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Posts Tagged ‘murals’

the sargent hands

Posted in Inspiration, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on September 27, 2013| 5 Comments »

Based on yesterday’s post, I was asked by a few folks if I went up one more flight of stairs to view the hands of the Sargent murals.  Oh, yes indeed I did.  I did not begin with the Madonna of Sorrows with her silver crown.  With my limited time, I focused first on the prophets.

At the end of my stay, as I focused more on the Madonna of Sorrows, I had to stand close to a young security guard.  Finally I turned to her and asked, “Do you ever get bored?” She smiled and suddenly looked about twelve years old.  She said, “No, ma’am.  Every day I see something new.”

See all of the Sargent murals, in context, via this link.  This is an excellent site as well: http://www.sargentmurals.bpl.org/

 

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a series of hands

Posted in Inspiration, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on September 26, 2013| 3 Comments »

Hands, hands, hands.  I was surprised in preparing this post to discover that I have written about hands quite a bit over the years. Two posts that moved me most were from four years ago, Hands I and Hands II.   Hands stood out again during a recent visit to the Boston Public Library, visiting yet again the room with the Abbey Murals. I’ve photographed the murals often but this time I tried to focus on the hands.

For those new to the murals, in the 1890s Edwin Austin Abbey began a series of 15 wall paintings depicting The Quest and Achievement of the Holy Grail (based on a version of the legend by Henry James).  They were installed in 1895.

On the BPL website, you can read a description of the 15 panels and the story they depict.  Given how many shy maidens must have their hands kissed by Sir Galahad …

… and how many babes, swords and various vessels must be borne aloft and so on …

… well, it’s clear why Abbey paid so much attention to the hands of his legendary figures.

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the sargent murals at the boston public library

Posted in Inspiration, tagged , , , , , , , , , on May 30, 2013| 2 Comments »

Following are pictures taken of the John Singer Sargent murals located on the top floor of the McKim Building at the Boston Public Library.  You can read more about the murals creation and restoration here and here.

 

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images from the abbey room at the boston public library

Posted in Inspiration, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 30, 2013| 6 Comments »

The Abbey Room is located on the second floor of the McKim Building in the Boston Public Library in Copley Square.  Its high walls are covered by a series of mural paintings depicting The Quest for the Holy Grail.  A lovely place to hang out on a rainy day in Boston.

Painted by Edwin Austin Abbey.

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books, books, books … and art

Posted in Inspiration, tagged , , , , , , , , , on April 1, 2013| 1 Comment »

Reading Emily Toth’s The Public Library Was My Bookstore just reinforced for me that there is no greater public institution than the public library.  As a child in Lynchburg, Virgnia, the public library was one of the few places my mother would allow my younger brother and I to walk by ourselves.  When we were older, and our young niece and nephew would visit for the summer, we would literally carry them piggyback to the library to keep them entertained.  My nephew who is now 30 with a child of his own still remembers those rides.  Once I moved to the Boston area, one of my homes away from home quickly became the Boston Public Library.

If you are ever in Boston, please visit the main branch located on Boylston Street in Copley Square.  It was the country’s first public library and remains one of its most important.  It is an expansive structure that has evolved over time.  In the “old part” you will find some of the most beautiful and unique art of John Singer Sargent.  In the “new part” you will find the books and there amidst the shelves and sitting at the tables you will find the mix of Boston’s humanity – young mothers with children, high school students studying (kind of), college students researching, business people escaping the office for a bit, the homeless resting, people learning English with tutors, tourists snapping photos (without flash), and everything and everyone in between.  It is an experience.

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New Postcards Available

Posted in Inspiration, Postcards, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on January 30, 2013| 5 Comments »

This winter, I’ve been lucky enough to continue photographing the interior and exterior artwork of Trinity Church in Copley Square, Boston.

Trinity is considered one of the most architecturally significant buildings in the United States.  It sits in the center of the City of Boston in an area known as the Back Bay.  If you are ever in the Boston area, I highly recommend a visit to view in person this beautiful structure.  Inside you will find represented the great stained glass artists including John La Farge, Edward Burne-Jones and Margaret Redmond.  Above is a scene from one of her stained glass windows, depicting King Solomon.  I’m pleased to share that this image is available as a postcard in The Shop at Trinity Church, located in the church’s basement.  Future postcards will include this scene from the window Jesus Blessing Little Children by Henry Holiday of London

and this mural by John La Farge depicting the story of Christ and the woman at the well.

The church is located at 206 Clarendon Street, Boston, Massachusetts.  The Shop is located in the basement (or undercroft).   You can read more via this link.  Direct line is 617.536.0944 extension 225 for The Shop.

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Hidden Beauty: Sargent at the Boston Public Library

Posted in Inspiration, tagged , , on February 14, 2010| Leave a Comment »

With the winter winds whipping through Boston, I have been trying to remind myself of all the beauty to be found inside.  There are few places in the city as beautiful as the main branch of the Boston Public Library (BPL).   It is a mammoth structure located in the heart of Copley Square in the area known as the Back Bay.  For the books alone, of course, it is well worth a visit.  But, the BPL is also an architectural and artistic masterpiece.  You can learn more on the BPL website, as well as a view this nice summary about the library murals on a website dedicated to John Singer Sargent.  Below are a few pics I snapped recently.

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