Pomp and Circumstance

When an artist turns 80 and a museum can mount more than 160 works to reflect 60 years of artistic development, this is occasion for looking at the bigger picture. My first visit to the George Pompidou Centre was in the early eighties. My children were engaged by the interactive art. This vist was highlighted by the Hockney exhibit but also by my childlike savouring of the interactive works. The title image has me waving arms across a sea that Jesus could walk on. One centimetre of water across which the colours of living are returned and from the caves of existence we converge in a full coloured world. I had fun! The Hockney exhibit was closed to cameras but I did manage this snapshot from the literature because it captured the world of Scrabble as only Margaret understands it. The framed squares are a specialized look at the world.

image

As circumstance would have it the current exhibits at the Pompidou Centre featured a range of contemporary art that spoke directly to our current experience. The bell dome covered two dancing dolls. Maybe this is an appropriate staging for retired marionettes.

image

A graphic boldness marked the visual feast at the Pompidou and this life-size mannequin danced the unsettling gender divide into the present.

image

Clearly so much stimulation demands the overload response slashed across one wall. None of this comfort inn bed rest. This much input, this much fun demands heavy duty rest!

image

One thought on “Pomp and Circumstance

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.