Yesterday while at work I took a walk up the grandstaircase to view Henry Ossawa Tanner: Modern Spirit. The exhibition just opened this weekend and will be on view until September 9. Before viewing the collection of works, I had only seen a few of Tanner's paintings in art history books, such as The Resurrection of Lazurus. I always admired that painting but I must say, the photos do not do it justice.
While walking in to the gallery space, I began viewing his paintings one-by-one. The first piece that caught my eye was of a lion. One of the security guards and I both commented on how life-like the lion was. I then made a turn into more gallery space to view even more pieces. I was utterly amazed by the amount of works. It was like I was walking through a maze of a never-ending story of Tanner's history as an artist.
The religious paintings awe-struck me the most. I enjoyed seeing the contrast between the warm and cool pieces. To see The Resurrection of Lazarus in person was incredible. The Annunciation also seemed to glow brillantly on the canvas. It seemed as if I was almost standing in the room with Mary herself, silenced by the angel's presence in the room. Other pieces painted with cooler blues depicted Biblical scenes such as the fisherman, the three Marys, and Mary with Jesus as a child.
As I viewed Tanner's work, walked from gallery to gallery, I realized how little I knew about this artist and how much I really enjoy his work. I always find it exciting to learn more about a particular artist and be able to see his/her work in person. I would love to take a few more trips to the gallery and read more about Tanner's history. Do not think one quick 15 minute trip will be enough! I would definitely encourage you to come by sometime this summer to see this large exhibition organized by the Pennsylvania Acadamy of Fine Arts.
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