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| The Persistence of Memory - Salvador Dali - 1931 |
We had a long weekend in Florida this fall so, not surprisingly, we sought out some art We were with the kids, so it was no "spend the day at MoMA" but rather, "let's find something unique and see how long we last".
St. Petersburg's Dali Museum was nearby, so we thought we would give it a try. It was in such a beautiful location, and the building was wonderful -- the architecture alone was worth the trip.
A wonderful day together the day before may have set the stage...but it turned out to be a great museum visit where we all enjoyed ourselves. From the labyrinth outside to the specially designed kid activities that kept Andy occupied and intrigued, it all went well.
And, I was captivated by Dali and his wide range of work.
This piece jumped out at me. In part, because it is one of those huge canvases - the size of a wall itself, which I can't really capture here, but you get the idea.
When I first saw this canvas, as I often do I just thought, "What the hell is going on up there?" But as the interpretation is explains, this is Dali's response to the discovery of DNA. (More here.)
Sometimes with art and artists, the mainstream world seems to cast it off as irrelevant. Art and artists just off in their own "la la land" doing their own strange things and then calling it art. But what I see over and over again in all kinds of art is response. A response to the world around -- a response to political realities, new discoveries, the joy and pain of humanity. Some people respond to that through vigorous debate, scientific invention, or long speeches. Artists respond through creation.
I truly do think that's how and why many people connect to art -- be it music, dance, paint, sculpture, theater or whatever medium - it's a mechanism for responding to the world and working through what's happening in our lives.
I know this is how I respond and why I love art - some of the realities of our times and life's hardest lessons - my response is not singular or linear. It's layered, colorful, and complicated.
St. Petersburg's Dali Museum was nearby, so we thought we would give it a try. It was in such a beautiful location, and the building was wonderful -- the architecture alone was worth the trip.
A wonderful day together the day before may have set the stage...but it turned out to be a great museum visit where we all enjoyed ourselves. From the labyrinth outside to the specially designed kid activities that kept Andy occupied and intrigued, it all went well.
And, I was captivated by Dali and his wide range of work.
This piece jumped out at me. In part, because it is one of those huge canvases - the size of a wall itself, which I can't really capture here, but you get the idea.
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| Salividor Dali, Galaciadalacidesoxiribunucleicacid, 1963, Oil on Canvas |
When I first saw this canvas, as I often do I just thought, "What the hell is going on up there?" But as the interpretation is explains, this is Dali's response to the discovery of DNA. (More here.)
Sometimes with art and artists, the mainstream world seems to cast it off as irrelevant. Art and artists just off in their own "la la land" doing their own strange things and then calling it art. But what I see over and over again in all kinds of art is response. A response to the world around -- a response to political realities, new discoveries, the joy and pain of humanity. Some people respond to that through vigorous debate, scientific invention, or long speeches. Artists respond through creation.
I truly do think that's how and why many people connect to art -- be it music, dance, paint, sculpture, theater or whatever medium - it's a mechanism for responding to the world and working through what's happening in our lives.
I know this is how I respond and why I love art - some of the realities of our times and life's hardest lessons - my response is not singular or linear. It's layered, colorful, and complicated.
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