What color means more to us than blue? Even among the primaries, the color of the sky and sea commands a privileged place, by far the most popular hue in the spectrum according to surveys on every continent. Blue casts its spell, pushing beyond symbolism to a deeper emotional level, drawing us into its pure and distant mysteries. Every artist goes through a “blue period,” from the Mediterranean blues of Matisse and Yves Klein to the haunting auras of Redon. Blue has been holy to Egyptian, Hindu, Chinese and Western traditions. Its physical sources (cobalt, ultramarine, cerulean, indigo, lapis lazuli, cyan) are a catalogue of valued materials that rival gold itself. As this exhibition exuberantly proves, the power of blue transcends art history. Poets, filmmakers, musicians and designers have tapped its resonant appeal. The most original music in America (home of bluejeans, “democracy in fashion”) is the blues. We are turning the entire museum over to the multi-media exploration of blue in many incarnations. It spans history and geography, from the precious lapis lazuli of antiquity to paintings, photographs, sculpture, ceramics, cyanotypes, and fashion. As Miró said, “This is the color of my dreams.”
blue.
March 14, 2020 – November 2, 2020-
blue. A Guide to Looking
A lively illustrated guide to some of the exhibition highlights, with insights from the artists, historical nuggets of fascinating information, and thought-provoking questions. Prepared by the our team of educators, who are not just experts in the field of teaching art but are artists themselves with a great sense of the materials and techniques involved in the making of the paintings, sculptures, prints and photographs on view.
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“blue.” A Family Guid
Hello there Museum friends! We hope you enjoy visiting these four works of art from our current exhibition blue. Here’s how it works:
Each artwork has 2 slides
Slide #1: The artwork for you to look at and talk about together.
Slide#2: Another look at the artwork with questions to ask each other along with some fun family activities.
P.S. What’s YOUR favorite color?
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”blue.” Exhibition Gallery
blue.
The MansionHighlights from the exhibition at Nassau County Museum of Art
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Blue Storytelling Lesson
Instead of visiting NCMA with your class, we are bringing the Museum to you!
We have put together a series of art explorations using works from our current exhibition, which is all about the color blue. This one is about storytelling! We hope you enjoy it and can’t wait to see you in our galleries soon.
P.S. What’s YOUR favorite color?
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Blue Shapes Lesson
Instead of visiting the NCMA with your class, we are bringing the Museum to you!
We have put together a series of art explorations using works from our current exhibition, which is all about the color blue. This one is about shapes! We hope you enjoy it and can’t wait to see you in our galleries soon.
P.S. What’s YOUR favorite color?
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Japanese Woodblock Prints Lesson
Instead of visiting NCMA with your class, we are bringing the Museum to you!
We have put together a series of art explorations using works from our current exhibition, which is all about the color blue. This one is about Japanese woodblock prints! We hope you enjoy it and can’t wait to see you in our galleries soon.
P.S. What’s YOUR favorite color?
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Blue Landscapes Lesson
Instead of visiting NCMA with your class, we are bringing the Museum to you!
We have put together a series of art explorations using works from our current exhibition, which is all about the color blue. This one is about landscapes! We hope you enjoy it and can’t wait to see you in our galleries soon.
P.S. What’s YOUR favorite color?