Nighttime: Between The Covers - A Special Series At La Crescenta Libary
Wednesday, May 30, 2012 at 3:00PM 
Caravaggio - Supper at Emmaus - 1506 - Oil on Canvas - Pinacoteca di Brera, MilanIn this highly entertaining art historical journey, we’ll be looking at Nighttime: Between the Covers! In Session 1, we’ll explore nighttime scenes as they’ve been portrayed by such artists as Remington, Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Friedrich, Van Gogh, Constable, Turner, O’Keeffe and others. In Session 2, our focus will be on books--from the exquisite illuminated manuscripts of the medieval-renaissance era--to the beautiful handmade art books of today. We’ll also look at masterworks that feature books in them--because a private library was a sign of prestige and achievement. Session 3 will find us exploring bedrooms and other intimate interiors--as rendered by such great masters as Jan van Eyck, Vermeer, Tiepolo, Boucher, Fragonard, Mengs, Goya, Delacroix, and Munch--among others.
For a detailed description of the program and further information, click below...
Under the Cover of Night - Monday Evening – 6:30-8:00 pm - June 11th
Joseph Mallord William Turner - Fishermen at Sea - c. 1796 - Oil on canvas, 91 x 122 cm - Tate Gallery, London
In this first session in our special series, we’ll examine a rare environment found in art--the night! Why are nighttime scenes so unusual in art? Who painted them--and why? What kinds of skills and techniques are required to render dramatic episodes on canvas? What are the moods nighttime scenes suggest? These are the questions we’ll be addressing during this session--through masterworks from the medieval-renaissance era through the modern era. Nighttime scenes are moody, mysterious, dramatic--and sometimes foreboding. But don’t be scared--we’ll explore them together!
Between the Covers - Monday Evening – 6:30-8:00 pm – June 18th
From the “Book of Kells” (folio 292r) - c. 800 - Trinity College LIbrary, Dublin
Books have always been important in the history of art--and culture. Before the development of printing--books WERE the primary art form. Nearly every culture had a fine manuscript tradition--but none that can compare to the exquisite illuminated manuscripts of the medieval-renaissance era. We’ll be exploring the manuscript in this session. Images of books also became icons in paintings--representing humanism, scholarship, wealth and success. Portraits from all art historical eras have featured women and men seated in their libraries, among their literary collections. A personal library was a sign of distinction. In the modern era--the beauty of books has been celebrated in masterworks of book art, which will also be explored this evening. Even in the age of Kindles and Nooks, the printed book remains very much alive.
Bedrooms and Other Intimate Interiors – Monday Evening – 6:30-8:00 pm – June 25th
Johannes Vermeer - Girl Interrupted at Her Music (detail) - 1660-61 - Oil on canvas - Frick Collection, New York
A room says a great deal about a person--and a bedroom is particularly personal. It’s within our personal spaces that we reveal who we are--and what we care about. Intimate interiors have personality--and become characters in the narratives of art. In this session, we will examine some of the finest works of art that include interior spaces as subject matter--including environments revealed by such artists as Vermeer, Boucher, Mengs, and Munch--among others. Find out just how much a room can tell us about a person--a family--and a culture, in this fascinating journey into bedrooms and interior spaces!
NIGHTTIME: BETWEEN THE COVERS
A SPECIAL SERIES AT LA CRESCENTA LIBARY
2809 Foothill Blvd.
La Crescenta, CA 91214
(818) 248-5313
Three sessions - Mondays - June 11, 18 and 25
6:30-8:00 PM - Call to make a reservation
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