Contrast! Compare!

That was the booming voice of the Art History Professor to the darkened lecture hall during an exam. Slides of art lit up the front of the classroom. In the dark we had to write madly until the next set of slides would appear.

Compare! Contrast!

Once again with the sharp staccato of a Ballet Master’s staff.

These are the voices I hear as I go through the installation of the new Lichtenstein Show at The Katonah Museum of Art, “Lichtenstein in Process.” March 29th to June 28th, 2009.

The first two things I have to compare are the differences between the two institutions of art that I lead docent tours of within the Hamlet of Katonah in the Town Of Bedford, New York.

The first is The Rosen House at Caramoor. The permanent beautiful vast collections of Renaissance and Oriental Art plus whole rooms dismantled from convents and castles throughout Europe are retrofitted into the living space created for them. www.caramoor.org. There the collection remains the same and we have the job to help people feel their love of collecting and how it was their home and their daily life. We may decide to study pieces in depth. There are also small shows within the home. “The Art of Majolica” was the last one and “The Female Deities of Chinese Art” will be opening in May. There is a lecture given on each show in advance.

The Katonah Museum of Art - www.katonahmuseum.org - on the other hand has changing shows of many periods and mediums of art several times a year! You really have to be quick on your feet (and in your mind) in order to learn the new material in time. They prepare you by holding lectures on the subject held in the Pound Ridge Library and once the show is hung or displayed you are to tour it at least once again with a Curator and fellow docents to learn it “in situ”. This happens within a day or two of the grand opening.

Then as for Lichtenstein ( pronounced “lick-ten-styne” just as in the Country) we go through his process - view his inspiration, see his sketch and then see his collage phase of the process - basically his “on canvas” workshop. Here he transferred his ideas from the sketch by drawing, painting, covering changes with pieces of paper, using strips of tape, pieces of foil to define his bold outlines and plan the execution of the final piece. The work is done in half scale of the final work. It was then photographed using a 35mm camera and then a slide was made and projected onto a fresh canvas. The final work is then painted. Also there is the use of his famous “Benday Dots” in not only his comic paintings but in his ethereal landscapes.

We are comparing and contrasting his inspiration - the work of Matisse, Picasso, Klein, ancient Chinese scrolls, illustrations from the yellow pages, cheap novellas and even Disney to his interpretation of it. Sign of the times - most asked question - was he ever sued by the Families, Foundations or Companies? He was never sued for interpreting their works.

The Katonah Museum is open Tuesday - Saturday 10-5. Sunday 12-5. Docent led tours are at 2:30 each day. There are also things for the children to do plus a Family Day will be on Sunday May the 3rd 1-4.

Posted By: Karen Benvin Ransom