In March the German Interest Group met in the home of Tina Schiess. After enjoying delicious treats, the group discussed Fasching, very similar to Mardi Gras and celebrated in some European countries with music, elaborate costumes and masks. Who is behind the beautiful mask? (Magdalena Tobe)
Month: March 2017
2017-03-15 Visit of the Seattle Art Museum
Twenty three persons visited SAM to enjoy the Exhibition: “SEEING NATURE: LANDSCAPE MASTERPIECES FROM PAUL G. ALLEN FAMILY COLLECTION”. Barbara Archbold & Mimi Wagar organized the tour with a public docent. Prior to the tour eighteen persons joined for a luncheon at the SAM TASTE Café.
From the SAM website: “Seeing Nature features 39 historically significant European and American landscape paintings from the past four hundred years. These diverse works offer a unique opportunity for visitors to see the natural world through the eyes of great artists.
The exhibition begins with Jan Brueghel the Younger’s allegorical series of the five senses. These exquisite, highly detailed paintings provide a platform for visitors to explore the exhibition by considering their own experience with the world through sight, touch, smell, sound, and taste. The next section of the exhibition demonstrates the power of landscape to locate the viewer in time and place—to record, explore, and understand the natural and man-made world. Artists began to interpret the specifics of a picturesque city, a parcel of land, or dramatic natural phenomena. This collection features a stunning group of evocative Venetian scenes by Canaletto, Édouard Manet, Claude Monet, and J.M.W. Turner, among others. The exhibition also features a rare landscape masterpiece by the Austrian painter Gustav Klimt, Birch Forest of 1903.
The final section of the exhibition explores the paintings of European and American artists working in the complexity of the 20th century. In highly individualized ways, artists as diverse as Georgia O’Keeffe, Edward Hopper, David Hockney, Gerhard Richter, and Ed Ruscha bring fresh perspectives to traditional landscape subjects….”.
Afternoon at the Movies
It’s been really fun at this new interest group. We have seen some great Oscar winning performances and films in different genres: black comedy, affliction movie, fairy tale musical, a couple biopics, and historical films, with conversations afterwards.
Year 2014-15
November: Birdman– Oscar winning black comedy
December: In the Woods– musical by Stephen Sondheim
January: Selma-the story of Martin Luther King and the march for voting rights
February: Imitation Game-historical thriller about solving the Enigma Code
March: Still Alice– with Julianne Moore as a University Professor who has Alzheimer’s.
April: Woman in Gold-with Helen Mirren
May: The Age of Adaline with Blake Lively as a woman who doesn’t age
Year 2015-16
October The Martian Matt Damon as an astronaut left on Mars
November Spectre 007 filmed in the
December Brooklyn an Irish immigrant girl arrives in Brooklyn
January Spotlight reports investigate systemic sexual abuse by priest in Boston
February Hail, Caesar a farce of the movie industry with George Clooney
March The Big Short a hedge fund manager predicts the financial crisis
April Eye in the Sky Helen Murrin commands a drone in Kenya
May The Jungle Book live action adventures of Mogli
Year 2016-17
October Queen of Katwe a chess club from the slums wins tournaments
November —
Dcember Arrival Amy Adams as a linguist communicates with aliens
January Hidden Figures Story of African American women mathematicians at NASA
February: La La Land an actress and musician break into show business in LA
March Moonlight chronicles of the childhood, adolescence, and young adult African American