This quarter, I wandered around the VMFA and looked at the pieces that they had on permanent display - not the main attractions that I paid more attention to. I really enjoyed looking at some of the pieces that James & Frances McGlothin had donated to the museum. One of my favorites was "Tennis at Newport" from 1920. The main color was green, which gave it an odd look at first but the perspective that the artist painted with was insane. The figures to the far left, especially a man standing with his can and a woman sitting in a wooden chair, were very pronounced and realistic while the others were blurred. The painting was of a tennis match and crowds of people surrounding the game as it was being played. However, the focus of the entire piece was that couple - and they were made the focus solely due to the artist's use of depth and reality. I would really like to bring this technique into the abstract art that I do!
Tennis at Newport
George Wesley Bellows (1882-1925)
1920, oil on canvas
George Wesley Bellows (1882-1925)
1920, oil on canvas