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Daily Art Moment: Judy Pfaff

Image descriptions: Judy Pfaff, Untitled, 1981, contact paper and paper; 23-½ x 33 in. 1. A detail shot of spikey irregular paper shapes in metallic magenta, silver, electric yellow, copper, and neon orange layered atop each other. 2. Thinly cut paper swirls and zig-zags in clouds of energetic colors layered in a riotous abstract collage. A metallic silver and black background grounds the rectangular composition. From top right, spikey black, neon orange, and electric yellow spikey shapes pour into a swirl of black and white curls. From the left, a red spiral emits an orange spray with yellow and metallic electric blue accents. From the bottom, a whirlpool of white and black lines erupts into orange and black zig-zags. They coalesce in a metallic copper spiral lined with white circular shapes.
Judy Pfaff (American, born 1946), Untitled, 1981, contact paper and paper, image: 23 1/2 in x 33 in, Museum Purchase: Funds provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and Contemporary Art Council. Portland Art Museum, Portland, Oregon, 81.52

Judy Pfaff is an innovator, acclaimed for her groundbreaking work in installation art during the 1970s. At a time when minimalism was prized, she approached spaces with maximal intention, filling galleries with maze-like accumulations of materials in linear and geometric shapes. Some have called it “painting in space.” Pfaff’s works on paper, like the one…  Read more

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Write Around PAM: Zhang Hongtu

Image description: After Shiato’s Landscape Album: Shitao-Van Gogh, from the series Ongoing Shan Shui. Zhang Hongtu. 2002. Oil on canvas. 48”H x 36”W. Colorful landscape of a river, plant-covered rock surfaces, a path leading to a building, and large mountain peaks in the background with fluffy white clouds above. There are thirteen columns with five black Chinese characters along the top with three red seals and four columns of several smaller black characters on the left with three red seals below. Multiple colors are layered together with distinct brush strokes. The clouds are fluffy and made up of white strokes with yellow, purple, and blue mixed in, and darker blue outlines. Below five rock peaks that are thin and rounded on top can be seen behind a large hill covered in greenery. At the base is a field of tall green reed-like plants. At the edge of the field is a white two-story structure with a dark brown roof. A white solid fence with golden vertical beams spaced evenly throughout sits in front of the structure with an arch that opens in front of the structure. A single tree with long branches and a few sparse leaves grows at the arched entrance. Yellow, gold, orange, and brown strokes are layered to create the ground around the fence. On the left and right borders, tall rock faces stretch nearly the length of the canvass and have various colors of greenery growing on the surface. Below, blue, green, and white dots make up the body of water that runs through the landscape. The reflection of the rocks and greenery can be seen in the water. On the right a narrow brown pathway with black steps runs between the rugged, plant-covered rocks. The brush strokes create a sense of movement throughout the painting - as if the clouds are rolling by and the greenery is blowing in the wind.

Zhang Hongtu’s Ongoing Shan Shui series explores categories of “East” and “West” in a distinctive way, reflecting his own life lived in two cultures. Here, he reimagines an album leaf by the great seventeenth-century artist Shitao—a small work in ink on paper—in the brilliant colors and brushwork of the Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh. Take…  Read more

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MLK Day: Community Events & Numz Bodega Merch Drop

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, January 17, Jaleesa Johnston, Head of Public Programs at the Museum, suggests the resources and events listed below. Also be sure to visit the Numz Bodega to browse and buy shirts, hats, jewelry, accessories, and more from Black-owned businesses. More details are below. MLK Day…  Read more

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Daily Art Moment: Jess Perlitz

Image description: Burned Beast, Jess Perlitz, burned basswood, 48 x 30 x 54 inches. A sculpture of a four-legged, horse-like creature depicted standing with one front leg slightly raised, its head tilted to the left. The beast has a long neck, small upright ears, large deep-set eyes that appear almost closed, a short snout with a broad mouth. The creature’s legs appear to be jointed at the shoulder, and end in thick hooves. The animal is dark charcoal in color and the surface shows the uneven marks of carving. It stands directly on the floor next to a white wall that has dark smudges that roughly correlate to the beast’s silhouette.

