One more try, it was a member’s only ticketed entrance. I finally got a look at the post-impressionist show at the de Young. The crowds have been impossible. If they are going to promote these blockbuster shows, they just need to extend the hours all the time. Blockbuster might be the key word here. Like some of these hyped up movies, you can seem compelled to see them.
There are some shows that come through the local museums that I have returned to for a second and even third look. The Asian-American Modern Art show a few years back was one of those. A number of pieces I need to see a few times.
The post-impressionist treasure trove winding up at the de Young was, for me personally, more about seeing some of those “landmark” paintings I have seen all my life; in books, calendars, greeting cards, etc. Now I can say I have seen Van Gogh’s bedroom (and I also know the color saturation is often tweaked on the postcards). The real treat for me was seeing all the work by Édouard Vuillard. A painter I was less familiar with and found myself quite taken with his work.
Seeing some of these paintings is the same reaction I have every time I see the U.S. Capitol in person. We see it all the time on TV. It’s kind of an odd feeling seeing it in person when it is already so familiar. I imagine many people have a similar reaction to seeing the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time.
The most amusing part of the show was walking in and recognizing a familiar Renoir. I laughed to myself because I knew it from Masterpiece. I don’t think they make that game anymore that we used to love playing when I was a kid.
No comments:
Post a Comment