{"id":17755,"date":"2015-04-24T17:48:02","date_gmt":"2015-04-25T00:48:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forallevents.com\/reviews\/?p=17755"},"modified":"2015-04-24T18:27:04","modified_gmt":"2015-04-25T01:27:04","slug":"floral-exhibit-enriches-paintings-sculpture-at-de-young","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forallevents.com\/reviews\/floral-exhibit-enriches-paintings-sculpture-at-de-young\/","title":{"rendered":"Floral exhibit enriches paintings, sculpture at de Young"},"content":{"rendered":"

[Woody’s [rating: 4.5]<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Picasso\u2019s \u201cStill Life with Skull, Leeks and Pitcher\u201d hangs on de Young Museum wall. In foreground is \u201cBouquets to Art\u201d impression of it by Hunter-Lee Flowers. Photo: Woody Weingarten<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/a><\/dt>\n
Life imitating art? \u201cLady in Black with Spanish Scarf,\u201d by Robert Henri, is simulated by a Plumweed Floral and Event Design construction. Photo: Woody Weingarten.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n

I was afraid I wouldn\u2019t like it.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been going to the de Young Museum\u2019s \u201cBouquets to Art\u201d for so many years I thought I might be too jaded.<\/p>\n

I wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

What I\u2019d forgotten was that not only is each year\u2019s floral art exhibit different by its very nature, trends spawn even greater changes.<\/p>\n

The first time \u2014 when my wife had to drag skeptical me there because I was pre-positive it would be neither art nor good \u2014 I was totally blown away by how outstanding, how unique, the floral arrangements were.<\/p>\n

Oh, how those designs enhanced and enriched the museum\u2019s permanent collection.<\/p>\n

That year, as the several before when my wife had gone alone, displays consisted basically of flowers, flowers and more flowers.<\/p>\n

And green leaves.<\/p>\n

A gadzillion varieties of flora to simulate the paintings and sculptures in front of which they rested.<\/p>\n

Not many non-living materials.<\/p>\n

Not many foundations.<\/p>\n

Not many structures.<\/p>\n

But inch by inch, year by year, like osmosis, those elements slipped in.<\/p>\n

So it shouldn\u2019t have surprised me that his year\u2019s four-day displays were more structural than ever.<\/p>\n

It turns out that that wasn\u2019t a bad thing at all. It just meant more elaborate designs.<\/p>\n

More \u2014 and more elaborate \u2014 eye candy.<\/p>\n

And visceral joy.<\/p>\n

Such as the Hunter-Lee Flowers\u2019 impression of Picasso\u2019s \u201cStill Life with Skull, Leeks and Pitcher.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Floral artist Valerie Lee Ow, marking her 16th year as a participant in \u201cBouquets to Art,\u201d refreshes some flowers in her design (which sits in front of \u201cRhapsody\u201d by Richard Mayhew). Photo: Woody Weingarten.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/a><\/dt>\n
Floral peacock created by Natasha\u2019s Designs stands in front of \u201cThe Flora and Fauna of the Pacific\u201d by Miguel Covarrubias. Photo: Woody Weingarten<\/p><\/div>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n

Or life imitating art as a Plumweed Floral and Event Design construction simulated \u201cLady in Black with Spanish Scarf\u201d by Robert Henri.<\/p>\n

The bigger and better designs weren\u2019t limited to displays favoring intricacy or heavy foundations, though.<\/p>\n

Consider, for instance, the enormous, chock-full-o\u2019-color bouquet by floral artist Valerie Lee Ow, who was celebrating her 16th year as a participant in \u201cBouquets to Art.\u201d<\/p>\n

It sat in front of \u201cRhapsody\u201d by Richard Mayhew and, in fact, seemed to overpower it.<\/p>\n

Want something a bit whimsical yet still colorful? The answer could be found in a floral peacock created by Natasha\u2019s Designs in front of \u201cThe Flora and Fauna of the Pacific\u201d by Miguel Covarrubias.<\/p>\n

All in all, the evolved, more complex displays somehow helped my wife and me enjoy the show more than ever.<\/p>\n

We can\u2019t wait for next year.<\/p>\n

Top billing at the de Young, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive at John F. Kennedy Drive, in San Francisco\u2019s Golden Gate Park, now goes to the \u201cBotticelli to Braque\u201d exhibit, which displays masterpieces from the national galleries of Scotland through May 31, and \u201cRichard Diebenkorn Prints,\u201d which will run through Oct. 4. Information: 1-415-750-3504 or contact@famsf.org<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Contact Woody Weingarten at voodee@sbcglobal.net<\/a> or check out his blog at www.vitalitypress.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[Woody’s [rating: 4.5] I was afraid I wouldn\u2019t like it. I\u2019ve been going to the de Young Museum\u2019s \u201cBouquets to Art\u201d for so many years I thought I might be…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"yasr_overall_rating":0,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-17755","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-woody-weingarten"},"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":true,"span_bottom":"