art seen: gerhard richter

views 
(gerhard richter’s 6 standing glass panels 2002/2011 and strip paintings, 2012) 
@ the marian goodman gallery 
oct 13, 2012
© anita aguilar

art seen: gerhard richter's strip paintings, 2012

one of gerhard richter's dizzying, delightful strip paintings, 2012 

at the marian goodman gallery, nyc

oct 13, 2012

photo © anita aguilar

road trip: the barnes totem

the barnes totem

(bead-blasted steel, 40')

artist: ellsworth kelly

installed in collaboration with tod williams billie tsien architects and landscape architect laurie olin

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photo © anita aguilar

more barnes exterior shots here

saturday scene: all (at the guggenheim)

the queue for the finale...

on saturday evening, i decided to attend the event that would mark the close of maurizio cattelan's show at the guggenheim -- and celebrate his retirement. i didn't know much about him or his art, but the 7-hour finale, with over 30 speakers from various disciplines-- visual art, literature, film, music, economics, politics, religion, dance, theater, sports, and fashion--seemed like a good opportunity to get enlightened. (i really only cared that george vecsey, a trusted--and missed--voice from the ny times sports pages, was going to be there. if there was any reason that mr. cattelan should resonate with me, mr. vecsey would make me aware.)

i braved the damp cold and a line that wound from the fifth avenue entrance, around the corner and down the length of 89th street to madison avenue--at least that's where my wait started. the waiting and the weather made the first steps into the rotunda exhilarating -- and the first sight of the suspended art (horses, pinocchio)--even moreso. everyone was snap-happy.

i took my time, walking the ramps around the exhibit.

what can i say about the art? meh. i wasn't particularly moved. as a whole, or taken as separate pieces, the work is...sensational. but i didn't feel excited or inspired to know whatever story or joke or intent drove their creation. there were mini-figurines and massive taxidermy specimens, funny photos, "z"s and bones and boobs, and a pope felled by a meteor. i liked the olive tree and the big block of soil that it "grew" on. there were many football references, too (it became easy to figure what mr. vecsey would comment on, so in the end, i didn't feel the need to stay for his talk.) let's just say, i saw "all" and that was enough.

i did enjoy being there though. one of the things i love about the guggenheim is the simple expansiveness of it--the distance and airiness from one side of the rotunda to the other. but having artwork hanging from the middle meant that instead of everyone facing away from the center, we all gathered around it. it gave a much different perspective on the experience, as well as the art. the vibe was buzzier too, i don't know if it was the saturday night/pay what you wish admission or if it was the weirdness of the art that inspired it, but it was almost like your parents went away for the weekend--woo hoo--and you could have the whole house to yourself (and 500 hundred or so friends), feet up on the good couch, watching tv upside down. that we were all allowed to take pictures (which is generally verboten, unlike at the MET) made a difference for everyone, i think. anyway, i liked seeing people wanting to capture their experience for themselves, or to share.

here are more of mine from the night:

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all photos © anita aguilar

paris postcard: st. art, st. germain

may 24, 2011

© anita aguilar

paris postcard, day 1: stealth shots, the orsay

when did the orsay outlaw the taking of photos? i don't recall a ban in 2008...

i defied them this time, i just couldn't resist taking a few shots while we took a rest/tried to get our bearings (and second wind):

this one, i had to take because of the christian marclay "clock" exhibit, which will elude me forever, but will continue to inspire...i also wanted to commemorate the time we were there: 6:30pm

i love the toes in this one...

i imagine this is my cousin, jenny, working one of her crafts...

the only downside of a trip to the orsay on this day in may was that many of the best impressionist works were out on loan to the hotel de ville (which we may try to see tomorrow) and major renovation forced the rest of the collection to be re-presented throughout the lower floors.

while the current configuration reinforces the awareness of the orsay's array of heavy hitters--one masterpiece next to another--there is little space in-between for a breath, let alone a deep thought about them...(the mental lingering starts in earnest much later). but the museum remains a must see if you're in paris.

bonus for 2011 travelers: through july 17, there is a major manet retrospective. manet: inventeur du moderne (the man who invented modernity--it sounds better en francais, oui?) is worth the extra euro and a long queue. i liked manet's work before, but i have new appreciation for his mastery of form and style, and some new favorites: the dramatic still life renderings (asparagus) and his more dramatic, photo- journalistic pieces, like the execution of maximilian and the velasquez-like "dead toreador."

