The Greene Art Gallery
** Let me start out by
saying I am aware that the Greene
Art Gallery is not a museum—or a gallery (at least like the Yale Art Gallery), but I did
very much enjoy it, and I do consider it a museum
experience! Hopefully you (Professor Nevins) will allow it! Especially
since I love the more recent art—you cannot get any more recent than artists
who are still alive! **
The
Greene Art Gallery is located just off the Guilford Green. This was an
advantage for me because it was only about twenty minutes from my house. When
we first arrived I became confused. There was a building on the side of the road
that said “Greene Art Gallery,” but it was not the gallery, it was a realtor’s
office. Not only did it say it was the Gallery, but it was painted the exact
same color as the real gallery. I usually
make sure to look at museum/gallery’s website before my visit. I knew what the
gallery was supposed to look like, and even though the realtors’ office said “Greene
Art Gallery,” I knew that the real gallery was nearby.
My
father led me to the back where we found the real Gallery. The Greene Art Gallery was founded in 1977 by Richard
B. Greene. The gallery originally closed in 2005 and was reopened in October of
2007 by Richard Greene’s widow, Kathryn Halloran Green. Fortunately, I had the privilege
of meeting Kathryn on my visit to the Greene Art Gallery. This gallery has held
over two hundred openings for artists’ work and hosts the work of regional
artists. When my father and I entered the Gallery, we were approached by
Kathryn. She gave us a little directory of all the paintings and sculptures, the
artists, and how much it would cost if we wanted to buy it. Also what I noticed
upon entering this gallery was the prices of the artworks. My father told me
one of the paintings (he wasn’t sure if it was the most expensive) cost $8,500
and the least expensive cost around $100. (The beginning of this paragraph was
paraphrased from The Greene Art Gallery
Website)
As
we walked in, there was a man painting on a canvas, hanging up on the wall. He
was complaining about how it wasn’t finished and that he was up all night doing
it. I have never seen someone sit in a gallery and paint their very own
picture, especially while the canvas hangs on the gallery’s wall. The realism
in some of the paintings were extraordinary. The two paintings of the boats
caught my eye as we walked in the first room. They were named “Foggy Morning
Camden” and “Catboat Mystic Afternoon.” These two pictures were painted by Brec
Morgan in acrylic paint.
Jody
Bishel’s, “Tools of The Trade,” was another one of my favorite paintings.
Bishel was able to capture the lighting and every little detail shown on an old
fashioned crayon box. When I go to galleries and museums I remember what my
previous art teachers have told me: the background should not be plain white,
you need shadows when light is present, and of course—proportion. When I was
looking at the “Tools of The Trade,” I noticed most of those points. As I
looked at the background of the tin casing, I saw that at the top left hand
corner it started white and it fell to the bottom right, it turned into more of
a grey color. Bishel made sure to include all the little shadows and little
shines casted on the casing. And even though the crayons seemed larger than
life, the tin case was equally larger than life. (541).
One
of the rooms in the Green Art Gallery had red walls. It reminded me of the
walls in one of the rooms at the Wadsworth Atheneum. It also made me wonder if
the reddish color helps for the paintings to stand out more with the lighting.
In this room one of the paintings was John Falato’s “West River by Yale Bowl.”
This painting looked like an actual photograph—it looked so real. In the beginning
of my visit, you could notice that Brec Morgan’s boats were paint, but Falato’s
painting looked even more real. The painting strokes were thinner from the
ripples in the water, the little ducks, all the way to the branches and the
brush. I could only imagine how long the painting had taken him.
This
gallery definitely put less stress on me. With the soothing music overhead, it
gave me a chance to relax and experience every single painting and sculpture. Although
this gallery was not crowded, it still put off a successful vibe to all
visitors. I would also like to point out the frames on the paintings in this
gallery. They looked exactly like the frames in the other museums I have
visited. If anyone off the street came into this gallery and was not greeted, I
believe they would for sure think that it was a mini-museum. I also noticed
that more artists used watercolor along with the other mediums of oil, acrylic,
mixed media, and pastel.
Since
the gallery was fairly small, the doors were left open which made it seem that
much more hospitable. The outdoor sculpture garden was also an amazing idea. It
almost seemed like a welcoming introduction to all the paintings inside. Even
though I thought it was a great idea, I could not help but wonder why people
would want to showcase their sculptures outdoors. One of the sculptures was all
rusty which led to me questioning the display. I wondered why people would want
to put their time and effort into something that was just going to get
destroyed anyway.
After
Kathryn’s husband died, she closed the museum for a few years only to have it
reopened later on. Once she reopened, she was surprised with how many people
came to show their support and love for art. After to my journey to the gallery
and realizing the Greene Art Gallery actually sold their art (as opposed to the
Yale Art Gallery), I thought it was going to be harder for me to write my paper.
In reality, I left the Greene Art Gallery with a positive mood and may actually
go back one day to see all the new art posted. (813). I think it is wonderful
that Kathryn Halloran Green gives artists the chance to display their works—especially
because there doesn’t seem to be that many galleries in Connecticut. I would
undoubtedly recommend this gallery to everyone willing to go see.
Please go view my pictures, this gallery one of my favorites.. here
