The IMA’s silent film series continues on April 12, with a rare showing of WC Fields’ So’s Your Old Man (1926), followed by its sound remake You’re Telling Me (1934).  Although Fields is well remembered for his talking pictures, his silent work is nearly forgotten today.  Most of the films are tied up in complex rights issues, none of which got more complicated than So’s Your Old Man.

Based on an award-winning story by Julian Street, the film tells the story of eccentric inventor Sam Bisbee (Fields), who has invented a shatterproof glass and wants to sell the patent in the big city.  A series of tragic and comic circumstances keep Bisbee from selling his patent, and, dejected, he boards a train bound for home.  Unable to face the shame of failure, he contemplates suicide.  Fortune belatedly intervenes and a foreign princess, traveling on the same train, comes to his rescue.

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Filed under: Film, Guest Bloggers, Public Programs, The Toby

For the next two weeks, the IMA will be presenting a series of unusual silent films.  Each night a double feature will be presented.  Following a “before and after” theme, the first film will be an original silent, while the second is a related version, altered in some way.

Tonight, April 5, the main feature will be The Matrimaniac (1916) with Douglas Fairbanks Sr., and Constance Talmadge.  IMA regulars will remember Fairbanks from his starring role in last year’s showing of The Mark of Zorro (1920), accompanied by the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra.  Zorro was the first of Fairbanks’ swashbuckling hero roles.  Up until that time, he had generally played an athletic, go-getting young man out to win the heroine.

The Matrimaniac is a film in that earlier Fairbanks tradition.  As Jimmie Conroy, Fairbanks tries to marry his young love (Talmadge), while her father tries to put a stop to the whole thing, giving a long and merry chase.  As with most Fairbanks pictures, the plot is secondary to the breathtaking stunts.  The Matrimaniac was a huge hit in 1916, and, indirectly, it helped Fairbanks become popular enough that he left the studio, Triangle, to pursue more money elsewhere.

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Filed under: Film, Guest Bloggers

As many of the previous conservation blog postings have illustrated, conservators are often faced with challenges in the analysis and treatment of artworks; however, sometimes the examination of a work can be in itself a challenge.  When a work enters the IMA conservation studio, it is carefully examined and documented.  Documentation includes reporting observations about the object’s condition and detailed photography of all surfaces.  During this process, x-ray images may be taken.  X-radiographs can augment the conservator’s understanding of the object’s condition, reveal the artist’s technique, and expose artist changes.

Unfortunately, sometimes the process is not as easy as taking a quick x-ray image of a work.  What happens when the image in question is obscured by another element of the work itself?  Take for example cradled panel paintings.  In the past, treatment of wooden panel paintings often included adhering a criss-crossed network of wooden beams to the reverse to support the panel.  Conservators now know that restraining wood in such a way can cause additional damage, but the process of removing a cradle can be invasive and is often not necessary if the painting is kept in a stable environment.  The network of beams, however, complicates x-radiography.

A case in point is this small (11 1/4 in. x 8 ⁵/₈ in.) Dutch portrait by Ferdinand Bol from 1659.  A cradle has been adhered to the reverse, likely to support two horizontal damages (one towards the top through the sitter’s hat and one at the bottom below the sitter’s hand).

Front and back of Portrait of a Man by Ferdinand Bol

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Filed under: Art, Conservation, Guest Bloggers

Children are immersive. When they color a picture, for example, only the most disciplined will keep their colors inside the lines. The truly passionate artist will extend their colors to the edge of the page, onto the table, and all over their hands and arms. In everything they do, children look to be active participants; experiencing the artistic process in the most intuitive way possible.

Now imagine one of those little artists, full of their own passion, curiosity, and creativity, and taking them to the IMA. Everywhere they look their eyes land on items they want to investigate further. The questions start flowing, “How did the painter make those colors?” “What’s that made of?” “How did the artist put all of those pieces together?”

You would like to help, to encourage discovery, but despite your best intentions, another phrase slips from your mouth instead: “Don’t touch.”

Don’t touch. That phrase may be one of the quickest ways to deter an inquisitive mind. Dejected, your little one may spend the rest of the visit silently viewing the art on display, wishing there was something they could do to connect to the art without damaging it. To not only see, but to engage with art on a level that speaks to their imagination.

For every budding creative out there, for every art detective, and for every child who desires to experience art on their terms, the IMA would like to offer our inaugural Art Packs program.

Launching this summer, the Art Packs program will be a way for children visiting the IMA to experience works of art through structured activities that enable them to create for themselves while priceless art is preserved. Every Art Pack will contain materials centered on a theme such as line, shape, color, or pattern. All the items in each Pack will work with the theme to generate activities that correspond to particular objects in the IMA’s collection.

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Filed under: Audience Engagement, Education, Guest Bloggers

I’ve been playing the piano at the IMA for over 30 years in several different capacities. I recently came across some old programs from several chamber music concerts in the 1980s and a solo recital I played there in 1982. Through the years, I’ve played for several openings, including an exhibition of work by Félix Vallotton (an artist currently featured in the exhibition Snapshot), and in the galleries. For 20 years I was the pianist for the Cameo Trio, which gave many concerts at the IMA and became Piano Trio in Residence there a few years before it was disbanded in 2003. In addition, I played the harpsichord for “Christmas at Lilly” for six years.

When Ellen Lee invited me to play for the exhibition Snapshot, she mentioned the name Misia Natanson. This was a great clue for me to follow when selecting music to play for this exhibition. While Misia – a pianist who hosted an artistic salon in Paris – was a muse to visual artists (she’s featured throughout the exhibition in works by Édouard Vuillard, among others), she served as inspiration for composers, as well. Misia’s piano teacher, Gabriel Fauré, introduced her to Maurice Ravel, who was a student of his at the time. Ravel later dedicated a composition, Le Cygne, to Misia and his work Sonatine is dedicated to Misia’s brother and his wife. Also present was Claude Debussy, whose works Misia loved. Ravel and Debussy were friends of Erik Satie, who later dedicated his ballet, Parade, to Misia. I selected music by these composers to play at the opening event and in the galleries, and it was a treat for me to add to the ambience of this wonderful exhibition.  If you’re interested in learning more about this fascinating woman, a good resource is the publication Misia by Arthur Gold and Robert Fizdale.

For more information on performances inspired by Snapshot, visit the IMA’s events page.

Filed under: Exhibitions, Guest Bloggers, Uncategorized