Ever the Twain Shall Meet

Mark Twain in Bermuda

Of all the artists who were inspired by Bermuda’s muse—Georgia O’Keeffe, Winslow Homer, John Lennon, Andrew Wyeth, Moores both Tom and Henry, and Albert Gleizes, Mark Twain was Bermuda’s greatest advocate and ambassador.  Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art together with The Mark Twain House and Museum in Hartford, Connecticut celebrate Clemens’ deep connection to the Island in “Ever the Twain Shall Meet: Mark Twain’s Bermuda,” a special exhibit open through June, 2014.  With the exception of Wyeth, visitors can see examples from all of the above luminaries at Masterworks upon request, although they might find themselves too enthralled by Twain to tear themselves away from this jewel of an exhibit.

Mark Twain visited Bermuda eight times for a total of 187 days between 1867 and 1910.  Enchanted, he wrote "there is just enough whispering breeze, fragrance of flowers, and sense of repose to raise one's thoughts heavenward; and just enough amateur piano music to keep him reminded of the other place....”  Twain’s writings extoll the peaceful beauty of the island (as well as its sometimes dissonant charm) and were published between 1877-78 in The Atlantic Monthly as “Some Rambling Notes of an Idle Excursion.”  

A treasure trove of objects is on display in Masterworks’ Mezzanine Gallery.  Highlights include Mark Twain’s favorite pen, his shirt (an integral part of his iconic white  “dontgiveadamn suit”) and a handwritten note from Clemens to one of his “angelfish,” surrogate granddaughters whom he cherished for their innocence.  The note reads, “It is far better to be a young junebug than an old bird of paradise.  You owe me a visit Dorothy, dear… Come — pay up and save your character!”  Without being too heavy-handed, we urge you to visit Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art to see the Island through Twain’s eyes, to bask in a literary paradise…to save your character. 

                                                

   

And So We Dive! Living Like Lartigue

I have a deep, and admittedly complicated, love of vernacular photography—that quixotic genre where aptitude just isn’t that important and the end goal is not fine art but a tangible link to a specific feeling or memory. Vernacular belongs in the realm of the amateur (another loaded term). It’s intimate. It’s also nearly always imperfect, and that’s why I’m drawn to it. In a way that fine art can’t, vernacular photography makes us feel a part of the process as if we could have been the ones holding the camera, or in front of it for that matter. As if these could be our own memories. Family photo albums like this one are quintessentially vernacular; not just in the photographic images, but also in way the photos were arranged, the album itself crafted.

Sometimes, though, vernacular photography reaches across the snapshot divide and something intuitive and spontaneous is born. And this album, this very page of this album,  demonstrates this beautifully. It lives and breathes the spirit of Lartigue. Jacques Henri Lartigue (1894-1986) was a child of eight when he first took up the camera, but it wasn’t until the 1960s that his work was “discovered” and exhibited. Lartigue led a free-wheeling life of privilege in turn of the century France, not unlike many of the old families of Bermuda, minus the island of course. His images, sometimes orchestrated, other times serendipitous, include all of the things that fascinate young boys (and let’s face it, the rest of us too): leaping and levitating, auto racing and airplanes, voyeurism, and sport. Like many snapshooters in those early years of personal and portable photography, Lartigue marveled at the camera’s novelty and its ability to capture the world just how he saw it, as well as its capacity to manipulate perspective and motion.

Jacques Henri Lartigue. Suzy Vernon, Royan, September 1926.

                                             

Jacques Henri Lartigue. Championnat du monde de saut à ski, Juan-les-Pins,1938.

Jacques Henri Lartigue. Entrainement de Suzanne Lenglen, 1915

Jacques Henri Lartigue. Bichonnade, 40, Rue Cortambert, Paris, 1905.

“Various Dives” is a page from a family album created around 1911, and depicts aspects of everyday life in the Butterfield family of Bermuda, and is among many treasures from the Masterworks archive. This page of snapshots, with its elegant non sequitur formations, doesn’t just document moments of a Bermuda summer afternoon, it projects the same exuberant vitality of the era so elegantly captured by Lartigue. It sings out: look what we can do, look at our youth, our life! Look at how innocent we were before the wars, how we opened up our lives to take it all in. Look at our recklessness. Look how we made time stand still.

Butterfield Family Album, c. 1911.

