Monday, April 25, 2005
Max Ernst, Who Are You?
The text on the walls of the Met repeatedly said that Max Ernst's imagery was inscrutable. Oh yeah? Mrs.Cub and I woke up early Sunday morning and said, "Max Ernst, you bring it!" We had a leisurely morning scrutinizing his stuff, especially enjoying the paintings he made while in a menage-a-trois with his pal, Paul Eluard and wife, Gala. The ensuing dramas are thinly veiled in his imagery. What a nutter, a lot of the paintings are really funny, though no one was really laughing. Ernst was a student of Freud, he played with the idea of the unconscious, using it in part as a critique of rationality, and as far as I'm concerned there is never enough critique of rationallity on my plate.
What I found totally inspiring was how he constantly pushed his technique forward. Painters, I beseech thee, march en mass to the Met and see this cwazy show. Ernst introduces techniques like Frottage, Grattage, (I know, who knew?!?!), Decalcomania, uh and other stuff into his work, any manner or means of giving up control of the material in order to keep reinventing paint for himself and at the same time questioning the absolute authority of the artists. These ideas are appealing as I feel my own interests over the past few years shifting from imagery to materiality.
The indomitable Ms Laurie Weeks joined us to watch the L Word last night. I've discovered that if Mrs.Cub is ever getting up my ass about anything in public all I have to do is mention The L word in a loud voice and she gets so humiliated, she immediately obeys my every command. God, that show is a train wreck!
What I found totally inspiring was how he constantly pushed his technique forward. Painters, I beseech thee, march en mass to the Met and see this cwazy show. Ernst introduces techniques like Frottage, Grattage, (I know, who knew?!?!), Decalcomania, uh and other stuff into his work, any manner or means of giving up control of the material in order to keep reinventing paint for himself and at the same time questioning the absolute authority of the artists. These ideas are appealing as I feel my own interests over the past few years shifting from imagery to materiality.
The indomitable Ms Laurie Weeks joined us to watch the L Word last night. I've discovered that if Mrs.Cub is ever getting up my ass about anything in public all I have to do is mention The L word in a loud voice and she gets so humiliated, she immediately obeys my every command. God, that show is a train wreck!
# posted by Corny @ 9:15 AM 
