May 8 - June 2, 2024: A Trip to Ecuador
	April 8, 2024: The Total Eclipse of the Sun
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Our next trip after the eclipse was an outing to Houston to meet up with Prudence, Ron, and Nancy, to stay at their favorite hotel- the Zaza Hotel in the museum district- and to go to see the exhibit of early Fauvist art at the Houston Art Museum right near the hotel.

Getting to Houston and the Zaza Hotel

The last time we went to Houston with Prudence and Ron, we had all come from San Antonio, but this time, Fred and I are meeting Prudence, Ron, and Nancy in Houston at the Zaza Hotel.

So all we had to do was head over on Lemmon Avenue to US 75, and then hop on 75 South; this expressway turns into I-45 South to Houston. It was a pleasant drive down, taking about three hours.

Once in Houston, I was happy to have navigation in my car, as the freeway network in Houston is large and complex. I kind of remembered how to get to the Museum District, where the Zaza Hotel is located, but I was content to let the navigation system give me turn-by-turn directions.

On the way through the expressway network of Houston, Fred was able to get some good pictures of downtown Houston. Houston is bigger than Dallas, its downtown reflects that.

We arrived at the hotel about fifteen minutes before the time we'd set with Prudence.

The Zaza Hotel is Prudence's favorite in Houston. It is literally next door to the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, it is pet friendly, and there is Hermann Park- a huge greenspace- just south of the hotel where Prudence can take Jax for a walk. Once again, Prudence was kind enough to put Fred and I up at the hotel, just another example of the hospitality and generosity she has shown to the tour of us over the years.

The hotel is also five minutes from the Houston Zoo and Rice University, and even closer to the MD Anderson Cancer Center. The hotel has over 300 guest rooms which, at this price point, are very nicely appointed and decorated. Of course there is wireless Internet available; this seems standard even in budget motels these days.

We didn't have time to use the spa, or even the pool, sauna, or fitness center, but we did take a couple of meals at the hotel's patio restaurant; their breakfasts are really quite good. But it's not so much what the hotel offers as it is where it is located. We are here to visit the exhibit of Fauvist Art at the museum, and we can walk there in less than a minute. As I said, Hermann Park is just south of the hotel, so there were plenty of opportunities to take a stroll and walk Jax at the same time.

The last time we were here, we took quite a few pictures around the hotel, but this time the only one was a picture that Fred took of me and Prudence and Jax, just before we headed over to the park for a walk.

In Hermann Park

Hermann Park is a 445-acre urban park situated at the southern end of the Houston Museum District. The park is located immediately north of the Texas Medical Center and Brays Bayou, east of Rice University, and slightly west of the Third Ward. Hermann Park is home to numerous cultural institutions including the Houston Zoo, Miller Outdoor Theatre, the Houston Museum of Natural Science, and the Hermann Park Golf Course, which became one of the first desegregated public golf courses in the United States in 1954. The park also features the Mary Gibbs and Jesse Jones Reflection Pool, numerous gardens, picnic areas, and McGovern Lake, an 8-acre recreational lake.

One of Houston's oldest public parks, Hermann Park was created on acreage donated to the City of Houston by cattleman, oilman and philanthropist George H. Hermann (1843–1914). The land was formerly the site of his sawmill. It was first envisioned as part of a comprehensive urban planning effort by the city of Houston in the early 1910s. Following the recommendation of a 1913 report which identified the then-rural area between Main Street and Brays Bayou as ideal for a large urban park, real estate investor and entrepreneur George H. Hermann, who owned most of the area and served on the city's parks board, bequeathed his estate to Houston for use as a public green space in 1914. By 1916, famed landscape architect George Kessler had completed a master plan for the park which was gradually implemented throughout the following decades. Ultimately, Hermann Park and Rice University are two clear expressions of the City Beautiful movement in Houston.

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I might say that in front of the Museum of Natural Science, there was a very nice fountain, and I stopped to make a movie of it. You can use the player at right to watch that movie.

