When originally shown in 1913, the Armory Show at 100 introduced America to a whole different kind of art, yet received a less than favorable reaction. 100 years later, not only is it hard to imagine how people could dislike this show, but also the art world without these works. When I first walked in, I was pleasantly surprised to see sculptures and paintings done in different styles; not just the same old works one would usually see at a specific museum exhibit.

One piece I really enjoyed was Pablo Picasso’s “Woman’s Head (Fernande).” Done in the Cubist style common in the early 20^th century, this sculpture’s main difference from a neoclassical one is that it looks alive. The typical white, neoclassical heads all have the same smooth skin, blank eyes, and discernable features. In person, the sculpture looks more black than gray, and that liquidy darkness gives it an air of mystery. Also, the roughness, asymmetrical edges and distorted features give it the personality that the neoclassical style lacks.  In particular, the eyes of the sculpture are hollow, black and difficult to separate from the cheekbones and eyebrows, giving off the impression of features that morph into one another yet somehow are the exact opposite of fluid. The abstraction and darkness of the sculpture is what makes it so interesting and eye-catching.

My favorite painting was Robert Chanler’s “Parody of Fauve Painters” in which he basically mocked the popular fauvist artists of that time, particularly Matisse (the ape). Maybe in depicting Matisse as an ape, he is showcasing the primitiveness in the style and content of his art works. Fauvist paintings used bright colors and brushstrokes, and focused on simple and abstract subjects. The “artists” are surrounded by paintings of nude women, which the eccentric and innovative Chanler would have thought to be too typical and mainstream. Chanler’s ornate and decorative art was a complete departure from the popular forms of this time. It is very likely that he is mocking these “artists” for not branching out and exploring new forms of art like he is doing; instead, working within the confines of fauvism. Additionally, the other “artists” surrounding Matisse are depicted as admiring a monkey and his work, suggesting that they are just followers and not thinkers.

Francois-Xavier Lalanne’s sheep sculptures on Michael Shvo’s Getty Station is a striking combination of urban and rural: so bourgeois yet so unexpected. It’s hard to decide whether the grazing sheep intruded upon the gas station or if the gas station is paving over the pasture. Really, the grass was there first, but it’s hard to imagine grass dominating over something industrial in the city. One would not think to combine the two, yet upon seeing it, the two work in perfect harmony together. One similarity between the two seemingly opposite, a gas station and a meadow, is their usefulness. Gas and technology is what powers most of us through our days, yet we don’t stop to appreciate the equally important role that plain fresh air plays in our lives. This public art display is a creative way of expressing the “go green!” motto, and capturing the attention of anyone who passes by. Or, reminding people of the good old days when gas was still less than $3.

Pieter Hugo, in his art exhibit at the Yossi Milo gallery, Kin, focuses on the racism and disadvantages that black Africans face in South Africa. While apartheid may have ended, the discrimination hasn’t. He explores the pitiable Africans’ homes and lives making us wonder how the whites can let the Africans survive day-to-day like this? When race permeates every aspect of society for the worst, so does the question of how to handle it. In one picture, a young boy is seen begging on the streets of South Africa where his skin, caked with dirt, actually looks silver. This is probably the epitome of poverty from the eyes of a New Yorker; however, it’s commonplace in South Africa. The hopelessness in his eyes combined with the blurry outline of Spanish-tiled roof houses in the background magnifies the striking injustice and destitution that the Africans face, where all-powerful whites are but a mere fraction.