Ashley Urbain
Art History 2720
Gallery Stroll Assignment
Hope Gallery
The Hope Gallery displays art from the 16 th to the 21 st centuries. This is a wide range of time and it covers many periods of art. Much of the focus at this gallery seems to be on Northern European artists such as Duhrer, Bloch, and Rembrandt. There are many other various artists who are from Northern
Europe as well.
The works are hung on plain wooden walls on the main floor. The walls are a dark rich color; this makes the art stand out beautifully. There are also mirrors and chandeliers which add to the beauty of the place. There are many chairs for you to sit on, which makes the atmosphere comfortable. There was one room that was a ‘vault.’ It had rich furnishings (blue walls, huge mirrors, tables, and plush chairs) this made you pay attention to the works and made you question why these particular works are so valued.
The works in this room were very realistic and detailed, to the point of being very unflattering, much in the style of Northern European art. In another room, the walls are painted red, and all the works are by
Carl Heinrich Bloch. All of his paintings are of Christ; the red walls really enhance the presence of the works. The third floor is darker and a little more sparse and has more of a romantic feel to it. The entire gallery is beautifully set up and the atmosphere is very comfortable and inviting. I don’t think it was designed for any particular viewer, just anyone who appreciates art.
I really enjoyed the room filled with Carl Bloch’s works. Bloch’s works are beautiful, detailed, emotionally moving, and monumental. Christ is the subject for all of his paintings. Most of the paintings have scripture references explaining the subject. Two of his works especially appealed to me. His Last
Supper canvas Giclee 1876, is depicted in a classic setting and the light source comes from an open arch behind Christ’s head, like DaVinci’s Last Supper. The apostles are gathered more closely than in
DaVinci’s. There is also a geometric pattern on the floor. Judas is seated on the other side of the table and the vanishing point is on Christ’s head. He seems to have been inspired by DaVinci’s Last Supper; there are many similarities, but his apostles seem to have more of a personal connection than his. There is a scripture reference next to it, Matthew 26:20-30. The other painting that caught my eye was Peter’s
Denial canvas Giclee 1879. It is a beautiful, emotional painting in a classical setting. It depicts Peter’s shame as Christ is led away. What I really liked was the cock in the painting that symbolizes Peter’s denial of Christ; this is positioned right next to Peter. On his other side is a sculpture of a lion, which often symbolizes courage. Peter turns his face away from Christ in shame. This painting is powerful, emotional, and rich with symbolism; it’s simply fantastic.
At this gallery, they provide information about the work, the artist, the date, the medium, etc. on plaques underneath each work. Some additional information is provided for some of the works, for instance, Carl Bloch’s works have scripture references next to them to help explain the painting. I’m sure

of you wanted to find more information about the artists of the artwork, you could visit the gallery’s website, which is provided on a flier you can pick up at the entrance.
The following works were my favorites from this particular gallery. Pour the Schnapps oil painting by
Christian Pram-Heningsen (1846-1892), this painting is beautifully detailed. You can see the embers in the subject’s pipe and the burnt matches on the floor. Natural light floods in from a side window, inspired by Vermeer. I really like this painting because of the beautiful realistic human expressions and the exquisite details. Another one that really caught my eye was Lobsters and Peacock, Still Life oil
Herman Krickeldorf 1905 this painting has explosive colors that make this painting come alive. It’s amazingly detailed; it’s a vibrant, eye-catching work of art. The next one I noticed was Landscape from
Esrum Lake oil Viggo Peter Olaf Langer 1915. This is a very peaceful country scene with flowing brushwork and bright colors. The artist created a beautiful reflection of the scene on the lake’s surface.
And lastly, I liked Beloved Memories oil Torolf Pederson 1883, this painting also had rich colors that stand out and exquisite details that are very characteristic of Northern art. In this work, there is a reflection of the room in a mirror that was inspired by Jan Van Eyck’s Giovanni Arnolfini and his Bride.
Many of the works are by Northern European artists. You can tell they are from this region by the extremely realistic details and the humanistic subjects. I loved all of the works but these works in particular stood out to me.
Anthony’s Fine Art and Antiques
There doesn’t seem to be any focus on a particular period or artist. This place is just brimming with all kinds of art and antiques. There was, however, a spotlight on the artist Kent Wallis.
There are works on every visible surface. The building itself is neo-classical in design. There are beautiful rugs, vases, and sculptures right as you walk in. It is very cramped and makes you feel like a bull in a
China shop. Some of the works are covered or behind others, this seems a little ridiculous, many of the works are hard to see. They are situated behind clocks, statues, and furniture and such. The setup is kind of chaotic, nothing seems to go together and some of the works aren’t even labeled at all. There is a room filled with American art. There are totem poles, baskets, pottery, etc. There is a bear sculpture, paintings of horses, deer, hunting dogs, there are antlers and mountain scenes as well. However, also in this room , are some odd European things that don’t seem to belong. For instance, there is a uniform for a London Rowing Club and a painting of a European soldier, it’s very odd. The whole place was very disorganized and crowded, but it did have some fantastic works of art.
I liked the works of Kent Wallace. He seems to get inspiration from the Impressionists. He uses bright colors and his brushstrokes are very free. Many of his paintings remind me of Monet’s later works; he uses very thick paint and very loose brushstrokes. He also uses a lot of complementary colors, purples and yellows, greens and reds, as seen in his Terra Cotta Blossoms, oil on canvas. Another work I really liked wasn’t labeled. It depicted a beautiful ocean scene at sunset. In the painting, there are four nude female bathers. This painting is also Impressionistic. The figures are beautiful, but their faces are blurred and the brushwork is very loose, much like other Impressionist works. Also, the artist used blues and oranges which are complementary colors. I really liked these works because I love Impressionism. These

