Degas and Arcimboldo

From: Denver Art Museum
Limited Edition: 13
Exhibition: Denver Art Museum: Come Visit Us
Material: Printed 2-ply vinyl
Dimensions: 30" x 89" (76cm x 226cm)

Hanging Hardware Included

Summary

The beauty of one of Edgar Degas's ballerinas graces the front of 13 banners from the Denver Art Museum. His "The Dance Examination" from 1880 embodies the delicacy of Degas's coloration and the sensitivity with which he viewed dancers and their craft. Flip the banner over to reveal the work of Italian Renaissance painter Giuseppe Arcimboldo. Featuring "Summer" from a 1572 series of the seasons, the work is both a masterpiece of craftsmanship and a playful visual puzzle. Look closely to see how the fruits and vegetables of summer come together to create the portrait!

Description

In the fall of 2006, the Denver Art Museum opened its new Frederic C. Hamilton wing designed by architect Daniel Libeskind. The expansive new building allowed the museum to better display its permanent collection, and banners featuring some of the museum’s holdings were created.

One side of this banner features Edgar Degas’s The Dance Examination from 1880. With the beautifully rendered, graceful ballerinas painted in Degas’s fluid style, the work is trademark Degas. His fascination with the ballet was based not only the beauty of the dancers, but also on the fleeting moments that make up dance. Like Impressionist artists of his day, he sought to capture these brief moments of life on canvas, often leaving the works with an unfinished quality. In his words, he liked "to begin a hundred things and not finish one of them." Below the image are periwinkle blue and black bands with reversed text that reads” Come Visit Us/Denver Art Museum”.

The other side of the banner features Giuseppe Arcimboldo’s Renaissance ode to the season Summer painted in 1572. The work was part of a series of the seasons, each showing a man constructed out of the seasonal attributes. For summer, Arcimboldo has painted in the rich pallete of the season, and has included the season’s bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables. The produce is put together puzzle-like to create the portrait, and is a visual delight for the viewer. Below the image are orange and black bands with reversed text that reads ”Come Visit Us/Denver Art Museum”.

Provenance

These banners were displayed around Denver, Colorado during the summer of 2007 to promote the Denver Art Museum’s Come Visit Us campaign celebrating their permanent collection.

About the Artist

Learn more about Edgar Degas