Happy 100th Birthday, Wayne Thiebaud!

This is Kris, writing to say the Pixeladies are taking a break from our Tech Tuesday posts to wish a happy 100^th birthday to Wayne Thiebaud. He is a fellow graduate of Sac State University. Okay, so he graduated several years before either of us was born, when the place was called Sac State College, but fellow graduate he is! In this time of Covid, Deb and I have not been able to visit any museums, one of our favorite activities to do together. We hope to change that soon, and maybe Wayne Thiebaud is the inducement.

The New Exhibition

To celebrate Thiebaud’s 100th birthday, our very own Crocker Art Museum has mounted Wayne Thiebaud 100:

This exhibition represents the artist’s achievements in all media, with pieces drawn from the Crocker’s holdings and from the collection of the Thiebaud family—many of which, until now, have never been shown publicly.

– Crocker Art Museum website

If you get a chance to go, it should be fantastic. The museum recommends reserving your tickets as it is following Covid-19 guidelines of masks and social distancing. If you go, say hi to my favorite Thiebaud painting in the Crocker holdings, Betty Jean Thibaud and Book. The exhibition runs through Jan 3, 2021.

The Old Exhibition

Since we aren’t going to museums right now, we thought we’d tell you about one trip we took in Feb 2018. Wayne Thiebaud | 1958–1968 was on exhibit at the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art at the University of California, Davis campus. That’s a big name for such a small and intimate museum, a place worth visiting regardless of exhibit. This particular exhibit was mesmerizing. Thiebaud is famous for his cake paintings, which I was never in love with . . . until I saw them in person! Here are a few of my favorites from that exhibit (my photos do not do them justice):

Drink Syrups (1961) has incredible colors. You can see how thick Thiebaud’s paints are by looking at the white in the counters. Somehow the change in paint thickness adds to the overall impression of the piece. The strong straight lines are typical of Thiebaud, and I love them!

I find Delicatessen Counter (1963) amazing for all the negative space. Thiebaud has created two overwhelming whites in the counter and the wall, which he separates with colorful horizontal lines. And what, I wonder, is sold out for “59” (cents?). Is this painting a commentary on mass consumption? An homage to artisan butcher counters? Or simply a study of shade and light? Maybe all three. I don’t care. I can look at this piece for hours.

The title notwithstanding (she’s not a girl!), The Girl with Ice Cream Cone (1963) is a compelling piece for so many reasons. For one, I can’t stop looking at how Thiebaud creates shadow here. The folds of the bathing suit are obvious. Even though he is using his typical horizontal lines, his use of the darker blues depict shadow and fold. Just wow! Add to that how Thiebaud employs foreshortening to accentuate the sexuality already abundant in this painting. And then there’s the ice cream. Deb and I love to top off our museum visits with an ice cream or gelato, so I’ll end this little virtual tour here, too!

We hope we’ve inspired you to learn more about Wayne Thiebaud, take a (virtual) trip to your favorite museum, or have an ice cream!