Rosetti & Hepburn Interned for Collecting Arts in Dublin-

NOTED IN THE NEWS-

- The Creative Art Of Coping In Japanese Internment : " When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941, the U.S. government took action at home. People of Japanese ancestry living on the West Coast were forcibly removed from their homes and taken to desolate inland areas of the U.S. Some 120,000 men, women and children were placed in internment camps for the duration of World War II. In Washington, D.C, the Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery is exhibiting art and other objects created in those camps — a grim yet handsome reminder of a dark chapter of American history..." read the entire story

- Collector Collects Collections in a Year-long Blog : San Francisco artist & collector Lisa Congdon is in the middle of a year-long project to picture her collections, one per day. Take a look at her blog, A Collection a Day-


ARTS ALMANAC-

May 12, 1853 –The Exhibition of Art Industry in Dublin, Ireland opens. A major part of the cost of the exhibition was donated by one man- William Dargan, an Irish businessman known for his tireless efforts on behalf of his country. Mr. Dargan, who also put up the money for Ireland's first railroad, contributed $400,000 to the exhibition, and in return Queen Victoria offered him a baronetcy which Dargan declined, saying he preferred to remain "plain William Dargan."

Great hopes were entertained for this exhibition, the catalog stating that "We consider the Great Exhibition held in Dublin in the year 1853, as even a larger contribution to the wealth of these kingdoms, than the Great Exhibition which took place in London in the year 1851". Ireland was in desperate straits at the time, population emigrating and her manufactures almost nonexistent except in the linen trades. As the catalog puts it- "...with so many natural helps to Manufacture, (Ireland) has hitherto availed herself of few or none of them; with coal and iron and limestone in abundance, her mines have been but very partially worked; with waterpower running from every great lake in sufficiency to turn all the spindles that derive their impulse from steam in Manchester, It runs idly, and to waste, into bays and harbors that are estuaries of the Atlantic; with a surplus in population craving employment, its people have been without occupation; their labor "at home" has barely sufficed to procure the means of a miserable existence. Ireland has been emphatically termed " a land of raw materials," and he who develops its resources, calls it latent energies into actions, and enables man to derive comforts and luxuries from the wealth of nature, may be indeed described not only as a Patriot to his country, but as Benefactor to the World".

All this seems a rather tall order for one man or a single exhibition, but it was nonetheless hoped that this event would start the process. The 1853 Exhibition of Art-Industry opened on May 12th, in a building somewhat resembling London's the Crystal Palace, specially designed by John Benson who was granted a knighthood for the project. There were some Irish manufactures, especially in the textile and linen exhibits, but a majority of the wares came from England and France, with Belgium and Germany also represented. They included textiles, ceramics, jewelry and silver work, furniture, glassware, and all sorts of minor arts. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert visited on the 29th of August, and the exhibition closed on October 31st.

May 12, 1828: Dante Gabriel Rossetti was born. "English poet, illustrator, painter and translator, Rosetti was one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood in 1848 and was later to be the main inspiration for second generation of artists and writers influenced by the movement. He was also a major precursor of the Aesthetic movement. Rossetti's art was characterised by its sensuality and its medieval revivalism. His early poetry was influenced by John Keats. His later poetry was characterised by the complex interlinking of thought and feeling, especially in his sonnet sequence The House of Life. Rossetti's personal life was closely linked to his work, especially his relationships with his models and muses Elizabeth Siddal and Jane Morris."

May 12, 1845: Gabriel Fauré, French composer, organist, pianist, and teacher, was born. He was "the foremost French composer of his generation, and his musical style influenced many 20th century composers. Fauré is regarded as the master of the French art song, or mélodie. His works ranged from an early romantic style, when in his early years he emulated the style of Mendelssohn and others, to late 19th century Romantic, and finally to a 20th century aesthetic. His harmonic and melodic language affected how harmony was later taught."

May 12, 1907: Katharine Houghton Hepburn, American actress of film, television and stage, was born. Goodness gracious, what can I say? "Hepburn holds the record for the most Best Actress Oscar wins with four, from 12 nominations. She won an Emmy Award in 1976 for her lead role in Love Among the Ruins, and was nominated for four other Emmys, two Tony Awards and eight Golden Globes. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked Hepburn as the greatest female star in the history of American cinema." I suppose that begins to cover it...

IN OUR STORE-

The Arts and Crafts Companion"

By Pamela Todd.

Published by the Bulfinch Press in 2004.

“As a revival of traditional craftsmanship in the wake of the sweeping shift of manufacturing toward mass production, the Arts & Crafts Movement evolved on both sides of the Atlantic, embraced by designers and architects like Edwin Lutyens, Frank Lloyd Wright, William Morris, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Louis Tiffany, and Gustave Stickley. This book, illustrated with 250 color and 50 black and white images, is a superb reference, tracing the origins of the movement; the personalities behind it and their distinctive designs; and the many aspects of the Arts & Crafts style in architecture and interiors, pottery, glass, applied arts and decoration, and the garden.”

$35.00

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