Suzanne Hill's Blog

Posted by Suzanne Hill

Posted by Suzanne Hill

Posted by Suzanne Hill

Dr Kim informed us that Chinese is a “picture language” and is totally graphic. It has 50,000 characters and is very easy to understand because the people could “get” the pictures and didn’t have to read. At some point the government simplified the language to 2500 characters. When they went to English letters, now they are down to 26 characters. He believes English is the most difficult language to learn: Chinese is efficient where English is not (witness the many uses of the word “get”). In a humorous moment, he admitted that he had been an SOB professor who decided to retire because the current generation of American students have such frustratingly poor English writing skills.

We learned the meaning of several Chinese characters like water, river, moon, and sun. The symbol for human – shown as two curved lines leaning in toward one another – represents the idea that people don’t survive alone but must depend on others to thrive. The character for man begins with the angular-shaped concept of power and adds above it a square symbol for ten mouths, showing that men should be able to feed 10 others and thus are strong and protective.

It was fascinating to hear the uniqueness of some Chinese characters and has inspired me to learn Chinese calligraphy.

Posted by Suzanne Hill

An acquaintance visiting from England mentioned his involvement in the study of electronic media and film. His interest had led him to edit an eight-minute video titled Eboracum, the ancient Roman name for the medieval city of York, England [viewable by clicking here]. The film is set up as a typical day for a tourist visiting York and features the city’s diverse architectural features and archaeological sites. It literally pays tribute to York by focusing on its varied looks and views. As a backdrop we hear songs by Icelandic band “Sigur Ros.”

A classic example of a city symphony is a film like “Berlin: Symphony of a City,” a silent 50-minute black and white film from 1927 that similarly features a typical day in the city. Instructor Allan Thomas on sensesofcinema.com tells us that the film takes the viewer “into Berlin by train as the sun rises, and follows the life of the city as it wakes, goes to work through the morning and into the afternoon, moves from work to play, to sport and dancing and drinking deep into the night.” He goes on to say that between “trains, trams, horses, bustling crowds, spinning wheels and fairground rides, boat races, horse races, dog races, dancing and pounding machines,” we see the excitement and vitality of the city.

Check it out on Netflix. Perhaps this art form can be rediscovered as a means to capture our memories of trips to favored vacation spots.

Posted by Suzanne Hill

Delacroix’s July 19 entry from his famous “Journal” reads:

• “…Men scarcely ever base their happiness on the real blessings of life…As they mount, so do their ambitions…As for true happiness, they draw further and further away from it; the blessings and peace of mind, and independence based on modest and easily satisfied aspirations, are denied to them. Their time is at every man’s command and they waste their lives in futile occupations. So long as such men can feel the dignity of wearing ermine and silken robes, and provided that the wind of favour blows in their direction and supports them, they will wear themselves out among dusty papers, gladly devoting themselves to other people’s business. To be a minister of state or a president is a risky position, for it not only endangers a man’s peace of mind but his reputation as well, and puts his character to a severe test. Unless he can rely upon his conscience, he will come to grief amidst the every-increasing dangers to which he is exposed.….”

* * * * * * * * * *

I can’t help but consider the nearing presidential election. What kind of man are the candidates? When a man becomes a seeker of power to that extent, and thereby a tool of those who put him into power, and allows himself a limitless exposure to and scrutiny by the media, how difficult must it be for him to retain his self-respect and sense of balance? Does he indeed, as Delacroix hints, lose sight of the simple pleasures of life?

How interesting to me that artist Delacroix shares with his readers his contemplation on such a vast array of topics, including this one.

Posted by Suzanne Hill

Today I’ve been for the second time to the Philadelphia meets Baltimore abstract art show – called “Conceptions and Perceptions” – at the art gallery at the Center for the Arts at Towson University.

In particular I was mesmerized by the warmly-colored and intricately-detailed bead and stitching art by Baltimore fiber artist Karin Birch.

