redefining art and diego rivera at the MoMA

free entry into the MoMA thanks to CUNY + SUNY!

just a few thoughts --

the other day, bart asked me who my favorite artists are. i really don't know anymore. and i really like the fact that i don't know anymore. i used to name a slew of masters from the renaissance, followed by a list of some of my favorite indian architecture, but as of late, perhaps since last summer, i've redefined my interpretation of what art is and means to me.

i really appreciate how subjective the definition of art is and how there's this constant definition and re-definition of it as a person gets older and experiences more of life.

when i was in high school and most of college, i judged an artist by his capacity to display archetypal adroitness on a canvas or sculpture. what i suffered from was an overly scientific approach to art -- an ignorance/detachment that prevented me from fully appreciating the work itself. what's terrible about all of this is that i detest the art-science schism, yet as a teenager and well into my early 20s, i was unknowingly polarizing the fields by means of understanding art in this very rigid way. back then, technique equaled quality to me, which is certainly acceptable within the context of renaissance art, but this sort of mentality isn't applicable to the more contemporary forms of art. i'd go as far to say that use of classical technique is anachronistic and therefore irrelevant in the discourse of modern art forms. as of late, i've really been digging the post modern (or "PoMo" as bart would call it) aesthetics because it engenders an entirely different level of engagement of the viewer (appreciator) with the work of art. most modern art forces me to stand in front of it and critically think. it's beautiful when you share these moments with your significant other (as i do with bart) and share what's internally going on. yesterday, bart and i spent probably close to an hour looking at a single diego rivera sketch entitled man at the crossroads (1932; pencil on paper). can't find the actual sketch on google image, and the actual mural itself (that which shows up on a google image search) isn't the same as the sketch. how unfortunate. i hate when this happens. considering the MoMA allows you to take pictures in the some of the other galleries, i'm pretty sure this doesn't have to do with ensuring preservation of the art (i.e. by avoiding those idiots who use flash photo). it's probably a measure taken to ensure people physically visit the gallery (aka bang out a $15 or whatever$ entrance fee). hmph. anyway -- i will definitely elaborate on man at the crossroads in a later post when i have more time to write.

here is another beautiful fresco we saw yesterday:

Diego Rivera, Frozen Assets, 1931; fresco within steel frame.

i love how the verticality of this freso functions twofold: technically speaking-it creates a linear movement that activates our spatial orientation and sense of perspective; figuratively-- this verticality (coupled with the use of color: dismal lighting at the base; artificial, but still more apparent, lighting in the middle portion; and natural light provided by nature at the top) could suggest a transcendence of sorts -- the way some religious art depicts hell at the bottom, earthliness/purgatory in the middle, and heaven at the top. can you see it? the few people at the very bottom (in the bank) look and feel so disconnected/depressing, whereas the homeless masses (middle frame) and slew of commuters (see detail located within the upper horizontal bar [depicting a train station]) in the middle of the fresco aren't illustrated with as much detail as the six "wealthy" individuals, but there's a shared sense of struggle (albeit, the homeless vs. commuters would obviously understand struggle differently). frozen assets reminded me of all the gentrification occurring in nyc, the displacement witnessed throughout history, some of which is ongoing. although painted about 80 years ago, this sort of industrialization/capitalist driven devastation still lingers and is ever so prominent in some parts of the world.

concluding remark: it's been difficult to let go of some of my predispositions when it comes to analyzing art, but needless to say, appreciating modern art has brought me to an entirely different stage of art appreciation.

here are a few silly pics post-MoMA:

happy bart and cindy sherman as a sad clown

OH, Ok!

mi tesoro.

bart tried taking a picture of me but instead took a picture of my cheek and himself,
as well as some cool african masks in the bottom third of the background.

some nice tourist asked us if we wanted a picture together, so we said yea, sure!