William Glackens, Portsmouth Harbor, New Hampshire (1909)
A week ago, my friend, Josephine, and I went to visit the Minnesota Marine Art Museum on the recommendation of my cousins, Jere and Cherie (see Jacques Art Center, Aitkin, MN). We’d heard there were French Impressionists there, but there was so much more. Besides a representative painting of just about every French Impressionist, there is large room of Hudson River School and Luminist paintings, which were my favorites, as well as Fauve and Post-Impressionistist and paintings of modern marine art masters. The great majority of the paintings have some connection with water or the sea. I’ve included below just a sampling of what may be seen there. I couldn’t get images of many of my favorites, and of course, so small a format as a blog often does no justice to large paintings. I highly recommend it. It’s worth the drive!
Thomas Moran, Near Southhampton (1891)
William Bishop, The Battle of Trafalgar, 21st October 1805
In addition to this dramatic, large painting of the Battle of Trafalgar, the Museum Collection contains a long, long letter from Nelson to Lady Hamilton (see my Blog from February 7, 2013), and his onboard, shaving table, a very cunning piece of furniture with compartments for all his personal care items. Pretty cool!
William Trost Richards, Conanicut Island, Rhode Island (1885)
Jack Gray, Schooner Bluenose (1959)
Eugene Boudin, Villerville, Rivage Maree Montante Octobre (1893)
Camille Pissarro, Le Quai du Ponthuis, Pointoise (1876)
Pierre-August Renoir, La Fete du Pan (1879)
Jack Gray, East Ironbound Winter (1961)
Camille Pissarro, Le Louvre, Apres-Midi (1902)
Alfred Sisley, Le Coup de Vent, Matin de Mai (1890)
Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot, Brume Matinale au Marais (1871)
Paul Signac, Les Andelys, L’ile a Lucas (1886)
After the Museum, we had a bite to eat at the Blue Heron Coffee House, 162 W 2nd St, Winona. Just what we needed before we got back on the road home. It’s open until 6:00. We’d dined out the previous evening in Eau Claire, after visiting the best antique store I’ve been to so far between Wisconsin and Minnesota, the Antique Emporium at 306 Main. It is distinguished by being not only large, but being filled with objets d’art. Everything has been collected by the owner, so although there’s a great selection, all the contents have a consistent quality. Josie and I had dinner at the Bijou Bistro entirely to ourselves, since there was a blizzard in progress outside. Everyone else just went home. It’s at 2629 E. Clairemont Ave, Eau Claire. We both had tenderloins with a mushroom sauce over garlic potatoes and asparagus. It was divine! I will now plan on having dinner in Eau Claire when I’m on the way to Minneapolis or Aitkin.
Flourless Chocolate Cake, Bijou Bistro