Jess Perlitz’s Burned Beast is a mismatched creature, resembling an ill-fitted hobby horse with visible seams and dowels. The basswood has been hand-chiseled and sanded, and burnt in the final stage, at once creating a pragmatic and protective seal, while also signaling a kind of ritual act. The “shadow” is created by rubbing charcoal on…  Read more

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Write Around PAM: Jeppe Hein

Image description: Please Participate. Jeppe Hein. 2015. Neon tubes and transformers. 88 inches x 210 inches. Words in white neon mounted on a white gallery wall in seven rows. The lettering is simple and approachable in all capitals. The words are: Row 1: Please. Row 2: Participate, Be, Grateful, Enjoy, Focus. Row 3: Meditate, Feel, Open, Up, Interact, Smell. Row 4: Try, Breathe, Forgive, Wish, Be, Aware. Row 5: Smile, Wonder, Dream, Taste, Do, Yoga. Row 6: Kiss, Love, Yourself, Search, Relax, Touch. Row 7: Sving, Choose, Your, Way, Expect, A, Miracle. Below nine, white, rectangular transformers sit on a shelf below the words with electrical cords connecting each one to several words. The upper left corner of the image shows an opening in the wall and light from the gallery above.

We are venturing into a new year, and while our resolutions may not last, our intentions can, especially with the help of a pen and paper. Danish artist Jeppe Hein is known for creating playful, interactive works. His Please Participate feels like a great place to start. Take a moment to sit with this piece.…  Read more

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Daily Art Moment: David Park

Image descriptions: The Cellist, David Park, 1959, 56 in x 56 in, oil on canvas. 1. A detail of the figure’s right hand gently grasping a bow as it plays a cello. The brushstrokes are wide, generously applied, in strokes of burnt sienna, sage, black, navy, white, and yellow. 2. An overall shot of a square oil painting of an abstracted seated figure playing a cello, rendered in thick impasto-like brushstrokes that just come together to render the scene. The figure is comprised of mostly white brushstrokes and their clothing is black, against a background of sage, orange, cadmium red, dabs of yellow, blue, and navy. The figure's eyes are downcast playing the cello, left arm grasping the cello’s neck and right arm holding the bow. The figure recedes into the background at moments.
David Park (American, 1911-1960), The Cellist, 1959, oil on canvas, 56 in x 56 in, Museum Purchase: Funds provided by Ronna and Eric Hoffman. Portland Art Museum, Portland, Oregon, 86.77

While he was a young artist, David Park experimented with the predominant style of the day: abstract expressionism. However, he made a decisive turn toward representation and broke away from the fashion of the 1950s American art world. Park favored painting the figure either alone or in groups, using thick layers of paint and blocks…  Read more

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Daily Art Moment: Renée Sintenis

Image description: Dog (New Year’s Greeting Card), 2 13/16 x 4 3/8 inches, drypoint on paper. A print on light tan colored paper depicting a small scruffy coated dog curled up with its head resting on the floor. The dog is illustrated using relatively few black lines, showing a textured, wiry coat. The dog is laying down with its paws tucked under its body and head tucked back towards its hind leg. One paw does peek out from behind the pup’s head at far right. Upright pointed ears mimic a pointed snout accented with whiskers and a tiny nose. The dog’s unruly coat gives it a scruffy, slightly bedraggled appearance. The black lines that compose it have an uneven and ragged edge adding to the dog’s unkempt presentation.
Renée Sintenis (German, 1888-1965), Dog (New Year's Greeting Card), mid-20th century, drypoint on paper, plate: 2 13/16 in x 4 3/8 in; sheet: 4 3/4 in x 6 1/2 in, Gift of Mrs. Thomas C. Colt, Jr.. Portland Art Museum, Portland, Oregon, 51.197

Happy New Year! Artists have long marked the occasion by sending original prints to their friends and family. In this example by German sculptor and printmaker Renée Sintenis (1888–1965), the pup looks exhausted by the festivities. The artist took advantage of drypoint’s ability to create a raised ragged edge to capture ink (known as the…  Read more

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Daily Art Moment: William H. Walker

