Working sculptor

backyard 1

2010-05-01T07:53:00.001-04:00

backyard 1
Originally uploaded by Charles Hankin.

Happy May Day

UPDATE BELOW: How Google Is Killing An Arts Site (A Twist On "Too Big To Fail") - ARTicles

2010-04-30T21:12:00.000-04:00

UPDATE BELOW: How Google Is Killing An Arts Site (A Twist On "Too Big To Fail") - ARTicles

highlands-light

2009-09-05T08:16:00.001-04:00

highlands-light
Originally uploaded by Charles Hankin.

Painting made by me on my cape vacation.

judy at the beach 2009

2009-07-31T01:15:00.001-04:00

judy at the beach 2009
Originally uploaded by Charles Hankin.

A day of fun and sun.

NEAlogosome

2009-03-19T13:16:00.001-04:00

NEAlogosome
Originally uploaded by Charles Hankin.

Visual artists are discriminated against by congress. This should be the logo.

lionsample

2009-02-20T13:33:00.001-05:00

lionsample
Originally uploaded by Charles Hankin.

A sample for a workshop.

claysample3a

2009-02-05T11:02:00.001-05:00

claysample3a
Originally uploaded by Charles Hankin.

Lamb for workshop.

claysample2

2009-02-05T08:57:00.001-05:00

claysample2
Originally uploaded by Charles Hankin.

I'll be teaching a workshop later this month.

Andrew Wyeth

2009-01-16T09:22:00.000-05:00

Andrew Wyeth, Painter, Dies at 91

Just reported in the Times

A very sad loss for the art world.

Ben Franklin

2009-01-16T09:00:00.003-05:00

Sculpture "Ben Receiving" ©Charles Hankin

Happy New Year

2008-12-31T14:02:00.000-05:00

I pray that the new year is better then the last. Make art not war.

artblog reports on Art Matters

2008-12-08T17:31:00.001-05:00

Art does Matter - artblog
Art Matters, the Philadelphia regional visual art newspaper has been shut down according to Artblog.

Ed O'Brien

2008-11-22T01:27:00.002-05:00

Ed O'Brian
Originally uploaded by Charles Hankin.

I sculpt portraits in clay and then cast them in plaster.

Betzwood Park

2008-10-30T16:56:00.001-04:00

Betzwood Park
Originally uploaded by Charles Hankin.

cape2

2008-10-23T01:13:00.001-04:00

cape2
Originally uploaded by Charles Hankin.

Oil study from Cape Cod vacation 2008.

cape1

2008-10-23T01:11:00.001-04:00

cape1
Originally uploaded by Charles Hankin.

Oil study from Cape Cod vacation 2008.

Hankin- Hicks Peaceable Kingdom

2008-08-04T11:14:00.004-04:00

In yesterdays Inqy I was mentioned concerning a sculpture, by Tom Otterness, proposed for Philadelphia based on the Peaceable Kingdom paintings of Edward Hicks. Some might ask how a Hankin is related to the Hicks of note. My fathers family were humble English immigrants who came here in the 1860's. My grandfather was a Deacon of his Presbyterian Church and worked as a machinist. My dad was an Army officer trained as an instrument maker. My upbringing was in a Quaker household that loved the arts. Edward Hicks was and is seen as an important spiritual leader of my faith.

Hillary Clinton

2008-04-21T06:06:00.001-04:00

I support Hillary for President!

American Painters: With Eighty-three Examples of Their Work Engraved on Wood By George William Sheldon

2007-12-10T09:10:00.001-05:00

American Painters: With Eighty-three Examples of Their Work Engraved on Wood By George William Sheldon: ""

Book of the Artists: American Artist Life, Comprising Biographical and ... By Henry Theodore Tuckerman

2007-12-10T09:08:00.000-05:00

Book of the Artists: American Artist Life, Comprising Biographical and ... By Henry Theodore Tuckerman: ""

Book of the Artists: American Artist Life, Comprising Biographical and ... By Henry Theodore Tuckerman

2007-12-10T09:06:00.000-05:00

Book of the Artists: American Artist Life, Comprising Biographical and ... By Henry Theodore Tuckerman: ""

Thomas Crawford: His Career, Character, and Works By Thomas Hicks

2007-12-10T08:35:00.000-05:00

Thomas Crawford: His Career, Character, and Works By Thomas Hicks: "

Annals of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania: Being a Collection of Memoirs ... By John Fanning Watson

2007-12-09T21:14:00.000-05:00

Annals of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania: Being a Collection of Memoirs ... By John Fanning Watson: "

foulkways-exhibit

2007-09-06T00:46:00.001-04:00

foulkways-exhibit
Originally uploaded by Charles Hankin.

I am having an exhibit of landscapes at Foulkeways in Gwynedd, PA during the month of September.

peacevalley2

2007-08-16T20:20:00.001-04:00

peacevalley2
Originally uploaded by Charles Hankin.

peacevalley

2007-08-12T08:16:00.001-04:00

peacevalley
Originally uploaded by Charles Hankin.

Lake view

farm view

2007-07-19T16:20:00.001-04:00

farm view
Originally uploaded by Charles Hankin.

small painting.

Jack in pulpit

2007-05-24T14:05:00.001-04:00

Jack in pulpit
Originally uploaded by Charles Hankin.

This is a study of a plant.

Third anniversary

2007-05-22T10:02:00.000-04:00

Today it has been three years. Life has changed little. Happy third anniversary.

Back from computer hell

2007-04-12T07:47:00.000-04:00

I have returned to the modern world after two months of working on an old Mac with OS 9 and Netscape. The blogger world demands a modern browser and it is hard to post without one. Much has happened in the past months. I've worked on some carpentry projects and have seen some good movies. Yesterday they announced the sale of a second Eakins portrait from Jefferson and I have no reaction. Perhaps this is because of the absurd way Eakins is being used after the sale of the Gross Clinic. They are even looking for an Eakins actor to bring him to life.

My goal is to raise capital to fund some new sculpture. If anyone would like to help me I sure would like the opportunity to hire some models and rent some studio space.

Car Show and Garber Exhibit

2007-02-13T13:14:00.001-05:00

I went to see the Philly car show and the Garber
exhibit yesterday.

