Ringling Museum - Sarasota
 

The Ringling museum is located on the bay here in Sarasota. It was built by John and Mable Ringling of the circus folk fame. Sarasota was the winter home of the Ringling circus. Mr. Ringling left quite a mark on this city.

This first photo is from the bay looking back through the courtyard to the museum. The next is looking from the back porch west toward Sarasota bay.

Most of the paintings in the museum, with some exceptions, are Italian. This one in particular really got my attention. It's an 8' x 5' pastel on parchment paper under glass of Marie Antoinette by Elizabeth Louis Vigee Le Brun.

This last one, located on the front grounds of the museum, seems perfectly reasonable to me. If your woman is not living up to your expectations, you just take all her clothes off, strap her to the back of a bull, and run her around the property. After a few laps you could ask if she would like to reevaluate. I suppose this would work just as well if you were having trouble with your bull.

Well, they didn't show in the sequence I expected but I think you can figure it out.

Broad scope
 

I can also report that I have seen the paintings of our members on the walls of galleries here in Sarasota.

Bill Whitaker - I can report that your painting "Cove" 30x40 looks great, and is prominently displayed at the Galleria Silecchia.

Michele Rushworth - Also displaying her artwork way out of her zip code at the Saraphina gallery at Towles Court.

And a few more images of the paintings within the Ringling museum.

#1 Diego Velazquez, #2 Giovanni Pellegrini, #3 Jean Raoux, #4 Rosa Bonheur

Thanks for posting these Mike - I love seeing gallery shots.

Hope you are enjoying and settling in to your new surroundings!

It was interesting to see that Velazquez painting of King Philip of Spain. A head and shoulders of that same pose is currently on display in the Seattle Art Museum.

Velazquez painted a great many portraits of King Philip, all of which have virtually the same face and lighting. Apparently the one now hanging in Seattle is the only one the king actually sat for.

Velazquez kept the head and shoulders portrait which he did from life in his own studio and used it as reference for all the other King Philip portraits he painted later, including the one now in Sarasota.

Guess that's one way to get things done, in the era way before Nikon D70's!

Frankly, my impression of that painting was WOW, except for the head, which seemed like it belonged somewhere else. Not unlike Marie Antoinette, who's head actually ended up somewhere else.

After reading your explanation, I can more understand my reaction.

Here are a few more images, I don't recall the author of the last image.

Mike, isn't the last word in this sentence supposed to be 'man'?

That's a wonderful museum. I like the wall colors, too.

I'm happy that you've moved to such a beautiful spot, despite all the hurricane action.

Each being full of the other, neither would stand for it.

Wm. S.
LIX

1. If there be nothing new, but that which is
2. Hath been before, how are our brains beguil'd,
3. Which labouring for invention bear amiss
4. The second burthen of a former child.
5. Oh that record could with a backward look,
6. Even of five hundred courses of the sun,
7. Show me your image in some antique book,
8. Since mind at first in character was done,
9. That I might see what the old world could say
10. To this composed wonder of your frame;
11. Whether we are mended, or where better they,
12. Or whether revolution be the same.
13. Oh sure I am the wits of former days,
14. To subjects worse have given admiring praise.

Fond Memories
 

Hi Mike -

I went to school at Ringling School of Art years ago, and used to ride my bike down to look at the paintings.

They have recently renovated, put new frames on some paintings and redone wall colors so the works really shine now.

Thanks for sharing what is a gem of a museum.

Anybody visiting Florida should really check out both this museum and the Appleton in Ocala Florida (north part of state).

Julie,

It is a fine museum and would be worth the visit if it had no paintings at all.

When I first arrived I stayed in a motel a couple of blocks from the Ringling school of art. I took some time and walked through the campus and it seems to be flourishing today, many students scurrying around with portfolios under their arms. I asked at the registrars office if they had a course on portraiture, and they said that it was only part of a much broader curriculum. I did, however, see several examples of quality portraiture posted on the wall.

I've noticed in the local paper recently that the Sarasota high school, a historic building, will be renovated under the auspices of the Ringling foundation, and turned into a museum for modern art.

I caught these statues gathering in the back, trying to unionize no doubt (as you can see, I'm running out of images).