Art and a Parade

Feeling the need for an art vaccination, we went to the Hirshhorn in Washington, DC.  It was a beautiful day and the first time we'd gone into DC to wander around since the January 6, 2020 attempt to overthrow our government.  I have lots of fears about that and am wary about our future as a democracy but as Nietzche said, "The truth is ugly: we have art so as not to perish from the truth." I need the innoculation of art as well as nature's beauty now and then to keep me sane.  

We saw Laurie Anderson's exhibit and became enamored.  One of the things she said that I like is, "As an artist, I'd chose the thing that's beautiful more than the one that's true." But yet, she didn't hide from or ignore truth.  She examined truth.  And as I think about her words and what they mean to me, I feel that yearning and reaching for beauty can make a new path for us, a new reality, and that becomes a new truth.

Laurie Anderson is my new hero. We loved her show and have since been googling her and delving deeper. I like what she said, below, about being scared and getting on with reaching for beauty.  I think it's appropriate for the times we are living in:  "The world may end. You're right.  But that's not a reason to be scared.  None of us know what will happen. Don't spend time worrying about it. Make the most beautiful thing you can.  Try to do that everyday.  That's it.  You know? What are you looking for, posterity? We don't know if there is any posterity." 

I love this. That Laurie Anderson has depicted herself and John Cage sitting and both facing the window to listen to the traffic. The creativity of that thought.  The basic serenity of the action.  Depicting it as art. It makes me smile and know so much is possible by rearranging how we think and feel.

Laurie is a multi-media artist.  She does performance art with music, spoken word, painting, graffiti, sculptures...

The flags moved.  It was beautiful.  I took a video but can't get it to upload. The choreographed movement of the flags was gentle but powerful.

I suppose if I had to pick the most fascinating work of Laurie's that I saw, it would be the graffiti type art, some of which I've tried to capture below.

The sculpture of the parrot, above, was amazing.  The beak moved and, of course, it talked.  I can't remember what it said now.  But I'm sure it was profound.  

I love the Lotus Vice-Potus. Only in America. 

Below are some photos of some of Laurie's huge, powerful paintings. 

This one, below, is notable in many ways and for it's power.  We just, and finally, passed a lynching law in this country.  

Below, I took a picture of a picture of Laurie doing a show, Stories From the Nerve Bible, to remind me to look it up.  I did.  I read the transcript.  It's worth a look-see.  I sent it to Dave and he read it.  We read pieces of it to each other.  Enlightening.  Amusing.  

More Paintings.  

After Laurie's exhibit, we meandered along to Marcel Duchamps but I didn't take pictures of his art.  His art didn't move me enough to take pictures, I realize now, but I did take lots of screen shots of quotes of his that were projected in turn on a large section of wall.  Here they are:

"If genius succeeds too quickly, It is finished."

"I have forced myself to contradict myself in order to avoid conforming to my own taste."

"I have a very great respect for humor.  It's a protection that allows one to pass through all the mirrors."

My favorite is, "It's art if I say so."

Another is, "I don't believe in art.  I believe in the artist."

"Since the tubes of paint by the artist are manufactured and readymade products, we must conclude that all the paintings in the world are 'readymade aided.' "  Interesting.  I love the humbling humor.  

Frankly, I just love how artists examine everything upside down, sideways and inside out. 

"While the artist may shout from all the rooftops that he is a genius, he will have to wait for the verdict of the spectator."  Alas, but art is so personal. Tastes vary.  People love black velvet paintings. Remember?  We are all in a different place and different times in the space of time and in our own growth.

"Art may be bad, good, or indifferent, but, whatever adjective is used, we must call it art."  I'm all over that.  That makes me an artist.  And along those lines, back to Laurie Anderson, one of her quotes I like is, "I never really had a hobby, unless you count art, which the IRS once told me I had to declare as a hobby since I hadn't made money with it."

I captured Dave in front of screens overlooking the courtyard as we moved around in the Hirshhorn.

We went to see to Pickett's Charge by Mark Bradford, which I loved.  I was confused, at first, when I saw a sign saying Pickett's Charge was one of the exhibits.  WTF, I thought.  But when I saw it, I got it. And was amazed by it.  In a good way.  Mark Bradford examines social issues.  He says, "Politically and socially, we are at the edge of another precipice.  I'm standing in the middle of a question about where we are as a nation."  

Pickett's Charge is his biggest work. It's based on the French artist, Paul Philippoteaux's cyclorama in Gettysburg.  Mark used colored paper and reproductions of the original and cut, tore and scraped, built and rearranged layers to allow us to examine, to think, about the original and the event which is considered a turning point in the not so civil war. Each of his eight paintings are more than 45 feet long and they are mounted around the inner circle on the the third level of the Hirshhorn. 

After leaving the Hirshhorn, we walked around the mall a bit. It was a beautiful day.  Deceivingly peaceful.  And I guess all peace is deceptive because someone somewhere is always plotting to disrupt it, to sabotage it, to blaspheme. Why? Greed?  Power?  

We laughed about the Hogwart's effect of the Smithsonian Institution Building especially with the contrails leading to or away from it.  

And before we move on to the Emancipation Parade, I want to show a little more art.  This one, I thought, was a free library but instead, free art.  The note clipped inside says, "War is Still not the answer."  And below it looks like a child's drawing of the sun in the sky with a rainbow - upside down.  Nice. And added to this artwork you can see my reflection, my hand's holding the camera but it looks like I'm holding the space between the words and the upside down rainbow and sunshine. Once again.  Powerful. A good day of art. 

Then we waited for the Emancipation Parade which started at 2.  

There were a couple marching bands, several trucks carrying musicians playing and singing, dancers performing with and without the bands, folks carrying banners and flags, lots of good, loving, yearning for freedom, energy.

Below, I captured the young base drummer in one of the bands.  He looks taller in the picture, and I love that he's looking my way though I don't know if he sees me taking his picture or is looking at one of the people layered between us.  He appeared to be less than 10 years old.  I love it.  

It was a good day.