This study of American femininity and the gradual emancipation into the current role in current society said more than just fashion but made a statement about the role of women in society and how style and clothing advanced these ideals.  Displayed in a series of circular rooms, each dedicated to a particular time period and fashion sensibility, the arrangement unraveled the story of a woman’s freedom, using familiar archetypes as templates for females’ roles through the past century, from “The Heiress” of the 1890’s to “The Screen Siren” of the 1930’s, and everything in between, that work together to form today’s modern, independent female—a culmination of years past.

The preview , attended by Vogue Magazine’s Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour, began with public remarks by Metropolitan Museum Director Thomas Campbell, Director of the Met’s Costume Institute Andrew Bolton and Gap Executive Vice President of Design, Patrick Robinson. Galleries for the exhibition were then free for press to peruse and photograph (see below).  Provided was an accompanying audio guide, appropriately narrated by none other than fashion “it”-girl Sarah Jessica Parker.

The Met’s Costume Institute collection, in conjunction with Brooklyn Museum of Art’s exhibit, is on display between May 5- August 15, 2010, and displays 80 examples of typical high fashion from 1890- 1930’s, demonstrating the perceptions, roles, influence and progression of women at the time of each decade discussed.  A statement of the gender’s style and accomplishments, it was the broader concepts and smallest details that hit me the most.

The broader concept of women’s refusal to be ignored and their fight toward individual freedom through physical, intellectual, political, economic and sexual emancipation was a natural but lengthy journey which is, in some ways, yet incomplete.  Below is a compilation of the exhibition’s rooms, all skillfully designed and painted to illuminate the clothing on display:

• The Heiress (1890s): The refined and elegant styles of this period still looked to Europe for stylistic influence.  This section is filled with gorgeous ball gowns by designers such as Charles Frederick Worth.
• The Gibson Girl (1890s): Simple and casual, Charles Dana Gibson’s influence complimented the active woman’s life.  Women began to experience physical emancipation, as cycling, golf and equestrianism became more popular, though they still wore corsets.  The outdoors-inspired room displays sporting outfits of the time.
• The Bohemian (1900s): The room, inspired by Louis Comfort Tiffany’s studio and Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (founder of the famous NYC museum), illuminate women who strove for intellectual emancipation through their involvement in the arts and sought unconventional style choices.  Bohemian styles discarded the corset and picked up inspiration from Ancient Greece, Asia and the Middle East.
• The Patriot and Suffragist (1910s): At the feet of World War I, women became more vocal as over 40,000 served in military and relief duty.  Styles were intentionally feminine to bring attention to women and insist that they be recognized as political figures.  Still fashionable, outfits were realistic and functional to compliment the long persistent hours of campaigning during an extremely important time of political emancipation in the eve of a woman’s right to vote.
• The Flapper (1920s): Carefree and rebellious, Flappers represented women of the 1920’s who, now able to vote, were beginning significant careers and wanted to be acknowledged as such.  Shapeless garments with androgynous silhouettes—hipless and waistless—allowed for freedom of movement and functionality.  This time of The Great Gatsby, styles promoted the unique urbanity of a youthful career-driven woman with a contemporary societal awareness.  Still social at night, many of these shapeless garments were embellished with beautiful detail and beading, emphasizing both economic and sexual emancipation.   As the wall text in the exhibition points out, Flappers were “as much a symbol of sleek modernity as the skyscrapers rising around them.”
• The Screen Siren (1930s): More mature than the youthful uninhibited styles of the Flapper, 1930’s styles were dictated by the sensual and glamorous red carpet looks of movie stars.  Often formal dresses, like the Heiress, these dresses are instead more streamlined and sexually suggestive.  Perhaps the most assertive of all of the above categories, there is no question about the dynamic independence of the Screen Siren which has become the hallmark of even the current modern woman.
• Modern Woman/Final Gallery: The diverse sensibilities of the above sections create today’s modern woman who can carry one or more of these characteristics and styles with ease and confidence.  The final gallery emphasizes the influence of all of these decades by displaying famous women as examples of the mannequins who were left faceless throughout the other gallery rooms.

