Visit your local Art Museum and spend an afternoon just admiring the art and criticizing the keepers for whatever bad pieces they allowed to slip in and if the museum does permit comments, take a pen and leave a few thoughtful comments. Curators always enjoy comments about the work they do and it isn't as easy as it looks.
We aren't starved for art here and there are few places I've lived that are better than around here and while I was aghast at 19 to find that my favorite painting was actually hung in the Toledo Museum of Art, it was surrounded there by other beautiful worthy things and I could also buy a print of it at a very reasonable price.
We stopped off in Zaneville to drop off some art for a show and had a few minutes on a rainy afternoon to admire the art there and it was truly amazing. Nice little museum where you would least expect to find one. One could say the same thing about the Butler in Youngstown, that little place in Akron and there's always the Smithsonian, National Gallery and the Met, but only a dolt would say it about the formerly 6th richest city in the nation. On the gripping hand, I don't recall any good art in Detroit but that may well be because, not expecting any, I never looked for it.
So, it's the rainy season, step inside and admire the art and just think, you can do it all over again when it is really hot later in the summer and it's nice and cool in the museum.
8 comments:
Be gentle and respectful in your critic of the "bad art". Art folks don't get paid well and respond better to kindness and maybe an offer of a cup of coffee.
But friend, you are correct, so many troubles in our world, it's good to get out and enjoy the sunshine with a friend or two.
Modern art, aka bad art, is popular because it requires little talent to produce and the folks buying it are trying to be uptown for their friends and neighbors. It takes talent, skill and perseverance to make good art no matter what the medium is. Poor artists don't get paid well because their art is not pleasing. Even starting out good artists get paid more because their art is better.
The National Museum of Art annex has a superb collection of lesser known Dutch artists. I don't know if it is on the virtual tour or not, but if you ever are in DC, it is worth the time to visit.
I was there a number of years ago for the Ver Meer show of his collected works. I really like him.
I've been trying to go to the Akron Museum but family crap has made it a no-go so far. I'll have to try harder, especially since I LIVE in Akron.
The first time we went there (well, my first time) there was a wonderful exhibit of the wonderful flower miniatures in glass. The art changes from time to time in the downstairs exhibit but we haven't been back since the Plague. So many things to do.....
Grew up sorta in my favorite museum, National Cowboy Hall of Fame.
Museum junky when I travel which is not often anymore. I’ve noticed what I call the less is more mentality. IE they have more in storage than on display based on some I’ve revisited years apart. Probably due to lawyers and risk security but they still suck nowadays.
ps The Ruby slippers have their own big room with lotsa unused space.
When I was at the Smithsonian the ruby slippers were in the hall by the new at the time Julia Childs kitchen.
Post a Comment