The first time I saw the show, I was the lone attendee. Today, again, I was the only person present. I asked the young art student behind the counter if the show has been crowded. He said, no, there haven’t exactly been huge crowds. In fact I was the second person that day to view the art. I shook my head in a puzzled way and he said perhaps the attendance fee kept them away [as a joke since of course there is no fee]. I’ve been asking others if they want to see the art, too, but they don’t seem too interested. The art student intoned sadly, “No one is interested in culture anymore.”

Posted by Suzanne Hill

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) commissioned a study to note just how popular reading reigns among the populace. Their report “Reading at Risk” shows that indeed the incidence of reading is declining for all age groups. Dana Gioia, chairman of NEA, states that this report is one he is not happy to produce; it demonstrated to him that something needed to be done to preserve and promote the pleasurable activity of reading.

According to Gioia, The Big Read gives communities the opportunity to come together to read, discuss, and celebrate readings [over 23 varied selections] from American and world literature. I applaud this effort. Locally, the community that will take part in The Big Read for next year is Hagerstown, MD. They report that their featured programs will highlight F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.

The website for The Big Read is www.neabigread.org and offers more information.

Posted by Suzanne Hill

Although it seems to generate little public interest, there is a lot of superb art being made these days. Check out these two contemporary artists featured in the August, 2008, issue of Fine Art Connoisseur.

Jeremy Lipking (b. 1975) paints landscapes and still-lifes, but specializes in the female figure both indoors and out. Working from quick paintings and photographs, the artist completes his paintings in his studio without the model. Lipking’s skill lies in capturing the realism of flesh against the outdoor colors of the sun of California. He counts among those artists he admires as 19th-century French Realists Jules Bastien-Lepage, Emile Friant, and P.A.J. Dagnan-Bouveret. His work is handled by American Legacy Fine Arts in Pasadena.

In his art, Paul Panossian (b. 1965) depicts his fascination with natural beauty, frequently painting the coastlines of his hometown, Santa Barbara, where he likes to sail. Panossian was trained in traditional classical art and rounded out his education by exploring the museums of Europe. He particularly likes to show us familiar scenes like waterfalls, cliffs, and walkways from unfamiliar angles. Panossian is represented by Cambridge Art Gallery in Santa Monica, California.

Posted by Suzanne Hill

Recently I read with great interest an article by James Bowman in “The American” about the flagrant spreading of misinformation. He notices how people used to assume that a writer wanted to uncover truth; today they expect him to create a constituency to back his ideas no matter whether they are truthful or not.

I teach composition to first-year college students whose final project is to write a persuasive research paper in which they prove a controversial statement. The first few semesters I noticed they had trouble composing a one-sentence statement of their controversial stance so I added lessons on thesis statement. They must consider their opposition and refute those stances. Then I added lessons on logic.

They tend to focus on a few commonly-held yet often-disputed sentiments: the traditional family is not necessary to a child's well-being; global warming is ruining our planet and must be stopped; professional athletes are ruining their health using steroids; our drinking age should be lowered to resemble the European model; illegal immigrants should be given amnesty.

I used to think that, sadly, the occasional student has been firmly indoctrinated. Nothing I could say would encourage him to consider the opposing points of view. If I insist that Al Gore is not a valid research source because he is an activist not an expert, still the movie "Inconvenient Truth" shows up on the bibliography. Then I began to see that with this research project I am only helping in further spreading misinformation.

Now I wonder if the bigger problem is that the truth doesn’t matter. A firmly-held belief is retained even in the face of information to prove it doubtful or even wrong.

Must I now help them with acclimation to a time-honored yet perhaps unfamiliar thought process: the quaint idea of "truth"?

Posted by Suzanne Hill

The outrageous thing about the attack – posted on the Internet – was how art teacher Berry said her principal responded to the incident. She said her principal told her she'd provoked the attack by telling the student she would defend herself [thus using a so-called “trigger” word] instead of defusing the situation and calming the student. Say what?

Marietta English, president of the Baltimore union's teacher chapter, stated that her office typically receives two or three complaints a day of assaults on teachers. When I first heard this statement, I thought I heard it wrong. Two to three attacks a day??

