Small People
Apparently there are those who reject the spirit of the Olympics and take offense at teh visa "Go World" commercials, which I quite like.(and in fact make me cry the easy tears of an old man. http://thenewtj105.wordpress.com/2008/06/07/whats-up-with-the-visa-olympic-commercials/
You people are mean-spirited, shallow, and just simply small.
OTOH, I spent the weekend in Detroit visiting with LaTanya's family, who are good people; friendly, generous, and going out of their way to make me feel welcome. Overall, I thought the trip went very well. Now, her mother is never going to be happy L picked me, but at least she is now accepting and at least trying to see good in me.
We also squeezed in a trip to the Detroit Institute of Art, who's reputation is well deserved.
It had all the usual stuff, nice modern and contemporary sections, and at the time only one special exhibition going: "Sacred Places", a collection of photographs of Budhist temples in Nepal, Angor, etc.
Many museums have a specialty or focus; Boston has an extensive early American collection, Denver decided they would be the premier musuem for native-american and western art. If Detroit has a focus, it is on african-american art. They had a nice section of African-American art, both new and old. the early stuff had a very 'folk-art' feel, which is typical of a lack of formal training and use of materials at hand. But, as I know from the AVAM http://www.avam.org/ those very things can lend an immediacy, personal feel, and powerful affect. The more contemporary included a couple pieces by Sam Gilliam. (you may know him for his 'drop cloths.')
LaTanya knew him, and liked him do to his response to comments/criticism of him as an african-american artist: "yes, I'm black, and an artist. But don't tell me who I am, or what and how I should paint!" My peronal score was Kehinde Wiley. He does these large scale paintings, extremely striking (these pics do no justice to them) taking classical works like Rapheal's Three Graces
And repaints them with modern urban black men as the focus:
keeping plenty of roccoco and baroque flourishes. In person, these have dramatic visual impact. We first saw a piece of his at the Mint Museum in Charlotte, "Philip the Fair"
Since I couldn't remember the artist's name after Charlotte, I ended up running a hundred futile google searches. It was a relief to close that out.
there were also blurbs scattered about. In the american art collections they had notes about the portrayal of negroes in the paintings, and a room, indistinquishable from the surrounding period pieces, of paintings by mostly self-taught blacks exactly mimicing the styles of the time (Hudson river school, etc.) commisioned and supported by abolitionists.
Well worthwhile, and my eyes starting burning out pretty much exactly at the point we ran out of time.
You people are mean-spirited, shallow, and just simply small.
OTOH, I spent the weekend in Detroit visiting with LaTanya's family, who are good people; friendly, generous, and going out of their way to make me feel welcome. Overall, I thought the trip went very well. Now, her mother is never going to be happy L picked me, but at least she is now accepting and at least trying to see good in me.
We also squeezed in a trip to the Detroit Institute of Art, who's reputation is well deserved.
It had all the usual stuff, nice modern and contemporary sections, and at the time only one special exhibition going: "Sacred Places", a collection of photographs of Budhist temples in Nepal, Angor, etc.
Many museums have a specialty or focus; Boston has an extensive early American collection, Denver decided they would be the premier musuem for native-american and western art. If Detroit has a focus, it is on african-american art. They had a nice section of African-American art, both new and old. the early stuff had a very 'folk-art' feel, which is typical of a lack of formal training and use of materials at hand. But, as I know from the AVAM http://www.avam.org/ those very things can lend an immediacy, personal feel, and powerful affect. The more contemporary included a couple pieces by Sam Gilliam. (you may know him for his 'drop cloths.')
LaTanya knew him, and liked him do to his response to comments/criticism of him as an african-american artist: "yes, I'm black, and an artist. But don't tell me who I am, or what and how I should paint!" My peronal score was Kehinde Wiley. He does these large scale paintings, extremely striking (these pics do no justice to them) taking classical works like Rapheal's Three Graces
And repaints them with modern urban black men as the focus:
keeping plenty of roccoco and baroque flourishes. In person, these have dramatic visual impact. We first saw a piece of his at the Mint Museum in Charlotte, "Philip the Fair"
Since I couldn't remember the artist's name after Charlotte, I ended up running a hundred futile google searches. It was a relief to close that out.
there were also blurbs scattered about. In the american art collections they had notes about the portrayal of negroes in the paintings, and a room, indistinquishable from the surrounding period pieces, of paintings by mostly self-taught blacks exactly mimicing the styles of the time (Hudson river school, etc.) commisioned and supported by abolitionists.
Well worthwhile, and my eyes starting burning out pretty much exactly at the point we ran out of time.