"Paintings have a life of their own that derives from the painter's soul." Vincent Van Gogh

Friday, April 17, 2015

A Visitor from Amsterdam and a Visit to Cantor Art Gallery

My daughter, who is living and working in Amsterdam, flew back to the US for a business trip and was able to spend a few days with us in Reno! She was here and gone in the blink of an eye it seemed but we did have a chance to show her around the Lake Tahoe area, enjoy some home cooked meals and talk about her European life while eating Belgian chocolates until the wee hours of the morning. I have missed her terribly and now that she is gone again, I miss her more than ever.

When it was time for her to leave, my husband and I drove her to the airport in San Francisco for her return trip and then we continued on to Palo Alto. Even though it was still quite cold and breezy with merely a hint of Spring in the air, everything is riotously blooming and the air is filled with perfume from all the flowers. California can be so beautiful. I wanted to tour the Linear Accelerator but unfortunately it has been recently closed to the public. We were able to spend some time at the Cantor Museum which is on the campus of Stanford University. They have a nice selection of paintings, many from artists I was seeing for the first time, and an extensive collection of Rodin sculpture.

Cantor Museum entrance

Deborah Butterfiled's driftwood horse Viktoria. It is larger than life and is actually cast in bronze - quite remarkable!

A portrait of his wife by William Merrit Chase. Her face is so softly and lovingly painted - she is breathtaking.

A little ballerina sculpture by Degas. The upper  little pastel on the wall behind her is also a Degas.

Study for a portrait by Thomas Eakins - about life size.

Portrait of a young boy by Robert Henri

Italian devotional painting from 1518 - I fell in love with the faces!

A young Napoleon - I have forgotten the artist but the portrait is arresting in life.

Rodin The Thinker
I am yearning to get back to my easel!
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12 comments:

  1. juliefordoliver.blogspot.comApril 17, 2015 at 9:32 PM

    Amsterdam is so far away so I understand about missing her. She will be really having a wonderful growing experience traveling around Europe. Life is different in many ways over there.
    When my daughter moved away I felt a huge void, but the visits are amazingly special.
    The Henri is a real wow piece - so different in style and flesh from the Chase and others.
    I enjoyed seeing all the artwork. Thanks for sharing, Susan.

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  2. JudyApril 18, 2015 at 12:43 AM

    I can understand you miss her even more now she is back to Amsterdam. What does she think of our capital? Belgian chocolates, mmmmm!
    Love the artwork, always so inspirational to see art in real life, isn't it.

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  3. Studio at the FarmApril 18, 2015 at 6:42 AM

    How wonderful that Kimberly was able to come all the way from Amsterdam for a visit!!! She must be having a fascinating time living and working there.
    Thank you for sharing these photos from the Cantor. Love that bronze driftwood horse, and the skin tones in Chase's portrait are superb. Looking forward to see your inspirations!!!
    Kathryn

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  4. hmuxoApril 18, 2015 at 2:47 PM

    Such an emotional post Susan but hopefully she will stay a bit longer and maybe you can make a visit soon to beautiful Amsterdam!!
    Thank you for sharing these wonderful photos with us!...I love the portrait b Robert Henri...

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  5. Diana Moses BotkinApril 18, 2015 at 8:38 PM

    What fun for you to see all the beautiful art. Thank you for sharing so we could enjoy some of it too!

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  6. JaneApril 19, 2015 at 1:19 AM

    So much gorgeous art , I think it must have cheered you up after having said good bye to your daughter at the airport. I can fully follow you in your missing her , so good that skype exists !

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  7. martinealisonApril 19, 2015 at 4:43 AM

    Bonjour ma chère Susan,

    Je me réjouis que tu aies pu passer un peu de temps avec tes enfants. Lorsqu'ils grandissent, ils nous échappent de plus en plus et il faut se réjouir des moments des repas... Je connais parfaitement ça !
    Aujourd'hui, tu nous entraînes en promenade et quelle belle visite que celle de ce musée.
    Tu nous dévoiles des oeuvres merveilleuses. Je comprends aussi pourquoi après une telle imprégnation tu aies envie de te retrouver devant ton chevalet.

    Je te remercie pour ton gentil petit commentaire.

    Je te fais de gros bisous et te souhaite une bonne fin de weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  8. martinealisonApril 19, 2015 at 4:44 AM

    Bonjour ma chère Susan,

    Je me réjouis que tu aies pu passer un peu de temps avec tes enfants. Lorsqu'ils grandissent, ils nous échappent de plus en plus et il faut se réjouir des moments des repas... Je connais parfaitement ça !
    Aujourd'hui, tu nous entraînes en promenade et quelle belle visite que celle de ce musée.
    Tu nous dévoiles des oeuvres merveilleuses. Je comprends aussi pourquoi après une telle imprégnation tu aies envie de te retrouver devant ton chevalet.

    Je te remercie pour ton gentil petit commentaire.

    Je te fais de gros bisous et te souhaite une bonne fin de weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  9. irinapicturesApril 19, 2015 at 6:16 AM

    Thank you for sharing these remarkable artworks. Maybe there is a plan to visit Amsterdam and around to see your daughter and breathtaking European art? That could be great.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Sandra BusbyApril 20, 2015 at 4:07 AM

    There is nothing more inspiring that a visit to a gallery is there? What a feast for the eyes! Have you been to Amsterdam yet? There some amazing Galleries there too...! :0)

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  11. Simonne's fantasiestudioApril 20, 2015 at 2:48 PM

    Dat was zeker een mooie belevenis ....
    groetjes van Simonne

    ReplyDelete
  12. art by Michael PerchardApril 23, 2015 at 7:41 PM

    Hello My Art Buddy! Hi Susan! So glad you got to see your daughter! Nice!
    Also thrilled you shared these wonderful museum photos with us! Nice job! Shoulder still hurts. Miss making art and even writing art blog comments! Always thinking of all my art blogging buddies! Happy Spring!
    Your Missing Making Art Buddy!
    Michael

    ReplyDelete

Your comments are welcome and brighten my day!

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