Evidently many of the attacks aren’t reported to the school system or the police. I’ve heard teachers say in interviews that they believed the school would take care of the situation by transferring them or punishing or expelling the student. But the administrators aren't reporting these violent incidents or doing anything to punish the violent children for fear their schools will be doomed to a "persistently dangerous" label under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

The use of a cell phone to videotape the attack and post it on myspace will no doubt egg on other students to tape violent acts and post them as well. But ironically the recording allowed us to see how bad the situation in the schools really is.

Why wasn’t the student who beat down the art teacher arrested? Are we powerless to take possession of our city schools and demand that students behave?

Posted by Suzanne Hill

The romantic green drink – absinthe – is back after a 100-year ban.

Absinthe is often captured in artwork because of the seduction of its rumored psychoactive properties and its connection to a bohemian lifestyle. Famous artists who imbibed the spirit known as “The Green Fairy” include Toulouse-Lautrec, Manet, Gauguin, and Degas. The most famous of all absinthe drinkers has to be Van Gogh, although he suffers from a misconception that it caused him to go mad and cut off his ear. But notice how he frequently uses ochres and pale greens (the colors of absinthe) and how many of his paintings feature the bar where he drank the spirit.

The elixir was favored by artists and writers seduced by its “secondary effects” whereby the imbibers become intoxicated and are subject to hallucinations that they felt enhanced their art or suited their eccentricism. But in truth these qualities are no more marked than a buzz one gets from drinking tequila. Generally, it can be described as a heightened clarity of mind and vision warmed by the effect of the alcohol; some users insist the drink also produces unusually vivid dreams.

Absinthe tastes refreshingly like anise and is flavored by fennel and wormwood. It’s very strong – 70% alcohol – and is served diluted in a ritual involving a sugar cube placed on a flat decorative slotted spoon resting on the rim of the glass. Iced water is slowly dripped through the sugar cube, dissolving it and causing the green liquor to louche into white opalescence.

In Baltimore, absinthe can be enjoyed in this traditional ritual at The Brewer’s Art on Charles Street and can be purchased by the bottle at the Chesapeake Wine Company in the Can Building in historic Canton. Enjoy! I intend to!

Posted by Suzanne Hill

On Sunday I visited the Maps exhibit at the Walters Museum. What a spectacle! This was the most engaging and interesting show I’ve seen in months. The maps on display cover a wide variety of subject matter from celestial and make believe terrains to terrestrial locations in all corners of the world to charts showing literacy rates in the U.K. and language distribution in the Balkans before the area was carved up after World War II. The maps are made of materials ranging from typical ones of parchment or cloth to more unusual surfaces like a glass globe, an African memory board, and a map of London on a glove.

One map of chalk and pigment on paper [by Leonard da Vinci c. 1502] is a topographical study of central Italy. It was the first map to indicate elevation with color – in a technique known as hypsometric tinting – rather than small cone-shaped ink lines typically used by his contemporaries to depict terrain. The higher the elevation the darker the brown pigment. The map was conceived as an engineering tool for negotiating the Arno River as part of the war invention services he offered the Duke. In creating the map, Leonardo developed a cartographic technique 300 years before its time.

The exhibit Maps: Finding our Place in the World remains at the Walters through June 8, 2008. Though admission to the Walters is currently free, the exhibit costs $12 admission.

Posted by Suzanne Hill

Delacroix’s March 28 entry from his famous “Journal” reads:

“…When I am at my easel I forget all the worries and cares that beset mankind. In this world the chief thing is to defeat boredom and sorrow, and I am sure that the man who chooses an occupation like painting out of all the forms of recreation will find attractions that the ordinary run of pleasure does not afford. One of its greatest charms is to remember the time spent in painting after the work is done…Work all you can; therein lies the whole of philosophy and the best way of organizing one’s life.”

* * * * * * * * * *

Perhaps in Delacroix’s world the chief elements of life to forget were boredom and sorrow.

Today the creative soul may wish to escape the miseries of ever-growing government expansion and control, rising inflation, the shrinking dollar, and lowered property values.

