Sunday, June 29, 2014

dansk 8

This blog is becoming more of an art journal for me, which I don't really apologize for. I'm definitely my father's daughter...check his instagram if you need more proof of that. I promise I'll give a real update soon.

Anyway, last week I went to the Statens Museum for Kunst (it's free!) and I was in heaven. Here are some favorites:

Detail from Christ and the Adulteress, Domenico Tintoretto

Detail of Christ from something I forgot to write down...this looks Flemish though, right Al? Dad?

Eight-Part-Piece (Cayuga Salt Mine Project), Robert Smithson (shout out to Spiral Jetty), 1969

Self Portrait, Full Length, Walking, Kurt Trampedach, 1970

Heaps of Light, Kasper Heiberg, 1964

Ugh, I forgot to write down this title too, but I love it and I feel like it belongs in my Grandma Bonnie's house.

This museum just had some stunning spaces

Untitled, Donald Judd, 1989

The Red Castle, Reykjavik, Carl-Henning Pedersen, 1948

Orange-Coloured Object, Egill Jacobsen, 1940

Alcohol, Asger Jorn, 1957 (this guy...)

Pixilated Garden, Asger Jorn, 1966-69

Stormy Sea, Jens Søndergaard, 1954

The Creation of Eve, Hans Scherfig, 1929

Two Ladies, Harald Giersing, 1922 (this guy too)

A Lady Reading, Harald Giersing, 1922

Ocean and Dark Clouds, Emil Nolde, 1935

Untitled, Troels Wörsel, 1985

Jazz, Henri Matisse, 1947

The First Kiss, Richard Mortensen, 1931

Sunday, June 15, 2014

dansk 7

On Thursday I visited the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek. This collection is dominated by sculpture, but there was a nice little handful of French and Danish paintings from the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Here are some of my favorites:

Generally I can take or leave ancient sculpture, but I like the way they displayed fragments in this museum.

Two Tall Poplars, Christen Købke, 1836

Study of Standing Horse, Johan Thomas Lundbye, 1847
I fell kind of hard for this guy. He was a Danish artist who studied with the Royal Danish Academy, but he died young.

In the middle of the museum is a winter garden (green house) that's really nice.

Sailing Vessel in Moonlight, Paul Gauguin, 1878
I've never cared much for Gauguin's style, but this collection had some nice pieces that I wouldn't have associated with him.

Flowers and Cats, Paul Gauguin, 1899

Pink Roses, Vincent Van Gough, 1890

Lunch, Edouard Vuillard, 1909

The Execution of the Emperor Maximilian, Edouard Manet, 1867

Ballerina sculpture by Edgar Degas
(also, I didn't get a close up of it, but the big painting behind her is Manet's The Absinthe Drinker and it made me cry by myself in the middle of the museum.)

Shadows on the Sea, The Cliffs at Pourville, Claude Monet, 1882

Spanish Lady in Crinoline, Pablo Picasso, 1901

Bronze sculptures by Degas

They didn't have a title or artist for this but I thought it was nice.

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

dansk 6

It's been nearly month since I arrived in Denmark, which is just wild to me. In many ways it feels like I just got here, but another part of me feels like I've lived here forever. I can't even begin to tell you how much I love the family I live with. I have found some kindred spirits in each of them. This country is beginning to take a piece of my heart as well. The culture, the landscape, the language. They are all sinking into me and becoming part of me. 

Today was lovely in many ways and historic in one way. The weather was gorgeous and the train had no delays, so really, I could stop there. After class I decided to wander over to Vor Frue Kirke, home to Thorvaldsen's Christus and his statues of the twelve apostles. But first I had to eat lunch, and (here's the historic part) I bought food from a bakery in Danish. The guy I order from was laughing the whole time, but he was also very patient with me as I butchered his mother tongue. One of my favorite things about my day is finding a quiet place to eat lunch, and I ate my hard earned bolle on a bench outside a little brick church down the street from Vor Frue Kirke. 

Before I entered, I was lamenting that Vor Frue isn't more beautiful on the outside. But when I entered it was so clean and bright and there was such a powerful spirit there that I couldn't imagine a more lovely building. It is simple inside, with white walls and a stone floor. Six apostles flank either wall and the magnificent sculpture of Christ stands at the front of the chapel with hands outstretched to beckon you forward.

Some years ago, President Packer, one of the current apostles, recounted a story about Spencer W. Kimball, a former president of the LDS Church, visiting the church and bearing his testimony of the restored gospel to the church custodian. You can read his address here. That story is close to my heart because my grandfather was also present and he has told our family about that experience. I liked to be there and think of my grandfather standing in the same place so many years ago and feeling the same spirit that I felt today.

Christus


Peter with keys of the priesthood

The apostle Paul

Here are some photos from the last couple of weeks. I've been too lazy to post, but these are some highlights.

The family let me join in on their summer tradition of giant ice cream cones in Roskilde.

And that's when I was introduced to guf, my long lost marshmallowy love (the pink stuff).
PS, did you know in Danish there is a word just to explain that you are craving sweets? I felt closer to my Danish ancestors when I found that out.

This place that I live, you guys.

Seriously, this is my daily running route

My running times are really slow because I'm always stopping to take pictures (also just because I run slowly).

Oh, and this is Noah, the little brother I never had.

He used to call me "pige" which means girl, but now he calls me "vores pige" which means our girl. Melt my heart.

Saturday, May 31, 2014

dansk 5

I went to the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art on Friday afternoon. I cannot resist sharing some of my favorite pieces. The collection was lovely, but the museum itself was stunning as well. It's an old summer home about 25 miles north of Copenhagen. It sits right above the water and you can look out and see Sweden. It's such a gorgeous place and I could have stayed all day if the trains ran late enough. Here are some of my favorites.

Jan Schoonhoven, R-69 3, 1969

Günther Uecker, Circle-Circles, 1967

Casino Stripes, Poul Gernes

Robert Rauschenberg, Tideline, 1963

Arnold Newman, Robert Rauschenberg, Captiva Island, Florida, 1977

Richard Avedon, Alfred Lester, dryland farmer, Charboneau, North Dakota, August 17, 1982

Alberto Giacometti, Venice Women, 1956

Per Kirkeby, The Sun Temple, 1969

Per Kirkeby, Untitled, 1965

Asger Jorn, Nocturn III, 1959

look at this space. too gorgeous.

Asger Jorn, Formio and Cigalette, 1961

Asger Jorn, Vision nocturne, 1959

Asger Jorn, Studies and Surprises, 1972

Alexander Calder, Little Janey-Waney, 1964/76

Richard Serra, The Gate in the Gorge

seriously.

Pablo Picasso, Bathers, 1921

Sonia Delaunay, Study for Fabric Design, 1924

pieces from "The Ten Largest" by Hilma af Klint

Hilma af Klint, The Swan, 1915

Hilma af Klint, pieces from "The Swan Series"

Hilma af Klint, No. 7, 1920

Hilma af Klint, The Mohammedan Standpoint. No. 3C, 1920

Joseph Beuys, Demonstration for Jan Vermeer, 1961

accidental selfie in the reflection of Beuys' Black Heart as Young Bull's Head, 1964

Joseph Beuys