My trip to the Wadsworth was Fantastic!!
There are renovations in progress but it's still open to the public and full of beauty. The building, which looks like a castle was designed by Architect Alexander Jackson Davis in the style of gothic revival. With is opening in 1844 the Wadsworth Atheneum is the oldest public art museum in the state of Connecticut. It is named after it's founder Daniel Wadsworth who was an art patron. It was much larger than I anticipated and it was truly a difficult task to select only one thing to focus upon. I visited the Atheneum during the time that Monet's water lilies were being featured, which was delightful but didn't allow capture of images by photography. Though I am a huge Van Gogh fan and never really paid much attention to Monet's lilies I found that I had to pull myself away from them and continued my stroll through the museum alone.I came upon the piece I chose to highligt right away. It is a sculpture by Duane Hanson titled "Sunbather" (1971), which is formed from polyester and fiberglass polychromed in oil. The life like quality of this sculpture is incredible. I walked into the gallery and there I saw a woman laid out in her bathing suit all sunburned and for a moment I forget that I was inside an art museum. See for yourself:
This is incredible! 
Upon researching the artist, I learned that he worked as a highschool art teacher after graduating from Macalster College in 1946 and then went on to achieve his Master of Fine Arts degree from Cranbrook Academy in 1951. Hanson used his creations to tell a story about societal issues. A lot of his work highlights controversial topics such as violence, racism, and drug abuse, which serve as his attempt to raise awareness. He is regarded as one of the leading sculptors in the late twentieth century and as one of America's best to interpret the Superrealist style, which focuses on attention to extreme detail. Hanson is quoted as saying, "I'm mostly interested in the human form as subject matter and means of expression for my sculpture. What can generate more interest, fascination, beauty, ugliness, joy, shock or contempt than a human being. Most of my time involves concentrating on the sculpting aspect. Casting, repairing, assembling, painting, correcting it until it pleases me. That takes some doing as I'm rarely satisfied." It is this dedication to perfecting his expression that made him the recipient of numerous awards. If you look carefully at the articles that are posed around our sunbather 
he is telling a story 
with the headlines of the advertised magazines and newspaper articles.One features weight loss advice and tips for a better life, and if you look closely in her bag you'll see a box of chocolate treats
and a diet soda can that has dropped into the beach sand.
Possibly Hanson is attempting to engage us to think about the pressures of society in terms of our outward appearance. The sunbather has clearly laid out tanning a bit too long and is now burned. 
The depiction of this in the color on the skin is truly remarkable and extremely lifelike. 
This is incredible! 
Upon researching the artist, I learned that he worked as a highschool art teacher after graduating from Macalster College in 1946 and then went on to achieve his Master of Fine Arts degree from Cranbrook Academy in 1951. Hanson used his creations to tell a story about societal issues. A lot of his work highlights controversial topics such as violence, racism, and drug abuse, which serve as his attempt to raise awareness. He is regarded as one of the leading sculptors in the late twentieth century and as one of America's best to interpret the Superrealist style, which focuses on attention to extreme detail. Hanson is quoted as saying, "I'm mostly interested in the human form as subject matter and means of expression for my sculpture. What can generate more interest, fascination, beauty, ugliness, joy, shock or contempt than a human being. Most of my time involves concentrating on the sculpting aspect. Casting, repairing, assembling, painting, correcting it until it pleases me. That takes some doing as I'm rarely satisfied." It is this dedication to perfecting his expression that made him the recipient of numerous awards. If you look carefully at the articles that are posed around our sunbather 
he is telling a story 
with the headlines of the advertised magazines and newspaper articles.One features weight loss advice and tips for a better life, and if you look closely in her bag you'll see a box of chocolate treats
and a diet soda can that has dropped into the beach sand.
Possibly Hanson is attempting to engage us to think about the pressures of society in terms of our outward appearance. The sunbather has clearly laid out tanning a bit too long and is now burned. 
The depiction of this in the color on the skin is truly remarkable and extremely lifelike. 
The Wadsworth Atheneum is celebrating it's 30th Annual Fine Art & Flowers festival. The museum is laced with floral fragrance throughout and has on display floral arrangements based upon an interpretation of the selected art form. I took pictures of a few and couldn't help but post them.
Bacchante (1894) by Frederick MacMonnies in bronze.
Tents at Lake (1916), oil on canvas by John Singer Sargent.
The Pulpit Rock (1913), oil on canvas, by George Bellows and it's flora interpretation: 
.This was my favorite:
Composition (1953), oil on canvas by Franz KlineOf all the musuem experiences during the course I would have to place this as my favorite. I am definitely planning on returning with my family and following the annual Fine Arts & Flowers festival.
Sources:
Art molds sculpture studio. "Hanson Duane."1998. Retrieved from http://www.artmolds.com/ali/hallpffame/duane_hanson.htm
"Wadsworth Atheneum Facts." Freebase. 2011. Retrieved from http://www.freebase.com/view/en/wadsworth_atheneum
IAN CHILVERS. "Superrealism." A Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Art. 1999. Retrieved from http://www.encyclopedia.com/
"Duane Hanson." Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2004. Retrieved from http://www.encylopedia.com/
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