Plus ça change...

Recently, a friend and I saw Van Gogh: Brush with Genius in IMAX cinema. I enjoy IMAX, take pleasure in being visually overwhelmed. And, as an art historian of the 19thC, I felt somewhat obligated to go because van Gogh is one of the most well-known, or I should say, commonly heard of, artists of this period, but not my personal favourite.

Though I will not expound on this here, van Gogh is a man, wrapped in an artist, enshrouded in myth. These myths have reached the point of self-perpetuation, his loneliness, his madness, the ear thing... Anything that appears in our culture that might challenge or explain myths about this or other artists are welcomed by me with open arms. Though it is difficult to type with my arms folded, I will say that this film offers nothing new and may go so far as to say that it contributes to misconceptions and exaggerations which already abound about the Dutchman.

So, avoid it? No. See it. But look beyond the narrator's weird accent and focus on the dizzying close-ups of his canvases' surfaces, revealing the incredible texture that few artists have matched. I do not think I have ever seen them communicated so well, outside of standing in front of a painting, of course.

I was there

Ai Weiwei's Sunflower Seeds at Tate Modern, photo from The Guardian

Ai Weiwei's Sunflower Seeds at Tate Modern, photo from The Daily Mail

Sitting on the floor on the Turbine Hall at the Tate Modern last week I felt overwhelmed. Ai Weiwei's new installation, Sunflower Seeds, part of the Tate's Unilever Series, features millions of hand-painted, hand-crafted porcelain sunflower seeds. The artist's intentions for the work are multi-faceted and wide-ranging, from communism and mass-production. Though these ideas are certainly communicated, Weiwei's original vision for the project conveys a more hopeful, positive sensation than these topics might suggest. My view was the photo on top as I sat amidst these myriad seeds. Like sand, they conformed to my weight, comfortable but not forgettable. Around me, people were sitting, standing, laying, walking, generally interacting with the artwork(s). This was Weiwei's desire and the result was communal, peaceful, a breakdown of that art/audience barrier. Circumstances beyond his control, however, have ensured that going forward the bottom photo will be the public's view. I fear that the heavier messages of the work will inevitably overshadow the hope that was intended: go see it, but remember this. In the end, this is one of the rare instances I am proud to say 'I was there,' and, hey, how did that seed get in my pocket? ;)