Today’s lifestyles are stressful. Though Delacroix lived 150 years ago, his message has credibility even today; I agree with him that a valuable way to enhance the quality of life is to involve yourself – no, lose yourself – in art. Those who can make a decent living at it too are fortunate indeed.

Posted by Suzanne Hill

I continue to ponder why so many contemporary artists pour their creative energies and cleverness into art that’s trivial and shocking. Modern art died around 1970, but certainly the modernist effects linger. The merits of beautiful old paintings do not generate as much sensation as the ridiculous work of Damien Hirst who dissects cows and soaks them in formaldehyde or of lewd performance artist Karen Finley who, at the end of her shows, often takes off her clothes and smears herself with chocolate.

Although it seems to generate little public interest, there is a lot of superb art being made these days. Check out these three artists featured in the April, 2008, issue of Fine Art Connoisseur.

Kamille Corry (b. 1966) specializes in the human figure against lovely backdrops. Her classical training shows in her beautiful renditions of the human body in unusual poses. In a contemporary twist, her paintings feature highly-realistic figures against flattened backgrounds of Japanese or Art Nouveau design. Her work is handled by Ann Long Fine Art in Charleston.

In her art, Annamarie Trombetta (b. 1963) depicts her fascination with geometrical shapes and perspective. She gained this interest from her background of observing stained glass windows in church and her classical art training. Her paintings feature brilliant colors and unusual points of view. Trombetta has a studio in Manhattan and enjoys painting scenery and architecture of New York.

Tony Pro (b. 1973) focuses on portraits. He has a background in graphic design and illustration; he taught himself to draw and paint the human figure using Richard Schmid as a consultant and John Singer Sargent as inspiration. His work is carried at Circle T Fine Art in Tempe, Arizona.

Posted by Suzanne Hill

I’ve finally ordered my own copy of A Story of Art; even though I find it incredibly difficult to find time to read for pleasure I can’t wait to sit down with and devour this classic, described by a former director of the National Gallery as “an ideal introductory volume for art history."

Published in 1950, the book remains a comprehensive and eloquent overview of the history of art. According to publisher Phaidon, the book “starts with the cave paintings at Lascaux, then discusses the art of Egypt, Greece, Rome and Byzantium, Islam and China, covers the Medieval and Renaissance periods, and details the roots and flowering of Modernism.” I’m intrigued with the scope of this compact book.

The text was compiled by master art historian E.H. Gombrich, who writes his insights about the visual arts in a simple and direct manner. Though criticized by some for his focus on the evolution of Western painting and only a cursory glance at Chinese and Islamic art, the book remains the best-selling art history guide ever published.

Posted by Suzanne Hill

A new semester has just begun and I’m back to teaching. No spare time now for making altered books or organizing a mail art swap.

I have a new group of college students eager to embark on improving their writing. One of my courses is an online class; the delivery of this class is quite different from that of my traditional face-to-face class. This online class involves pre-planning: all lecture material and assignments were set up before the semester began. The class has a totally different feel from my face-to-face class where I know I have the power of personal interaction to convey my meaning.

I have set up a discussion forum for them to introduce themselves to one another. They are very eager to mention their hometown, describe their pets, discuss their siblings and best friends, rave about favorite restaurants and beaches, brag about their jobs, and explain their future goals. Without fail they mention they are soooo excited to be in an online class and can’t wait to get started on all their assignments. Doubtless they picture themselves working on their laptops in their pajamas and at their leisure, not yet conceiving of the amount of work they are in for. I can only hope they are just as fresh and enthusiastic several weeks from now!

One thing I will keep fresh is my desire for them to think for themselves. I encourage “critical reading” and discourage them from accepting conventional wisdom, imploring them to always look beneath the surface of any story for the author’s hidden agendas. This is also my philosophy about enjoying art. Trust your instincts about what you like and don’t let experts sway you from what feels right.

Posted by Suzanne Hill

We just had a taste of spring in Baltimore, Maryland. It got up to 70 degrees mid-week. The pleasant weather made me want to spend time outdoors and I’m thinking ahead about something fun to do for the weekend. I’ll be heading to the Walters Art Museum.

