Beyond the Paint Podcast

Beyond the Paint

Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
Comprising the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park and the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park, we are the largest public arts institution in the City of San Francisco and one of the largest art museums in the United States.
Fantasy on Greensleeves
The Live From the Legion's “Holiday 2021” season features beloved classical tunes played from the museum’s Spreckels Organ. Celebrate the end of the year and enjoy the sounds of holiday classical music with principal organist Jonathan Dimmock!
Dec 20, 2021
4 min
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
The Live From the Legion's “Holiday 2021” season features beloved classical tunes played from the museum’s Spreckels Organ. Celebrate the end of the year and enjoy the sounds of holiday classical music with principal organist Jonathan Dimmock!
Dec 20, 2021
4 min
Bring a Torch, Jeanette Isabella
The Live From the Legion's “Holiday 2021” season features beloved classical tunes played from the museum’s Spreckels Organ. Celebrate the end of the year and enjoy the sounds of holiday classical music with principal organist Jonathan Dimmock!
Dec 20, 2021
4 min
O Holy Night
The Live From the Legion's “Holiday 2021” season features beloved classical tunes played from the museum’s Spreckels Organ. Celebrate the end of the year and enjoy the sounds of holiday classical music with principal organist Jonathan Dimmock!
Dec 20, 2021
4 min
Nature, the Most Perfect Muse
Nature has always been an artist’s greatest muse, and when combined with human love, as in the High Middle German poem “Unter der linden grüne” (“Under the Linden Green,” ca. 1200), we have perfection. The poem was paired with an old French melody and became quite popular during the Renaissance period. Jan Both’s Italian "Landscape with Horsemen" (17th century) focuses more on the tree than the horsemen. Perhaps both artists were observing that all of life exists within the context of trees and nature Artwork: Jan Both Italian Landscape with Horsemen, 17th century Oil on canvas, 381 3/16 x 38 1/16 in. (968.2 x 96.7 cm) Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Memorial gift from Dr. T. Edward and Tullah Hanley, Bradford, Pennsylvania, 69.30.216 Photograph courtesy of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco Composition: Jan P. Sweelinck (1562 - 1621), Onder een linde groen (variations)
Aug 13, 2021
6 min
Rodin and Franck
Two giants of 19th-century Paris, Auguste Rodin and César Franck created masterworks of extensive range. Franck’s "Chorale in A Minor", his final composition, is the culmination of his musical work, simultaneously new and old, explosive with virtuosity, heartbreakingly beautiful with melodic sophistication. The monumental Rodin bronzes "The Thinker" (1904) and "The Three Shades" (1898) could be categorized the same way. Artwork: Auguste Rodin The Thinker, 1904 Cast bronze, 72 x 38 x 54 in. (182.9 x 96.5 x 137.2 cm) Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Gift of Alma de Bretteville Spreckels, 1924.18.1 Photograph courtesy of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco Composition: César Franck, "​Chorale in A Minor" (1890)
Aug 13, 2021
14 min
Summer Daydreams
The English countryside calls to mind spaciousness and freedom. English composers have loved this aspect of their native land, perhaps none more than Ralph Vaughan Williams. His depiction of a lark ascending, fluttering, dipping, and gliding immediately conjures images of soaring liberty. Thomas Gainsborough’s painting, "Landscape with Country Carts", nearly 150 years earlier, seems to foreshadow what musicians would only later discover: the English countryside is evocative and beautiful. Artwork: Thomas Gainsborough Landscape with Country Carts, ca. 1784–1785 Oil on canvas, 50 3/8 x 40 3/8 in. (128 x 102.6 cm) Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Roscoe and Margaret Oakes Collection, 75.2.8 Photograph courtesy of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco Composition: Ralph Vaughan Williams, "The Lark Ascending" (1914) Arrangement by Jonathan Dimmock
Aug 13, 2021
5 min
Royal Pomp
English pageantry has a special place in art history, at once formal but compelling, depicting the jubilant side of military prowess. John Stanley’s wonderful "Trumpet Voluntary" was written for a solo organ demonstrating the trumpet stop. “Voluntaries” were meant to be played before and at the conclusion of church services, so called because organists were not actually paid to play outside of the services themselves. The piece matches the contemporaneous, larger-than-life painting of William Beechey’s "Master James Hatch" (1796) as he models noble military attire. Although Hatch was far too young to serve, his station groomed him for this appearance. Artwork: William Beechey Master James Hatch, 1796 Oil on canvas, 73 x 52 1/2 in. (185.4 x 133.4 cm) Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Museum purchase by exchange, Mildred Anna Williams Collection, 1942.10 Photograph courtesy of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco Composition: John Stanley, "Trumpet Tune" (ca. 1770)
Aug 13, 2021
1 min
The Preciousness of the Flower
Aelst’s painting "Flowers in a Silver Vase" (16th century), with its decaying tulip blossom in the center, is a testament to the vast importance of flowers, and tulips in particular, to the economy of the Netherlands at this time in history. Next to the tulip is a yellow European chrysanthemum. Composer Joseph Bonnet’s "Lied des Chrysanthèmes" gives a musical illustration of the serene simplicity of flowers. The sweetness and quietness of the music mimics the pondering of a precious, elegant flower in full bloom. Artwork: Willem van Aelst Flowers in a Silver Vase, 1663 Oil on canvas, 26 5/8 x 21 1/2 in. (67.6 x 54.6 cm) Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Hermann Schuelein, 51.21 Photograph courtesy of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco Composition: Joseph Bonnet, "Lied des Chrysanthèmes" (1908)
Aug 13, 2021
4 min
Tears of Sorrow
Composition: Melchior Schildt: Paduana Lachrymae (ca. 1725) Artwork: Ambrosius Benson (Southern Netherlandish, ca. 1495–before 1550) The Lamentation, 16th century Oil on panel 25 5/8 x 31 in. (65.1 x 78.7 cm) Museum purchase, Mildred Anna Williams Collection 1956.90
Jun 18, 2021
5 min
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