Mark Helprin: A Literary Genre all to Himself. "Refiner's Fire".

A soldier in one of the Israeli-Arab conflicts of the 1960's is gravely wounded in combat--so much so that he is laid among other dying soldiers in hospital ward, kept sedated for comfort. A lone young nurse watches the men for signs of life or proof of death. The soldier's name is Marshall Pearl; much of the action of the story takes place in the druggy, fevery visions and dreams in his head as he lies, awaiting the end--of his life or of the current condition. What memories he has! the author goes far out on limbs of description to bring to life this adventurous, intrepid young man. He is an American by upbringing and adoption, but was conceived in the ashes of the Holocaust and born on a sinking ship as its captain tries to run the British blockage of Palestine to deliver camp survivors to Israel.
Marshall barely survives his birth! As a child, his is fortunate to be adopted by wealthy Americans; he is given much freedom to roam around his parent's estate on the Hudson; he learns to climb, he hops freight trains, he is all about rugged adventure. But that doesn't begin to tell of the richly woven tapestry of the narration. If you ever read and liked "A Soldier in the Great War" by this same author, you will understand: the scenes in the book simply come alive in your head as you read; different scenes, repeatedly. Amazing story, released in 1977. The occasional gem of the book like this is why I love to read!

More Evocative Paintings from the Grohmann Museum..

 The solitary miner in the dark and apparently endless tunnels...

 Laborers or fellow miners burying the dead after an accident or mine collapse..the detail of the little dog on the lower left is especially touching..

and a whimsical paintings of an old fashioned steam shovel, almost like an illustration from a child's story book.

Art is Supposed to Challenge our Thinking, as well as entertain...

I was completely unfamiliar with the Grohmann before our visit--we came to see a temporary exhibit of railroad graphics. As I strolled among the galleries of the permanent collection of these interesting industrial landscapes, I realized many of the paintings could only have been commissioned by the noxious and deadly regime that controlled much of Europe and tried to take over the world in the 1940's! The paintings are generally from the 1930's, before the true evil was generally understood.
My Goodness; a unique and slightly creepy experience--yet I am glad for the openness to exhibit such subjects without glorifying them. Usually, I credit art works on the 'Blog; in this case I decided not to mention specific artists or subjects--the museums collection can be explored on-line.

Haystacks and Smokestacks...

A combination you don't usually see in landscape painting. I liked the weird, "starry night", but strange quality of the night-time scene in the middle...

Abstract, yet human and evocative..

unlike modernistic abstract paintings of shapes and patterns, these paintings from inside the factories producing metals in the earlier years of the 20th century place human bodies in the midst of the heat, stench and racket. The middle painting shows men dragging a fiery hot ingot, turning their faces to avoid the radiated heat. No hard hats, no hearing protection, no safety glasses, no shirts!

Industrial Landscapes...the Grohmann Museum has them in abundance!

Many art museums we visit, I find industrial, railroad, factory or work-themed paintings are not common. Lots of pretty landscapes, lovely ladies, sweet children, flowers, hunt scenes, etc.; but not much to illustrate the ways and means that most people go about the task of making their living. Also, the kind of scene we see above, is very near to abstract or modernistic, if you simple look at the shapes, patterns and lines. I like to photograph scenes like this for the same reason.

The Destination in Milwaukee (besides the lunch and the long walk): The Grohmann Museum

Hubsy wanted to see an exhibit of graphic art from the Milwaukee Road Railroad; photography was prohibited in that section, but otherwise, OK. The museum houses the art collection of a Wisconsin industrialist and benefactor to the local engineering college. Mosaics, stained glass and a formidable assortment of industrial landscape paintings from the middle ages to the 20th Century. There is a fun glass elevator to ride. I love glass elevators! More to come. The art in this museum is very thought provoking.