2010 Art Related Travels: San Francisco

I am woefully behind in blogging as of late.  Please be patient with me in my attempt to catch up.  Back in April, I had the opportunity to take a quick trip to San Francisco, California.  We only had a weekend, so I felt a bit rushed, but I did manage to see some fantastic Art while visiting.

 Carl Dobsky, Portrait of Layil (detail), oil on canvas, 12.5" x 9" 2009

At John Pence Gallery, we were fortunate enough to see the exhibition of Carl Dobsky's most recent drawings and paintings.  Dobsky studied Fine Art at the Ringling School of Art in FL, received his MFA from the New York Academy of Art, as well as studied under Jacob Collins at the Water Street Atelier in NY.  His paintings combine a controlled skill and refinement with a fresh liveliness to the paint that comes from thicker application in key areas.  Just off center of the room was a table that displayed several paintings that were framed double sided.   These double sided paintings, were mostly contemporary portraits on one side and still lifes of skulls and contemporary objects on the other.  I quite enjoyed circling this table several times, noting his choice of pairing portraits and skulls.
 

 More images and information for this exhibition of drawings and paintings by Carl Dobsky can be seen by clicking here.

Seeing such great paintings can make a girl hungry, so the good folks at John Pence Gallery recommended the Grand Cafe at the Hotel Monaco.  What a splendid suggestion that turned out to be.  Fantastic French cuisine in an Art Nouveau grand ballroom style atmosphere made for quite an experience.  Delicious!

  Grand Cafe at the Hotel Monaco, San Francisco California

The next day was spent at the De Young Museum.  Now, I must say that several friends that have lived in San Francisco have always been quite apologetic for the art museums of their city.  So going to the De Young, I had low expectations.  However, I am happy to report, I have no idea what those friends are apologetic for.  This smallish museum had quite a few holdings to be proud of.  Here are a few of my favorites:

 Thomas Dewing, Elizabeth Platt Jencks, oil on canvas, 1895

Alexander Pope, The Wild Swan, oil on canvas, 1900

Alexander Pope, The Wild Swan (detail), oil on canvas, 1900

John Singer Sargent, Caroline de Bassano, Marquise d'Espeuilles, oil on canvas, 1884

John Singer Sargent, Caroline de Bassano, Marquise d'Espeuilles (detail), oil on canvas, 1884