Saturday, January 7, 2012

I onced shoved Mr. Hall in an art museum

Mr. Hall will be going to the same museum tomorrow. Let's hope there is less violence.



When we were dating, I shoved Mr. Hall in an art museum.

It was the post modern wing.

Mr. Hall has absolutely no patience for post-modern art.

It riles him. He feels this type of art is a scam. A waste. That it means nothing. Well, it means the buyer is a fool.

He said this as we walked through the post modern wing. Walking through the art installations.





I did my best to educate him on the theories and concepts behind post modern art. How the artists challenge themselves to reinvent what art through different mediums, different arrangements of objects. This way, art can be found anywhere and everywhere. They challenge all of us to define what art is. Or what it can be made of. I say this like a tourguide. All chipper, smiley and earnest.


That's just crap he says.





This goes on for some half an hour.




I try explaining it again. We both view a large painted canvas. It is solid yellow with the word commerce in green block letters.

Ya know what that says, he says to me, that says SUCKER!






I begin to bite my tongue. After all, I am not a fan of post modern art. In fact, I believe that it's better as a concept than a reality. I believe that post modern art fails to make the artist work at developing their ideas and honing their craft. It fails to challenge their creativity. It fails as art too. It is not art.

Yet, I am upset that Mr. Hall is not listening to me. Not even considering other ideas beyond his own. Even though I don't agree with post modern art, I appreciate that someone went to the trouble of giving it a go.





The final straw was two large squares of sheet metal, suspended from the ceiling, painted solid red. They are hung askew, tilted to the right.





He sees this and smoke comes out of his ears. THIS IS CRAP!! THAT IS JUST SHEET METAL HANGING FROM THE CEILING!!


I see the humor in his frothiness. I try to playfully push him, in a cute girlfriend kind of way.

I end up hauling off and shoving him. I really shoved him hard and from behind, with both hands even. I knock him off balance.

I was caught off guard by this. Such violence is not me. But I like it. I am very pissed off at this point. I mean, can't he just expand his mind a little? I'm all steamed.

So I attempt to shove him again. Only this time, he grabs my wrists.

My husband has an excellent kinesthetic use of his own power. He was deft with his defense.

We both stopped. Realized how ridiculous this was. Laughed a little. It was odd. And never repeated.

But even now, some eight years later, I am still perturbed. He had such ire over post modern art. Still does. And really, I agree with him.

I'm still mad though. Not sure why. But, either way, post modern art is pretty much crap.

I leave you, as I began, with a contrast between Norman Rockwell and Jackson Pollock.

Guess which I am a fan of.




The Connoisseur by Norman Rockwell circa 1962


Have a good weekend.

And try not to get into any art related fights. Unless it's body painting, then, by all means-have a go ;)

9 Left a message at the beep:

Cam said...

Love it.

Bergman is lurking over my shoulder from a bit away from the screen, so that he can't read what you've written, he can only see the images.

"What's that all about?" he asks

"Post modern art." I answer

"Post modern crap!" he corrects.

And goes on to critique every image with 'are you serious?' and 'what the hell is that?'

I am about to answer harshly, and I read your last paragraph, so I retract the claws.

Sympatico. Completely.

Mrs. Hall said...

Good to see my post is stirring up some trouble.

very nice, very nice . . .

:)

James said...

I have to agree with Mr Hall.
Here is an example that you can tell him, with an explanation.
I saw this piece of "art" in a final degree show at a university some years back. It was called "changes" or some shit name like that. It consisted of the artist taking a polaroid photo of himself every day when he woke up for the whole 3 years of his course, over a thousand photos recording him hung over, bed headed, wide awake, spotty what have you.
The point is, to do that he must have planned on doing that for his final piece before he even started at University.
So that means the whole three years did not moderate, or excite him with another better idea for a final piece. There was no DEVELOPMENT. And NO TALENT or SKILL. THerefore NO ART.

Bruce Johnson said...

Post Modern Art has it's place. After all, art has to evolve. We just can't keep painting the Mona Lisa over and over. That said, most of it is crap. It has to show something that can inspire or make us wonder....not simply question. Then again, most art is Crap.....if it weren't, we would never be able to tell who the really good artist were.

...and please, no shoving in the Art Gallery. [You break it, you buy it]

Mrs. Hall said...

AMEN BROTHER JAMES!!!! AMEN!!

Bruce: yes, it is important to evolve. but not to into a piece of crap. ;)

GeologyJoe said...

That first pic all i saw as the Pollock painting and didnt even see that the man was painted. I guess my eye is really messed up.

But yeah, i think post-modern can be crap. just throwing blank canvases up and asking the audience to interpret is weak.

show me Winslow Homer and ill show you real art.

Mrs. Hall said...

Joe: Isn't that painting genius? I mean, when people think of Norman Rockwell they usually just think of the cutsey stuff, but man, he has so too him.

I LOVE that painting. I love the contrast, the skill involved. The very very very subtle way of expressing my entire point in one painting.

I think I may have to do a post on Norman Rockwell.

You on the other hand, do a post on Winslow Homer and show what a real artist can do!

:)

Slyde said...

i have to admit, post modern art just doesnt swing it for me, either...

dont hit me.

Anonymous said...

Norman was the man!

I had a collection of his statues....."had" being the keyword. They were displayed for years, shelving fell off the wall.....I cried like a baby.

I'm better now.

peace
#2

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