O, Tempora! O, Mores! (E.A.P.)
O, Times! O, Manners! It is my opinion That you are changing sadly your dominion — I mean the reign of manners hath long ceased, For men have none at all, or bad at least; And as for times, altho’ ’tis said by many The “good old times” were far the worst of any, Of which sound doctrine l believe each tittle, Yet still I think these worse than them a little. I’ve been a thinking — isn’t that the phrase? — I like your Yankee words and Yankee ways — I’ve been a thinking, whether it were best To take things seriously, or all in jest; Whether, with grim Heraclitus of yore, To weep, as he did, till his eyes were sore, Or rather laugh with him, that queer philosopher, Democritus of Thrace, who used to toss over The page of life and grin at the dog-ears, As though he’d say, “Why, who the devil cares?” This is a question which, oh heaven, withdraw The luckless query from a member’s claw! Instead of two sides, Bob has nearly eight, Each fit to furnish forth four hours debate. What shall be done?...
These all look fabulous. Especially the Nationalgalerie in Berlin, which I wasn't familiar with. Have you been to these?
ReplyDeleteHere's a handy resource I've relied on in the past as well:
https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/
A reflection on art galleries: they're among my favorite places to visit, but do you ever feel a sense of 'masterpiece overstimulation' when visiting a gallery? There have been times when I've spent a full day at one, taking in one breathtaking work of genius after another, until-- at the end of the visit-- I'm overwhelmed by the amount of era-defining mastery I've imbibed. Drunk from the heights of human achievement. In the past, even just seeing a single Rembrandt or Matisse might satisfy for a lifetime-- while I stand surrounded by thousands of such paintings.
Nikos Kazantzakis said, "I once saw a bee drown in honey, and I understood." That's what I feel like inside of art galleries.
I could see that.
DeleteAs for myself, no, I haven’t been to those listed.
And I often find myself wondering whether or not the artist would be happy to have their piece displayed in such a way.
There’s a certain point where art is no longer about the artist or the artist’s intentions, so much as it is about societies' perceptions of it or its political pull.
Sushi has sliced ginger to help cleanse your palette between bites. There isn't really an art museum equivalent to sliced ginger, though…
DeleteAnother neat online art resource I've enjoyed:
https://youtu.be/83ggxS21mFM?si=4JfQgHSLRt9tfC7l
This whole channel has some excellent videos that could get at your question about how these artists may have wanted their art displayed.