The opening of the Houston Zoo in 1922 and the requisition of a large southern portion of the park for the establishment of the Texas Medical Center in 1943 fundamentally altered the scope and configuration of the space, though significant elements of the Kessler plan— such as the north-south axis extending from Montrose Boulevard— remain and have been expanded upon. Hermann Park experienced a period of neglect in the latter half of the 20th century due to a lack of funding and maintenance, spurring the formation of the nonprofit Hermann Park Conservancy in 1992. The Conservancy has since leveraged over $120 million of public and private funds to renovate and remake broad areas of the park. Today, Hermann Park welcomes over six million visitors annually; the Houston Zoo was the second most visited paid-admission zoo in the United States in 2016 (behind San Diego Zoo), with over 2.5 million visitors.

We were over in the park two or three times each day- mostly to walk Jax. And on those outings, Fred and I took some candid pictures, but not nearly as many as we did the first time we were here a few years ago. Let's just take a look at some of these pictures:

Just across the street from the hotel, and just inside the park, is this interesting open-air colonnade.

The park features a statue of Sam Houston; today there was a demonstration going on around its base. Note the interesting building in the background; that building is just east of the Zaza Hotel.

Inside the park and near the hotel is a ziggurat-like structure with a walk that winds up to the top and a neat waterfall that goes down one side of it.

This is one of the many gardens in the park, and this one is adjacent to the ziggurat structure. We saw numerous people using these gardens as a backdrop for photos of one occasion or another.

Prudence, Jax, and Nancy

We are taking a rest on one of our walks. You can see the ziggurat structure in the background.

On the 14th, we got up a bit early to join Prudence and Nancy on an early morning walk with Jax.

In this photo Fred took, you can see the statue of Sam Houston, and the Zaza Hotel just behind me.

We took a walk around the Reflecting Pool.

Jax and me.

We're in the middle of the traffic circle near the hotel.

A Visit to Bayou Bend

Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens, located in the River Oaks community in Houston, Texas, United States, is a 14-acre facility of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH) that houses a collection of decorative art, paintings and furniture. Bayou Bend is the former home of Houston philanthropist Ima Hogg. Bayou Bend was marked with a Texas Historical Commission marker in 1973 and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

I drove Prudence, Nancy, and Fred to Bayou Bend, as Ron wanted to stay back at the hotel with Jax. I used my navigation system to get us there, but I made one turn too early and we had to go a half-mile out of our way and double back. But we got to the house/museum without much problem.

We actually stopped at an administration building on the way into the property, but that wasn't the ticket office, so we got directions to drive a quarter-mile south to the parking area.

There, we found that the Bayou Bend complex (house, gardens, and event venue) is on the south side of Buffalo Bayou, and that there was a bridge across what is essentially a large creek to get to the house itself.

The Footbridge Across Buffalo Bayou

Actually, I thought the suspension bridge was pretty neat in itself, and Fred had us stop in the middle so he could get a photo.

On the south side of the bayou, we stopped in the ticket office/gift shop to get our tickets to tour the house (touring the gardens is free). With our other museum memberships in Dallas and San Antonio, we got a pretty hefty discount (although it wasn't all that expensive to begin with).

In front of the mansion there is an event venue space, and you can also walk through some of the statuary in the gardens, but because they were setting up for some kind of wedding event or reception or dinner, we didn't want to walk through or around those preparations to get up close looks at this particular sculpture.

We did take a couple of pictures as we walked across the porch at the front of the house to get around back where the entrance was:

Here are some of the event preparations.

Off to the side was another garden area (the Clio Garden) with the eponymous sculpture in its center.

The centerpiece of the complex was, of course, the mansion, which is now used by the Museum of Fine Arts to display not only the possessions of the children of James Stephen Hogg- Texas' first native-born Governor.