The car show was huge with many expensive cars none
less that $15000.00 and the most valued at over
$350,000.00. The admission was $10.00 and the hall was
packed with dreamers and buyers. The approximate
value of the cars in the whole show is $31,500,000.00
just under half of the value of The Gross Clinic. Most
of the cars will be in the junk yards in 30 years and
will be melted down to make something else. All that
energy will be lost, even those hybrids that seem like
a good idea. It would be interesting to compare the
attendance figures from the car show and the
forthcoming Tut show. If 300,000 paid to see the car
show at $10.00 per head =$3,000,000 and 100,000 pay
$32.50 to see the Tut show $3,250,000. What is wrong
with the art world that seems to have a hard time
attracting the same interest in painting.

The Garber exhibit is excellent and just as rewarding
as the car show. What is lacking is the personal
connection that is felt with the American car.

Eakins Cello Player

2007-02-08T06:53:00.000-05:00

What a sour note was played by PAFA when they sold the "Cello Player".
Where were all those who expressed the great loss of "The Gross Clinic"
I went to the thank you party at PMA and the speakers never revealed the
amount needed to finish the fundraising or the prospect that such a fine
painting would be sold.

Rendell PMA Eakins Event

2007-01-22T00:52:00.001-05:00

rendelpmaeakins
Originally uploaded by Charles Hankin.

Govenor Rendel at the PMA Eakins gathering. The Eagles are not the only game in town.

Gross Clinic Thank You

2007-01-21T15:19:00.000-05:00

Last night I attended the thank you celeberation at PMA the host for
this event. There must have been over 1500 contributers in attendance.
Both PAFA and PMA offered their apperation for those large and small who
made it possable to have this painting stay home.

Peaceable Kingdom - Edward Hicks

2007-01-20T00:20:00.000-05:00

Figure 1991

2007-01-14T22:59:00.001-05:00

Figure 1991
Originally uploaded by Charles Hankin.

One of my goals for this year is to do more painting.

Thomas Eakins, The Gross Clinic on View

2007-01-05T06:50:00.000-05:00

Thomas Eakins painting will be on exhibit at PMA tonight. The Fund to save the painting still needs help. Please join the effort to fund the purchase by going to this link on the PMA web site.

The story can be read in the Inky.

Happy New Year

2007-01-01T07:46:00.000-05:00

My one wish is for PEACE this year.

Eakins, The Gross Clinic- Needs Post Op Care

2006-12-24T08:42:00.000-05:00

The Gross Clinic has been saved from the table but there is some more care that needs to be given. The fund is only partially raised and more donations will be needed to end this operation. In today's Inky there is great reporting by Stephan Salisbury, Inquirer Culture Writer who has held the spotlight on the effort to save The Gross Clinic. He and Edward J. Sozanski, Inquirer Art Critic should get a prize for their coverage of this story. I would know very little about what happened if this story hadn't been covered with such depth.

Sylvester Stallone, made a Philly comeback story that many would dismiss as pugilistic junk. The Rocky fight shares the same virtue as the fight to keep The Gross Clinic. Art comes in all forms.

The Keep Eakins Fund still needs help so please give what you can.

Merry Christmas, there really is a Santa!

Philly KO'd the Princess of Cheap

2006-12-22T14:09:00.000-05:00

I was reading this Attyood blog on philly.com and it occurred to me that there are many who will never get art. Wal-Mart imports most of it goods from China. If these were made here perhaps there would be less poverty and problems for the city to worry about. The truth is that we have a need for more and better jobs. The debate should be about how high we can bring ourselves not how we can cut up the pie. The French got rid of Marie Antoinette because of her excesses. Why blame the 2000+ who gave to the Eakins fund? They likely give to other causes as well. Where are the millions who go to football games, rock concerts and movies making the rest of the entertainment companies wealthy. Why don't they help the poor. The Eakins painting should be around for five hundred years or more if we take care of it. $68,000,000.00 /500= $13,600 per year, looks like a good investment to me.

Theres Nothing Gross About That

2006-12-22T01:48:00.000-05:00

Great News

Welcome to Phillyville: We Win!!!

2006-12-22T01:44:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Phillyville: We Win!!!

Saved- The Gross Clinic by Thomas Eakins

2006-12-21T15:59:00.000-05:00

Thank you! News from the Inky. PMA press release.

I would add thanks to those artists who stood on the streets and made visible the concern for this painting. Let the wealthy institutions remember that ten dollars from an artist who makes under $18,000 annually is as big a gift as millions from a large foundation.

Eakins Fund- looking to the future

2006-12-19T06:52:00.000-05:00

In today's Inky the discussion turns to the means of protecting the future sale of important art.

"So if money talks in the art world and if historic designation is a cumbersome and possibly inappropriate safeguard, what protection would an art emergency fund provide? Those contributing to the local effort to buy The Gross Clinic will be given the option, if the effort fails, of having their money added to an emergency fund. (Or they can have it returned.)" by Stephan Salisbury.

My solution would borrow from the efforts to protect open space from development. I would buy the first right of sale for any art work that might be sold in the future with the terms of having the appropriate time to raise funds for such a purchase. All important art will continue to increase in value and if the trend continues some art may cost hundreds of millions in the next ten years.

Non Profits have laws of governance that are controlled by the State and are different than private individuals. Their directors must meet the interests of their mission as well as the public trust granted them as a tax exempt organization. Schools such as Jefferson receive charitable contributions that allow them to raise funds from many sources. Those contributors get tax breaks on those gifts. The public does have an interest in what is under their stewardship.

Each State should create a fund to protect it's cultural heritage. This could include an increase in the funds for purchase of art directly as well as a cultural patrimony rights act that would stop the sudden raiding of art from vulnerable institutions. Valuable art should be treated with the same controls as financial paper (stocks and bonds).

Mary 1951-1984

2006-12-18T15:47:00.000-05:00

Mary was an artist. We met while students at PCA. She was an illustration major and I was a sculptor. She was from Southwest Philly and had graduated from West Catholic Girls High School with a Mayors' scholarship to attend art school. She was very talented and worked hard to become successful as an artist. Her work post school included, Art Director at North American Publishing for three monthly magazines, Printing Impressions and two others. She was the Art Director for Met-Pro Corp. where she won a Gold Medal from The Art Directors Club for one of her ad campaigns. She had many dreams and yet her life ended today twenty- two years ago. I still miss her deeply.

Thomas Eakins- Charles Haseltine

2006-12-17T15:20:00.000-05:00

The earlier works of Eakins were exhibited by Charles Haseltine painted by Eakins and interred in the same place.

Dear Santa- Save The Gross Clinic

2006-12-17T08:57:00.000-05:00

In a recent comment on WHYY's blog, The Sixth Square , the question is asked "where are we on the fundraising?", with the implied hope that the art museums are getting close to their goal. I hope that the PMA, PAFA and the others joined in this effort are overwhelmed with contributions and are spending all their time opening letters and talking to those who are major supporters.

