{"id":5381,"date":"2013-03-22T17:19:55","date_gmt":"2013-03-23T00:19:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forallevents.com\/reviews\/?p=5381"},"modified":"2013-03-22T17:20:46","modified_gmt":"2013-03-23T00:20:46","slug":"flowers-despite-short-shelf-life-complement-museum-art","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forallevents.com\/reviews\/flowers-despite-short-shelf-life-complement-museum-art\/","title":{"rendered":"Flowers, despite short shelf life, complement museum art"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Floral materials (forefront) burlesque American Art piece in \u201cBouquets to Art.” exhibit. Photo: Woody Weingarten.<\/p>\n

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Simple, elegant floral construct by Friends of Filoli (Valerie Meechi, Elsa Wyant and Jeanne Maniscalco) pays homage to \u201cOranges in Tissue Paper\u201d by William Joseph McCloskey. Photo: Woody Weingarten.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n

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Floral art sits in front of Whistler\u2019s \u201cThe Gold Scab\u201d in de Young\u2019s \u201cBouquets to Art.\u201d Photo: Woody Weingarten<\/p>\n

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Colorful creation by Waterlily Pond Floral Design Studio (Natasha Lisistsa and Carla Parkinson) mirrors the tree of Richard Mayhew\u2019s \u201cRhapsody.\u201d Photo: Woody Weingarten.<\/p><\/div>\n

Risking being taunted as a wretched pun-tificaotr, I hereby affirm that the de Young’s floral-art exhibit \u00a0unearths how great it is when artisans put their mettle to the petal.<\/p>\n

Truly.<\/p>\n

\u201cBouquets to Art,\u201d a vital though short-lived array at that San Francisco museum, colorfully blossoms each year like a perennial.<\/p>\n

The gestalt of this year\u2019s parade of flora is much more vibrant than any of its component blooms \u2014 and the work of more than 125 exhibitors as a whole is as compelling as any of its 28 annual predecessors.<\/p>\n

Skeptics beware: Floral art can<\/em> dynamically complement oils and sculptures.<\/p>\n

The two-floored 2013 display, where each artist (or group of floral designers) is inspired by an individual piece of the permanent collection to create a tribute to that art, can comfortably be covered in a few hours. But expect your ears to be filled during that brief visit with glowing, gushing commentaries from other guests \u00ad\u2014 art lovers, floral lovers, \u201cBouquets to Art\u201d lovers.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s exhibit provides sharper contrasts than usual.<\/p>\n

Why?<\/p>\n

Ultra-simple arrangements vie for attention with complicated constructions.<\/p>\n

Monochromatic wonders compete with glitzy, sparkly thingies (yes, art snobs may quake in their finery at my use of such a slangy term \u2014 and my tinge of derision).<\/p>\n

And fancy draped fabric, string and high-wire acts steal the floodlights of more modest interpretations \u2014 impressionistic or realistic \u2014 of fine art.<\/p>\n

My favorite is by Half Moon Flowers (Leila Simms), a homage to James McNeill Whistler\u2019s 1879 \u201cThe Gold Scab: Eruption in Filthy Lucre (The Creditor),\u201d an unusual dark painting that caricatures Whistler\u2019s benefactor.<\/p>\n

The floral display ideally mimics the artwork in both tone and color.<\/p>\n

Since whimsy was under-represented this year, I was particularly happy to find an American Art burlesque by violetta (arlene boyle) of a head with horns.<\/p>\n

\u201cBouquets\u201d always acts as a reminder to me of how fleeting life is \u2014 and how lasting art can be.<\/p>\n

Most of the flowers \u2014 like the sand sculptures created on a beach only to have the waves wash them away shortly after they\u2019re built \u2014 survive only a few days (some must be replenished daily), while the paintings and sculptures they represent are, well, a lot more permanent.<\/p>\n

So, if require additional reassurance about longevity when you finish your tour, you might wander downstairs to another exhibit, \u201cGirl with a Pearl Earring,\u201d subtitled \u201cDutch Paintings from the Mauritshuis.\u201d<\/p>\n

That display features the famed 1665 Vermeer oil on canvas. But if that and its companion pieces don\u2019t satisfy your quest for classics, try the tangential exhibit of \u201cRembrandt\u2019s Century,\u201d which features 200 smaller works (including rarely seen Rembrandt depictions of homelessness and poverty).<\/p>\n

Though you must rush to catch \u201cBouquets to Art,\u201d you can be a little more leisurely with \u201cGirl\u201d and \u201cRembrandt\u201d \u2014 those shows will run through June 2.<\/p>\n

\u201cBouquets to Art\u201d runs through March 23 at the de Young, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive at John F. Kennedy Drive, in San Francisco\u2019s Golden Gate Park. Tickets: Free for members and children under 5, $20 adults, $17 seniors (over 65), $16 youths (6-17). Information: (415) 750-3600 or contact@famsf.org.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Floral art sits in front of Whistler\u2019s \u201cThe Gold Scab\u201d in de Young\u2019s \u201cBouquets to Art.\u201d Photo: Woody Weingarten   Risking being taunted as a wretched pun-tificaotr, I hereby affirm…<\/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-5381","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":"