Bayou Bend

The mansion, designed by architect John F. Staub, was built between 1927 and 1928 for Ima Hogg and her brothers, William C. and Michael Hogg. Covered in towering trees and thick undergrowth, the home site was, in Miss Hogg's words, "nothing but a dense thicket". The home was one of the first to be located in the River Oaks neighborhood developed by the Hogg brothers. During construction, Ima Hogg insisted that as many trees as possible be kept. Only one tree was sacrificed to make room for the house, and the gardens were created around the existing trees. Ima Hogg gave the home its name, over the objection of her brother Will, who said the name was "too muddy and 'muskeetery' and malarial". Ima responded that "not everyone can have a bayou".

Miss Hogg created a series of gardens that were intended as outdoor rooms for living and entertaining. In 1957, Miss Hogg donated her home and her collection to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Bayou Bend opened to the public in 1966.

Staub's plan for Bayou Bend combined eighteenth-century Georgian architecture with elements that are distinctly Southern and of Spanish Creole architecture. Other aspects of Bayou Bend's design are borrowed from Southern plantation houses. The interiors borrow more heavily from the architectural traditions of the North. Staub incorporated floorboards and paneling from two eighteenth-century Massachusetts houses in Miss Hogg's bedroom and sitting room. In February 1999, the city of Houston named Bayou Bend an official city landmark.

One of the Formal Gardens at the Side of the House

The heavily wooded 14 acres along Buffalo Bayou include eight formal gardens. Three of the gardens are named for a statue of a goddess or muse displayed in the garden, Clio, Diana and Euturpe. The other gardens are named White, East, Butterfly and Carla.

In September 2008, the winds of Hurricane Ike caused extensive damage to the gardens. Although none of the statues were damaged, between 65 and 70% of the pine trees on the grounds had fallen, as had an American holly tree, which at 55 feet was the tallest of its kind in Harris County, Texas. Bart Brechter, the Curator of Gardens at the museum, estimated that it would take 5 months to clear the debris and could take years to bring the gardens to their former state.

We made our way around the east side of the house to the visitor entrance on the south side. There, we were given a little talk by the docent (emphasizing that we shouldn't touch anything or leave the roped path). The path began at the east side of the house, crossed through most of the rooms to the west side, then went up to the second floor and back to the starting point.

The collection at Bayou Bend presently consists of approximately 4,700 objects that reflect historic and stylistic periods from 1620 to 1870 installed in some 28 period room settings that showcase American decorative arts from 1620 through 1870. Miss Hogg began assembling this important collection of American decorative arts in 1920. To provide suitable settings for these extraordinary antiques, Staub designed simple but stately interiors in the style of colonial American rooms.

Click on the Image Above to View the Slideshow

In 1920, while sitting for a portrait by artist Wayman Adams, Miss Hogg admired a simple armchair belonging to the artist that was made in colonial America and later obtained a similar Queen Anne chair for herself. Almost half a century later, Miss Hogg acquired the very same chair that she had first seen in Adams' studio. "From the time I acquired my first Queen Anne armchair in 1920, I had an unaccountable compulsion to make an American collection for some Texas museum." The collection also contains notable objects from outside America, including English ceramics used in Colonial America.

As I followed the roped pathway through the house, I took pictures of each room (sometimes multiple pictures) to record all that I saw in the house. I have put these pictures in a slideshow so that you can easily follow me along on my tour of the house.

To view the slideshow, just click on the image at left and I will open the slideshow in a new window. In the slideshow, you can use the little arrows in the lower corners of each image to move from one to the next, and the index numbers in the upper left of each image will tell you where you are in the series. When you are finished looking at the pictures, just close the popup window.

The tour of the house was pretty amazing, but it was time to get back to the Zaza so we could go over the Fauvism exhibit.

On the Suspension Bridge

I didn't take any pictures on the suspension bridge on the way to the house, so I thought I would take some as we left. The one picture I took shows Nancy and Prudence out in the middle of the bridge. That picture is at left. As I walked across the bridge to the parking lot, I made a movie, and you can use the player below to watch it.

