'Anne Truitt' closes today at the National Gallery of Art

Anne Truitt, from her website.

Anne Truitt, Twining Court II, 2002, acrylic on wood, John and Mary Pappajohn. © annetruitt.org/Bridgeman Images

Anne Truitt, Mary’s Light, 1962, acrylic on wood, Angleton/Khalsa Family. © annetruitt.org/Bridgeman Images

In the Tower:  Anne Truitt at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, Nov. 14, 2017/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Anne Truitt, Insurrection, 1962, acrylic on wood, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Corcoran Collection (Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Phillip Stern).

Anne Truitt, Insurrection, 1962, is at far right and was one of the tallest sculptures (8.5 feet) which she made,  finishing it at her Twining Court studio near Dupont Circle/Photo by Patricia Leslie at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, Nov. 14, 2017

Anne Truitt, Sand Morning, 1973, acrylic on canvas, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Robert and Mercedes Eichholz, 2014

 In the Tower:  Anne Truitt at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, Nov. 14, 2017/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Anne Truitt, Knight's Heritage, 1963, acrylic on wood, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of the Collectors Committee

An exhibition of nine block sculptures and more by Anne Truitt (1921-2004), an early minimalist, ends today at the National Gallery of Art. 

The show includes two paintings and 12 works on paper representing the different media she used from 1961 to 2002.  Wikipedia says her early 1960s' pieces are "considered her most important work." 
  
On its website, the National Gallery describes minimalism as "the sculptural tendency that emerged in the 1960s featuring pared-down geometric shapes scaled to the viewer’s body and placed directly on the floor."

Unlike other artists of the genre, Ms. Truitt sanded and painted her wooden sculptures by hand and used bold colors.

She was born in Baltimore but considered Washington her home, living here most of her life, and renting various studios around town. (Is there an Anne Truitt studio tour?) While raising a family of three children and performing all the household chores demanded of a mother, she snatched 15 minutes here and there to make art. (Note to moms:  You can do it!)   

A visit to the Guggenheim Museum in 1961 inspired Ms.Truitt to begin making smaller geometric figures.

The show, In the Tower: Anne Truitt,  originally scheduled to end April 1, was extended three months, due to a Gallery decision in January to postpone a Chuck Close exhibition because of his alleged sexual misconduct. (Thomas Roma is another artist set to be honored this fall at the National Gallery, also postponed for the same reason. Thank you, National Gallery of Art!) 

It's ironic that Ms. Truitt's art continues to occupy space originally reserved for that of Mr. Close since in the 1960s, she suffered the effects of sexism as much as any other women of the period.  Her dealer tried to get her to hide her first name and others in the art world set up her first solo show without any input from Ms. Truitt but called her "the gentle wife of James Truitt," a newspaper writer. Her art is owned by major galleries throughout the world.

For insight into her personality and background, please see her obituary from the Washington Post.

The National Gallery's James Meyer curated the show.

The National Gallery's James Meyer at the opening of In the Tower: Anne Truitt, Nov. 14, 2017/Photo by Patricia Leslie

What:  In the Tower: Anne Truitt
 
When: The National Gallery of Art is open 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sunday. The exhibition closes Sunday, July 8, 2018.

Where:  The Tower, East Building, the National Gallery of Art, between Third and Ninth streets at Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. On the Mall.

Admission charge: It's always free at the National Gallery of Art.

Metro stations for the National Gallery of Art:
Smithsonian, Federal Triangle, Navy Memorial-Archives or L'Enfant Plaza

For more information: 202-737-4215

patricialesli@gmail.com

St. Francis of Assisi and the Stigmata close tomorrow at the National Gallery of Art

 Bernardo Strozzi, Saint Francis in Prayer, c. 1620/1630, oil on canvas, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Joseph F. McCrindle 

Works from the late 15th to the mid 18th century of St. Francis of Assisi (1181/1182-1226), the stigmata, and the beginnings of the monastery at La Verna, Italy will be on view at the National Gallery of Art through Sunday, July 8, 2018. 

The exhibition celebrates the stigmatization of St. Francis which he received when he went up to the mountain of La Verna for a 40-day fast in the wilderness.  One morning while there, he was visited by an angel who bore the wounds in his hands, feet, and side of Jesus Christ when he was crucified.  When the angel departed, St. Francis discovered that he, too, was marked with the wounds. 

