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osprey_archerMy art history class went to the Art Institute of Chicago to see their exhibit on Munch (he who painted The Scream, although the Art Institute didn't have it as Norway never lends it out because it's already been stolen twice), and then wander their galleries at random.
I love art museums. (Well, all museums really.) I love seeing real live paintings, which are so much bigger and sharper and more in person, and with the Impressionists and post-Impressionists you can actually get right up and see the texture of the paint on canvas: the sharp red lines of Van Gogh's painted beard, the thick nap of the cloth in a Renoir.
(You can see the picture, right? LJ has been sassing me.) This should be Two Sisters, one of my favorite Renoirs; it's part of my imaginary exhibition, about which I am writing a paper for art history. (This is possible the best paper assignment ever. Art history FTW!)
I have a theory about the enduring popularity of Impressionist paintings. They're genuinely artistic, in the sense that no one (except maybe an unconscionable snob) would call you a philistine if you hung one on the wall, but they aren't the kind of artistic where you would start avoiding the room where you hung the thing because you're pretty sure that if it's just you and the painting, the painting would win. And probably celebrate its victory by eating you.
Also there's the fact that they're beautiful in their own right, like this painting by Monet.
I'm standing there to give the picture a sense of scale. Paintings are very often much larger than I expect; even seeing them projected on a screen doesn't give a real sense of their size.
The art museum had a whole room almost devoted to Monet: Monet's bridges, Monet's water lilies, Monet's haystacks. Previously I was aghast at the idea of Monet's haystacks. I mean, really? He spent three years of his life haystacks? He couldn't find something better to do with his time?
But when you see six of them side by side, it's thrilling. The light is different, the shadows soar, the paint is luminous, Monet was a genius.
We had lunch at a place called Cosi's, which is apparently a chain on the east coast - having never been to the east coast, I can neither confirm nor deny - but it does have excellent sandwiches, much tastier than Panera for the same price. I had a turkey and brie sandwich. The mustard was so hot it burned my nose and made my eyes water, but eventually I realized that an appropriate brie to mustard ratio solved the problem and then it was delicious.
I love art museums. (Well, all museums really.) I love seeing real live paintings, which are so much bigger and sharper and more in person, and with the Impressionists and post-Impressionists you can actually get right up and see the texture of the paint on canvas: the sharp red lines of Van Gogh's painted beard, the thick nap of the cloth in a Renoir.
(You can see the picture, right? LJ has been sassing me.) This should be Two Sisters, one of my favorite Renoirs; it's part of my imaginary exhibition, about which I am writing a paper for art history. (This is possible the best paper assignment ever. Art history FTW!)
I have a theory about the enduring popularity of Impressionist paintings. They're genuinely artistic, in the sense that no one (except maybe an unconscionable snob) would call you a philistine if you hung one on the wall, but they aren't the kind of artistic where you would start avoiding the room where you hung the thing because you're pretty sure that if it's just you and the painting, the painting would win. And probably celebrate its victory by eating you.
Also there's the fact that they're beautiful in their own right, like this painting by Monet.
I'm standing there to give the picture a sense of scale. Paintings are very often much larger than I expect; even seeing them projected on a screen doesn't give a real sense of their size.
The art museum had a whole room almost devoted to Monet: Monet's bridges, Monet's water lilies, Monet's haystacks. Previously I was aghast at the idea of Monet's haystacks. I mean, really? He spent three years of his life haystacks? He couldn't find something better to do with his time?
But when you see six of them side by side, it's thrilling. The light is different, the shadows soar, the paint is luminous, Monet was a genius.
We had lunch at a place called Cosi's, which is apparently a chain on the east coast - having never been to the east coast, I can neither confirm nor deny - but it does have excellent sandwiches, much tastier than Panera for the same price. I had a turkey and brie sandwich. The mustard was so hot it burned my nose and made my eyes water, but eventually I realized that an appropriate brie to mustard ratio solved the problem and then it was delicious.
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no subject
Date: 2009-03-09 03:17 am (UTC)I don't actually like a lot of impressionism.. <.< But I do like the Monets in sets-- I was at one museum (National Gallery maybe??) where they had a bunch of cathedral paintings by him, the same view, just in different light, with this white cathedral. That was beautiful-- as a set, kind of boring individually.
