirit." The Pantone site on their chosen colors is HERE.

When I first saw the combination of colors, the palette of color looked very familiar to me. I had seen this synthesis of shades somewhere before, this color combination of happiness and fortitude, this blend of hues that suggests hope and all that is essential to the human spirit -- but where?

And then it hit me!

The yellow-gray color combination was the exact mix of tones in a an artwork I had purchased in Miami in January 2019, a piece I obtained to hang in the lobby of the world headquarters of the Dickinson Organization of Poetry Enthusiasts (DOPE) to convey a sense of hope and fortitude for our effort to rebuild the Emmett Lee Dickinson Museum which burned down on New Year's Eve in 2015.

I also purchased the artwork because it called to mind Emmett Lee Dickinson's poem "To own the Art taped on the wall" (below on the left). Dickinson's poem inspired third cousin Emily to pen her poem "To own the Art within the Soul" (below on the right).

Information about my art purchase is HERE.

By Emmett Lee Dickinson:

To own the Art taped on the Wall
The Soul to entertain
With Duct Tape and a Banana
That Chemicals maintain

Is a well-nourished Circumstance
Possession is to Me
An Investment perpetual
A priceless fruit to See

By Emily Dickinson:

To own the Art within the Soul
The Soul to entertain
With Silence as a Company
And Festival maintain

Is an unfurnished Circumstance
Possession is to One
As an Estate perpetual
Or a reduceless Mine.

By the way, the artwork never made it to the walls of the DOPE headquarters. Alas, someone claiming to be a "performance artist" untaped my banana from the wall in the gallery in Miami -- even though it was clearly marked "SOLD" -- and ate it!!! The legal case involving this egregious action is still working its way through the courts.

Anyway, the announcement of the Colors of the Year and my memory of my lost artistic masterpiece made me wonder if Emily Dickinson ever included the names of fruits and vegetables in her poetry -- so I looked into that tonight.

It turns out that the word "fruit" appears in 3 poems by Dickinson, and the word "vegetable" never appears. However, she did write about specific fruits and vegetables. The breakdown is below:

Fruit/Vegetable / # of poems in which the fruit or vegetable in mentioned in a poem by Dickinson:

Apple: 10

Grape: 1

Strawberries: 1

Berry: 14*
Black berry: 1*

Apricot: 1

Pumpkin: 1

Corn: 8

Pea: 1

*Dickinson used the word "berry" in 15 poems -- but in one of them she wrote, "black berry," so I separated one entry out for "blackberry."

Dickinson did use the word "orange" once, but she used it as the color, not the fruit. I did not find any use of "pear," "lemon," "lime," or "banana" -- or any other fruits.

The only two vegetables I found used in Dickinson's poem were "corn" and "pea." If I find others, I will update the chart above.

For more statistics on the poetry of Emily Dickinson, click HERE.

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Art Restoration

3/30/2020

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From Jarvis MacKinnon III:

Alas, many art museums around the world are closed these days due to the global coronavirus pandemic. Many, though, are hosting virtual tours of their galleries and/or they are posting their great works on Instagram. Below, we have updated many classic works for your enjoyment.

American Pandemic

Mask and Pedernal

The Savior of Man

Corona Lisa

Worry, Worry Night

The Birth of a Hero

Self-Quarantine

I Just Want to Scream

The Great Tsunami

Lysol Spray

The Girl in the Ventilator Mask

Warhol 2020

Closed for the Night

Whistler's Nursing Home

Hope

Corona Landscape

Social Distancing

Untitled (Virus 1)

Untitled (Virus 2)

The Salvation

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Words of Art

12/20/2019

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From our art columnist, Jarvis MacKinnon III:

We’ve had a busy fall and early winter, so we’re a bit behind with some of our posts; however, we have a minute now to provide a quick update on some ELD Museum art news:

1. An anonymous donor purchased a work of art for us by Miami artist Maurizio Cattelan.

Entitled “Comedian,” this artwork was on display at the annual showcase Art Basel in Miami Beach, and it now hangs in our corporate offices. Or it did until it rotted and thousands of fruit flies were swarming in our lobby.

Pictured at the right: "Comedian," new artwork taped to the wall in the corporate offices of the Emmett Lee Dickinson Museum.

2. In October we had a quick visit to Virginia Beach, and we stopped at the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA). There was a fantastic display of works by artist Michael Kagan, From the MOCA website: This is “the first solo museum exhibition by artist Michael Kagan. Bringing together key paintings from the past decade along with new works, the exhibition Michael Kagan: I Was There When It Happened traces the artist’s lifelong interest in technology, space and innovation.”