If you, too, will be in the Baltimore area, here’s what’s happening at the Walters. The “Mapping the Cosmos” exhibition is taking place – coordinating with “Maps: Finding Our Place in the World” – to display images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. The Walters describes the images as “aesthetic objects of striking power and beauty.” A press release states that this event is the first time that the Walters has coordinated with the Johns Hopkins University’s Program in Museums and Society. The exhibition can be seen Wednesday-Sunday from 11:00am-5:00pm through July, 2008. In addition, Baltimore is holding its version of Chicago’s Festival of Maps at the Walters beginning March 16.

Another first at the Walters is a partnership with the famed Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). On Saturdays during February, 2008, the Walters is offering workshops on Ancient Greek pottery and clay-making classes at MICA. See the Walters’ website for detailed information about hours and prices.

The intriguing events may seem out of place at a world-class museum with priceless first-rate works of art, but the Walters must try to thrive in this contemporary world that views museums as elitist and exclusionary. And so the museum continues to appeal to a diverse and casual crowd with its free admission and fun activities.

Posted by Suzanne Hill

Joseph Bail [also known as Joseph-Claude Bail] was born January 22, 1862, during a period of intense disagreement in the late 19th-century French art world. Traditional styles were being challenged and interest in expressing nuances of daily life was becoming more and more rare.

Not all artists, however, participated in expressing the newer styles. Bail, for example, studied the interests of the public and concentrated on reflecting traditional styles in his work. Bail found renown with the Salons and with the public with his artwork that continued the tradition of Realism (falling out of favor with many of his contemporaries) in scenes of French daily life from earlier times. While other painters of his day were moving toward modernist sensibilities, he showed a passion for the past and the values of former times.

Still lifes dominate Bail’s early work, but he expanded his themes to include animals, interior scenes including playful images of cooks and their assistants playing cards and cleaning utensils, and country scenes influenced by his summer stays in the French countryside. He handles color and composition skillfully. In all of his work, Joseph Bail portrays a lively brightness found in the radiance of a specific brilliant lamp or daylight flooding into a room.

Posted by Suzanne Hill

"Heyoka Magazine" reports: “Through the 19th century, art was a vehicle of sensuousness, meaning, and passion. Its goals were beauty and originality.” But the art world of the twentieth-century adopted the ugly and the offensive. Why have artists poured their creative energies and cleverness into art that’s trivial?

Admission to the Walters Art Museum is now free in a breezy attempt to appeal to a more casual, diverse crowd and offer fun activities. Perhaps taxpayers are not much interested in old paintings of religious events and Greek mythology. These pictures do not generate sensation like Damien Hirst’s dissected cows and Karen Finley’s lewd shows.

Although it generates little acclaim, superb art is being created today. Check out these five artists featured in the February, 2008, issue of “Fine Art Connoisseur” magazine.

Christine Lafuente (b. 1968) paints cityscapes, landscapes, still lifes – each finished in just one session. Her work is done in a suggestive style that straddles abstraction and realism. Her work is handled by Gross McLeaf Gallery.

Nat Meade (b. 1975) creates meticulously detailed paintings, always defending his traditional representational methods – “decades after their purported eclipse” – against criticism. His work is on view at Froelick Gallery.

Lucong (b. 1978) does stunning portraits of women, focusing on their eyes. See his artwork at Gallery 1261, Denver.

Julia Loken (b. 1939) is a professional watercolorist specializing in landscapes. Her work is represented by Gerald Peters Gallery, Santa Fe.

Karol Mack (b. 1949) paints rugged scenery of the Western U.S. Her goal is to capture elements of the “sublime” in nature, subject matter admittedly downplayed among mainstream artists but admired by environmentalists. Her paintings are available at Elk Horn Gallery, Colorado.

Posted by Suzanne Hill

Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema was born on January 8, 1836. Alma-Tadema studied art in Antwerp; a honeymoon in Italy, Greece, and Pompeii kindled his interest in Classical artistic ideals. He spent a significant amount of time studying archaeological sites or photographs of them. Visits to the sites gave him subject matter as he increased his study and knowledge of daily life in the Greek and Roman empires.

