Art and Thought
The DMA is kind enough to let us in an hour before opening—when it’s quieter and we can congregate more easily around specific pieces without disturbing anyone. They also let us in free, let us park free, and give us free entrance to special exhibits.
This year one of the art preparers, Mike, has led our private tours, and he does much more than show us around. He plans ahead and introduces us to specific pieces that raise issues we should think about. And he's never in a hurry for us to answer, giving us time to consider. (He also always gives me a good TV or movie recommendation along the way—last time it was the Foyle’s War BBC series. This time it was “The Tree of Life” movie. But I digress.)
This semester Mike led us in a tour that he called, "Sacred or Profane?" He had us consider three works in which ostensibly secular artists have appropriated biblical stories or imagery. We began with a piece titled "Mexican Adam and Eve" by Alfredo Ramos Martinez. We considered how the artist’s version focused on the loss of innocence and suggested an accusation against Western powers for destroying their “garden.” And we talked about how that “take” on the story differs from the biblical account in which humanity sins against their creator.
Next we looked briefly at a beautiful, traditional 16th-century depiction of the Virgin, probably an altar piece. This we compared with a photograph of pop tart Kylie Minogue as "The Virgin with Serpents" in the Jean Paul Gaultier show, here till Feb 12 ("The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk"--if you don’t know his name, you might recognize him as the designer of Madonna’s cone-breast bodice). We also looked at some of the dresses and gowns in Gaultier's "Virgins" collection that incorporate Roman Catholic imagery.
We finished with "Detail," Mark Bradford's monumental steel and wooden ark, and a related video (here's a DMA time-lapse sequence, which took about five days: http://youtu.be/gIDIEfi5VnQ) describing the construction of the original piece in New Orleans following hurricane Katrina. (Notice in this video how the artist explicitly links the work to the story of Noah's ark: http://www.dmovies.net/prospect1/index.html )
Some of the questions our guide had us consider were, “In a secular age, is it even possible to successfully appropriate biblical or religious imagery, stories, and symbols?” and “What happens when this imagery is being derived second- or third-hand via pop culture, as opposed to direct engagement with the Bible or theological reflection?” And “What happens when artists attempt to critique or subvert this type of imagery? Is that possible, or do the symbols and stories carry so much weight that they in turn end up as a critique of the artist?”
We considered whether Gaultier's use of Christian imagery in his clothes is any different from or less reverent than any number of items we could find in a "Christian" book or gift shop.
Between the tour and lunch, we wandered for an hour. I checked out the entire Gaultier show, which was fascinating. (But it’s R-rated, so don’t take your kiddies. Some of the school children there today caught a glimpse of some naked full-grown female angels depicted on dress fabric, and they were giggling and gawking—and that was in the room with the tame stuff.) The DMA also had a good exhibit on African head wear that I checked out, in addition to the rest of the Bradford exhibit.