My letter to Santa.

Dear Santa,

Please don't give me any more things that I don't need. I have many things that clutter my life that go unused. There are more needy than I and toys don't thrill me like when I was a child. Time to make art is all I really need with a bunch of clay and some drawing paper. Rather then give me stuff, give peace to the world. Give hope to those who have none. Make children's lives joyful with no need to kill.
If you have a little left over please give the Philadelphia region "The Gross Clinic" by Thomas Eakins.

To my friends and relatives: Please give a donation to PMA rather then something to me.

Thomas Eakins Grave

2006-12-15T19:33:00.000-05:00

It is Friday night and I have nothing to do. Guess where Thomas Eakins is buried and who else is in the same cemetery.

Eakins Agnew Clinic Composition

2006-12-15T09:32:00.001-05:00

eakinsagnewcomp
Originally uploaded by Charles Hankin.

The Agnew Clinic by Thomas Eakins is really two paintings in one. The operation can be seen as the primary subject, with all the light while the student body is separate. The painting was commissioned by Dr. Agnews students whom appear in the background. They are portraits with individual gestures and expressions. Eakins saved a space for himself as an observer. The ellipse of the operating well defines the space of the painting with the breast at the center. Unlike The Gross Clinic the patient's face is visible to the viewer. All the rest of the figures radiate around this point. The change in operating procedures is apparent with the dress of the physicians. The background is relatively flat almost modern in today's art aesthetic.

In the WHYY blog, The Sixth Square, there is a discussion of the Eakins meaning to Philadelphia.

Eakins National News- NPR & NY Times

2006-12-15T06:26:00.000-05:00

In the NY Times there is a story that tries to present the story of the sale of "The Gross Clinic" by Eakins. What is missing is the voice of the artists who have spoken out against the sale. I guess that artists don't matter to Ms. Vogel.

The same can be said about the NPR reports found here.

This says everything about how art is viewed in America when artists voices are shut out of the discussion. It is no wonder that people are surprised by the reaction to the sale. In the Times story Ms. Vogel quotes Mr. Goldsmith:

“I’m happy to see people passionate about something,” said Phil Goldsmith, a former chief financial officer for the City of Philadelphia. “But this takes me by surprise. I’m passionate about the increasing homicide rate in the city and the number of homeless people I see on the streets, but it never entered my mind that ‘The Gross Clinic’ is so important.”

Perhaps if Mr. Goldsmith talked to artists he would understand the interest in Eakins and their passion for the painting.

The PMA and PAFA have done a great service in leading the effort to keep the painting in Philadelphia. I think it would be interesting to report about what artists who have a kinship with Eakins think. Of course many in the art world wish realism had died with Thomas Eakins. What would have Thomas Eakins said about the sale of his painting? He was not against selling his art. Would he have preferred a museum or wealthy collector buy it? Was the sale to Jefferson alumni his dream? What seems clear is that he painted the next paint- every day.

Thomas Eakins Sculptor

2006-12-14T13:03:00.000-05:00

Thomas Eakins was also a very good sculptor. I like this relief along with his many others.

Save The Gross Clinic- Thomas Eakins

2006-12-13T06:29:00.000-05:00

I have little more to say except please help. The PMA web site has the ten reasons to save the painting and how to give.

What is the moral worth of a $68 million painting?

2006-12-11T23:22:00.000-05:00

There have been a few who in the past weeks questioned the moral value of spending $68 million dollars on "The Gross Clinic" by Thomas Eakins. This is a mute point because it was the original parties who arrived at the value.

Many would agree that helping the poor is very important. Catherine Drexel used her fortune to help the Native Americans and the poor. Alice Walton chose to spend her wealth on creating an art museum while Bill Gates funds health care. Those with wealth find those charities that they care to help. I have heard no call for the churches to give up their art collections to help the poor. Art can be a source of spiritual healing. "The Gross Clinic" inspires and gives hope.

If there is a concern for improving health care and ending poverty in America then raise the minimum wage to $17.50 per hour.

Artists working to save the Gross Clinic

2006-12-10T07:53:00.000-05:00

Stephen Salisbury in the Inky reports today:

"Local artists plan to gather today from 11 a.m. to noon at the foot of the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps to sell buttons and pass out information in an effort to keep Thomas Eakins' painting The Gross Clinic in Philadelphia.

Thomas Jefferson University announced the sale of the Eakins masterpiece Nov. 10 to a partnership of out-of-town museums. Proceeds of the $68 million sale will go toward fulfilling the university's strategic plan.

The university gave local institutions until Dec. 26 to match the price and keep the painting in the city.

The artists will sell blue "Keep 'Gross' in Philadelphia" buttons for $2."

NY vs Philly- Hicks vs Eakins

2006-12-07T11:07:00.000-05:00

In today's NY Times there is a story about the conservation of the portraits in the NY City Hall. What struck me is the contrast between the way art is treated in the two cities. In NY they find ways to celebrate their cultural heritage while in Philly it seems like an afterthought. NY has an active Art Commission while Philly closed the Office of Art and Culture. Both have art painted by leading 19th. Century painters.

Thomas Hicks worked in NY before Thomas Eakins worked in Philly. They both studied at PAFA, traveled to Europe to study painting and painted portraits of famous people of their day. Thomas Hicks is almost lost to the history of art in America, eclipsed in fame by his now famous older cousin Edward Hicks. Thomas Eakins is regarded as one of the finest portrait painters of all time in Philadelphia. Style and taste change in our culture. What was important yesterday will be set aside tomorrow.

While there are many artists in the past there will always be new artists to define the current culture. Art is not frozen in time.

Eakins, Barnes and Dewey- Art for the People

2006-12-06T06:09:00.000-05:00

Yesterday in the Inky There was a short article about the Wilson High School art collection. It seems that the principal Charles Dudley was an art collector. The school acquired the paintings for the purpose of including art in the children's lives. The Inky also reports that the art that was removed from all the Philadelphia schools should be rehung for all to see. Money seems to be the issue. Some want the art sold to help pay the shortfall. The conflict seems to be that the school board doesn't want to raise taxes and fund art or even keep art in the schools. Even the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program works with students and prisoners.

What a contrast to the current policy of excluding art from children's education. Is it no wonder that the Trustees of Jefferson felt no value in keeping The Gross Clinic for it's students.

It would seem that there is a movement in America to remove art from daily life and only have it in museums and wealthy collections. This is far from the Barnes and Dewey model of having a cultured public.

