1. Farm Yard. The first painting I took a picture of was this dandy little number. The photo simply does not do justice to the stunning throw of light. It took my breath almost as soon as I set eyes on it.
2. Hail, Mary. Perhaps the one that touched my heart but then stimulated my brain the most was this painting by Merson. As the placard on the right says, "In this deceptively simple scene, a laborer hurries home from the fields, tipping his hat to a young mother he meets along the way. Only the painting's title tells us that the woman is the Virgin Mary, who appears not as a sculpture in a roadside shrine, but as a living person..." I was quite taken with the thought of that.
3. These six portraits of Native American leaders had such an interesting story and took up an entire wall. I stood and looked at these for some time, and came back later and looked again. To think of all that happened to them, and how little we know still.
4. This beauty of New Hampshire countryside was another example of how much more is captured on canvas than a computer screen. There's nothing particularly striking about the content, but the colors and details completely captivated my attention. My eyes were stuck here for a long while.
5. The Philosopher's Corner was a combination of painting and title being connected. It also seemed like it would be good to have hanging in an office or reading room someday.
6. Moonlight. This was another exceptional show of light work that simply cannot be copied and pasted onto a screen. I am tempted to say this was perhaps one of the more magnificent pieces but... what do I know?
7. The Harmony Chair didn't have quite the flair to it as the paintings, but it seemed appropriate and spoke to me still. The ugliness of the weaponry was quite offset by the practical use of a place to sit.
8. Untitled. This giant stainless steel masterpiece by Anish Kapoor sort of freaked me out but also left me mesmerized. Not only by all the reflections (yes, that's my face in it on the right), but how it could amplify and throw your voice! If you whispered while right in front, it could be heard clear across the room. It was amazing. Here is a little of the write-up from the website:
In his remarkable body of work Turner Prize-winning artist Anish Kapoor has combined art and science into a layered, multi-sensory experience for his audience. He employs a familiar form in Untitled—the concave dish—in order to create the uncanny sense of limitlessness through the myriad fractured reflections of the viewer in its surface and the astonishing acoustic effects that its concave form produces. The surface’s triangular patterning is a result of Kapoor’s interest in fractals, wherein multiples are equivalent to the whole. Kapoor’s work invites discovery and provides an endlessly engaging experience for its audience.
 |
| 118 1/8 x 118 1/8 x 24 inches |
9. Finally, the last piece is from the "Making Africa: A Continent of Contemporary Design" exhibit that's just starting. There were a lot of these large info boards in addition to art and design. This one seemed particularly poignant at this time.
And there you have it, folks. I'm sure I missed a lot of beautiful art, neglected worthwhile work, and forgot about much more, but these were the highlights of my tour of the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia. If there was one thing I regretted not photographing it was some of the intricate woodworking on display from days gone by. Whether piano casings, cabinets, or what, it was amazing. I knew there was no way my phone pictures would do it justice though. So, this is it. A good time was had by me.
No comments:
Post a Comment