La Cañada residents are blessed with great resources and experiences located right in our area, but some people may not realize what is available to them.
The Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena is one of many such treasures in our community. To think that there exists a building which houses so many priceless masterpieces not even five miles away from school!
Some famous names hanging on the walls of the Norton Simon Museum are Van Gogh, Picasso, Monet, Raphael, Renoir, Rembrandt, Degas, and Kandinsky. Their diverse collection ranges from way back before the Renaissance and all the way to the modern and contemporary arts of today.
In fact, a contemporary art exhibit called “Line & Color: The Nature of Ellsworth Kelly” has been open at the museum since June 1st and will continue until October 29th. Located downstairs inside a cool, quiet hall, The Nature of Ellsworth Kelly Exhibit provides a sweet escape from the sweltering summer heat and humidity of the nature outside.
It is this calm in which the simple patterns of color and observations of lines in nature are displayed for the museum-goers. It is in the first room where color will demonstrate perspective through the optical illusions in repeated shapes with different sets of colors. It is in the last room where scribbled lines take the shape and form of leaves and flowers to please the eye.
The plaques on the wall and the exhibit description on the website explain that Kelly used lithography, a method of printing where oil and water is used to transfer an image onto paper, to create the aesthetic prints, but that piece of information hardly registers when faced with a room filled with breathtaking art.
The experience is elevated by bringing a friend along to share artistic and comical musings. Although the art is what truly makes the museum so worthwhile, the company of a friend in a well-air-conditioned building is a completely valid reason to visit this treasure trove.
