Our timing for this explore of Davis was not random. Stuff was happening and we weren't about to miss it.
A must was a visit to an amazing (and free) art museum. Grounded in the legacy of UC Davis’ world-renowned first generation art faculty, the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art is a hub of creative practice for today’s thinkers, makers and innovators, now and for generations to come (opened in November, 2016).
We were actually here for the exhibit called Wayne Thiebaud | 1958–1968 (with whom Jan took Art 101 with... in the day). At an extraordinary historical moment, Mr. Thiebaud proposed a radical new take on painting, and he did so with a slice of pie. This exhibition invites viewers to trace Thiebaud’s emergence as a mature artist with a singular style. The first exhibition to explore this formative period, it brings together more than 60 early paintings gathered from private collections and museums throughout the United States. WOW.
Steve liked this work best (he's not a big whimsy kind of guy). Landscape Figures, 1959, was created during a time when the artist began a body of work across media in which he covered parts of an existing image to create a single point of focus. He applied a top coat of paint or ink to mask out everything in the painting or print except for a figure or a store—whatever it was he deemed to be the subject. This was an approach to clarity through concealment. For me, bring on the pies!
Or the deviled eggs.
I loved this write up by Jennifer Tucker about Three Machines, "This piece brings me back to childhood... any piece of art that can evoke the joys of yesteryear and excessive sugar consumption is okay by me. Thiebaud has a real knack for invoking feelings of happiness and he does it using such simple imagery. The artist explained that he likes to paint gumball machines because they are 'a gadget for stimulating the greatest series of associations and responses.' Essentially, he feels that life is like a gumball machine, you put things into it but you never really know what is going to come out."
Thiebaud’s best-known works, colloquial paintings of food and consumer goods, had emerged in mature form by the early 1960s. Depictions of everyday items in American life: sandwiches, gumball machines, jukeboxes, toys, cafeteria-type foods, cakes, and pies, reflected a turn toward representational painting. These deadpan still life subjects are set against light backgrounds, often white, with the objects rendered in lush, shiny oil paints. The thick, insistent textures and the playful colors Thiebaud uses for his commonplace objects, and their enframing shadows, challenge our perceptions of art subjects and meaning. They are still life paintings, but with a difference. Although his works are often classified as part of the American pop art movement, Thiebaud also painted portraits, but even these retained his signature broad treatment of light and shadow, thick paint, and bright Kool-Aid colors. I love that imagery... Kool-Aid colors.
This museum demands frequent visits, quite possibly again before this exhibit leaves in May.
The next stop was our intended reason for being here… our first outing to the spectacular Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts.
How could we miss this “Theater and circus rambunctiously collide in Saloon, the newest acrobatic creation from contemporary circus troupe Cirque Éloize. Set to live folk and fiddle music, the story starts with a piano tuner setting his sights on the saloon’s beautiful Belle and ends with a chase worthy of the greatest action-packed Westerns of our time. Combining tall tales and original acrobatic choreography, Cirque Éloize expresses its innovative style in a show for the whole family. Hold on to your 10-gallon hats!"
By the way, we four were the only people who Cowboyed Up. When we entered, several ushers asked if we were part of the show. Yeehaw!
This was the most entertaining 80 minutes we think we've ever experienced. It was an incredible production of amazing physical feats, exceptional talent and the coolest stunts we have ever seen. Wow. This was way beyond what we were expecting and it was a celebration of their 250th show!
I'd party in this Saloon anytime!
Afterward, as the set was being broken down, I rushed the stage for a photo. How sweet for some of the characters to jump in. This was a rootin tootin good time and we all agreed!
The town of Davis is going to be one of those places we escape to, often, when we need to get off the hill.
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1 comments:
Wow! I love the saloon show! What a hoot. I would have loved to have seen that. I was wondering what inspired the cowboy garb, but figured I just had to be patient.
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