Inky Eakins- The Shock of the Price

2006-12-03T06:55:00.000-05:00

Today Stephan Salisbury reports in the Inky that there might be a strain on local fundraising for Philadelphia non profits.

I see this cultural tidal wave to be an opportunity for the arts leadership to see the Philadelphia region as a center for creativity. The demand has brought together a common goal that should help to focus on the needs of all who work to promote the arts here.

The reason the painting sale happened started with a desperate attempt to kick start a fundraising campaign. Do those who are tasked with finding the resources for large projects have any idea what the local interests are? Are they solely focused on the goal at any means?

This time of year I receive many requests for donations. The development databases are running on overtime. I can tell that they are created by computers because they are ignorant of my current circumstances. It is almost like they have created an identity for me that has some mythic nature. They have taken my name and assume that I am wealthy.

I digress, is the fundraising sector, dependent on databases, as flawed as the intelligence created to fight the war?

The sale of The Gross Clinic is a symptom of a disease that spreads through our society. We don't know who we are or what we care about. I went to see the movie Babel last night (movies are my only entertainment these days) and the theme of cultural difference struck me as important. The cultural divide between those who work everyday to make art and those who have the wealth to acquire art is very wide.

Eakins Fundraiser

2006-12-01T15:32:00.000-05:00

Thanks to a post on Artblog I had an idea:

How about an eBay charity auction as a fundraiser for the Eakins painting? I would donate a drawing. This would take lots of work but it might give artists who have little to give a chance to help.

Thomas Eakins "The Gross Clinic" Realism

2006-11-30T23:46:00.000-05:00

Realism was the prime reason for Thomas Eakins painting. He was a man of his time. Much is made of the conflicts that he faced. They all stem from the shock of the new ideas that were developing in his lifetime.

The following from WSU web site helps to put this into context.

Realism in American Literature, 1860-1890

"Broadly defined as "the faithful representation of reality" or "verisimilitude," realism is a literary technique practiced by many schools of writing. Although strictly speaking, realism is a technique, it also denotes a particular kind of subject matter, especially the representation of middle-class life. A reaction against romanticism, an interest in scientific method, the systematizing of the study of documentary history, and the influence of rational philosophy all affected the rise of realism."

Thomas Eakins was to painting what the realist authors were to writing.

The reason I respect his art and feel strongly about keeping "The Gross Clinic" in Philadelphia is that the truth of the painting holds high the values that I have. The same values that many Philadelphia realists share today.

How to Give
The public can help by giving to the Fund for Eakins’ Masterpiece, established to raise the money to match the sale price of $68 million. Make a tax deductible contribution online at www.philamuseum.org/keepeakins, or mail a check made payable to Fund for Eakins’ Masterpiece and send it to Fund for Eakins’ Masterpiece, c/o Philadelphia Museum of Art, P.O. Box 7646, Philadelphia, PA 19130-7646. The Fund for Eakins’ Masterpiece HOTLINE is reachable by calling 215-684-7762.

The Gross Clinic - In Intensive Care

2006-11-30T05:13:00.000-05:00

Today Stephan Salisbury reports in the Inky that the fund to save the Gross Clinic is about one third toward its goal of $68 million dollars. This gives me hope that the world cares about art. Every day there are humans like myself who work to be creative. The painting by Thomas Eakins is a symbol of that creativity. Sports, science, and the other arts have their heroes. It is clear that those who love visual arts see Thomas Eakins as one of our heroes. His masterwork is The Gross Clinic!

WHYY Frames Eakins Conversation

2006-11-26T07:45:00.000-05:00

WHYY Frames Eakins Conversation. Panel on the "Gross Clinic" controversy, moderated by WHYY's Tracey Matisak. WHYY Independence Foundation Civic Space, 150 N 6th St. 6 p.m. Tue. Reservations required at WHYY or 215-351-0511.

Eakins Teaching Legacy- Anthony Visco

2006-11-25T10:32:00.001-05:00

We all feel the hurt that this sale gives. The art world has suffered from a lack of respect and understanding.

Posted in: Adventures of Phoebe the Cat and Friends

"Presidents And CEO’s Are Allowed To Have Bad Ideas Too" by Anthony Visco

"I can only say that after 20 years of teaching human anatomy to artists in the same rooms as Eakins, after lecturing to incoming med students about the relationship between art and medicine, Mr. H sadly does not know the Sisterhood of these two. with this in mind, I am truly concerned for the students at Jefferson that regardless of the possession of the Eakins, may be losing that all too important link between art and science.....

As we all know too well, presidents and CEO's can have bad ideas too. Selling off priceless collections of art, tearing down architectural wonders that can never be replaced, rare out of print books thrown in dumpsters; we all have experienced these and more and are well tired of it.

Anthony Visco
November 22, 2006"

Non Profit Ethics: Jefferson and The Gross Clinic

2006-11-25T07:54:00.000-05:00

The Where Most Needed blog has an interesting look at the financial reports of the non profits related to the sale of the Eakins painting.

Millions were spent yesterday on gifts. The sales tax alone must be impressive. How much did Wal-Mart make in one day?

I spent $0.00 because I have nothing. I'm in debt and have many past due bills. It is insane for me to care about a painting being sold for $68 million when I have $68.00 in my bank account. My gifts will be hand made this year. I've been working part time in a foundry the last few months. The pay is not going to make me well off but it is more interesting than working for Wal-Mart.

My hope for a good outcome regarding The Gross Clinic discussion is that people realize what a bargain most art is. My sculptures can be purchased for a few thousands of dollars. The problem is that no one wants them. I have no health insurance and only hope that if and when I get sick someone will help me.

If you don't like Wal-Mart, try to find a living artist whose work you like and support them.

You can see some of my art at my website, Hankin Studio

Rx- Save The Gross Clinic

2006-11-22T10:27:00.000-05:00

How to save the Gross Clinic from certain death?

During the past week Thomas Eakins painting, “The Gross Clinic" has been on life support. The cause of this sudden illness is the loss of heart by those who have cared for the heroic painting of Dr. Gross for the past one hundred and twenty seven years. The diagnosis is poor and yet there is hope that the cultural icon which has been identified as one of the most important paintings created by an American, can spend a long life in peace residing in it’s hometown.

There is no doubt that everyone agrees as to the importance of this seminal work of art. The meaning of the painting is clear, knowledge and science will provide humankind with medical relief from the pain and suffering of disease. The same virtues that compelled Thomas Eakins to create the vision of Dr. Gross still exist today.