Below on the left: Welcome to MOCA -- the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art Below right: Pics from I Was There When It Happened, paintings by Michael Kagan.

The museum had other interesting and even fascinating exhibits (especially an interactive exhibit called Charged which spotlighted artists who incorporate interactive technology in their works), and we we’re particularly delighted to see that an outdoor sculpture garden included a sculpture by Michael Manjarris of the first edition of poetry by Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request).

Below left: Scenes from MOCA Below right: Michael Manjarris' "Poetic Object Series: The Poetry of ELD

3. For Edward Hopper fans, there is a wonderful exhibit at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) in Richmond, Virginia, called "Edward Hopper and the American Hotel."

Edward Hopper was an immense fan of Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request). You can read some of our past posts about the Hopper-Dickinson connection HERE (scroll down to view the various posts), and additional information is HERE (scroll down to the entry dated September 6).

Below: The exhibit includes a Hopper-esque lobby straight out of one of his paintings -- AND -- a recreated motel room where guests who reserved in advance can actually spend a night in the museum.

Below left: The exhibit provides as "Travel Guide" as you journey from room to room throughout the exhibit. Below right: The souvenir book includes extras in the back -- two pamphlets about some of Hopper's road trips with his wife, trips that are highlighted and discussed in the show.

If you're a Hopper fan, don't miss this show! It runs through February 23, 2020,
at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, VA.

It then travels to the Indianapolis Museum of Art where it will run
from June 6 through September 13, 2020.

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Work of Art

9/8/2019

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From our art columnist, Jarvis MacKinnon III:

In late August, members of the Dickinson Organization of Poetry Enthusiasts (DOPE) visited Glenstone, a private contemporary art museum about 15 miles from downtown Washington, D.C., iin Potomac, Maryland. We had not been there before, so we were excited to see the place -- it is a perfect mix of architecture, contemporary art (all from after World War II), nature, and zen. It was quite the experience -- and if you ever get the chance to visit, do so!

Glenstone's website is HERE, and more on the museum can be found HERE.

Photography was not allowed inside – so we took the exterior shots below on the left; however, the interior shots (below on the right) are from the museum’s Instagram account.

To view Glenstone's Instagram account, click HERE.

In response to our visit, we offer Emmett Lee Dickinson's poem "There's a certain Slant of Art" (below on the left). Dickinson was a true Libran (his birthday is October 12), so he always liked things symmetrical and even, and the "Look of Descent" of a crooked picture hanging on the wall would drive him crazy! Dickinson's poem inspired third cousin Emily to pen her poem "There's a certain Slant of light" (below on the right).

By Emmett Lee Dickinson:

There’s a certain Slant of Art
On Museum Walls –
In Parlors – or Foyers –
Or sloping in Great Halls –

That peeves the Eye of Detail –
A Point of View with
Intolerable imbalance –
Like stripes on plaid –

Unheavenly Angle – like the bubble
Of the Carpenter’s Level
Descending to a lower plane –
Diagonality – of the Devil –

None may reach it – Any –
‘Tis the Tilt of Despair –
Disconcerting Declivity
Soliciting Repair –

When it dips, the Landscape lists –
And I am inclined – bent –
On righting the pitched frame’s
Look of Descent –

By Emily Dickinson:

There’s a certain Slant of light,
Winter Afternoons –
That oppresses, like the Heft
Of Cathedral Tunes –

Heavenly Hurt, it gives us –
We can find no scar,
But internal difference,
Where the Meanings, are –

None may teach it – Any –
‘Tis the Seal Despair –
An imperial affliction
Sent us of the Air –

When it comes, the Landscape listens –
Shadows – hold their breath –
When it goes, ‘tis like the Distance
On the look of Death –

Other nearby sites: Over the same weekend, we also visited Great Falls National Park in Virginia (below on the left), and the Chesapeake & Ohio (C & O) Canal National Park in Maryland (below on the right):

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The F-Word, Part 4

12/28/2018

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From Jim Asher, the world's leading authority on Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request):

This is the fourth and final post on the December 10 Birthday Tribute to Emily Dickson at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC.

Part 1 -- about Jan Bervin's presentation based on Jay Layde's work -- is HERE.

Part 2 -- about Martha Nell Smith's presentation about correspondence between Emily Dickinson and her sister-in-law -- is HERE.

Part 3 -- about Martha Nell Smith's use of the F-word (no no, no -- not THAT F-word) -- is HERE.

Part 4 -- In this part I will share thoughts and pictures about my day in Washington DC on the following day, Tuesday, December 11.

