Welcome to the June edition of the LWD Art Appreciation series! I’ve got some great works for us to explore this month – a Kate Chopin short story, the art of Edward Hopper, innovative jazz composer Jelly Roll Morton and a classic musical comedy starring Judy Garland. I know you’ll find something to enjoy and much to learn with these selections.
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ART APPRECIATION
JUNE 2024
I’d love to hear what you think of this series. Are you enjoying it? Do you have suggestions for future posts?
SHORT STORY
A Pair of Silk Stockings ~ Kate Chopin
Known for her vivid portrayals of Creole life in Louisiana, Kate Chopin (1851–1904) wrote, during her brief literary career, poignant and perceptive stories about the emotional lives of women. Bypassing many of the conventions of 19th-century realism, she won praise for her realistic portraits of the inhabitants of bayou and urban areas.
This collection of nine stories contains one of her most famous works, “Désirée’s Baby” — a haunting and ironic tale of miscegenation. Additional stories include “Madame Célestin’s Divorce,” “A Gentleman of Bayou Téche” and “At the ‘Cadian Ball,” from Bayou Folk; “A Respectable Woman,” “A Night in Acadie” and Azélie” from A Night in Acadie; “The Dream of an Hour” and the title story. Written with grace, delicate humor and a keen understanding of the human — especially the female — psyche, these stories are a superb introduction to an important American writer whose literary career was cut short by the harsh criticism directed at her novel The Awakening (1899).
Read it online:
Kate Chopin: A Pair of Silk Stockings
ARTIST
Edward Hopper was a prominent American realist painter and printmaker known for his depictions of modern American life. Born July 22, 1882, in Nyack, New York, Hopper’s career spanned over six decades, during which he became celebrated for his use of light and shadow to create a sense of solitude and introspection in his works.
His most famous painting, “Nighthawks” (1942), captures the loneliness and anonymity of urban life, with its depiction of a late-night diner bathed in artificial light. Hopper’s distinctive style often featured desolate landscapes, quiet streets, and isolated figures, reflecting his interest in the themes of alienation and the passage of time. His work remains influential, offering a poignant commentary on the human condition and the complexities of 20th-century American society.
Edward Hopper (1882–1967) is something of an American success story, if only his success had come swifter. At the age of 40, he was a failing artist who struggled to sell a single painting. As he approached 80, Time magazine featured him on its cover. Today, half a century after his death, Hopper is considered a giant of modern expression, with an uncanny, unforgettable, and utterly distinct sense for mood and place.Much of Hopper’s work excavates modern city experience. In canvas after canvas, he depicts diners, cafes, shopfronts, street lights, gas stations, rail stations, and hotel rooms. The scenes are marked by vivid color juxtapositions and stark, theatrical lighting, as well as by harshly contoured figures, who appear at once part of, and alien to, their surroundings. The ambiance throughout his repertoire is of an eerie disquiet, alienation, loneliness and psychological tension, although his rural or coastal scenes can offer a counterpoint of tranquility or optimism.This book presents key works from Hopper’s œuvre to introduce a key player not only in American art history but also in the American psyche.
JAZZ COMPOSER
Jelly Roll Morton, born Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe on October 20, 1890, in New Orleans, Louisiana, was a pioneering figure in the development of jazz music.
Renowned as one of the genre’s first great composers and pianists, Morton was a charismatic and innovative musician whose work laid the groundwork for future jazz artists. He claimed to have invented jazz, a rather bold assertion. But it is undeniable that he had a major influence on the genre.
Morton’s compositions, such as “King Porter Stomp” and “Black Bottom Stomp,” are celebrated for their intricate arrangements and syncopated rhythms, blending elements of ragtime, blues, and other musical styles. His vibrant performances and recordings from the early 20th century helped define the sound of New Orleans jazz and influenced the spread of jazz across America.
Despite his sometimes controversial personality, Morton remains a towering figure in music history, remembered for his technical prowess, creative genius, and lasting impact on the world of jazz.
Ferdinand “Jelly Roll” Morton ~ Music Rising at Tulane
The Man Who Made Jazz Hot; 60 Years After His Death, Jelly Roll Morton Gets Respect (gift article)
A Spotify Playlist
SCREWBALL COMEDY
This month’s film selection stars the incomparable Judy Garland and Gene Kelly whose dancing transformed film musicals.
There’s an unusual harvest at Falbury Farm: beans, hay show tunes. It’s a bumper crop, too, with Judy Garland and Gene Kelly leading all the hoofing, singing and sparking. In her final MGM musical, Garland plays Jane Falbury, a farm owner more than a bit riled when her aspiring-actress sister (Gloria De Haven) shows up with a theatrical troupe that wants to stage a musical in the family’s barn. Any guess who becomes the show’s sudden star after its lead runs off with a Broadway actor? Highlights include Kelly’s shuffle-and-squeak “You, Wonderful You” dance solo, making use of loose boards and newspaper on the floor; tuxedo-topped Garland’s leggy, joyous “Get Happy;” and a Kelly/Phil Silvers country-bumpkin bit of “Heavenly Music,” backed by woofing canines. After a show like this, how’re you gonna keep these kids down on the farm?
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If you have any favorites to recommend for future Art Appreciation posts feel free to share in the comments!
LINKS TO PREVIOUS ART APPRECIATION POSTS…
JANUARY:
LWD Classic Film of the Month ~ Breakfast at Tiffany’s
LWD Artist of the Month ~ Manet
LWD Composer of the Month ~ Vivaldi
FEBRUARY:
LWD Classic Film of the Month ~ A Raisin in the Sun
LWD Poet of the Month ~ Langston Hughes
LWD Artist of the Month ~ Degas
LWD Composer of the Month ~ Chopin
If you ever get a chance, visit the National Museum of African American Music in Nashville. It is by far one of the best museums I have ever visited! It walks you through the history of blues, gospel, jazz, Motown, and rock n roll, as well as more recent genres. Truly a national treasure!
Thank you for the suggestion. We may actually be driving through Nashville in July. My husband needs to visit one of his locations in West Virginia and we will be driving.