Florence Museo dell’Opera Donatello Christ

Dear Art Lover,

  In Florence, Italy, the Museo dell’Opera, which houses the treasures of the famous Florence Cathedral (or Duomo in Italian), recently received a facelift.  You may now view more of the art and in a better context with how it was all intended to be viewed in the first place.  In some cases, you are viewing the original sculptures since pollution was causing too much harm to it in its original position on the Duomo or the nearby Baptistry. 

     I am often struck by how the quality of the figurative art changed back and forth over the centuries, as well as how much was accomplished only with hand-powered tools.  But then, they likely had other technical abilities of which I am simply unaware.  Still, did we lose the skills after Greek art or did artists just make a point to change styles?  I have heard that the current beliefs of the church often affected how representational artists were allowed to portray the human figure.  And churches tended to be the only ones wealthy enough to pay for difficult-to-create art. 

    I was surprised to see this marvelous piece of stone carving among some fragments on exhibit from the Porta della Mandorla (the Almond Door).  It turns out that this relief figure of the Man of Sorrows Christ that decorates an arch border is by Donatello!  It is funny seeing his work paired with obviously less stunning carved figures.  Here is a part of the museum’s own description:

     “The most richly decorated side-door of the Cathedral, that to the northeast call the Porta della Mandorla (Almond Door), was realised [sic] by various sculptors in the years 1391-1422.  The components shown here, from the archivolt and lateral pilasters, belong to the years 1404-1409 and illustrate the range of styles used in the early 15^th-century Florence, with some of the figures still gothic while others proclaim a reborn interest in Greco-Roman sculpture.  The Suffering Christ from the door’s keystone, a work by the young Donatello, appears to be an early study for that artist’s wood crucifix in the Basilica of Santa Croce.”

Note that the Italians, as I suspect most Europeans, used British English more than American [hence the “sic” above.]

Note also that another sign under the arranged fragments titles the work by Donatello as “Rilievo con Cristo Vir dolorum” (Relief with Christ Man of Sorrows).  1404-1409.  Perhaps the two titles is simply a matter of different translations.

     In the image of the architectural drawing, the blue section of the pointed arch above the doorway, labeled F, is where the Donatello and gothic fragments originally resided.

     Enjoy!  I am happy to report that I am back to painting and drawing daily in my new temporary home.  Most of my things are still in storage until my real home is ready, but I have taken what I need from there and am working away with lovely views and birds singing daily.  Sanity is starting to return.

Happy birthday to my first brother, Paul! 

Peace,

Kelly

~ Kelly Borsheim, sculptor, painter, writer, teacher

http://BorsheimArts.com

Rodin in Roma

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

During a recent trip to Roma, my painter friend and I visited the Rodin exhibit happening now.  Only white marbles by the French sculptor were on exhibit and it was interesting to see them all together in one long ancient room of brick.  The curator wanted to show something of the thought processes of the artist.  I appreciated the choices here and glad to see ONLY the stone.

It is a problem for me to refrain from touching sculpture, and sometimes even paintings.  Sure, I understand about keeping something treasured in a good condition for future generations (hey, with pollution these days, even keeping something lovely for OUR generation is a struggle); but I think that love should be expressed and some of the most beloved sculptures throughout the history of man have worn-down parts from too much touching or the rubbing of fans and believers.    

I think part of the solution is to have more people buy the art that moves them, so they may enjoy it as they wish.  As a creator, I am thrilled when collectors feel that the art makes a real difference in their lives.  More people living with beloved artworks also has the fringe benefit of keeping artists working.  [Perhaps part of the problem is that we artists are not inspiring many these days?   Thoughts, anyone?]

A strange feeling has been growing in me for many years now:  a reluctant admission that white marble is lovely, but cold when it comes to depicting human flesh.  It has a beautiful way of standing out in an outdoor environment and lending class to any situation.  However, we have so many colors of stone to choose from and I like this idea very much.  Also, I do not enjoy as much the solid white marble.  A little bit of natural veining lends some sort of authenticity to what the artist has accomplished in this living material – one knows that the works was not cast, afterall.  That said, I will be happy when my focus turns again to stone.  Right now, I am limited by the location of my current flat (in the city) and my lack of tools.  I am missing my former life in Texas a little, especially the ability to work outdoors surrounded by trees and privacy.