THE PHILLIPS COLLECTION

I have visited Washington, DC, many times in the past, but I'd never been to the Phillips Collection, so I started my day there. The museum -- which touts itself as the first museum of modern art -- includes two paintings by Edward Hopper.

Edward Hopper was greatly influenced by the life and poetry of Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request). Info about the Hopper-Dickinson connection can be found on this site HERE and on various plog (poetry blog) posts, HERE (scroll through the various posts).

The Phillips Collection also had a few paintings by Georgia O'Keeffe -- another artist heavily influenced by Emmett Lee Dickinson.

For information, check the posts HERE, and scroll through other posts HERE.

Pictured at the right: The Phillips Collection includes a painting by Paul Cezanne of a seated woman in blue holding the first volume of poems by Emmett Lee Dickinson (as shown below).

Below: Other shots from the Phillips Collection:

Click to enlarge the image at the left to read about Jacob Lawrence's migration series; some of the paintings in the series are shown below:

THE NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

Next I visited the National Portrait Gallery (which is in the same building as the Smithsonian American Art Museum). My main reason for going to the NPG was to see the official portraits of the Obamas -- both of whom are great fans of Emmett Lee Dickinson.

Several years ago I sent the Obamas copies of my books Great American Poems REPOEMED.

I later received the nice postcard shown at the right (click the image to enlarge).

Pictured at the left: The museum had a special exhibit highlighting its daguerreotype collection. Two of the portraits were related to Emmett Lee Dickinson: one was of his sister Pythagoria; another was of his close friend Henry David Thoreau.

Pictured at the right: The museum includes a drawing called "The Death Bed of the Martyr President Abraham Lincoln," and it includes a likeness of Emmett Lee Dickinson (shown near the back left).

Dickinson and Lincoln were best friends (information is HERE), and Dickinson was devastated when Lincoln was assassinated.

More on the connection between Dickinson and Lincoln is included in the posts HERE.

Other connections to Emmett Lee Dickinson: Below left: A work by Andy Warhol -- who was greatly influenced by Dickinson (information HERE). Below right: The world of art's fascination with cows and cattle (information HERE).

Below left: Artworks that take a new look at American history. Below right: Folk art by Bill Traylor.

Below: Shots from around the museum.

Below: An upper floor in the museum includes a number of paintings of Emmett Lee Dickinson's family members:

Pictured at the right: One last connection to Emmett Lee Dickinson: an artwork depicting a hotdog. Hotdogs were invented by none other than Emmett Lee Dickinson.

Many people asked Dickinson for the ingredients in a hotdog, but he never told anyone.

"What is a hotdog made of?" he would say. "All I can tell you is that a ballpark frank is pure poetry."

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American Art

9/11/2018

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From our art columnist, Jarvis MacKinnon III:

Art forms most closely associated with each of the fifty states:

The American Federation of Federated Artists (AFFA) has published its annual list of arts most closely associated with and most prevalent in each of the fifty states.

On behalf of the Board members of the Dickinson Organization of Poetry Enthusiasts (DOPE), I have lodged a formal complaint with the Federation since AFFA listed “poetry” as the art form most closely associated with Massachusetts solely because the state is the home of Emily Dickinson. AFFA listed "painting hex signs" as the art form most closely associated with Pennsylvania, the birthplace of Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily’s third cousin, twice removed – at her request) -- and we are incensed!

We are sick and tired of Emmett Lee Dickinson being thought of as the "Salieri" to Emily Dickinson's "Mozart," when hundreds of thousands of DOPEs across the country know it should be the other way around.

Please, take time tonight, tomorrow, and the next day to call AFFA to voice your incredulity too. Together, we will be heard.

Pictured at the right: A hex sign designed by Emmett Lee Dickinson that paid homage to his most popular invention, candy corn. This sign hung in the lobby of the Emmett Lee Dickinson Museum (above the coin-op Laundromat on Dickinson Boulevard) for years -- until the building burned down on New Year's Eve in 2015. Information is HERE.

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Love Is Blonde

1/9/2018

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From our food editor, Verla Burrell-Bordelon:

Starbucks introduced its “Blonde Espresso” today, the company’s first new espresso in forty years. However, it’s not the first time that a “smooth and subtly sweet” lighter roast has been introduced to the American public.

Back in the late-1800s Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson’s third cousin, twice removed at her request) introduced the “blonde espresso” at his family’s coffee shop, and he even publicized it in a poem, “Apparently with great surprise” (below on the left). His poem not only inspired the public to consume great quantities of blonde espresso lattes, it also inspired third cousin Emily to pen her poem “Apparently with no surprise” (below on the right).

