Just Another Person Who Thinks She Knows Something
The glare from the plexiglass case is insane in this one. I do apologize. It also renders the metallic finish of some of the textures almost obsolete. *sad face*
Some of the funerary objects from SLAM’s ancient Egyptian collection are insane. This is one of the ones that strikes you dumb when you look at it. The colors, the textures, the idealized lines and the way it’s all put together… just, man. *sigh*
It’s difficult to see in the photos, but the glaze really reflects the light and comes off as almost metallic in many ways. I love these particular dishes because they are simple in their overall design but very complex in their execution. They are not dishes for the faint of heart, and, if you know me at all, you know that I am anything but a simpering twit. These are the dishes of a household of distinction – with a warrior’s twist.
I’m glad that they specify that this is a symbolic dance and not actually what the warriors actually go into battle wearing because that would be a very awkwardly fought battle. Though, to be fair, we’re the direct descendants of wearers of mail and plate armor, so what am I even bitching about?
So, here’s the thing: how much did any of y’all know about Bali before I started pointing at the art and going, “look at this stuff?” Not much, I’d wager.
The masks themselves are actually beautiful objects, and when kitted out with their flowers and feathers would truly have been a spectacle to behold as full sized puppets. I can only imagine what they would have looked like in their parades.
There is a dreamy, ethereal quality to this canvas that reminds me of sinking into the ocean and holding my breath for the longest time, looking through the sunbeams at fish. Living in Hawai’i for a time probably contributed to this.
There are some pieces of art that are so profound that they shape your entire worldview of what constitutes exquisite beauty. For me, this has always been one of those pieces of sculpture. I have seen this statue since I was a child, and it still renders me speechless every time I see it. If you see absolutely nothing else in the SLAM collection, I would implore you to see this: it is enough to justify the visit.
When one of your best friends requests that you take pictures of sharp objects that you could stab people with, you take pictures of stabbity things. And this is very stabby. And green. Because bronze and patina.
Baroque is about being over the top, but only in the most elegant possible manner. There is no way on earth that you’re going to be playing patty fingers in the holy water with this font, and that’s the point: elegance to the point of misery. Beauty and majesty to the point that you behave yourself or so help you…
This is another one of the paintings that I like to make a special visit to every time I’m in the museum. I enjoy the balance of colors, the simple childishness of the work, and how it makes me feel. I smile every time I see it, and that is a rare feeling in my life, so I will take it for all it is worth.
This piece is painfully evocative; it hits you like a swift kick to the gut. You know immediately what it is meant to portray and why. You know why you are meant to feel the way you do when you look at it. There is no wiggle room for interpretation. And yet, in the harshness, there is a delicate beauty of form and composition, of balance… and in the darkness, a tiny glimmer of hope.