CLARK MUSEUM FOR THE THIRD PLAY READING

 We went to the last play reading of this season, Wipeout   and unlike the one we last saw, this was great.  Very funny.  It was set out on surf boards where three older women were taking a lesson in surfing.  It was very funny, but it had some serious themes.  One of the women was approaching Alzheimer's.  In the end she manages to stand up on the surfboard and so symbolically overcome her failing abilities.

Emily Kuroda played one of the other characters.  We remember her at Mrs. Kim, mother of Laurie Gilmore's best friend.  It was grand to see her again and in person.

We had a half hour or so to wander through a new exhibit of Rennaisance Printing.  Normally, I am not much for printing art, but this was really fantastic.

We also toured a room of British art, featuring John Constable.  I like Constable and enjoyed time to see the paintings.

Both these small room galleries were in the basement where the research library exits and the auditorium for the play.   That is why we had time to see them, as the museum closes fairly soon afet the play is over.

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I like Constable's levels of sky, green and yellow wheat as well as the people and the story their images tell.  

Marcantonio Raimondi

Italian, 1480-1534

After Raphael Italian, 1483-1520

Two Women with the Zodiac 1517-20

Engraving on paper

Clark Art Institute

Gift of Renée E. Watkins in memory of her father Dr. Kurt Max Neu

1991.23

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Andrea Mantegna

Italian, c. 1431-1506

Virgin and Child Engraving on paper

1480-85

Andrea Mantegna became one of the first Italian painters to explore the technical potential of the print medium. Although he hired a professional to engrave his drawings, Mantegna learned the very specialized technique of engraving a copperplate, and this small, devotional Virgin and Child is likely one of the few engravings executed by his hand. The intimate composition and the freely moving line reveal the artistic experiments of a seasoned drawing practitioner, who embraced the innovative craft of printmaking.

Clark Art Institute 1955.983