Art Museum
While my wife and daughter were out of town visiting family, I took the opportunity to get more cultured and stuff and went to the Indianapolis Museum of Art. Most of it is closed whilst they do some serious remodeling. Really -- only the European and African collections were open. But those were interesting. Lingering as long as I wanted, I saw it all in about an hour and a half� They'll be closed completely in 2005 until May, when the three new wings open, then the whole museum will open again in late 2006.
One thought that occurred to me was, that anywhere people are likely to wait in line -- that should be an art museum. Like the Bureau of Motor Vehicles for example. Traveling art works hanging by the line. Get them people more cultured and stuff while they wait! Ok, maybe not the original Van Gogh's, Renoir's and ancient Egyptian antiquities hanging there, but prints and big photos maybe�
So here's the funerary monument of Flavius Agricola from the Antoninian period, c. 130AD� Why does he have a flat head?!? With hair carved into it even?? What's up with that?
I was most struck with this statue of Demeter. C. 340BC, that's late classical just before Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic period. She's about a foot and a half tall, and absolutely perfect. Stunning. I took 10 pictures just of her. Completely flawless. Looks like a real person, not a generic person. Check out her upper lip and the top of her nose between her eyes -- like this is someone in particular. And so old� like 2,350 years! And perfect! Just amazing!
This one was interesting because with the multi-colored angels and cherubim, I thought I was looking at an Andy Warhol or something -- but no, this is Giovani Bellini, Madonna and Child with St. John the Baptist, painted between 1490 and 1500� Can I say it's prophetic?? Ba-dump bump! Tshhh� Thank you you're a great crowd I'm here all week!
Later I'm looking at this Jan Victors, Jacob Seeking Forgiveness of Esau, 1652� And I mean, you go to an art museum to look at paintings right? So you're looking at this one� And check out the mother and her son behind her -- they're like "what are you lookin' at?!?" Ha ha!!
I also really liked this one, The Two Sisters, Georges Lemmen, Belgian, 1894. Pointillism. You can just see what is going on here. The older sister is getting to the age where she is "too cool", and the younger is resigned to putting up with that...
I also really liked this ox head helmet mask of the Bidjogo people of western Africa.
Last, one of those awesome museum graphics -- How Large is Africa? Pretty dang large!! Look how it swallows up the U.S., Europe, and China -- and still has lots of room for dessert!! I also never realized how much larger than Britian, Madagascar is... It's like a California hangin' out there in the Indian Ocean... Maybe a little bigger than that even...