Behind the Scenes with Artist Nick Silk

Artist Nick Silk talks about his latest plein air piece, created at Monday's Remembrance Day ceremony:

"I can't resist capturing these unique live Bermuda occasions. They have a terrific story to tell, and I enjoy creating an immediate image of the event. I like that the line can be so expressive and free - together with the variation of dark and light. My materials are paper and a lightweight foam drawing board, pen, ink, and brush. Then I'm ready to sketch the evolving scene. I like to take up position early and hopefully get a good shady vantage point (sometimes higher is better in a crowd). There tend to be fewer questions, too! However, I do value the interaction with people. It is one of the great things about being an artist and really puts life into art. The original is available for purchase at Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art on Saturday 16th November between 10am and 4pm during the One Stop Shopping Christmas shopping event. Hope to see you there!"

Remembrance, Front Street. Nick Silk 2013. Pen and wash.18"x24"

Contagious Creativity: The Charman Prize Shines On

Julie Lafleur was so inspired when she walked out of Masterworks’ Charman Prize exhibit that she couldn’t help herself. She had to draw. With paper and pencil borrowed from the front desk, she made this exuberant sketch in the courtyard of Homer’s Café at Masterworks. Julie, an engineer by trade, is visiting from Ottawa, Canada. The collective creativity of this exhibit has reached such a crescendo that it’s touched latent artists like Lafleur, who haven’t picked up a pen or brush in years. How will the Charman prize inspire you?

Julie Lafleur holding her sketch.

"Masterworks" by Julie Lafleur. October 28, 2013.

Treasures from the Vault: “If You Want to Know Anything, Ask The Mystic Oracle"

Well, maybe not anything. The Mystic Oracle, a novelty souvenir made for the Furness Bermuda Line steamship company, does however divine the answer to twelve questions about Bermuda tourism—by wireless! It should be noted that “wireless” in 1924 meant “wireless radio waves” as opposed to the wireless networks of today. But let’s not let that tarnish the magic. 

The Mystic Oracle Furness Bermuda Line, 1924. Front and Back.

The Mystic Oracle Furness Bermuda Line, 1924. Inside.

What's On Now: Charman Prize 2013

Welcome to Master Copy! We’re excited to use this blog to give you sneak peeks into the archives, feature artist profiles, bring you the latest Masterworks news, and more! So for this, our inaugural post, let’s talk about what’s happening right now at Masterworks. Let’s talk Charman Prize.

If you’ve ever wondered what artists in Bermuda are up to, look no further than Masterworks’ main gallery. On view until January 2014 are one hundred and three dynamic perspectives of life and culture here in Bermuda, by both professional and amateur artists. Through this event a community of artists is created. The works, taken as a whole, give new context to one another sparking dialogue and creating new relevancy. They breathe life into our imaginations, they challenge and delight. So stop on by and become immersed in a world where swordfish glow, pears grow as large as (and out of?) trees, and Gombey schoolgirls bend conventions.

A Fish Eye’s View of Bermuda. Beth Lewis, 2013

Beth Lewis truly exploited the potential of the medium in her stained glass work A Fish Eye’s View of Bermuda. In her expert hands individual pieces of brittle glass, illuminated from behind to reveal their inner swirls and textures, are transformed into a thrashing swordfish mid-leap. The effect of this larger than life piece is, of course, much more majestic seen in person.

The Fruit of Time and Tide. Amanda Temple, 2013.      

What at first may seem a weathered tangle of Bermuda cedar, casuarina, and bay grape driftwood resolves itself into an intricate puzzle where every piece is integral. Amanda Temple’s artist’s statement breathes life into her sculpture The Fruit of Time and Tide: “The waves crash furiously onto the shore below my house. High tide leaves behind nattered branches, silver and speckled by time.” This piece blends whimsy with a feeling of permanence and repetition: the tide rolls in and out, trees bear and lose their fruit each year, and yet through all of this change a deeper structure remains.

Formalities. Dany Pen, 2013

Artist Dany Pen challenges us with themes of displacement and re-appropriation with this playful yet subversive image. Created using photography, digital media, and organic materials, Pen cleverly adds layers and meaning to this depiction of schoolchildren wearing the masks of traditional Bermudian Gombey dancers. We’re left to wonder what exactly these “formalities” are, as historical narratives are combined and reinvented, un-spoken boundaries are crossed, and conventions are tossed to the wind.