Your Daily Art

Tag: Bingham

  • The scene so nice, it’s painted twice.

    The Trappers Return, 1851 by George Caleb Bingham, Detroit Institute of Arts.

    Bingham made a living painting portraits early in his career as an artist, but eventually switched to genre paintings like this. In this version you can see more of a resemblance to a bear cub.

  • Tethered

    Fur Traders Descending the Missouri, 1845 by George Caleb Bingham, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

    Bingham studied art in the US and in Europe, he lived in Missouri where his family had moved when he was a child. Bingham eventually took up a life in politics. Some experts differ as to the animal with the collar in the front of the boat. Some say it is a cat and some a bear cub.

  • Art for All

    Everyone knows about the financial and societal woes of Detroit. The once grand and prospering city has been in decline for decades now and an emergency manager was appointed in March which gave fiscal control to the state instead of the city. Last week the news came out that all city interests are being examined as possible revenue streams, up to and including, the city owned Detroit Institute of Arts. Now in all probability, the city would not be able to sell off assets given in trust or as gifts to the institution and the idea has already sparked a backlash in the museum community who would take it as a direct assault on museums in general. Even the suggestion of looting the collection really drives home how desperate situation is. The DIA owns some spectacular pieces, a Brueghel any museum would love to own, a beautiful Caravaggio, the painting by Whistler that sparked (pun intended) the legendary Whistler vs. Ruskin case, a sublime Bingham, and of course the Rivera Court, just to name a few. Perhaps all this publicity will remind people the depth and beauty of the collection and how a visit, over the course of the summer, to see it  for themselves would do the DIA and the city good.