Looking things over!

What a busy day!  Lots to see and do.  Surprise; the art gallery allowed photos, no flash, but with cell phones and ipads.  :O   I just had my small digital.  :(  But I can maybe show what I learned with cut and paste from online sources.

The WAG, Winnipeg Art Gallery is right downtown.  It sits on a triangle shaped lot and the building reflects that.  The exhibit is called, Only in Canada, which is a nod to the old but popular Red Rose tea commercial.
 

Our heads were definitely on swivels!  The exhibit is popular and there were lots of people.  There were eight galleries starting with the old masters, 1500 -1700.  That included the guy with his finger in the skull's nose.  Symbolism, apparently!  And no, not that old biddy who is sticking her own nose out for a look.  lol  It finished up in 2010.  We had audio devices to listen to as we looked.   I wished they had talked more about technique instead of whose relative was used and what the current mistress was.  lol   There were also sculptures, mobiles, metal work, pottery  and 'floor' art for lack of a better name.

We also should have read the pamphlet as we got off the beaten path so didn't follow the time line and found the last gallery after lunch when we were poking around in the permanent gallery. ;)

Gallery 1
This is 16th and 17th century old masters with portraits and landscapes being the emphasis. I learned that I am not drawn to portraits, bucolic landscapes, religious interpretations nor mythical musings. ;)

Gallery 2
This was an era of grand tours to copy masters and architecture figured more. I learned that oil is not just dark, thick and shiny but can be light, thin and matte. 

Gallery 3
This is the era of formal art education.  You could go to school.  I learned I like things stylized/representational rather than 'snapshots'. This kinda reminds me of yearly school pictures.  lol

Gallery 4
The Impressionists. I do like a soft palette as opposed to bold but this is almost too soft.  Makes me feel like I have a mouthful of warm milk and soggy bread.  :O  I think I like art with an edge to it.  I also learned that the pointillist technique takes a long time to produce as it is pretty much dab by dab.

Gallery 5
The Group of Seven.  I spent some time on the Canadians before I went.  They really focused on the Canadian landscape and I do like this style, especially with the lighter and smoother brush stroke.  I also noticed that I like some sense of mankind represented as opposed to 'only' nature.

Gallery 6
This is kinda my era as it goes from 1950 - 1980.  It focuses on abstraction and on up to pop art.  I'm not really into pop art but maybe some abstraction.    I like things a bit modern but not just big canvases with 'in your face'  focal points or worse yet, hard to find focal points.

Gallery 7
Same time frame but called realism and narrative.  This is called Mums but it was huge, almost-life size and the dresser was what stuck out to me.  It reminded me of a large photo except the rug was very painterly. I learned when I want real, I'll use my camera. But big does have its own appeal.

Gallery 8
Pathways and Politics!  This was mixed media, huge and I totally got it!  There was a lot more interactive art in this gallery.  I like mixed media, whether it be mixing mediums like acrylic and ink, or whether it be paint,  paper, and seedpods on a wood substrate.  I wonder when canvas first became popular?  This gallery also had a piece of felted fibre art.  :)  I liked!

 

The penthouse houses the restaurant and the rooftop gallery.  The children's art school had just left and all was quiet.  Time for me to pause and reflect on what I will share tomorrow about 'my style' and all I learned!