Philadelphia and the State of Pennsylvania are still the leaders of medical and bio technology. Bio 2005 brought to the city thousands of innovators who still advance the future of science. The Gross Clinic depicts a true hall of famer for the medical profession.

Who then should step up to the plate to revive this treasure? What terrific good will and commitment to the cultural life of the Philadelphia region would be achieved by those companies that work to save lives every day. The Doctors, Health Insurance, Pharmaceutical and Health Care sector would benefit greatly by the positive image of keeping this treasure home.

Dr. Gross and Mr. Eakins intended that the painting be representative of the greatness of medicine. The Gross Clinic celebrates the man but it also celebrates the lesson of knowledge. Dr. Gross is the central figure but it is the surgery that is the primary focus of the composition. Dr. Gross as represented by Thomas Eakins is teaching the world a lesson. Medicine and surgery were changing as were the artistic principals of the time. Doctors were discovering the methods to treat illness with better tools that would do less harm. Artists were looking at the natural world with eyes focused on the reality of what they could learn. Dr. Gross and Mr. Eakins wanted to be free from the past limits of their arts.

Great publicity will be achieved by those who protect and hold The Gross Clinic up for adulation for all to view in its home town. This is an opportunity that will only come upon the medical community rarely, to give life to its own Icon. Dr. Gross was the leader of his time. Who will lead the effort to save his image?

ecorche NYAA

2006-11-21T11:57:00.001-05:00

ecrochebw
Originally uploaded by Charles Hankin.

In graduate school I studied anatomy. Realism is based on the knowledge of actual forms of the figure. Eakins was a master of form and represents that knowledge in The Gross Clinic. I made this ecorche to learn the structure of the human anatomy.

Thomas Eakins "The Gross Clinic" Gives Hope

2006-11-21T09:25:00.000-05:00

The letter in the Inky today gives me hope that there are people in the region who understand the connection between art and human well being. Both Dr. Gross and Mr. Eakins knew that life was important and that the knowledge gained by study could lift up humans. I hope that more of the people who have made their wealth on this early testament to health care will see the way to give to keep The Gross Clinic in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia based pharmaceutical and health insurance corporations would create important good will by opening their pockets and giving to the fund to save the painting.

On a personal note I am named for my great uncle, Dr. Charles Schwartz, who was the chief of surgery at a hospital in Germantown PA , where I was born.

Copy of a letter in the inky today:

" 'Gross Clinic' benefit to city: Priceless

The Philadelphia Academy of Surgery, founded by Samuel D. Gross in 1879 and the oldest continuously meeting surgical society in the United States, is extremely dismayed by Thomas Jefferson University's decision to sell Thomas Eakins' portrait of Dr. Gross.

This painting, more popularly referred to as The Gross Clinic, has been called "the most powerful painting ever produced by an American artist" and is a tribute both to Gross and to Philadelphia as a leading center in medicine.

Gross's stature in American medicine is further reflected by the fact that he also founded the American Surgical Association, the nation's most prestigious surgical society.

Eakins' painting is an icon of these accomplishments and, over the years, undoubtedly has stimulated many physicians and Philadelphians to expand upon Gross' and the city's outstanding medical reputation.

Moving this painting from Philadelphia would deprive the region of this priceless benefit.

This is a particular shame since these benefits would likely endure long after the bricks and mortar bought by the painting's sale.

The Council of the Philadelphia Academy of Surgery unanimously and strongly feels that Philadelphia is the only proper home of The Gross Clinic.

Robert S. Rhodes
Radnor
Council of the Philadelphia Academy of Surgery"

The Gross Clinic vs Eagles Team

2006-11-20T00:25:00.000-05:00

The Curse of the Gross Clinic?

Today artists protested the sale of the painting by Jefferson University which many think will remove a great painting from Philadelphia. Many are wondering how a painting could be worth that much, $68 million. Donovan McNabb was lost to the Eagles today for the rest of the season. The salary cap for the Eagles is $102 Million. What is the entertainment value for a team that continues to lose and disappoint against the emotional and intellectual value of a great painting? A painting will last for hundreds of years if properly cared for and give millions of viewers insight into the human existence. Will anyone care what the Eagles did after another losing season? I think the Gross Clinic at $68 million is a far better investment!

The subject of the painting is Surgery- just what awaits McNabb. If it were not for Dr. Gross' innovations there would be no hope for McNabbs recovery. Good luck keeping both on our home field!

All it would take is for 2,720,000 people world wide to contribute $25.00 each to pay for the Gross Clinic. What a Holiday present for Philadelphia and the future!

$68 Million Art vs $125 Million War Justice

2006-11-17T19:47:00.000-05:00

This is from the news today. What is the real value of a dollar. Congress can't raise the minium wage yet we spend more and more on fighting our war. Is art more uplifting at any price then war?

"U.S. Military Plans Gitmo Legal Compound"

"By MICHAEL MELIA

The Associated Press
Friday, November 17, 2006; 5:36 PM

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- The U.S. military on Friday said it plans to build a $125 million compound at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base where it hopes to hold war-crimes trials for terror suspects by the middle of next year.

The compound, designed to accommodate as many as 1,200 people, would include dining areas, work spaces and sleeping accommodations for administrative personnel, lawyers, journalists and others involved in trials at the isolated detention center in southeast Cuba."

Save The Gross Clinic

2006-11-17T18:23:00.000-05:00

Please Help If You Can !

PAFA press release:

CITY INSTITUTIONS, OFFICIALS UNITE TO KEEP EAKINS MASTERPIECE IN PHILADELPHIA

In an appeal to the community, a fund and hotline are established for The Gross Clinic

November 17, 2006

Philadelphia, PA (November 17, 2006) -- The Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, public and private institutions, city officials, and civic leaders are joining forces in the effort to raise $68 million to keep Thomas Eakins’ 1875 masterpiece, The Gross Clinic, in Philadelphia. Partners in the drive to keep the spectacular painting in the city where it was painted have established The Fund for Eakins’ Masterpiece and, recognizing the difficulty of the challenge, are reaching out to the community for support. The action comes in response to an announcement by the painting’s owner, Thomas Jefferson University, that local art museums and governmental institutions must match the price by December 26, 2006, or the painting will be sold to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, founded by Alice L. Walton, and scheduled to open in 2009, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

Thomas Eakins (1844-1916) was both a student and extraordinarily influential teacher at the Pennsylvania Academy. The Academy also maintains the Bregler Collection, which contains a vast number of Eakins' drawings, perspective studies, memorabilia, photographs, and letters. The Philadelphia Museum of Art houses the largest collection of his work, which was largely the gift of Eakins’ widow and a close friend of the artist’s family in 1929 and 1930. The artist’s achievement is inextricably bound to Philadelphia life, past and present, and The Gross Clinic is widely considered to be one of the great masterpieces of American painting.

