Crazy Modern

This weekend we went to London again. Instead of going to the National Gallery and the British Museum, we went to the Tate Modern. HOLY SMOKES! I loved it! I have not been to a modern art museum in such a long time. The last time I went to a modern art gallery, I was too young to understand or appreciate it. This time I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I regret to say I only was able to stay a little over an hour, which hardly long enough to being to scratch the surface of the artwork there.

Once again, my attention was drawn to the paintings. I found myself being drawn to paintings with bright color schemes and a lot of black in them. Also, the less distinct the shapes, the better. I tended to gravitate towards paintings that had a splashed look. On my favorites, I could see places where the hand of the artist had smudged or drug his/her hand along to piece.

I realized that this art is so very intimate. THe focus, for me, was the more the painting process of the artist. As I stood in front of pieces I learned to just "be" and marinade in the art. I put my ipod in because I wanted to feel like I was alone. It was a time of introspection for me. I thought about how in my time here I feel I have become more enlightened. Art is so much more important to me. I have never been challenged to think about art much at all, much less think of art intelligently. It is so exciting to me because I feel the longer I am here, the deeper my connection with the art, the deeper my connection with the culture and the people. Art is something that is so much a part of life here, that it is not something people recognize, it is just part of who they are. THat is my take on it at least.

I am excited for my appreciation to grow more. I am so enjoying all of this learning, being emersed in a culture of art apprectiation. Also, I am going to start painting when I get home- just for myself.