Image description: The New Year’s Edition (of the Oregonian), William H Walker, gelatin silver print, image 7 x 8 3/4 inches, sheet 7 1/16 x 9 ¼ inches. This black and white photograph depicts a newspaper vendor and customers at an outdoor newsstand on the sidewalk of a rainy street. At center right, a makeshift table holds mounds of large rolls of newspaper broadsheets. Three oversized broadsheets hang from the table and are half the length of the figure bent over the table. The figure, standing at the photo’s center, wears long dark overcoat and trousers with a hat. Behind them and to the left stands another figure, again in dark clothing and hat. The newsstand sits on the angled sidewalk which runs from the lower right to the upper left of the photo. Further down the sidewalk at far left is a streetlamp and another newsstand table heaped with rolled papers. In the distance, at far left another dark clad figure approaches. The background appears misty and the sidewalk shines with the fallen rain. At right, the hazy outline of buildings across the street are just discernible.

Curiously, this photograph is one of only two in the Museum’s permanent collection that includes “New Year” in its title. Made by Portland-based photographer Will Walker, it depicts people selling and purchasing copies of the New Year’s Day 1918 edition of The Oregonian. Thanks to @multnomahcountylibrary and its online research resources, I looked through the…  Read more

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Write Around PAM: Maurice Denis

Image description: Maurice Denis. Color lithograph on tan paper. Image/sheet: 13 13/16 in x 10 3/4 in. A colorful cover of sheet music collection. A young child plays the piano, reading the music by candlelight. At the end of the piano another child plays a violin. Blue letters at the top read “Concerts du petit frère et de la petite soeur”. Blue letters at the bottom left read “par André Rossicnol”. The piano is dark brown and the sheet music has red and black notes. Four canceles extend over the keys on rose and gold colored candle holders. The young pianist has wavy, chin-length blondish brown hair, light skin, is outlined in red, and is wearing a light colored long-sleeve dress with red polka dots. The child plays and looks down at their fingers. The young violinist has long wavy blondish brown hair with a red bow above the right ear. They are wearing a blue and white striped shirt with a large white color and solid blue body. They are outlined in the same red that makes up their violin. They play while looking up at the sheet music on the piano. The background consists of layers of blue and orange groups of short lines. Part of a divider or door is seen to the right, consisting of a red wooden frame with an x in the middle and sheer fabric. The floor consists of red, blue, and cream checkered tiles.

As many of us gather this weekend with our households, extended family and friends, or even just our furry companions, we will center time together, and may even take a moment to sing, play games, watch a movie, or go for a walk. This piece by Maurice Denis, featured in the current exhibition, Private Lives,…  Read more

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Daily Art Moment: Constantin Brancusi

Image description: Muse, Constantin Brancusi, bronze on limestone base, 19 1/2 x 10 x 5 inches. A smooth, bronze, stylized bust of a woman’s head, elongated neck and shoulder. Front view: The woman’s egg-shaped head is smooth except for a raised V shape in the center representing the brow and finishing in a delicate nose. A small mouth is the only other feature on the face. Hair is suggested with rough, textured lines incised into the crown of the head. This texture appears darker than the glossy golden bronze face. A long neck extends from the head at left and is attached to a sloping shoulder. At right, the head seems to rest on a hand and forearm that extends to join the shoulder. The bottom edge of the sculpture has a rough and unfinished appearance. The bust rests on a gray cube of limestone that is juts a bit wider than the sculpture and about half as high. Left profile view: A smooth egg-shaped head smooth except for a small nose at the lower third of the profile. An simple C shaped ear is positioned below the textured hair. A gracefully shaped neck extends forward from a wedge-shaped shoulder. The bronze material folds back on itself, exposing rough edges, to rest on the base. Rear view: The textured hair appears to lengthen past the shoulder area ending in a blunt point. The sculpture’s shoulders fan out into a cone like structure that opens at an angle to expose the unpolished bronze inside. Right profile view: The hand and forearm shapes are visible from this view represented by simple elongated oval shape, a crease at the wrist giving definition to the two parts.

Constantin Brancusi’s polished bronze A Muse is one of the anchors of the Museum’s collection of European modern art. The sculpture is a refined distillation of a woman’s facial features. A muse is a person, or a personified force, that inspires artistic creation. Brancusi depicted this subject several times, making versions in marble, plaster, and…  Read more