Thursday, February 17, 2022

Thursday Ramble - Red Flags



 I often like weird art, modern art, representational art, color studies and color blocks, found object sculpture. I like most art, the unusual modern stuff leaves a lot of people asking is it art, or saying what a pile of trash, but I often like it.  

Here in Washington DC, the Hirschhorn Museum has interesting shows of modern and non-traditional art.  The Museum was built in the 1970's, it is round, as in a circle, with only a small glass entry box on the ground level, most of the galleries' are on the floors above (and another space below ground level.) The building is really mid-century brutalist, with a stone panel exterior.  And as many of the buildings of that era and style have, the exterior was starting to flake and fall off. The building is undergoing a major exterior renovation.  The interior is open.  The outside is wrapped in scaffolding.  The effect on the ground level is striking.  

One of the current displays, is a room full of waiving red flags, no bulls. The exhibit has light and dark, video, and sculpture, painting and noise.  I enjoyed most of it, and was not tempted to charge the red flags.  There is also a nice space for modern art at the National Portrait Gallery.   

17 comments:

  1. I don't get the red flags blowing in the wind thing at all.

    Someone made money off that?

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    1. Major gallery show, hard to say if there is money in it

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  2. Anonymous2/17/2022

    I really try to like modern art but so often I am left wondering. However, if it attracts public attention, I like that.

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    1. Sometime I sit and wonder, and sometimes I just sit

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  3. Having been an art student, I appreciate a huge variety of things presented as art. But, sometimes, I think the “artists” are simply getting away with something. I wonder if I would feel differently seeing the red flags in person. They might be funny to see, but I’d probably be pissed off that someone got paid a lot of money for that. We have beach bars here that fly a series of same-colored flags. It’s called decoration, which isn’t always the same as art. And no one is paid big money to “design” it. (Is my mood showing.)

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    1. I can't imagine teaching the theory behind this.

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  4. Replies
    1. maybe it would make someone laugh

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  5. I appreciate all art, but I'd really like a plaque beside a piece like the Red Flags where the artist explains what it means to him/her/them. I might have a different take on it, but I'd like their perspective.

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    1. That would entail me slowing down and reading while I charge through.

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  6. Interesting. I enjoy visiting that museum when I'm in DC.

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  7. This reminds me of an episode of Designing Women, I think. They were at an art gallery and somebody was waxing poetic over a painting of a large red dot on a white background. Somebody else (I don't remember who, probably Julia) said something to the effect that it was the Japanese flag. Not my particular cup of coffee, but one person's art is another person's flag, or garbage or chubby chick lounging on a couch.

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  8. When I see something like this, I want someone to explain it to me, what was the artist wanting to say here. I've been told more often than not this is 'not right'. I've never known a time when asking a question is discouraged other than with art.

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