We go to a museum and we look at art... We look at something one individual created in the past, whom likely lived for creating what they did and did it with passion; with heart and soul.
Years or decades later it is available for us to view in a museum or gallery. Of course, that's what the artist wants, doesn't he/she? Yes. Artists are vein enough that they want others to see what they made even though they made it for themselves in the first place.
People view art. I am in Museu Arte de Moderna (MAM), the Modern Art Museum of Rio de Janeiro. I am visiting the exhibit about Alberto Giacometti and his wife. I sit down and observe.
One woman first looks up at the object, and then at the tag with the description of the work. She looks the art up and down again and then passes on to the next. She comes across as if she's a real art aficionado. Perfect glasses, hair, pretty shoes, arms crossed (I have to add that it was VERY cold in the museum). Sometimes she points at the work or the tag.
Another woman--some years older than the former--yawns and walks around a bit uninterested. She's getting her "art in," but probably won't visit anything like this in another year. She could be the former woman's mother. "This is what my daughter enjoys doing so I join her."
Another lady walks around with a searching look, she stays at a distance from most works. It's almost like she's selecting works she wants to get to know and see, and saves her energy and thoughts for those select works.
Generally people walk slowly. They do talk a lot, discussing the work, or just saying ooh and aah, yet always with a subdued voice. There's an overall mumbling in the cold, large museum space.
An older lady is with, what it seems like, her husband. They seem European. She bends to read a tag, then looks up, walks around a case and smiles at the small bronze sculptures. She finds eye contact with me and gives me a big smile as her eyes sparkle. She seems excited to be here.
An older and a younger man notice the museum walls. They're concrete and left untreated. There are marks of leaks and such. They talk about those for a minute. He mumbles and speaks fast Portuguese so I don't know exactly what he says, but his non-verbals are clear; "studying" the museum walls. Interesting, because I noticed the exact same thing right before I sat down on the black bench. I thought about the time in the development of theater and concert dance when directors and choreographers decided to strip the theater from all the theatrical elements...
A couple sits next to me on the bench and exchange little, soft kisses. One two three four five six seven eight nine ten eleven... It's getting rhythmic, and, frankly, a little inappropriate. So, you're not here for the art? Then they exchange a few words while still holding hands. The conversation in Portuguese is not about the art. She complains about some woman, he listens and tells her it's okay.
Two ladies in the distance walk while engaging in conversation and using a lot of circling hand gestures to illustrate their thoughts.
The guard keeps looking in my direction. She may wonder, who is this lady? What is she doing? Hey mind your own business, I'm writing about other people looking, or not looking, at Giacometti's art.
All guards are female btw. Interesting? I don't know. Another topic probably.
Here I'm walking around and imagine the Skip Hill Art exhibit, and how people would point, whisper, illustrate, and kiss :-)
The couple gets up. Enough with the gossiping. They go take a brief look at the mini sculptures the smiling lady looked at earlier. It's called "Walking Man, Standing Woman, Head on Base"
Years or decades later it is available for us to view in a museum or gallery. Of course, that's what the artist wants, doesn't he/she? Yes. Artists are vein enough that they want others to see what they made even though they made it for themselves in the first place.
People view art. I am in Museu Arte de Moderna (MAM), the Modern Art Museum of Rio de Janeiro. I am visiting the exhibit about Alberto Giacometti and his wife. I sit down and observe.
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| Photo of Giacometti and "Tall Woman," photo taken by myself in the MAM Rio |
One woman first looks up at the object, and then at the tag with the description of the work. She looks the art up and down again and then passes on to the next. She comes across as if she's a real art aficionado. Perfect glasses, hair, pretty shoes, arms crossed (I have to add that it was VERY cold in the museum). Sometimes she points at the work or the tag.
Another woman--some years older than the former--yawns and walks around a bit uninterested. She's getting her "art in," but probably won't visit anything like this in another year. She could be the former woman's mother. "This is what my daughter enjoys doing so I join her."
Another lady walks around with a searching look, she stays at a distance from most works. It's almost like she's selecting works she wants to get to know and see, and saves her energy and thoughts for those select works.
Generally people walk slowly. They do talk a lot, discussing the work, or just saying ooh and aah, yet always with a subdued voice. There's an overall mumbling in the cold, large museum space.
An older lady is with, what it seems like, her husband. They seem European. She bends to read a tag, then looks up, walks around a case and smiles at the small bronze sculptures. She finds eye contact with me and gives me a big smile as her eyes sparkle. She seems excited to be here.
An older and a younger man notice the museum walls. They're concrete and left untreated. There are marks of leaks and such. They talk about those for a minute. He mumbles and speaks fast Portuguese so I don't know exactly what he says, but his non-verbals are clear; "studying" the museum walls. Interesting, because I noticed the exact same thing right before I sat down on the black bench. I thought about the time in the development of theater and concert dance when directors and choreographers decided to strip the theater from all the theatrical elements...
A couple sits next to me on the bench and exchange little, soft kisses. One two three four five six seven eight nine ten eleven... It's getting rhythmic, and, frankly, a little inappropriate. So, you're not here for the art? Then they exchange a few words while still holding hands. The conversation in Portuguese is not about the art. She complains about some woman, he listens and tells her it's okay.
Two ladies in the distance walk while engaging in conversation and using a lot of circling hand gestures to illustrate their thoughts.
The guard keeps looking in my direction. She may wonder, who is this lady? What is she doing? Hey mind your own business, I'm writing about other people looking, or not looking, at Giacometti's art.
All guards are female btw. Interesting? I don't know. Another topic probably.
Here I'm walking around and imagine the Skip Hill Art exhibit, and how people would point, whisper, illustrate, and kiss :-)
The couple gets up. Enough with the gossiping. They go take a brief look at the mini sculptures the smiling lady looked at earlier. It's called "Walking Man, Standing Woman, Head on Base"
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| The Walking Man by Alberto Giacometti, Jungle Magazine |
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