Bleeding Roses

There's this painting that Salvador Dali did in 1930, called "The Bleeding Roses". (Spoiler alert - the painting involves a full-frontal of a woman. Don't say I didn't warn you.) I saw it at the exhibit I went to last weekend. It took my breath away. Who ever knew that a little oil paint could produce the sense of depth this painting has? The image does not do the original justice.

I think it's magnificent.

What this piece of art says to me may not be what it says to anyone else. It may not be the message that Dali intended to send with his painting.

"The Bleeding Roses", to me, is a painting of what it means to be a woman. That human life is intrinsically tied to a woman's ability to menstruate. And that fact is beautiful.

LACMA - Dalí: Painting & Film

Saturday, instead of going to a Marine Corps Ball or some such other Leatherneck event, I went to LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) to see their exhibit of Dalí: Painting and Film. I think it goes until the 6th of January, so if you haven't seen it I recommend checking it out.

It was really very enjoyable. I don't go to enough art museums, although I like the feeling of having my mind kneaded by art.

It was also incredibly crowded! Wow! The first room was the worst, but after that it was OK. It was really refreshing to see a crowded art exhibit too; the stereotypical impression I have of art musuems is that "no one goes to them".

I don't actually know much about Salvador Dalí, but I do feel like I know a little more about him now than I did before. I also expected to see more melting clocks at the exhibit, but the only one I saw was The Persistence of Memory. There may have been another painting or two, but it's possible I didn't catch it.

Also on display is a Lobster Telephone; now that I've read the wikipedia article, I'm much more amused by it. Although I think the way the lobster is placed is appropriate; it would just look weird if it was facing the other way.

There were also films at the exhibit; Un Chien Andalou (the first film you find in the exhibit), the dream sequence from Spellbound, Destino, among others. My favorite was Destino, which was an animated collaboration with Disney. There's this incredible shot where a woman sees the shadow of a bell on sand, then dives into the sand. The shadow of the bell turns into a dress on the woman. I'd like to get it on DVD if/when they ever release it.

One of my favorite paintings from the exhibit was The Bleeding Roses, which depicts a woman with four roses on her abdomen that are bleeding. The sense of perspective is incredible; I really felt that the roses were coming out of the painting.

I definitely recommend checking this exhibit out - it's definitely worth the $15-$20 admission. It's $5 to park in their parking lot (I think it might be free after 5:00 PM), and there's lots of places to eat near the musuem.

A Visit to the Museum

My sweetheart took me to the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena yesterday. It's an interesting collection of works, most notably of Van Gogh, Picasso and Degas works. Rodin graces the entrance. There's also a massive collection of Asian (mostly Indian) art. There's the "correct" amount of art there, meaning you can see the entire museum in a day but there's so much good stuff to see that it's possible to return several times and get the feeling of seeing something fresh and new.

I never took an art history class or anything but I really like looking at art. I wasn't particularly good at art class when I was in school, although I enjoyed the ceramics class I took. I particularly like still lifes (which apparently include dead animals - I never knew!), but there are also portraits and landscapes that I enjoyed viewing.

Something that I really love about most art (especially Greek/Roman art) is the value of a normal/healthy woman. There's not one anorexic among them.

Admission is $8, although if you are a student with an ID card you can get in for free. Parking in their lot is free as well.

Some of my favorite pieces:
Still Life with Cherries, Strawberries and Gooseberries
Saint Joseph and the Infant Christ
View of the Santa Maria della Salute with the Dogana di Mare
An Arrangement of Flowers
Rape of Proserpina (Rape of the Sabine Woman)
Still Life with Rummer

and my favorite painting:
The Liberation of St. Peter

I especially recommend checking out the Asian art - there's "amorous" lovers to be found! *wink wink nudge nudge*

Can Anyone Identify This Photo?

I'm a big fan of photography, and have been wanting to start a collection of prints for some time. Not in any particular genre, just stuff that I like.

Anyway, I thought a particular photo of a Marine running along the beach on D-Day would be a nice companion piece to the Flag-Raising at Mt. Suribachi. Except I don't know who took the photograph, or even if it has a title.

Here is a link to a poster from the National WWII Museum. And here it is on the cover of Norman Mailer's "The Naked & The Dead". (which is a good, if not great book, btw)

Since my googling hasn't come up with anything, I thought maybe someone else might know. I tried looking on the back of my copy of the Mailer book, but no luck.

My Favourite Painting

When I was visiting Europe, I got the great opportunity to go to the Louvre in Paris. Now, while I will admit to having a bad experience there, I did see some great stuff. One of these days I'll go to Europe again and have a better experience at the Louvre, maybe take a guided tour (that might help with the utter confusion of wandering a former palace) or learn to read maps better. Anyway, I did get to see the "Mona Lisa", which I wasn't too impressed with, and that famous painting of the French Revolution where a bare-breasted woman is being. . .revolutionary. But this particular painting, Delaroche's "La Jeune Martyr", was my favourite. I couldn't find a better image, but there is another fellow down by the riverbank. Sadly, most of the prints you find are just the closeup of the martyr.
I remember trying to navigate out of the painting section of the museum (because I wanted to see the Egyptian art, damnit!), and this stopped me in my tracks. I almost wish I got a full-sized reproduction of it at the gift shop, because it's so beautiful. Years later, the only thing great I can say about my visit to the Louvre is that I got to see this piece of art there, in the flesh. I'm in no way an art critic, and I prefer photography to paint, but this piece is incredible.