Art and Music are Merely Words

Wednesday, November 3^rd.  The Metropolitan Museum of Art, familiar to many New Yorkers, hosted an exhibition of the new John Baldessari “Pure Beauty” exhibit. This was somewhat of a milestone for the Metropolitan, colloquially called the Met, to present a collection of a contemporary artist among its hallowed halls.  The Met’s collection spans several centuries, but featuring art produced by someone that’s still alive has seemed sort of contrived, even Dali’s Crucifixion seemed sort hidden from traffic. Baldesarri was a pioneer of what we may call “non art”, in that many of the pieces presented were often conceptual or minimalist in theme, in stark contrast to iconic images like Hokusai’s The Great Wave off Kanagawa or Washington Crossing the Delaware. “Pure Beauty” focuses on philosophical issues, aesthetics in art, what exactly can be considered art, and even uses font to make a statement, reminiscent of Magritte’s Treachery of Images. In an effort to the appeal to the expanding bubble of hip young 20-somethings, the museum designated an “after hours” show on this particular Wednesday, open to any college student for free.  Where would be a better place to meet like-minded intellectuals from all over the great city of New York?

Upon arriving, there was a noticeable dearth of shuffling tourists and babbling children. The lights had been dimmed to facilitate a more intimate setting, and a bar had been set up in the center of the main lobby. Well dressed young men and women were walking about while a projector displayed monochrome images of foreign faces across an entire wall.  One truly felt part of an elite few, chosen to walk the halls of this melting pot of culture and offer our own insight and criticism to whoever would listen (and enjoy some free vegetarian empanadas while we were at it.)

A picture of myself, broadcasted across the wall at the Met.

Proceeding into the exhibit, patrons are presented with a sort of  “living painting”, a text painting that details its life from the moment it was first conceptualized across 7 gray canvases, and it will continue to grow as it travels the globe.  (:June 19, 1968 Idea Conceived at 10:25 a.m.”) Baldesarri’s  incredible works are presented chronologically, his earliest pieces can hardly be called visually aesthetically pleasing, one painting is devoted to “what not to do in a painting”, but they are all designed to make the viewer question their concept of what defines art. Repetition and arbitrary games are also a major theme of his earlier work, and several of his pieces feature a similar image with a minor variation, spanning a significant part of the wall, and drawing the observer ever closer to scrutinize every individual part.

A peek at one of the stills employed by Baldessari in his artwork. From metmuseum.org

While snaking through Baldessari’s “reappropriating movie stills” phase of his career, a stage had been set up in the lobby and a band called Fluffy Lumbers began their set. In much a way that Baldesarri produced “non art”, this could’ve been considered “non music”. A large, swirling maelstrom of shoegaze rang out through the museum at an ear splitting volume, evoking images of the likes of Joy Division and My Bloody Valentine. Filtered vocals and droning guitars created a wall of sound that was impenetrable unless standing directly next to whomever you were conversing with.

Fluffy Lumbers drawing a crowd. From the Met's Flickr. account.

The experience of meeting several young men and women interested in things like myself, while enjoying the mentally stimulating artwork of John Baldesarri, and the conceptual musical style of Fluffy Lumbers has made a lasting impression on me. To me, this is exactly what about being a college student in New York is about, taking advantage of every great opportunity offered to us, and building new connections with new people. The Baldesarri exhibit will continue until January 9^th, and I highly recommend seeing it while you can.