But your assignment sounds awesome! What do you have to do, exactly?
no subject
Date: 2009-03-09 03:58 am (UTC)On the other hand, I saw Impression: Sunrise (http://www.webexhibits.org/colorart/monet.html) (Monet) somewhere (it must have been on tour, because it lives in Paris, where I have not been) and thought: no wonder the critics panned it - it looks like unfinished student work. Of course, in textbooks, it looks great.
no subject
Date: 2009-03-09 05:49 pm (UTC)The assignment is to come up with a topic in nineteenth century art - the nude, the bicycle, the cafe, something like that - pick out about a dozen pictures related to that topic, and write a paper about your thesis and arrange the pictures to support it.
My exhibit is on bourgeois children (as I'm in a developmental psych class I thought I'd give my term a theme). It's surprisingly hard to find information on, but really interesting; I may post some of the stuff once I finish the project.
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Date: 2009-03-09 05:53 pm (UTC)I think my favorite description of Impression: Sunrise was the critic who said it looked like "wallpaper in its embryonic state," which is maybe harsh but hilarious.
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Date: 2009-03-09 07:35 pm (UTC)I feel that way about art. Thank you for the post. I get to learn a little bit by osmosis - free art!
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Date: 2009-03-10 03:42 am (UTC)And I can understand your friend's desire to take all those university degrees. Picking a single major is so haaaaaard.
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Date: 2009-03-10 07:09 am (UTC)When I was in middle school, we took this grand field trip to the Bob Jones University museum and I thought it was awesome until a few years ago. Well, it was awesome, but then I was in Georgia with some friends to go rafting and this friend-of-a-friend I'd never met decided he wanted to see a movie. Except we were ridiculously early and ended up going to the High Museum of Art instead to see the visiting Michelangelo exhibit. Suffice it to say that the Planet of the Apes remake paled in comparison.
no subject
Date: 2009-03-10 07:28 am (UTC)I got scolded by a guard for getting to close to a Van Gogh once. :( And since then, I've totally seen people get closer than I did.
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Date: 2009-03-10 11:48 pm (UTC)Not that I wasn't tempted. I always want to touch museum exhibits (this is why I like antique stores, because there you can actually handle the stuff).
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Date: 2009-03-10 11:51 pm (UTC)I so, so want to go to the Vatican to see the Sistine Chapel. Well, really to see all of the Vatican. (I would especially like it if the Vatican would magically empty out so I could go on a personal tour, but I don't expect miracles.)
I also want to take a Renaissance art class, and that is somewhat more likely.
no subject
Date: 2009-03-11 01:24 am (UTC)Me, too. Especially the statues -- all that smooth, satiny-looking marble taunts me. ;)
no subject
Date: 2009-03-11 02:32 am (UTC)Empty would be amazing. It's nothing the same, but a friend and I once broke into the campus "official use" space (where the ceremonies and weddings were held) at 3am or something and it was dark and beautiful and just peaceful. Then he got ahold of the piano and started playing and it's one of the most beautiful moments of my life. My point is this: everything is a little magical when it's taken out of familiar context; it would be downright religious to see something like the Vatican that way.
no subject
Date: 2009-03-11 12:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-03-11 05:14 pm (UTC)Heh! I like this, and I know exactly what you mean.
Thank you for sharing! I loved looking at the paintings, even secondhand through a camera. The third haystack painting is, as you said, luminous, even reproduced like this.
Sometimes I really like Monet. I picked my current icon partly because it reminded me a bit of Monet's painting of a field dotted with red flowers: Poppies. My other favourite is La pie. Very few people can paint snow properly. The linked art doesn't really get across how amazing the colours were in the snow-- blues, yellows.
It sounds like a great day.
no subject
Date: 2009-03-11 05:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-03-12 12:12 am (UTC)And I agree about the snow - both that it's hard to paint, and that Monet painted it well. It reminds me tangentially of this painting (http://farm1.static.flickr.com/88/245793209_690871083f.jpg?v=0) by Fritz Thaulow, which was also at the museum. The snow is nothing special, but look at the water.