Philadelphia Mayor John F. Street endorsed the effort to keep the painting in Philadelphia. He said, “I am encouraged by the strong voices of support within our community for keeping this magnificent painting in Philadelphia. Our city has an extraordinary fabric of arts and culture which makes us a magnet for visitors from all across the nation and around the world, and provides a great quality of life for all of our citizens. Retaining The Gross Clinic will underscore that reality and ensure a place in the heart of our city for this treasured painting.”

“The Gross Clinic is a tremendous work of immeasurable value to Philadelphia,” said Donald R. Caldwell, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. “Philadelphia is where so much scholarship on his outstanding place in American art has been developed, and our city is the most appropriate venue for what is widely considered Eakins’ most important painting. It is imperative that The Gross Clinic remains here, and we are working together to find a way to make that happen.”

Anne d’Harnoncourt, Director and CEO of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, stated: “The public outpouring of concern has been extraordinary, both locally and from around the country, and we all agreed that Philadelphians must establish a fund to which the public can contribute.

“By working together, our city may be able to preserve Eakins’ greatest work in Philadelphia, where his enduring presence and influence are so profoundly felt. It is a difficult challenge but it’s not impossible and we should be optimistic.”

About The Gross Clinic
Painted in 1875, The Gross Clinic is widely considered Eakins’ finest work. The 8’ by 6’ painting, which stands as a testament to the strides Philadelphia made in the medical and educational fields, depicts famed Philadelphia Dr. Samuel D. Gross performing bone surgery on a young man, while a woman often thought to be the patient’s mother cringes in the middle ground. Depicted in Jefferson’s surgical ampitheater, Gross is dramatically caught in a shaft of light from the skylight, and turns majestically away from the patient to address his students as his assistants continue their work. From this perspective, the viewer occupies a seat alongside Gross’ students. At the right, Eakins depicts himself in the audience, attentively recording the scene.

The Gross Clinic, which Eakins completed when he was 31, was submitted for the 1876 Centennial Exhibition but was rejected from the Fine Art Gallery in Philadelphia’s Memorial Hall because of its shocking content.

Probably through the machinations of Dr. Gross and his colleagues, however, it was placed on view on the Centennial grounds at the United States Army Post Hospital, in a ward filled with hospital bedding and furniture. Commentators wondered at the placement: “It was one of the most powerful and life-like pictures to be seen at the Exhibition, and should have had a place at the Art Gallery, where it would have been seen but for an incomprehensible decision by the Selecting Committee.”

The critic William Clark—who had earlier written, “This portrait of Dr. Gross is a great work—we know of nothing greater that has ever been executed in America,” returned to his defense of the picture: “There is nothing so fine in the American section of the Art Department of the Exhibition and it is a great pity that the squeamishness of the Selection Committee compelled the artist to find a place in the United States Hospital Building. It is rumored that the blood on Dr. Gross’s fingers made some of the committee members sick, but, judging from the quality of the works exhibited by them we fear that it was not the blood alone that made them sick. Artists have before now been known to sicken at the sight of pictures by younger men which they in their souls were compelled to acknowledge were beyond their emulation.” (Marc Simpson, in The 1870s, essay in Thomas Eakins (Philadelphia Museum of Art 2001) ed. Darrel Sewell)

An art critic for the New York Tribune called it “one of the most powerful, horrible yet fascinating pictures that has been painted anywhere in this century …” In 2002, when it was exhibited in the Philadelphia Museum of Art-organized Thomas Eakins: American Realist retrospective exhibition at New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Times art critic Michael Kimmelman called it “hands down, the finest 19th century American painting …”

The painting was purchased for $200 by Jefferson alumni and given to the institution in 1878. It has remained on view at Jefferson, where Eakins himself studied anatomy, since its donation, except for periodic loans to exhibitions across the country.

About the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Founded in 1805, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is America's oldest continually operating school of fine arts and museum. A recipient of the 2005 National Medal of Arts presented by the President of the United
States of America, the Academy is a recognized leader in fine arts education. The institution's world-class collection of American art continues to grow and includes major works by the Academy's faculty and alumni, both current and historic.

About the Philadelphia Museum of Art
The Philadelphia Museum of Art is among the largest art museums in the United States, showcasing more than 2,000 years of exceptional human creativity in masterpieces of painting, sculpture, works on paper, decorative arts and architectural settings from Europe, Asia and the Americas. The striking neoclassical building stands on a nine-acre site above the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and houses more than 200 galleries. The Museum offers a wide variety of enriching activities, including programs for children and families, lectures, concerts and films.

The Art Law Blog- Eakins

2006-11-16T10:15:00.000-05:00

The Jefferson Trustees failed to understand the love of Thomas Eakins in the Philadelphia art community. Artists who like realism and all that it holds intellectually about the human condition put aesthetics above money every day. Only the cold hard analysis of business would look beyond the artistic value and transform this painting into bricks and steel to house the new medicine, devoid of human touch.

The Art Law Blog: "Well, that's exactly what's happened here (local art museums and governmental institutions have 45 days to match the offer), and the university is still coming in for the same kind of criticism."

The Gross Clinic Composition

2006-11-16T08:43:00.000-05:00

grosscompsm
Originally uploaded by Charles Hankin.

The mastery of Eakins painting is founded in the space created by the composition of the figures. The tension is between the act of the surgery and the revulsion of the witness. The students are only minor players, lost in the shadows of the painting. Dr. Gross is talking to the viewer. He stands between fear and knowledge.

InLiquid.com The Philadelphia Art & Design Network / Resource a Philadelphia based nonprofit organization

2006-11-16T06:09:00.000-05:00

The Gross Clinic by Thomas Eakins sold for more than four times the arts budget of PA. No wonder the art world is starving.

InLiquid.com The Philadelphia Art & Design Network / Resource a Philadelphia based nonprofit organization"The PA Budget was passed on July 2, 2006. Pennsylvania was granted a 5 percent increase in both grants for the arts and the administrative budget for the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. These two increases bring the agency to $15,225,000 in grants for the arts and $1,197,000 in the administrative budget. This is the first increase the agency has seen in two fiscal years. "

Welcome to Phillyville: Eakins

2006-11-15T19:45:00.000-05:00

This is a good start, ACT UP FOR ART!

