Theatre Artists

Performances in the theatre are called pieces. The artists performing are actors of a play. The « Théâtre de la Madelaine », which celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2024 puts on a new production in celebration of the biography of the famous painter Claude Monet.
«Dans les Yeux de Monet » is the inspirational title of the play written by Cyril Gely and scenario by Tristan Petitgirard. Looking through the eyes of Monet puts you into the sometimes tormented head of the great artist. The challenge Monet faces is his very own perspective on a new vision for painting. In order to capture the impression of the cathedral of Rouen on him, he experiments with colours and lighting to capture just the right moment in time. Interesting to remember, there is not just one single moment he paints, but many versions of it with each realization offering a special insight or impression. Just on the sideline we learn about the importance of plurality rather than the one and only unique moment in time.
His own personal difficulties of sufficient funding for his art work and the depression he struggled with are well represented in the script and by the actors.
Galerists as well as donors (Mäzene) encourage artists, but somehow may also contribute to the pressure on artists to produce more creative work. Precariousness of living and living conditions are often a corollary of creativity or the creative process. This is a usually forgotten part of the biography of many past and present artists. Artists have and still contribute so much to humanity, but in most countries the public or private support for artists is sketchy. This remains a societal challenge particularly during times of employment and skill shortages in OECD countries.

 

Digital Museum

Paris has lots of museums to visit. At times, this can lead to a kind of mental overload. The ” Musée Marmottan Monet, in Paris allows to take home a digital and printed copy of your preferred, your own curated collection of images from the museum. This is a great learning experience. You scan the number of the item you want to include and a specialized application retrieves the image of the painting or object from their database into the App. After the visit you take a break in the café in the garden and sort your collection and if you like have it printed within a couple of minutes after you paid for the print or digital version. Upon special request I was told that I am allowed to share the link to the small booklet even on the web (Link to pdf below).
Since the visit to the Musée Marmottan Monet we have come back to the digital and printed versions several times and reading of accompanying texts and perfect quotations of origin make learning about art a fun experience. Going back to lived experiences makes more lasting impressions on our memories. Knowledge coupled with emotions is a powerful way to memorize. Sharing the experience with other persons like the readers of this blog is an additional advantage. Attentive readers of the blog entries will find references to many of the themes dealt with over the years in this series of blog entries. Such topics are: gender and art, technology and society, reflections on time, life courses, inequality, art history, funding of artists, lifelong learning or beauty.
(Booklet below in German LINK-pdf of 6MB.  The app allows many language versions. You can produce those yourself from you collection within the App) 

Credit donations

“credit” stems from the original latin word “cedere”. In the 1st person you write “credo”, which means I believe. If said in a religious building or church you show with this pronunciation that you believe tbe narrative of the religious community. In the 3rd person “credit” stand for s/he/it believes. In the financial sense it is the receiver of money from your credit card who believes or trusts you that you made an honest payment. Now, banks take commissions from each of these exchanges of trust. You are credit worthy or not. In some churches you now make donations using your credit card to facilitate business. Credit card companies also charge you on your donation. Win win situation we call this. I keep asking myself, whether I still “believe in angles” or only business angles. (Image Église Notre Dame des Victoires Brussels 2024-7)

Museum Orga

The cathedrals of modernity are under permanent scrutiny. The discussion in Germany was sparked by a recommendation of the scientific advisory council to the federal government (Wissenschaftsrat) to separate the Prussian heritage museums and institutions (SPK) in Berlin into separate entities that have higher autonomy to shape their individual profiles. Too much hierarchy blocks innovation and openness to new approaches that might not fit an overriding instance of decision making. The arts and sciences as well as their libraries need substantial degrees of freedom to flourish in their specific cultural and societal environment. The same discussion is currently occupying Paris and France, since overall the visitors after the Covid-19 crises have not yet come back to the same levels. Digitalization has opened up new opportunities and potentials to reach new audiences. This needed new resources even at a time of budget constraints. Museums have started to take their social functions more seriously besides their role to preserve the cultural heritage. Economic thinking in terms of scarcity of art works, competition between museums and cities or countries for tourism have entered the stages as well. Prices of entry and quantities of visitors have become additional concerns in the organization of the museum landscape. A lot to cope with and to balance multiple policy targets. Accessibility of those treasures is key. Opening up to broader audiences is costly but crucial to provide the justification of the public funds allocated. Great to see more complementary private investment in this exciting field. The prominent archers in front of the Berlin museums have moved ahead into a new round of competition in the organization of museums.

