Museum Stroll: Cantor Art Center

Tucked into Stanford University's attractive campus, but just outside the main cluster of buildings so as to remain accessible, with its own parking lot, is the Cantor Arts Center. This is a museum I didn't know much about, but I did catch wind of an exhibition that was conveniently on view: Frederic Church, Winslow Homer, and Thomas Moran: Tourism and the American Landscape. I greatly admire all three artists, but was a bit disappointed to see that Moran wasn't really well represented. The show was ok, but focused more on the places than the art, the art being used to illustrate the history of the places.

Following the show, we decided to check out the permanent collection, and here we were very pleasantly surprised, as there were a few rooms of fantastic 19c. art--enough to make a trip out very worthwhile for anyone in the Bay Area, not enough to overwhelm. Within, many of the artists whom I've raved about here were represented, along with a few pleasant surprises.

Sometimes, a piece of art may not be a favorite, but is amazing in its handling in miniature. When I take photos of these (ALWAYS without flash, please!), I stick my thumb a half-inch or so from the surface of the piece in the corner of the frame and shoot the photo. This gives me a size reference years later, and reminds me that I need to stop biting my nails.

I may enjoy tiny detail, but I'm a slacker compared to this

When photographing artwork (NO FLASH), you'll find that museums are often not well-lit, for preservation purposes. This means that unless you are a wiz with shutter-speeds and f-stops, backing out to take a photo of a full painting will usually result in blurred or very grainy pictures. In those cases, hope for a postcard in the museum store (but assume there won't be one for this sort of art, you'll have to dig past the Gauguin reproductions before you find that out). So, you are best served by getting closer to the painting and taking detail shots of parts you like. Being nearer to the image means there is more reflected light hitting your camera and your digital camera should be able to choose settings appropriate enough for a sharp image. For instance:

Vs. this:

Ok, the painting is like 5' wide, but it serves as a good example