St. Francis is the first known person in Christian history to become a stigmatic which happened two years before he died in 1226. A 1935 study of St. Francis's medical records revealed he may have suffered from trachoma and quartan malaria which would have partially explained his bleeding and pain, according to Wikipedia. A 1987 hypothesis posited St. Francis suffered from leprosy.

Whatever the case, the works at the National Gallery are astonishing to behold in the flesh and blood, and viewers are grateful for the opportunity.

 Jacopo Ligozzi and Domenico Falcini, The Chapel of the Cardinal [plate G], in Fra Lino Moroni, Descrizione del Sacro Monte della Vernia (Florence, 1612), engraving with an engraved overslip of a rock revealing stairs when lifted, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Acquisition funded by a grant from The B.H. Breslauer Foundation, 2013, 2013

German 15th Century, Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata, 1500/1510, woodcut, hand-colored in green, yellow, indian red, and blue, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Rosenwald Collection, 1943

 Italian 15th Century, Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata, 1470/1480, woodcut, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Rosenwald Collection, 1943

Note the differences between the German and the Italian versions of the Stigmata (above), both from the 15th century.

 Cosmè Tura, Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata, 1470s, miniature on vellum, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Rosenwald Collection, 1946

On view also are two first-edition copies owned by the National Gallery of the 1612 Descrizione del Sacro Monte della Vernia.  

In notes, the Gallery calls St. Francis's experience at La Verna, " a critical event in Western spirituality and proved to be the effective birth of modern monasticism." La Verna still operates as as monastery today.

 Johan Baptist Enzensberger, The Stigmatization of Saint Francis, 1760s, pen and brown ink with gray wash over graphite on laid paper, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Wolfgang Ratjen Collection, Patrons' Permanent Fund, 2007

 Sebastiano Ricci, The Ecstacy of Saint Francis, 1706/1720, pen and brown ink and brown wash on laid paper, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Mrs. Rudolf J. Heinemann, in Honor of the 50th Anniversary of the National Gallery of Art, 1991.

 

Rembrandt van Rijn, Saint Francis beneath a Tree Praying, 1657, drypoint and etching, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Rosenwald Collection, 1943

 Jean-Jacques de Boissieu, Desert Monks (after Francisco de Zurbaran), 1797,  National Gallery of Art, Washington, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund, 2000

Leading a tour of Heavenly Earth is the curator of the exhibition, Ginger Hammer, assistant curator in the department of old master prints, National Gallery of Art.

What: Heavenly Earth: Images of St. Francis at La Verna

When: The National Gallery of Art is open 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sunday. The exhibition closes Sunday, July 8, 2018.

Where: West Building, the National Gallery of Art, between Third and Ninth streets at Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. On the Mall.

Admission charge: It's always free at the National Gallery of Art.

Metro stations for the National Gallery of Art:
Smithsonian, Federal Triangle, Navy Memorial-Archives or L'Enfant Plaza

For more information: 202-737-4215

patricialesli@gmail.com

Extended! Olney's 'On the Town' is merry must-sea!

 















From left, Robert Mintz (Ensemble), Lance E. Hayes (Ensemble), and Rhett Guter (Gabey) in On the Town at Olney Theatre Center/Photo: Stan Barouh 

Amidst these days (and weeks, sigh) of turmoil, conflict and depressing news, who doesn't need a fantastic escape?

On the Town at the Olney Theatre Center arrives at the right time with sets, costumes, and songs from the 1940s to make you happy.  (Well, it made me so happy, had I not been seated midway in the row, I might have bolted right up on stage and become a dancer meself!) 

 Claire Rathbun (Ivy) and Rhett Guter (Gabey) in On the Town at Olney Theatre Center/Photo: Stan Barouh

Three sailors come to New York on 24-hour leave in search of women and excitement. (You were expecting something less than romps, laughs, sex, and more?) On the Town is an hilarious trip with music, lots of dancing, and non-stop action.

The sailors set off on a journey to find THE girl whose picture Gabey (Rhett Guter) has seen plastered in advertisements, the winner of the "Miss Turnstiles" competition (huh?). Gabey has fallen in love with a photo, but never mind. Can he find her? 

And can his buddies help?  They start a hot chase.

 From left, Evan Casey (Chip), Sam Ludwig (Ozzie), Rhett Guter (Gabey), and Bobby Smith (Bill Poster) in On the Town, now playing at Olney Theatre Center/Photo: Stan Barouh

Along the way they stumble (surprise!) upon  adventure, becoming entangled in rollicking scenes with dancing and song.

