MoMA

Friday afternoon Tim and I took off on our own little adventure to eat at Shake Shack and visit the Museum of Modern Art for their free Friday nights (score!). I have never seen so many people packed into a museum to look at modern and contemporary art. It was really refreshing! 

It was one of the biggest and best collections I have seen. There was an excellent Cindy Sherman exhibition on the top level and it was such a treat to see the entire span of her work over the years. I also enjoyed Monet's water lily pieces including the one photographed above. Impressionist works are reproduced so often that they start to lose their beauty. Seeing this work in person was an entirely different experience- it was breathtaking. The brushstrokes are fabulously abstract and the colors seem to glow on the canvas. The large scale also allows you to get lost in the work and just enjoy the beauty of the painting. 

There was also an excellent Mark Bradford work on display. I find his ideas regarding abstraction and craft intriguing- particularly his view of the map as an abstract grid. He takes collage to a higher level and inspires me to do the same with my own works. Let's "zoom" in to the piece:

It's madness. I love it. 

A few more:

Let's also talk about the wonder that is the Shake Shack. It had been such a long time since I indulged in a cheeseburger and it was worth the wait. It was just the right size and super tasty, and to top it all off I also ordered a peanut butter shake. Yum.

I am going to go dream of delicious burgers and fries now. Mmm....

...

Butter Goes To PAM

One night last week Tim had to work late, so I decided to take myself on a date to the Portland Art Museum to see the Mark Rothko exhibit. I always end up roaming the oh so familiar modern and contemporary galleries while I am there, and leave feeling energized and inspired. 

"The subject of painting is the painting itself" -Mark Rothko

 This is the first comprehensive Rothko exhibit I have been to and it was such a pleasure to be able to see his journey into abstraction. I am obsessed with the electric blue in the painting above, "Untitled (Harvard Mural Sketch)", 1962. However, one of my favorite qualities of walking into a room full of Rothkos is the power that the large scale paintings evoke. It feels as if you are literally walking into the work. 

Duane Hanson, "Dishwasher", 1973.

This piece completely startled me when I walked into this gallery. I only caught it out of the corner of my eye initially and thought someone was sitting in the gallery contemplating one of the pieces. Even after I realized it was actually a highly realistic sculpture I still felt like I was encroaching on a private moment. 

I found these little treats in the museum gift shop. I adore French macaroons and was delighted by these  tiny trinket boxes. Museum gift shops are a treasure trove of unique objects.

A night at the museum is always a lovely night. 

*Artwork depicted in title photo is "Untitled (To Donna)" by Dan Flavin. I always love a good Dan Flavin piece!