Posts from Kyra Duffley

As you walk through a museum, it can sometimes be hard to imagine the artifacts out in the world before they became part of a collection. They weren’t made to be in a museum. But after their original intended life, they live again for us to learn from. In this episode of Beyond the Frame, Kyra Duffley takes us into the International Small Craft Center to explore the life of our Portuguese Moliceiro, as told through a 1933 painting of the boat by Spanish artist José María López Mezquita. In this work, we learn about the people who used this boat to feed their nation. Through this experience, we get the opportunity to become part of its second life.

“Every French sculptor has done his Joan of Arc, and is sure to, so that she’d been done in light of every imaginable form as far as I could see. And my challenge was to get a composition that was original, that hadn’t really been done before. That was the fun of it.” – Anna Hyatt Huntington, 1964 Oral Interview for the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Women in Art

As a woman, especially one in the art world, I get a lot of joy from seeing women supporting each other, building one another up and celebrating their achievements. I also love finding women in art history, they’re all too often forgotten and overlooked in favor of their male counterparts, take Artemisia Gentileschi, Judith Leyster, or Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun for example – three of the few female names included in Art History. Judith Leyster and other Dutch female artists were only recently included in the Rijksmuseum Gallery of Honor – their contributions to Dutch art finally recognized after more than 3 centuries.   Read more

The piercing moonlight emanates from the canvas like a siren song, calling you closer, pulling you in as you approach this piece. The wind whips around you, the clouds envelop you, the waves engulf you – there seems to be no escape – it’s too late.

The Power of Light

Personally, I’m a sucker for chiaroscuro – It’s that intense contrast of darkness and light that creates drama in a work of art. It’s what drew me to this piece in the first place. I fell in love with it the moment I saw it. I loved the darkness, the drama, the fact that – for a civil war painting, it wasn’t really “civil war-ish”. Looking at this work, “Rescue of the Crew of the USS Monitor by USS Rhode Island, December 31, 1862” by artist William Richardson Tyler is an experience best enjoyed over a few minutes, at least.    Read more

I’ve always believed that society is like a skeleton and that art is a soul. And within the art world, there are pieces that have a way of making a lasting impression; the artist has added something special – like the secret ingredient in a loved one’s cooking – that unique element you can’t quite put your finger on.

I think that’s why, when you look at Edward William Cooke’s 1856 painting, “Violent Squall on the Adriatic”, it becomes so much more than a painting of a fishing boat, instead it comes to life and plays out like the dramatic climax of a movie.    Read more

The setting sun casts the last of its delicate golden rays over the Gloucester Inner Harbor, bringing an end to the day’s work. The harbor is filled with boats, but at low tide, many of them list lazily in the water or on shore as if they’ve been tucked up for the evening, the workers finishing their tasks, surely getting ready to head home after a long day. The sunset is rich and warm and the sky fades from the last bits of periwinkle blue to a cozy red dappled with gold. 

Where to Begin?

When I first began working on this series, I met with Jeanne, our Director of Collections Management, to ask her if she might show me some of her favorite pieces from the collection. I knew that, although my journey into the collection was really just beginning, she had years of experience with it! As she pulled out rack after rack of paintings, I scribbled down accession numbers and while there were so many pieces that I knew I wanted to talk about, there was one that really stuck with me for a number of reasons.    Read more