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a few au revoirs:

may 19, 2011

all photos © anita aguilar

mon oncle

AMO the ARG: the streets of san telmo

as z and i finished lunch, we exchanged thoughts on what we'd seen of san telmo to try to decide whether we wanted to return later in the week. we both thought, cute, but not sure about coming back... but to that point, i'd spent most of the day waiting for her in the plaza dorrego and a short section of calle defensa. i hadn't explored the side streets, hadn't visited many stores. she had done some good damage in a few boutiques and was ready to head back. i decided to linger and see what else san telmo had to offer.

first stop was sima, specializing in leather bags and shoes, which she recommended. i had a nice chat with the proprietor, and contemplated some gift buying, but decided to hold off. i wanted to look around more.

the rest of the time, i enjoyed life on the streets, admiring the art and the architecture. i hope you will like what you see as much as i did. these photos are from the full day...the weather turned dramatically in the late afternoon. it would rain--pour--long into the night.

avenida san juan

i peeked through the fencing for this one. no view of the courts, just the sign.
avenida san juan.

according to my trusty guide book, san telmo was in the nineteenth century the province of the very wealthy...they fled the town for better air after a yellow fever epidemic in 1871. the new inhabitants, mostly immigrant, left the original buildings largely intact, but adapted them for their use, converting mansions into tenement housing.

while the area remains largely working class, it's also enjoying a resurgence, buoyed by the arrival of smaller business--shops, galleries, bars, and restaurants--who no doubt see the beauty of "the bones" of the place and understand its potential to attract enthusiastic tourists. like me.

the intersection of calle defense and chile

i was trying to capture the long, pretty view of the narrow streets (here, calle defensa)

and the view from the wider ones, like calle independencia.

independencia/defensa

an evita-esque balcony.

more defensa, but further north...

i should probably stop with the "me in the mirror" shots...but i probably never will...ha.

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pasaje san lorenzo is renowned as one of the smallest, most colorful and charming streets in town...

on the right, is "casa minima" at no. 380 san lorenzo. it is the narrowest building in buenos aires.
trusty guide book tells me its 2.17 meters (what's the conversion?). anyway, tiny...

***

peru

independencia

peru, i think.

defensa

all photos © anita aguilar

objets d'art...

a big welcome to the blogosphere to my very talented sister, an artist and jewelry maker, who is finally showcasing her beautiful work at sheena925.wordpress.com.

i have probably been the biggest beneficiary, as her passion and skill for jewelry-making have grown. for the last several years, for any occasion, she has shared her gift with me--literally. i'm always overwhelmed, not just because each piece is beautiful, but because "she" is in every one: her taste and sensibility--bold, yet refined and impeccable--balanced with thoughtfulness of what i would like. and each reflects the determination that she applies to learning and perfecting the craft.

i hope you'll visit her new blog. i'll be posting updates, of course, and i'll keep a link to it on the side bar, along with all the other folks that continue to inspire me.

***

i've undertaken a little photo-experimenting with the pieces she's made for me. she liked a couple of them, so you'll find them at sheena925. but here are outtakes:

silver bracelet made by sheena. all photos © anita aguilar

***

back when we were in high school, my cousin jojo created a collage for me, which still hangs in my bedroom at my parents' house, and which i've used for the last few years as my online "identity." it is so much nicer and more artful than any photo i would have picked.

me, in the 80s (ha). by jojo aguilar.

but i came home a couple of weeks ago to a wonderful surprise--a new painting (which is now my profile picture everywhere online). i hope it's not horribly vain and wrong of me to love this as much as a i do. (forgive me, if so.) but as i told him, that's me now, but on my best day, and exactly how i'd want to portray myself to others. big thank you hug to him for the new "me."

painting by jojo aguilar

he's another amazing talent in my family. visit his blog to see more of his work (also perma-linked on the sidebar). funny, he's got his resume up there as a post, so you can see the long list of animation projects to his credit.

art shots: do you see what i see?

jon stewart?
aidan quinn?
actually...
vsevolod mikhailovich garshin (1855-1888), 1884. by ilia efimovich repin.

apolo anton ohno?
noooo. an egyptian peasant woman and her child, 1869-70. artist: leon bonnat.

art shots: have a look

andy warhol. nine jackies, 1964. acrylic and silk screen on canvas.

paul gaugin. la orana maria, 1891. oil on canvas.

marco breuer. spin (C-283), 2008.

chris mccaw. sunburned, gsp #166, mohave/winter solstice, 2007. gelatin silver prints.

tom friedman. untitled, 1998. chromogenic print.

pertti kekarainen. tila (passage 1), 2006. chromogenic print.

all photos © anita aguilar