As mentioned earlier, it was the broad linear connections through decades of history (as demonstrated in the bullet points above) and then smallest details of the intricately designed garments that most influenced me at American Women.  Some of the details I loved most included the bodices, folds in fabric, attention to patterns in beading and general aesthetics of beautiful fabrics.  I’ve included clips of some of these amazing particulars below.

Featured in the final gallery were wall to wall images of fashion and style icons, drawing clear linear perspectives, perhaps formerly unclear, between women from Michelle Obama to Lady Gaga, Madonna and Sandra Day O’Connor.  If these women have nothing else in common, they will always share the history of their gender’s liberation and the freedom to celebrate what today’s woman has become, in all of her many forms.

Other Recent Museum Previews:

“Younger Archer” preview: Metropolitan Museum of Art
“American Stories” preview: Metropolitan Museum of Art

Exhibition Reviews:
“Whitman, American Art and the Civil War”: Katonah Museum of Art

The statue of a “Young Archer” is on loan to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to gather further expert studies on whether or not this work can be attributed to the Renaissance master Michelangelo.  Though unfinished, broken and with far less attention to detail as his later works, it is still believed that a teenage, learning Michelangelo did in fact create this piece—At least that’s what Metropolitan Museum of Art curator Jim Draper wholeheartedly believes.

Curator of the exhibit, Draper is one of the main advocates for attributing the statue to a young Michelangelo.  His job, in a very imprecise nutshell, is to deduce centuries worth of history based on what’s not physically in front of him as much as what is.  I had the distinct pleasure of listening to him speak yesterday, the day before this lovely statue was revealed to the general public.

Worn by time and weather, the Carrara marble statue used to stand about 4 feet high.  Depicting a young boy of approximately 12 years old, it appears that, though the arms of the piece have been broken off, he was reaching across his chest for a bow from the quiver (carved in the shape of a bear paw) on his back.  Some scholars disagree with Draper’s acceptance of this attribution.  This crossing of the arm over chest with the head turned in the same direction is not in line with his typical sense of contrapposto—the natural stance of a statue such as the artists’ famous “David”.  Providing all of the facts for why this can be believed as a Michelangelo, Draper seemed determined to make a case for why he believes it is.

Much of the arguments for why it is a Michelangelo seem to go back to the fact that this was a work done by a teenager still learning the ropes of sculpture from his mentor Bertoldo di Giavanni.  The statue is undeniably non-proportional as the boy’s thighs are elongated and his knees remain imprecise, but a 14-15 year old youth would likely not understand anatomy in the detail that the grown man who created “David” and other such works knew.  It seems to me anyway that the muscular definition of “David” wouldn’t be as present in the body of a teenage boy, archer or not, and the preciseness isn’t there because he was learning and, as is typical of some of Michelangelo’s pieces, it remained unfinished.

With ten years at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, only time will tell as studies progress about whether or not “Young Archer” can truly be attributed to Michelangelo.  In the meantime, the exhibit opened today, so feel free to go there and decide for yourself!

Other Recent Museum Previews:
American Stories preview: Metropolitan Museum of Art

The exhibition which runs through January 24, 2010, is the story of American history as told through its painters.  Broken into four time periods representative of the thematic mindsets of the time, the 100+ works range from colonial portraits through Impressionist influence and early 20^th century New York, telling of the artists’ interpretations of their own time.  These 4 chronological segments travel from the coming and going of the Civil War and American hardships as viewed through the eyes of such artists as Winslow Homer and John Singer Sargent.

The four sections of the exhibition, in synopsis:

INVENTING AMERICAN STORIES (1765-1830):

A less outwardly-expressive time period, these years produced many portraits and stifled stories of American life. Some noteworthy pieces in the show were John Singleton Copley’s “Paul Revere” (1768), using the boundaries of portraiture to still express a story about the revolt against tea taxes as the silversmith holds his teapot in an otherwise bare surrounding.

