What is THAT supposed to be?

One of my favorite things about this trip was getting to see two of the most famous modern art museums in the World: the Pompidou Centre in Paris and the Tate Modern in London.

The thing I like about modern art is that there is almost always a cool idea behind it, even if I hate it. It gets my brain firing, thinking about what's possible with art, while at the same time I look at what's there and sigh. Here are a few complaints to begin with:

1. We are not living in the Victorian age anymore. Stop painting naked people and pretending like you're new and innovative. Manet had that covered centuries ago. You are not shocking us. We walk past your picutre of a transvestite having sex with three dogs at once and say, "Yup, there's another one. Moving right along..."


2. Most of modern art is trying too hard to be art. All you have to do is find something crazy that no one would ever consider art, put it in a gallery and Presto! you're an artist. Congratulations. You got in. You broadened our ignorant minds. You made a good point and began a path toward greatness. NOW KEEP WORKING! There is too much innovation today; not enough development.


3. I wish that more artists would stop trying to make statements and just create what they wanted to, without thinking about what's art and what's not.

That said, lets talk about the stuff I liked.

I thought this was a cool idea: make art so big that you can walk inside it. Take away the glass frames and steel fences and let people really experience it. Let them touch it, even if that means faster decay.

This picture is showing pieces from the Minimalism exhibit. Minimalism asks why art has to be so busy and complicated. If you think the paintings are a little plain, you should see what’s on the other wall. Three canvases withought frames: all the same size, all painted white. Actually, there is a slight grey tinge to the paint (intended to set it apart from the wall), but that’s it. The sculpture on the floor is also fun. Lots of industrial tin plates laid on the floor. Why does sculpture have to be tall? Why does art have to be roped off? Why can’t you walk on it? Actually, the artist doesn’t even want you to look at this sculpture. That’s right: you’re supposed to walk on top of it without even noticing. Who says you have to look at art anyway?

This one is titled “moon.” Which is pretty stupid until you look at it again, and then you’re like, “by golly, it is the moon!” Or at least a very pixilated version of it…

This room was very plain and empty looking. That small green neon sign is sitting over there alone on a blank wall. The thing on the floor is a big pile of industrial steel with a tape recorder duct-taped to it that was constantly emitting the noises of clanging metal.

Then another artist came in and made an exhibit specifically designed to be next to this one. After ducking through a low doorway, you are in a massive room with nothing but a grand piano. Oh yeah, and all the walls are covered with thick rolls of felt. As soon as you step in, the noise is almost completely blocked out so that you stand in utter silence, and the warmth of the super-insulated room catches you in a kind of doldrum. The contrast is striking. It’s one of those exhibits where I go, “Wow! That was a cool idea!” quickly followed by a “That’s it? Really?” I mean, the grand piano inside a completely silent room is a nice joke and all, and it is such a neat idea to think about how one exhibit leads into another and to involve three of the senses in the experience of art, but couldn’t you think of anything better? I loved all the potential in these ideas, but I didn’t walk away changed or moved.

This is a sculpture by Brancussi. He said that he did not try to make anything, but let the wood and metals shape themselves. I find it very hard to believe that you would come across these shapes naturally by just following the grain in the wood. I find it very unlikely that what you see here is the "essence" of wood and brass. But I also find it unlikely that characters in novels are really "organic" and "alive" like all the authors say they are. If, however, thinking about art in this way allows certain kinds of art to be produced, then I'm all for it. Even though I think their theory is stupid, I have to admit that the metaphor is powerful, and that I couldn't create what they create using my own theories about art.

The other think I like about Brancussi is how he thought about the ways that art interacts with other art in the space, kind of like the two exhibits I jus talked about. He constantly rearranged the sculptures in his workshop to experience them in different ways.

Well the, the Tate Modern in London didn't allow pictures inside, so I'm going to write about that mostly from memory.

I remember seeing a ratty old paper back book in a glass case. The two creators reversed the traditional roles of author and illustrator by having the artist draw pictures first. Then his friend came along and wrote poems to illustrate the illustrations. I thought that was a nifty idea, even though the poems didn't make any sense and the pictures were of wierd things like dead fish.

I also remember seeing some kinetic art. The idea behind this school of thought is that art should interact with the viewer and change as you move around it. These were pretty cool to look at, but I have to wonder what the difference is between kinetic "ART" and simple optical illusions.

One room was filled with an installation by a Brazilian artist. There was poetry written on the wall, sand on the floor, and live birds inside cages. A favella (those shacks that the poor people on the outskirts of Sao Paulo live in) stood bravely in the center, and only one person could enter it at a time. Thought it is probably only 6 feet square, you have to twist through a pretty long and narrow corridor before reaching the inner room, where a broken T.V. shows you a distorted image of some old program. The inside makes you feel trapped and depressed: a stark contrast to the birds of paradise outside.

I'm sure there is more to talk about from the Tate Modern, but it is late now, and I'm tired of writing.

Thanks for reading! Tune in next time for a description of Londong theatre.