Welcome to Phillyville: Eakins: "Hopefully each of my readers will take the time to send at least one fax. We need to hold our elected officials responsible for this sale. The City long ago should have identified this painting as a priceless asset and made arrangements to prevent precisely this type of plunder. They did not. "

Philadelphia Inquirer | 11/14/2006 | Art | Dissecting a masterpiece

2006-11-15T19:35:00.000-05:00

The best review of a painting I've read in a long time!

Philadelphia Inquirer | 11/14/2006 | Art | Dissecting a masterpiece: "the sacred and the profane captured in a glance."

OpinionJournal - Leisure & Arts

2006-11-15T16:01:00.000-05:00

This line strikes a chord. What is the effect of recruiting wealthy business leaders for non- profit boards whom have little knowledge of the aesthetic value of art to a community? It seems clear that the Eakins sale might be the result of a cold bottom line approach to culture. The same economic model that has given such a huge profit to Wal Mart. Are trustees stewards or profiteers?

OpinionJournal - Leisure & Arts: "Nor are they the property of the trustees, who are meant to hold them in trust for the people of Buffalo, but who now show that they cannot be trusted."

Foundations: Abraham Lincoln Foundation

2006-11-15T13:49:00.000-05:00

For those who think Thomas Eakins was the last great painter of Philadelphia you might want to check this out. A living Master.

Foundations: Abraham Lincoln Foundation: "Mastery and Meaning,
The Art of Nelson Shanks at the Union League

This extensive exhibit is Open free to the public on Saturdays and Sundays
Tours of the Union League are also available

October 7 Â December 17, 2006
10:00am Â2:00PM
The Union League of Philadelphia
140 South Broad Street
For more information (215) 851-8793
www.unionleague.org/masteryandmeaning
"

Blinq on letting Go

2006-11-15T06:35:00.000-05:00

The issue is not what good the money could be used for but rather what respect an institution has for protecting a cultural heritage. Stewardship means more than just buying and selling property at the whims of the times. Value ebbs and flows with the interests of collective culture. What might be worth $68 million today could be worthless 100 years from now. The image of The Gross Clinic by Eakins is linked to the idea of human knowledge. That is what the painter fought for when he tried to strip away the moral veil of modesty. To show the surgery of the time is no different than showing open heart operations on TV today.

Just this past year there was great excitement over the exhibit of the plastic corpse which raised millions of dollars for the Franklin institute.

It is sad that there are those who dismiss the visual arts as unimportant.

The State of PA raised millions to build the Kimmel for the orchestra. I bet many of those who go to hear the sweet sounds of Mahler are on the Board of Jefferson. How many of them have allowed themselves to see the magic of the Clinic?

$68 million = 1360 Pew grants for the Arts

Blinq: "Let it go. We've got bigger problems. Although it makes me wonder what we could get for that boxer standing outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art."

What makes a painting worth $68 million?

2006-11-14T11:14:00.000-05:00

The question of the sale of The Gross Clinic by Thomas Eakins is about the value of the painting to Philadelphia and the people of Pennsylvania. The Trustees have the right to sell the property they control as a nonprofit corporation without the restrictions of an art museum. The same was true of the New York Library when they sold the Durand painting to the same buyer. In our culture a value is simply what someone is willing to pay for it.

The moral issue is then one of place. Does an object belong to a location? Could Stone Hedge be moved to a better place? Would independence Hall be better located in Fairmount Park? Art is transportable and can be owned by anyone.

What is lost here is the intention, not of the painter, of those who bought it and gave it to the College. Was there any thought that sometime in the future the monetary value would outstrip the intellectual value of the painting? Does this painting need to become a destination attraction, used to draw tourists to a museum far from the city that it was birthed?

There will be no public uproar because art does not matter to any but a select few. Would not the money spent be better used to provide healthcare for those who work with low pay and no health insurance?

God bless those who shop at Wal Mart, perhaps they will be able to buy a print of the Gross Clinic along with their baby formula.

Eminent domain - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2006-11-13T10:18:00.000-05:00

The City of Philadelphia should use eminent domain to protect the right of the public to have the Gross Clinic, by Eakins, stay in it's place of origin.

Eminent domain - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "The exercise of eminent domain is not limited to real property. Governments may also condemn personal property, including a contract or a franchise, as well as intangible property such as patents, trade secrets and copyrights."

National Gallery Scores Masterpiece by Eakins - washingtonpost.com

2006-11-12T22:18:00.000-05:00

This sounds like insider trading at best. The real question is, why did Jefferson University decide to give up it's patrimony. Is it that art no longer is part of medicine? Perhaps Jefferson is merely a technical school removed from the classical idea of education.

National Gallery Scores Masterpiece by Eakins - washingtonpost.com: "'This is the Holy Grail of American painting,' said John Wilmerding, former deputy director at the National Gallery. A member of the gallery's board, Wilmerding is also a consultant to Alice Walton. 'It is monumental in its ambition and shows the triumph of the individual.'"

Speed of Life: Keep Eakins' "Gross Clinic" in Philadelphia

2006-11-12T12:46:00.000-05:00

This seems to be a pattern. Buy master works of American art in financially weak institutions. Says a lot about our Walmart economy where "the new" has little value. Why not put an "art tax" on Walmart!

Speed of Life: Keep Eakins' "Gross Clinic" in Philadelphia: "The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, founded by the Wal-Mart heiress Alice L. Walton and under construction in Bentonville, Arkansas, is trying to pry away another important painting from its longstanding home."

Matthews The Younger: Does Anyone Have $68,000,001?

2006-11-12T12:42:00.000-05:00

Right, we get to move the Barnes and keep Rocky and give up an Eakins. This is why Philly is a low class art town.

Matthews The Younger: Does Anyone Have $68,000,001?: "So the painting sold for $68,000,000. I say we make it a term of the sale that they can have that painting for that much money only if they are willing to take the Rocky statue with them. I also vote that the Crystal Bridges Museum change their name before they open."

artblog on Eakins sale

2006-11-12T12:39:00.000-05:00

This is so bad for Philadelphia. I wonder if they would sell Billy Penn off of City Hall?

artblog: "Poor Thomas Eakins. Almost 100 years after his death and he still can't get a break in his hometown."

Walmart Rapes Philly Art

2006-11-11T07:33:00.000-05:00

This is a moral disgrace for the City of Philadelphia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania!