STORIES FOR THE PUBLIC (1830-1860):
During wartime, works concentrated strongly on national identity but maintain a cheerful overtone due to the nature in which they were created: in the hopes of being sold to customers.  On the eve of war, broader themes of race still ran strongly (“The Power of Music”) as did works that gleam a light onto the liberation of women who would have to take charge during dismal times (Spencer); however, these themes were shrouded in an ambiguity in order to sell to the masses.  The paintings were meant to appeal to a diverse audience with generalized figures and subject matters.

William Sidney Mount’s “The Power of Music” (1847) demonstrates the division of races as a black man eavesdrops on a group of white fiddlers creating music.  A clear separation of rights is visible, however the eavesdropper shows a slight grin, indicating what the title suggests: the power of music can bring people together.  This “intended” theme lightens the load of the racial issue at bay.

The controversial artist Lilly Martin Spencer, who can be considered the first prominent and successful woman artist in America, depicted strong women and foolish men as the museum displays “Kiss Me and You’ll Kiss the ‘Lasses (1856)(below) and “Young Husband: First Marketing” (1854) next to each other: She with a “come-hither” intrigue and He clumsily dropping groceries on his walk home.  Empowering and condescending at the same time, but all with a feminine and exquisitely-rendered wit.

STORIES OF WAR AND RECONCILIATION (1860-1877):

Meant to tame the sorrow from the war, artists turned to less political contexts.  Bloody battlefields were seldom generated or distributed over the preferred “aspects of every day life” during the war (inc. nostalgia of pre-war times and children playing), forming a contrast with the journalism reporting news of the time.  Even Winslow Homer, who created graphic works for Harper’s Bazaar at the time, chose to revolt from much of this subject matter in his major paintings.  His “Breezing Up” (1873-76) was an energetic piece expressing a generally-optimistic view for the future with symbols of hope like an endless horizon and boat anchor.

Eastman Johnson’s “Negro Life at the South” (1859) shows a community of African Americans in their everyday lives, reading, talking, sewing, etc.  The painting can be viewed in two extremely separate ways based on a person’s view of society at the time.  Abolitionists would view the poor conditions of their living arrangements to be an indication of inequality while slavery supporters see these people enjoying pleasantries and a good life.

Seymour Joseph Guy’s “Making a Train”(1867) shows a girl by herself in her room imagining the future by arranging her clothes to appear like the train of a gown.  The portrayal of this quiet innocence proves the hope that artist’s wished to depict during a time of devastation.  The audio commentary provided by the museum elegantly expresses that the painting conveys “private dreams that were unfettered by fears.”

COSMOPOLITAN AND CANDID STORIES (1877-1915):

Post-wartime expanded travel opportunities that, according to the exhibition’s press release, “redefined national identity in an international context.”  Many artists used this opportunity to develop new artistic techniques to expand the thematic repertoire of their works. Here, Impressionistic influence enters American painting and subjects.  With the Frontier diminishing, cowboys became a symbol of masculinity and industrialization increased.

Urban settings and modern advancements were now explored just as much, if not more than the rural settings of past.  John Sloan portrays working women in a city setting with “Sunday, Women Drying Their Hair” (1912).  International stories were just as likely told as stories of Americans’ lives.  John Singer Sargent makes the viewer feel as though they’ve interrupted the unclear and possibly sinister interaction between the couple in “A Street in Venice.” (1880-82).

FURTHER OBSERVATION:

For me, George Caleb Bingham’s 1845 painting “Fur Traders Descending the Missouri” (1845), though not my favorite of the displayed works, summarized the conceptual nature of the exhibition which encourages you to draw thematic lines throughout the chronologically-arranged sections.  This painting picturing a chained bear cub next to a reclining boy next to a seated man, along with the North-South axis, trade, settlement and race issues (as noted by the accompanying plaque), represented the development of “beast to civilized humanity.”  Whether Bingham intended it, in the context of this exhibition I saw so much more than that on a conceptual level.

