Artist To Watch: Agnes Cecile (Silvia Pelissero)

It is a tough world out there for contemporary artists. One to be on the look out for is the Italian Silvia Pelissero who works under the name agnes-cecile. I came across her work in the Deviant Art network for artists looking for an outlet to share their work. What really caught my eye with Pelissero's work is her contemporary approach to traditional art techniques. In a less morphic way, she captures emotion with manic brush strokes with bold colors against a monochrome backdrop. In each of her pieces there is a single aspect that stands out.

"Another one (inside the shell)"

Agnes Cecile

Image: Courtesy of Art Deviant

This image captures her style perfectly. There is a bold emotion or desire she is trying to get the viewer to see. In this instance it is the underlying morality of "looking on the inside." There is so much vibrancy hidden away that cannot be seen on our skin, and the only way to truly understand others is to look not only within each other, but really see our own beauty on the inside.

This time last year she had a solo exhibition in Rome. What I find interesting about her is that she openly asks for critique from just about anyone. She's not concerned as much about formal appraisal as she is about people engaging with her work on an emotional level. She as an artist is looking to enter into a visual dialogue with viewers.

"Spero tanto tu sia sincera"

Agnes Cecile

Image: Courtesy of Deviant Art

This image is one of my favorite. I think her best conveyance lies in facial expressions. Here she doesn't use color to highlight emotion, but rather she uses line weight in watercolor to define the delicacy within the eyes and cloudiness of the exterior. In this work, the viewer is drawn to the eye and shown sincera or which has come to mean "earnest" from it's old latin root sin cera literally meaning "without wax", meaning no cracks. It denotes authenticity and wholeness in likeness.With all the confusion around the face and hair, the clarity of the eyes illustrate the purity of clarity in what the portrait is seeing, meaning the painting (the real viewer) sees you the viewer with honest eyes.

Although not all of her subject as women, the majority of her work is, and within that it is predominantly portraiture. Although she does use specific models on occasion, there is a certain "everyman" quality to her work. Although she tends to experiment in mixed media, I'd like to see her take a more adventurous approach and work more outside her comfort-zone and do a bit more with dreamscapes, which she has dabbled in. For the moment, I'm quite impressed with her movement and mixed media work.

"Lines hold the memories"

Agnes Cecile

Image: Courtesy of Deviant Art

This final piece "Lines hold the memories" captures what my current research is on: collective memory. She really brings out the notion that memory makes identity. We are who we are by what we've created our image to be. After seeing patients with cognitive degeneration and memory loss, there is a clear vacancy and loss of identity when people forget. So much of who we are is in how we see the past. I leave this piece to be for me a work that signifies the weight of memory on an individual is visible, but the weight of memory on a people is incomprehensible.

Ink and Gold: Art of the Kano at the Philadelphia Museum of Art

The Kano have left an indelible mark on the art legacy of Japan. As court painters their work embodied the power of the Japanese shoguns through an impressive repertoire of magnificent imagery. The exhibition now on display at the Philadelphia Museum of Art includes a number of works that span the centuries-long legacy of the Kano, including sliding doors and folding screens and fans dating as far back as the Fifteenth century.

This exhibition offers visitors a chance to delve into Japanese art and culture as many of the works focus on not only court life, but daily agrarian life throughout Japan's long history. They provide a narrative that is rarely seen due to the sensitive nature of the pieces. Kano art is notorious for its delicacy. Many of the works are extremely sensitive to light, which make it incredible that they have survived in such a condition for so long. Naturally, photography is strictly forbidden and the pieces themselves are displayed on a three-week rotational basis. This is the first time many of the pieces have left Japan making this one of the must see exhibits of the season.

The exhibit loosely followed the narrative of the Kano lineage, but went thematically rather than chronologically, beginning with some of the most delicate and earlier works and ending with examples of the family's enduring legacy. What made these masters so powerful in my opinion was rather than maintain the lineage on a "pure-blood" basis, they would adopt the most promising pupil rather than appoint their own, when a sufficiently skilled heir should not appear.