Ah, but I digress, as is my way too often… As for Rodin, I saw in Roma some carvings that I had never seen before.  I do not like all of Rodin’s work, and I think that is natural.  However, he pushed into the emotional and, specifically, the sensual realm of human expression.  For that alone, the world should be forever grateful.  I include here some of my better shots from the exhibition.  The lighting was soft over the white marble.

Exhibit runs now through 25 May 2014
“Rodin. Il marmo, la vita”
18 febbraio / 25 maggio 2014
Museo Nazionale Romano alle Terme di Diocleziano, Roma
[an easy walk from the Termini train station and Piazza della Repubblica]

Here is one page with more information and images (although the text is in Italian):

http://www.romeguide.it/mostre/rodinilmarmolavita/rodinilmarmolavita.html

Camille Claudel Book Review

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

A little while ago, I finished a book about a passionate sculptor. The book “Camille Claudel: A Novel” was published in 2006 and written by Alma H. Bond, Ph.D. The young French sculptor was an apprentice and for a while, a lover, of the great master sculptor August Rodin. Many people I have spoken with think that she was at least his equal, if not better than her male contemporary. Some even speculate as to how much of her hand is in Rodin’s work – a logical assumption given the typical apprentice system of professional artists throughout history.

Since I really did not know much about Camille’s life and path, I enjoyed reading about her days as a child. I could relate to them quite well because I remember playing in the muddy creek beds with my own brothers in Germany and in the States, relishing the feel of the wet clay and often fashioning it into bowls and other forms.

Anyone who has felt a heady love can certainly enjoy the very girlishly romantic descriptions of Camille’s growing attraction and later full-blown love affair with the much older Monsieur Rodin. I still do not really understand why Rodin ultimately left Camille, unless it was simply that he refused her insistence upon a relationship on her terms (marriage). However, some hearts are more fickle than others are and as real life and much literature can attest, sometimes circumstances, ambitions, and other people’s decisions create variables that become insurmountable obstacles to one’s potential.

This novel is written in first person and I often felt that I was inside of Camille’s mind, feeling her thoughts as my own. Perhaps this was part of the reason I felt so uncomfortable, sometimes annoyed, and often depressed as I read the latter parts of the book. After the cooling of the relationship of these two passionate artists, Rodin continued his adventurous amours and career.

But Camille began to withdraw from the world and wavered between periods of grief, insecurity, pride, anger, isolation, and paranoia, and yes, even some happy moments. All of these emotions seemed quite reasonable to me, given the frustrations and losses she endured both professionally and personally. But knowing that she spent the last 30 years or so of her life in an asylum and worse, NOT creating (in fact, she even destroyed some of her works) made me feel alternately angry and sad. Too many times I wanted to grab her by the shoulders and shake her out of her self-pity and despair and get to work.

Ultimately this novel left me with more questions than answers, but that is by no means a bad thing. And I felt that the writing was consistent with the thought patterns of a sensitive soul trying to find some understanding for why people behaved as they did. Without explanation or resolution, it is difficult to move on, as so many others expect one to do. I indulge my own pain for longer than most others can appreciate, but I like to think that another part of me takes over and pushes me to keep working towards my dreams despite grieving or the insensitivity of others.

But my main question remains: What quality is it that allows one person to function and even excel despite bad relationships with parents, lovers, employers, or others while others collapse into themselves? What personality trait enables one person to turn her grief and rage into a motivation to succeed beyond all expectations, while another has only the energy for self-sabotage? How selfish must the soul of another be to turn love into hatred? Is it inevitable that super-sensitive people will suffer from this trait?

Would the world have enjoyed more of Camille Claudel’s incredible sculptures if events and personalities in her life had been a little different? If yes, how different would those relationships in her life have had to be? Her intense and unresolved emotions kept her from creating. If she had been able to keep sculpting, could she have healed from her personal sorrows?

Can we ever know? Read the book to see if you can determine possible pivotal points in this dramatically sad, yet influential life.
Buy the book via this link and help support this blog: Camille Claudel: A Novel
Thank you!

Happy Birthday, Jake

(may you never feel the pain or injustices endured by Camille Claudel)

A Direct Stone Carver

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Many sculptors today and throughout history have created marble sculptures by first creating their compositions in another material, such as clay, in which the artist may add or remove material to get the composition exactly as intended. While the initial idea may be created in a small size, an enlargement would later be made, also in clay, or perhaps then cast into plaster. Then, using a system of measuring specific points, a copy in marble at the same size would be cut.

