Monet and Lichtenstein Cathedrals at LACMA

           World renowned impressionist painter Claude Monet (1840-1926) and some of his finest work is being featured right now at Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) alongside the pop art of Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997). Both feature their interpretation and vision of the Rouen Cathedral in Northern France which are quite different in style and feel. It is truly an astounding exhibit containing just ten paintings on three walls, but the Monet/ Lichtenstein presentation is a wonderful comparison of two separate art forms at an unparalleled skill level.

           Monet is regarded as the French father of Impressionism. His paintings have been significant for the style of art they show, as well as their value even in the current day. As one of the most recognized names in the art world, Monets have been regarded as masterpieces for the last century. Lichtenstein was also a prominent figure in the art world, especially when it comes to Pop art as well as the entire 21^st century. His works have been referenced in movies and in regards to the World Trade Center. Both have been exalted as some of the greatest artists in history and so a comparison of their series’ on the Rouen Cathedral is an interesting study and made for a wonderful art show.

One of Thirty Rouen Cathedral painted by Claude Monet. Courtesy of LA Times.

           Monet created a series of 30 paintings of the Rouen Cathedral between 1982 and 1983 and five of them were collected for this exhibit. They come from major impressionism collections—two from The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, which co-organized the show with LACMA, and three from Paris' Musée d'Orsay. Monet uses the same subject for every painting but different lighting and position for each one to display his various impressions on it on any given day. He implements his whole arsenal of colors in this series, capturing the different times of day, weather, and feel of the Cathedral. It is absolutely breath taking to Monet stack up layers of paint to perfect every color, every stroke, every texture. It is interesting to see how something can look a little bit messy up close can be such a phenomenally planned work of art when you take a step back.

Rouen Cathedral series on display at LACMA painted by Roy Lichtenstein. Photo provided by the LA Times.

           This is what Roy Lichtenstein counts on when he did his series on the Rouen Cathedral. Lichtenstein’s form of art mirrors that of comic books with his use of Ben-day dots. His method was that he would paint a canvas one color and then project a picture of the Rouen Cathedral onto the canvas. Then he would have his assistant paint circles with a stencil by hand while he directed them where he wanted them to go. He could see the bigger picture, even though close up it was merely a collage of dots. The viewer must look at it the same way to be able to see it. Once you take a step back, the Cathedrals jump out at you with vivid colors and flavor. Some are hard to see though, as he washes them out with his usage of white on yellow and black on blue to portray high noon and the dead of night. The five paintings Lichtenstein created are owned by LACMA patrons, Eli and Edythe Broad and are all placed close together on one wall to show the series. It adds to the already comic book feel that Lichtenstein tends to possess. Even though it is a little bit hard to see the big picture without squinting, the array of colors brightened up the very serious feel that the Monets have in the exhibit.

The Monet/ Lichtenstein exhibit is quite fascinating, seeing impressionism at its finest and pop art as its opposite, working together to portray the same subject. Walking into this widely popularized art show, it was slightly disappointing to see so few painting and to see such works of art as Monet and Lichtenstein pieces contained in so small of a space, but is it definitely still worth it. The Monet/ Lichtenstein paintings are truly works of art because of their depth and no matter how small the show may seem, it is worth your money to be in the presence of greatness.

It will be open to the public at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art until January 1, 2012.

"A Nice Family Gathering" is Refreshing

Even the turkey is imperfect in Whittier Community Theater's ad for "A Nice Family Gathering"

           Especially around the time of Thanksgiving, everyone experiences a little family dysfunction along with the comradery that the holidays bring. None so more than the Lundeens who gather to celebrate their first Thanksgiving after death of their father. “A Nice Family Gathering” focuses around not only his absence from the family, but his presence. Dad (Jerry Marble) comes as a ghost and haunts his son, Carl (Justin Murphy), in attempts to try and relay the idea that though he never told them, he loved his family. The script by Phil Olson contains an accurate depiction of family life and director, Karen Jacobson, led the actors through supporting that vision through their portrayals.

            Olson got to the heart of the issues that a lot of families face and that is the reason this play has been growing in popularity across the country. The main issue was that the children felt their parents played favorites. The play explored the idea of “the golden child” and the pressure and tension that causes each member of the family. What makes the play so enjoyable is that everyone can see aspects of their family in the characters and family dynamics of the Lundeens. The feelings of each character are relatable and cause empathy. Most people struggle with their parents’ love and approval and Olson capitalizes on that subject matter to bring the play to life.

The set picturing the Lundeen family's home

            The cast was full of personality that splashed throughout the series subject matter. They were able to bring humor to an array of difficult topics, just as Olson had intended. Mom (Andrea Townsend) tried to handle the death of her husband of 35 years with strength, but lost her mind missing him. Her Alzheimer’s-like forgetfulness laced with humor gives the play its most unrealistic aspect, yet necessary comic relief. Laura McDowell played the role of Jill, the perfect daughter-in-law who struggled with barrenness amidst the pressure to bear grandchildren. Her raging hormones from fertility drugs were over the top and the only annoying, displeasing part of the production. Besides Townsend and MacDowell, the rest of the cast was very real and down to earth. John Warner, who played “the chosen son,” Michael, and Megan Duran who played the forgotten daughter, Stacy, rounded out the cast rather nicely with their seriousness as they were the true examples of favoritism among siblings and the pain and separation that follows.

            Jacobson pulled the show together with not only that near perfect casting but with a phenomenal set and blocking, and manipulation of the audience’s emotions as well. The set was cozy and automatically made the audience feel right at home. It was perfectly detailed to look like the living room of a house, from the family portrait, to the stockings hung by the chimney,down to the trophy case in the hall.  Her blocking established the family dynamic, like in the way she always had Stacy sitting at a separate chair or banished to the coffee table for dinner until the very end where the family came full circle with Stacy joining them on the couch. In ways such as this, Jacobson was able to keep the audience engaged and their emotions high.

Through her interpretation and execution of Olson’s script, the angle changes every couple of minutes and you find yourself rooting for different characters. One second the father is the bad guy who never showed the affection his kids and wife deserved and the next he is the father that was too busy providing, even though that meant giving up his passions. At first glance Carl, the main character, is looked down on by his family, and the next we see that he has been the pride of his parents the entire time. The changes in point of view are drastic and keep the audience on their toes, so Jacobson put Olson’s script into action well.

            The cast and crew did a great job taking Phil Olson script to the stage. “A Nice Family Gathering” is not perfect, but what family gathering is? You can see all that love for yourself at the Whittier Community Theater for its last two performances on Nov. 18 and 19 at 8 p.m.