an aesthete

photo by magdalyn

When coining the term in 1750, Alexander Gottlieb Baumgarten (1714-1762) defined aestheticism as "the art of thinking beautifully."

merci, Paris!

paintings by Edouard Manet at the Musée d'Orsay

If there has ever been greater news delivered on a Monday morning, it was not delivered to me. See you in May, Manet!

our future

Vanitas: Flesh Dress for an Albino Anorectic, Jana Sterbak, 1987

Almost two and a half decades after forcing the public to question how it looks at fashion and consumer culture, Sterbak is giving her audience another chance to approach things differently. Until the end of April, the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art is showcasing an interactive 19thC exhibition of art mounted by Sterbak. The purpose? To view such a space through the eyes of children.

Obviously, each child will approach such a space in a unique way (even two children of the same age and family as seen here) but we 'forgive' children for this. Why, then, do adults seem to feel a need to excuse themselves for a lack of art knowledge? People apologise for not 'getting' art and this is something I struggle with on, at least, a weekly basis. It is ok to like what you like, whether or not it has been deemed worthy by collectors or scholars. My only issue comes with those who seem incapable of trying to appreciate qualities in works outside of their comfort zone. We all know there is plenty of art out there that is not to my personal taste but this does not make it irrelevant or unworthy of the interest of others.

influenced

Dionysos, Parthenon, 438-432bc, British Museum

Victoria, British Columbia is a city filled with a variety of cultural activities and yet, as always, people will bemoan a lack of them, or at least of certain types. Until Sunday Intrepid Theatre is presenting Influence a two-act play by Janet Munsil. The setting is the British Museum in 1817 shortly after the Parthenon sculptures, commonly known as the Elgin Marbles, are placed there permanently. The main players include several Greek gods alongside a pair of mortals, poet John Keats and painter Benjamin Haydon. I thoroughly enjoyed the production and would recommend it to anyone with any vague interest in Art or 'the arts.' Erin Macklem's costumes are superb as is the cast, Ian Case, David Radford, Karne Lee Pickett, Paul Terry and Elliot Loran (Loran plays Keats but looks strikingly like a young Oscar Wilde so if you're casting for any such role...)

My frustration with all of this? I made the mistake of reading a review by Adrian Chamberlain prior to viewing the show. It is as though Chamberlain's desire was to frighten all expect a "certain type" of people away from the production. Using language like "overly academic," "densely written," "impenetrable," even pointing out that the critic found the "lack of conventional plot" a challenge will intimidate a potential audience. I did not find any of these critiques to be accurate, nor did my un-Academic companion. This was helped even more so by the very informative programme we were given prior to the show; perhaps Chamberlain did not receive one. At any rate, see it if you can as it is an enjoyable and unique piece of local theatre and be wary of critics. The last thing Victoria needs is to be turned off these types of events by those in the media who should be encouraging them.