In the art newsletter I wrote after my visit to The Musée Rodin in Paris, you may see the black dots on a mixed media sculpture by Auguste Rodin. These dots mark the high spots on a sculpture so that one may create a copy of the art in another material, usually marble. Lower points between those marked can be carved and shaped after most of the stone has been removed.

However, I have not learned this technique. I am a direct carver. That means that I draw directly on a piece of stone and then cut away what is not part of my drawing. My friend Vasily Fedorouk told me many times that the original definition of “to sculpt” is “to remove material.” In his mind, and perhaps traditionally, wood and stone carving were the only methods of creating 3-dimensional art that could truly be called “sculpture.”

Stone carving, for me, is certainly the most challenging and intellectually stimulating of all the arts, and while I enjoy creating in many mediums, stone is my drug of choice.
In the following images, you may see some of the work I did on “George” in August of 2008.


You may see some of the notes I make on the stone and some of my chisel marks. The second image is an example of how I like to look at my work from many different views, including ones least likely to be seen once the finished sculpture is on exhibit. Those views, such as the bird’s eye view from the top down, tend to give me more information (and a fresh eye) and aid in my choices.

Shortly after these images were taken, I left for Florence, Italy. I did not return to Texas and George until about nine months later. Thankfully, stone is more patient than I am.

Artist Vasily Fedorouk

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Today the body of the great artist Vasily Fedorouk was cremated. I wish that I could have attended the funeral service for my friend and mentor in Chicago yesterday. I asked his wife Dilbarra if there was anything I could do for her, knowing that nothing will bring him back. She said, “Continue to tell the world about Vasily’s art. He was always so happy each time you wrote something for him or about him.”

Ukrainian born sculptor Vasily Fedorouk died in a horrible freak accident after saving his beloved dog Era during a family outing last Sunday in the Chicago area. In minutes, everything changed.

I share with you here three of his sculptures, the first two in stone, the latter in terra-cotta. He was a prolific artist with a great sense of design and a full understanding of quality.



This next image was taken during my last visit with Vasily in his suburban-Chicago home in September 2008 before I left for Florence, Italy. We are shown here with his beloved dog Era at his dining room table. We often kept in touch via the Skype and e-mail and I had an enlightening and wonderful conversation, as all were, with him on his birthday on August 16th. He had just earned 59 years. He had joked with me that while the number was not too high, all of his body parts were still working just fine. We both laughed. He had more energy than most people.



At the time of his death, some of Vasily’s sculptures were part of a 2-person exhibit at the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art in Chicago. The exhibit has been extended to at least September 6, 2009, so if you have the opportunity, please, please go see his wonderful artworks in person.


I know that Vasily changed my life in a significant way. I have grown as an artist because of him. I only hope that some part of his spirit can live on through me. And I will miss him like no other. And we all will never know the compositions never realized from his fertile imagination.

Sculptor Vasily Fedorouk

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

My good friend -- and the best sculptor I know -- Vasily Fedorouk picked me up at the Chicago aeroporto recently and I was able to spend some time with him and his family. I always learn things from him and was excited to see some of his new projects.

While we damn-near polished off a bottle of Armenian Arazat brandy (for whose name my keyboard does not have characters) and looked at images on his computer, the sun came streaming into the dining room window at a blinding angle. When Vasily pulled the curtain across the glass, we were pleased to see the following image cast by the shadows of two of his latest sculptures. The one on the left is a composition in metal. The sculpture silhouette on the right is a beautiful figure that Vasily carved from Turkish marble.





I took these next two images the next morning as Vasily and I went down into his basement, which doubles as a gallery. I love this space and it is so wonderful to have a place to see his works anytime. Vasily is shown here with his companion Era. The other picture is in the back room where he decided to show me some more images of works he did long ago in Ucrania (The Ukraine).

I never tire of seeing these photographs of marble, wood, and granite sculptures, as well as his drawings. He says he does the drawings (especially) for himself, but I cannot help but envision them framed in an exhibition for everyone who loves art to see.


Vasily Fedorouk is truly an amazing, sensitive, and generous artist. If you would like to see more of his artworks, please visit his site: http://vasilyfedorouk.com