By Emmett Lee Dickinson:

Apparently with great surprise
At any happy Hour
The Foam atop my latte’s laced
In caffeinated power --
The blonde Espresso brewed this dawn –
The Day proceeds in haste
I measure off another Cup
With an Approving Taste

By Emily Dickinson:

Apparently with no surprise
To any happy Flower
The Frost beheads it at its play --
In accidental power --
The blonde Assassin passes on --
The Sun proceeds unmoved
To measure off another Day
For an Approving God.

A great lover of Dickinson’s Coffee Shop – and of Dickinson’s light roast – was painter Edward Hopper. He frequented the Coffee Shop regularly and used the location as the setting for his painting “Automat.”

Pictured below left and right: Dickinson's Coffee Shop in historic Washerst, PA (the birthplace of poet Emmett Lee Dickinson) was frequented by American painter Edward Hopper. The coffee shop and automat was the setting for Hopper's painting "Automat."

Pictured below: Edward Hopper's "Automat" was set in Dickinson's Coffee Shop in historic Washerst, Pennsylvania.

No poet has written more poems about coffee than Emmett Lee Dickinson. For the past five Februaries, we have shared some of his caffeinated poetry, and this “FeBREWary” we are serving up a “six cup” of coffee poems! Starting February 1, 2018, we’ll post the poems HERE.

In the meantime, click the buttons below to check out the coffee poetry from the past.

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

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PoARTry of Emily & Emmett Lee Dickinson

1/2/2018

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From Jim Asher, the world's leading authority on Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request):

On a recent trip to Washington, DC, I attended a poetry event (in honor of Emily Dickinson’s 187th birthday) at the Folger Shakespeare Library (info HERE), I visited the Library of Congress (info HERE), and I strolled through the East Building of the National Gallery of Art.

The East Building was recently renovated. It re-opened to the public in the fall of 2016, and I hadn’t had a chance to visit until now – and it was nice to see so many artworks influenced by or in honor of Emily Dickinson and Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson’s third cousin, twice removed – at her request).

Pictured at the left: In the American Art gallery, there is a wonderful hard-edged, industrial painting by Charles Sheeler (who as a youth attended the Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in Philadelphia) of the Dickinson Candy Corn Factory in Washerst, PA (Dickinson invented candy corn).

Of course, the gallery included works by Edward Hopper, Georgia O’Keefe, Andy Warhol, and Roy Lichtenstien – four artists who were significantly influenced by Emmett Lee Dickinson.

For info on the Hopper/Dickinson connection, click HERE and HERE.

For the O’Keeffe/Dickinson connection, click HERE.

For info on Warhol and Dickinson, click HERE.

For info on Roy Lichtenstein and Dickinson, click HERE.

Pictured at the left: The East Building also had a gallery completely devoted to Alexander Calder, another artist who was completely influenced by the poetry of Emmett Lee Dickinson – especially his cow poetry (see HERE…and scroll down to the entry dated July 14)

Pictured at the right: Two paintings, one by Henri Matisse and one by Pablo Picasso, are thought to include images of Dickinson’s daughter, Qwerty Jean Dickinson.

Pictured at the left: A small gallery on the second floor included works by Saul Steinberg. One is claimed to include images of some of Dickinson’s sisters; one was a version of a factory based on Sheeler’s painting of the Dickinson Candy Corn Factory; and one – called “Conversation” – was based on a discussion Steinberg had with other artists about Dickinson’s poetry.

Pictured at the right: Steinberg also drew what is now thought to be the most important family portrait of Emily Dickinson and her family.

Standing in the back of the drawing are Austin and Emily Dickinson; seated are Dickinson's parents, Emily Norcross Dickinson and Edward Dickinson. Dickinson's sister Lavinia is on her mother's lap, and Emily's beloved dog Carlo is at her father's side.

At the end of one hallway, the museum has on display an oversize painting of Qwertzie Dichundsohn, the daughter of Germany’s greatest poet and philosopher, Emil E. Dichundsohn, a distant relative of Emmett Lee Dickinson. Information on Dichundsohn is HERE.

Pictured below left: Emil E. Dichundsohn, Germany's greatest poet and philosopher. Pictured below right: Dichundsohn's daughter, Qwertzie Dichundsohn.

Throughout the various galleries of the museum are many paintings by artists in tribute to Emily Dickinson, the woman in white.

Pictured below: Two representations of Emily Dickinson by artist Anne Truitt:

Pictured below: Two paintings of Emily Dickinson by Robert Ryman:

Pictured below: A pair of paintings of Emily Dickinson by Jo Baer:

Pictured below left: A cloth representation of Emily Dickinson by Richard Tuttle. Pictured below right: A painting inspired by Emily Dickinson by Barnett Newman.