I visited the Trinity Valley Quilt Guild and the Denton Quilt Guild this week. Such nice people! I taught and lectured and didn't have time to snap a photo of any of it. You know, I ought to give my camera to someone in the room and ask them to be the photographer! If I end up visiting your guild and you want to volunteer, just ask!
After the lecture on Friday, I had time to visit The Modern Art Musem in Ft. Worth. I had been wanting to see the exhibit of portraits by Lucien Freud and it was worth seeing. He spent his life painting people and he did it well. That said, I'm not sure he was a happy man.
Many, if not most, of the figures in this exhibit were painted with downcast eyes. It made me realize how much I like a portrait that looks me in the eye.
I had time to eat lunch in the cafe. Great food, lovely setting.
I visited some of the works from the permanent collection. I don't know why but I have always loved this painting (Elegy to the Spanish Republic, 1960, by Robert Motherwell)…
I have no idea how it relates to the Spanish Republic and I don't care. I like it. And I like this:
I didn't make note of the artist's name but the placement of this piece is perfect. It is in a passageway, opposite a huge window and outside of that is the very large reflecting pool. Nice. It made me spend some moments thinking about reflections, and reflecting.
I like modern art in general but I don't love it all. (Refer back to the post on what is or isn't art). For instance, the works in this room…
Really, if you saw any of these in a yard sale, would you take them home?
I sort of like the box/cube but I know I wouldn't pay for it what the museum paid for it. And the words in boxes on the wall… I wonder if the artist was grinning all the way to the bank after installing that one.
I feel completely certain that there is deeply thought out idea and lengthy artist's statement to go with each of these works. I didn't stop to read them this time. Even when text helps to place a piece in context, I like the work to stand on its own without explanation. I suppose I'm a philistine (one uninformed in a special area of knowledge). I can live with that.
One more thing about The Modern – the building and grounds are lovely. Worth visiting. And if you go, touch the walls. The feel of the concrete is amazing – smooth, velvety. Lovely to look at.
Piece O Cake Blog 