A TRIP TO THE MOON

« Rouge » had certainly surprised me - although I don’t think I really knew what to expect when I went to see it  but « La Lune » (The Moon) was a total surprise. This was not so much an exhibition but the history of the first man on the moon and then all that the moon had represented for artists over the different periods. Fascinating. 


This is the 50th anniversary of the first human step on the Moon. What a good opportunity to take a look and the present and the long history which links humans with that very familiar celestial body. It was a journey to the moon. Once again HUGE - five sections with both real and imaginary dimensions. Once again, I only took photos which appealed to me so you will not necessarily being travelling though the artistic creations from Antiquity to the modern day. These were produced mainly in Europe but also by African, Arab and Far Eastern civilisations. Yes, really fascinating.

Just think too that if tourists are to visit the Moon within the next 50 years, they will probably be taking a space ship which looks like something out of Hergé. Who knows, the Aliens might be Tintin fans !

Here we go so enjoy your flight !

"MOONS", 2019 by Ange Leccia (1952-)

"Study for Sainte Genevieve watching over Paris."  Puvis de Chavanne (1824-1898) around 1898

Marc Chagall (1887-1985) "The Blue Landscape" , 1949

Semiha Berksoy (Istanbul, 1910-2004) "Love under the Moonlight" 1971. I love this!

Paul Nash (1889-1946) Battle of Germany, 1944

Salvador Dali (1904-1989) "The ghostly Cow" - 1928

Sylvetre Meinzer (1971-) "Lilith", 2018

Abraham Janssens (1575-1632) . "The Incostancy around 1617. A cliché of the 17thC society that women were unfaithful by nature! More humid than men, they were thought to be influenced by the Moon, and thererfor unstable. This allegory (her name is on the drapery) shows a woman holding a crescent Moon and a lobster by the tail. As the lobster moves back and forth, it is the living image of indecision.

Kudurru de Nazimaruttash (1307-1282 BC)

Statuette of Chandra (The moon) - India - 2nd half of the 19thC. In Hinduism, the Moon is embodied by Chandra, a young man carrying a stick and a lotus flower. Chandra mocked Ganesh who had indigestion and Ganesh cursed him by throwing one of his tusks in his face leaving Chandra scarred and in the throes of perpetual change in India. Chandra is a common name for the Moon, one of the "nine" planets that effect humanity.

Thot baboon holding Oudjat's eye. Vllc-lV BC

Kifwebe Luba Mask - 1912 (oriental)

Léon Tutundjian (1906-1968) - No title done in 1929

Jean Arp - Humane, Lunaire, specteral, 1950

Quite beautiful

Salador Dali (1904-1989) "The Perle" - 1981. From the Infanta Margarita of Austria of Vélasquez"

Paul Delvaux (1897-1994), "The Acropolis", 1966

Joan Miro (1893-1983) "At the Bottom of the Shell," 1948

Eugène Boudin (1824-1898) "Moon rising over a dock" around 1889-1894

Meret OPPENHEIM (1913-1985) A moon in Light red and Cypresses in Front of a Black Sky, 1975

Anna-Eva Bergman (1909-1987) N°11-1955 "Silver moon"

Anne Veronica Janssens

FRANCIS MORRELLET (1926-2016) "Lunatic neonly n° 3 - 1997

SEEING ROUGE

What does the colour red bring to mind? I have always thought of Russia first and sure enough there is an exhibition on in Paris at the moment called « ROUGE ». The poster itself didn’t give anything away. I went without really knowing what I was going to see. 

It may not surprise you that the majority of spectators were Russian. I had stepped off the Champs Elysées into Russia. All quietly whispering and pointing to pictures as they strolled along. From the look of things they seemed to know their history too. Apart from the obvious historical events in Russia, I am not too knowledgeable.

The exhibition presents an ensemble of more than 400 works, most of which have never been shown in France. It is organised in two sequences : the 1920’s characterised by a form of pluralism. The Bolsheviks allowed different artistic groups to cohabit and did not (much to my astonishment) impose aesthetic principals. On the other hand in the 1930’s and 40’s +, the State took more and more control of the arts. So, the two periods are dominated by the opposing artistic utopias.

I took vey few photos and only those that really stopped me. They seem to be reasonably well divided between these two periods so you should be able to see the difference quite easily. I have translated the titles as they were only in French...not comment! I was a little disappointed not to see more of some of my favorite Russian artists...but they were not really approved of by the government at that time. I hardly knew any of the artists displayed.  I loved Moscow when I was there with Pierrette and hope to go back for a long weekend. When I left the Grand Palais, deep down inside of me a little voice asked, « has Russia changed that much over the past 40 odd years? » . Of course it is much more modern and sophisticated but how about the corruption level today versus then? I wonder…

The Red communist phantom travels through Europe.

 Painted in 1920 by Vladimir Lebedev (1891-1967)

 

"Each unjustified absence is the ennemy's happiness, then the work heros is a bourgeois coup" 

A poster for ROSTA (n°858) done by Vladimir Maïakovski (1893-1930) in 1921 

Sketch for a signboard.  NBo date Ivan Pugni (1892-1956)

Project for a Moscow monument by Mikkhaïl Bakounine (1885-1963) in 1918

Project for a monumet at the lll International. Vladimir Tatline (1885-1953) in 1919

???

The country teacher - 1925 by Evgueni Katsmann (1890-1976) By the look of him he must have been tough!

Strike in Berline by Rudolf (1890-1955 Germany) done in 1920

On the bottom one is hungry because on the top they are stuffing themselves. Eric Johansson in 1923( 1896-1979)

Presentation of cheap goods by Otto Griebel in 1923(German 1895-1972)

Man and little girl by Jankel Adler ( 1885-1949) in 1920

"The Flee" study for make-up by V. Maiakovsli -1929

Project for a village by Ivan Leonidov (1902-1959) in 1935-38.

Millions of workers ! Rejoin the socialist competition ! Sketch for a poster by Gustav Klucis (1895-1938) in 1927

 THE SECOND PERIOD

The First Ukrainian tractor by George Roublev in 1931 (1902-1975)

Kazimir Malévitch (1879-1935) Woman's silhouette 1928-1929

Kazimir Malévitch "The White Horse" 1930-31

Portrait of Stalin 1935 by George Roublev (1902-1975)

Fish Factory by Ekaterina Zernova in 1927 (1900-1995)

Film Heroine from here and not there. Frontpiece for a review in 1927 by Youri Pimenov (1903-1977

We are building by Youri Pimenov - 1920

 Three studies for a ballet by Chostakovitch by Bruni Tatiana (1902-2001). Done in 1931

The sports lady with a bouquet - 1905

Bather by Alexandre Deîneka in 1951(1899-1969)

Metro builder with a spade by Alexandre Samokhvalov( 1894-1971). A series done in the 30's. 

The Metro by Alexanre Labas (1900-1983) 1935

The golden obesity of american capitalism by Fred Ellis (American 1886-1965) done in the 30's.

Morgan and Co. 1930 by Jacob Burck (1907-1982)

Airship by Vassily Kouptsov (1899-1935) in 1933

"The Kremlin - Stalin takes care of" us by V.I. Govorkov (906-1974) in 1940.