Detroit: Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera Exhibit at Detroit Institute of Arts

A few years ago, my friends and I read Barbara Kingsolver's, The Lacuna, a book in which the main character becomes an apprentice to Diego Rivera and ends up living and working alongside the artist and his wife, Frieda Kahlo. We found the book to be fascinating, so when the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) announced this exciting joint exhibition between Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, we vowed to see it together.

We found our chance on Saturday, April 18 and spent a wonderful afternoon perusing the exhibit. I had seen Diego Rivera's famous Detroit Industry murals many times, but I hadn't realized until I saw the preparatory drawings and read more about it, that the murals chronicled the entire process of building a car. Here are just two of the images I took in the giant, sunlight space.

You can see the car chassis moving down the production line as the steering wheel is installed (above).

This image (above) shows what I think is the engine block getting screws tightened before it is loaded onto a cart to go on to the next phase. The murals were commissioned by Edsel Ford. The narrative in the exhibit remind us of the complexity of auto production and states that Edsel Ford was impressed that Diego Rivera was able to comprehend and translate the entire process so seamlessly.

Photography is not permitted in the exhibition itself, but this link to the Frida Kahlo website features many of the Frida Kahlo images that I saw in person at this exhibit. In all, Frida Kahlo's style has more biological references and violent interpretations than I am comfortable with. Let's just say that I didn't buy any magnets of her work to hang on my fridge. 

What I was most interested in was the idea of two artists living a life together. The image that left the biggest impression on me was a photograph of Frida painting on an easel inside the Detroit Institute of Arts. The audience knows that since this was painted inside the DIA, her husband must have been up on a scaffolding working on his mural nearby. The piece she was painting was titled Self Portrait on the Borderline between Mexico and the United States and it hangs in this limited engagement exhibit. There are 38 works by Diego Rivera and 26 works by Frida Kahlo.

Another photograph that caught my attention and in fact may be the one "take away" that most museum visitors will remember after seeing this exhibit, is of the pair kissing. Someone captured a kiss between Diego Rivera and his wife, artist Frida Kahlo up on the scaffolding, adjacent to his Detroit Industry mural. In this moment, they are husband and wife, who just happen to be making art history in Detroit.

You can find local events and programs about Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera in Detroit here. The exhibit at the Detroit Institute of Arts will be on display until July 12, 2015.

Arches at the Detroit Institute of Arts

I was charmed by the arches at the Detroit Institute of Arts. This first archway is in the hall leading to the Detroit Industry murals by Diego Rivera. I was convinced that you would be able to see and identify snippets of the famous mural through the intricate scroll work and that you would love it. 

In truth, the scroll work dominates, but the image is still beautiful. And now that you know the murals are there, it is more meaningful, yes? I wrote about my visit to see the Diego Rivera/Frida Kahlo exhibit here.

This second photo is for the romantics. A bride and groom on their wedding day, stop at the Detroit Institute of Arts for some formal photographs. And a few informal too, every patron at the museum had their cameras out.

Art of Dining at the Detroit Institute of Arts

I love to bring the world a "Moment of Delight."  You never quite know what topic I will blog about - food, art, travel, crafts.  Hopefully by now you can count on me to show you something that is beautiful and interesting.

Today I am putting the spotlight on an interactive exhibit at the Detroit Institute of Arts called "The Art of Dining."  It has been over a year since I visited, but I am sure that it is a permanent part of the collection and I look forward to seeing it again when I visit the museum this Winter.

In the gallery of eighteenth-century decorative arts, there is a table and four chairs.  Museum visitors are encourage to take a seat and "participate" in a formal dinner that is projected on the table (that serves as a video projection screen).  Some of the French porcelain serving pieces and silver on display in the cases in the galley, were used to make this formal dinner footage.  Isn't that neat? 

The video is on a loop and begins with empty plates and clean silverware.  As the meal progresses, you see the "arm" of the dinner guest (dressed in period costume) reaching for food and interacting with the table. 

Words appear on the screen periodically to define the type of food served at this formal dinner - you can see (above) "Steamed Stuffed Artichokes in Red Pepper Sauce."  All the while, observers at the table hear the clinking of silver on dishes and the light banter of dinner conversation in French.  I absolutely loved it.

Can you see that now the stuffed artichoke is on the plate?  He was reaching for it in the photo above.

At the end, I slid over to another chair.  I wanted you to see what it looked like to be a woman with a puffy sleeve reaching for miniature cakes.  So pretty!

I found this article online from when "The Art of Dining" interactive installation opened and amazingly, you can click a short video on the link and see this table in action.  I do encourage you to see it.  What you can see clearly in the video is that the silver showpiece in the center, is on display behind glass right next to the table.

French Porcelain is art indeed.

Channeling France in Detroit via La Danse

A few friends and I were channeling France last weekend. We had heard that the Detroit Film Theater would be showing a matinee of La Danse, a 3-hour documentary on the legendary Paris Opera Ballet.

We started the afternoon across from the Detroit Institute of Arts at Good Girls Go To Paris creperie. We each enjoyed our own "savory" crepe for lunch and then split this masterpiece named "Fay" for dessert. It is a warm swirl of bananas, pecans, caramel, salted butter and brown sugar. (Sigh)

It was a clear, bright and cold day as we walked next door to watch our film. The documentary was more than I had hoped for. Yes, 3 hours is a long time, but I fell right into each scene. The gorgeous crunchy white skirts. The "hard-to-believe-they-are-real" ballerinas practicing in classic leotards and toe shoes. The luxurious auditorium being cleaned and prepped for a performance. The attention to detail in this film was intoxicating.  The sweep of the broom.  The lacing of the ribbons.  I loved it all.

My ballet experience is really limited to this Ballerina Barbie I had growing up. She was lovely, regal and everything I knew a ballerina to be. I named her Barbara and found that she was never silly or ridiculous like the other girls (ha!). Seeing this magnificent dance company was relaxing, informative and it brought back some childhood memories to boot! What a delight.

And we had a surprise, too. Remember when I told you about the honey that is collected on the roof of the Opera National de Paris and how I bought some when I was there? They showed the roof and the honey in the movie!

If you get the chance, I recommend that you channel France.