Galerie Wochenende

In Berlin gab es rechtzeitig zur Hexennacht und am 1. Mai auch noch das Galerie Wochenende. Mit der myartwalk app konnten Rundgänge in der Stadt geplant werden. Viel Anregung parallel zum politischen Wochenende mit reichlich freier Meinungsäußerung. Viele Kunstschaffende und Kunstsammelnde, Mäzene, suchen unaufhaltsam neue Wege der Kommunikation, oftmals mit der Entwicklung neuer Bildsprache oder Raumgestaltung. Sich das zu erschliessen ist kreative Arbeit von allen Beteiligten. Endlich wieder mehr inspirierende Begegnungen.

Chopin + Sand

Frédéric Chopin und George Sand erschufen ein Lehrstück zum besseren Verständnis des Mäzenatentums. Die Autorin und Zeitungsverlegerin George Sand hat es Chopin ermöglicht, sich auf den Landsitz im Sommer zurückzuziehen und sich fern der Hektik von Paris auf das Komponieren zu konzentrieren. Chopin‘s Frustration über die 1837 aufgelöste Verlobung, die der Vater der Geliebten initiiert hat, hat sicherlich der Gesundheit und psychischen Verfassung des Komponisten einen weiteren Schlag versetzt (Ganche & Saint-Saens, 1913).  George Sand kannte Chopin seit dem Abend, an dem sie Chopin in einem Pariser Salon Franz Liszt vorgestellt hatte. Hinzu kam die Ermöglichung in der Nachbarschaft einer Wohnung am Place Pigalle (Montmartre, Paris) eine preiswerte Untermiete bei derselben Gönnerin zu beziehen. Die in Polen lebenden Geschwister und Verwandten von Chopin haben sich persönlich bei George Sand bedankt und die Notwendigkeit erwähnt den mit Tuberkulose ringenden Musiker, der zusätzlich eine Tendenz hatte in Traumwelten abzudriften, mit Entscheidungshilfen beizustehen (Ganche, É. & Mercure de France, 1935). Diesem nahezu elterlichem Ansinnen auf nicht nur finanzielle Unterstützung, sondern auch psychologischer Begleitung wird die Schriftstellerin gut 7 Jahre lang gerecht. Die Aufenthalte auf dem Landsitz Nohant (région Indre ) werden für beide zu einer fantastischen Inspiration. Continue reading “Chopin + Sand”

Mäzene

Die Fortsetzung des Beitrags zur Entstehung der Profession der Künstlerin findet sich in der wenig untersuchten Rolle von Frauen als Mäzene. Der Besuch des „Musée Jacquemart-André“ legt eine Verbindung der Künstlerin Nélie Jacquemart-André zu ihrem Mäzenatentum durch Kaufen von Bildern anderer Künstlerinnen nahe. In dieser Sammlung befindet sich zum Beispiel ein Porträt angefertigt von Elisabeth-Louise Vigée Le Brun von 1790, eine der frühen Künstlerinnen im Beruf. Auch ein Beispiel einer eigenen Arbeit der späteren Mäzenatin findet sich in dem frühen Beispiel eines Gesamtkunstwerks. Das Ensemble Kollektion und Villa in Paris (158 Boulevard Haussmann) sowie die Abbaye de Chaalis neben dem Parc Rousseau mit weiteren Teilen der Sammlung. Die Mäzenatinnen von heute hatten prominente Vorläuferinnen, die noch wenig als solche gewürdigt worden sind. Erst heute wieder in der Covid-19 Pandemie werden wir uns wieder der Bedeutung von Mäzenatentum für die Künste bewusst. Bevor es Künstlersozialkassen gab waren die Mäzene und Mäzeninnen lebenswichtig im unmittelbaren Sinne des Wortes.