Guest Writer: Michelle Portesi
We often forget, living in such an outdoor recreation intensive environment, that there are ‘Cultural’ events in the area, we just have to dig a little to find them.
Despite being a relatively small museum, in a city that is less than a mega metropolis like L.A., The Nevada Museum of Art in Reno still is host to some very impressive exhibits.
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Maxfield Parrish ‘Daybreak’
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Some years ago I had the pleasure of seeing the works of Maxfield Parrish on display there. (See photo above.) Now I have to admit, the print posters were very popular when I was growing up, and they were all over creation. So needless to say, I was familiar with his work, I just wasn’t ‘wowed’ by it…that is, until I saw them up close and personal. What a difference! It quickly became apparent, standing in front of an original work, that the print versions did not come anywhere near close enough to doing them justice. The colors were so vivid, the scale, massive. What I had originally seen in print form on a greyed out 24 x 36 inch poster was in reality, often painted on an 8 x 12 foot wall or canvas – sometimes larger, sometimes smaller. I stood mesmerized at the sheer beauty of his work, and I’ve been a fan ever since. A large exhibit, we were treated to dozens of exquisite paintings done by the artist I had never seen before. The man was definitely prolific!
So needless to say, when I saw the advertisement for the museums new exhibit, I was very exited. I’ve always loved Toulouse Lautrec, Steinlen, and all the poster artists from that era, so this should prove to be a most memorable exhibit.
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Tournée du Chat Noir, c.1896 – Théophile Alexandre Steinlen
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If you have never stood before the original famous artworks that have seeped into the collective conscience from their constant use in books, posters, magazines and advertisements, now is the time.
The exhibit runs from Nov. 2, 2013 through January 19, 2014.
For more information on the exhibit, venue, restaurant and hours for the Nevada Museum of Art, click on the link below:
http://www.nevadaart.org/exhibitions/detail?eid=250
YOUR FRIEND IN HIGH PLACES 
If you love Steinlen and cats. Please enjoy this full page 24 X 15 centerfold of Steinlen and his cat. This is from a rare journal – 1884 La Vie Moderne. Please note the cat.. note the cats smile and posture as it smiles dreams of mices in the attic while the actual mice plays around the sleeping cat. Note the circle of dream.. to differentiate dream state from actual reality.
I can just imagine what caused Steinlen to draw this picture – imagine Steinlen in his house working along as he watches his cat take a nap and a rodent scurries by the sleeping cat…
So complex …. so interesting…. Please enjoy
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