Nov 18 2012
Trying to be a Cultured Member of Society
http://www.sothebys.com/content/sothebys/en/sales-series/2012/impressionist-modern-art-evening-sale/overview/_jcr_content/leftpar/image.img.jpg/1329735207815.jpg
Usually I never know what exactly we’re doing or where we’re going or what we’re seeing for these productions because I like it to be a surprise. I like surprises. So I knew I was coming to the MoMa, and after accidentally walking into the restaurant and being redirected three doors down, I was excited to be there. I thought, “Well, I’ve never been to this museum before. Modern art can’t be too terrible, right?”
I’m always impressed by photography and how beautiful it can make such ordinary things look. I never know how the photographer decides what angle to snap a shot, or what to take a picture of. Some of my favorite pictures were the ones that looked like one face but they were actually a combination of three overlapping faces. It took me a few seconds to pick up on this but when I did I was amazed. How did they do that? Stevie tried to explain it to me and although it sounds simple, it’s something I didn’t know existed. I was very literally taken aback by it. I appreciate the creativity behind photographs so I definitely enjoyed this gallery.
Then, I remember trying to check in my bag and Professor Davis explaining to me that The Scream by Edvard Munch was being loaned to the MoMa for a few months and it was just one of those paintings you have to see. Naturally, I was expecting some crazy, elaborate, I don’t even know. Then there was a line to get into the gallery and I was pretty pumped. I was thinking, “This has to be awesome, no?” And then I saw it. Usually at this point in my blog post I start complaining about disappointment but I actually wasn’t as disappointed as I thought I would be.
My first reaction was to think, “What…This looks like it was drawn with crayons. This is what I came to see? A crayon drawing? Oh.” But then, in an attempt to be a cultured member of society, I actually stopped and thought about it for a little while. And then I realized, hey, this is kind of interesting. I even squinted to read the little excerpt on the wall about the painting. The contrast between all the bright oranges and yellows and the darker screaming figure with the look of horror on his face made me think of devastation in the midst of beauty. Thinking about it right now, it reminds me of being out in Rockaway this weekend. The beach has a peaceful, beautiful quality to it. I was standing on the beach, looking out into the ocean, momentarily entranced by it’s beauty only to snap back to reality and look around to see a destroyed boardwalk, wiped out houses, and devastated looks on homeowner’s faces. It was beauty in the midst of devastation. Just like the screaming figure with a beautiful sunset going on around it.
This is my favorite quality of art. It is subject to a hundred different interpretations by a hundred million people. It means something else to someone else and there is no right or wrong answer; only new perspectives.
