Roger Kimball has some sobering thoughts on the credit woes affecting Europe and Russia — and perhaps China. Check out Roger’s blog linked in our Blogroll. He’s also responsible for one of the best art books I’ve ever read: The Rape of the Masters.
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Helga Mae and Ivan MacRoger Kimball has some sobering thoughts on the credit woes affecting Europe and Russia — and perhaps China. Check out Roger’s blog linked in our Blogroll. He’s also responsible for one of the best art books I’ve ever read: The Rape of the Masters. 9 comments to Helga Mae and Ivan MacLeave a Reply |
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Floyd, thanks for letting me know about this book. I’ll certainly be picking it up — cough cough — best price — cough cough. They didn’t teach us anything about this stuff in Art school.
Matt — it is hilarious — both the art criticism he cites and his droll responses to it.
Having an Art degree and an Art History background, I finally made it to the Louvre, and upon seeing the Moaner Lisa in person, I said to myself, “Big deal.” Ditto, to the excessive nail-biting Venus di Milo. I do love some of the old masters, but also love Andrew (Helga Mae) and N.C. Wyeth, Hopper and Mucha. After that, comes the comic book artists elite, Berni Wrightson, Frank Frazetta, Neal Adams, Dave Sim, John Byrne and Mike Mignola.
I was surprised at how tiny the Mona Lisa is. I think I liked winged victory more than the Venus di Milo, but I did like them.
Rufus, I liked them before I even saw them in person, and then it was like, “Okay, I recognize them from the photos.” There was no awe in seeing the original because there was nothing original to see at that point. But architecture is different. It’s different from photos because of the scale and perspective you get from seeing it in person. Even the most insignificant business or building, in France or Italy, may have a larger-than-life statue of a Roman or Greek god perched above its doorway. All we got are fake cupolas and dormer windows, on our banks and drug stores. I dunno, maybe a bronzed, crippled Helga over a Walgreens would be nice.
I would say the same for David. I saw a Jacques-Louis David out exhibition at the Getty and Napoleon Crossing Mount St. Bernard was HUGE. Excellent political propaganda — and the books in no way did it justice.
I found that criss-crossing the bridges over the Seine, gave way to many masterpieces that the books don’t generally cover, in the way of sculptures. I did that from St. Germaine to the Eiffel Tower, and doubled back through the Champs Elysees, and was more impressed with the artwork along that route, than in the museums.
I don’t even know how to begin to reply except to add that I concur wholeheartedly. There are few things I enjoy more in life than walking around in almost any European city. Speaking of museums and architecture, the Musee d’Orsay in Paris is probably my favorite confluence of both.
And nothing compares with the cemeteries in Europe. People would probably think I’m twisted, but most of the b&w framed photos in my living room are shots I took at Pere LaChaise cemetery in Paris, and one of W.B. Yeats’s grave in Sligo, Ireland, with the mighty Ben Bulben in the background.