Philadelphia Inquirer | 11/11/2006 | City Art Icon About to Be Sold

Philadelphia Inquirer | 11/11/2006 | City Art Icon About to Be Sold: "Thomas Eakins' masterpiece The Gross Clinic - an iconic painting that is irrevocably identified with Philadelphia, where it was painted more than 125 years ago - is poised for sale by Thomas Jefferson University for a record $68 million to a partnership of the National Gallery of Art in Washington and a new museum planned by Wal-Mart heirs in Arkansas."

Landscape

2006-09-29T18:29:00.000-04:00

melandscapesm
Originally uploaded by Charles Hankin.

This past weekend I was in Michigan to help a friend move some furniture. I wish I had the time to paint this.

self portrait

2006-09-18T17:10:00.000-04:00

self portrait
Originally uploaded by Charles Hankin.

Portrait commissions accepted. Contact for information.

mary portrait

2006-09-18T17:04:00.000-04:00

maryportrait
Originally uploaded by Charles Hankin.

I model in clay and cast in plaster and bronze.

stan bronze

2006-09-18T17:03:00.000-04:00

stanbronze
Originally uploaded by Charles Hankin.

I make portraits.

Rocky Sculpture

2006-09-14T04:19:00.000-04:00

Why the ROCKY SCULPTURE has a place on the Parkway. I haven't seen the new site yet but I feel that Philadelphia made the right choice placing it there. Rocky is a cultural icon and it is a well made sculpture so it deserves to be seen by the public. It may not be a cutting edge work of art. It may not be even the best sculpted statue. It belongs there because Philadelphia has no cultural standards. All that matters is the greedy notion that the city will be better off if they can attract as many visitors as possible. The reason: making art add to the profit of the business's that sell to tourists. Money is the prime reason for moving the Barnes Foundation and for all that happens in Philadelphia. Rocky, the icon of bad movie making, is all about getting the most out of the same old story.

September 11, 2006

2006-09-11T08:19:00.000-04:00

On this day of remembrance for those murdered five years ago I think of my own losses. How else can I relate to an event of such enormous consequence? The television was my view of what happened to those poor souls that we all mourn. I watched with millions their deaths. I felt detached, as only Americans can, transfixed by what I was seeing.

This reminded me of the first national TV event I saw, the killing and funeral of John F. Kennedy. The medium of broadcast has shaped the feelings we all share.

I can only feel the sudden loss and hurt that happened to me when my wife was killed in an auto accident. Her death was just as sudden and wrong. She was killed, not by a terrorist, but rather by a greedy American. My anger goes not to the faceless foreigners who highjacked those planes but to those who failed to repair their truck and keep it safe. My wife paid with her life because of their greed. There was no National mourning or war on greed. There was no Commission to look into truck safty. There was no support group for my son or myself.

Like millions of Americans I greive for those lost. I also greive for those who have died without the national spotlight on them.

Deck

2006-06-19T07:11:00.000-04:00

Tideck4
Originally uploaded by Charles Hankin.

This is my latest construction project.

Fathers Day

2006-06-18T08:16:00.000-04:00

I was a small boy when my Dad died. It always makes me sad to remember him on this day. I think about what he was like. What he might have thought about the events of the last fifty years. I have always had an emptiness inside that no one could fill. I would dream those first few years that somehow he would show up, having just gone on an other trip, and he would somehow be alive. There were some men who tried to help fill in, teaching me how to sail or mentoring my art. No one could replace my Dad.

artblog- Solzanski reaction

2006-05-28T23:22:00.001-04:00

artblog: "Are we a little angry, Mr. Sozanski? Asking for a substitution of Rocky for Diana (see it bigger here) inside the Philadelphia Museum of Art and saying the museum could live with it if each Rocky visitor were paying the $12 admission fee is hostile beyond words."

Following up on the Sunday review by Mr. Solzanski, I wonder why not open a Wal-Mart in the basement of PMA. After the Walton purchase of the NY Durant painting last year it would seem like a good fit for the Parkway improvement project. This would help bring the "common man" to art in a most Barnesian way. They could spend their savings gambling at the Barnes and then shop for cheap foreign made goods down the street. Why should the Parkway be a place just for the tourists? The PMA could rent the space for a large fee that would allow them to buy more art. If commerce is good for Art then the institutions need to have more enterprise. Oh that's right their non- profit mission is to educate about art not to make a profit from it.

Working hard

2006-05-18T07:44:00.000-04:00

I have not had much to report this last month. I've been working on some construction projects trying to earn a living. Art has been on the back burner. It is frustrating when I read that the Barnes Foundation can raise $150 million to pray at a new alter of French art while I struggle to pay my taxes and buy food on an income of less then the national average. The debate about the poor from our southern neighbor crossing the border, has raised the concern for fair pay and what it is. Cheap labor keeps us all poor in many ways. Dr. Barnes had the courage to buy art from the heart, more of the wealthy Americans need to find that same courage rather then to keep looking at the past.

Spring

2006-04-12T19:17:00.000-04:00

Spring
Originally uploaded by Charles Hankin.

I feel warmer today.

housemove6a

2006-04-05T22:59:00.000-04:00

housemove6a
Originally uploaded by Charles Hankin.

The other day I went to watch this house moved from the path of Rt. 202 in Gwynedd PA. I grew up near by and the house has been a landmark for many years. I attended the Quaker Meeting across the road from here when a child.

Dinner

2006-03-29T08:49:00.000-05:00

Last night my dinner was hot dogs and beans. In the mail I got a request from PMA to join for the Wyeth exhibit, $75.00 discounted from $90.00. What they don't get is that is my food budget for the week.

I can't afford to hire models to make new sculptures. Why should I pay to see an other artists work?

Art disconnected

2006-03-29T07:09:00.000-05:00

"Recently, he said, a police officer tapped on his car window, wondering what he was doing. The exchange went something like this, Wyeth recalled: "I told him, 'I'm making a drawing of a house over there.' And he said, 'Who do you think you are? Andrew Wyeth?' "" from the Inky.

This shows the problem artists have, they are disconnected from people. Art museums treat art like trophies.

Barnes move - Philly style

2006-03-29T05:20:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Artblog and MAN for their updates on the Barnes move.

In the Inky story the reason for the move is:

"Mayor John Street called the museum one of the "big three" projects - slot machine gambling and an expanded convention center are the others - that will help Philadelphia compete with cities like Boston and New York."

What they don't understand is that NY is the center of the art world because of the world class galleries (Chelsea) and Wall Street. Philly needs much more to be competitive.

Kenneth Clark

2006-03-07T08:03:00.000-05:00

If anyone thinks my art is objectionable they should read this book!

The Nude:
A Study in Ideal Form

Kenneth Clark

Princeton University Press

The Nude