Lesson
A Mini
CALLING ALL HISTORY BUFFS!
Imagine an 800-square-foot battlefield teeming with more than 20,000
hand-painted miniature soldiers,
horses, cannons and wagons. Then,
with the help of a 35-minute, dramatic
sound-and-light show, the scene
jolts to life. Rifles fire overhead and
cannonballs explode, transporting
onlookers back to 1863 and into the
thick of warfare.
Thanks to a dedicated team of military hobbyists, this ambitious vision
has become a reality for present-day visitors to Gettysburg, Pa. The
Gettysburg Battlefield Diorama, the
largest military diorama in the country, was recently relocated from the
Artillery Ridge campground to the
downtown corner of Steinwehr and
Queen streets.
The diorama, a replica representing 6,000-plus acres, originated
in Three Rivers, Mich., where Jim
Daugherty created the second and
third days of the famous July 1863 battle. After it was acquired by Jim Kralik,
a licensed battlefield guide who has
painted model figures since he was
16, the diorama was brought to Gettysburg. Here, Kralik completed the
scene, adding terrain north of town to
depict the first day of battle.
The new Gettysburg History Center also features Leonard Volk’s 1860
Life Mask and Hands of Abraham Lincoln, as well as artifacts such as a life-size cavalry horse and Union soldier.
Kralik discusses the diorama’s subject with pride.
“During these three days in July of
1863,” he says, “this country became a
nation, and the words of our Founding
Fathers became reality, that ‘all men
are created equal.’ ”
Ge T TySBURG Con Ven TIon & VISITo RS BUReAU
18 Arrıve • July/August 2010 • ARRIVEMAGAZINE.coM
TWO MASTERS
Can artists be fans of other artists? In the case of Pablo
Picasso and Edgar Degas, the answer is yes. The
legendary Spanish painter and sculptor drew lifelong
inspiration from the work of his French Impressionist
counterpart, going so far as to depict the man himself
in his own work. The history of one creative soul’s fascination with another is brought to vivid life in “Picasso
Looks at Degas,” an exhibit of more than 100 works,
many never before showcased for the public, at the
Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute in Williamstown,
Mass. The Clark is the exclusive North American venue
for the exhibit, which runs through Sept. 12.
Five years in the making, “Picasso Looks at Degas”
includes an expansive variety of paintings, sculptures, monotypes and other media that explore the
trajectory of Picasso’s fascination with Degas and his
creations. Both shared a love of women—on stage, at
work and in the bath—and each artist’s influence on
the other’s depiction of his subjects is seen through
dramatic juxtapositions of their work, such as pairing Degas’ Combing Her Hair with Picasso’s Nude
Wringing Her Hair. Degas himself eventually becomes
the subject, in a series of Picasso etchings that cast
Degas as a customer at the brothels he depicted in
a series of monotypes. Though they shared a Paris
neighborhood and many friends, the men did not
know each other. Nonetheless, the depth of their relationship, spanning several media, is told in poignant
and brilliant detail in this exceptional exhibit.
POR TRAIT OF SEBAS TIÀ JUN YER VIDAL, 1903, By PABLo PICASSo
oIL on CAnVAS, 49 3/4 x 37 InCHeS, Lo S AnGeLeS CoUn Ty
MUSeUM o F AR T. DAVID e. BRIGH T BeQUeS T. © MUSeUM AS-SoCIA TeS / LACMA / AR T ReSoURCe, ny.
IN A CAFÉ (L’ABSINTHE), 1875-76, By eDGAR DeGAS
oIL on CAn VAS, 36 1/4 x 27 In MUSée D’oRSAy, PARIS. BeQUeS T
oF CoUn T ISAAC De CAMonDo, 1911
RéUn Ion DeS MUSéeS nA TIonAUx / AR T ReSoURCe, ny
(PHo To: HeRVé LewAnDowSKI)
