Vanderbilt Art Collection

Elizabeth Schott · 04-10-2006, 11:20 PM

This past weekend I took my graduating senior on a trip to Savannah, GA to visit the Savannah College of Art & Design, which I was very impressed with and she loved.

Upon our trip home we had an overnight that I planned in Asheville, NC. I spent many summers near Asheville at Camp Chimney Rock on Lake Lure ("Dirty Dancing" was filmed there). One of the things I remembered was visiting the Biltmore Estates home of the Vanderbilt's. The main thing I remembered as a kid was the great Diary area and their huge ice cream sundae's. This time as an adult, I anticipated many more rooms being open to the public and the Vanderbilt's art collection.

Since Gwen and I rented the audio tours we strolled along the cue looking at the things described but I kept finding myself turned the wrong way looking up at the walls drooling. Here I was in this massive second floor living hall having ogled the portrait of Frederick Law Olmsted, then one away, Richard Morris Hunt, both by Sargent. Olmsted's portrait was kind of unique because it was done outside since he was the landscape architect and Hunt, since he was the architect/designer of the home was done by a fountain outside too, but you wouldn't know it. I could have imagined Sargent and Hunt having discussions over the fountain and walls being the important part of the composition since it was one of of my least favorite figures (my opinion).

BUT... there in the middle was one of the most wonderful paintings I have viewed in person, of the same era. It was just as large as the Sargent's but compositionally, so exciting by the way the viewer was moved. It was dancers who's darker values silhouetted the new artificial light of the dancers in white through the door way. The problem was, I knew it wasn't a Sargent, but I couldn't read the signature. As an act of desperation I started asking those passing me looking at the art (it was not included on the audio - no one knew) if it was... could it really be... a ZORN?

Yes, it was - my first Anders Zorn painting in person, "The Waltz", what a treat! If one looks at the reproductions like below, you would say it needs a cleaning big time, but I actually like it with the left side (our right) much darker.

My poor daughter, she looked at me and pointed out these paintings were in room 12, and said ... "mom, there are 64 rooms"! I got the hint! There were three more Sargent's too, not to mention, tons of other wonders!

Jeff Fuchs · 04-14-2006, 08:31 AM

The Zorn seems to be a rule breaker. The background figures -- the ones in bright light -- are, by logic, dominant, and the foreground dancers are painted in more subued colors and softer light. Still, the composition is so strong that your eye is drawn straight to where Zorn wants it.

It's like the delimma of painting a subtle blue object in the foreground and a bright orange one in the background, and still getting the blue to advance. The composition is what makes it work. A good lesson there.

Tom Edgerton · 04-14-2006, 05:09 PM

Contrast, softness/crispness, and saturation. Nine times out of ten, contrast trumps all. Note the corkscrew line of greatest contrast coming in from the top, following the curtain--right to their heads--and continuing down the near female dancer's side. Slightly crisper edges along there, too.

Mary Sparrow · 04-15-2006, 06:05 AM

Beth! I wish I had known you were here! I would have loved to have met you for lunch. I'm very close to Asheville. Your post reminds me it's time to go back through the Biltmore, it's been a while.

Rebecca Willoughby · 07-19-2006, 12:17 AM

Beth,
I was just at the Biltmore last week on vacation with my husband and children. Did you notice the difference between the two Sargents over the doors in the hall/breezway leading to the library and the gorgeous Boldini right beside them? The two by Sargent are beautiful, but the Boldini is just so full of life!

Just as a quick note on the Olmstead painting. All of the green stuff around him was completely from Sargent's mind since all of the trees, etc.. at Biltmore were saplings at the time. Olmstead was of very failing health and a good bit of the body of this figure was also either from Sargent's memory or Olmstead's son standing in for him.

By the way the Biltmore this time of year is VERY hot. There is no A/C and all of the tourists walking around make it almost unbearable. I wonder about the artwork in those conditions?

Rebecca