artists show that they love it as well because they are inspired by them and it shows in their work. I like that Impressionism is still alive even though it emerged so many years ago.
Many of the works aren’t labeled or even visible for that matter. Some of them do give the artist’s name and the name of the work; others have a little more information available. Some of the works had information about the artist or the work itself. They did have information cards documenting special events, specific works, and various spotlighted artists. If you wanted to learn more, I’m sure you could visit the gallery’s website.
There was so much going on in this place; it was almost a sensory overload. When you do get past all of the clocks, vases, antique cars, statues, furniture, and even fish tanks which are all art too, there are some pretty incredible works here. My absolute favorite in the whole place was Civilization bronze sculpture Pietro Montana 1931, it was incredible. There are a number of figures who all represent different branches of human activity or ‘civilization.’ One figure holding a torch represents knowledge, and two others are the fine arts. One carrying a cross symbolizes religion, two boys are progress, and an old man is history. There is also a figure of a woman who represents the spirit of the nation. This sculpture was mind-blowing. I absolutely loved all the symbols and how he depicted all of the things that supposedly define civilization. Another work that struck me was La Lauriate oil painting by Basile Le
Muenier 1852. The entire painting is blue-toned, the buildings, the people, trees, everything. I’m not entirely sure what the painting depicts, but it has a very somber feeling to it. The subjects of the work are women and children. They are all leaving a building in a big line. Some of them are happy, some are sad, but all are dressed in dark colors. One of the women is so white and ash-faced she looks like a ghost. Again, I’m not sure what this painting means; but it is very striking.
Horne Fine Art
This gallery is owned by Karen Horne and her husband. Not surprisingly, the focus of this gallery is art by
Karen Horne and her mother Phyllis Horne. There are a few other local artists featured here as well.
This gallery is set up like a typical or traditional gallery, white walls, very sparsely decorated. The focus is purely on the art. This one is very different from Anthony’s Fine Art and Antiques; it is open and light and not at all claustrophobic. Most of Karen’s and Phyllis’ works are displayed on the walls that make up the perimeter of the building. The other artists’ works are in the center. This gallery is a very relaxed environment; there is jazz music playing. I think it is designed to make people comfortable and feel at ease.
There are many landscapes displayed here; many of them are by Phyllis Horne. All of her works are oil paintings. She has done mountain scenes, fall trees, winter scenes, and many different paintings of flowers. I really liked her Star of the Show; her use of color is masterful. The flower, an iris, in this painting really comes to life. Another landscape featured was Stream in West Hoytsville oil painting by
Ken Baxter. It looks inspired by the Post-Impressionists, especially Van Gogh. His brushwork is very loose and he uses extremely thick globs of paint. This painting was also done En Plein Air, which was also done by the Impressionists and the Post-Impressionists. As I mentioned before, I love the fact that these artists from the past are still able to inspire great works of art.

This gallery provided the most information about the artists and their works. Since the owner of the gallery is one of the artists featured, this makes sense. There are papers you can take that tell you about the artists and their works. Also, if you wanted to find out more, you could contact the owner.
Karen Horne does many cityscapes featuring people; many of them are café scenes. She also seems inspired by the Impressionists. She doesn’t seem to use black and she uses loose brushstrokes as well.
Her Big Band oil on linen, reminds me of Degas’ work. You aren’t in the audience; you are in with the band. I also really liked Twilight in San Fran oil on linen. She uses very loose brushstrokes and vibrant colors. There are a lot of purples, greens, and yellows. Her Carriage on West Temple is most definitely inspired by Van Gogh. This painting has very loose brushwork, thick strokes, and the light from the streetlamps swirls in yellows, oranges, and reds. It reminded me of his stars in Starry Night. She also creates shadows with complementary colors like the Impressionists did. She is a master of color; her paintings come to life they seem to jump off the page. Her works are vibrant, fun, and aesthetically pleasing.
The artwork from these galleries dates from the 16 th century to the present. This span of time corresponds with what we’ve been discussing in class. I was able to recognize what period the works were from or what movements the artists were inspired by. Most of the works could be classified into the periods or movements we have learned about. I was able to get more out of this experience because
I could look at the works and recognize characteristics present that I might not have noticed before. I really enjoyed being able to understand more about the works. Whether it was picking out the symbols in a painting, or understanding the significance of color and brushwork; this experience is a lot more fulfilling when you understand more of what the art is about.
I thoroughly enjoyed this experience. I wasn’t aware that there were so many galleries in the area; I was pleasantly surprised. I absolutely love going to galleries and I wasn’t disappointed with these ones. I didn’t know there were so many great works here. If I hadn’t done had the opportunity to do this assignment, I don’t think I would have discovered them. I would definitely recommend this kind of event to someone. Any opportunity to spread the knowledge and appreciation of art should be taken. I would absolutely do this again, in fact I mean to. There are a plethora of galleries I have yet to see.
It is important for art history students to go to galleries so we can put what we have learned into practice. If we don’t use the knowledge we have gained, it’s pretty useless.