LWD Art Appreciation ~ May 2024

Welcome to the May 2024 edition of the LWD Art Appreciation series! In this blog post, we’ll delve into the works of Eudora Welty, Vermeer, Harold Battiste, and the screwball comedy film, The Palm Beach Story. Through these diverse mediums, we’ll uncover the beauty and depth of art in its many forms, and learn how to truly appreciate the artistic creations that enrich our lives. Let’s dive in!

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ART APPRECIATION
MAY 2024

I do hope you are enjoying this ongoing series. I’m learning and exploring right along with you!

SHORT STORY

Why I Live at the P.O. by Eudora Welty

Why I Live at the P.O. Full Plot Summary

Super Summary

“Why I Live at the P.O.” is a short story written in 1941 by Eudora Welty, an author and photographer from the American South. The story’s narrator, Sister, narrates her family’s reaction as her sister, Stella-Rondo, leaves her husband and returns to the family’s home in China Grove, Mississippi, surprising her family with a young child in tow. As conflict unfolds among the family members, Sister moves into the post office where she works, seeking independence. The story explores themes of independence, family conflict, and truth and perception.

You can read it online free:

Why I Live at the P.O.

It is also available along with three other Welty short stories in this book:

ARTIST

Johannes Vermeer

Johannes Vermeer was a Dutch Baroque painter renowned for his exceptional ability to capture light, shadow, and intricate details in his works. Born in Delft, Netherlands, in 1632, Vermeer spent his entire life in the city, where he also worked as an art dealer. Though he produced a relatively small body of work, consisting of around 35 known paintings, Vermeer’s art is celebrated for its masterful use of light, delicate handling of color, and meticulous attention to detail.

His most famous works include “Girl with a Pearl Earring,” “The Milkmaid,” and “The Art of Painting,” all of which showcase his remarkable skill in portraying everyday scenes with a sense of tranquility and intimacy. Vermeer’s paintings continue to captivate audiences worldwide and are regarded as some of the most exquisite examples of Dutch Golden Age art.

Vermeer

Though numbering just 35 known works, the œuvre of Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675) is hailed as one of the most important and inspiring portfolios in art history. His paintings have prompted a New York Times best seller, a film starring Scarlett Johansson, and record visitor numbers at art institutions from Amsterdam to Washington.Vermeer’s subjects focus on daily domestic activities, from letter writing to music playing to preparations in the kitchen. The scenes astound with their meticulous detail, majestic planes of light, and with Vermeer’s extraordinary ability to draw out narrative intrigues. In such beloved paintings as Lady Standing at a Virginal, A Lady Writing a Letter with Her Maid and, most famously, the enigmatic, wide-eyed, and enchanting Girl with a Pearl Earring, Vermeer evokes not only the effects of substance and texture, but also the many stories and secrets that reside beneath the surface.Featuring all Vermeer’s known works and succinct, accessible texts, this essential introduction explores Vermeer’s leading place in art history and his unique ability to transform oil paint into a living, breathing scene of human life.

JAZZ COMPOSER

Harold Battiste

If you’ve followed me for any length of time you are most likely aware of my love for New Orleans. We will be visiting our favorite city soon so I thought I’d select a New Orleans jazz composer/musician for May.

Harold Battiste was a highly influential jazz composer, arranger, and producer whose impact on the New Orleans music scene was profound. Born in 1931, Battiste was a key figure in the development of the New Orleans R&B sound of the 1950s and 1960s. He was a founding member of the American Federation of Musicians’ Local 174-496, which became an essential organization for African American musicians in New Orleans.

Battiste’s work as a composer and arranger extended beyond jazz into rhythm and blues, pop, and soul music. He is perhaps best known for his collaborations with artists such as Sam Cooke, Dr. John, and Sonny & Cher. Additionally, Battiste played a significant role in mentoring younger musicians and in promoting music education, leaving an indelible mark on the landscape of American music.

Harold Battiste, Musician, Mentor and Arranger (New York Times Gift Article)

A Spotify Playlist…

SCREWBALL COMEDY

The Palm Beach Story

This wild tale of wacky wedlock from Preston Sturges (The Lady Eve) takes off like a rocket and never lets up. Joel McCrea (Sullivan’s Travels) and Claudette Colbert (It Happened One Night) play Tom and Gerry, a married New York couple on the skids, financially and romantically. With Tom hot on her trail, Gerry takes off for Florida on a mission to solve the pair’s money troubles, which she accomplishes in a highly unorthodox manner. A mix of the witty and the utterly absurd, The Palm Beach Story is a high watermark of Sturges’s brand of physical comedy and verbal repartee, featuring sparkling performances from its leads as well as hilarious supporting turns from Rudy Vallee and Mary Astor as a brother and a sister ensnared in Tom and Gerry’s high jinks.