Day of Wandering
Posted by Ashley | | Posted On Friday, May 24, 2013 at 3:40 PM
We had a later start this morning, which was absolutely beautiful. It felt SO good to sleep in. We have an even later start tomorrow, so guess what I am doing...sleeping in, again! Lovely. Simply lovely.
We went to the Centre de Pompidou today for class. The building itself is really cool looking because of its more post-modernism feel. At the time it was created it was meant to seem cutting edge and unique in that respect. Most people at that time thought it was ugly and did not fit with the classical motifs that Paris is famous for (a similar argument was made against the Eiffel Tower originally), but it has become a pretty famous site. I really like it because it is so different from the surrounding structures, it is offset in a way that is pretty engaging.
Inside is Paris's collection of modern and contemporary art. Those genres are actually some of my favorite. I used to turn my nose up at that "art" but then I learned that it is simply an acquired taste. Modern art can be a bit daunting because sometimes you really have to study an dig for what the artist is trying to say. When modern art is done right, it can be life-changing. I, of course, agree that some of the works that pass as "art" are actually junk and completely worthless. However, just because something looks odd or unusual does not mean it lacks a deeper meaning. The artistic experiments that happened in the early 20th-century (think of all the "isms" ex. Cubism, Abstract Expressionism, Fauvism, etc.) are fascinating but require some fore-knowledge and contextual establishment in order to appreciate how ground-breaking and truly original some of those works were. Don't be afraid of the work, especially when you will be rewarded with a deeper understanding of something that seemed impossible to grasp beforehand :)
My favorite piece was a large instillation piece made of what looked like tin-foil. From one angle it looks like a large group of women praying in a Muslim-like fashion, but from another side you can see that they are simply empty shells. It is so interesting. What I took away was an idea of heartless or thoughtless devotion, that idea of only going through the motions of religious exercises. It actually gave me shivers because it felt so relevant. I read the panel later, and the artist's intentions were somewhat similar but my impressions were more geared toward my own, personal experiences and understandings. And that...that deeply personalized moment and connection is what art should be about!
The rest of the day was a free day. Nate and I ran back to the falafel place so that I could get a real falafel. It was better than the chicken one, I will admit, but it is not something I would kill to have (for example, I would actually consider murdering for homemade gnocchi...that stuff is fabulous!). We then tried to go to the catacombs but the line was crazy long and it was raining and freezing, so we decided to change plans. Back-up plan was a visit to the Arc de Triomphe. Another huge monument. Massive. We were pretty wet by this point an had decided to go back to the hotel, but we accidentally got on the wrong train. Since we were already at the stop, I went ahead and popped up to the surface to see the opera house that the Phantom of the Opera was based on. It is a neat building but doesn't stand out in my mind as anything super special. I also was not willing to pay money to go in and see the staircase from the movie version of Phantom. Just not that into it, I guess ;) in the metro we also watched one of the cooler busking performances I have ever seen. It was a group of musicians all playing together with accordions, guitars, clarinets and singing. It was pretty great! Nate was wanting to buy a CD but they were asking for 20 euros...I am sorry, but if you are performing in a metro you can't expect people to willing fork out that much cash...seems a bit pretentious when you seem desperate enough for attention to be providing a free concert in a very public space. But...moving on :P
I spent the rest of the night babysitting the Jensen kids. We went to the local grocery store and bought some rolls, cheese, and meat to make little sandwiches and then Nutella to spread on the extra rolls for dessert. We took the food to the park and were going to play and eat but it ended up starting to rain more forcefully. So, the poor kids ended up shivering and eating their tiny sandwiches while huddled under the playground. It was still kind of fun but they were excited to get back to the hotel and finish dinner while watching Curious George (the movie was picked by George, if you couldn't tell...haha!). Nate was with us the whole time and it was rather amusing to realize that we really did look like a little family. It made me a bit homesick but in a different kind of way...homesick for my own family that I don't have...does that even make sense? It was kind of a tender moment for me. Funny how life has a way of throwing little emotional tidbits into the most unexpected places.
