7 Things: Random Travel Posts #2 – Art
I can’t say that I know a whole lot about art, aside from the fact that some of it I like and some of it I don’t. I do like to go and look at it, though. For the most part. I can generally skim past the Jesus-art era and I have a hard time viewing pottery as art, no matter how intricate the details. Maybe it’s because I grew up in a dying pottery town where the school nickname was the “Ceramics,” and I knew plenty of people who could craft a damn fine gingerbread man cookie jar. I don’t know.
Though the Mayan exhibit at the Canadian Museum of Civilization did one have one particular pottery piece worth noting. Apparently, the Maya had an enema ritual and they liked making pots that showcased the procedure. Because, you know, why give someone an enema if you’re not going to share it with the world? It’s kinda like ancient Facebook.
Anyway, the main art part of our trip were the Van Goghs at the National Gallery. I can’t say that I loved them all, but I did love many. This one, though not my favorite, is the one that was the most striking –
It doesn’t look it quite as much in print or on the screen, but the people in this painting virtually disappear at certain angles. Almost as if they were ghosts. And he painted it a month before he died.
Creepy.