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"Vertigo of Color": Matisse, Derain, and the Origins of Fauvism

When we returned from Bayou Bend, we went immediately over to the Houston Museum of Fine Arts to get tickets and see the exhibit of the works of Matisse and Derain during and after their time in Collioure in the south of France in 1905. As was the Van Gogh exhibit a few years ago, this one was very, very well done.

"Like a shower of confetti, the paintings and watercolors ... pop with festive colors as they set the stage for the perfect introduction to Fauvism."

In the summer of 1905, Henri Matisse and André Derain embarked on a creative partnership that would change the course of French painting. The two painters experimented with daring directions in energetic bursts of color, form, and structure that eventually led to a boldly inventive artistic language known as Fauvism (from the French fauve, or “wild beast”).

While staying in the modest French fishing village of Collioure, Matisse (1869–1954) and Derain (1880–1954) drew from local surroundings as they experienced the bustling life of the port, the quiet beaches, and surrounding landscapes. A new aesthetic of color and light was in process.

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Shortly, I am going to take you completely through the exhibit, showing you all the works that were included and giving you an opportunity to read the descriptions of each work and of the other photos and documents that made up the exhibit. But first, I thought it might be helpful to let you watch a movie about the exhibit that I found online. In it, the exhibition's curator gives us information that was in addition to what was available in my photos of the placards describing each work. So, if you wish, take a look at this movie first. You can use the player at right to watch it.

"Vertigo of Color" features many of the most celebrated works of Fauvism. The exhibition presents, for the first time in the United States, the legacy of that legendary summer through paintings, drawings, and watercolors by the two artists, on loan from national and international museums and private collections.

Their evolving visual language grew from sensory experience of a moment in time, rather than reality. As Matisse wrote, “My choice of colors does not rest on any scientific theory; it is based on observation, on feeling, on the experience of my sensibility.”

One note:
The way the works were organized on the walls of the exhibit, and the way the walls were positioned, it did not seem as if there was one fixed path through the exhibit. For example, I noted one placard discussing Madame Matisse as a model for the two painters, but not all of the works featuring her were right next to that placard. I have tried to organize the works as if this had been true, but I have not been entirely successful.

Two of the first works in the exhibit were portraits of each artist done by the other;

"Henri Matisse, 1905" (Click to Enlarge)

"André Derain, 1905" (Click to Enlarge)

"The Lighthouse of Collioure" (1905) (Click to Enlarge)

André Derain

"Sailboats at Collioure" (1905) (Click to Enlarge)

André Derain

"Sailboats" (1905) (Click to Enlarge) "The Sailboats at Collioure" (1905) (Click to Enlarge)

André Derain

"Fishing Boats, Collioure" (1905) (Click to Enlarge)

André Derain

"The Port of Collioure" (1905) (Click to Enlarge) "Fishing Boats, Collioure" (1905) (Click to Enlarge)

André Derain

"The Faubourg of Collioure" (1905) (Click to Enlarge)

André Derain

"The Port of Collioure" (1905) (Click to Enlarge)

André Derain

André Derain "Boats at the Port of Collioure" (1905) (Click to Enlarge)

Henri Matisse "Madame Matisse with Her Fan" (1906) (Click to Enlarge)

Henri Matisse "Nude in a Wood" (1906) (Click to Enlarge)

Henri Matisse "Nude in a Landscape" (1906) (Click to Enlarge)

Henri Matisse "Woman by a Stream" (1906) (Click to Enlarge)

Henri Matisse "Madame Matisse in the Olive Grove" (1905) (Click to Enlarge)

Henri Matisse "Woman with an Umbrella at the Seashore" (1905) (Click to Enlarge)

Henri Matisse "Young Woman Seated from Behind- Madame Matisse" (1905) (Click to Enlarge)

André Derain "Matisse and His Wife at Collioure" (1905) (Click to Enlarge)

Henri Matisse "La Japonaise beside the Water, Collioure" (1905) (Click to Enlarge)

