The photo shown here is of a poster that offers a key to a work by Ryan McGinness at the Virginia Museum of Fine Art, "Art History Is Not Linear." The large multi-panel painting hangs in the entry to the museum and features colorful icons drawn from works in the museum. I picked up the black-and-white poster during a museum visit, and in a moment of whimsy later attached it to the inside of my apartment's door.
The whimsical moment has turned into a daily "art moment" as I face the poster during my morning yoga exercises. While I stretch and pose, I gaze on one or another icon, giving my soul as much attention as my body is getting. Sometimes I recognize the work represented, such as Claes Oldenburg's "Typewriter Eraser" or Chuck Close's self-portrait. Others just happen to strike me that day, as I am drawn to either something bold and simple, such as a Cameroon buffalo mask, or an icon more intricate, such as a detail from one of the museum's Fabergé eggs.
Still other icons are mysterious and intriguing, even when I search the key to find out their sources. I am looking forward to seeking out "Blue Girl on Black Bed" and "The River" during my next VMFA visit.
One quick placement of a poster has provided me with a daily dose of art that keeps me thinking and wondering. Awesome! - in the real meaning of the word. And inspiring: Icon, I can.
Many people make room in their day for exercise, but we often forget to exercise the mind and soul as well. Some pray, but there are other forms of nourishment as well: meditation, art, nature. We merely need to find the one that speaks to us.
The whimsical moment has turned into a daily "art moment" as I face the poster during my morning yoga exercises. While I stretch and pose, I gaze on one or another icon, giving my soul as much attention as my body is getting. Sometimes I recognize the work represented, such as Claes Oldenburg's "Typewriter Eraser" or Chuck Close's self-portrait. Others just happen to strike me that day, as I am drawn to either something bold and simple, such as a Cameroon buffalo mask, or an icon more intricate, such as a detail from one of the museum's Fabergé eggs.
Still other icons are mysterious and intriguing, even when I search the key to find out their sources. I am looking forward to seeking out "Blue Girl on Black Bed" and "The River" during my next VMFA visit.
One quick placement of a poster has provided me with a daily dose of art that keeps me thinking and wondering. Awesome! - in the real meaning of the word. And inspiring: Icon, I can.
Many people make room in their day for exercise, but we often forget to exercise the mind and soul as well. Some pray, but there are other forms of nourishment as well: meditation, art, nature. We merely need to find the one that speaks to us.
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