Chip (Evan Casey) finds a taxi driver, Hildy (Tracey Lynn Olivera) who has lots of "fares" on her mind  (Come Up to My Place), and she can cook!

It doesn't take long for Chip, the initially reluctant participant in this scheme, to join goal tending until the couple is rudely interrupted by Hildy's conservative roommate, Lucy (Suzanne Lane), a mousy creature and dressed for the role par excellence.  (Rosemary Pardee's many 1940s costumes are rainbows of pastels and designs, adding more allure to the visuals. In real-life, Chip and Hildy are a happily married couple whose stage passions leave one in awe of the chemistry on display.)    

Then there is flash and dash Claire DeLoone (Rachel Zampelli) who teams up with Sailor #3, Ozzie (Sam Ludwig) in-between trying to placate her  "understanding" husband (Bobby Smith in one of seven (!) roles he plays). 

The show has many standouts, and my favorites were those with multiple roles, perhaps because they were on stage more often:  Bobby who, towards the end, makes you happy seeing him appear since you know guffaws lie ahead, "darling," and Donna Migliaccio, 
fresh from a real-life stage in New York, and her six (!) roles here. (My fav was the old lady and her mannerisms and "Style 7" walking, but where is a grumpy old man?)
 
Perhaps the elevations and descents of various entertainers center stage doing their solo performances are a bit overdone, and the lacklustre title really needs some work, but director Jason Loewith, Olney's artistic director, commands excellent performances of all, and never a dull moment passes by.   

The numerous scenes (by Court Watson) transform in a whirl, and what appears to be minimalist props are deceptive for scenes are mean to complement, not distract from the script.

The effects and Roc Lee's sounds magnify the  "New York, New York" experience with brakes screeching, horns going off and subway rides which sway and lurch, rocking passengers forwards, sideways, and into others. 

Live music always makes a more enjoyable performance and Christopher Youstra's baton enriches the show with the big band sounds of 14 musicians onstage playing 17 instruments, the largest orchestra in Olney's history. (None of the vocalists are ever drowned out.)

Choreography by Tara Jean Vallee is stunning, and at times I found myself labeling it a "musical ballet," and it was based on Jerome Robbins' ballet,  Fancy Free. 
 
Claire Rathbun's skill as a ballerina (formerly with the Washington Ballet) is apparent in her role as Ivy, "Miss Turnstiles," particularly during the deux pars de deux when she and Gabey dance elegantly back to back, gliding across the floor, hugging stage corners and "ignorant" of the other's presence while the ensemble enters the stage from right, from left, to mingle and spin a partner, logistics which prevent "the" couple from ever laying eyes on each another.
      
From stem to stern, this is another shipshape production for the regional celebration of Leonard Bernstein's 100th birthday in Olney's 80th season (and Director Loewith's 50th) which continues to strengthen the theatre's reputation as a delightful locale for live entertainment. 

It's just another 24-hour day.  Whatcha gonna do with yours?  Tempus fugit.

Rounding out the cast are Ian Anthony Coleman, Ashleigh King, Amanda Kaplan, Claire Rathbun, Alan Naylor, Connor James Reilly, Shawna Walker, Jennifer Flohr, Lance E. Hayes, Robert Mintz (also, dance captain), Ron Tal, Taylor J. Washington, Ronald Bruce, and Emily Madden.

Other members of the creative team are Colin K. Bills, lighting; Alexandra Pohanka, wigs and hair; Zach Campion, dialects; John Keith Hall, production stage manager; Dennis A. Blackledge, production; and Debbie Ellinghaus, managing director. 

What: On the Town with music by Leonard Bernstein and book and lyrics, Betty Comden and Adolph Green
 
Where: Olney Theatre Center, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, MD 20832.
 
When: Extended! Now through July 29, 2018, Wednesday through Saturdays at 8 p.m., Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m., Wednesday matinees July 11 and July 18 at 2 p.m., a sign-interpreted performance Thursday, July 12 at 8 p.m., and an audio-described performance, Thursday, July 19 at 8 p.m. There is no performance Saturday night, July 28.

.

Talkbacks:  After matinees, July 7, July 14, July 21 

Tickets: Begin at $42 with discounts for groups, seniors, military, and students.

Ages: Recommended for ages 11+ due to mild sexuality. The Olney rates it "PG."

Duration: Two hours and one 15 minute intermission

Refreshments: Available and may be taken to seats

Parking: Free and plentiful on-site

For more information: 301-924-3400 for the box office or 301-924-4485

patricialesli@gmail.com