“Jeff Koons on the Roof” is a play land of imagination only possible by the magical location of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s roof. The breath taking view of the New York skyline competes with Koons’ sculptures almost outshining them. The relatively large-scale objects appear miniature in comparison to the big city.
Balloon Dog (Yellow) is an “updated version of Duchamp’s urinal” as Jerry Saltz quotes in New York Magazine. The yellow-tinted high-chromium stainless steel piece like any ready made is meant to play off the viewer's past experience in this case specifically a person’s childhood. Almost everyone has been to a street fair or carnival where balloon animals were a must-have.
The mirrored stainless steel of Coloring Book looks like a large scale 1980’s pop art piece until you read the name. Suddenly childhood memories of coloring in your favorite Disney themed coloring book come over you. With careful viewing the scribbled rendering of Winnie the Pooh becomes apparent.
Sacred Heart is a heart wrapped in reflective red paper and tied off with a yellow ribbon quoting the powerful Roman Catholic image that bares the same name. In the past religion was the main inspiration for humans. People devoted their entire lives to their faith. This notion seems less and less apparent in modern day America. Koons’ suggests consumerism is now at the heart of America. Sacred Heart is even more relevant in a time of economic crisis like today. Neatly packaging America’s lifeline is a reminder to the viewer that luxury is a gift not an entitlement.
Koons’ work deals with dreams for all ages. Each piece allows the audience to make up their own narrative harping back on their past experiences. Without our memories Koons’ work would be meaningless. Sadly I felt the work was cheapened by the bar and smoking section. People were not there to look at the art but take a break from the massive museum below them.
Another special exhibition on view is a comprehensive body of work by one of the most skillful artists of the twentieth century. The Metropolitan Museum of Art hosts the first showing of the Italian artist’s beloved still lifes and landscapes within the United States. The tasteful “Giorgio Morandi: 1890-1964” exhibition showcases works Morandi produced for his friends and perspicacious collectors.
Examining Morandi’s collection gives a sense of the artist’s personality and intent only possible with such an expansive body of work. He painted dozens of works with the same subject from alternate views and varied positions in a range of styles. Likewise he experimented with painting identical objects with slightly altered lighting. He even changed color palettes to record the differences. A fascination with intricate details and minor variations consumed that artist’s entire career.
Morandi was more experimental in his early years before narrowing his focus to vases, pitchers, vessels, and similar receptacles. In the 1950s Morandi became interested in voids and negative space but remains true to his favorite subject of still lifes. Concentrating on how objects appear in relation to other objects the artist positioned items in front of on another as if the covered section was lost.
Etchings such as Bouquet of Flowers (Fiori in un Cornetto) and Landscapes (Paesaggio) highlighted Morandi’s skill and eye for making something truly beautiful. Each was unique breaking away from his typical mode of painting. Although the subject matter remained the same there was a unique quality to each piece not seen in his painting.
One great curatorial element was the addition of quotes from art historians, friends, and the artist himself. Each passage further explained Morandi’s artistic motivations. However, navigating where the exhibition began and ended was difficult. There was a sense of chronology yet the pieces were also separated by subject matter making the artist’s timeline unclear. On the other hand the grouping of related subject matter allowed the viewer to compare slight disparities on a similar theme. The exhibition is sophisticated and appropriate for the context of the work but crowds are certainly not pouring into the museum for this lackluster show.
No comments:
Post a Comment