Tigers in a Bamboo Grove, mid 1630s

Kano Tan'yu

Ink, color, and gold leaf on paper, detail of set of four-panel sliding doors;

each door 72 13/16 x 55 1/2 inches

Nanzen-ji, Kyoto. Important Cultural Property

Image: Courtesy of the Philadelphia Museum of Art

These painters reveal the underlying nature of these works. They are symbols of power. Yes, they are beautiful, but they are also meant to overwhelm the visitor in the same manor the statues of Lamassu were meant to awe a visitor to a Sumerian palace. The representation of fierce animals such as tigers and leopards as shown above in this piece by arguably the greatest Kano painter of all, Kano Tan'yu. This tiger is not present for the majesty of the animal, but rather authority and power. In the full panel set the tiger is attacking a leopard. A formidable prey, but the overwhelming certainty of the image is in the eyes of the tiger as it is abundantly clear to the viewer that the tiger, catching the leopard unawares will succeed in its attack, such perhaps was the intention of not only the Kano Tan'yu, but the shogun for whom he was painting for.

Bishamonten Pursuing an Oni (detail), 1885

Hashimoto Gahõ

Ink and color on paper, hanging scroll, 49 1/2 x 24 3/4 inches

Philadelphia Museum of Art

Image: Courtesy of Philadelphia Museum of Art

However, the most remarkable fact comes from how deep the legacy runs of the Kano's work. Long after the shoguns lost imperial power, and the Kano ceased to have official court patronage, artists continued to study their work. The Kano produced massive books to log their work for future study, and a few of which are on display. Reproductions have been made so that visitors can view what sort of recurring themes came up in Kano art and design detail.

In the Twentieth century when Japan opened up to trading and foreigners a revival of the old school took place and its influence is still evident. Although the pieces aren't dripping in gold, the brush stroke and detail of the ink are similar. With influences of course from Western Art, this new school kept the same themes of power and ancient mythology to create vibrant works in their own right. What I find most enthralling in the piece above by Hashimoto Gahõ (1885). Bishamon is a Japanese Buddhist deity known as the chief of the four heavenly kings. This picture represents an earnest blend of Japanese traditions and myth with Western flair and style.

The exhibit certainly fits the once in a blue moon experience, and for me it was one of the most impressive exhibitions for its scale and due diligence to the material on display. The exhibtion is running until May 10th. If you can make one of the exhibition phases do, as the likelihood of seeing all these pieces in a room together again are next to nil.

For more details: Click Here

Ajiri Foundation: Tea For a Great Cause

Ajiri Tea, 2015

The Talking Teacup

Image: By Amanda Chain

Given the recent events that took place in Kenya, I found this post poignant to talk about a company that is attempting to change the way we think of philanthropy. Yesterday I went for afternoon tea at the lovely Talking Teacup in Chalfont, PA. Apart from a vast selection of teas, the shop held a tea company that caught my eye.

Ajiri Tea is an award winning tea and coffee company that is aimed at sustainable development. "Ajiri" in Kenyan means "employ" in Swahili, and what they aim to do is just that. Their goal is to create employment for women in Kenya and educate orphans in their communities. Everything about the tea is produced by Kenyan women: the design of the box labels, beads, and twines, to the hand picked tea transforms Ajiri into a product that directly helps the communities because 100% of proceeds support the five different women's groups involved in the creation of the Ajiri Tea Company.

For tea enthusiasts, this Black Tea has a copper color that is rich and strong in flavor. My favorite is the Black Tea with Ginger, I find that the ginger adds a complimentary hint of spice. The tea is produced at the Rainforest Alliance Certified Nyansiongo Tea Factory, a cooperative owned by local small-scale farmers. The tea is grown on fertile volcanic soil that adds to the strength of the tea leaves. The company believes that handpicking the tea ensures that it is of the highest quality of tea.

Ajiri Foundation returns 100% of the Ajiri Tea Company's net profits after taxes are returned to the Kisii community through the Ajiri Foundation. This not-for profit was set up with the goal to provide educational assistance to orphans of western Kenya. The driving force has been the devestated left by the communities after HIV/AIDS leaving many homes parentless. Often children are left without a means to attend schooling and this foundation managed to sponsor 26 students in 2013 and the number only continues to grow. This is certainly a company to watch, and a company worth your support as education in Kenya is an issue on the forefront at the moment.

Represent: 200 Yeas of African American Art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art

Represent as an exhibition is a unique attempt to draw in a new audience demographic with an exhibition showcasing pieces already owned by the museum. The exhibit highlights the work of African American artists as well as work depicting prominent and influential African-Americans. The exhibition attempts to express the personal identity of Black Americans by drawing on pieces that mark a national history of racial inequality. The Head Curator is John Vick, who's name you'll have to struggle to find, with consulting curator Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw from the University of Pennsylvania.

