Posted inArt

Renoir’s Last Years

Pierre Auguste Renoir, that painter of young doughy women, now takes his turn as the subject of a French art-house film. The simply-named film Renoir, directed by Gilles Bourdos, earns a solid B+. There’s enough there to make a good evening out of it. But the film, like the painter, is too twee to be a true ace.

Posted inArt

Visual Treats at DC’s Phillips Collection

Washington, DC is a great museum town. During my dozen or so trips over the years I have yet to see all the Smithsonian institutions so I didn’t feel the need to ventured far from The Mall for my art fix. This time I avoided the Smithsonian all together and headed for one situated in the Dupont Circle neighborhood of the city, The Phillips Collection. This jewel box of modern art — and not soo modern — avoids -isms so you ended up encountering the art of 19th C. America to 20th C. France or 17th C. Spain in just a few steps.