We went to the Centre de Pompidou today for class. The building itself is really cool looking because of its more post-modernism feel. At the time it was created it was meant to seem cutting edge and unique in that respect. Most people at that time thought it was ugly and did not fit with the classical motifs that Paris is famous for (a similar argument was made against the Eiffel Tower originally), but it has become a pretty famous site. I really like it because it is so different from the surrounding structures, it is offset in a way that is pretty engaging.
Inside is Paris's collection of modern and contemporary art. Those genres are actually some of my favorite. I used to turn my nose up at that "art" but then I learned that it is simply an acquired taste. Modern art can be a bit daunting because sometimes you really have to study an dig for what the artist is trying to say. When modern art is done right, it can be life-changing. I, of course, agree that some of the works that pass as "art" are actually junk and completely worthless. However, just because something looks odd or unusual does not mean it lacks a deeper meaning. The artistic experiments that happened in the early 20th-century (think of all the "isms" ex. Cubism, Abstract Expressionism, Fauvism, etc.) are fascinating but require some fore-knowledge and contextual establishment in order to appreciate how ground-breaking and truly original some of those works were. Don't be afraid of the work, especially when you will be rewarded with a deeper understanding of something that seemed impossible to grasp beforehand :)
My favorite piece was a large instillation piece made of what looked like tin-foil. From one angle it looks like a large group of women praying in a Muslim-like fashion, but from another side you can see that they are simply empty shells. It is so interesting. What I took away was an idea of heartless or thoughtless devotion, that idea of only going through the motions of religious exercises. It actually gave me shivers because it felt so relevant. I read the panel later, and the artist's intentions were somewhat similar but my impressions were more geared toward my own, personal experiences and understandings. And that...that deeply personalized moment and connection is what art should be about!
The rest of the day was a free day. Nate and I ran back to the falafel place so that I could get a real falafel. It was better than the chicken one, I will admit, but it is not something I would kill to have (for example, I would actually consider murdering for homemade gnocchi...that stuff is fabulous!). We then tried to go to the catacombs but the line was crazy long and it was raining and freezing, so we decided to change plans. Back-up plan was a visit to the Arc de Triomphe. Another huge monument. Massive. We were pretty wet by this point an had decided to go back to the hotel, but we accidentally got on the wrong train. Since we were already at the stop, I went ahead and popped up to the surface to see the opera house that the Phantom of the Opera was based on. It is a neat building but doesn't stand out in my mind as anything super special. I also was not willing to pay money to go in and see the staircase from the movie version of Phantom. Just not that into it, I guess ;) in the metro we also watched one of the cooler busking performances I have ever seen. It was a group of musicians all playing together with accordions, guitars, clarinets and singing. It was pretty great! Nate was wanting to buy a CD but they were asking for 20 euros...I am sorry, but if you are performing in a metro you can't expect people to willing fork out that much cash...seems a bit pretentious when you seem desperate enough for attention to be providing a free concert in a very public space. But...moving on :P
I spent the rest of the night babysitting the Jensen kids. We went to the local grocery store and bought some rolls, cheese, and meat to make little sandwiches and then Nutella to spread on the extra rolls for dessert. We took the food to the park and were going to play and eat but it ended up starting to rain more forcefully. So, the poor kids ended up shivering and eating their tiny sandwiches while huddled under the playground. It was still kind of fun but they were excited to get back to the hotel and finish dinner while watching Curious George (the movie was picked by George, if you couldn't tell...haha!). Nate was with us the whole time and it was rather amusing to realize that we really did look like a little family. It made me a bit homesick but in a different kind of way...homesick for my own family that I don't have...does that even make sense? It was kind of a tender moment for me. Funny how life has a way of throwing little emotional tidbits into the most unexpected places.
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