I found it very interesting that he chose to highlight the generosity and enthusiasm of the museum to bring these works together at a time when there are clear racial divisions in the country. This exhibit clearly draws on the impact of African-American culture on American history and how the two are so intertwined, it's difficult to use separate terms.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art owes it's draftsmanship to an African-American by the name of Julian Abele, the first Black American to graduate from the architecture program at the University of Pennsylvania. Along the outside wall of the exhibition are three of the original drafts of the museum.

The span of types of works on display are vast: sculptures, abstract art, portraiture, textile, furniture, etc. The exhibition itself represents only a small collection of African-American culture within the museum. To see the full range of objects and art, you'd need to see the official exhibition book.

"The End of the War: Starting Home:" (Detail) (1930-33)

Horace Pippin

Oil on Canvas

Philadelphia Museum of Art

There are a number of pieces that illustrate how intricate the culture of Black Americans and American history are one. Horace Pippin has a number of poignant pieces, but my favorite was the "The End of the War: Starting Home," (1930-33). This piece is a colourful portrayal of the First World War with all the pieces of the war technology and weaponry. The Black soldiers blend into the earth whereas the white soldiers standout as a focal point.

The US Army was at the time still-segregated. Pippin who had served, was profoundly changed by the experience and at the time of producing the work he was still nursing wounds. His work can serve as an excellent primary source of the terror and confusion of trench warfare and his corresponding journal is an excellence source of documentation about the changing landscape of the war.

Some of the most moving works that were on display were the pieces by Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859-1937). The masterpiece that is most often cited is The Annunciation. The painting depicts the Virgin Mary as a young Palestinian teenager. She sits quietly amazed by the apparition. What is illuminated by the light is the spirituality of the message she is receiving and the meekness of her reception.

The Annunciation (Detail), 1898

Oil on canvas, 57x71 1/4 inches

Purchased with the W.P. Wilstach Fund

Philadelphia Museum of Art

This was the first work of a Black artist acquired by the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Strikingly still is the second contemporary piece in the museum. Tanner had studied in Paris, but from the Pennsylvania school with Thomas Eakins, and is very much a part of the American Art Canon. What I found incredible was the use of light, made illuminated by the technical use of brush stroke.

"Smoking My Pipe" 1934

Samuel Joseph Brown, Jr.

Watercolor over graphite on cream wove paper

Public Works of Art Project, 

on long-term loan to the Philadelphia Museum of Art from the Fine Arts Collection

There was a unique aspect that made this exhibition touch home. Samuel Joseph Brown, Jr. was an artist who was a friend of the family. His self portrait on display is a watercolor over graphite on cream wove paper. He became a director of the museum, and produced work in the 1930s that was overtly social commentary. What drove me to see this piece in a sea of others stems from the detail in the eyes. Brown's eyes are fixed in a deadpan manner that signify he is a man that not only sees the viewer, but sees himself. There is strength in identity, and the smoke of the pipe, the painting in the background, and the vertical wallpaper further serve to illuminate the eyes.

Although a number of pieces were moving, by far the one that seemed to stick with me, was the Joyce J. Scott piece "Rodney King's Head Was Squashed Like a Watermelon" (1991). There are so many social references to the "Black Experience" in the piece. Scott was born in Baltimore and of mixed Native, Scottish, and African American.

"Rodney King's Head Was Squashed Like a Watermelon" 1991

Joyce J. Scott

Beads and Thread

Philadelphia Museum of Art

The use of beads is an extension of material that expresses her ancestral heritage and the integral nature and racial and gender stereotypes. This piece is intriguing as she rarely creates works that are based on historical events. This piece focuses on the brutality against race both in the consciousness of America as well as the standing issues that existed and still do in urban America. In this work Scott underlines the damaging and sometimes violent consequences of racial and ethnic stereotypes.

The exhibit ends tomorrow, which makes me incredibly lucky to have come home this week. I hope the success of the exhibit, I hope demonstrates the interest in African-American culture as having an integral in American history. The two are really the same. What is most remarkable is that all of these pieces were already a part of the Philadelphia Museum of Art collection. All they needed was a curatorial team and funding support to bring them all together.