A Return to the Norton Simon

Our first visit to the Norton Simon Museum was too short.  We returned to wander the garden and see the collection on the lower level.

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The lily filled pond is surrounded by bronze sculpture, mainly by Henry Moore.  This one is titled "King and Queen".

The lower floor has temporary exhibits.  There we learned about Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism through examples of sculptures in bronze and stone.

There were several Shiva

and Vishnu.

We labeled this Temple Wall with scenes of Krishna’s life incorrectly in a previous blog.

The second exhibit we saw was a lesson in the history of the color Blue.  Not being artistic, we did not know that blue is the hardest color to create.  Prior to 1706, the only blue painters used was ultramarine, aka true blue.  Then a painter made a mistake mixing his colors and created Prussian blue.  Seeking to develop an animal oil to cure sickness, he combined blood with potash.  He anticipated red but found a deep blue.  Working with a chemist, the two were able to market the color, providing a new color for painting.  With each iteration, more shades were added, next cobalt, then French ultramarine.  These colors increased the richness and texture of the paintings.  Along the way, the development of squeezable paint tubes made it possible for artists to carry their materials to their subject.   Here are a couple of examples of how the different blues were used.

Now, on our visits to museums, we will have a greater appreciation for the many shades of color used to create paintings.

Before we left, we returned to a few of the paintings that most intrigued us, primarily The Ragpicker by Edouard Manet.  This man selling rags to buy food looks like he could step off the wall and shuffle through the gallery.

The Flower Girl with Lilies by Diego Rivera

and Tulips in a Vase by Paul Cezanne.

We spent today (yesterday for you) doing errands in preparation for Cheryl, Dave and Bennett.  Our reward in the evening was a good dinner at Panda Inn followed by the excellent movie, Grandma.