RECENT NYT ARTICLES OF INTEREST … The Review section of June 17's New York Times had several interesting art-related articles … You need to know that I am very technology-challenged, and this is my first attempt at blog posting … so if this is entirely unreadable, I apologize … and will try again ... "The Art of Adventure" by R.M. Peck … is a review of "Explorers' Sketchbooks", a new book by Lewis-Jones and Herbert. Mr. Peck quotes William Beebe, an American naturalist and explorer of the early 20th century: "All about us, nature puts on the most thrilling adventure stories ever written." Included in the book are a handful of female artist/explorers: Maria Sybilla Merian is a name familiar to many; but unfamiliar to me were Gertrude Bell (who drew shards of found pottery) and Marianne North. Ms. North, a friend of Darwin, circle the globe - twice! - in the early 1800s on a 'mission to paint as many different species of plants as she could find.' I'm not sure I will read the whole book, but I will try to learn more about Ms. North and her work.

"On the Trail of Art Looters" by Amanda Foreman … is a brief exploration of looting art for profit and propaganda. A photo (above) of part of the Arch of Titus in Rome show a menorah looted from the Temple in Jerusalem during Rome's sack of that city in 70 A.D. It is mind-boggling to imagine that this might be an actual and accurate depiction of the menorah taken from the great Temple. Another bit of art history mentioned in this article: In his looting of Italian art works, Napoleon took the four horses from the front of St. Mark's Cathedral in Venice. He intended to mount them on his Arc de Triomphe in Paris. However, when he was defeated at Waterloo, a condition of surrender was that France return the horses to Italy. And they were returned. Restitution.

And, finally, "When Two Hands Were Better Than One" by John Wilmerding claims there is strong evidence to prove that Degas actually painted part of the background (the windows) of Mary Cassatt's painting "Little Girl in a Blue Chair". He says the two artists openly shared ideas and compared paintings. To Cassatt's surprise, the painting was not accepted to a major show. I, personally, wonder if it wasn't accepted because she was a woman (please know that the article doesn't actually say this). Cassatt and Degas were very open about their interaction … but I also wonder whether 'two hands' might not be better than one when it comes to getting art accepted into a show. Worth thinking and wondering about ... And that's all … just some food for thought … P.S. The painting WAS accepted into later shows.