|
van gogh gauguin For most of Saturday night there was a horrible smell at work that lingered for hours. Nicole was convinced that something had died under the raised floor in the computer room, but after some more thought Ann and I decided that it must have been the heat. Maybe firing up the system in the building for the first time cooked some dust and debris in the duct work or something else got caught in it. Thankfully the smell was gone when I got to work on Sunday night. Ann was virtually asleep when I got there last night, but that was what I had expected to see. Being at work for almost sixteen hours is a strain for most people. Despite her lack of mental focus she did manage to find online the entire album from the bluegrass band that I recently discovered and we listened to it more than once during the night. Not only does she like the music, but she also has a thing for the guitar player in the band. Ann was also amazed at the journal that Sara from the band posted online. She couldn't believe how much the woman had written and I just nodded my head. Who in their right mind would write so much nonsense online was the question directed at me. Once again I just shook my head. ... After work the plan was to go to Chicago for the day and spend some time with Trish. Naturally I had to fill the gas tank of my car first. So I had just gotten done filling the tank and was getting ready to leave when this guy walks over to me and asks me about my car. First he wanted to know if it was the new model and did I like it. Then he wanted to know where I bought it and did I get a good deal. Soon the questions went on and on and I was beginning to wonder why. I mean he seemed friendly enough, but it was still odd having someone ask me so many questions about my car. Then he changed the subject from my car to where I worked and I think that I might give his name to my boss. Apparently his company was looking for someone to do their business. There was an ever so brief moment when I wondering if he was gay and hitting on me, but then he mentioned his wife in the conversation. I guess that I'm just not used to bonding with people over my car. All in all I guess that there was nothing there to be concerned about in the conversation, but I am still amazed at what people to say to me. I mean he was a complete stranger to me and it did make me feel a little paranoid. ... Almost every time that I go to Chicago there is construction somewhere along the way between Milwaukee and Chicago and today was no exception. Thankfully the stretch of road under construction wasn't that long, but it was still a minor nuisance. I have learned a few things about construction driving though. For example a great way to stay awake is to ride in what usually would be the shoulder, but is now the temporary left lane of the road. For some reason unknown to me this new lane is metered out with bumps. Now maybe this is to prevent people from going too fast or it has something to do with the construction. I don't know what the real reason might be, but I do know that it gives the shocks on my car a real beating and my body can't take more than a mile or two of it. ... I made good time to Chicago, but due to my misleading online map I overshot the final road that I needed and ended up losing fifteen minutes. Actually this is fairly typical of me. What I mean is that I can make it to the general area on time, but I miss the final target somehow. I almost always repeat this same pattern no matter where I am going. After some more slightly erratic target driving on my part, Trish and I made our way to The Art Institute of Chicago. As we were walking toward the building we soon we learned from the banners that there was a new Van Gogh and Gauguin exhibition happening at the museum, which was a pleasant surprise. I can't remember what the exhibition might have been last year when we went to the museum. It must not have been that appealing, because I don't remember going to see it. Of the two I must confess that I find Van Gogh the more appealing. Yes, countless dorm rooms across America have been plastered over with posters and prints of the sunflowers and or starry night, but something about his work still rings true for me. Putting aside all of the psychological mumbo jumbo that people often assign to his paintings, they still have emotional and technical value to me. First of all the paint is still paint. The oil has surface texture. The brushstrokes aren't hidden. Yes, these are basic things, but the average painter can't do them correctly. Then there is his use of blue and yellow, both of which are done very well. Once again very basic, but very effective. Seeing his work in the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam was very memorable so seeing some of those same paintings again was great. This time I didn't have to travel as far to get such a great reward. Gauguin has never really had that much of an effect on me and I think that it has something to do with his palette. Salmon is the word that immediately comes to mind when someone mentions his paintings. Almost all of his figures have that same hue to them and it bothers me. Naturally his Tahitian women are more of a cocoa, but those don't really work for me either. They have too much of the stink of colonialism about them and or romanticism. His message is lost on me or seems too forced. Tahiti for me is Captain James Cook. Maybe there is a contradiction somewhere in there, but I don't feel like exploring it right now. Going to the museum is always a worthwhile experience for me. Not only do I get some much needed exposure to art, but I also get some great opportunities for people watching. Wandering through the musuem are elderly women and young ever hopeful art students. Patchouli oil and vanilla perfume mingle in the air. Blue hair and dreadlocks pass by each other and I love all of it. ... After eating some traditional Chicago style pizza, Trish and I made our way to the airport. Obviously this was the first time that I had been to an airport since the recent events in New York happened and there was a slightly different feel to the place. I didn't feel uncomfortable there, but something had certainly changed. It was good to see Trish and she got to see how well I function after being awake for a full day.
|