One of our favorite art haunts on Art Expeditions is Roanoke Virginia’s Taubman Museum of Art.
Located in the shadow of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains in the center of charming historic Roanoke you’ll uncover one of the best regional collections of American Art in the Southeastern US.
In addition to The Taubman’s amazing permanent collection, which includes prize works by John Singer Sargent to Childe Hassam, The Taubman routinely hosts top national art exhibits from across the world!
When I heard about TheTaubman’s Tiffany exhibit, I knew I needed to make the pilgrimmage to Roanoke for an art expedition. My mother (fellow art lover) and I were planning a weekend getaway to nearby Peaks of Otter Resort (thirty minutes from Roanoke) and decided to add a day onto our Virginia itinerary and stop at The Taubman.
Tiffany’s is an icon of American style and culture – from their heavenly stained glass windows to illumination of the beautiful Tiffany lamps and the jewelry Audrey Hepburn craves in Breakfast at Tiffany’s…Tiffany’s has long set the stand for bringing art and culture into our everyday lives.
What many Tiffany fans do not know is that Louis Comfort Tiffany (son of the original founder of Tiffany’s), who designed some of the brands most important stained glass windows and lamps was also a renowned painter.
I was first introduced to L.C. Tiffany’s talent as a painter of landscapes and scenes when I toured The Smithsonian Museum of Art. I was drawn to a western style expansive landscape, unaware of the artist. I fell in love with use of color and texture – I was shocked when I saw the artist was none other than L.C. Tiffany.
Art of Louis Comfort Tiffany: From the Nassau County Museum of Art in New York Exhibit is unique in that it focuses on his paintings paired alongside examples of his celebrated glass work.
The exhibit takes you on an artistic journey of Tiffany’s travels across the American to the Caribbean, across Europe and into North Africa. Each painting reveals Tiffany’s breadth and versatility of skill. His North African paintings meld realism and adventure of what could be a scene from Indiana Jones, while carefully detailing the heart of the people and culture.
“The paintings gathered in this exhibition make it clear that Louis Comfort Tiffany’s accomplishments in glass and decorative objects cannot be separated from an aesthetic germinating within and refined through a lifelong practice of painting,” noted Dr. Karl Emil Willers, chief curator and deputy director of collections and exhibitions at the Taubman Museum of Art.
Two waterfall paintings remind me of the texture of Gustave Gourbet and the Impressionism of motion that American artist Twatchman conveys – all while being uniquely Tiffany.
Before we dive deeper into the artistic highlights of the exhibit let’s get to learn a little more about Louis Comfort Tiffany…
Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933) was one of the most creative and prolific artists and designers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His father, Charles Lewis Tiffany, was co-founder of Tiffany & Co., the still-prestigious silver and jewelry company. Louis Comfort Tiffany was therefore exposed to fine design and beautiful craftsmanship from an early age. As he grew older, the son became determined not to follow in his father’s footsteps, but instead strike out on his own path as an artist.
He left school at the age of 18 and began his art studies, first apprenticing with George Inness (1825-1894), a landscape painter of the Hudson River School, and then with Samuel Colman (1832-1920), a famed American landscape painter and watercolorist. Both Inness and Colman were interested in conveying the emotional effects of intense color and the spiritual impact of dramatic light rather than detailed descriptions of nature and the landscape.
At the age of 20, Tiffany headed to Paris, where he met Leon Belly, a painter of Islamic genre scenes, which inspired Tiffany’s interest in Northern African landscapes.
At age 22, Tiffany set out on adventure; starting in London to Paris to Rome, he then advancedto the Mediterranean regions of southern Spain, Malta, Siclity and coastal Italy before heading to Northern Africa. While in Africa he made he painted his way through Tunisia, Tangier, Algeria and Alexandria.
The Northern Africa works by Tiffany were some of my favorite on view with their rich earth tones that invite you into adventure.
“The first paintings from Tiffany’s travels in North Africa were publicly exhibited in November 1871 in New York, and the following years brought a profusion of oils and watercolors depicting the Near East. These works were well received by the public and critics, part of the craze for all things considered oriental and exotic in the late 19th century. (from Taubman Guide)”
Tiffany turned to American scenes of The Hudson Valley to the vast vistas of The West throughout the 1880s
During this decade Tiffany continued to embrace the plein air style – similar to The Barbizon to Impressionism Schools that emerged in 19th-century France…Tiffany showcasing his ability to reflect the light and shadows of the outdoors.
In the 1890s, Tiffany revisited his interest in still life, painting beautiful flowers in natural settings and arrangements.
“Tiffany’s fusion of the visual arts within Art Nouveau interiors of intricate design and subtle ambiance contrasted sharply with the era’s prevailing Victorian décor. Tiffany Studio’s fine crafting of materials to achieve overall atmospheric effects had a powerful influence on the evolving aesthetics of the wealthy and famous of the Gilded Age. It is a legacy that continues to be much admired and sought-after to this day.” – Taubman exhibit guide.
My favorite highlights from the exhibition…
The Art Nouveau differs from the rigidity of the ornate Victorian designs (equally beautiful but more formal and defined). There is an elegance in the movement in Art Nouveau that is visually illuminating and appealing. This link has great information about Art Nouveau and Tiffany
- Art Nouveau: Art Nouveau is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and flowers
I love this vivid study of clouds and luminosity of the fiery sunset…
This scene of the men pushing the boat into the ocean ways feels like an adventure into uncharted waters…It reminds me of Winslow Homer’s action packed sea scenes.
Exhibit Resources:
Next time on Art Expeditions we’ll explore the permanent collection at The Taubman…
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