Our World Tuesday: Toulouse Lautrec and Friends in New Britain, Connecticut

We made our way to the New Britain Museum of American Art on Saturday to take in an exhibit of Toulouse Lautrec's art--primarily his commercial work.  (How Lautrec wound up in a museum of American art, I do not  know.)  There was Don Quixote at the end of the driveway to say hello.  He's a little on the gaynt side these days, and he seems to have lost his pants, but he's still charming in his way.  (What for pants when you have all that personality?)

The museum used to be housed in the big ol' house in the background of this image.  Since our last visit, the place sure grew, and it's beautiful.

The museum offers free admission between 10 and 12 on Saturdays, so we were off to a good start.  We had no problem getting past this security guard, either.  At first we thought he was friendly, but it turns out he was a stuffed shirt.

Before we got to the Lautrec exhibit, we encountered this one, which was just plain stunning.  It's made from 20,000 paper and plastic cups.

Artist Lisa Hoke created "The Gravity of Color" in 2008.  The name is perfect because the work attracted every single person who climbed the stairs.  Everybody seemed to enjoy the color and the fluid form.  (How not to love so much pure color?)  Hoke's story appealed to me.  She graduated UNC Greensboro with a degree in English and then woke up one day and realized she wanted to be an artist.  That's after next to no art experience as a kid.  So she got herself a BFA in 1978, and away she went.

We weren't allowed to take photos of the main attraction.  The works that were there brought the Belle Epoque to life.  The immediacy, the energy, the awe, and the pleasure Lautrec felt for his subjects as they performed on stage were palpable.  He could capture a lot of energy and emotion with a few strokes of the pencil.  He could also make a person's career by drawing him or her--and then creating a demand for his work while controlling how many prints were made.  He knew how to market himself as well as others, that's for sure.

Back at the ladies room, there was this guy:

"Only the shadow knows."  This display had me thinking of my parents, who always light up when they talk about the radio shows they used to listen to.

Outside, we came across a lady I'm calling The Queen of Chill because I didn't read her little sign.

After that, we went to Little Poland for lunch.  I had borscht and thought it was pretty darn good.

Our World Tuesday