Monday, January 30, 2012

And the best part about it? It's free!

Saturday I went to the Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell. I love this museum - They bring in new exhibits all the time. Of course, I had to visit with my old favorites, like The Goose Girl:




I really like the way the artist did her feet.


Oh, and I got to meet the grumpiest museum guard ever! Most of the guards at the museum are nice and friendly and glad to answer questions. On Saturday, I was wondering how they keep little kids from touching the paintings - none of them are behind glass, and some of them are low enough to the ground so that kids could reach them. So I asked a passing guard, and he literally rolled his eyes and said, "Lady, we TELL them not to touch the paintings", and stomped off. Jeez! I mean, it might have been a stupid question, but that gum-chewing guido acted like I'd offended him by daring to ask. Ex-CUUUUUUSE me! ha.


There were all kinds of funky video installations:





Oh, and this one really creeped me out:




The artist had hung two puppet-things on the wall, and then projected images of women talking onto the puppets - scary and fascinating at the same time.



Oh, and this was my favorite from this visit:




It's a shadow, right? A great big shadow projected into the corner. I walked into the room and turned around to see where the actual structure was, and ... there wasn't one. The artist had air-brushed the image onto the floor and wall. Too. cool.


Oh, and I FINALLY found the secret passage to the fifth floor - but this post is long enough already. I'll save that for another day. How was your weekend?







10 comments:

~~Silk said...

Your comment on the Goose Girl directed me to her feet, which ARE in fact the most remarkable thing about the painting not for the artistry, but for the fact that they are bare.

Anyone who has ever followed geese around knows that you never ever ever EVER go barefoot. Wellies are advised.

rockygrace said...

Ha, ~~Silk, I've looked at that picture lots of times and never even THOUGHT about the goose poop -
of course, you're right. Goose poop is nasty shit - literally!

LL Cool Joe said...

That shadow artwork is so clever!

I got in trouble for touching a painting in an art gallery, and that was last year.:D Proves I never really grew up!

Birdie said...

Her feet are weird. How many toes does she have?

Becs said...

Not about the feet - My cats are sooo happy I 'met' you. I bought the 'chase the hidden mouse' toy and they are loving it.

~~Silk said...

Becs - and your under-the-sheets feet have survived through the night?

~~Silk said...

RG - I'm almost sorry I mentioned it. Now every time you look at the painting, you'll think of stepping in goose poop. Well, also think about Becs training a veritable herd of cats to attack things moving under sheets, and that's all your fault!

Sorta evens things out.

~~Silk said...

I'm back again. I must be bored.

I've been puzzling over the "shadow" painted on the wall and floor. The question occupying my mind: Notice that the "shadow" has cast a reflection on the polished floor. Now, if that were a real shadow of a construction with a light behind it in the opposite corner, would the real shadow have cast a reflection on the floor?

Hmmmm. I have a wall in a bedroom I'm not using....

Becs said...

Hijacking the thread. Yes, the cats left my feet alone last night. Then again, it's a pretty thick comforter. And they're old. If we were talking kittens, it might be a different story...

rockygrace said...

LL Cool Joe, I SWEAR I thought about touching one on Saturday - it's like standing on the edge of a cliff and suddenly getting the urge to jump.

Birdie, well, she's got five on her right foot - her left foot is partially obscured, so it's hard to tell. Hmm.

Becs, I'm so glad your cats like the undercover mouse! Now, get them a Bolt laser toy and watch them REALLY lose their minds ...

and ~~Silk, let me know how you make out with that shadow experiment. I was thinking that the structure must have been mounted up close to the ceiling, with light behind it, in order to cast a shadow on the floor. I must have looked like a nut at the museum, craning my neck to find the structure and the light source. Then again, I'm sure that's what the artist intended. I wish I could think up stuff like that.