When it comes to paintings, I tend
to gravitate towards Matisse, Monet, Magritte, etc. I like images I can make sense of, and I like
things that have a sort of calm to them.
I am by no means saying that other more abstract forms of art are less
remarkable, but I’m personally in favor of the aesthetically pleasing over the
unsettling. Thought provoking is great,
but if I’m choosing something to put in my living room, it’s probably going to
be on the more traditional side. Boring
and safe I may be, but I like looking at art that makes me happy and calms me
down.
Which is why when I saw La mi-été chez Georges by Jean-Paul
Riopelle in the Pompidou, I immediately hated it. It’s messy, abstract, and in my opinion
displeasing to look at. The colors are
dark and muddled together, and I couldn’t see what was trying to be
expressed. I didn’t know what the artist
wanted me to feel, other than unsettled.
When I
looked closer, I could see that there were some detailed pieces of color, and
the texture of the piece was pretty incredible.
So while I can say that the piece has some skill and intrigue, I still don't want to look at it. Reviews have mentioned the line of white that twists its way through, possibly as a symbol of winter and snow. I can appreciate the effort, but I just really hate this piece.
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ReplyDeleteI remember seeing this one too in the Pompidou and feeling confused at why this is considered art. When reading about this work, I found out that it was given to the Centre Pompidou in memory of Matisse because Riopelle exhibited his work at the Pierre Matisse gallery in 1954. The composition is very odd, a cross, and is not typical for Riopelle's work. Perhaps, it's a more suitable way to showcase his message and his fascination for the white lines that create movement to this piece. This white line I think is symbolic of snow like you said because Riopelle had a lot of memories of snow being from Quebec.
ReplyDeleteWhen looking through my pictures from the Pompidou just now, I found another painting that was messy and abstract much akin to Riopelle's style. This work was painted by Joan Mitchell, a Chicago born abstract expressionist, who just so happened to have a long relationship with Riopelle. I thought it was interesting to see the similarities in their work seeing as they probably influenced each other immensely during their time together.
Here's a link to the painting by Mitchell that I was referring to: https://www.centrepompidou.fr/cpv/ressource.action?param.id=FR_R-4bafbba15311b73d8222d4fd807c20db¶m.idSource=FR_O-d1df5be5b6f94bafc2836d8d64961f2