Alma-Tadema moved to England in 1869 and began creating paintings of partially-clothed women posed before backdrops from ancient Greece, Rome, and Egypt. At times he integrated so many objects into his paintings that some said they resembled museum catalogs. Alma-Tadema's works are remarkable for the way in which flowers, textures, and hard reflecting surfaces like metals, pottery, and especially marble are recreated – in fact his realistic depiction of marble led him to be called the “marbelous painter.” His work shows much of the detailed draftsmanship, brilliant colors, and technical skill of the Dutch masters. He became one of the most famous and highly paid artists of his time.

But because of the rise of post-impressionism, cubism, and modern art, Alma-Tadema’s work fell out of favor and became next to impossible to sell. Critic John Ruskin called him "the worst painter of the 19th century." Like Bouguereau, although an artistic giant in his lifetime, he has not been mentioned in art history classes since the 1950s. I never heard of him in any art history class I attended.

Thankfully today he is regarded as a principal classical-subject and academic painter whose works demonstrate the skill of an era concerned with recreating the past, some of which was being discovered through archaeological research, and continuing the traditions of the old masters. It's shameful that he fell into obscurity for so long.

Posted by Suzanne Hill

During Christmas, I thoroughly enjoyed my vacation from work. I visited art museums and took day trips with several dear friends. And I spent time with my grown kids, relaxing, exchanging gifts, and preparing meals together. There is nothing I’d rather do than spend time with my kids.

Christmas morning we fixed a brunch of waffles, scrapple, spinach omelet, home fries, and cappuccino. Later that day we visited with the rest of the family for traditional turkey dinner.

I also rediscovered the fun of ordering foods over the Internet and having them delivered to my door. There were the apples, pears, and oranges from Harry and David. I bought dried bananas, carrots, and tomatoes from Just Tomatoes, Etc. I ordered delicious low-cal gourmet Carnival Mustard, touted as the ultimate condiment, from Vivi’s. There were the packets of instant, low-calorie, all-natural edamame and wonton soups from Mishima. I even found two hard-to-find dinner plates to replace my chipped ones from Replacements, Ltd.

But I had the most fun learning about and ordering the “traditional new cheese” known as Stichelton that’s rocking the cheese-lover’s world. Stichelton is made from raw-milk cow’s cheese, just as traditional Stilton used to be. Today, however, because of health concerns, whether real or perceived, it is illegal to produce a Stilton made with raw milk. So the creators got around this law by naming the cheese “Stichelton.”

Delivery to the U.S. is spotty. I finally found the cheese through Zingerman’s Mail Order [www.zingermans.com]. What an awesome gourmet food mail order site! If gift-giving to a special someone is in your near future, check it out.

Posted by Suzanne Hill

I am very fortunate to have been off from work for 10 days since the university is closed for Christmas holidays. I’ve been able to spend enjoyable times with my family and also visit several locales in my area. A change of scenery is great for improving my frame of mind! I’m away from the pressures of the job and the cares of everyday responsibilities and able to simply enjoy a drive in the country and a walk through a small town new to me. My daughter and her boyfriend and I drove to Hanover, Pennsylvania, to do last-minute shopping at an art-supply store and have dinner at a favorite sushi / hibachi Japanese restaurant, Full Moon.

One day I drove to my mom’s so we could take a long walk on trails at her neighborhood park. On a Thursday I visited a dear friend and we drove north sightseeing through various small towns in Pennsylvania like Elizabethtown (sister city to Letterkenny in Ireland) and Mt. Gretna (an artsy town that used to consist of lake-side summer homes). On Sunday I went with friends to Frederick, Maryland, in the icy rain to walk along the history district. We spent hours in a huge antiques mall, donning hats, trying on fur coats, admiring burled-wood tables, and poring over old books. The following day I visited two more antiques malls not far from my house – something I’ve always wanted to do but never had time for.

Tomorrow I head back to work. I am grateful for the chance to go sightseeing and to have spent memorable days with my family.