Henri Matisse "Reclining Bather" (1905) (Click to Enlarge)

Henri Matisse "La Japonaise: Woman beside the Water" (1905) (Click to Enlarge)

Henri Matisse "Still Life" (1905) (Click to Enlarge)

Henri Matisse "Still Life with Geranium" (1906) (Click to Enlarge)

Henri Matisse "Still Life" (1905) (Click to Enlarge)

Henri Matisse "Yellow Pottery from Provence" (1905) (Click to Enlarge)

André Derain "Bridge Over the Riou" (1906) (Click to Enlarge)

André Derain "The Turning Road, L'Estaque" (1906) (Click to Enlarge)

Henri Matisse "View of Collioure" (1907) (Click to Enlarge)

Henri Matisse "The Pier of Collioure" (1905) (Click to Enlarge)

Henri Matisse "Open Window, Collioure" (1905) (Click to Enlarge)

Henri Matisse "Luxe, calme et volupré" (1904) (Click to Enlarge)

Henri Matisse "View of Collioure" (1905) (Click to Enlarge)

"Landscape at Collioure" (1905)  (Click to Enlarge) "Study for 'The Joy of Life'" (1905)  (Click to Enlarge) "The Joy of Life" (1905)  (Click to Enlarge)

Henri Matisse

"Environs of Collioure" (1905) (Click to Enlarge)

André Derain

"Mountains at Collioure" (1905) (Click to Enlarge)

André Derain

"Collioure" (1905)  (Click to Enlarge)

André Derain

Henri Matisse "Boats at Collioure" (1905) (Click to Enlarge)

Henri Matisse "Port of Collioure" (1905) (Click to Enlarge)

Henri Matisse "Mountains, Collioure" (1905) (Click to Enlarge)

Henri Matisse "Landscape at Collioure" (1905) (Click to Enlarge)

Henri Matisse "Village" (1905)   (Click to Enlarge)

André Derain "Earthly Paradise" (1906) (Click to Enlarge)

"Woman with a Shawl, Madame Matisse in a Kimono" (1905) (Click to Enlarge)

André Derain

"View of Port" (1905)  (Click to Enlarge)

Henri Matisse

"Sailboat and Sailors" (1905)  (Click to Enlarge)

Henri Matisse

"Madame Matisse at Collioure" (1905)  (Click to Enlarge)

Henri Matisse

"Sailboat at Collioure" (1905) (Click to Enlarge)

Henri Matisse

"Portrait of Derain at Collioure" (1905) (Click to Enlarge)

Henri Matisse

"Cliff and Sea" (1905) (Click to Enlarge)

Henri Matisse

"Boats at Collioure" (1905) (Click to Enlarge)

Henri Matisse

"Matisse at Collioure" (1905) (Click to Enlarge)

André Derain

"Terrus at Collioure" (1905) (Click to Enlarge)

Henri Matisse

"Portrait of the Painter Terrus" (1905) (Click to Enlarge)

André Derain

"Study for 'The Young Sailor'" (1906) (Click to Enlarge)

Henri Matisse

"Interior with a Young Girl (Girl Reading)" (1905-6) (Click to Enlarge)

Henri Matisse

Henri Matisse "Seascape (Beside the Sea)" (1906) (Click to Enlarge)

"Seascape (La Moulade)" (1906) (Click to Enlarge)

Henri Matisse

"La Moulade" (1906) (Click to Enlarge)

Henri Matisse

"Landscape: Broom" (1906) (Click to Enlarge)

Henri Matisse

Henri Matisse "The Pier at L'Estaque" (1906) (Click to Enlarge)

That concludes our trip through the Fauvism exhibit. I hope you have enjoyed it.

We all drove back to San Antonio where we stayed another night with Ron and Prudence before driving back to Dallas.

You can use the links below to continue to another photo album page.

	May 8 - June 2, 2024: A Trip to Ecuador
	April 8, 2024: The Total Eclipse of the Sun
	Return to the Index for 2024