The themes of this show were broad, spanning over 150 years worth of history and artwork, and within these years a progression through many themes was clear.  Slavery, the liberation of women, the progression of a nation succeeding from struggle to stability, the concept of hope… Bingham’s painting was more than a visual line across the canvas. The painting summarized within a single work what the exhibition itself allows its observers to visually see from room to room: how a society progressed in 150+ years.

Nevertheless, I highly suggest a perusal of this exhibition.  Thoughtfully laid out with an exploratory nature that allows you to draw your own dots while exploring artistic technique and expression, this display gave me more than I hoped for.  So easy to get lost in, it truly does tell a story in its images.  One of tragedy, progression, triumph, opportunity and hope.

Factual tidbits aside this building and its grounds, though small and humble, are just beautiful.  I had the pleasure of visiting this museum when I recently visited the borough to participate in an art show.  With a garden unfolding behind it, seating and meditation areas, and nature-friendly environment, it was easy to feel at ease in such a tranquil spot.  It would have also been easy to sit outside all day enjoying this atmosphere if it wasn’t for the exquisite and visitor-friendly displays set up inside.  Made of stone, the building houses many statues representing physical yet spiritual representations of Buddhist symbols and figures.  An alter takes up an entire wall with graduated layers of such stoic pieces.  If that wasn’t enough however, the current art exhibit took my breath away.  I saw so many similarities to a Japanese form of Buddhism, Shinnyo-en, for which I once worked at an art exhibit that displayed works of art by its founder Shinjo Ito.

Tibetan Portrait: The Power of Compassion by Phil Borges (With text by the Dalai Lama and an Epilogue by Night’s Eli Weisel, you know you can’t go wrong).   Some of the most remarkable and human photographs I’ve ever seen showed beautifully-taken images of Tibetan refugees who escaped the unspeakable circumstances of their region to live in simplistic and peaceful living.  From infants to the elderly, each black and white photo was accompanied by only a sentence, but these few words told so much about their lives and stories if the images hadn’t already.  I stood in front of this girl’s picture, my eyes connecting with hers, for quite some time.

Jigme, 8 and Sonam, 18 months

“Jigme and Sonam are sisters whose nomadic family had just come down from the Himalayan highlands to their 16,500 ft. winter camp on the Tibetan Plateau. When I gave Jigme a Polaroid of herself she looked at it, squealed and ran into her tent. I assumed that this was one of the only times she had seen herself since her family did not own a mirror.”

One more fascinating fact about this museum is that it currently has the only existing not-destroyed mandala in the world.  Traditionally, these tools for prayer are destroyed immediately after their use; however, during his visit in 1991, the Dalai Lama himself gave permission for this particular mandala to temporarily remain intact at the museum until otherwise notified.  Check it out now because chances are that the museum will have little to no warning before it is to be ruined.  I had the honor of seeing this mandala as well as standing in front of it, in the exact same spot the Dalai Lama did during his visit, in a room surrounded by priceless works of art and the stories of so many brave and inspiration people.  Surreal indeed.

Additional exhibits are welcomed in the “comments” section.  Better yet, if you make it to any of these shows, a short summary or review of the exhibition is welcomed as well!  We’d love to hear about them!

AUSTIN (Austin Museum of Art, Blanton Museum of Art)

BOSTON (Institute of Contemporary Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston)

CHICAGO (Art Institute of Chicago, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago)

LOS ANGELES (Getty Center Los Angeles, Museum of Contemporary Art)

NEW YORK (Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art)

PHILADELPHIA (Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts)

PHOENIX (Phoenix Art Museum, Heard Museum)

PORTLAND, OR (Portland Art Museum, OMSI: Oregon Museum of Science and Industry)

SAN FRANCISCO (San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts)

SANTA FE (Site Santa Fe, The Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian)

SEATTLE (Center on Contemporary Art, Seattle Art Museum)